3. After taking photos of Madeleine Church and
the Louvre grounds I decided to visit this time
the Musee dâOrsay for 7 euros, since I have
toured the Louvre last year. I was awed by the
sight of hundreds of French Impressionist arts â
Claude Monet, Edoard Manet, Renoir, Toulouse-
Madeleine Church
Lautrec, Degas, and Rodinâs sculptures at the
terrace. After lunch at a fast service restaurant
along the road fronting the Tuilerie Gardens, the
rest of the day was spent walking around the Ile
Saint-Louis in the heart of the city.
This is one of the quietest parts of Paris, the
haunt of lawyers, policemen, and sight-seers, on
the way to Notre Dame Cathedral. The Ile Saint-
Louis has also been called the Enchanted Isle. Whether seen
from the right or from the left bank of the Seine, hidden behind
tall trees, it looks in summer like the inaccessible abode of some
distinguished recluse. Walking to the Notre Dame Cathedral, I
passed by the Palace of Justice and the Prison House. The name
"Palais de Justice" is in itself ironic since it is no longer a palace,
and as we know, during the French revolution of 1789, it had
nothing to do with justice The most noteworthy monarch who
lived in the Palace is Saint Louis, and built the adjacent "Saint
Chapelle", an intimate two-tier masterpiece of stained glass and
light gothic style, to house what was believed to be the relics of
the Crucifixion. It was later abandoned as a royal residence,
and then used to house government offices.
The evening was capped with dinner at Montmarte after a stroll
around the magnificent Basilica of Sacre Coeur. Montmartre, high
on the only hill overlooking Paris, has long been famous for its
artists, and its Sacre Coeur. Close by is the Place du Tertre,
usually completely covered with tables and bright umbrellas, and
`artists.''