Paris

I am so behind on my blogging.  Here it is Saturday and we arrived in Paris last Sunday. Ah well, time to catch up with the travels.  We arrived at the flat without incident.  No train transfers required, a straight shot from Amsterdam.  

The apartment is in this building facing the Seine River (lovely view)

We are just off the Pont Neuf Bridge on Ile de la Cite

"The Pont Neuf, the "new bridge" that is now the oldest bridge in Paris, was completed by Henry IV, who inaugurated it in 1607." 

Our little kitchen

On Monday we walked down Ile de la Cite and then onto Ile Sainte-Louis in the middle of the Seine.

"The Île de la Cité  is one of two remaining natural islands in the Seine within the city of Paris (the other being the Ile Sainte-Louis. It is the centre of Paris and the location where the medieval city was refounded.  It is also the location of the Notre Dame Cathedral."

"The Île de la Cité remains the heart of Paris. All road distances in France are calculated from the 0 km point located in the Place du  Parvis de Notre-Dame, the square facing Notre-Dame's pair of western towers."

"The Île Saint-Louis is connected to the rest of Paris by four bridges to both banks of the river, and to the Île de la Cité by the Pont Saint-Louis. This island was formerly used for the grazing of market cattle and stocking wood. One of France's first examples of urban planning, it was mapped and built from end to end during the 17th-century reigns of Henri IV and Louis XIII. A peaceful oasis of calm in the busy Paris centre, this island has only narrow one-way streets, no metro stations, and two bus stops. Most of the island is residential, but there are several restaurants, hotels, shops, cafés and ice cream parlours at street level, as well as one large church."

Ile Sainte-Louis cafe

Having a look at the cute shops

and then we had lunch at this cafe

We decided to see some of the sights after dinner when the lights come on.  We walked down the river.  The Seine, a romantic boat and a picnic on the Quai.

And then to the Louvre.

The Pont Neuf Bridge on the walk back.

To be continued.