After more than a month (for me) in Marseille, my husband Dean and I said goodbye to our spacious rental in the Castellane neighborhood , thanks to our wonderful Airbnb host Diane. We took an Uber to La Gare St. Charles and figured out how to watch for the voie, the boarding platform for our SNCF train to Paris. (Travel tip: allow extra time to find your way to your train platform/bus or metro stop/airport gate in a foreign country. We did this, and it paid off.)

We found our seats on the train, sitting opposite two men who work in IT for the architectural department of BNP Bank. After I asked one of them about an announcement, we fell into easy conversation using both French and English. I enjoyed their great humor and curiosity, which I also shared as we compared our cultures, climates, etc. This is a part of travel I enjoy the most, meeting people and hearing their stories. Meanwhile Dean used his Google Translate app to listen in and catch most of what we were saying in French.

In Paris we were greeted at our Airbnb, dropped our bags, and headed to one of several brasseries I had identified through Google Maps as both appealing and close enough for walking while a bit travel weary. One meal of bœuf bourguignon (for Dean) and salade (for me) later, we settled in at our beautiful rental in the quiet Victor Hugo neighborhood in the 16th arrondissement of Paris.

Since we planned only two full days in Paris, we chose our destinations carefully and made reservations for tours well ahead of time. On Monday, June 29 we went to a boulangerie in the Montmartre neighborhood for scones and coffee before heading up the hill to Sacré-Cœur at the peak of the only hill in Paris. Good thing we fueled up before tackling all the steps it took to get there!

The basilica is one of my favorites, with incomparable mosaics and beautifully appointed chapels.

I was grateful to have time to light a candle and sit in prayer for my sister back in Iowa, who I had learned was in her last hours of life. This was not unexpected, but it was still hard to be far away from Des Moines. Nevertheless our shared faith and love enabled me to feel close to her in those quiet moments in the sanctuary of Sacré-Cœur. Thank you, God.

An equally appealing site on Montmartre is the Place du Tertre, where many artists please the public with renderings of the City of Light as well as portraits done on the spot. Twenty years ago I paid an artist there to do a watercolor of our daughter and me.

This time I was captivated by another artist who draws beloved pets using photos shared on her phone. I paid Radmila Popovic to draw our son’s family’s three labs. I was pleased with the result, and they were too, when I gave it to them four days later. Our grandson said, “It really looks like them!”

We moved on to the Île de la Cité for our guided tour of Notre Dame Cathedral. There is so much to appreciate about this icon of Paris, not the least of which is the volume of donations and time it took to restore it after the fire in 2019.

Entrance to the cathedral is free, but we chose to pay for a guided tour so we could learn about its history and its features. I recommend doing this wherever you go, if you can. We have never regretted this way of enhancing our trips in the US and Europe.

Danielle pointed out the rooster weather vane that had graced the spire before it collapsed and fell straight down into the transept after catching on fire. Investigation concluded that a worker’s cigarette started the fire in the wooden ceiling structure.

There were a few wooden features that survived the fire. The set of friezes behind the choir survived a previous fire as well. One thing I like about the friezes depicting the gospel is the last panel, left empty to symbolize the Last Judgment, largely a mystery to us.

The pulpit also survived the fire, albeit marked by ashes that fell on its foundation.

I have to include photos of the two famous rose windows, which were actually removed during World War II to ensure their safety and then later reinstalled.

While I have always been skeptical of the claims about relics in European churches, it is still compelling to think that the crown of thorns is purported to be enshrined in Notre Dame. It is held by a modern golden reliquary that opens to display the crown every Friday afternoon at 3:00 pm, the hour of Jesus’ death.

The doors and their surroundings of Notre Dame contain details that one could study for hours. One detail reveals St. Denis, a third century Christian martyr who was beheaded at the behest of pagan priests. Legend has it that he preached a sermon carrying his severed head before he actually died.

Before our tour was complete, Danielle showed us “Point Zero,” on the pavement outside, which is the location from which everything is measured, the official center of Paris. This is fitting, since the island on which the church is located once comprised the entire city.

We concluded our day with a boat trip on the Seine, which passes by many beautiful sights, including the Pont Alexandre III, La Musée D’Orsay with its famous clock, and la Tour Eiffel.

A day well spent in the beautiful city. We were blessed with good weather, so a hat and cool clothes kept us fairly comfortable. We were thankful that we missed the highly unusual107 degree weather in Paris the week before!

Our second day in Paris deserves its own post, and you have endured enough. À bientôt!