Paris, France

We sat in this car going from Haarlem, the Netherlands to Paris, France. We arrived in Paris at the Gare du Nord station.	Judy on the train from Haarlem, the Netherlands to Paris, France	The Hotel Caron de Beaumarchais in the Marais District of Paris. We stayed here. Built in 18th century.
The Hotel Caron de Beaumarchais in the Marais District of Paris. Our room is on the top floor, far left, with the balcony.	Judy on the balcony of our room at the Hotel Caron de Beaumarchais	The Seine River near the Cathedral of Notre Dame
The facade of the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Built from 1100's to 1300's (Gothic).	Statue of Charlemagne (Charles The Great) - front of Notre Dame : Crowned 800 c.e. Reign marked the birth of modern Europe.	Judy at the side of the Cathedral of Notre Dame
Cathedral of Notre Dame (back): Flying buttresses (50 ft. stone beams) support pointed, arched roof by pushing inward.	The Cathedral of Notre Dame (back) and the Seine River	The Cathedral of Notre Dame (back) - closer view
Gargoyles from top of Tower of Cathedral of Notre Dame. These grotesque beasts represent souls caught between heaven & earth.	Judy at top of Tower of Cathedral of Notre Dame. To get to the top, we climbed over 400 steps on a narrow, steep staircase.	Richard and a mysterious hooded person in the shadows at the top of the Tower of the Cathedral of Notre Dame - in the rain.
A view of Paris and the Seine River from the Tower of the Cathedral of Notre Dame. The Eiffel Tower is in the background.	Deportation Memorial behind the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Dedicated to the 200,000 French victims of Nazi concentration camps.	Deportation Memorial: Felt like a prisoner in here below ground - dramatic experience.
Arc de Triomphe and Champ-Elysees. Part of the Champ-Elysees was built in the early 1600's.	Arc de Triomphe and Champ-Elysees. Part of the Champ-Elysees was built in the early 1600's. (1)	Arc de Triomphe: Built in the early 1800's to celebrate Napolean's victory against Austrians at Battle of Austerlitz.
The Louvre-Rivoli station of the Metro.	The Louvre: Did not care for relatively new steel-glass pyramid. Its modern look detracts from the age & richness of the museum.	Richard in front of the Louvre. The original structure has a rich architectural history dating back to the 1200's c.e.
Judy near the Arc du Carrousel in front of the Louvre. The Eiffel Tower is seen faintly in the background.	Inside the Louvre	Judy in Tuileries Gardens on Right Bank headed for Orsay Museum (background) on Left Bank across Seine River.
The Orsay Museum on the Seine River. Houses mainly French art from the 1800's (mainly impressionist painters).	The Orsay Museum on the Seine River. The building was formerly a train station - almost demolished in the 1970's.	Inside the Orsay Museum
Palais de Justice: Home of France’s Supreme Court. Built in 1776. Headquarters of the Revolutionary government.	St. Chapelle Church exterior: Gothic building built from 1242 to 1248 for St. Louis IX, France’s only canonized king.	St. Chapelle Church interior: 15 huge stained glass panels with more than 1,100 different scenes from Christian bible.
Judy having dinner at an outdoor cafe in the Marais District.	Rue des Rosiers: Main street in the heart of the Jewish Quarter in the Marais District.	Store on Rue des Rosiers: Main street in the heart of the Jewish Quarter in the Marais District.
Synangogue in Jewish Quarter of Marais District. We went inside. Many synagagues in Europe are inconspicuous, like this one.	Museum of Jewish Art & History. Marais mansion from the 1600's but extensively renovated.	Grand Staircase - Jewish Museum of Art & History: Items - Judaism in Europe from Roman destruction to theft of artwork in WWII.
Hirszenberg’s “The Jewish Cemetery" (1892) - in Museum: Women rise from graves to mourn plight of Jews victimized by progroms.	Place des Vosges. Paris’ oldest park (1612). Turned Marais district into Paris’ most exclusive neighborhood at that time.	Arcade surrounding Place des Vosges: Consists of 36 old, attached mansions with two upper floors & porticos on ground floor.
Entrance Victor Hugo's house (#6) in the arcade surrounding Place des Vosges. Hugo lived here from 1832 to 1848. We went inside.	A street on the Left Bank (Latin Quarter). Home to artists, writers, bohemians and liberal thinkers throughout the years.	Fountain of St. Michael (Left Bank): Site of citizen (1871), student (1960's), factory worker & anti-Nazi (WWII) rebellions.
Vendors with their stalls in front of the wall near the Seine River. Vendors like this have been here since medieval times.	A stall in front of the wall near the Seine River. Primarily books, photos & art for sale at these stalls.	The Seine River
The Seine River (1)	Boat cafes on the Seine River	The Gare de Lyon train station in Paris. Took train from here to Geneva on our way to Wengen, Switzerland in the Alps.
Interior of the Gare de Lyon train station in Paris. We left Paris from this station for the Alps in Switzerland.	Interior of the Gare de Lyon train station in Paris. We left Paris from this station for the Alps in Switzerland. (1)	We took this Thalys high speed train from the Gare de Lyon station in Paris to Geneva, Switzerland.
Interior of the Gare de Lyon train station in Paris. We left Paris from this station for the Alps in Switzerland. (2)	Cafe at the Gare de Lyon trian station where we waited for our high speed Thalys train to take us to the Alps in Switzerland.