1 Nov
This is a rehash of
events already transcribed in Lauren’s travel journal. I will do my best not to
leave out any details!
Lauren and I left
Stockwell for St. Pancras Station around 0715. 20 minutes later we were in the
St Pancras Foyles bookstore selecting a Paris travel guide. Purchased two cups
of porridge and flew through the security and passport checks with 5 minutes to
spare.
The train journey was
uneventful and we arrived 2 and half hours later to the Paris du Nord train
station. We checked in to our hostel (3 blocks away) and made our way back to
the station.
While in line for our
Metro tickets, Lauren and I were approached twice for money, one woman with a
petition of sorts followed by a second fellow asking if we spoke English and if
we needed help. Eventually, we purchased two 3 day unlimited use passes (23
euros each! In retrospect I’ll get the 10 ticket pass as we did not get nearly
enough use out ours). The station barriers are quite intimidating, after
putting your ticket through the machine, the gates made a mechanical hissing
noise and pulled apart.
After making our way
into the bowels of the Paris Metro (not nearly as clean or user-friendly as the
L.U.) we boarded a two level train to center of Paris. Arriving in the Les
Halles area we made our way out the train station and through a large
underground mall. I was briefly tempted by a Mexican restaurant but I
persevered. Exiting the train station we found ourselves in to an empty part of
the city.
After getting our
bearings we settled on a glorified Parisian kebab shop for lunch, Lauren had a
crepe and I had a baguette with two burger patties topped with cheese. I tried
to order water but in the confusion was given a bottle of Smart Water. C’est la
vie.
We strolled over the
Seine to the Île de la Cité (Island of the City?) – essentially ground zero of
Paris. All destinations in Paris, and indeed in France are measured from here.
A structure with a ramp on one side, a viewing platform on the top and
bleachers on the other faced Notre Dame. We took in the sites and gazed
at the large crowds milling about the entrance to the cathedral. We were
impressed by the number of lifesized statues cut into the façade of the
cathedral. As entrance was free we popped in for a self-guided tour. Arguably
more impressive than St Pauls, Lauren and I were awe of the interior as we sat
in the pews. Large stained glass windows flanked the transept. We lit a candle
for our past loved ones and walked the interior, very crowded.
We walked around the
exterior of the cathedral to a small bridge connecting the island to south bank
of the city. This bridge is famous for the locks couples attach to the railing.
So popular is the custom that people had begun attaching locks onto other locks
as all available railing real estate had long been smothered. We spied
several suspicious characters eyeing up other tourists.
Next stop was the
Shakespeare and Company bookstore. Probably the most famous English language
bookstore in all of Paris. Cramped and disorganized, it’s a store you’d likely
find in a Harry potter film than in Paris. Books stacked on tables, timbers criss
crossing the ceiling, ladders across all the walls. Upstairs is tiny free to
use library. Well worth a wander.
Walking further along
the river we passed the colorful the Latin quarter (as students who lived in
the area spoke Latin) and made our way to the Musee D’Orsay. Unfortunately the
lines for entry were horrendous so we gave it a pass.
Lauren and I laughed
when a bystander attempted to pull the old “oh look at this ring I found on
ground, would you like to buy it?” scam. Coincidental, as we read about this
con in our guide book and we’d been talking about it on the journey over.
Crossing back over the river,
we passed through the expansive gardens that lead up to the Louvre. As it was
approaching evening, we also gave the museum a pass and instead opted for the
Pompidou center – that is the Renzo Piano designed inverted building, ie it is
inside out. Piping and structure are all visible.
The Pompidou center is
like the Tate Modern but with a 13 euro entrance fee. The exhibits were
remarkable and Lauren and I spent a good hour wandering through the various
installations. One that stood out was a short film about the bank robbery that
inspired the film Dog Day Afternoon. In the exhibited film, the true life
bank robber walked us through the actual robbery on studio set, followed by a
diatribe about Warner Brothers stiffing him on the royalties he thinks are
owned to him.
The entire top floor of
the building was dedicated to the work of Roy Lichtenstein (Google him if you’re
not familiar with his work). It was a great pleasure to see his artwork up
close and to learn about his process.
Dinner was held in a
nearby bistro – Lauren with the goats cheese Pizza and I had a salad, fries,
cheese and ham over bread, meal.
Nov 2
We woke up the next
morning to all kinds of noises seeping through the walls of our hostel. We
could hear the elevator next door, people talking in the halls and our
neighbors taking showers. Walls were paper thin. The room itself was cozy
however, complete with its own bathroom.
First stop was the
Eiffel Tower. Lines to get in were horrific. Instead we wandered around the
base through the crowds, snapped photos and admired the design. Very impressive
up close. Apparently they paint it in several shades of brown to enhance its
height. Breakfast was a croissant and OJ at a nearby café.
We walked across the
river to take in the views of the city and the tower. Folks hawking miniature
Eiffel towers were everywhere. They seemed to be doing a brisk business and
were not bothered by the police presence.
A brief monsoonal type
rain shower pushed us into the metro and we made our way back to the Louvre.
The crowds were manageable and I was able to take in some of the museum highlights
including the Mona Lisa. I was surprised to discover the museum sits on the
former grounds of a large castle, the base and foundation of which can still be
seen in the lower levels of the museum. Post Louvre we hoofed it back to the
hostel for an afternoon siesta. Lauren did some sewing for an upcoming show and
I passed out.
That evening we decided
to explore Montmarte. This is the bohemian neighborhood on a large hill
overlooking the city. At one point this was a city unto itself until Paris
gobbled it up.
We took a small
funicular from the base of the hill up to the Cathedral Sacre Coeur. Raining
cats and dogs, we huddled in the cathedral foyer with several dozen other
folks, many of which were drinking wine and selling trinkets, seemed a bit
sacrilegious! Unfortunately the cloud cover blotched out most of the view.
We had a light dinner at
nearby creperie, replete with a live piano player. We split a cheese and tomato
crepe and had a glass of Rose each. Moving on through the hilly streets we came
to the cafe where the french film Amelie was shot (one of Lauren’s favorite
films). We shared a creme brule and sipped on delicious cocktails.
On our walk home we
passed the Moulin Rouge and a seedy looking red light district!
Nov 3
Sundays are general
quiet in Paris - many shops are closed for business and many locals appear to
stay in.
First stop was in the
Arc de Triomphe. Entrance to the top was free as it was the first Sunday of the
month. Weather was fantastic - cool but sunny. Crowds were fortunately thin and
after a good hike (over took several tourists, a couple of which appeared to give
up!) up to the top of the monument we were rewarded with sweeping views of
the city. We were able to identify many of the locations we’d visited
previously. As the AdT sits in the center of a large traffic circle, we were
afforded excellent views down half a dozen streets including the Champs de
Elysees. Lunch was held in nearby chain bistro, more baguettes
The remainder of the
afternoon was spent walking through inner Paris. We walked through several
districts, including a gay/Jewish quarter. We scooped up bits of food along the
way and soaked up the atmosphere.
We enjoyed one last
cocktail at bar near the train station and then said aurvour to Paris!
