Thursday the 14th of September was going to be a FULL day! It was going to begin with a long walk to Père Lachaise cemetery and it would end with a long walk back to the hotel from the Bateaux Parisiens dinner cruise. And those were only the bookends to our jammed packed day!
This was our second day, and our third tour with Emmanuel’s Hidden Gems! We were excited to see the hidden gems he would regale us with in Père Lachaise. We visited this renown cemetery on our own back in 2021 and were able to find all the more famous tombs with the assistance of Google Maps. No, really, we were. Just search “Jim Morrison’s grave” while standing in Père Lachaise and the lovely Google lady will take you right to it! But we wanted to see what else the cemetery had to offer. What did Emmanuel curate for us that we wouldn’t otherwise see?
Emmanuel did not disappoint. We loved his choice of graves and the amusing and interesting anecdotes that came with them!
Again, I will try to convince the reader how wonderful Emmanuel’s tour was without giving away any of his carefully curated secrets. The point of his tours is that he takes you to Paris’s hidden gems, not all the places that ALL the tourists go to. This was true of his Père Lachaise tour as well.
I will just say one more thing… and it will be veiled. The price of the ticket was worth it just for the anecdote that went along with this enchanting tomb that Emmanuel took us to. And you wouldn’t guess in a million years the story of this grave…
Click this link for: EMMANUEL’S HIDDEN GEMS FACEBOOK GROUP
The best way to contact Emmanuel is through his Facebook PAGE. Once there, just send him a message. This is how we booked all 4 of our tours with him. We did it months in advance. You pay in cash on the day of the tour.
Click this link for: EMMANUEL’S HIDDEN GEMS FACEBOOK PAGE
The cemetery was really just such a lovely place to wander, and Emmanuel made our second visit here so much more special. We connected more with the stories of some of the people residing in this amazing place.
After the cemetery it was time to say goodbye to Emmanuel for another day. One more tour to go!
We walked to Place des Vosges to see the home (and now museum) of Victor Hugo. But along the way, we scouted out a place to stop in for a quick bite.
We found Apsara – Bar Tabac & Restaurant Asiatique. This was little more than a corner store, with tables to the side corner where we sat and had the most delicious Pad Thai! Always give the little places a go in Paris…they’ll surprise you! This place had amazing food!
Victor Hugo’s house in one of the corners of Place des Vosges was lovely. You need give yourself only twenty to thirty minutes for this one. Well worth the trip, though! And Place des Vosges is extraordinarily picturesque! Take some time to look around while you’re there!
Next on the agenda was the Panthéon. Yes, we saw this building in 2021. We went back for TWO things. Number one, we missed the timed tour of the rooftop during our first trip. Number two, we visited just prior to the induction of the great Josephine Baker. We had to go back to pay tribute to this amazing trailblazing woman!
The rooftop views were incredible. So glad we timed it right this trip!
Here it is! This is, I should add, a CENOTAPH. Josephine Baker is not actually buried here. This is such an honour and such a well-deserved one!
Of course, we stopped to see Foucault’s pendulum! Look it up. It’s a great story!
Of course, we had to actually visit the Church of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont (Église Saint-Étienne-du-Mont). We were right there, and I did say it was possibly my favourite Paris church.
Next up was the Conciergerie. This has always struck me as a beautiful building on the outside. I wanted to see the inside. This was where Marie Antoinette spent her last days before very carelessly losing her head (sorry, decapitation humour is not funny).
You can put this on your agenda if you’re in the area and don’t have a lot of time. I think it took us all of twenty minutes. Gorgeous, but sparse.
Next up was Crypte Archéologique de l’İle de la Cité. This too was a quick tour. Another monument we had not yet visited. This is a museum displaying ancient, Medieval & more recent remains found under Notre Dame. Quite fascinating and worth this visit! It’s directly in front of Notre-Dame Cathedral and often ignored. Visit!
Boy, did we take a lot in on this day! It’s exhausting just looking back on it and realizing how much we did!
Naturally, we went to Shakespeare & Company again. We were in the area and the day before Michael surprised me with a gift certificate for the store that my daughter and her family arranged for me for my birthday!
We then took a long casual walk from the 4th arrondissement to the 7th! We had a date for a dinner cruise with Bateaux Parisiens!
First a fueling! We walked into another place we found along the way…this time, just for a drink.
Some of the things we viewed along the way…
The last event of our DAY! A dinner cruise.
We arranged for a window seat on our Bateaux Parisiens dinner cruise. Best choice ever! Here’s the avant le vin shot…
The night blurred on, the wine flowed, the food amazed, the views stunned and it was all very very…
Après le vin…
The cruise is planned so that you arrive back at the base of the tower around the time of THE SPARKLE!
That was our day! It was a LOT. But I don’t think I would have had it any other way!
Looking back, it was a day of many footsteps!
Takeaway? Must dos are EMMANUEL’S HIDDEN GEMS, PANTHEON, and BATEAUX PARISIENS dinner cruise! Put them on your Paris itinerary. You’ll thank me. I wouldn’t NOT recommend anything from this day, but these are the standouts!
Next up is Day 7…
KEVIN CRAIG 