Day 2On Sunday, we had breakfast in the hotel dining room (this meal was included in cost of our room). It was a buffet consisting of cereal, orange juice, cheeses, ham, lunch meat, several kinds of bread, jelly, yogurt, canned fruit, whole fresh fruit, coffee or tea. There was not much variation in the other hotels we were to stay in. Sometime we had scrambled eggs, limp bacon and sausage.
On our second day of touring, we took on an additional Metro challenge, changing trains --transferring. It went well! Often when it is necessary to change trains, quite a lengthy walk and stair climbing are required. It was a beautiful sunny day. We had our first glimpse of the River Seine, which winds through Paris, dividing it into the Left Bank and Right Bank. On the River we noticed the long flat 2 or 3 level barges on which people live. There was landscaping on the top levels of the vessels. We toured the two islands in the Seine on which Paris was founded. Ile St-Louis is somewhat residential. We located the former residence of Helena Rubenstein and were charmed by the very narrow streets and little shops.
Continuing on to Ile de la Cite, we got our first glimpse of Notre Dame Cathedral--from the rear where the famous flying buttresses are. It is a magnificent building, so much intricate stonework that we just stared and pointed out various delightful aspects to each other. We decided that the stonemasons who worked on it had an enjoyable time building it. Inside, a Sunday service was in progress, always a treat to arrive at such a time. We heard the organ playing and congregation singing in response to the leader of the service. Next, we climbed the stairs to the top of the bell tower, 287 steps. Our legs were beginning to rebel against climbing these massive numbers of steps at Paris attractions. Again, we had a gorgeous view of Paris from our vantage point in the towers. The famous personality-filled gargoyles of Notre Dame were amusing. We chose our favorites and photographed them. In addition, Quasi Modo's bell tower was there. Ronn posed with the huge bell.