And, then looking across the Seine we spotted the cathedral.
With large lines waiting to enter. We had "museum passes" that we had pre-purchased and didn't need to obtain any other ticket to enter.
The group (minus the picture taker) pauses for a photo.
We passed this statue of Charlemagne as we walked toward the cathedral.
Beautiful windows in the front of church.
One more photo inside of church.
When we exited the cathedral we found it had begun to rain.
We passed this beautiful statue as we made our way back to the Metro station.
Here is another of those wonderful art deco Metro station entrances; partially preserved. Isn't the fencing beautiful?
We traveled back toward our apartment on the Metro. Once we had exited from the Metro we walked past a neighborhood bar/restaurant that I had been "eyeing" since we arrived. Today, it was open for lunch and that is where we ate. The special of the day had in the name the word "chili". We recognized that as something we might want so Sylvia and I both ordered the chili and both ordered a Coca Cola. It was very tasty! The cost: for the two of us, about 38 Euros (approximately $50)! We returned to the apartment for a little R&R before going out again.
In the afternoon we used the Metro to get near the Les Invalides Museum. Here we see Pont Alexandre III the most beautiful bridge in Paris golden details by the day - Arch bridge over the river Seine gift of Russian Tsar Alexandre III to France
From our first morning in the apartment when we could look out the kitchen window and see the Eiffel Tower, Virginia had wondered what the building with the gold dome was in the area of the Eiffel Tower. Now, she found out. It was the Les Invalides Museum, a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans, the building's original purpose. The buildings house various museums as well as the burial site for some of France's war heroes, notably Napoleon Bonaparte.
The rain was still coming down.
The court of honor
The chapel with all the flags.
The pipes of the organ in the chapel.
The altar.
The sarcophagus of Napoleon Bonaparte
A window inside the dome where Napoleon Bonaparte is located.
The horse (stuffed) that Napoleon Bonaparte rode,
and his saddle, blanket, & bridle.
After more than 2 hours here (possibly could easily spent 2 days) we walked out of the area and found ourselves in a neighborhood where we could board bus #69 (a scenic one hour bus ride that travels through the city past the top sights of Paris). Bus #69 took us to the Eiffel Tower.
Tom & Virginia pose by the Eiffel Tower.
One of the beautiful buildings in the area.
The ride on bus #69 on which we arrived at the Eiffel Tower terminated there. When we were ready to leave the area, we had to walk a couple of blocks to the beginning of another bus #69 tour. Once on the bus we realized that we had chosen the wrong time of the day to make this trip. It was late afternoon and the crowds and the traffic were so heavy that the bus was traveling about a block every 15-20 minutes. We continued on it for a half hour or so as it got worse. Finally Sylvia and I started watching for a Metro entrance and as soon as we saw one and could get off the bus within a block or so of it, we exited the bus and walked back to the Metro entrance and used the Metro to return to the apartment. That evening we stayed in.
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