Alone in Paris

Day 16
April 23, 2009
Paris

It was our last whole day in Paris and it was the last chance for us to tick off the last few items in our to-do list in Paris - Marlon did a last minute shopping, Rissa had another date with her French guy, and I went for a breathtaking view of Paris.

But before each went out to his or her own way, we first went together to the Latin Quarter and St-German to visit Jardin du Luxembourg and Pantheon. Right in front of Jardin du Luxembourg is the first McDonald's restaraunt we saw in Paris! We have been in and around Paris for 5 days and this was the first McDonald's we saw. We bought our lunch here and decided to have a picnic in the garden.

The 25-hectare charming Jardin du Luxembourg was teeming with people just sitting and relaxing around and children sailing boats in the pond. The garden is beautifully decorated with statues, fountains, and flowers.











From the garden, we went to Pantheon, a neo-Classical church, which is now a burial place for French heroes like Voltaire, Victor Hugo, and Pierre and Marie Curie.











From Pantheon, we all went our separate ways. I went back first to Notre-Dame to climb the towers and see the legendary bell, which we missed yesterday. I also got to see the famous gargoyles.













Next stop was Sainte-Chapelle, with its glass-stained windows, built in the 13th century in order to put relics from the Passion of Christ in a safe place.







I then headed over to one of the sites mentioned in Da Vince Code novel, St. Sulpice, to find the so-called Rose line. I did not find it, or probably saw it but did not know that was it.





Lastly, I went to Tour Montparnasse, where I had a breathtaking view of Paris. At a height of 196 metres, the place offered a 360 degree view of Paris landmarks, such as Eiffel Tower, Sacré Coeur, the Panthéon, and others. I stayed here for around 4 hours since, capturing the city at different times. It was the best way to end my Paris trip.