We have walked the Camino De Santiago already, so when we saw the clam shells in the sidewalk and…read morefound the St. James Tower, we had to book a tour. We did the guided tour in English, since my French is spotty in the least. Our guide was amazing, she was very knowledgeable and was able to answer our groups questions easily. The climb to the top is 300+ steps, steep steps.... But the view when we finally got to the top was amazing. We had about 20 minutes to catch our breath and enjoy the views. It was definitely worth the price especially since we are peregrinos of "The Way".

"...As lively as the city is, there's a stillness to it, a peace that lures you in. In Paris, with…read morea glass of wine in your hand, you can just be." Ahh Paris how I love thee. Serendipity brought me to a 171-foot Gothic Tower built in the year 1509. This majestic tower is what remains of a former 16th-century Church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie that translates to Saint James of the Butchers. Yup a Butcher, quite a sought after profession in the 1500's! Sadly, the Church was demolished in 1797, during the French Revolution, with the sole purpose of recycling the material for other projects. However, it was agreed that the Gothic Tower would remain, where it still stands today, at the intersection of Rue de Rivoli + Rue Nicolas Flamel in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. I didn't get to actually climb the tower, as I was told small tours are available to the public. I am sure the views are breathtaking up there, so once COVID restrictions allow I certainly will trek up those ancient steps... one century at a time. For now, we can only admire this historic landmark from street level. In the end, I can imagine all the stories she witnessed from the birth of the French Renaissance to the fall of Napoleon. A survivor of the dark days of WWII to the dark days of 2020. La Tour Saint-Jacques still stands.. a towering reminder of another great Parisian love story..

Grande Arche de la Défense is a beautiful, modern monument in La Défense, Paris…read more Although it isn't the most well-known or widely recognised monument in Paris, it is kind of an unsung hero of the city which is truly one of my favourite cities in the world, it's a modern arch which consists of government offices, in a really nice square which separates Westfield and CNIT, right by the metro station which is underneath. At 360 ft tall, it is a little taller than the Tour Eiffel and also forms part of the Axe Historique. It's magnificent structure really adds grace and elegance into the La Defense area and makes the view from the Starbucks nearby a little better, especially in the outdoor patio area. It does have multiple steps which lead up the monument which is popular for people to sit and relax, while it might not have the international fame or wow-factor as the Arc de Triomph (of which it is 4km away from) or the Tour Eiffel, it's a pretty nice and underrated monument in a great city.

Certainly one of the more amazing sites in Paris. A great example of the new modern Paris. I love…read morethe idea behind this arch, unfortunately it's not being applied at all around the world today.

This is a nice place to slow down and relax and enjoy the fresh air in Central Paris. It's free…read moreand it's also apparently the oldest park in Paris. The elegant palace is also adjacent to a large green expanse called the Gardens of Luxembourg.

The Location: Metro #4 & 10, Exit : Odeon. About 10 minutes walk to the garden…read more The Palais is under-construction. There are many securities around the building. Very beautiful building! In the mean time, can check out the museum and hanging out at the park which is the largest park in Paris!

this historic estate was owned by the same family for 500 years until the death in 1897 of it's…read morelast occupant, Duc d'Aumale - son of King Louis Philippe - who bequeathed Chantilly to the state with the caveat that it remain open to the public. in it's long history, the Château has hosted notables of the era (and the wedding of Brazilian football star Ronaldo in 2005). the main attraction is the art collection in the Musée Condé, considered one of the finest in France (after the Louvre). also of interest are the gardens, private apartments, library and state rooms. located within the estate is the Hippodrome de Chantilly which hosts the Prix du Jockey Club in June, first run in 1836. also home to le Polo Club. Chantilly is an easy 45 min. drive from Paris but there are semi-regular trains you can take from Gare Saint-Lazare. upon reaching town, take the free shutlle bus to the estate. an alternative is a 20 min. walk through the woods on marked trails(which i did once). before leaving, stop in at La Capitainerie, the Château restaurant for some fruit, ice cream or patisserie topped with crème Chantilly, first served here by the "Maître d'hôtel" Vatel in 1671 for a banquet in honor of Louise XIV (actually saw this in the movie "Vatel" played by Gérard Depardieu). the perfectionist Vatel committed suicide before the banquet because the fish to be served had not been delivered. it apparently arrived after he impaled himself on his sword. what a (true)story.

I don't think I can top Mike G.'s review!…read more So just a few tidbits: - Easy trip from Paris - Try to get there early so that you can be one of the first to enter before it gets jam-packed with tour groups - We found the audioguide very informative - The restaurant situated in the former kitchen of the chateau - La Capitainerie - will get as crowded as the rest of the chateau. If you're clever (we weren't in this regard) you'll head to lunch early or at least go down and make a reservation or put in your name for a certain time. I think you can do this. All I know is we had to put our name, wait ~30 minutes (we walked around the gardens), come back, wait some more and eventually get seated. Lots of people gave up, but I was determined to eat in the fancy dining room and try some of the chantilly cream. I have to admit, the food was quite good (better than I'd read) once we were able to finally get a seat. My wife ordered the ribeye and got an ENORMOUS steak. (She distinctly ordered the 'petite' steak, but we received (and were charged for) the 'grand' one. The waitstaff reduced the charge without any problem when I pointed out the mistake, but just be prepared to check your bill before paying.) - The chateau has a wonderful art collection (Musée Condé), marvelous library, great architecture/decor and an incredible series of stained glass windows. - There is a separate stables and horse show. The 'stables' are so enormous and impressive that when you first see them (as you walk from the station) you may think you've already reached the chateau!! Apparently, the prince who lived in the chateau (Prince Conde) thought he would come back in his next life as a horse, so he asked his architect to design a palace for horses!! (I believe it was this sort of thing - palaces for horses, no food for the peasants - that led to a little phenomenon known as the French Revolution.) You have to pay separately to see the stables and horse show. Since we'd already seen a similar show in Vienna on another trip, we decided to skip the horses and focus on the chateau. - The gardens? Not my cup of tea. I tend to find enormous stretches of grass and ponds to be more exhausting than inspiring. Had the same problem at Versailles. Some people love it, I guess. Clearly the garden designers of the time thought it was the cat's meow. If you like chateaus, this is a nice one and very easy to visit from Paris. A quick train ride, pleasant 20 minute walk from the station and a full day visiting a palace and having a nice lunch. Not bad at all!

Fun public space to stop for some silly photos…read more Les Deux Plateaux, more commonly known as the Colonnes de Buren, is an art installation created by the French artist Daniel Buren in 1985-1986. It is located in the inner courtyard (Cour d'Honneur) of the Palais Royal in Paris, France.

I am an artist and understand what Buren was trying to do, but it just doesn't work…read more It's a very small aesthetic improvement on the square's previous incarnation as a parking lot. It's a terrible misuse of this part of a grand palace that is filled with so much gorgeous work. Kings hired the best artisans to do stunningly beautiful work everywhere you look- except the Cour de Honneur, where this joke lacking humor is located. The stark, lifeless black and white-striped columns scattered like headstones on harsh, lifeless metal grates have nothing to say as a piece of fine art and neither relate to or enhance the setting. If anything, Daniel Buren's sculpture is a mockery in which the joke is on the gullible who can be convinced that any damned thing is a work of fine art. The joke is magnified further when we consider the French Ministry of Culture in now located there; but it's a joke that has never been funny. I used to live around the corner from there on rue St. Honore and tried to accept and enjoy this sculpture several times, but instead walked away sad that such a historic place had this thing inflicted upon it. It's like a wad of belly button lint that just needs to go. Relocate the Buren sculpture somewhere else and no one will go see it - - - - for a reason. It's just not a good work of art.

A truly Parisian area. A haven of peace, a stone throw from the touristy areas of Opera &…read more Montmartre. This is an undiscovered neighborhood gem. The Square Berlioz is the children playground throughout the different seasons which makes it a constant source of happiness and pleasure. See photos at : www.parisflat4u.com