A year ago I took the best vacation ever: to France to watch the women’s world cup soccer matches in different cities across the country, and I am reliving the trip this year by posting memories with photos every day, to document all the great experiences in a travel journal that I didn’t get together last year.
We flew direct Boston to Paris, checked into our hotel which was a little bit away from the city center and the sites. After we rejuvenated with a nap followed by an Indian meal nearby, we jumped directly onto the metropolitan subway to figure out how to make our way around on public transportation. We headed for the center even thought it was late in the day.
Right away we found ourselves at Notre Dame cathedral. It was just two months since the date the building burned. We arrived June 18, 2019; the fire happened April 15, 2019. The area around the cathedral was cordoned off for safety and construction work, including the walkway down next to the river. An abandoned ride share bike, left on the river walkway and covered in ash, can be seen in the photo below. The cathedral looked lovely regardless of its trouble.
The gargoyles were still impressive against the sky.
Tired from our first day of travel we wandered across the river and found the English language bookshop and cafe, Shakespeare and Co. Perfect for a caffeine pick-me-up to get ourselves back to the hotel.
Tomorrow is more Paris and our first soccer game experience: Scotland v Argentina. Thanks for following along.
Click to return to the index of 2019 France Trip Memories.