Notre Dame, Le Marais, L’Orangerie, Montmartre!

Bonjour!

Our third day in Paris was a busy one, but unforgettable! We had timed tickets for Notre Dame at 9 AM, so we made sure to get there a bit early to see the cathedral itself before our tower slot. Walking back inside after the reconstruction was amazing - I was impressed with how new and clean all the marble looked. We took our time wandering through, enjoying the sounds of the organ that was playing during mass.

  

In between our cathedral visit and the scheduled tower climb, we had a little pocket of time, so we walked over to Flanerie Notre Dame for a small breakfast (exactly what we needed before the more than 400 stairs)! We got one croissant and one pan au chocolat - not quite as good as our other spot but it worked for the purpose. We then went back to climb the towers, which gave us a fabulous view over the Seine, Notre Dame’s famous gargoyles (our favorite was sad bird who, by the way, has one of the best views ever) and the rest of the city. We also appreciated the built-in pauses throughout, including the bells and a small gift shop.

     

From there, we headed into Le Marais for a couple more flat whites at Peloton Cafe (same one as on Friday). After enjoying our coffees, we had a bit of time before our next reservation. Since we were in the area, we decided to follow part of this walking tour I found in my research from the blog On the Luce. We started from the Rue Francois Miron stop and made it to the Place Des Vosges stop (passing by the Bibliotheque Foley with its cannon ball hole from the French Revolution, the Wall of Phillip II Augustus, the English Saint Paul Saint Louis where Cosette and Marius get married in Les Mis, and the Hotel de Sully) before we had to get going. The tour took us down several narrow, winding streets lined with historical sites, boutiques, and beautiful old buildings - such a different vibe from the areas we'd explored so far. We really liked the neighborhood since it felt like you could turn down any side street and stumble on something charming, so having a route to follow was nice so we didn't miss the highlights.

     

Next up was L'Orangerie, which happened to be a free museum day! We spent about an hour total at the museum, spending most of the time in the Monet water lily rooms. I used to have a poster of one of the large canvases, and I have to say that one was still my favorite (it’s the teal-colored canvas in the photos below). The space is so immersive and I can see why it was Monet’s magnum opus! One surprise for me was I found a new artist I liked, Maurice Utrillo, who painted all over Montmartre. 

We then made our way up to Montmartre for the afternoon, following another On the Luce walking tour. But first, we stopped for a quick bite to eat (baguette sandwich) at Bouillon Service in Montmartre just off the Pigalle metro stop. 

We followed the full tour starting from the Moulin Rouge, making our way up the winding cobblestone streets all the way to the Sacré-Cœur Basilica, and back down to the Mur des je t’aime (under scaffolding unfortunately). The first couple days didn’t feel too busy in Paris, but we found all the other tourists in Montmartre, scattered between the Maison Rose, Sacré-Cœur Basilica, Le Consulat, and the Place du Tertre. It was crazy how busy it felt up there, but also fun to see the neighborhood so vibrant and active. A couple favorite spots on the walk for me included Le Consulat (a family favorite because my grandma has a painting of it in her house), seeing Van Gogh’s apartment where he lived with his brother, and seeing the Moulin de la Galette (made famous by Renoir’s painting Dance at La Galette, which my grandparents introduced me to), and the pretty Rue de l’Abreuvoir.

      

Once we'd finished the walking tour, we grabbed drinks at one of the little spots in Montmartre (Le Saint Jean) and people-watched with an espresso and Coke Zero for a while - a nice way to close out an already full day of walking. After that we headed back to the hotel for a much-needed break before dinner.

We went over to a wine bar (“A lot of wine”) on our way to dinner where we each had a glass. The wine was good but the service was not great - they sat us down but didn’t check on us for 30 minutes despite several attempts to get their attention. Thankfully, we got what we were after eventually! For dinner we went to Minzon, which was a great choice after a long day - a low-key, satisfying meal. I got the Steak and Egg and Ray got the Chicken Kebab Meatball pita (he is still dreaming about it). On the walk back toward the hotel, we couldn't resist stopping at Creperie Ile St-Louis for an Amandienes Crepe (with pear, dark chocolate, and caramelized almonds). Sweet, nutty, and the perfect little dessert to eat while strolling along the Seine. Ray also was able to snap some great photos during the pretty sunset while I waited for the crepe.

  

Our very last stop of the night was back at Notre Dame to catch blue hour. The cathedral lit up against that deep blue sky was stunning, and the perfect bookend to a day that started and ended at the same spot.

 

Excellente journée,

Amy