Day 3
Day 3 started off with the typical French breakfast, coffee and Croissants.
Croissants have long been a staple of French bakeries and pâtisseries. In the late 1970s, the development of factory-made, frozen, pre-formed but unbaked dough made them into a fast food which can be freshly baked by unskilled labor. The croissanterie was explicitly a French response to American-style fast food,[2] and today 30–40% of the croissants sold in French bakeries and patisseries are frozen.[3] Today, the croissant remains popular in a continental breakfast.
We had a very full day of sightseeing. Our guides hired a retired high school teacher to take us to tour the
Château de Versailles.
It was still overcast..
We had to wait for our guides to discern weather the staff of the palace were on strike on our particular day. It was described that every morning, the staff gather and vote weather to open the palace or go on strike.
This is the main gate to the palace, gilded in gold leaf.
Our Tampa group.
As our guides waited for the staff to decide weather they wanted to work, we walked around the palace grounds.
The bronze and marble statues were magnificent.
We finally gained entry.
We progressed through all of the rooms that were open to the public.
The King attended Mass every morning at the palace church.
The hall of mirrors.
The Queen's jewelry box..
After we left the palace, we took a large bus back to Paris. We hit the streets for lunch and shopping.
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (French pronunciation: [av(ə).ny de ʃɑ̃.ze.li.ze] (
)) is a street in Paris, France. With its cinemas, cafés, luxury specialty shops and clipped horse-chestnut trees, the Champs-Élysées is arguably one of the world's most famous streets, and is one of the most expensive strips of real estate in the world.[1] Several French monuments are also on the street, including the Arc de Triomphe and the Place de la Concorde. The name is French for Elysian Fields, the place of the blessed dead in Greek mythology. According to a much used description, the Champs-Élysées is la plus belle avenue du monde ("the most beautiful avenue in the world").[2] A number of elite institutions (such as the Presidential Elysee Palace are located in this area, which is the wealthiest in France.[3] [4]
)) is a street in Paris, France. With its cinemas, cafés, luxury specialty shops and clipped horse-chestnut trees, the Champs-Élysées is arguably one of the world's most famous streets, and is one of the most expensive strips of real estate in the world.[1] Several French monuments are also on the street, including the Arc de Triomphe and the Place de la Concorde. The name is French for Elysian Fields, the place of the blessed dead in Greek mythology. According to a much used description, the Champs-Élysées is la plus belle avenue du monde ("the most beautiful avenue in the world").[2] A number of elite institutions (such as the Presidential Elysee Palace are located in this area, which is the wealthiest in France.[3] [4]
Woof! how do dogs say hello in French??
Joseph wanted to hit the soccer store.
Shopping!
Andrea, Madison, and Jahel
After shopping, we went to the:
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, commonly known as Sacré-Cœur Basilica and often simply Sacré-Cœur (French:Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, pronounced [sakʁe kœʁ]), is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in Paris, France. A popular landmark, the basilica is located at the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city. Sacré-Cœur is a double monument, political and cultural, both a national penance for the excesses of the Second Empire and socialistParis Commune of 1871[1] crowning its most rebellious neighborhood, and an embodiment of conservative moral order, publicly dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was an increasingly popular vision of a loving and sympathetic Christ.[2]
The Sacré-Cœur Basilica was designed by Paul Abadie. Construction began in 1875 and was finished in 1914. It was consecrated after the end of World War I in 1919.
Our tour guide "Fanny" pronounced "Fan E", short for Stephanie, and Joseph waiting for the group.
Basilica
Joseph had to have a Crepe with Nutella!
Having a few laughs!
Here is our entire group coming down the stairs!
Shellfish market. It looked great but we were on the move.
After dinner, we took the metro to Gare Montparnesse, one of the major train stations in Paris. We went to:
Tour Maine-Montparnasse (Maine-Montparnasse Tower), also commonly named Tour Montparnasse, is a 210-metre (689 ft) office skyscraper located in the Montparnasse area of Paris, France. Constructed from 1969 to 1973, it was the tallest skyscraper in France until 2011, when it was surpassed by the 231 m (758 ft) Tour First. As of June 2013, it is the 14th tallest building in the European Union. The tower was designed by architects Eugène Beaudouin, Urbain Cassan and Louis Hoym de Marien and built byCampenon Bernard.[5]
I took some fairly good night photographs..
As if we were not exhausted enough, we took a night river tour on the Parisis, a river barge to look at the buildings of the city illuminated at night.
The captain did a nice job.
We ended this tour, then took the Metro back to La Defense, to the hotel. We were very tired but excited at the same time.
Joseph and I took a late night stroll to satisfy out late night cravings for some munchies. We hit a few late night stores and even went to a French Domino's pizza joint. Day four would start early, so we made a hasty retreat back to the hotel. Please follow the link below for day 4.
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