Sights and Smells Around the Madeleine

On the way to our first stop we walked along this street with a flower market! The first smell around the Madeleine was the sweet fragrance of these beautiful flowers!









And this is the Madeleine! To me, it looked more like something you would find in Rome or Greece. But hey, I was excited. It was huge and wonderful. This church was first one of the many monuments that Napoleon had dedicated to his army, but then Louis XVIII came along and decided he had had enough of that and had it build into this enormous church. Kudos for Louis.

More pesky pigeons. You see what I mean? They think they own the city.

Inside the Madeleine

Sorry this picture turned out a bit blurry, but this is one of the best pipe organs in Paris.

Joan of Arc!

Is it illegal to take pictures of people you don't know? I was watching this little girl for a bit. She had big curious eyes and was apparently in awe at such a huge place. When she stood here by the candles I couldn't help but snap a picture.

As we left the Madeleine we walked down the left side of this street!

Now for more smells. Welcome to Laduree, a pastry shop created in 1862 during the reign of Napoleon III. They are most famous for their Macarons, the royalty of the sandwich cookie world. Crisp on the outside, soft and delicate on the inside, the cookie portion of the macaron is a deceptively simple combination of almond flour, egg whites, and powdered sugar. Sandwhich two of these cookies together with a rich ganache and you've got a macaron. YUMMO.

Our Macarons from Laduree!

Just down the street from Laduree is this, the Chapelle de l'Assomption. It was founded as a convent in 1622.

Inside...

The last stop on this walk was the famous Parisian Parfumerie Museum! Fragonard! We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, sadly, but it was full of cool distillaries that make the perfume. There were lots of samples to smell, and I believe I was slightly lightheaded by the end of our short tour. It's all part of the experience, I'm sure. VERY strong smells. You can probably smell them from where you are.

There you have it! I hope you enjoyed the smells around the Madeleine! I sure did! It was a beautiful day in Paris!