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Easter at Notre Dame

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 Attending Easter Mass at Notre-Dame was on our bucket list and we were able to achieve it. We arrived about 45 minutes before the Mass and didn't have any problem getting into the 10:00 service. When we left, the crowd waiting to get in was huge. There aren't any reservations so I'm sure some of the people in line were not able to attend.   We went to the Gregorian Mass. Since it was in Latin we figured we wouldn't be alone in not understanding what was being said. Some of the Mass was in French but part of the Homily was in English which was nice. Between the beauty of the Church and the music, it was a special experience. The choir was amazing as was the organist.  We went out to a little place for brunch and had a quiet afternoon after a short stop in another Church. We were able to catch up with John which was a highlight of the afternoon.  Another protest was happening near us as we were walking the neighborhood. It included a lot of folks wrapped in Irani...
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Quirky shops

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 I walked to the far bakery again this morning to get almond croissants. It was so worth it. Jack agreed as he sleep until I returned with them. We will miss these croissants! We finally went to our local market which had everything from octopus to clothing. We picked up some fresh fruit and vegetables along with prepared food we'll have for dinner a couple of days this week. The variety of options is really impressive, and I hope we can fit in another visit here before we leave. It is literally down the block from us. After sampling some of our purchases, we headed out to visit a few of the covered passages that house shops and cafes. We took a few pictures of the antiques and quirky inventory, but the pictures do not do the shops justice.  On our walk to and from the passages we experienced some of the Easter Saturday crowds along with the beautiful architecture of Paris. We were passed by protesters that were carrying signs that said Media Lies in French. I don't know what ...
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Giverny

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 We spent the morning at Giverny, visiting Monet's house and gardens, including the water lilies. This is where he got his inspiration for his water lily paintings. The gardens are beautiful and just opened on April 1st. The flowers are incredibly beautiful and I'm sorry the pictures aren't able to convey how vibrant the colors are. We got there when it opened at 10:00 and it seemed like we were part of the Senior citizen hour. Actually, the timing was good. It wasn't too crowded and we were able to take in the gardens without rushing. The trip took about 2 hours from Paris which I think accounted for the age of most of the visitors. Getting there when it opened required getting up early.  We got back to the main train station at about 2 and the station was mobbed with people leaving for the holiday weekend. We are enjoying a quiet few hours before going out to dinner. This did include some cheese and crackers to hold us over. The cheese is from Normandy, so we feel at ...
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