The stained glass windows were amazing and everywhere. I wish I had time to look at each of them for a long time, but sadly, the crowd helps push you along or completely blocks your view.
We also toured the Treasury, though I was disappointed that everything there wasn't nearly as old as the building. With some thought, it didn't surprise me, given the number of revolutions Paris had prior to 1860's, after which most of the objects were acquired. It only makes me somewhat sad to think that many more beautiful objects were either melted down to fund wars or stolen outright.
The gardens outside of Notre Dame were just as amazing in their simplicity. Something has to off-set the ornateness of the building's architecture. I particularly enjoyed the whimsy of the vegetable garden, growing pumpkins out of a ceramic pot built for a giant.
What wine tasting wouldn't be complete without some cheese? Ok, it was more knowing that we'd need something in our stomach besides 6 glasses of wine in order to make it for a late dinner. We took O'Chateau up on their 10% discount and enjoyed a wonderful dinner at the establishment (zucchini gazpacho for me). It went so well, we signed up for the Champagne Tour (of Champagne!) for later in the week.
Afterward, we took the Metro over to the Eiffel Tower. We had an 11pm elevator side to destiny, ok, to the darkened skyline of Paris.The views were amazing from the 2nd level of the Eiffel Tower. While lining up tickets a month in advance, we were only able to go to the 2nd level and only at 11pm at night! Definitely book in advance for this one! While making for a long day of sight-seeing, seeing the Eiffel Tower lite up was worth it, plus, they still had it "glitter" every so often. We ended up sitting in the lawn to the Hôtel Eiffel Trocadéro to watch the display.
I will definitely go back again in the future. The views were breath-taking and well worth it. Could it even compare to seeing it in the daylight? Most likely, some of the mystique would be gone, hidden in the darkness.
My Reviews Of The Places I've Seen
“Great Views”
The views were amazing from the 2nd level of the Eiffel Tower. While lining up tickets a month in advance, we were only able to go to the 2nd level and only at 11pm at night! Definitely book in advance for this one! While making for a long day of sight-seeing, seeing the Eiffel Tower lite up was worth it, plus, they still had it "glitter" every so often. We ended up sitting in the lawn to the Hôtel Eiffel Trocadéro to watch the display.
"Go Early"
Go early, at opening. It's less crowded, which translates into a much shorter line.
"Tour of France, while staying in Paris!"
Enjoyed the wonderful Tour of France wine tasting. The cheese plate was a great idea and it definitely helped to have something to go along with the wine. We liked it so much, we signed up for the Champagne Tour later in the week and go to see the Champagne Region first hand. Plus, let's not forget the purpose of the tour, lots of Champagne. Definitely an experience worth the money. We had a great time.