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Notre Dame bell tower was the first destination today. We got there in time to visit the cathedral before the crowds descended so a couple of photos of the rose windows and a walk of the circuit inside and then it was time to join the queue for the climb to the top of the tower.
We are getting better at queuing here. It would seem that the whole world is playing tourist in Paris at the moment and there are queues for everything.
Anyway the climb to the top was long, hard and steep but I made it. The gargoyles are worth every step and the sweeping views of Paris are amazing. One this occasion we got even higher than the bell and were able to climb right to the very top of the tower. Once there and photos taken it was time to come down. Once the gates open you do the whole way down in one go! Let me say my knees were not happy about this and required some rest once at the bottom.
Following that adventure we went onto another queue at Ste Chapelle, a 13th century chapel built to house the "crown of thorns". The chapel itself is very high and basically has stained glass walls. The glass is mostly 13th century although there has been a lot of renovation done to it over the years.
They are currently working on two full sets of windows and a video was running that showed how this work was being carried out.
The next stop was the Musee d'Orsay, a beautiful art gallery in what once was railway station. It holds many Monet, Degas and Renoir paintings along with many sculptures. It was a wonderful place to visit and we will go back again before we leave Paris.
All in all, this was a huge day and meant that the climb to the top of the stairs to get to the apartment was almost too much but I made it.
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