Blog

Our last day in Paris…tomorrow we return to normal life. Julie, Keegan, and Adam dropped by to have breakfast and squeeze in a little more family time. We parted company around noon so they could get back to Germany at a decent hour. Jeff and I headed out into sprinkles accented by the accasional sunbeam.

Full of good cheer, Jeff and I hopped on the Metro (lines 1 and 9) to Pont de L'Alma and the Paris Sewer Tour…Les Egouts de Paris. A first for us, the sewer tour piqued our curiosity, because we thought we might see more of the historic sewer. But no, this is a trip through hundreds of feet of active waterways and dripping ceilings. There was a very informative museum display…arranged down a long tunnel with rushing sewer water under a grate at your feet. The displays told the story of sewage from Roman Times through the Middle Ages (ick) to Revolutionary and modern times. The air was humid with a strong odor and seemed to stick to your skin, so a quick stop at the restrooms on the way out was required to wash up.

Bright sun and strong gusty winds greeted us when we emerged from the sewers. We aired out as we strolled along the Seine to the new Musée Quai de Branly. We didn't go in, but instead walked through the courtyard and interior gardens of this object of contemporary design. The architecture is captivating…with striking modern wings seeming to growing out of a classic Parisian historic building. Old and new were blended perfectly.

We continued our blustery stroll beneath the arched legs of the Tour Eiffel. The crouds were smaller today as they bunched together to brace themselves from the wind.

We boarded Metro (line 6) at Bir Hakeim and zipped by 9 stops, arriving at Denfert-Rochereau and our next activity…after a quick bite…walking makes the tummy grumble. THEN it was on to the famous Catacombs, where the bones of approximately six million Parisians were relocated in the 18th and 19th centuries from cemetaries all over Paris. The bones were systematically moved into abandoned limestone quarry tunnels deep within the earth. The walking tour of the Catacombs takes you past piles and piles of orderly stacked skulls, arms, and legs…many arranged in decorative patterns.

Exiting the catacombs several blocks from our entry point, we strolled around the neighborhood…briefly passing by the apartment building where Jeff and his friend Matt stayed in the fall of 1996.

Oh, and we tried out one of those automatic public toilets that pop up frequently around the streets of Paris. I was impressed how sanitary the toilet felt, including washing and drying hands. The entire enclosure is automatically cleaned and sanitized between each patron. All for free!

We walked back in the direction of the apartment by way of the Jardin du Luxembourg…not THROUGH since the park police were blowing whistles to hustle everyone out for closing time. We strollled down the Rue de Tournon, past quiet shops and noisy cafes. We got an energy boost from a pastry followed by creamy Italian gelato in St. Germain des Prés. Strolled back to the apartment along the Seine…enjoying the dusk-views of the river, its long boats, and adoring lovers in the shadows on the quai.

We ate a final, hearty meal at Starcooker…one of our favorites this trip. A final drink at the Open Cafe, and then back to pack for the morning.

A steady rain has arrived…its time to go home. Our next update…from the USA.

Jeff's sister Julie, her son Keegan, and her fiancée Adam arrived 30min early this morning to meet us in front of Notre Dame. I was 15min late. Please keep the math to yourselves…but yes, I somehow shut off our alarm this morning and fell back asleep. End of confession.

The gang and I went back to the apartment to meet up with Jeff and have breakfast–pastries from Gabrielle and fresh orange juice (construction on the street took a rest for the weekend).

We decided to hit two major stops today–the Arc du Triomphe and Tour Eiffel. We walked a fairly direct route between these landmarks, but this was still a heck of a walk…particularly with a 4-year-old in tow.

The first leg of our walk: through the grounds of the Louvre, past the giant pyramids, sat and watched ducks at the fountain in the Jardin des Tuileries, rode the Tuileries caroussel (twice), walked along the Champs Elysées past the Grand and Petit Palais, ate lunch along the Champs Elysées (another Quick stop), and continued on to the Arc du Triomphe.

Along the way, Keegan spotted a young woman with a bright blue balloon. His face lit up, and the woman gave Keegan the balloon. For the next two hours, Keegan's gaze was fixated on that balloon as it bounced around in the wind.

We spent some time up on top of the Arc du Triomphe. The sky was a colorful mix of blue sky, rain-filled grey clouds, and bright washed-out sunny patches. Keegan loved pointing out how we were giants compared with the people below. I was delighted to finally have a strong telephoto lens with me to visually compress some of these long-distance city views. (For the record, my new digital SLR is performing exceptionally well.)

We strolled down the Avenue d'Iena towards the Tour Eiffel. Passed several embassies. Lost the blue balloon. Mourned the loss for five minutes. Walked through the Jardin du Trocadéro, across the Pont d'Iena, and arrived at the Tour Eiffel.

The lines were long and the winds strong. As we boarded the elevator to ride to level 2, Keegan told us, "I'm so excited!" which made the wait and chilly winds worth it. Keegan had a look of wonder as he gazed over Paris below. He thought we were as high as Superman flies. Kids are so cute keeping things in perspectives that they can understand. This is certainly something he will always remember and us as well.

Keegan started to lose steam as dusk turned to nite, so it was the Metro to the rescue. Lines 6 and 1 brought us home…Keegan was asleep as we crossed back onto Íle St. Louis. We had traditional French cuisine at the nearby Brasserie de Íle St. Louis. We finished the evening with family phone calls back to Michigan announcing the impending birth of grandchild number 6 (Julie's second) and our 7th nephew/neice. Wow, I really had to think about the math there.

Gabrielle returned this morning with her amazing pastries. This really kicked our day off on a positive note…only slightly marred by the closure of our favorite orange juice machine due to sidewalk repair. Sigh.

Today was a Museum Pass day–our pre-paid free-entry card for Paris. We set out to hit at least three museums.

We started at the Musée Cluny, which was closed yesterday. The collection in the Cluny focuses on the Middle Ages. It has four famous Medieval tapestries of a maiden and her unicorn. The Cluny is housed in and named after Hôtel Cluny, a grand mansion on the Left Bank. It also happens to sit on the same site as a Roman bath complex…these unearthed structures are also visible as part of the museum.

We strolled down the noisy Boulevard Saint Germain, and quickly ducked into the (free) Abbey Saint Germain des Prés. The highlight was the silence. This Abbey was similar to most…cross-shaped, huge arched ceilings, somber mood. This one had very few 'attractions', which explained the small number of visitors.

Back out to the Boulevard and on to the Musée d'Orsay…specializing in impressionist paintings. The collection of Monet, Manet, Degas, Cezannne, Van Gogh and a zillion others was..well…impressive. (Five points for an impressionist pun.) The paintings are both familliar and approachable, and if you don't like impressionist painting, then the building is amazing as well…a converted Industrial Age train station on the Seine. (And…yes…there is a huge green metal Rhino out front, which Jeff and his buddy Matt enjoy photographing…with their heads up the behind–a tradition dating back to their trip in 1996. Jeff and I both recreated this scene for Matt. It is Matt's turn next.)

With the setting sun, we crossed the Seine via the Pont Solferino. The low sun was dramatic as it lit up landmarks up and down the Seine. One such landmark: the newly renovated Musée de L'Orangerie, which is the former greenhouse for the Jardin des Tuileries. This stylish renovation primarily showcases several waterlily murals by Monet in large oval galleries, but there is also an entire impressionist collection on the lower level…an excellent collection in its own right just steps from the Musée Louvre and Musée d'Orsay. Well worth a visit.

We closed our day walking down through the Jardin des Tuileries, past the Louvre, and along the Seine to our little Íle. Our evening was finished out with a comfortable dinner, yummy desert, and a cappuccino. We are off to bed early tonight. Tomorrow, Jeff's sister Julie and nephew Keegan are visiting from Germany, where Julie is stationed in the Army.

Some traditions are odd…but isn’t that what makes life fun 🙂 Here we are at the Musee d’Orsay. You’ll have to read tonight’s blog for an explanation.

This morning, we met Christophe and Philippe–the property managers for the apartment we’re renting. These guys clearly love Paris and love what they do. Christophe enthusiastically talked about discovering the painted beams in our apartment, which were hidden beneath a false ceiling. The ceiling dates from the mid 17th century and is rare and a sign of wealth.

After breakfast (no Gabrielle… again!), we spent most of the day on the Left Bank in the Latin Quarter and Saint Germain neighborhoods. The sun surprised with its presence this morning, so we decided to follow the sun-starved Parisians to the Luxembourg Garden and its Italian-inspired Palais du Luxembourg–home of the French Senate. As expected, the park was full of Parisians, drawn out of their offices and classrooms to sit by the fountains or jog or play pick-up soccer.

We grabbed a quick burger at Quick…a Franco-Belgian chain and a modest imitation of McDonalds that served its purpose. Afterwards, we attempted to use our Museum Pass at two nearby landmarks–the Pantheon and the medieval Musée Cluny–but were thwarted by the French tradition of inconvenient mid-week closed days.

Undaunted, we wound our way over to the St. Sulpice cathedral–infamous for its role in The Da Vinci Code. Yes, the ‘Rose Line’ from the book is clearly marked, and every tourist (including us) stopped to photograph this tiny golden line. Otherwise, the church is an impressive, yet understated, monument to Roman Catholic grandeur. It was free…so no complaints from us.

From there, we entered the Saint Germain neighborhood, which had street closures all over from either a rally or a protest. We saw smoke and steered clear.

We made it to the Hôtel des Invalides and enclosed Église du Dome right as sneaky rainclouds unloaded on us. (Note that this landmark is quite near the Eiffel Tower, which is where we were poured on this past summer…don’t go near the Eiffel Tower without an umbrella!) Inside, we toured Napoleon’s Tomb…a huge marble box for a tiny man.

Tired from walking, we hopped on the Metro. Lines 13, 8, and 7 deposited us near our Isle. We took a quick walk through the Village St. Paul, with its inter-connected coutyards brimming over with antique shops. We discovered why they call this a village–apparently it once stood outside the city walls of Paris–we spotted small sections of St. Paul’s former walls.

Dinner was a delightful find–the Starcooker on the Rue des Archives in the Marais. Jeff had a wonderful risotto au poulet and I had a cheesy mushroom ravioli. We had equally hearty deserts before finishing our evening with drinks at nearby Amnesia while watching AbFab with French subtitles.

[Hmmm, is anyone still reading these scribbles?]