This post is for our friends who love chocolate. (you know who you are!)
We were walking the Paris streets enjoying the day and stopped into a chocolate store which makes all their own chocolate. The store looked more like an art studio than a chocolate store. We walked by the store at first and then noticed it was chocolates so of course we headed inside to check it out.
The store front is fairly small and it was full of chocolate displays. Some of the displays were spectacular and quite creative. There were some huge chocolate eggs that were almost 3 feet high.
display counter with assorted chocolatechocolate egg with chocolate stand for sale 220 euros
The huge chocolate eggs were all for sale, but a tad expensive for us. One of the big eggs cost 220 euros. We stayed far away from those eggs in case we knocked one over.
On a smaller scale there were more art decor chocolates. Here are a few of the displays.
Chocolate chicken and egg with chocolate display stand for 69 eurosRabbit and chicken chocolate displaysNumerous different chocolate displays, ranging in price from 29 euros to over 100 euros.
Even the pot on display is chocolate.
We found it very interesting and creative. The place was busy and there were some people buying some of those displays. We decided the displays would be too hard to pack and left without buying anything.
On Wednesday it was raining and cold in Paris so we decided to make it a museum day. We headed out early and took a taxi to the Louvre museum. The museum is a massive building and is very impressive even from the outside. Below is the entrance to the yard area of the Louvre.
Entrance to Louvre Museum courtyard area
We got to the entrance area early just after opening and there was only a small line up. We decided that we would make this a full day because really the museum is so big you need at least one full day to see most of it.
View of the Louvre looking towards the main entrance
The inside of the Louvre has spectacular architectural features. We entered the museum through the glass Pyramid entrance. Inside the Louvre there is an inverted glass pyramid on the main floor.
inverted glass pyramid in Louvre museum
The museum is separated into three main wings. They are the Sully, Richelieu and Denon wings, each one is dedicated to a selected area of art and history. We started with the Denon wing, which has the famous Mona Lisa painting and assorted collections of amazing marble and stone statues some from the Roman and Etruscan times.
Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci
In the main stairway leading to the second floor in the Demon wing there is a statue called the Winged Victory of Samothrace. This is a Greek marble statue and it is prominently displayed on the landing of the staircase.
Staircase leading to the Statue of the Winged Victory of SamothraceThe Winged Victory of Samothrace
The marble statues were very impressive with some very famous ones. Below are only a few of the statues we saw.
The Venus of Milo,Zeus
Zeus in ancient greek mythology was the god who ruled as king of the gods of Mount Olympus.
Marble statue carved in a marble bedmarble floors and pillars in Louvre Museum
The architecture and decor of the Louvre is massive and very impressive.
Marble floors and pillars in Louvre MuseumArchitecture feature in Louvre Museum
There was a lot of impressive artwork besides the Mona Lisa. I have a few examples below.
Very large oil paintingDavid and Goliath
The David and Goliath oil painting is actually painted on two different canvases and mounted against each other. The paintings are slightly different showing a lapse of time in the battle between David and Goliath.
Religious artwork
We toured a major portion of the museum during our day but did not see it all. The museum is so big it requires more than a day to see it all. We had a pedometer with us for the day and we walked over 18 kms that day. It was an excellent but very tiring day.
Today we headed to the Rodin museum to check it out. It was a nice walk and took us about 25 minutes to get to the museum. There is a beautiful garden area which displays numerous bronze statues.
The gardens looking towards the Rodin museum
We decided that before we ventured out into the gardens, we would go inside the museum and check it out. The French sculptor Auguste Rodin is known for his many works, including “The Thinker,” “Gates of hell”and “The Hand of God”.
The hand of God by Rodin
Inside the museum there are spectacular statues on display including the hand of God. Some of the statues are made in marble and have amazing features. Some of the statues are partially exposed from the marble and appear to be encased in marble in a seamless way.
Faces by Robin
Outside of the museum in the gardens there were some spectacular statues. Two of which are world renown the “Thinker” and the “Gates of Hell”. We were impressed by the size and beauty of both.
The Thinker by Robin
The gates of hell is displayed outside which is a magnificent display. The “Gates of Hell” is 6 metres high, 4 metres wide and 1 metre deep and contains 180 figures. The figures range from 15 centimetres high up to more than one metre. It is truly an impressive monument.
Gates of Hell
There were lots of statues throughout the garden and we enjoyed walking through the gardens looking at them.
It was a great day and a nice way to finish our week in Paris.
Today was a beautiful day and we decided to go for a walk. We headed out walking to the Seine river then following the river for a while.
Shelley and Ray with Louvre museum in background
We then crossed the Siene river on the Pont Neuf bridge and went into the park. The park called “Jardin des Tuileries” runs along the Seine river and starts near the Louvre Museum. We walked the complete park until we reached the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. This avenue is one of the most popular in Paris. We walked the full length of the Av des Champs-Élysées until we reached the Arc de Triomphe. We took some time and admired the Arc de Triomphe which is very beautiful.
After that we headed to the “Flamme de la Liberte” which is a copy of the flame that is on the Statue of Liberty in New York. The flame which is located above the entrance to the l’Alma tunnel has become an unofficial memorial for Princess Dianna who was killed in the tunnel of the Pont de l’Alma.
Unofficial Princess Diana memorial
We left there and started walking back to our hotel. Along the way we stopped for a late lunch. We had an excellent meal then headed out again. We walked to the Jardin des Tuileries park where we stopped and took a break. There are beautiful views and assorted benches and chairs in the park. After a rest we headed back across the Seine River. We were on the bridge that has all the locks from couples showing their everlasting love. We put our own lock on the bridge to celebrate our love for each other.
Our lock
It was a very special moment and was perfect way to close off our trip to Paris.
We went to this unique restaurant during the day called “Le Paradis Du Fruit”. It is located near the Notre Dame Church at a busy street corner.
LA Paradis du Fruit restaurant
The place was busy with a great atmosphere. There were people laughing and having a good time. We got a nice table that gave us a good view of the hustle and bustle outside.
There were unique glass lights overhead that were pretty neat.
Unique lights in restaurant
The meal was very tasty. Shelley ordered a soup, quinoa salad and shrimp. Check out the size of her soup, it’s the one that looks like a shooter glass.
Shelley’s meal
The restaurant had a healthy theme and the menu focused mostly on healthy meals. There was an assortment of drinks to choose from. Shelley ordered a Cosmo which was apparently quite good.
Shelley enjoying her Cosmo drink
I had a chicken burger with salad. The meals and the restaurant was great. Just one of the many neat spots we found in Paris.
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