Thursday, February 12, 2015

The Notre Dame Cathedral and Shakespeare and Company Bookstore


The Notre Dame Cathedral is a breathtaking piece of architecture.

There are so many beautiful buildings and cathedrals throughtout Europe that made My Husband and I stare in awe - we'd have to pick up each other's jaws as we'd be completely mesmerized by the different styles and artistry used for each structure.

The Notre Dame Cathedral was one building that I couldn't stop staring at whether from afar or up close.

While we were in Paris, we ended up visting the Notre Dame Cathedral twice - the first time, our vespa tour guide led us past this cathedral and helped us take a photo. We came back the following day after lunch nearby to take a tour of it.

We awoke around 10AM - it was going to be a easy, relaxing day for us. By the time we left our hotel and arrived around the area, it was nearing noon, so we decided to have lunch first. We went to have lunch at Le Bar a Huitres Saint-Germain. Very modern decor and not so many people for on that Monday afternoon. They provided excellent service and their seafood was fresh and delicious.


We both started off with half dozen oysters. Unfortunately I had difficulty understanding where they were from, but it sounded like French places. Nevertheless, very fresh and in my book, superior to its Pacific Ocean counterparts. Oysters are a popular dish to be had during the holidays for the French. Lots of restaurants showcased their oysters.


Mashed potatoes as our side dish - this is really truly mashed potatoes - not a hint of cream or butter - if you like potatoes, this is for you!


I had the seafood risotto. Delicious, but nothing crazy here.


My Husband had the salmon - I had a few bites of it and it is surprisingly delicious. I thought this piece of fish wouldn't be anything out of the ordinary, but I was wrong. It was so fatty, fresh and was cooked and seasoned just perfectly.


Dessert for each of us to finish off.

After our nice a little over two hour lunch, we moved onward for the main attraction of the day - the Notre Dame Cathedral!







Inside of the cathedral




The stained glass windows were amazing. As we are not religious, we were not aware of the story the pictures were depicting.












After Notre Dame, our next destination would be the Eiffel Tower. While we were walking on the road to get ready to flag a taxi, I saw and accidentally found the Shakespeare and Company Bookstore!


 
This bookstore is popularized by Triumph in the Skies II, a Hong Kong drama produced by TVB. Since I watched that drama, I was excited to get a glimpse of it.


Pretending to read - heh heh
 
 
Inside - there are two stories - the first floor are brand new books for purchase and the second floor are old books for reading. They have chairs and benches in different areas and people can sit and relax with a book in hand.


This partcular area had tons of notes on its bulletin board left by people who visited this bookstore.
 
 
My Husband found a book to look at as well!


We were short on time, so we had to leave this quaint little bookstore. But I couldn't leave without leaving a message for it! My Husband caught me writing.

I'd love to come back to Paris again and sit in here for hours with a book or two. It felt especially wonderful to be in that bookstore that afternoon because it was starting to sprinkle outside. I'd recommend it for any book lovers - seems to have a very large selection.

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