Tuesday 2 May 2006
Highlights:  Paris sights including Notre Dame Cathedral and the famous Moulin Rouge, Memorial des Martyrs de la Deportation.

I had a very big day today deciding to explore Paris today by foot (which was very exhausting).

In order I saw;

• Hotel Des Invalides (the revolution started here),
• Moulin Rouge,
• Conciergerie (14th Century royal palace & later a prison / torture chamber and lockup for 3,000 victims of the guillotine),
• Palais de Justice (Law Courts), and finally
• Notre Dame Cathedral.

It’s amazing just how much Paris has to explore.   Notre Dame was built between 1163 and 1345 and I’m still not sure how they built it at all.   It’s still a working church and can hold over 6,000 people.   As this was the first good (weather) day in Paris the crowds were huge.

It’s interesting to note Notre Dame is considered the centre of Paris and distances are measured from here (in Melbourne and most places it is the GPO). I finished the day with the moving Memorial des Martyrs de la Deportation.   They had a tribute to all those who suffered under the Nazis in Paris during World War 2.   Tomorrow I visit the famous Musee De Louvre, which should make for a very full day.