Travel Highlight – Paris
Our first Europe trip was to visit London, Amsterdam, and Paris. When traveling from Amsterdam to Paris, we met in the lobby of the hotel at 4:00 a.m. The driver was the only one working, everyone was either quiet or going back to sleep on the coach. With 312 miles (503 km) or 5 hours of driving from Amsterdam to Paris, getting on the road early was the only way we could have more time for sightseeing.
The time we arrived in Paris, it was in the morning rush hour. During the two-day tour in Paris, we visited the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Palace of Versailles, Notre Dame and took a boat ride on the Seine River for a birds-eye view of the city.
The Eiffel Tower is a wrought iron lattice tower on Champ de Mars in Paris. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel whose company designed and built the tower. The tower is 324 meters (1,063 ft) tall, about the same height as an 81-story building. The tower has three levels for visitors, with restaurants on the first and second levels. The 3rd level’s upper platform is 276 m (906 ft) above the ground. Visitors can go up by stairs or elevator to the first and second levels. The climb from ground level to the first level is over 300 steps, as is the climb from the first level to the second. Although there is a staircase to the 3rd level, it is accessible only by elevator. The 3rd level is at cloud level and has an exceptional 360° view!
At the Eiffel Tower, the choices were waiting in line to take the elevator or climb the stairs. My husband and I decided to climb about 600 steps to the second level. We were not interested in dining at the restaurant, so we proceeded to take the elevator to the 3rd level (the cloud level) to take the 2nd to the 4th photos. The 360° view was a breathtaking experience. 
The is the view from the southeast on the top level of the Eiffel Tower, looking down the Champ de Mars (Field of Mars) which is a large public greenspace in Paris, France.
The Louvre or the Louvre Museum is the world’s largest art museum and a historic monument. A central landmark of the city, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the city’s 1st district. Approximately 38,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century are exhibited over an area of 72,735 square meters (782,910 square feet). In 2017, the Louvre was the world’s most visited art museum, receiving 8.1 million visitors.
We visited the first floor of the Denon wing which exhibits the Italian paintings. One of Leonardo de Vinci’s paintings was Mona Lisa, oil on wood. The artist’s touch is fine and subtle: there is not a single trace of a brush mark. Leonardo did not define the features of the Mona Lisa precisely with lines, but to paint her soul with sensitivity in her gaze and her enigmatic smile.
The Palace of Versailles was the principal royal residence of France from 1682 under Louis XIV until the start of the French Revolution in 1789 under Louis XVI. It is in the department of Yvelines, the region of Île-de-France, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) southwest of the center of Paris. The palace is now a Monument historique and UNESCO World Heritage site.
The Royal Chapel was completed in 1710, five years before the death of Louis XIV.
The Hall of Mirrors – the principal feature is the seventeen mirror-clad arches that reflect the seventeen arcaded windows that overlook the gardens. Each arch contains twenty-one mirrors with a total complement of 357 used in the decoration of the Hall of Mirrors.
A replica of the Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas, USA, and a replica of the Statute of Liberty in Paris, France.
Thank you so much for reading!
The Showers of Blessings 
wow!! this looks amazing!! as an art person I really must go there
thank you for sharing
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Paris is an artist’s paradise. Thank you for reading.
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I loved everything about this blog post! You write so well. I visited Paris a few years ago and this brings back all the happy memories again, so thank you.
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Thank you so much for reading. We love to travel. I’m glad it reminds you of your memories!
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Wonderful post and photos, Miriam. 🙂 Enjoy your journey! xo
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Thank you, Bette! We have a good time. I’m glad you like the post! 🙂
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Great article. You have some really good pictures of the city there. I hope you enjoyed your trip and maybe you will get to visit again. Thanks for sharing.
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What a lovely post, Miriam. I loved your photographs of Paris. It is true that if you want to get the best out of touring you need to get up early and get a lot done in a day.
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You’re right, Robbie. It’s like you seeing a lot in two day when you were in London. I didn’t mind since we paid so much for the tour, might as well get the most out of it.
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Hi Miriam! Beautiful post! I love the pictures as well as all the fascinating information. My husband and I honeymooned in Paris and visited the Louvre and d’Orsay museums, Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower amongst other places. But although we’ve visited Europe several times, we have yet to go to London or Amsterdam, so this is a treat. Thanks for sharing.😊💕
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You’re welcome. Oh, Paris is such a Romantic city for your honeymoon, Vashti. You’ve seen more than we did. We were in a tour so didn’t have too much freedom to look around. After our family travel plans for the next two years, we may go to Norway. ❤ 🙂
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We were in Paris almost 2 weeks, so we had time to really explore the city. Our hotel was down the street from the Eiffel Tower. We took the metro everywhere too.
You have some great trips coming up with your family. Norway sounds great! ❤ xx
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You can see a lot in two weeks. The day we left London, we found out about the metro package. Always have a ‘next time.’
Yes, we have our plans for at least two years. ❤ xox
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Oh, thanks for taking me back to Paris Miriam. Seems we traveled the same locales in Paris. You could go to the L’ouvres every day for days in order to see the whole museum. Such a magical place. And all those flowers in Versailles Palace – breathtaking. 🙂 ❤
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Yes, I know. We have to live there for a month to see everything and appreciate all the details. ❤ 🙂
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Exactly!!! 🙂 xx
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I’ll hope over to read your travel column soon! ❤
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❤
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You captured this beautiful city so well Miriam. It is at the top of my wish list to revisit soon. 🌼
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Yes, the city is so beautiful. It would take a month to visit the museums. If you have someone to go with you and drive better around, it would be better than joining a tour like we did. 🙂
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Beautiful post, Miriam! And amazing photos – particularly like the Versailles ones. You certainly seemed to hit all the major spots, in two days too. 🙂 🙂 I love you, and hugs. Debbie
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Thank you so much Debbie. It was like a hurricane. I had to do some memory check after we came home. I love you too, Debbie! ❤
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That was some trip! And I am so glad for you. Thank you for sharing with us!
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Thank you, Michele. Hope things are going well with you. I need to catch up with your diary. Are you ready to sell your home yet?
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Phew Miriam all that sightseeing in just two days..
Did you enjoy it and take it all in 💜💜
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It was overwhelming, Willow. I wish we went on our own to take time to read the information of the paintings and sculptures and all that. I think the Mona Lisa was stolen a few time so it was heavily guarded with ropes fenced in. Had to look at my photos and books to review what we had seen after I came home! ❤ ❤
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Yes I agree what you did deserved at least a week of not more 💜
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Yes, I agree. How are you doing today? ❤
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Thanks for sharing all these information and photos, Miriam.
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You’re welcome, Nahla. It’s good to refresh my memory of what we had done there!
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I love the shot of Paris at night! What a great trip!
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Thank you, Patti. We had a good time. Yes, so little time with so much to see!
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So true!
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❤ 🙂
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Absolutely stunning! Simply grand and beautiful!
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Thank you for reading and comment, Jonathan. We were impressed and I’m glad you like it!
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wouw.. you climbed the 600 steps… very fit. I am just too lazy and usually takes the elevator, ha.ha..
I personally love the Versailess Palace . It was very magnificent.
Did you try the French cuisine?
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Thank you, I’m still going to the gym with my hubby. We only went to one section in the Versailles Palace. I wonder if anyone has ever visited the whole Palace???
We had lunches and dinners as a group, we probably did have French cuisine as part of the “cultural experience.”
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I think I did visited the whole Palace, I been there 2 or 3 times with a tour and it was beautiful.
Aha… yes.. you probably had the food:)
We had the most delicious french food at the small restaurants somewhere in the village when we visited outer city in Lorraine Valley. It was lovely with a cobble stones and winding street:)
Anyhow, Have a fantastic week ahead and enjoy your exercise in the gym:) I am too lazy to go, ha..ha.. but I do biking everyday, since Copenhagen is famous with the bike and everybody (almost) will bike everywhere:) and that is my only exercise:)
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Biking is a very good exercise. We saw so many bikes in Amsterdam. The news said they are running out of parking space for bikes!
Yes,just came back from the gym.
Have a nice week! 🙂
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ha..ha.. soo true… sometimes it is difficult to find parking for bikes, at least it is free. Enjoy your day. Is it still day time in your other part? it is 9.25pm (night) in Copenhagen now.
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I didn’t check the spam folder for a long time. Sorry! It’s 10:00 p.m. now. Good night. 🙂
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auw…. my message go to the spam folder….
he..he… Have a good night to you too:)
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WP is unpredictable of what goes to the spam folder. I’m glad they catch all the spams BUT a few more that are not spam.
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I get you. I just get your message today.
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I have to check mine also. I have been busy so I know how it goes.
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Love Paris!!! Very beautiful city. One of my favourite places to see is Sacre-Coeur. 🙏😌
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It’s a great Cathedral. I wish we had gone there. Perhaps next time when we go on our own instead of with a tour. Thank you for your comment. 🙂 ❤
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There is so much to see there. Glad you had a nice time- I have a lot of favourite areas in Paris 🙏😌
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Yes, I agree with you. When we go back on our own, we could see more in Paris. 🙂 ❤
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Wow!Those photos you took must be from a great height! Great photos!
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Yes, Garfied, we went up to the top level. It’s at the cloud level. We had a good trip. Thank you for reading. Hope you’re doing well!
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Nice! Thank you for asking. I am alive😁 I hope you are not too busy😀
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I’ve seen so many close friends suffering in all kinds of physical difficulties these days. Being alive and keeping up is a grace. ❤ 🙂
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Indeed🤗🤗
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❤ ❤ Take care. 🙂
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Thank you for taking me to paris again
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Thank you so much for reading, Bella!
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Beautiful!! Paris is so spectacular! How blessed you are! 💜💜
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Thank you, Lynn for your comment. Yes, it’s spectacular. We had a wonderful trip. ❤ ❤ We were told that when the Palace of Versailles was built, all the peasants were taxed to the bones, yet the palace was massive and luxurious.
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Hi M, really comprehensive post and I think this is a great resource to have out on the web – and your pictures are so good.
I used to have a post showing how the inside of the statue of liberty (inner frame) has the same structure as the tower (you might already know it) and so interesting how they did not have enough to wrap it –
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Oh, Y, I haven’t toured inside of the statute of liberty yet. I remember you comment on one of my posts that I was too brief. So I took it in heart and tried to do a better job writing my posts. 🙂
I can’t get my husband to go with me. He said he has been there and not much to see. I wish I could go one day.
Did you see all the photos? I was told not all the photos are showing.
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I am so sorry if I ever said you were too brief. I hope I was not rude.
oh my goodness.
please tell me I was not rude.
and this was the perfect length –
and I think I saw all the photos –
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Sorry, you didn’t say it was too brief. I think you said I jumped from getting my doctorate to something a lot later. Then I realized that I was too brief.
You were not rude, by no means!!!!
I submitted one story for an anthology, the editor read it 4 times then suggested I rearrange some details to make the timeline clear.
I’m more careful to write my posts now because I may re purpose my posts later.
Thank you for liking the photos!
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Oh so glad – because I love succinct – and at times short is very nice.
but then there are times when long is ideal – depends – he? and this is actually a post I might refer someone to when they want to get some Paris info –
and that makes sense that you are writing to maybe reuse them – smart
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Exactly, my dear, time for everything. Thank you for your referral. Wow!
In fact, I re-purposed all the poems and compiled them into a book. I’m running to the finish line. One reader will finish tonight, another reader should be done by Thursday. I hired someone to design the book cover, secured an editor and publishing tech.
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oh congrats- so happy for you.
and I know the work it can be –
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I know you know. I’ve seen your publication…
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well I also learned some lessons – I have three published (not including a cookbook back in 2005 – and then a project I worked a year on and it was a mess all the way around – called the Norma Project – I promise to share more on this later – so I have some bruises with books – but the journey is all mine and I own it and embrace it -:) )
and looking forward to yours my friend
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I saw one you co-author or it was an anthology but you pulled it off from Amazon? Well, we never cease to learn!!
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no – I need to get that going again – maybe you could review it and I could review yours .
or not…
but I will share ore of the scoop later on how it was delayed a bit
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Sure, as far as my poetry book, I’m ready to send it to my editor. I’m doing some changes after my first reader did the review. She is great in wordsmith, punctuation, and spelling.
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oh cool –
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❤ 🙂
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well also – I did not mean review the books – as in preview – I meant just review each others for the sake of reading and sharing – ya know
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I got it. It sounds good to me!!
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and side note- if you do visit – we heard that making an appoint is the key.
when we went (few years ago) we had to wait a long time in line and found out then that you can book a time to visit – but you have to do it in advance.
and here is the statue (from wiki)
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Oh, thank you for the picture of the statute. It looks like I would do if I make a sculpture with clay. I need to use wires to build the frame and support any thin features such as the tail.
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May I ask what theme you use for your new look of your blog? I upgraded to premium plan and would like to get a new theme. My current theme has limited features.
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well I cannot recall my theme and it is actually quite old – I have not updated in a couple years and I have a paid plan, but use a free theme –
and when it comes to themes – I think it helps to remember that a lot of people view blogs via the reader – or mobile – and do not always see the layout – like Tina recently noted her header and I only see that if I go to her site – which i rarely do.
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So think about the goal you have for your blog.
Is it to show pictures mostly.
Is it to showcase your book (and maybe books?
Is it to have a posted post and then join in with challenges?
__
When I chose a theme I wanted to be able to find posts easily.
I often show my posts to people – and especially if they are in the post – ha –
and so I do not want every post “full” – I like truncated posts that have a featured picture and then a little bit of the post – and the date and title. My theme right now is called gateway and it does all of this for me.
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I also wanted a theme that had a clear menu bar.
And wanted it easy for people to navigate to find things.
My two least favorite blogs to find stuff at are two photographers and I need to mention this to them – I feel bad saying it but I hate their themes – and hate is not a word I use often-
but I can never manage it and their home page has way too many blocks and too much picture stuff – it is all loud and busy and I waste time trying to find the post I want…
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and so ask for folks to peek at your site and give feedback – ask for them to look at mobile, reader, and main site
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Thanks, Y. I have an inactive blog and tried Gateway. I know what I’m looking for and want how my blog posts show. Too bad that some themes have some of the features I want but not all, other themes have the other features I want. I know I could hire designer to do it and bring it to WordPress, but not right now.
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wow – you must really know what you want to even consider a designer – I had not idea there were that many options or needs – ha – guess i am simple when it comes to themes
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Oh, Y, it was just my choice. Somehow I want to have a certain look or presentation of anything I show. I guess it’s from 10 years of working as admin and making presentations.
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yes – I totoally get it and it is actually cool that you know what you want.
side note – but sort of relates.
we were building a house in 2001 – and it was miserable. Two sets of blueprints – and then issues with the lot gave us a chance to walk away – so we did – but a big problem I had was I just did not really know what i wanted (southern exposure – stair locations – tile roof or not – it was in Fla.) and well – now I do – I sure do – but maybe I was too young – even though my mother-n-law knew what she wanted in a house at a young age – so we are all different – ya know
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Yes, that was exactly what the associate senior pastor said this morning. He said he never knew what he wanted all his life, and others told him what he should be doing and he ended up being a pastor!!!!
I don’t know if it sounds good or not. But his son knew exactly what he wanted to be since 9 years old, and he is doing it.
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Great post 😁
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Thank you so much for reading. 🙂
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Photos are beautiful but many are not showing.
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Thank you for letting me know. Can you tell me which ones by giving me the #s. I’ll see if I can fix them.
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Thanks!
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Paris is so loving, it gives us all an individual and different romance. Thank you for this beautiful share!
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Thank you so much!
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