Stunning stained glass - a final fling in Paris

Friday 20^th May

Our final day in Paris and it has been a big day. The weather looked a bit ordinary this morning but the rain held off all day so we were out and about the whole day. We started the day with a bus trip to the top of the Champs Elysee – the bus around the corner from the hotel took us right there and it was good to travel above ground and see a little more of the city. We joined the hundreds of people just strolling along the Champs Elysee. We wandered in to a few shops but as there was nothing we particularly wanted to buy and neither of us are big shoppers, we just strolled along and window shopped and people watched.

The Guerlain shop - lovely facade

Looking back up the Champs Elysee

Rob has been out walking in Montmartre in the mornings and he found this vineyard behind Sacre Coeur - the oldest in Paris region

 After this we were on a bit of a wild goose chase as we were looking for a Bank of France to get some torn bank notes replaced. You’d think in Paris there would be more than one or two branches but not so, and they don’t seem keen to deal with people either. In the end we gave up and a lady at another bank taped the notes back together for me – it seems that that bank couldn’t change them either. Weird!?!  Just not like our banks at all – and I hope our banks aren’t headed the same way. (and I've now successfully offloaded the bodgy bank notes)

After this time wasting we found that we could take a bus to the Latin Quarter where we planned to eat lunch again. We headed back to a Greek restaurant we had spotted yesterday and where we had talked with the owner and told him ‘maybe tomorrow’. He spotted us coming down the street and we ate there – 10 euro for entrée main and dessert and he threw in a glass of wine each as well. Great value and a lovely meal – especially the baklava!

Following lunch we headed to Ile de Cite where we visited Saint Chappelle. At first we were quite disappointed until we realised the main attraction was up the narrow spiral staircase. Words just cannot describe the amazing stained glass windows all around the chapel. Just stunning! This has recently undergone a major renovation where each panel of glass was removed and cleaned.

Aren't these just fabulous?

And this is the church - you don't get much of a look at the outside as it is inside a circle of other buildings inside the Palais de Justice

Finally time to head back to Montmartre where Rob wanted to visit a Salvador Dali exhibition. We were both feeling pretty stuffed by then and when Rob’s metro ticket failed to validate we set off on our second wild goose chase looking for a ticket booth where we could replace the ticket. We got caught up in all the underground tunnels linking a few lines at one station but didn't find a ticket booth and in the end gave up and travelled with the unvalidated ticket – and fingers crossed. Rob did the Dali exhibition while I sat outside and waited and watched some of the artists at work – sitting on a wall near Sacre Coeur, looking out over Paris, and sketching. There was a very busy square with a lot of artists painting and doing portraits –really interesting looking people.

A view of the Eiffel Tower from Sacre Couer hill

One of the pieces at the Dali exhibition - not my thing so I sat outside and people watched.

Artists sitting on the wall sketching

The busy painters square

Now we are back in the hotel, dinner done, and ready to pack. We leave here at 9am tomorrow to pick up our car and then we drive to Brittany where we have rented a gite. It will be a long drive but we will just take our time.