Yvon took his mom to Paris in April, 2008, after receiving a pass to bring someone on a business class trip. It was her first time overseas, and we did indeed get business class seats (all three of us) both going and coming, so it felt quite special. We spent five days exploring Paris, including lots of bits that I had not seen before, and it was a lovely time of the year to see the city. Yvette I think was a bit shocked at the general grime of the city, but had a great visit nonetheless.
Below is a list of our Paris photos, in more or less the order we took them in. I have also included photos from earlier trips to Paris. For photos of Yvette's visit to Toronto (on the way to Paris), see the Toronto page. For photos of our driving trip to Vimy and through Flanders, see the Vimy page.
Photo List (Total 693 Photos)
Paris with Yvette in 2008
Click bolded headers below to view, or click "just the best" for quick tour
-
Paris Day 1 (76 photos) - Arriving early, we took a walking in the area around our hotel, then had a nap. After that, we visited the Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris, walking around the Seine, and then caught the last rays of the sun in the Jardin du Luxembourg.
-
Paris Day 2 (56 photos) - We went shopping at the markets near the Rue des Rosiers, then explored the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur and the nearby Église Saint-Jean-de-Montmartre, and finally had ice-cream in the Cimetière de Montparnasse.
-
Paris Day 3 (92 photos) - We went to the Eiffel Tower, then to the Arc de Triomphe, and walked all the way down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées to the Jardin des Tuileries.
-
Paris Day 4 (78 photos) - Yvette wanted to buy a dress, so we looked unsuccessfully at the Galeries Lafayette, then explore the area around there, including the Église de la Sainte-Trinité and the Gare St Lazare. After a brief perusal of a flower market, we waiting in line to see the dusty Sainte-Chapelle (an 11th Century church formerly reserved for the King, with beautiful windows), and then walked along the Seing to the Institut du Monde Arabe.
-
Paris Day 5 (36 photos) - We went to the Louvre (on the day it was closed), then to the Église Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, Le Panthéon, and down through Les Halles, to Le Musée de la Poupée (doll museum).
Earlier Trips
-
Cloudy Paris with Yvon in 2005 (159 photos) - Yvon and I visited Paris in 2005. We stayed in the city, almost never seeing the sun, for several days. When we headed out for a drive in the countryside, the sun came out.
-
Sunny Paris with Yvon in 2005 (54 photos) - A bit of sun, here, in our Eiffel Tower, big park, other.
-
La Défense in 2005 (33 photos) - Skyscrapers etc..
-
Found Photograph from 1986 (1 photo) - Though I went to Paris in 1986 with Jim, I seem to have few if any photos of our stay there. I consider this to be proof that during our lifetimes the cells that make up our bodies are completely replaced by new versions, because for me not to take photos during a trip to Paris means I must have in fact been a completely different person than I am now. Anyways, I did find this one photo, which I found in a Paris Metro stop, discarded on the ground, in 1986. It tells a story all it's own and I've always thought it was hilarious.
And outside of Paris ...
-
St Malo (81 photos) - When Acadians were expelled in 1755, some went to St. Malo on the French coast. Therefore, some of Yvon's ancestors walked the cobbled streets of St. Malo (though most did not stay long). We drove to this charming town from Paris and spent a few days exploring it and the nearby town St Servan. On the way, we dropped in at Chartres to see the big cathedral there, and had brief visits to other towns like La Ferté-Vidame and Notre-Dame -sur-l'Eau. Rural France is very beautiful and tidy.
-
Mont St Michel (27 photos) - Close by to St Malo is Mont St Michel, a truly remarkable vertical medieval city on the sea-coast. The first time I saw a photo of Mont St Michel, I thought it was made up. We were only there briefly, as the tourist buses rolled in an hour or so after we arrived, but for that time it was intensely beautiful. Also includes a few photos of the rest of the drive back to Paris.
