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Published: September 19th 2012
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Bonjour Everyone,
We have been in Paris 5 days now; we leave tomorrow. It has been a terrific visit and we have enjoyed seeing Paris in her autumn colours. Our last visit was in winter and the difference between the seasons is significant.
We were prepared for the crowds of tourists because this is the ‘high’ season after the Olympics; however we have not been prepared for the crowds of Parisians who are out and about in the pleasant autumn weather.
We arrived on Friday and we decided that we would try to overcome the overnight flight by walking around Paris and reacquainting ourselves with the city. We elected not to take our cameras. Our hotel is a couple of small blocks back from the Champs Elysees and the crowds on the streets are a surprise. The weather has been warm – up to 30 degrees but mostly about 25.
On Friday we visited some small parks in the area that in winter would not look so lush and inviting. We had an early dinner and decided that we were as close as we could be to Paris time. We have been surprised by the number of
locals that are wearing jackets and scarves on days that we would consider being warm enough for tee-shirts. It is humid here so the jacket thing seems odd. Of course, we should not find fault with the fashion decisions of the locals as they are Parisians after all.
Our first full day in Paris, we decided to visit the super modern commercial district of Paris. This district contains the controversial ‘cube’ that forms the end of the view that can be seen from the Arc de Triomphe. We discovered during our visit that we have little appreciation for the ‘new’ Paris and we have more than happy to not to see the modern form of Paris again.
As an antidote to the commercial district, we spent the afternoon in Saint Germain; it is home to the oldest church in Paris – St Germain des Pres. This church is medieval and internally the timber arches of the roof show the age of the church.
Just outside the metro station and the church there was a jazz quartet playing on the corner. The music was good. We are yet to hear bad music from the buskers here. I heard
once that the buskers need an audition before getting a licence to perform in Paris; I do not know how true this is.
We had lunch in Saint Germain and wandered back to the hotel via the Seine River bank and the gardens of the Louvre Palace (museum) called the Tuilleries. The crowds along the river bank and in the gardens were a phenomenon. The lawns in the gardens are not used for sitting or lying – nobody goes on the lawns. I had a notion that there were thousands of disappointed little girls that would love to be practicing their handstands and cartwheels on the grass and thousands of little boys wanting to roll all over the grass.
The Parisians sit on the chairs provided around all of the gardens either in the shade or the sun depending on personal preference. There are a few outdoor cafes in the gardens that looked very inviting.
On Sunday we visited the Tower in Montparnasse which at 56 stories provides a unique view of Paris. We found the organised tour groups to be a nuisance at the tower but it was a great view of the city!
We
walked from Montparnasse to the Luxembourg Gardens. These gardens are the second largest in Paris and very beautiful and more people friendly than the Tuilleries gardens. On the way to the Luxembourg gardens we saw the apartment on which we are going to spend our children’s’ inheritance – there is a photo as evidence. 4 bedrooms and a rooftop garden from which one can see the Luxembourg Gardens – perfect!
At the Luxembourg gardens, we saw petanque being played, at the end of all of the ‘courts’ are a couple of coat racks to make sure that the clothes of the players are protected. There is a playground for the children, an area for making sandcastles, an artificial pond for sailing boats and some beautiful flowers.
Yesterday, we decided that we would venture out of Paris and head on the train for Chartres. Chartres is a small city about 1 hour by train from Paris and is the home of a beautiful cathedral and a well preserved old town. We spent a lot of time in and around the cathedral which is undergoing significant restoration and it is wonderful to see the cathedral being restored to her former
glory. The grounds of the church are also lovely. The old city incorporates the old and new very well, although very modern clothes shops housed in very old buildings can look a little !
P.S. Everyone, I apologise for the delay in sending out this blog entry. We have has some difficulty with my photo files uploading to the blog. The photos you see here are Brendon's magnificent work. We are working on finding a way to get my photos added to the blog as well. We decided to upload Brendon's for now.
Thanks and Enjoy
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Kym
non-member comment
Hi Cass & Brendon,
I am exhausted just reading your bog. My god, your certainly do pack a lot into a day. I love the modern. Sorry probably because we have very little in this country that is more than 150 years old and I am a big fan of sleek lines. What on earth is the grass for if they cannot sit on it? Funny people. I like the Pics. Brendon has got this shutter bug business down pat. This is the first time I have "blogged" but please keep the updates coming as I am enjoying the experience.