A Busy Week!

Since I last wrote, we have done so many things!

We toured the area around the Eiffel Tower (but we did not go up it this time). Here is a picture of my husband, with the Tour Eiffel in the background:



We also went to a Maritime Museum. Maritime means "things to do with the ocean."

There were small models of old-fashioned boats:



Pictures from long ago, do you see the castle in this picture?



And here is Percy Penguin with me, in front of a huge lighthouse lightbulb:



Next time, I will be writing from the northern part of France, a place called Normandy. Can you find it on a map?

Percy at the Opera!

We took Percy on a tour of an Opera house. They weren't singing when we were there. Here is a picture of the outside of the building...



Percy and I admired a beautiful statue inside.



When people come to hear an opera -- which is like a play that is sung instead of spoken -- they get dressed up in their very best clothes. Because I am on vacation, and no opera was being performed, I wore my school clothes. Percy, of course, is always dressed in his very best!

It took 13 years to build the opera house. They worked on it from 1862 until 1875 when it was first used. On the outside, there are fancy statues covered in gold, and on the inside, there are busts of famous people and more statues!

This last picture shows the busts and the doors that lead into the very fancy private boxes for seeing the shows. Do you see the fancy floors, too? Everything gets decorated!

Notre Dame

These are pictures from one of the most famous churches in the world. It is called "Notre Dame de Paris" "Notre Dame" means Our Lady and is a very common name for churches in some places. "de Paris" means in Paris -- so you know which Notre Dame we are talking about.

Here I am, in front of the western face of the church. It is 69 meters (more than 226 feet) tall! This church is more than thirty times taller than I am!



Inside, the church is somewhat dark, and very big. It is made of stone, and sounds are a lot more noticeable.

People have been singing music in Notre Dame for almost a thousand years! Here is a picture of the kind of music they sang when this church is new. It looks different from modern music, but you can still see where the music goes up or down.



In some places, this church displays beautiful things that have been used in the past and for fancy occasions. Here is a set of candlesticks, a cup and a platter that we saw. Do you see the spikes on the candlesticks? They hold big candles on special occasions.



When you are inside the church, the windows glow with beautiful pictures. Here are some of my favorites.







Do you see the round window at the top of this picture and the shape of the two smaller windows just below? Now look at the next picture of the outside of the church. Do you see the same shapes? This is where the window is!



The last picture for today is of a funny little house near Notre Dame. Do you know the Mother Goose poem about the crooked house?




There was a crooked man and he walked a crooked mile,
He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile.
He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse.
And they all lived together in a little crooked house.

Pretty things

Here are two pictures from Tuesday, September 16.

This chandelier is in the big art museum called the Louvre. It used to be a palace for the French kings! Can you see all the sparkly pieces of glass? Can you see some of the paintings on the ceiling? Kings and queens used to decorate their homes with fancy things everywhere they looked.



Even though Paris is a big city, there are still some parts where people keep gardens. This garden is next to a fancy store called Le Bon Marche. The name of the garden is L'Hospital Ennec Jardin Catherine Lafoure. That's a big name. It was named for a lady who used to live in Paris. The French word for garden is "jardin" -- can you find it in the name under the picture?



L'Hospital Ennec Jardin Catherine Lafoure

In Paris

Here I am in one of the many plazas in Paris. Can you see the Eiffel Tower in the background?

Eating a la Paris

Here is my husband, reading the menu in a little cafe.







And here is Percy the Penguin, looking at the meal he ordered!

A Parisian Meal?

I received a photo but no message. Here is Mother, eating what looks like Quiche and a Milkshake!

 

Arriving home to discover the bookcase is completed! Quel surprise!

 

Here is Percy Penguin, ready to set off for his trip to France! Next to James' Giant Peach, in front of a Friendly Frog. Can you see him?