le 27 Septembre
Sitting at Charles de Gaulle airport awaiting the boarding call for our flight to Frankfurt. We managed to get this far with only a minimum of complications. Our luggage is checked through to Winnipeg so at least we don't have to worry about carting the bags around Frankfurt airport. The Air France staff have all been extremely helpful and friendly and it has been much appreciated. CDG is gigantic and is a complex of terminals, some connected and some seemingly not. I'm sure the layout makes sense if you're familiar with it, but it's kinda daunting if you're not.
Just settling in at Frankfurt airport after a good deal of wandering. The flight from Paris was very quick; the beverage and snack cart barely had time to reach us before the descent began. We were lucky to need a visit to passport control in order to reach our departure gate, so now I have 3 whole stamps! Woo hoo!! All this airport confusion is caused by the fact that no two airports seem to do things the same way. Oh well. By the way, I got patted down twice in the course of an afternoon. Frankfurt airport security was especially tight as the elections were taking place that day.
Anyhow, things I've learned on this trip:
1) cl is the abbreviation for centilitre
2) a millilitre is a cubic centimetre
3) when you see a sign for the toilets, GO!
4) sometimes, even if you order a crepe, you will still get a sandwiche
5) Parisian sidewalk cafés do not need to put salt and pepper on the table because you don't need it - everything is perfectly seasoned
7) autumn really is the ideal time to travel
8) if you're a tourist and you love Paris, let it show - Parisians will love you for loving their city!
9) there aren't as many poodles on the street as you might expect
10) it never hurts to throw a coin in a fountain and make a wish
11) pousseyquatts are cute no matter what country you're in
12) Parisian women will descend like vultures when they see a kiosk with a sign advertising foulards - 1€
Paris is famous for a reason - it is everything I had ever imagined and hoped it would be, and the dream of returning one day is as closely held to my heart as the original dream of going for the first time.
J'adore Paris!!!
p.s.
I reserve the right to revisit the subject matter of this trip on any future blog post.
06 October 2009
04 October 2009
What I Did On My Summer Vacation 2009 Edition pt VI
le 26 Septembre
Last day : (
The plan for today had been evolving over the week, starting out being reserved for shopping and souvenirs then becoming the 'make up' day to do stuff we hadn't gotten to on previous days to finally ending up as a 'bonus' day to do all of that and new stuff.
After croissants and café creme just down the street from the hotel, we took the métro to the Bastille station where we began a walk around the Marais. We emerged from the station right in front of the Opéra Bastille, scene of Il Barbiere earlier in the week. I remarked to Reyn that had we been more organized it would have made a lot of sense to have taken the métro to the opera that night and spared ourselves the expense of the cab and the nightmare of the traffic crush. Live and learn.
We started walking at the Place de la Bastille, and proceeded down to rue Beautreillis to see the apartment building where Jim Morrison actually died. Although described as nondescript in the guidebook, I thought it was rather nice. On to Place des Vosges where we sat a short while on a bench and looked around the square, took several pictures in front of the one fountain that was actually spouting. Then to rue Francois Miron to try to find the house where Mozart lived in 1763. After passing it initially we doubled back and found that the plaque marking the building was actually on a wall inside the courtyard, not immediately visible to a pedestrian unless you were really looking for it. Luckily the courtyard was open so we wandered in and took a look at the exterior of the building. Very impressive, although it seems that the Mozarts were staying as guests of the people who actually lived in the building. Afterward we stopped for pastry and then continued strolling up to a fountain outside one of the gates to the Luxembourg Gardens. We sat down at a café and had a nice lunch of omelette (me) and crepe (Reyn) while watching the people of the city walk by. We went through the enchanting park, seeing a jazz band, children riding ponies, children sailing boats in the pond, palm trees, tennis courts and any number of chestnuts. Quite a combination of sights I would say. We took the métro from near there to Concorde station so we could do the rue Cambon Chanel photo opportunity. Did a bit more strolling, a little bit of shopping and then stopped for a quick drink before heading back to the hotel to rest. Right now Reyn is napping and I am catching up on my journal. Not sure yet what the evening has in store.
Reyn awoke from his nap and we decided to go for something to eat near the Eiffel Tower. We got on the métro and took it to Ecole Militaire where we emerged pretty much right at a café. I had vin rouge, quiche Lorraine with salad and finally was able to sample some Berthillon ice cream - pistachio. Tres yummy. After a side trip to get some juice and other essentials for breakfast in the morning, we made our way to Champ de Mars for the tower's 9:00 pm show. We sat down near a bunch of rowdies playing Michael Jackson really loud and dancing in a circle. We were further back than on Tuesday evening and there were a lot more people milling about having pique-niques and beaucoup vin et biere. As we sat and the twinkling began I became very sad at the thought of leaving in the morning. I realized that if I had made it to Paris as planned all those years ago there was a fairly good chance I would have found some way to stay. Eh bien...
Walked back to the métro and went back to the hotel where we checked in for our flights, packed, and said our goodbyes to the tres comfortable lit.
Last day : (
The plan for today had been evolving over the week, starting out being reserved for shopping and souvenirs then becoming the 'make up' day to do stuff we hadn't gotten to on previous days to finally ending up as a 'bonus' day to do all of that and new stuff.
After croissants and café creme just down the street from the hotel, we took the métro to the Bastille station where we began a walk around the Marais. We emerged from the station right in front of the Opéra Bastille, scene of Il Barbiere earlier in the week. I remarked to Reyn that had we been more organized it would have made a lot of sense to have taken the métro to the opera that night and spared ourselves the expense of the cab and the nightmare of the traffic crush. Live and learn.
We started walking at the Place de la Bastille, and proceeded down to rue Beautreillis to see the apartment building where Jim Morrison actually died. Although described as nondescript in the guidebook, I thought it was rather nice. On to Place des Vosges where we sat a short while on a bench and looked around the square, took several pictures in front of the one fountain that was actually spouting. Then to rue Francois Miron to try to find the house where Mozart lived in 1763. After passing it initially we doubled back and found that the plaque marking the building was actually on a wall inside the courtyard, not immediately visible to a pedestrian unless you were really looking for it. Luckily the courtyard was open so we wandered in and took a look at the exterior of the building. Very impressive, although it seems that the Mozarts were staying as guests of the people who actually lived in the building. Afterward we stopped for pastry and then continued strolling up to a fountain outside one of the gates to the Luxembourg Gardens. We sat down at a café and had a nice lunch of omelette (me) and crepe (Reyn) while watching the people of the city walk by. We went through the enchanting park, seeing a jazz band, children riding ponies, children sailing boats in the pond, palm trees, tennis courts and any number of chestnuts. Quite a combination of sights I would say. We took the métro from near there to Concorde station so we could do the rue Cambon Chanel photo opportunity. Did a bit more strolling, a little bit of shopping and then stopped for a quick drink before heading back to the hotel to rest. Right now Reyn is napping and I am catching up on my journal. Not sure yet what the evening has in store.
Reyn awoke from his nap and we decided to go for something to eat near the Eiffel Tower. We got on the métro and took it to Ecole Militaire where we emerged pretty much right at a café. I had vin rouge, quiche Lorraine with salad and finally was able to sample some Berthillon ice cream - pistachio. Tres yummy. After a side trip to get some juice and other essentials for breakfast in the morning, we made our way to Champ de Mars for the tower's 9:00 pm show. We sat down near a bunch of rowdies playing Michael Jackson really loud and dancing in a circle. We were further back than on Tuesday evening and there were a lot more people milling about having pique-niques and beaucoup vin et biere. As we sat and the twinkling began I became very sad at the thought of leaving in the morning. I realized that if I had made it to Paris as planned all those years ago there was a fairly good chance I would have found some way to stay. Eh bien...
Walked back to the métro and went back to the hotel where we checked in for our flights, packed, and said our goodbyes to the tres comfortable lit.
03 October 2009
What I Did On My Summer Vacation 2009 Edition pt V
le 25 Septembre
BONNE FETE!!!
What can I say? Today was a feast for the senses.
This morning Reyn gave me my birthday presents: a sapphire and diamond and white gold 'demi-parure' of earrings, necklace and pendant. I'm over the moon!
It's actually Saturday now and I'm playing catch up because yesterday (Friday) was so jam-packed. We got on the RER train to Versailles in decent time. A busking accordion player began playing right near us so Reyn asked if he knew 'Happy Birthday', which he did, and he proceeded to play it for me. That is not something that happens everyday!
Versailles the town appeared quite quickly out of the suburbs of Paris, the train being fast and not crowded at all. The Chateau itself came into view after a short walk. From the front it looked kind of oddly placed and kind of scrunched but after getting closer I realized why: the place is GARGANTUAN!
We passed through security and were able to enter without too much waiting - our museum passes covered admission so we bypassed the ticket buyers' line, which was very long. The tour through the chateau was interesting. We chose to follow the tour in Rick Steve's book rather than get an audioguide. The chateau gardens, like everything else in Paris are monumental in scale. Strolling the garden came as a relief after the crush of people inside. We stopped for lunch at one of the numerous little tucked away snack stands where we had pizza that came with an egg cracked in the middle of it (?) (!), Orangina, and where we encountered some very cute pousseyquatts.
After lunch we continued down through the gardens to the Apollo basin where we sat and finished our ice cream cones and considered our next move. We decided to rent bikes to explore the Petit Trianon and the Domaine de Marie Antoinette. It was a very wise decision as it would have taken forever to walk that far and it was also a lot of fun. I felt very French, being on a bike with a little basket and bell, pedaling through the magnificent countryside on a stunning sunny day. After walking through the Petit Trianon, we biked to the Hamlet, which was rather like Aunt Sally's Farm. We rode back to the central station to drop off the bikes and start the long trek back (uphill naturally) to the chateau and the train station.
After impersonating a sardine quite convincingly on the train ride back, I arrived back at the hotel to find a huge bouquet of flowers and a note from the office wishing me a happy birthday. They are absolutely gorgeous and I'm bummed that I have such a short time to enjoy them.
Philip had made us a reservation for the 8:30 show at the Crazy Horse Saloon so we needed to freshen up and have a bite before heading back out. We left in what seemed like plenty of time but had absolutely no luck in getting a taxi. We ended up walking up to the Crillon Hotel before finally finding a car free. We arrived with only moments to spare and then there was some confusion about the reservations and tickets. We were shown to our seats, which were fantastic- right near the front and almost dead centre - and the waiter just had time to pop the cork on our bottle of champagne (compris) before the show began. The spectacle that ensued was by turns cheesy, funny, entertaining, edgy, naughty, and amusing. In the second half there was an act comprised of two tap dancers - twins - and male. It seemed a bit out of place but they were really good.
After the show we decided we would walk home (another one of my bright ideas) because it was a beautiful night and also because I had drank about half a bottle of champagne.
We took some pictures of the Eiffel Tower and walked and gawked at the displays in the store windows along Avenue Montaigne - Christian Dior, Chanel (which seems to be on every corner around this city, kind of like Timmy's at home), Ungaro, Prada...My feet were aching by the time we neared the hotel and I was thrilled when Reyn volunteered to go further up the road to get some McDonald's to have in the room. Collapsed into bed, exhausted.
BONNE FETE!!!
What can I say? Today was a feast for the senses.
This morning Reyn gave me my birthday presents: a sapphire and diamond and white gold 'demi-parure' of earrings, necklace and pendant. I'm over the moon!
It's actually Saturday now and I'm playing catch up because yesterday (Friday) was so jam-packed. We got on the RER train to Versailles in decent time. A busking accordion player began playing right near us so Reyn asked if he knew 'Happy Birthday', which he did, and he proceeded to play it for me. That is not something that happens everyday!
Versailles the town appeared quite quickly out of the suburbs of Paris, the train being fast and not crowded at all. The Chateau itself came into view after a short walk. From the front it looked kind of oddly placed and kind of scrunched but after getting closer I realized why: the place is GARGANTUAN!
We passed through security and were able to enter without too much waiting - our museum passes covered admission so we bypassed the ticket buyers' line, which was very long. The tour through the chateau was interesting. We chose to follow the tour in Rick Steve's book rather than get an audioguide. The chateau gardens, like everything else in Paris are monumental in scale. Strolling the garden came as a relief after the crush of people inside. We stopped for lunch at one of the numerous little tucked away snack stands where we had pizza that came with an egg cracked in the middle of it (?) (!), Orangina, and where we encountered some very cute pousseyquatts.
After lunch we continued down through the gardens to the Apollo basin where we sat and finished our ice cream cones and considered our next move. We decided to rent bikes to explore the Petit Trianon and the Domaine de Marie Antoinette. It was a very wise decision as it would have taken forever to walk that far and it was also a lot of fun. I felt very French, being on a bike with a little basket and bell, pedaling through the magnificent countryside on a stunning sunny day. After walking through the Petit Trianon, we biked to the Hamlet, which was rather like Aunt Sally's Farm. We rode back to the central station to drop off the bikes and start the long trek back (uphill naturally) to the chateau and the train station.
After impersonating a sardine quite convincingly on the train ride back, I arrived back at the hotel to find a huge bouquet of flowers and a note from the office wishing me a happy birthday. They are absolutely gorgeous and I'm bummed that I have such a short time to enjoy them.
Philip had made us a reservation for the 8:30 show at the Crazy Horse Saloon so we needed to freshen up and have a bite before heading back out. We left in what seemed like plenty of time but had absolutely no luck in getting a taxi. We ended up walking up to the Crillon Hotel before finally finding a car free. We arrived with only moments to spare and then there was some confusion about the reservations and tickets. We were shown to our seats, which were fantastic- right near the front and almost dead centre - and the waiter just had time to pop the cork on our bottle of champagne (compris) before the show began. The spectacle that ensued was by turns cheesy, funny, entertaining, edgy, naughty, and amusing. In the second half there was an act comprised of two tap dancers - twins - and male. It seemed a bit out of place but they were really good.
After the show we decided we would walk home (another one of my bright ideas) because it was a beautiful night and also because I had drank about half a bottle of champagne.
We took some pictures of the Eiffel Tower and walked and gawked at the displays in the store windows along Avenue Montaigne - Christian Dior, Chanel (which seems to be on every corner around this city, kind of like Timmy's at home), Ungaro, Prada...My feet were aching by the time we neared the hotel and I was thrilled when Reyn volunteered to go further up the road to get some McDonald's to have in the room. Collapsed into bed, exhausted.
What I Did On My Summer Vacation 2009 Edition pt IV
le 24 Septembre
After a not bad but not great sleep I arose shortly after 8:00 this morning. There were definitely a few cobwebs to shake out as we boarded the métro holding onto our Starbucks' for dear life. We had quite a long ride to the site of Les Catacombes in Montparnasse; unfortunately, once we arrived we saw a sign announcing that due to acts of vandalism the catacombs were closed indefinitely. Bummer. But on the bright side, we were able to double-back to a lovely little patisserie where we purchased some madeleines and millefeuille. Sitting on a park bench we plotted our next move - the Musée Cluny. Situated on the site of a Roman bathhouse, the museum holds treasures from before the dawn of the Renaissance. The much touted 'Lady and the Unicorn' series of tapestries is the centrepiece of the collection and it lived up to the publicity. We passed through numerous rooms devoted to various aspects of Middle Ages art and artisanship -stained glass, metal work, weapons, jewels and then we entered the dimly lit room where the Lady holds court. I found it absolutely stunning that so many hours and so much human effort would have been expended on such a work of art, and was thankful that it had been. We sat on one of the benches and discussed the meaning of the final tapestry - whether she is putting her jewels away or taking them out - and the meaning of the phrase 'my one true desire'.
Next on the menu was the Musée Rodin. Having seen many of the sculptures previously at the WAG exhibition last year, many of the major works were familiar. I did however adore 'The Cathedral', a marble of two right hands. The gardens were lovely as well and after a cloudy and very cool start to the day, the sun broke through shortly after we sat down to lunch at the Cafe de Musée right on the corner near the Hotel Biron. A delicious meal followed.
To Les Invalides to see Napoleon's tomb afterward and the feet were already beginning to scream. The building and tomb were out of this world - marble everywhere and very grand, again the scale was huge. We exited and walked along the side of the complex on our way to rue Bourgogne, finding a nice little patisserie/tea room where we purchased Parisian macaroons (pistache, framboise, et citron), a chocolate pistachio pyramid-shaped cake, and a strawberry millefeuille sandwich thingy as well as some Orangina. We made our way along the street and found ourselves behind and on the side of the Assemblée Nationale, quite by accident. We were also in between a long line of gendarmes and some people staging some kind of demonstration/sit-in. So there we were trying to blend in to the scenery with our little bag of pastries and Orangina walking behind a long line of riot police and it was very disquieting. As we neared the corner, several unmarked police cars disgorged their plainclothes officers, sirens blaring, but then inexplicably sped off again after the agents loaded themselves back in.
It was with great relief that we crossed the street, took up a spot by the wall overlooking the Seine and began eating our sweeties. After a duo of Italian tourists walked by and asked us if it was too far to walk to the Eiffel Tower from that spot, we knew we were back in blissful tourist-land. Funny thing - on Tuesday evening when we were at the Eiffel Tower, a different duo of Italian tourists asked us for directions to the métro and I have now drawn several possible conclusions:
1) We look Italian.
2) Italians like the Eiffel Tower but don't really know how to get there (beyond going to Paris) and do not know how to leave.
3) You cannot buy maps of Paris in Italy.
And so, on to the Musée d'Orsay. Did I mention that my feet were screaming? By the end of our tour I was so saturated with Impressionists that I was really about to scream. We weren't yet ready for dinner so we decided on a glass of wine at the Café de Deux Musées and played car spotting. Peugeot, Renault, Citroen, le Beemer.
Took the métro home and found a Franprix where we were able to stock up on supplies. Wine, cheese, bread, ham, cornichons, juice, milk, brioche buns for breakfast all for less than 27€!! We had a nice, light dinner in the room and we were in bed by 9:30.
J'adore Paris!
After a not bad but not great sleep I arose shortly after 8:00 this morning. There were definitely a few cobwebs to shake out as we boarded the métro holding onto our Starbucks' for dear life. We had quite a long ride to the site of Les Catacombes in Montparnasse; unfortunately, once we arrived we saw a sign announcing that due to acts of vandalism the catacombs were closed indefinitely. Bummer. But on the bright side, we were able to double-back to a lovely little patisserie where we purchased some madeleines and millefeuille. Sitting on a park bench we plotted our next move - the Musée Cluny. Situated on the site of a Roman bathhouse, the museum holds treasures from before the dawn of the Renaissance. The much touted 'Lady and the Unicorn' series of tapestries is the centrepiece of the collection and it lived up to the publicity. We passed through numerous rooms devoted to various aspects of Middle Ages art and artisanship -stained glass, metal work, weapons, jewels and then we entered the dimly lit room where the Lady holds court. I found it absolutely stunning that so many hours and so much human effort would have been expended on such a work of art, and was thankful that it had been. We sat on one of the benches and discussed the meaning of the final tapestry - whether she is putting her jewels away or taking them out - and the meaning of the phrase 'my one true desire'.
Next on the menu was the Musée Rodin. Having seen many of the sculptures previously at the WAG exhibition last year, many of the major works were familiar. I did however adore 'The Cathedral', a marble of two right hands. The gardens were lovely as well and after a cloudy and very cool start to the day, the sun broke through shortly after we sat down to lunch at the Cafe de Musée right on the corner near the Hotel Biron. A delicious meal followed.
To Les Invalides to see Napoleon's tomb afterward and the feet were already beginning to scream. The building and tomb were out of this world - marble everywhere and very grand, again the scale was huge. We exited and walked along the side of the complex on our way to rue Bourgogne, finding a nice little patisserie/tea room where we purchased Parisian macaroons (pistache, framboise, et citron), a chocolate pistachio pyramid-shaped cake, and a strawberry millefeuille sandwich thingy as well as some Orangina. We made our way along the street and found ourselves behind and on the side of the Assemblée Nationale, quite by accident. We were also in between a long line of gendarmes and some people staging some kind of demonstration/sit-in. So there we were trying to blend in to the scenery with our little bag of pastries and Orangina walking behind a long line of riot police and it was very disquieting. As we neared the corner, several unmarked police cars disgorged their plainclothes officers, sirens blaring, but then inexplicably sped off again after the agents loaded themselves back in.
It was with great relief that we crossed the street, took up a spot by the wall overlooking the Seine and began eating our sweeties. After a duo of Italian tourists walked by and asked us if it was too far to walk to the Eiffel Tower from that spot, we knew we were back in blissful tourist-land. Funny thing - on Tuesday evening when we were at the Eiffel Tower, a different duo of Italian tourists asked us for directions to the métro and I have now drawn several possible conclusions:
1) We look Italian.
2) Italians like the Eiffel Tower but don't really know how to get there (beyond going to Paris) and do not know how to leave.
3) You cannot buy maps of Paris in Italy.
And so, on to the Musée d'Orsay. Did I mention that my feet were screaming? By the end of our tour I was so saturated with Impressionists that I was really about to scream. We weren't yet ready for dinner so we decided on a glass of wine at the Café de Deux Musées and played car spotting. Peugeot, Renault, Citroen, le Beemer.
Took the métro home and found a Franprix where we were able to stock up on supplies. Wine, cheese, bread, ham, cornichons, juice, milk, brioche buns for breakfast all for less than 27€!! We had a nice, light dinner in the room and we were in bed by 9:30.
J'adore Paris!
01 October 2009
What I Did On My Summer Vacation 2009 Edition pt III
le 23 Septembre
Oh dear, I've missed yesterday!
Somehow it was easier writing the account of the London trip - probably because we didn't have much of a nightlife there.
Il Barbieri di Siviglia on Monday was terrific. We left our room at 7:00pm - got a taxi almost immediately but just made curtain - arriving at about 7:25. Luckily it was easy to find our seats, which although quite high up we were pretty much in the centre. The building - the Opéra Bastille, was very modern but beautifully designed for watching and listening to opera. Afterward we got another taxi back to our neighbourhood and ended up having a late bite near the hotel and then strolled home. I had a great sleep and we got up yesterday at about 9:30. We took the métro to Gambetta where we got off and toured Pere La Chaise cemetery. It was a a beautiful and serene place full of picturesquely decrepit family vaults. Somehow I expected more funeral art on the tombs, but there were some very beautiful marbles in various stages of extravagant mourning, head in hands.
The light was especially beautiful as we stood at Edith Piaf's grave. The sun warmed the granite and illuminated the profusion of flowers left by those who had visited before us.
Jim Morrison's marker was kind of tucked away behind a jumble of memorials and was actually fairly nondescript and somewhat anticlimactic.
Chopin's grave was most remarkable, a profusion of flowers spilled out onto the walkway before it and memorial candles flickered in the feeble sun of midday. The sorrowing muse atop the grave was a fitting accent to mark the resting place of such a sensitive, artistic soul.
After lunch (croque monsieur, café creme, eau ordinaire) we were off to the Ile de la Cité and the wonders of Notre Dame. Aside from the rose windows, the church itself I found to be unremarkable compared to the wondrous Westminster Abbey. However, having said that, the wait in the line to go up to the towers (at least 2 hours) was definitely worth it. I actually left Reyn in line by himself twice - once to go into the cathedral which he had no interest in doing, and once to find 'kilometre zéro' in the parvis. I had a very kind Spanish man snap a picture of me there and then I returned the favour for him and his girlfriend.
The view from the towers was terrific, the day being much clearer than Monday when we were atop Montmartre at Sacre Coeur. We got many great pics of the gargoyles and the rest of Paris was laid out before us in all her astonishing fabulousness.
From Notre Dame we went on the Monument de la Déportation, which is a monument to the French victims of the Holocaust. It is a beautifully designed and realized space that memorializes the ugliest and most brutal of crimes against humanity. Standing before the long allée of quartz pebbles set into the wall, each one marking the snuffing out of one French life, I felt very sombre and reverent. And then I just felt very sad as I viewed the numerous triangle-shaped niches that contain ashes and soil from each of the Nazi death camps.
Exiting the memorial, we walked to the other end of the island and had a plate of ham, camembert, and cornichons at the Taverne Henri IV. Red wine was also consumed and savoured and on the way out we got ice cream to enjoy as we made our way to the park at the very tip of the island, the Square de Vert Galant. We watched the cruise boats amble by and enjoyed the sun as it started to slowly descend.
Onward to Sainte Chapelle where we were lucky enough to find a concert of Vivaldi, Bach and Pachelbel was just about to begin. We purchased tickets and were treated to a stellar and masterful performance of several works for strings and harpsichord. One piece - the first movement of a viola concerto - moved me to tears. The setting, Ste. Chapelle, was like a jewel box made of stained glass with a ceiling painted with stars. Anyone with an ounce of poetry in their soul could not help but be torn between closing one's eyes to concentrate on the glorious music, opening one's eyes to take in the breathtaking, lit from behind stained glass, or trying to do both. It was total sensory overload!
If that wasn't enough for one day, we then had a glass of wine at a café opposite the Palais de Justice, and then hopped on the métro to the Champs de Mars for the 10:00 'show' of the Eiffel Tower all lit up and twinkling. Took the métro home, had a bath, slathered on peppermint foot creme, and collapsed into bed. Slept for one hour, then tossed for three.
Up at 8:15.
Today the first item up for bids was the Musée Nissim du Camondo, an Hotel Particulier filled with 18th and 19th century treasures. The art, china, silver, and furniture were absolutely stunning; it was hard to grasp that this was all in the collection of a single family. Very sad also to see that the family tree stops abruptly in 1944.
On to the Louvre!
The sculptures and the Boticelli frescoes were the highlights for me. Only explored the Denon wing as the sunshine made it too hard to be indoors being jostled by the throngs. Went for lunch nearby and then sat and enjoyed the Jardin du Palais Royal. Once in a while a slight breeze carried a scent of the lovely roses still in bloom in the off-limits and fenced-off lawns. The original plan had been to return to the Louvre after lunch but the day was just too beautiful. We decided to walk through the Tuileries (where we took another break by another fountain) and on to the Place de la Concorde for the guillotine site photo op.
By the time this was completed we really had to hoof it to get back to the other side of the Louvre to make it to the wine tasting. This was a lot of fun and very informative. Among other things, we now know that the beaujolais nouveau "is sheet". We had just enough time to get the métro back to the hotel and quickly freshen up before joining Philip, Mark and a number of other La Bio people for dinner at 8:00 pm.
Dinner was fan frickin tastic! Duck breast with cherry sauce, gratin of potatoes and poached apple. mmmmmmmmmmmmmm...Then we strolled to a bar\eatery called Bound, where I drank a so-so mojito and soaked up the uber cool ambience.
It's now 1:30 am and we have another jam-packed day tomorrow. Sadly, it's already going to be Thursday and our time here is beginning to diminish. I love it here - surrounded by such beauty and culture and love of all the finer things. I really think I was born French and somehow got switched at birth or something. It would explain a lot!
Oh dear, I've missed yesterday!
Somehow it was easier writing the account of the London trip - probably because we didn't have much of a nightlife there.
Il Barbieri di Siviglia on Monday was terrific. We left our room at 7:00pm - got a taxi almost immediately but just made curtain - arriving at about 7:25. Luckily it was easy to find our seats, which although quite high up we were pretty much in the centre. The building - the Opéra Bastille, was very modern but beautifully designed for watching and listening to opera. Afterward we got another taxi back to our neighbourhood and ended up having a late bite near the hotel and then strolled home. I had a great sleep and we got up yesterday at about 9:30. We took the métro to Gambetta where we got off and toured Pere La Chaise cemetery. It was a a beautiful and serene place full of picturesquely decrepit family vaults. Somehow I expected more funeral art on the tombs, but there were some very beautiful marbles in various stages of extravagant mourning, head in hands.
The light was especially beautiful as we stood at Edith Piaf's grave. The sun warmed the granite and illuminated the profusion of flowers left by those who had visited before us.
Jim Morrison's marker was kind of tucked away behind a jumble of memorials and was actually fairly nondescript and somewhat anticlimactic.
Chopin's grave was most remarkable, a profusion of flowers spilled out onto the walkway before it and memorial candles flickered in the feeble sun of midday. The sorrowing muse atop the grave was a fitting accent to mark the resting place of such a sensitive, artistic soul.
After lunch (croque monsieur, café creme, eau ordinaire) we were off to the Ile de la Cité and the wonders of Notre Dame. Aside from the rose windows, the church itself I found to be unremarkable compared to the wondrous Westminster Abbey. However, having said that, the wait in the line to go up to the towers (at least 2 hours) was definitely worth it. I actually left Reyn in line by himself twice - once to go into the cathedral which he had no interest in doing, and once to find 'kilometre zéro' in the parvis. I had a very kind Spanish man snap a picture of me there and then I returned the favour for him and his girlfriend.
The view from the towers was terrific, the day being much clearer than Monday when we were atop Montmartre at Sacre Coeur. We got many great pics of the gargoyles and the rest of Paris was laid out before us in all her astonishing fabulousness.
From Notre Dame we went on the Monument de la Déportation, which is a monument to the French victims of the Holocaust. It is a beautifully designed and realized space that memorializes the ugliest and most brutal of crimes against humanity. Standing before the long allée of quartz pebbles set into the wall, each one marking the snuffing out of one French life, I felt very sombre and reverent. And then I just felt very sad as I viewed the numerous triangle-shaped niches that contain ashes and soil from each of the Nazi death camps.
Exiting the memorial, we walked to the other end of the island and had a plate of ham, camembert, and cornichons at the Taverne Henri IV. Red wine was also consumed and savoured and on the way out we got ice cream to enjoy as we made our way to the park at the very tip of the island, the Square de Vert Galant. We watched the cruise boats amble by and enjoyed the sun as it started to slowly descend.
Onward to Sainte Chapelle where we were lucky enough to find a concert of Vivaldi, Bach and Pachelbel was just about to begin. We purchased tickets and were treated to a stellar and masterful performance of several works for strings and harpsichord. One piece - the first movement of a viola concerto - moved me to tears. The setting, Ste. Chapelle, was like a jewel box made of stained glass with a ceiling painted with stars. Anyone with an ounce of poetry in their soul could not help but be torn between closing one's eyes to concentrate on the glorious music, opening one's eyes to take in the breathtaking, lit from behind stained glass, or trying to do both. It was total sensory overload!
If that wasn't enough for one day, we then had a glass of wine at a café opposite the Palais de Justice, and then hopped on the métro to the Champs de Mars for the 10:00 'show' of the Eiffel Tower all lit up and twinkling. Took the métro home, had a bath, slathered on peppermint foot creme, and collapsed into bed. Slept for one hour, then tossed for three.
Up at 8:15.
Today the first item up for bids was the Musée Nissim du Camondo, an Hotel Particulier filled with 18th and 19th century treasures. The art, china, silver, and furniture were absolutely stunning; it was hard to grasp that this was all in the collection of a single family. Very sad also to see that the family tree stops abruptly in 1944.
On to the Louvre!
The sculptures and the Boticelli frescoes were the highlights for me. Only explored the Denon wing as the sunshine made it too hard to be indoors being jostled by the throngs. Went for lunch nearby and then sat and enjoyed the Jardin du Palais Royal. Once in a while a slight breeze carried a scent of the lovely roses still in bloom in the off-limits and fenced-off lawns. The original plan had been to return to the Louvre after lunch but the day was just too beautiful. We decided to walk through the Tuileries (where we took another break by another fountain) and on to the Place de la Concorde for the guillotine site photo op.
By the time this was completed we really had to hoof it to get back to the other side of the Louvre to make it to the wine tasting. This was a lot of fun and very informative. Among other things, we now know that the beaujolais nouveau "is sheet". We had just enough time to get the métro back to the hotel and quickly freshen up before joining Philip, Mark and a number of other La Bio people for dinner at 8:00 pm.
Dinner was fan frickin tastic! Duck breast with cherry sauce, gratin of potatoes and poached apple. mmmmmmmmmmmmmm...Then we strolled to a bar\eatery called Bound, where I drank a so-so mojito and soaked up the uber cool ambience.
It's now 1:30 am and we have another jam-packed day tomorrow. Sadly, it's already going to be Thursday and our time here is beginning to diminish. I love it here - surrounded by such beauty and culture and love of all the finer things. I really think I was born French and somehow got switched at birth or something. It would explain a lot!
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