4 days in Paris, France - 09/30/2023-10/3/2023

Day 2- A stroll in Paris -10/1/2023

View of the Quays de la  Seine from Pont Neuf bridge

On the left is the start of the bouquinistes of Paris.  You can see a box of old posters on the ledge.

The bouquinistes are booksellers of old and 2nd hand books selling in boxed installed on a large part of the Quays de le Seine.

Nowadays looks like they sell more posters than books.

La conciergerie with the pointy roofs.

View of Pont Neuf (new Bridge) is actually the oldest standing bridge across the river Seine in Paris.

Pont Saint Michel in the distance. The initial "N" is the imperial insignia of Napoleon III and is linking the left bank of the river Seine to the Ile de La Cite.

The three arch Pont Saint Michel was built in 1857 during the second Empire and named after the nearby chapel Saint-Michel.

On the weekend, the quay is reserved for pedestrians and people really enjoyed walking around without any cars.

A beautiful day for a stroll.

The Eiffel tower in the distance

Crossing the bridge to go to the right bank of the river Seine

A tourist boat on the river Seine

It is a beautiful day and perfect for people to see Paris by boat.

The quay is always full of people on a sunny day.

Saint Jacques tower is a , 171 ft. tall flamboyant Gothic tower.   It is all that remains of the former 16th century church of Saint Jacques de La Boucherie which was demolished in 1797 during the French Revolution leaving only the tower.

The tower in the center and of the left is the Police prefecture.

View of the Ile de la cite from the right bank of the River Seine.

Straight ahead is the Pont Saint Michel with the "N" insignia and on the right is the Conciergerie located on the bank of the Ile de la Cite.

La Conciergerie is Listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.  It is one of the oldest vestiges of the Palais de la Cité, residence and seat of power of the kings of France in Middle Ages.

Transformed into a prison of the Parliament of Paris towards the end of the 14th century , the Conciergerie remained a major place of detention during the French Revolution with the installation of the Revolutionary Tribunal.  The most famous prisoner was Queen Marie Antoinette . 

Rooftops of Paris.

We are now at the Marche aux Fleurs Reine Elizabeth II

It was formerly known as the Marché aux fleurs et aux oiseaux Cité but was renamed for Queen Elizabeth II after a state visit in 2014

I have never been here and it is a really nice area.

Flowers in bloom.

We are now at Notre Dame de Paris.

The last time we were here (6/22) most of the site was under construction.  This time they removed the scaffoldings from the front.  There are a still construction in the back.

They built an observation deck so people can sit in front of the Cathedral and admire the view.

Here you can see the observation deck on the left and of Cathedral on the right.  This is a really cleaver way for people to sit back and enjoy the view.

There are still reparation going in the back of the cathedral but it looks like it is almost done.

The backside of the Cathedral.

We are now at the Opera Garnier.  The upper portion of the Opera is covered with a giant billboard from Tiffany. 

The Opera building is an architectural masterpiece that was inaugurated in 1875 at the request of Napoleon III.

The bottom portion of the Opera Garnier

The backside of the Opera on Rue Auber

Even the back of the building is magnificent.

After French architect Charles Garnier's death in August 1898, a public monument, designed by Jean-Louis Pascal, was erected on the west side of the Palais Garnier in front of the Rotonde de l'Empereur. Garnier's family participated in the design and selected a copy of Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux's bust to crown the monument. The pedestal, carved from red Aberdeen granite, displays a plaque with the floor-plan of the Opéra and is framed by two consoles which support allegorical statues of Glory and Design by Gabriel-Jules Thomas. The monument was completed in 1902.

NEXT... Day 3- Gallerie Lafayette and Lunch with our friends