Mr. Food Trip

Entrance to Sainte Chapelle

Sainte Chapelle

Once through the security check, we stepped out of the entrance building to go to the chapel. Sainte Chapelle (Holy Chapel) is a gothic chapel with remarkable stained glass windows. It is both tall and grand. There is a gift shop at the lower level but you need to go up to the upper chapel to see the magnificent stained glass windows. The staircase was spiral and narrow so one needs to be extra careful. An elevator is also available.

There are 15 tall stained glass windows as well as the Rose window. 1,113 scenes are illustrated on the 15 stained glass windows from the Creation to Christ's Resurrection. The Rose window depicts  the Apocalypse of Saint John the Apostle.

The Stained Glass Windows at Sainte Chapelle

The Rose Window at Sainte Chapelle

NOTRE-DAME CATHEDRAL

Our tour continued to the Notre-Dame Cathedral, which was about 5-6 minutes walk from Sainte Chapelle. Once you are outside Saint Chapelle on Boulevard du Palais, cross the street and go straight for one block and cross the next street. The Notre-Dame Cathedral was impressive inside and out.

The Entrance to the Notre-Dame Cathedral

Our Prayer Candle at the Notre-Dame Cathedral

Sculptures Depicting Appearances of the Risen Christ

Inside the Notre-Dame Cathedral

We then went outside the Cathedral and around to the back of the Cathedral. The views were just amazing.

The Beautiful View of the River Seine from behind the Notre-Dame Cathedral

BERTHILLON ICE CREAM

Then we continued our walk to find the famous Berthillon ice cream parlor. We found it but it was closed. 😞

The Berthillon Ice Cream Parlor

Luckily the cafe across the street serves their ice cream! 😋 It was definitely worth the trip!

We got our Berthillon ice cream here!

The Berthillon Sorbet

The Berthillon Ice Cream

MUSÉE D'ORSAY

Our tour continued to Musée d'Orsay. This museum showcases famous paintings by Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, among others. The interior of this museum features beautiful arches.

Inside Musée d'Orsay

Claude Monet's Grosse mer à Étretat (Heavy Seas at Etretat)

There are so many paintings and sculptures to enjoy at this museum that you probably need an entire day. According to the brochure Claude Monet's famous Water Lilies paintings were supposed to be there but we could not find them. We found out later that they had been moved to another museum, Musée de l'Orangerie. Fortunately this museum was close-by and somebody who worked at the Orsay Museum told us how to get there. The trip to Musée de l'Orangerie was all worth it. The Water Lilies paintings were displayed on four walls of a huge room.

One of Monet's Water Lilies Paintings

Water Lilies Paintings on Display at Musée de l'Orangerie

We also got to see the amazing miniature replicas of Paul Guillaume's apartment. Paul Guillaume was a French art dealer who bought and sold artworks from famous artists such as Modigliani, Picasso, and Matisse among others.

A miniature replica of one of the rooms in Paul Guillaume's apartment.

A miniature replica of the other room in Paul Guillaume's apartment.

MUSÉE DU LOUVRE

Our next destination was Musée du Louvre, possibly the most famous art museum in Paris. Why, did you ask? Well have you heard of Mona Lisa? You can see her at the Louvre! 😊

The Beautiful Fountain outside the Louvre

The Louvre is huge! There is a big beautiful pond with a fountain near the museum and chairs are available for those who want to sit and enjoy the view. There was also a large glass pyramid in the courtyard. This pyramid turned out to be the main entrance to the museum. You basically enter into a huge shopping mall. As we continued to walk, we saw the entrance to the museum. It was colossal but we were determined to find Mona Lisa. It was in a big room and it was of course surrounded by the crowd.

The Big Pyramid at the Louvre Palace

Underneath the Pyramid

We found Mona Lisa!

The Double Door My Wife Adored

One of the Huge Paintings We Saw

LE NEMOURS

After a day's worth of touring the museums, we went to have dinner at Le Nemours, which was a two-minute walk from the Louvre. The restaurant was very crowded but they managed to find a table for us. We really recommend this place.

Yummy Croque Monsieur at Le Nemours

Delicious Burrata and Tomato Salad at Le Nemours

Next Read: A Taste of Paris : Day 6