Paris—September 17-23, 2018

September 16-17, 2018 

Long travel day. From our house to our Airbnb took 23 hours. Having a two hour layover in Reykjavik broke up the trip, but the best benefit was that we sailed through Passport Control in Iceland (no lines and all stations were open) and then didn't have to go through it again when we landed in Paris. Made for an easy transition. Hit the ATM and caught a taxi and were at our residence in about 30 minutes.

It's still a tiring journey, but we settled in and walked the neighborhood, finding our Metro stop (Gabriel Peri) where we purchased a ten pack of tickets, picked up a few items at a mini Mono Prix (i.e. grocery store), and then planned our first full day. Tuesday is a big walking day, just what we need after 10 hours of seat time on planes. Forecast tomorrow 83F.

Remember you can click on pictures to enlarge them for more detail.

Boeing 757 out of Sea/Tac.

Reykjavik airport is compact and has some cool artistic features.

Marie doesn't look like she stepped

off a 7 hour flight to Reykjavik.

Our room is the top right window. We're four floors up without
an elevator, a mere 72 stairs.

We're staying in Asnieres sur-Seine,
a diverse section of Paris. Lots of
families and small shops here.

September 18, 2018 
Today we really scoped out the neighborhood, discovering for real that we're really close to all the shops and cafes we loved when we were here in 2016. (see previous post) It's one thing to plan all this using Google Maps from home, but it is especially gratifying to discover that we really are near what's familiar.

Had lunch at Cafe de Landemaine (pictures on on 2016 blog post), purchased our train tickets to La Rochelle for Sunday, and spent time strolling through two local parks before picking up some coffee, fruit, yogurt, and milk at the larger Mono Prix.

Both of us slept fitfully last night, but didn't get up until 8:00AM. We feel nearly normal today, but decided against the plan we optimistically made last night. We'll take a big walk Wednesday, but here are some pictures from today.

Morning view out kitchen window.

Kitchen. And yes, everything is as compact as
it appears. It's almost like living on a boat.

Living room. Stairs go up to Clemence's bedroom.
Our host is really sweet and rarely home so we
have the apartment to ourselves quite a bit.

Living room from window side.

Shower and sink. Living room to left & our

bedroom on the right.

Literally a water closet. That's the hot water

heater above the toilet.

Stairwell looking down from our landing. Yep, 72 steps to apt.

Asnieres Town Hall.

This dog was hanging out with owner at this furniture shop.

I think this "food truck" serves road kill.

Geometre Expert is professional surveyor. Thanks Google.

Marie and Princess Palatine. For story about the
princess, go to link from two years ago.

The well-to-do in Paris have mostly unattached homes.

This park is behind the Asneires Town Hall.

School crossing guard talking with a parent.

And to his left are all the scooters locked to school fence.

Asnieres train station where we purchased our TGV tickets
for La Rochelle. The high speed train requires reservations
so it's always a good idea to get them ahead of time. It's
Tuesday and we leave Sunday.

Square LeClerc behind Asnieres Town Hall.

Square LeClerc.

Square LeClerc. Carousel to the left.

Pedestrian walkway makes for a quiet connection
between two main streets in Asnieres.

We ended our evening with a five mile walk from our place down to and along the Seine to Pont Levallois and back to our apartment. It was cooler this evening, but today we had 75% humidity so we worked up a sweat without too much trouble. 

The Seine is for commerce and inspiration.

This picture was taken at the same place Van Gogh painted

 the next picture.

Les Ponts D'Ansieres painted in the summer of 1887.

September 19, 2018 

Today was a big walking day—10 miles according to my pedometer. We started our day by taking the Metro to the Louis Vuitton Foundation, an art museum and cultural center, designed by Frank Gehry, and since we are going to Bilbao to see the Guggenheim Museum, Chakorn (one of my squash partners) said we should see this too.

This building, suggestive of a sailing ship, is adjacent to Jardin d'Acclimatation, the oldest park in Paris and kind of like a children's amusement park and animal petting zoo. It's lovely and lots of families were taking advantage of the sunny, warm weather.

Afterward, we made our way to the Arc de Triomphe, strolling down the Champs-Elysees, to Place de la Concorde, and into the Tuileries Garden where we rested for 30 minutes, having walked nearly 6 miles already. Afterward we made our way to Sainte Chapelle and gawked at the splendor of this 13th century chapel. 

The best part of our day was having dinner and visiting with Thomas, Claire, and their daughters Delphine and Adele. It's been two years since we last saw them and the girls have grown. Delphine is 13 now and is taking English at school and qualified for five hours of extra English lessons per week. Delphine understood quite a lot of English and talked to me about school, something she couldn't do the last time we visited. And Adele is still playing cello and advancing in Track and Field. Apparently she's a speed demon. After the girls headed to bed—it's a school night after all—our lively adult conversation ranged from travel to politics. We all could have kept going all evening, but Thomas and Claire had to work in the morning, so at 10:30PM we all agreed that the conversation would be continued in two years. 

Today was a busy day. And now it's time for some pictures.

This is our Metro stop; it's where today's jaunt started and ended.

Louis Vuitton Foundation, art museum and cultural center.

Reflecting pond facing the Louis Vuitton Foundation.

The reflecting pond cascades down these steps.

From this angle the Foundation reminds me of a
feeding sperm whale just breaking the ocean surface.

Decisions, decisions.

The dragon roller coaster best taken before lunch.

Fun for all ages.

And more fun.

Working at winning a stuffed animal.

After the park we hopped on the Metro to...

Taken while crossing the street (with the light, of course).

The walk to Place de la Concorde is lovely.

It looks like fall, but it was 80 today.

Place de la Concorde and the Obelisk of Luxor.

Place de la Concorde was renamed Place de la
Revolution in 1789 and in 1793 Louis XVI got
up close and deadly personal with the guillotine.

Tight shot of one of the river sprites circling the
River Commerce and Navigation fountains. 

One of two River Commerce and Navigation fountains at the

 north and south ends of Place de la Concorde.

The gardens are huge, like everything leading from the Arc de
Triomphe to the Louvre. They are an oasis in the heart of Paris.

Yep, time for a little rest after walking nearly 6 miles.

Contemplating the Parisian sky and life in general.

Still in the garden, but nearing the Louvre. Just liked this view.

I think we all recognize this entrance.

We skirted around the Louvre and crossed the Seine to Rive
Gauche—the left bank. I spy a world famous monument.

Looking for antique books, vintage posters, or other (mainly
books) collectibles? You're likely to find it from one of these
vendors lining the Seine on both sides of the river.

Two years ago we forgot our umbrella at this
cafe. Ah, the memories. Note street sign.

Mailing a postcard to Emi. Soon
to be six, she loves getting mail.

Cool dude hanging out on Left Bank side street.

Sainte Chapelle was built (1242-1248) by Louis
IX and the stained glass windows are original.

Chapelle was built quickly to house Christ's Crown of Thorns
and other relics from the crucifixion.

It's difficult to get good pictures, because this gothic chapel
let's in so much light, an unbelievable achievement for the age.

1,113 scenes depicted in 15 stained glass windows
tell the story of mankind—Genesis through the
resurrection of Christ.

The lower chapel is where where palace
staff worshipped. Note vaulted ceilings
below.

Louis IX in the lower chapel.

"High" Gothic style of Sainte Chapelle set the
architectural trend for centuries.

More adornment in lower chapel.

Louis IX again.

Local florist made up this bouquet for us—can't go to dinner
empty handed.

Adele and Delphine

Entire family—Thomas, Adele,
Delphine, and Claire.

September 20, 2018

Marie was really tired so she went back to bed after we planned today's outing. I'm sitting in the living room listening to Sade and Seal CD's, enjoying a slower start to our day. Our plan is to take the Metro to la Cite, walk behind Notre Dame and snap pictures from behind, our favorite aspect, walk through upscale Ile St. Louis, cross Pont Marie (kind of have to, right?) to the Marais where we'll walk and gawk at this artsy-fartsy neighborhood eventually having lunch at the best falafel place in Paris, head west to the Pompidou Center, and hang out people watching at the square.

If we feel up to it, we'll take Thomas's suggestion about walking the shaded walkway along Canal St. Martin. Today is supposed to be warm so this would be a good way to end our outing.

Claire suggested having a coffee at the restaurant atop the Montparnasse building. It's pricey but well worth it for the best view of Paris. We'll see how energetic we feel.

Down for the count and it's past noon. One of the perks of
retirement is napping no matter where we are in the world.

And here are the pictures chronicling how close we came to fulfilling our plan for the day. We only put 6.6 miles on our feet today, but I think we did pretty well, hitting just about everything on our agenda. The Montparnasse restaurant's amazing view will have to be Friday or Saturday.

St. Jacques Tower is 171' tall and is all that's left
of St. James Church of the Butchers. During the
French Revolution the mob that demolished the
church must have gotten tired and left this 16th
century beauty. It's the first monument we saw
upon exiting the Chatelet Metro stop.

The Palace of Justice, adjacent to Sainte Chapelle, was rebuilt
after the Reign of Terror (1857-1868). The lower section, now
the Conciergerie Museum is where Marie Antoinette was held
prior to meeting Mr. Guillotine. The original building dates
back to the 10th century, serving as a palace until the Louvre
replaced it as the King's palace in 1358.

Crossing over to the Ile de la Cite on our way to our favorite
view of Notre Dame. Hey, there's that pesky wrought iron
thingie that finds a way into most pictures in this town.

The flower market on the way to Notre Dame.

It's adjacent to the Seine the next block east of

the Palace of Justice. 

We must be close to Notre Dame now.

Waiting to enter Notre Dame. We walked right
past these folks and headed to the rear for the
best view of the Cathedral.

Viola! The flying buttresses are spectacular. Remember you 

can click on pictures to enlarge them for more detail.

Next stop. 

No longer a boys school I think, but a cool door.

I've been photographing this door since 1980
(I'm pretty sure) and it's the first time I've
seen it open.

Note the well-heeled travelers on this boat. Now that's one
way to do lunch.

Then again you could pack your own and take a cheaper tour.

This place in the Marais is world famous. Don't believe me?
Check out the order form below.

Here's our idea of an ideal lunch

The vegetarian fallafel is the best!

The bakery across the street is a nice distraction while waiting

for your fallafel. The facade is a mosaic of 1 inch squares.

We've seen a lot of outdoor table tennis games being played.

Walking through the Marais is fabulous.

Around every corner there's another cool street.

And if you don't feel like walking...

The Marais is known for more than restaurants, art galleries,
and being the Jewish quarter.

Getting closer. That's the inside-out building,
also known as the Pompidou Center. It houses
the Public Information Library and the National
Museum of Modern Art, the largest collection
of such work in Europe. It's wild how the heating
and cooling ducts, plumbing, and electrical
systems are on the outside of the building.

Taking a break, as planned, at the Stravinsky Fountain.

The artwork is whimsical and the effect is contagious. Everyone
seems to be smiling or playing.

Note the ages of all the groups around the fountain.

Did you notice the red "this side up" arrow on
the Salvador Dali mural?

And to the right of the Dahli mural is this message at the
top of that building. 

Staying in the shade at the Stravinsky Fountain.

This bike lane runs parallel to Canal
St. Martin. The canal was a good
last stop for the day. A breeze
lifted off the water and cooled
us down just enough. Still can't
believe it's September 20th.

Boule anyone? This is really popular, and
playing along Canal St. Martin adds to the
good feelings all round.

The two mile long canal eventually connects to the Seine.

Underground walkway in the Metro.
Yep, we're calling it a day.

The Metro emerges from underground
and crosses the Seine at our stop.

Our street. The walk to and from the Metro is about 5 minutes.

September 21, 2018

Last night and again this morning we had a long and enjoyable conversation with our host.

Clemence keeps a busy schedule so the first few days here we didn't see much of her. But last night we kept our door open so when she got home around 9PM, she stopped to ask what our day was like.

Over the next hour or so we all got to know a bit about each other. This morning while we were sitting in the kitchen enjoying our morning coffee and the view out the window, Clemence visited with us some more before going to work. She is taking her 16 and 14 year old sons to Disneyland Paris. A friend and her son will be joining them.

Clemence explained that it's not her first choice, but inexpensive tickets were available through her work, and her sons love Disneyland so tomorrow they will spend all of Saturday amusing themselves.

As for us, today was pretty relaxing. We only walked 5.9 miles taking in Sacre Coeur and Montmartre and spectacular views of the city from Le Ciel de Paris restaurant—the recommendation Claire gave us two nights ago. More about that later.

We ended our day sitting on a park bench looking out at a fountain in our neighborhood watching kids play soccer (football) and parents herding toddlers (making sure one little girl didn't climb into the fountain). We also watched several teams playing boule, appreciating the varied tossing techniques employed. Today was the first time it actually felt like fall. There was a slight and cooler breeze this evening. Lovely.

Sacre Coeur is massive. It sits at the top of the Montmartre
butte, providing expansive views of Paris. And, of course,
the basilica inside is impressive. I was a tad annoyed at how
visitors ignored the signs that forbid taking pictures. People
wandered throughout the church snapping pictures and even
filming the mosaic artwork and side chapels as they strolled
through the entire church.

This explains what the rest of the pictures capture.

The guy saluting had a CD player booming the
instrumental as he belted out some opera aria.
As Bugs Bunny would say, "It's a living."

Time for lunch.

So many crepes, so little time.

Man alive the ham, cheese and,

tomato crepe was delish!

Throughout the neighborhood, besides the usual grot shops
and restaurants, you'll see street art adorning apartment
buildings. Here's Sisyphus rolling his boulder up some stairs.

I just liked how the greenery softened up these stone apartments.

Let's see what this menu offers.

Take a close look at the artwork on Chaplin's left.

I probably should know who that is on the left, but I do know
Ray Charles on the right.

We didn't climb the stairs that connect all the
streets that snake around Montmartre.

Spray painted at the top of this mirror is something like, "You
are beautiful—look." There are several mirrors with different
sayings spay painted on them and attached to buildings. Gotta
love the playful aspect of the artwork in Montmartre.

Yep!

 

The tree-lined pedestrian meridian runs along
the main road at the foot of Sacre Coeur. This
is a major road running east and west, and
smack-dab in the center is this lovely walk-
way with benches and public toilets. The
cars race by on either side and it still feels
as if you're in a park-like oasis.

The Metro signs in Montmartre reflect its bohemian nature.

This is the view coming out of or going into the
Anvers Metro stop. Once you run the gauntlet of
grot shops, scam artists, and hucksters trying to
rope tourists into a gambling game of "Find the
ball under one of these three cups," you definitely
know you've landed somewhere special.

We rode the Metro to Montparnasse.
It's located directly opposite Sacre
Coeur on the other side of town.
Took 25 minutes to make this trek.
Astonishingly quick!. 

This is the final elevator stop. Claire was right. Montparnasse
offers the best views of Paris. Take a look below and you'll
see what I mean.

For $35.00 you can sit in Ciel de Paris as long as you like,
enjoying the view of the wrought iron thingie, Invalides where
Napoleon Bonaparte's tomb is on display, the Arc de Triomphe,
Sacre Coeur, and on and on. Magnifique!

Invalides. Ya, that's gold leaf varnishing the dome. Stunning
whether the sun shines on it or not. Napoleon wouldn't have
it any other way.

Montparnasse Metro station is massive.

Neighborhood park.

September 22, 2018—our last full day in Paris!

This morning we wished Clemence, Machu, and Thomas a fun, and hopefully, dry day at Disneyland Paris. It was cloudy this morning with some breaks in the cloud cover, and since yesterday's predicted rain didn't materialize we were all hoping for the best.

Ya, well, near the end of our day it started raining and because I didn't really know how far away the Opera House was, I stopped at a small shop behind the National Library and purchased two cheapo umbrellas. You see, we were doing our usual "Let's Get Lost" walk down narrow streets and only had a general notion where we were and neither of us were keen on getting drenched.

So here's the basic run down of our day. At noon we headed for the Pantheon, Luxembourg Gardens, and the Latin Quarter. Our goal was to cross the Seine, through the grounds of the Louvre over to Les Halle, the Opera House, and maybe Printemps—a big department store and then catch the Metro home. We did pretty well which you'll see, making one minor tasty adjustment. All-in-all we walked 6.7 miles.

Dropped Marie off at our apartment and I added another 1.2 miles, shopping for dinner and some silverware for our travel day tomorrow. Although we have sandwich fixings and a tabouli salad for our train ride to La Rochelle we needed utensils to make and eat our lunch. I found forks and a butter knife at a small department store on the return walk from grocery shopping. You may not care about such details, but eating tabouli salad and spreading mayo on a sandwich with my fingers on the TGV seems kind of gauche.

Enough blathering. Here are some pictures of our last full day in Paris.

Where to today? Let's see what's on
the map? Most days begin this way.

We passed the Sorbonne on our way
to the Pantheon.

Recognize the architecture?
Must be the Pantheon.

Pantheon main door. We didn't go
inside this time and take another
look at Focault's Pendulum and
gawk at the tombs of such figures
as Voltaire, Rousseau, and Hugo.
Pretty sure they're still there.

A list of events at the gardens.

It's a short walk along Rue de
Soufflot to this amazing park.

The next series of photos captures some of the fun families
have here. Sailing boats on the pond in front of the Luxem-
bourg Palace probably goes back to the 17th century.

A lazy Saturday. Notice how full the flowers are still and it's 

September 22nd. Some scattered rain drops hit the lens.

The scooter training begins early. 

Luxembourg Palace. 

In front of this sign. Seems pretty clear in English and French.

Behind the sign.

I used my zoom to capture this wedding photo and didn't
notice the guy on his phone in the background until I got
home. We've seen several wedding parties around town.

The children's swings are on the other side of this entrance.

Enlarge this picture and check out the little girl's face. 

There's one of those electric scooters. People of all ages
propel themselves around town on scooters of all kinds. 

The Luxembourg Gardens are lovely and large, offering
activities for all ages and energy levels. Don't want to exercise?
No worries, visit an art exhibition at the Luxembourg Museum. 

Love this bronze statue.

St. Sulpice looks imposing from the front facade, but it's much
humbler inside. Eight years ago we arrived early one morning
to listen to the organist play.

The organ was installed in 1781, renovated in
1860's, and is famous for it's size and
exceptional quality of its sound.

Looking back to the Luxembourg Palace down Rue Tournon.
The next set of pictures highlight the trendy St. Germaine
neighborhood and it's trendy art galleries, hotels, restaurants,
and all the beautiful people shopping until they drop.

Rue Buci is lined with restaurants and might as well be a
pedestrian only street.

No kidding, but those timbers are supporting 

the wall.

Not everything in St. Germaine is pricey. 

Lunch time!

Hey guys, skateboards are passe'—get a scooter.

This could sum up all of St. Germaine.

Spied this building on our way to the Seine.

Pont Neuf—the oldest bridge left in Paris was finished in 1607.

The padlocks symbolizing a couple's love.

This archway is part of the Louvre. We entered
here, passing through the former palace to the
Royal Palace Gardens. I took this picture though
for another reason. Note the men on top of the
Louvre. They are police providing security for
celebrants at the 20th Anniversary of the
Techo Parade.

As you can see, they're as relaxed as the partiers below them.

                                                   My video doesn't capture the fun of this celebration so click

                                                   on France Digitale Day 2018 and check out the video below

                                                   the top two pictures on their webpage. About 250,000 celebrants

                                                   stretching over a mile along the Seine danced the day away.

This boy's flag captures the spirit of the parade.

Just on our way to the Palace of Justice Gardens, now a trendy

and pricey shopping mecca.

And here we are.

See what I mean. Even Stella McCartney has
a shop here. Built in 1633 the arcade was
originally meant to adorn the Royal Palace,
now the Louvre.

I'm not shopping but I am gawking.

The arcade of the gardens kept us dry as it started raining in
earnest and we didn't have umbrellas. Left them at home
it was supposed to rain yesterday, not today.

Dashed into this shopping arcade right after the gardens.

Couldn't wait out the rain, so headed toward
the Opera House. Luckily, we found umbrellas
at a small shop first. Close call!

Warmed up with a cafe au lait and sweet pastry at Paul's
(established 1889) before calling it a day. 

Below Paul's cafe is the subway home.

Additional Observations

1. Shocking news! Our first two days here two, count em 2, different shop keepers apologized to us for not having better English. This is a trend we've noticed over the past 8 years or so.

2. Scooters are ubiquitous. Everyone uses them to get around, and I mean everyone—children of all ages and even adults. You'll commonly see grown men and women step into the Metro with their scooter folded up or riding down the street in their work clothes.

3. At our neighborhood grot shop/phone store/Internet cafe/convenience store I needed to make a phone call to the U.S. and in the phone booth the only country codes listed were for Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria. This is a lively and diverse neighborhood filled with families, lovely parks, and small ethnic restaurants. We could live here.

4. We'd just gotten off at the Anvers Metro stop and joined the hordes moving up the street that leads to Sacre Coeur when I noticed this guy hustling folks. He had a wad of cash in his hand and was entreating people to make a wager. Find the ball under the three cups he moves around a small table and you might win ready cash.

Within seconds of taking his picture one of the con's henchmen approached me and said I should delete it. I lied and said I framed just his hands. You can see by the picture below that the con man and two henchmen have their eyes on me. Ya think this might be illegal?

And at the next two intersections there were other people running the same scam.






September 23rd is our travel day to La Rochelle so don't expect to see another post for a day or so.