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Published: October 6th 2013
Finkelsztajn Bakery
Finkelsztajn Bakery in Marais AreaBefore I start this blog I just want to tell everyone that this is my second trip to Paris and as such many of the usual sites that one visits when you go to Paris for the first time was not visited on this trip. We did many secondary things we missed on the first trip. So please enjoy and any comments will be gladly accepted. -sh-
Fri Sep 13th/Sat Sep 14th - Arrival in Paris We left very late Friday night and had a smooth flight via Air Transat to Paris. As we expected AT planes are a bit cramped for space but all in all it really wasn't too bad. Screens in th -sh-e back of seats and going I saw two movies (“Fill the Void” and “42” ) and had a bit of a nap.
We arrived in a very rainy Paris and made our way from T3 to T1 to get our Les Cars bus to Gare de Lyon Train Stn where we were still hoping to be able to walk to our hotel .... barring the rain of course. With the bad weather and a few accidents along the way it
Circus Museum
Circus Museum in Bercy Village took well over an hour to get to where we wanted to go. The buses dispatcher was not happy at him being late but he really couldnt help the situation around him. When we got to the train station we were let off not exactly where we expected to be let off and further than we were expecting from our hotel. But, we persevered and with the weather holding off for a bit .... we made our way walking to the hotel. We made a fast stop at the bakery on Diderot, if anything, we had our dessert for the night.
Our hotel was the Citadene Bastille Gard de Lyon which is an apartment style hotel. For E94/night a fantastic deal with it being in a residential area and a Metro a few steps away. See reviews on Trip Advisor my review is under Bdwy_Babe.
We were fully expecting to be at hotel by 2 but didn't make it until 3 and nearly made it there before the heavens opened up again and it started again just at the top of the street. We got into our room at the back of hotel on main floor with a
large courtyard outside our patio door which turned out to be a very quiet room.
It poured the rest of the day but we made it across the street to the little market to pickup some necessities. We were fully expecting to get two blocks over to the bigger market but paid the extra for the small store closer. WE picked up some soup which was to be our dinner for the night and as it was a terrible day ... and we were exhausted .... we turned in very early and slept long and hard for 12 hours. We must have really needed it. So .. not a good first day in Paris but think it was exactly what we needed.
Sun Sep 15th We awoke early at 8 a.m. and took our time, we made coffee and an omelette with toast and headed out at 10 a.m. for the Marais area. We had a very nice walk around many of the streets and found the famous Finkelsztajn's Bakery. Not much of a lineup but we passed on going in as we really were not hungry not did we want to carry anything around
Jim's grave
Jim Morrison's Grave with us at beginning of day. We got to the Cognacq Jay Musee which we missed on our trip last year. It was another amazingly small museum which I think is somewhat bypassed by many tourists and shouldn't be. (Another not to be missed one is Carnavalet .... very important stop which we saw last year!)
I should mention that as in Toronto, Paris also has a “Doors Open” event and this weekend just happened to be the weekend it occurred. As we walked the Marais we came across many places as an old Fire Hall that was available to be visited but the lineup was too long to get in. We made our way to Bercy Village which was strikingly similar to Toronto's Distillery District and I fell in love with this area of Paris. This also happened to be where the Circus Museum was where we had been able to order tickets ahead of time to go visit. This place is only open twice a year, once at Christmas and once for the Doors Open Event. If you saw Midnight in Paris, one of the parties in this film were held there and you can see the
311 Ways to Say I Love You
311 Ways to Say I Love You carousal in the background. A man collected all the items in this immense warehouse and it is now a museum.
We were both planning on riding the carousel but it was powered totally by those riding it and how fast they pedaled it. It was usually totally filled and seriously going so fast you couldn't even see the faces of the people on it as it whizzed past you. We chicken out.
We were then continued on ... back to our game plan and visited St Roch, St Eustache ( Gavroche died there ), Church of Victories, Palais Royale Gardens, Gallerie Vivienne. We saw statues of Joan of Arc and Louis XIV ... which was a replica of the one at Versailles.
By this point we were at early evening and we were heading to have dinner at Ambassade du Auvange where we had eaten last year and loved it. On the way we passed the oldest house in Paris and also the “Defender of Time” a mechanical clock which moves around on the hour but since our watches were not totally in sync .... we missed it by a minute or two. Dinner was not as
Charles Pigeon and wife's grave
Charles Pigeon and wife's grave good as we were hoping and our experience was not as good as last year, but then we didn't have our companion “Ray” with us as we did then and think that was the main reason for us returning, hoping to run into him again.
Back to the hotel and a bath. Enjoyed a cup of tea and sat and talked before hitting the bed by appr 1 a.m. A totally full day.
Mon Sep 16th We were off to Pere Lachaise Cemetary to visit Jim Morrison among others. It was a very nice day though there were clouds that could be an issue in the sky. We had heard that the area around Morrison's grave was “smelt” long before you found it but when we got close there was none of that “sweet smelling MJ” waifing in the air. His grave is behind a large crypt and a very large tree. If there were no one else around his grave you could very well miss it. While we were making our way around we ran into Raphael who volunteered to show us around to some of the graves. He obviously did this for his
living and knew his stuff and all the shortcuts to get to many of the graves but he was in too much of a hurry for two somewhat over weight ladies and we finally had to cut him loose. He had helped us get to a few of the high spots in record time so we gave him a few euros but it didnt seem enough for him and was a bit annoyed. He was a character and glad he did help us out for awhile. As well as Oscar Wilde and Chopin there were so many other weird and wacky monuments or statues over loved ones graves. As well on the Gambetta side of area was the Holocaust Memorials which were truly stunning and very artistic and again scary in nature. At one point during our walk the wind totally went crazy and the leaves were swirling around in a cyclonic fashion and it then started to pour. We were able to get some shelter near some crypts and just waited it out and it passed fairly fast. I tried to take some pictures of the leaves but they didn't turn out.
We left the cemetery by the
Opera House
Opera House Gambetta exit and stopped for lunch in a small cafe that had mini pizzas which were very good. We sat and waited until the clouds passed over and headed to Montmarche to see the windmills we had missed previously and the house where Van Gogh lived. We visited the St Jean Church and the play yard across the street that has a mural of 311 way to say “I Love You” on it. It took forever to be able to get a decent shot of this mural as people were passing by with their children all the time and not really caring that people were trying to get a clear picture. BUT ... think of it their way ... you live there you use the park and there are hundreds of tourists disturbing your childrens play area .... I can see it their way totally. We headed for Pignalle Metro and back to our area and stopped at Casino Market the bigger market to pick up more groceries to get us through the week. We got more soup, Spinach and Salmon which was great. Two cheap dinners under our belt but more delicious ones ahead also. Another busy day and
Opera House
Opera House in bed by 10 p.m.
Tues Sep 17th Off to the Montparnasse area for things to check off our list. We started at the Liberation Museum which is in two joined buildings each one dedicated to two men who fought during WWII for France Liberation, General LeClerc and Jean Moulin. Both names were vaguely familiar to my WWII knowledge but not greatly so it was of interest to visit at least the Jean Moulin site.
http://parismusees.paris.fr/en/city-paris-museums/city-paris-museums-network/museum-general-leclerc-and-paris-liberation-jean . This museum was more of interest for Barb as she had more interest in this and knew a lot more than I. She even knew some facts that the two staff members in the museum didn't know and they were huddled over the internet for a good while looking something up.
We only did the one building as we wanted to keep moving and off to the Montparnasse tower to view Paris from above. As it was not a very clear day the view was not great but we could see certain sites from up there and get an idea exactly how far one site was from another. We could see the Pere Lachaise Cemetary in the distance
Gallerie Lafayette
Domed roof of the Gallerie Lafayette where we had been yesterday and could get the idea of exactly how enormous it was. By comparison the one at Montparnasse which we would be visiting a bit later was a postage stamp on a huge envelope compared to it. We stopped for a fast lunch at a hot spot all over Paris “Brioche Doree” where you got a drink, sandwich and desert for appr E8 with a cup of coffee or tea after you finish your meal.
IRONIC .... I just googled it to confirm exact spelling and they are now here in Toronto and not far from where I work and the reviews are very good.
As mentioned the Montparnasse Cemetary was a small area but still not totally square and easy to get lost in which we did due to an area sectioned off by a long wall which only had openings at each end. Thinking there would be an opening at the mid way was our downfall and we ended up where we started and I missed seeing two graves I really wanted to see which were Jean Seberg and Philippe Noiret, both actors. We veered over to that area to see the famous
Pont Alexandre
Pont Alexandre Charles Pidgeon and his wife who literally have a memorial of them in a bed over their grave. As with the other cemetery there were many unique monuments that I doubt would be seen in NA.
From the cemetery we walked to Montparnasse and Respal to see Rodin's statue of Balzac, then off to the Zadkine museum. If you choose to use maps off the internet or in books .... make sure they are correct ... in Frommers 24 Walks in Paris .... this map is WRONG. The written instructions are correct but the map is wrong which we found to be true for the Ill de Louis map as well.
At this point I would like to say that prior to our trip Barb and I did extensive research as to days and times all the museums or attractions where open and closed and as of the first week in Sept the Zadkine was open except for one day, but when we got there ... CLOSED TEMPORARILY while they were setting up for their new exhibit. As of now the website does say it is closed til mid Oct but that didn't do us any good after
Jardin de Plantes
A bee doing is business at Jardin de Plantes walking for close to an hour, getting lost and at that point being very tired.
We were lucky at this point that the Luxembourgh Gardens were right across the street and proved to be the relaxing atmosphere we needed right then. We sat and relaxed for a while and then I took a short walk around the area. Again ironically I saw a Zadkine statue .... thanks! We started to talk about dinner and Barb was hoping to hang around for a few hours to get into Le Coupole the restaurant we wanted to try but there was no way for me. We went back to the hotel and went to L'Aubergeade across the street and had a wonderful meal. Barb had escargot, veal with mushroom sauce and I had the Scottish salmon starter with beets and then my usual lamb. We both had the Meringue Flambe (sp??) with cake and ice cream underneath. It was still on fire when it arrived at our table. This was our third dinner here since last year and did not disappoint us at all. Another busy day and bed was welcome.
Wed Sep 18th, 2013 Ah today was
Paris Mosque
Paris Mosque and our feathery friends. going to be another busy day with a few surprises and curves thrown in to keep it interesting.
The day started with us going to the Opera Garnier and hoping to get into the English tour at 11:30 and if not we would have to wait til the afternoon tour. But we also had to find out if the auditorium was open for viewing as well as if you cant get in there ..... why take the tour. You cant miss seeing the chandelier and the ceiling and just the aud in general which was amazing. We were very lucky that we got two of the last few tickets for this tour and that the aud would be open for viewing as the tour in the afternoon it would have been closed due to rehearsals being scheduled.
But with luck there was a bit of bad luck which Barb found out earlier as we exited the Metro. She took her camera out of her bag and went to take a picture ... OMG .. no battery inside. I had my second camera so it was a decision for Barb to make ... yes or no. She made the
Notre Dame
Notre Dame and the Love Locks decision to go with my camera as today was the only day for English tours during the week we were there. I have to admit that most of the shots she took, my little baby did a good job.
We were told that while in the auditorium if there was anyone on stage we could not take any pics of the stage area. We were hoping that the cleaner on the stage would hurry up and finish mopping the floor which he finally did so we were allowed to then snap shots of the stage. Photos yes .... videos a major NO NO. The artwork in the aud as well as the chandelier were stunning. The tour was well worth it, the Opera House beyond words, an amazing building with picture ops all over the place. Still .... if aud is not open ... bypass tours.
We then went up the street for the Gallerie Lafayette to see the inside dome and the rooftop garden view ... both spectacular and though the bldg smaller than the tower from yesterday the view was far clearer. A nice view in a very expensive store ..... VERY.
We then headed
St Denis
Louis and Marie Antoinette back to the hotel to get Barb's battery and good timing as it started to pour as we got back there. We hung out and we had some lunch with some fixings we had in fridge, sandwich, cheese and fruit. Can't do this in a regular hotel room.
We headed out at appr 4 pm to the Georges Braque exhibit which I was totally stoked to do. Hard to believe that last year I had no clue who this guy was but totally taken by the paintings at the Pomp Centre and fell in love with his stuff. This was the first day of the show and seriously didnt think we could get in but ... WE DID!
All of the Paris museum paintings were allowed to be photographed but any from private collections were off limits but I was able to sneakily take a few of some totally outstanding paintings I just couldnlt walk out without taking a shot of ... sorry ... me bad. In all I really didn't have to as I ended up buying the book at the end with all the paintings inside for only E18.50 ... a very good deal.
As
Cathedral Chartres
Chartres Illumination we left it was starting to get dark so hung out by the Alexander bridge to see the Tower start to twinkle and the lights come on on the bridge. We hung out as long as we could as we were starting to get cold. We didn't make it until it was totally dark, but still got some nice shots. The one pic on my profile on FB as of now when I am writing this was taken at that time.
Back to the hotel area and picked up the first of a few pizzas from the restaurant up the street, the veggie one was very good. Then ... bath and bed.
Thurs Sep 19th, 2013 Started off at the Jardin de Plantes near the National History Museum which was very nice. Have to admit I took some amazing shots with my little Canon that I failed to capture with my Fuji. Huge dahlias big enough to cover a dinner plate. Across the street was the Paris Mosque which was suppose to be a replica of the Alhambra in Granada ..... not even close. We had mint tea in the garden which was a lovely way to start the day. The sparrows had no fear of anyone or thing and you had to guard your pastries with your life, there were hundreds of them all over the tables and trees and ground. We walked to the entrance to the Mosque and found out the timing was bad. We arrived at the beginning of the afternoon closure. From what we could see it was easy to tell the area itself was not as extent or as grandeur as the one we saw in Spain and glad in a way we didn't have to pay to gain admittance.
We walked over to the Arena which is a very small version of a Coliseum type venue in the heart of Paris. This arena was found as they were digging (of course) for another Metro line which of course again was how the Crypt was found underneath Notre Dame which we headed for next. We had a nice walk, passed St Nicolas a small and beautiful church, then I went into the Crypt while Barb sat and enjoyed the afternoon crowds going into the cathedral.
Off to Ill St Louis Island which is next to Notre Dame and had lunch at Cafe Med a very nice but small cafe. We walked in as they were getting close to closing but said if we could order fast ... fine. We made a few purchases as we continued our walk, shoes for me and earrings for Barb. Again the Frommers map for this area sucks!! We sat on a bench at the tip of the island for 30 minutes to rest and enjoy the view and then took the bus back to our hotel. We again had dinner inside our hotel room as it rained outside. We decided to veg and not do anything else as we wanted to going to get an early start for St Denis in the morning. I ended my day by finally being able to get on to the computer in the lobby and onto FB to email a few people.
Though we ended our day early we did not regret our decision to do so.
Fri Sept 20th (Saint-Denis is notable for its Gothic architecture and for being the burial site of French monarchs which makes it comparable to Westminister Abbey in England) We were out by 10 and off to St Denis to visit the kings of France. It was indeed a beautiful church with a lot of history behind it. To get behind the iron gates inside the church to actually access the sarcophagus’s you had to pay a small fee which was well worth it. (With your ticket stub we could also get E4 off of a canal boat ride we were planning on taking anyway so win win situation.)
Standing in front of the tomb of Marie Antoinette and Louse XVI was pretty awing. ( pic att'd)
Close by the church is a large market that had everything from produce to clothes, shoes, luggage and basically everything. I bought a top to use for bed, slippers and a small handbag for travelling all for E8. Barb beat me here with only 1 purchase ... E13 for a leather purse, she was happy.
Next destination was the Grand Arch which can be seen from all over Paris. It is so big ( ... how big is it ! ) that the Arc de Triumph will fit inside the arch and that is huge. We had lunch at “Pret a Monge” inside a mall attached to area. We walked slowly down to the next Metro station and took pictures along the way, especially of something that I mentioned at the beginning that continued to crop up from our Spain trip earlier in year. Will tell you later when the last occurrence happens and the biggest one.
Here it was late Friday afternoon and we took a chance in trying to get into the Jordaen exhibit which had only opened the day before. When we went to the Braque exhibit on Wed there was an invite only going on across the street for this one and the line up seriously was extremely long. Again ... very lucky and in we went with no problems. As with Braque last year, I had never heard of Jacob Jordaen before but serious ... WOW! Need to check out his fixation on Appolina lots of paintings of her. The one unfortunate thing about this exhibit .. no photos allowed and they had enough guards around to totally enforce this rule. As we moved from one section to another there was an area away from the paintings to sit and rest for awhile. It had an interesting windey staircase and we both took pictures of it and view from the windows. We thought we would be harassed by the guards but we were not. But ... think it came close.
After finishing this exhibit and thinking about the rest of the museum we made a few inquiries and all the Monets we were hoping to see were on loan, as are all the ones from the Marmotten Museum...... in Australia. So ..... back to hotel, picking up another pizza and some pastry and went to bed early as we were heading for Chartres tomorrow and it would be a late night.
Sat Sept 21
st When planing this trip we had gone back and forth about what day trips we would do out of town and this trip to Chartres was the one Barb was hyping from the start. I had really no clue about this “Festival of Light” and like many others would have just assumed it was coloured lights on buildings going off and on ... not even close!!!! As it gets dark the lights on the street go out, there are candles lit along the route and you follow the candles to all the sites that are lit up or have misc activities. Sounds easy right ???
http://us.franceguide.com/Chartres-Festival-of-Light-dazzles-through-September.html?NodeID=1&EditoID=223843 We chose to stay overnight there and thus paying for two nights hotel on same night but .. what the hell. We took the train which is an hour ride from Paris and it was crowded like you wouldn’t believe. Similar to a GO train but people were standing in aisle with luggage and barely able to get past if you had to move past someone. As we arrived in Chartres most everyone got off. Today was the last night of the festival and it was going to be a fantastic evening.
The main focal point here is the cathedral .... it is so huge and tall you would think you couldn’t get lost ... just watch us, we did ... lol.
We arrived appr by noon and we had a few hours before we could check in at the St Ives Hotel. We casually strolled into town and saw a ferris wheel .... it was not seats with a bar as you normally see but round buckets you climbed into and then up up and away. That was a no brainer .... for E4 we got a great view of the whole area of downtown. We stopped for a lunch of lasagna at a place across from the town square and then made our way to a market similar to the one at St Denis but with a bit more class. We went in the cathedral and thought we would hit it again tomorrow after the service for a more extensive look. The old proverb arises here ... “never put off til tomorrow what you can do today!”. Barb bought a book in the gift shop for E8 on the cathedral and I was going to wait til tomorrow but didn't happen.
When the time was right we went to our hotel which was immediately on the right side of the church. Our accommodation at one time was a priory so location totally made sense. It was very quaint and rooms as expected, very small with lots of gardens for meditation. As we checked in we saw small posters laying on a table ... we really had to laugh as this “event” had really been following us from Spain back in May and for me a bit earlier. We rested for about an hour and then took a very long walk trying to follow the river and the route we would be taking later that night. At one point we got lost but found our way back by looking for the church. We visited St Aignan which dates back to 400 and is the oldest church in Chartres. Please check out the website for what the church is like inside and its history .... very unique and distinct.
http://www.discover-chartres.com/saint-aignan-church.html We got back to the town square area and figured that with appr 10,000 people for the last night of the light festival we better find a place to eat and find it fast. We were lucky and got on to one of the patios just prior to when it was ready to serve. We waited until they were ready and by that time many of the places in area were already filled and people wandering around getting desperate. We ate early and headed back to hotel until it got dark.
From outside our window we could see the candles that lit the streets and a park area beneath us with a pattern set out on a lawn lit up with different coloured lights but unsure exactly what the meaning was of it .... we found out later.
It was around 9:30 pm when the lights were going to start to come on so out we went. We were warned at check in time not to lose our hotel card .... as we would need it to open two doors to get onto property after 10pm. As soon as we got outside I knew I had a major problem. It wasnt dark out there it was totally black. Barb had brought a small flashlight and that was a good thing. We made our way off the property and to the cathedral. The lights were illuminating on 3 sides of the cathedral and totally amazing. The whole facade of the church has stone cut figure and the lights showed them in all different coloured outfits, hats, shoes etc. I have no idea how they did it. Each side of the church had different things going on but then they changed over and over again. One light show would go for about 5 minutes then a hand would appear and just whoosh ... wipe away all the colour and then it would start again with another show. On one side it was like they had acrobats climbing up and down the church facade colouring the stone figures .. amazing.
When we were in front of the cathedral we had enough light around us to see things but soon as we moved away from any light .... blackness. We went over to the park where our room overlooked to see the design and what it was for ... it was just being lit up by colours still so we continued on. We got to the market area and a bit further but it was clear to me .... if Barb stepped even a few feet away from me I would not be able to see her and that scared me as people were passing and bumping into each other and I was seriously scared of being pushed and falling. Just for a bit of further info .... only one good eye and one failing rapidly.
We really didn't get too much further than that, we had made maybe 4 of 34 locations. We were pretty sure that the lights on the church had to be the major thing ( we hoped ) and we begrudgingly headed back to the hotel and it was appr 11 or shortly after.
The hotel area was in blackness and the flashlight got us to the gate and the front door but we didn't have to use the card to get in as I guess for that night they left them open for awhile longer. Up to our room and we opened the window and both of us watched what was going on below us. You could see the snaking candles lighting the way of the paths. The garden below us finally came alive with activity. What was making the white design was actually shredded and strips of cut and assume wet paper to keep it down on ground and when people were finally allowed into the area played with it as if it was snow. It was great fun to watch them throwing it up and down and jumping in it etc. I think we were a bit disappointed that we had caved but for me I had no regrets. I may at another time like to try it again but only with a real large flashlight to light my way. This excursion was a good one and very glad we did it.
As we closed the window we would hear the activity beneath us for hours after but we didn't mind.
Sun Sep 22nd We had a nice but simple breakfast at the hotel before leaving. The cathedral was in the middle of a service when we arrived so had to be very quiet as we looked around at the things we didnt see the day before. We were not suppose to take pictures while the service was on but no one was paying attention to that restriction.
It was a very beautiful place to visit and to hear the choir at times behind us was a unique experience. The major draw here is the
Sancta Camisa, said to be the tunic worn by the Virgin Mary at Christ's birth. This article makes this location one of the stop points for many pilgrims on their journeys.
As we made our way back to the train station we were a bit sad to see the huge desk lamp lights and the Ferris wheel being dismantled and taken down. We both admitted we were very glad to have made the trip to see this small medieval town as it did put another brick on our path that followed us from Spain.
We caught the 10:50 train back to Paris. With the amount of people on the platform we were very concerned with being able to get seats but we had a longer train on this trip and we all got seats.
Barb and I split once we got to Paris. She continued on to the Marais area which she wanted to investigate further. I wanted to get rid of the overnight stuff at the hotel so took mine and her stuff back to the hotel, had a cup of tea then back out to the Memorial near the Eiffel Tower dedicated to those effected by the Holocaust. Last year I couldn't get near it or should say chose not to as there were unsavouries hanging out close by but this time many other tourist were in area so all was well.
After this I went to Marks and Spencers to get some more of the Walnut Cake and candies. Barb also had goodies on her mind and picked up some cakes (poppyseed cake and raspberry cheesecake) in the Marais area especially at Finkelsztajn's which apparently had a very long line up. She sat in area and listened to a street bank and then bought their CD. It was somewhere around here that she turned her ankle, not seriously but so much that it was annoying and it hurt but she persevered.
We met back at hotel and decided to walk around the neighbourhood and decide what to do for dinner. As it was Sunday many places were closed so we decided to actually eat in at Toscanna where we had been getting our take out pizzas. Veal Parm .... very nice. Back at hotel I went back and forth to lobby many times to check on computer but it was always busy.
Mon Sep 23rd Wow, where did the time go?? Our last day is here and we decided to take it totally easy peasy. We didn't get out of apartment until noon. We did the 2 1/2 hour Canal cruise from the Bastille area which we got our E4 discount from our tickets to St Denis. We started out going into the underground canal that was started during Napoleon's time and only completed in the early 1900's. Along the way there were open but grated areas to the city above. As we moved through this tunnel it made your mind wonder how many deadly deeds were done under the streets of Paris. Once we got outside we moved very slow through many locks and areas of Paris. It was sooooo hot I ended up putting up the umbrella over my head and neck. A man in front of us put on his wife's scarf to protect his head. It was a very relaxing trip.
We made one more stop before we headed back to hotel and that was back to M&S .... Barb had to get more stuff for home and I got more candies.
With L'Aubergeade closed for his one day off, we went to have our last dinner at his neighbour's place La Nouvelle Epoque and who did we find there ... Nazier from L'Aubergeade. Glad to see they are friendly competitors. The restuarant was classier and the food actually better with far better presentation. It was a very special meal.
I had a salad with honey and nuts with a piece of goat cheese and toast. Main course was 4 huge unshelled shrimps over a cup of rice with a sauce to die for. Dessert was an apple tart with ice cream. Delish!!
Back to hotel, we were pretty much packed the night before so only had to put a few other items in before we left in a.m.
Tues Sepn24th Up very early for a pickup of 6 a.m. for the airport. We made it to T3 with lots of time to grab a coffee and a bite to eat. T3 is so much smaller than T1 or T2 and easier to navigate. Trip home uneventful other than no tv in back of seats ... not happy but the movies they did show were okay which were “Star Trek In Darkness”, “Parental Guidance” and another one I cant recall. All in all I didn't mind going Air Transat, it was .. okay. But if I was a person who didn't bring ear buds .. I would be pissed as they were not offered either way as free or to be bought.
Home by 1pm and glad to see the kits.
"The Way" from Toronto to Spain to Paris Well I guess this all started in Toronto in 2010 at the Toronto International Film Festival when “The Way” had its World Premiere. I never got to see it then but assumed it would be on the agenda not long after but didn't realize it would be as long as it was and would mean as much as it did after or during the time we finally did see it. I should say at this time that Spain was the next country that this movie opened in after it showed in Toronto.
From IMDB:"The Way" is a powerful and inspirational story about family, friends, and the challenges we face while navigating this ever-changing and complicated world.
Martin Sheen plays Tom, an American doctor who comes to St. Jean Pied de Port, France to collect the remains of his adult son (played by
Emilio Estevez), killed in the Pyrenees in a storm while walking the Camino de Santiago, also known as The Way of Saint James. Rather than return home, Tom decides to embark on the historical pilgrimage to honor his son's desire to finish the journey.
It is spring of 2013 and we are in Spain travelling from Madrid to Toledo to Burgos. We are seeing people along the highway or on dirt roads or in some of the towns along the way walking with back packs by themselves or with others. They were doing the El Camino. During the bus trip our TD showed The Way in two parts. It really meant a lot as we were also on some of the highways or trek that those “pilgrims” were also on.
This movie hit me in many way so much that I bought the movie when I got home as well as the book “Along the Way” that Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez wrote about their life together as father and son and the filming of this movie.
So here we are now in September of 2013, 3 years after it opened in many other countries and it is just opening here in France. We are seeing posters all over the place for the opening on the 25
th, we really had some deja vue moments when we saw them. In Chartres at the hotel, they have small personal posters in the lobby which we both took the last two ... go figure! Also knowing that this hotel we are in is probably used by some of the pilgrims on their trek as Chartres is another main location due to the cloth in the church that is supposedly the cloth that Mary wore when Jesus was born.
Now we didn't see anyone in Chartres that looked like they were pilgrims but still .... I am sure there were many there.
As an interesting side note, I brought Bryce Courtney’s Sylvia with me to finish reading. It is a huge book but I had only about 100 pgs left and figured if I left it along the way ... not a major loss. It is about another religious trek, The Childrens Crusade that occurred in the 12
th century where 30,000 children went on a march through Germany and France towards the Mediterranean Sea and many died. So from one pilgrimage to another it worked together. I also didn't leave the book in Paris, it came home but not in my suitcase ... it was in Barb's. She picked it up to look at it and got hooked by the first few pages.
So that concludes 2013 Paris ... I may start to add the older blogs I have done as this seems to be a great venue to put them. To all that read it .. thanks.
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