Paris and Toulouse, France - March 2024 (83 Images)
1. After 4,700 miles and 9 hours, we made it to London.
2. Waiting impatiently for London Heathrow to announce the gate for our Paris flight.
3. Our Paris hotel, in the 15th Arrondissement, close to the Eiffel Tower and Seine River.
4. First dinner in Paris, close to the hotel. Too tired from flying to walk any further.
5. Some tasty Italian was a great way to start off our visit.
6. Mirror selfie in our very tiny first room – Julie got us a bigger room for the rest of our stay.
7. At the 2024 Olympics Welcome Center by the Eiffel Tower.
8. A close-up of the “Leaning Tower” of Eiffel.
9. Interesting, artsy view of the Tower.
10. Making our way by train to the Montmartre area. This station was built in 1923.
11. But first, we stopped for Lindt hot chocolate, which is the best hot chocolate ever!
12. The Olympia Theater, opened 1893. Famous French pop singer, Claude Francois, first headlined there in 1963.
13. Walking up the 176 step spiral staircase of the Abbesses Metro Station, below Butte Montmartre.
14. At the top, the Art Nouveau Abbesses Station entrance, built during the early 1900’s.
15. The Butte Montmartre funicular was a welcome sight after climbing the Abbesses Station stairs.
16. Rick resting on the Sacre Coeur Church stairs, sitting high atop Butte Montmartre.
17. “Locks of Love” fastened to much of the fencing near the Sacre Coeur.
18. A school memorial to Jewish children, kidnapped and murdered by fascist Nazis during WWII.
19. Eating Croque Monsieurs, which are one of the most iconic French bistro dishes.
20. At dinner later, Rick is quite proud of himself for speaking French to order our drinks and food.
21. The Grande Arche, in the La Defense business district.
22. The Grande Arche was inaugurated on France’s bicentennial, July 14, 1989.
23. Julie, striking a pose in front of the many unique La Defense structures.
24. Another view of La Defense. Can you see the Arc de Triomphe in the distance?
25. Heading back to the city by Metro, accompanied by some very loud accordion music.
26. Another shot of the Eiffel Tower off in the distance.
27. The Hotel National des Invalides, a veteran’s hospital and hospice, opened in 1674.
28. As we look for a lunch spot, the Eiffel Tower seems to be everywhere.
29. Rick was again proud for ordering food and drinks in French. We each had lemon almond tarte for dessert.
30. The original Rodin’s “The Thinker.” There are 27 other known castings, many made after Rodin died.
31. Breakfast for our last day in Paris – pastries and quiche. What a way to start the day!
32. The bunker at the Museum of the Liberation. It was a French Resistance command post during WWII.
33. The French Resistance had about 500,000 French citizens who fought the Nazi occupation with sabotage.
34. The Paris liberation was Aug. 25, 1944. The Nazis had killed 50,000 Allied troops in the 3 months before.
35. Enjoying an afternoon break.
36. Montparnasse Tower, at 59 stories tall, is the only skyscraper within the Paris city limits.
37. What a view! The La Defense skyscrapers in the background are outside Paris city limits.
38. I spy the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral – can you find it?
39. Goofing-off at 690 feet in the air.
40. Not a bad place to relax on a beautiful day!
41. A really long moving sidewalk in one of the Metro tunnels.
42. Biding our time in the chilly nighttime air, while we wait for the Eiffel Tower lights.
43. One last look at the Eiffel Tower before we make our way to Toulouse in southwest France.
44. Preparing for our evening of sleep on the night train from Paris to Toulouse.
45. Julie expresses our glee in reaching Toulouse, bright and early on a Saturday morning.
46. Toulouse’s most famous square, Place du Capitole, named after the parliament building.
47. We took a bike tour of Toulouse in order to get the lay of the land for the rest of our visit.
48. Typical looking street in the city’s old town.
49. Cool art on a lot of the old town buildings.
50. Back in front of the Capitole. The square was getting quite busy, which is common on Saturday nights.
51. The Garonne River, flowing 329 miles from the Pyrenees, through Toulouse, and on to Bordeaux.
52. The bustling Victor Hugo Market on a Sunday morning, where you can find lots of funky meat…
53. …and some delicious looking pastries.
54. The Chapelle des Carmelites, commissioned by King Louis XIII in 1662.
55. The Chapelle’s ceilings, painted in the 17th Century.
56. The ceilings drew inspiration from the Sistine Chapel in Rome.
57. Julie pauses inside the Capitole, which has some pretty amazing art of its own.
58. The “Illustrious Room” wows visitors with marble sculptures, and lavishly decorated walls and ceilings.
59. The Town Council Chamber has been used for municipal government since 1606.
60. Old Town Toulouse is pedestrian friendly, with few cars, but plenty of bicyclists darting everywhere.
61. Julie tries bubble tea. The “bubbles” are tapioca pearls – an excellent way to get constipated!
62. The Basilica of Saint Sernin, the largest Romanesque building remaining in Europe.
63. This beautiful church was constructed between about 1080 and 1120.
64. Watch out for bicyclists, people!
65. Rick can't wait to try two Toulouse specialties – Saucisse de Toulouse and Cassoulet.
66. The food was fine, but the beer down the street was better!
67. Toulouse has a very successful rugby team, and we watched rugby on TV while drinking our beers.
68. The next day rained and rained, so we rode the train around to see what we might find.
69. Well, what do you know?! We found Europe’s first urban circulating ropeway.
70. The ropeway is an eco-friendly, efficient, and sustainable mode of public transport.
71. Rick shares his feelings about the day’s weather.
72. Lunching at a fondue place with friendly service - another chance for Rick to practice his French!
73. The weather was nice the next day, so we took the train to Carcassone for some medieval fun.
74. Check out the Pyrenees Mountains, with the highest peak at 11,168’ – lots of skiing to do out there.
75. The city’s castle is part of an outstanding example of a medieval fortified town.
76. The completely walled fortress is the largest in Europe.
77. The fortress has massive defenses, including a moat and ramparts like this.
78. There are 2 ramparts and 53 towers to prevent attacks by battering rams and catapults.
79. The basilica within the fortress was built in the 6th Century and reconstructed during the 13th.
80. As we leave Toulouse for the USA, yet another reminder of those damn fascist Nazis.
81. Rick enjoyed speaking French, but it took a lot of brain power - talking felt kinda blah, blah after 10 days.
82. Comfortably sprawled out as we fly home, Rick watches a movie.
83. We left early to beat a storm that dumped 20” of snow at home – so glad we could avoid countless headaches.