Paris

Paris, France

It was a beautiful day when we arrived at Orly Airport from London.
It had been thirteen years since  I was last in Paris and more than thirty five years since Paul was last in Paris.  We took the train from the airport to Antony which is south of Paris where my cousin, Lam Boi, and her husband, Chan Ninh, live.  We had dinner with Lam Boi's family before we went to my uncle's apartment which was close by.  My uncle who is ninety three, recently moved to an assisted living facility so the apartment was not being used.  We called the apartment home for the next five days.  I had fond memories of previous stays at my uncle's apartment with my sister, Amy and mom and dad in 2001.

Dinner the first night at Lam Boi's house.

  We made the most of our first full day in Paris, starting at La Grande Arche.

La Grande Arche

From the La Grande Arche, we took the metro to Arc de Triomphe and walked the Champs Elysees Blvd.. It was a long and pleasant walk thanks to the perfect weather!

Arc de Triomphe

In the afternoon, we took a Seine River cruise with the Vedette Du Pont Neuf from Pont Neuf.  The cruise was relaxing as we got a chance to see the various landmarks along the Seine.

Eiffel Tower

Notre Dame Cathedral     

Faces on the side of a bridge

The Eiffel Tower was our last stop for the day.  We couldn't pass up the opportunity to climb 669 steps to the top of the second floor.  Of course, the view was magnificent, worth the climb.

Eiffel Tower from the second floor.

View from the second floor of the Eiffel Tower.

That night, we had dinner with Lam Boi, Chan Ninh, and their son Xavier and planned our visit to Versailles the next day.

Palace of Versailles

It was an early morning train departure from Antony to Versailles.  We wanted to be there early to beat large crowds.  Only a half hour wait to get inside.  Paul had previously downloaded on his iPad Rick Steves' walking tour guide of Versailles. My favorite room was the Hall of Mirrors.

Front Gate

Versailles Main Entrance

Chapel

Ceiling Picture 

That way?

Hall of Mirrors

  Later we walked around the gardens and had lunch at one of the garden restaurants.

View of Versaille Garden from the palace

Apollo Fountain

Neptune Fountain

After Versailles, we took the train to Paris stopping at Notre Dame Cathedral and then continuing on to the Latin Quarter.

Notre Dame Cathedral

Inside cathedral

                                         

The park behind Notre Dame Cathedral

                                                 

     
                                         

Latin Quarter.  No we did not eat at the Frogburger

Latin Quarter

Last full day in Paris

We walked by the local market in the morning on our way to the train station. We enjoyed watching shoppers as well as the colorful display of fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers. 

Antony market

We took the metro into Paris to Montmartre.  The tram took us up to Sacre Coeur Cathedral.

Sacre Coeur Cathedral

  Moulin Rouge is a pleasure walk from the Sacre Coeur. 

                                           

The famous Moulin Rouge.

Metro stop by the Moulin Rouge.

In the afternoon, we met up with Lam Boi at a metro stop to make a trip to visit  My uncle Xuan, Lam Boi's father. Uncle Xuan is recently moved into an assisted-living facility in Northern part of Paris.

Tien and Lam Boi in the metro station

Tien, Uncle Xuan, My,  Lam Boi.

With Uncle Xuan

  We had a gourmet dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant across the apartment. Nice evening, delicous food, great company! 

With Lam Boi family

 After dinner Chan Ninh offered to take us downtown Paris to see the Eiffel Tower at night.

Eiffel Tower at 11pm.

We had a great time and a memorable visit to Paris.  Thank you, Chan Ninh and Lam Boi for the grand hospitality and the last visit with Uncle Xuan. Uncle Xuan passed away a month after our visit. He is greatly missed!