Coming Back to Ireland: Vive La France!

The River Seine, with the Eiffel Tower in the distance

I have returned from Paris now, and am back with the O'Deas in Glenageary after a few exhilarating and exhausting days in the capital of France. I could hardly fit all my adventures of the last few days into just one post, so bear with me as I post my pictures and stories in increments over the course of the next day or so.

Alex and I flew out from Dublin on Tuesday morning, very early and got into Beauvais Airport, north of the city in the late morning. That first day, we walked alot through the city, along the quays of the Seine, through the main streets of the city centre, and got lunch at a cafe near the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. I had croque monsieur a hot ham and cheese style dish, with dijon mustard and french fried potatoes on the side. It was very good, and sitting out on the street of this cafe, with a carafe of Bordeaux, it really sank in that I was in Paris.

That day, as we walked along the Seine and up through the city, we saw such sights as the Arc de Triomphe, and Notre Dame Cathedral. We went in and toured Notre Dame before making our way to the Metro line-- Paris's underground tram system-- and going to find our hostel in Montmartre. We found a very nice cafe for dinner that night for a pretty reasonable price (in Parisian standards anyway) called Le Cepage. I had some very nice duck and Crème brûlée for dessert. It was a great first day in the city, even with my lack of French I was able to get by, and having Alex with me, who knows enough French, we did fine.

The Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe, located in the center of the Place Charles de Gaulle stands as the monument honoring the sacrifices of those who fought and died during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic eras of France. The monument was commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1806 after his overwhelming victory at Austerlitz against the Russians and Austrians. It was not finished until 1836 however, under King Louis-Philippe, and stands as a symbol of national pride for Republican France.

Notre Dame

The Cathedral of Notre Dame, rising up from the Île de la Cité has towered over Paris since Medieval times. Construction of the famous cathedral began in the year 1160 under the supervision of Archbishop Maurice de Sully and was continually built-on to and improved until the mid 1300s. Dedicated to the Virgin Mother, the church also serves as the archdiocese of Paris and is still an active Roman Catholic church, despite the constant influx of tourists and sightseers. The beautiful architecture of the building stands as one of the best examples of French High Gothic style- the most famous elements of the cathedral being the western facade, the flying buttresses on the eastern side, and the ornate imagery in the sculptures and gargoyles along the outside of entire building.

Note the flying buttresses (left, below) and the famous western facade (directly left).