Reluctantly leaving Versailles behind, we headed back to Paris. Enjoying the French beer Silvan had stocked, we found ourselves being chauffeured up the Champs-Élysées. Proudly nicknamed “la plus belle avenue du monde,” the most beautiful avenue in the world, it did not disappoint. Until the reign of Louis XIV, the land where the Champs-Élysées runs today was largely occupied by fields. The grand avenue and its gardens were originally laid out in 1667 by Andre Le Notre as an extension of the Tuilleries Palace built in 1564. Le Notre planned a wide promenade lined with two rows of elm trees on either side and flowerbeds in the symmetrical style of the formal French garden. I loved the mix of cars and bicyclists and marveled as we made the roundabout at the Arc de Triomphe. Gazing upward through our sunroof, sky and sculptures whirled by as we made the circle and it was another moment I will always remember. Our last stop was arriving at the highest point in the city right at sunset. Montmartre was teeming with street vendors and artists and we had our first portrait made together there. We decided to have dinner in a little restaurant that had a piano player and a chanteuse. I was so proud because they heard me speaking English to Burk and asked how a Parisian had come to marry an American! I explained we were both Texans and they were delighted. The man immediately launched into the theme song from “Dallas” and all heads in that restaurant stopped and turned. The French still adore that show! As a final tribute, they played “Deep in the Heart of Texas” while I sang along with gusto. The funny thing was they had no idea about the clapping part. They were so stunned it was almost comical. We did it again so they could get the “clap clap clap clap” down. Happily stuffing Euros in their tip glass (which we had been hoarding in case we needed them for an emergency) we set out to the summit to enter under the white domes of the Basilica of the Sacré-Coeur. By this time my camera had run out of juice so I was unable to take a picture of the highest dome’s center ceiling. My favorite color dark blue surrounded Jesus Christ as rays of light beamed down from his heart onto all who entered. They were having Mass and the Priest was saying how the Church should be welcome to all. It was a perfect ending to a perfect day.
“The Sacred Heart of Christ is an inexhaustible fountain and its sole desire is to pour itself out into the hearts of the humble so as to free them and prepare them to lead lives according to his good pleasure.” ~ St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
