Paris had never looked more beautiful to me than on our last full day together with my friends! Our day began as we walked from our hotel, the quaint Caron de Beaumarchais, in the lively old Marais. It's such a pretty little hotel with history, pretty rooms, and antiques. [more on the hotel tomorrow] we walked along the Seine past Notre Dame and into the long line for tickets to The Louvre. If you are planning to be in Paris several days, I would advise purchasing your museum ticket pass in advance. We purchased the private museum passes in advance but arrived early for the Louvre, so the line moved quickly and we were in! My friends thoroughly enjoyed their time in the museum and were not disappointed! A great time and very relaxed! But then.....could the Louvre ever disappoint? I don't think so!
We met my daughter outside when we were finished and headed to Montmarte in the 18th district of Paris! What a glorious day to be in Montmarte. The sky was a beautiful blue which was a perfect backdrop for the domed Basilica of the Sacre Coeur. Our taxi driver had taken us up the scenic route past the famous Coco Chanel shop and the Ritz Carlton where she lived. A beautiful high end shopping district where you can find the most beautiful silk scarves in all of Paris [which my daughter gave me as a gift, so sweet of her]! We climbed the steps to the Basilica and once again, I was awed by the beauty inside. No photographs are allowed inside [I had already snapped one when I was nicely told photographs were not allowed] but the image in ones mind remains forever. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are beautifully painted on the dome and the art is magnificent! A must see in my opinion! Once outside, our afternoon was spent in this fun district having lunch at a sidewalk cafe, interacting with the amazing artists selling their artistic talents to the tourists and just having lots of fun and more laughs than we deserved! This district of Paris was home for a while to artist such as Salvador Dali, Claude Monet, Palbo Picasso, and Vincent Van Gogh. Today it's bohemian feel attracts artist of all ages and two of my artistic daughters especially love it. I understand very well why they do.
Once we finished there, we were back to the Marais district for some final shopping for gifts and dinner near our hotel. This area of cobbled streets and very fashionable boutiques is my favorite. It's a mixture of quaint shops, cafés, people just relaxing and taking in all the culture of a Parisian evening. Paris is simply beautiful. It is charming in a way all it's own and each person who visits or lives there falls in love for life. There is nothing ordinary about Paris! Life should never be ordinary, in my opinion. If you can't travel to Paris or somewhere you may want to go, you can dream and create an environment when life is anything but ordinary. This begins by looking for the beautiful in life. Our Creator has given us a beautiful pallet of colors found in nature. HE wants us to find fulfillment deep inside. HE wants our lives to have purpose and meaning and in The Bible, we find answers and direction for a full and beautiful life! Such travel is fun and being with friends and family is the best but in the end, what matters most is our relationship with God and living a life where others are blessed, served, and loved because we took the time to care for and about them. This was truly my heart as I planned the trip for my dear friends and the steps we would take. I think God gave us His blessings and the beautiful blue sky in a beautiful place on the last day of a Parisian holiday was one I will always cherish! Giving thanks to The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit! xoxo
