Île de la Cité.

"The Île de la Cité is one of two natural islands in the Seine within the city of Paris (the other being Île Saint-Louis, the Île des Cygnes being artificial). It is the centre of Paris and the location where the medieval city was refounded. The western end has held a palace since Merovingian times, and its eastern end since the same period has been consecrated to religion, especially after the 10th century construction of a cathedral preceding today's Notre Dame. The land between the two was, until the 1850s, largely residential and commercial, but since has been filled by the city's Prefecture de Police, Palais de Justice, Hôtel-Dieu hospital and Tribunal de Commerce. Only the westernmost and northeastern extremities of the island remain residential today, and the latter preserves some vestiges of its 16th century canon's houses." – Wikipedia

Sacré-Cœur Basilica.

"The Sacré-Cœur Basilica Roman Catholic basilica is a popular landmark in Paris, France, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The basilica is located at the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city." – Wikipedia

     

Another great eat in Paris. Near the Odeon on Vaugirard Street.

Reminds me of a Flemish painting with dramatic cloud cover.

"The Seine (pronounced [sɛn] in French) is a slow flowing major river and commercial waterway within the regions of Île-de-France and Haute-Normandie in France and famous as a romantic backdrop in photographs of Paris, France. It is also a tourist attraction, with excursion boats offering sightseeing tours of the Rive Droite and Rive Gauche within the city of Paris. It terminates in the Bay of the Seine region of the English Channel and is navigable by oceanic transports about ten percent of its length to Rouen, 120 km (75 miles) from the sea, whereas over sixty percent of its length from Burgundy near the Swiss Alps is negotiable by commercial riverboats and nearly its whole length is available for recreational boating.

There are 37 bridges over the River Seine just within Paris and dozens more spanning the river outside of the city. Examples in Paris include the Pont Louis-Philippe and Pont Neuf, the latter which dates back to 1607. Outside of the city, examples include the Pont de Normandie, one of the longest cable-stayed bridges in the world, which links Le Havre to Honfleur." – Wikipedia

The inside of the Musee D'Orsay on free admission day.

"The Musée d'Orsay is a museum in Paris, France, on the left bank of the Seine, housed in the former railway station, the Gare d'Orsay. It holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1915, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography, and is probably best known for its extensive collection of impressionist masterpieces by such painters such as Monet, Degas, Renoir, and Cezanne. Many of these works were held at the Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume prior to the museum's opening in 1986." – Wikipedia

First Sunday of the month is free admission to museums in Paris. You can save a lot of money this way but you have to contend with the crowds. Visit early or late in the afternoon.

"The Louvre Museum (French: Musée du Louvre), located in Paris, is a historic monument and a national museum of France. It is a central landmark, located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement (neighborhood). Nearly 35,000 objects from the 6th millennium BC to the 19th century AD are exhibited over an area of 60,600 square metres (652,300 square feet)." – Wikipedia

One of the great eats in Paris. Near Odeon Theatre, on Rue Racine.

"With specialties like the suckling pig stuffed and spit roasted, the duckling with bush peaches, the farm chicken blanquette, the cod with tapenade and Aix-en-Provence virgin olive oil, or the coffee from Liege, the waffle with crème brûlée with maple syrup... Bouillon Racine invites you for a journey through time and senses." – Bouillon Racine

Wondering why there's a big fuss about this. There are better Da Vinci paintings and Michelangelos in the Italian section of the Louvre (sans bullet-proof glass).

"Mona Lisa (also known as La Gioconda) is a 16th century portrait painted in oil on a poplar panel by Leonardo da Vinci during the Italian Renaissance. The work is owned by the French government and hangs in the Musée du Louvre in Paris, France with the title Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo.

The painting is a half-length portrait and depicts a woman whose expression is often described as enigmatic. The ambiguity of the sitter's expression, the monumentality of the half-figure composition, and the subtle modeling of forms and atmospheric illusionism were novel qualities that have contributed to the painting's continuing fascination. Few other works of art have been subject to as much scrutiny, study, mythologizing and parody." – Wikipedia

A few blocks from Notre Dame is Berthillon Ice Cream. The locals say it's the best.

"Berthillon is a French manufacturer and retailer of luxury ice cream and sorbet, with its primary store on the Île Saint-Louis in Paris, France. The company is owned and operated by the Chauvin family, descendants of the eponymous Monsieur Berthillon, who opened the first store in 1954.

Berthillon sells its ice cream in bulk and by the scoop from its shop on the island, but many other retailers in Paris sell its ice cream in cones and cups, and some grocers sell larger amounts. Berthillon's fame derives in part from its use of natural ingredients, with no chemical preservatives, artificial sweeteners or stabilizers. Its ice creams are made from only milk, sugar, cream and eggs. Flavourings derive from natural sources (cocoa, vanilla, fruit, etc.).

Like many family-run Paris businesses, Berthillon may be closed for part of the summer (usually the last two weeks of August). Competitors to Berthillon in Paris include other local purveyors, as well as a few multinational chains, such as Ben & Jerry's and Häagen-Dazs and the local chain, Amorino." – Wikipedia

At the back of Notre Dame, there's a nice little park.

"Notre Dame de Paris is a Gothic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in Paris, France, with its main entrance to the west. It is the cathedral of Paris and the seat of the Archbishop of Paris. Notre Dame de Paris is widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. It was restored and saved from destruction by Viollet-le-Duc, one of France's most famous architects. The name Notre Dame means "Our Lady" in French. Notre Dame de Paris was one of the first Gothic cathedrals, and its construction spanned the Gothic period. Its sculptures and stained glass show the heavy influence of naturalism, unlike that of earlier Romanesque architecture.

Notre Dame de Paris was among the first buildings in the world to use the flying buttress [arched exterior supports]. The building was not originally designed to include the flying buttresses around the choir and nave. After the construction began and the thinner walls (popularized in the Gothic style) grew ever higher, stress fractures began to occur as the walls pushed outward. In response, the cathedral's architects built supports around the outside walls, and later additions continued as such.

The cathedral suffered desecration during the radical phase of the French Revolution in the 1790s, when much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. During the 19th century, an extensive restoration project was completed, returning the cathedral to its previous state." – Wikipedia