Paris Blitz

The starting point: Moulin Rouge

The Paris Blitz is not a new defensive play being run by a football team nor has the french capital been invaded. Instead, the Paris Blitz is the whirlwind tour that Mindy and I gave to Gabrielle as we explored the City of Light. The first stop was the Moulin Rouge where we quickly jumped off the Metro, took the pictures, and then jumped back on as we headed for our next destination.

On to Montmartre & Sacre Coeur. The ladies posed for a quick picture before the ascent began up the dozens of stairs that one has to climb to reach the basilica.

We stopped at Montmartre & Sacre Coeur where we marched up the stairs to the top of the hill before eating a fantastic picnic lunch on the steps overlooking the city. The afternoon sun was fantastic but we couldn't hang around too long as we had to move on to the next destination.

On to Pere Lachaise Cemetary as Mindy played the role of tour guide and pretty much repeated the exact same tour we took earlier in the year. Which meant that...

...Gabrielle has the awesome opportunity to pucker up to the tomb of Oscar Wilde!

From Pere Lachaise, we hopped the Metro to the trendy Le Marais district of Paris, where artisans, artists, and smaller fashion houses sell their wares. There are also quite a few little specialty shops in the area.

Mindy and Gabrielle almost hit their stride in the shopping district of Le Marais. Thankfully I was there to move them along to our next destination.

After strolling through Le Marais, we moved across the Seine River to Isle de la Cite as Cathedrale Notre Dame de Paris had to be visited. We were a little lucky as our visit timed perfectly with the evening mass of Easter Sunday. It was fantastic to be in one of the most famous churches on one of the most spiritualy significant days of the year.

Gabrielle & Mindy were still smilling as I continued to amaze them with my tour guide abilities at Notre Dame de Paris.

By this time we were starting to get a little hungry so I quickly led the ladies to the Latin Quarter for a nice little french cuisine. I made the mistake of giving them the choice of restaurants and after a half hour of decision making, we finally sat down for a nice little meal. We all agreed that after our time in France, we will certainly miss the french tradition of taking a meal in stages (Entree, Plat, Dessert).

Happy ladies in front of the Fountain St. Michel in the Latin Quarter.

To finish off our day, we step aboard the Bateaux Parisienne for a night time cruise down the Seine river. It was a fantastic opportunity to grab some amazing photos (check back tomorrow) and offered a view of central Paris that even Mindy and I hadn't yet taken in. And with that, the Blitz was over.

Cheerful cousins on the Seine river in front of a famous little tower in Paris.