We spent four nights in Paris on this trip, but we were largely out of the city for two days on trips to Rouen and the Champagne region, which we’ll cover separately. We spent part of our one full day in Paris revisiting some sites we had been to on past trips but were worth seeing again. Tops on the list fòr me was seeing the refurbished Notre Dame.

We last visited the famous cathedral in March 2018, one year before the April 2019 fire that consumed the roof. The interior is much cleaner and brighter than in 2018, when as I recall there was work being done on the interior of the structure. It was also way more crowded this time. OK, March isn’t peak tourist season like July, so there were no lines to speak of. Not so on this trip. We booked some free, timed tickets to get in, but all those really do is get you a slightly shorter line. Once inside you are in the same mass scrum with everyone else. It’s not as crammed as visiting the Sistine Chapel but still pretty crowded.

We also returned to Sainte Chapelle because one of our travel partners on this portion of the trip, Judith, finds it inspirational. It is beautiful, but you have to pay to get in, and we saw a lot of equally beautiful stained glass in cathedrals that are free to visit. But if you haven’t been to the chapel it is worth visiting.

New to us on this trip was the Musee Cluny, home to a large collection of Medieval artifacts. Topping the list are the famous unicorn tapestries, which Pat really wanted to see. Known as “The Lady and the Unicorn” (“La Dame à la licorne” in French), the six panels from circa 1500 are commonly interpreted to be depicting the five senses — smell, hearing, taste, touch and sight. The last displays the words “À mon seul désir,” which has generally been interpreted as representing love or understanding. They are quite beautiful.

We also visited the Rodin Museum for the first time. We have seen his work at the similarly named collection in Philadelphia, as well as at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, so there are repeats like The Kiss and The Thinker, but this was I believe the first time I saw The Gates of Hell and The Burghers of Calais. (Also possible I don’t remember seeing them elsewhere.) The Paris museum is also home to many of his early works, and it traces the artist’s history in an indoor museum.

But the Rodin museum was also home to a special exhibit of the fashions of the house of Dior. What couture clothes and imposing statues have in common is beyond my comprehension, but I’m certain a fashionista or an art impresario could explain the connection. All I know is that Pat perked up with this exhibit. It’s outdoors, under a pavilion, but one with shiny black floors. Those would be quite elegant and fitting for the clothes, except the pavilion is in the middle of a sculpture garden with gravel paths. Everybody is tracking in dirt. A few poor employees are charged with attempting to keep the floors mopped, but talk about Sisyphean tasks.

In between we did get to have a nice lunch at Boullion Racine and strolled briefly in the Luxembourg Gardens, always a peaceful stop on any visit to Paris. Boullion Racine has been in business since 1906. It has marvelous Art Nouveau decor, and the food is still quite good. We had a number of nice dinners in the city, but that is as it should be, because it is Paris. (OK, you can find stinkers like in any city, but overall they don’t last.)