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Our friends, Angelika and Gitti arrived on Saturday, April 22ndand stayed with us on the boat for a couple of nights and three days. It was a first for them to stay overnight on a boat and they adapted very well to it. We didn’t leave the dock, but even with staying in the marina there are things that you need to adjust to – showers on shore, climbing in and off of the boat, and just having less room with 4 people on a 40 foot sailboat. We figured it wouldn’t be a problem as they had camped on safari in Botswana so a sailboat would be a piece of cake!
Unfortunately Bob was having some problems with his knee so the first day of exploration we did without him so he could keep it elevated and iced due to it swelling. He figures he aggravated an old injury by being on his knees quite a bit of time when he was sanding and varnishing the teak rails. The first day we did quite a bit of visiting upon their arrival before taking a walk on the Promenade of Plantes. It wasn’t too far
from the boat and had many beautiful flowers in bloom. I had been on this section of the walk in the Fall, but it definitely had a much nicer look in Spring. We had a lovely lunch out giving us a pleasant afternoon out.
We had been thinking of going to a museum the next day, but with the sun shining we changed our plans to just wandering around as Gitti & Angelika had been here before, but said they enjoy “soaking up the City by wandering”. Sounded like a plan so we started at the Tuileries Gardens. It was somewhat cool as there was some wind, but there were numerous people bundled up in jackets sitting in the park enjoying the sunshine. Always nice to see all the flowers that are in bloom now. They keep the parks up beautifully here. From the park we walked toward the Arc de Triomphe and the Luxor Obelisk where numerous others were enjoying the sights as well.
Neither Gitti nor Angelika had been near the Petit or Grand Palais so we walked over there. The Petit Palais houses the Musee des Beaux Arts so we wandered around enjoying the artwork
on display. We saw many art students studying the paintings and drawing themselves – always enjoy seeing the students soaking up the art here in the City.
In the evening we took a walk along the Seine – one of our usual routes to see the sunset looking down toward Notre Dame and then back to the marina on one of the main road, Rue Ravioli. This leads back into the circle at the Bastille monument and the new Opera House. Tonight as we got closer to the circle all we could see were cars with blue lights going – the police. As we approached we saw the police cars with plexi-glass guards out front, police with their riot gear on and numerous people assembled outside of the new opera house. The police let the pedestrians through but all cars wanting to go into the circle were being blocked. Gitti asked one of the police what was happening and she was told that it was a political demonstration, but no other details. There were so many police at this location we were teasing that if you were a criminal anywhere else in the city, this would be the perfect
The Tuileries Garden is Lovely in Spring
quite a difference from when we saw it in the fall time to commit a crime as it appeared that all the police were here.
When we returned to the boat we checked the news and understood that the protests were against Le Pen stating that she would contest the 2
nd round against Macron. Before we arrived it was reported that tear gas had been deployed and a couple of the protesters had been arrested. Bastille is a common location for protest as it was the site where the French Revolution began. The political division here in France is reminding us of what happened in the US this last election cycle. Many that we speak to bring up our Presidency and state that they are having concerns about what is happening here in France as well.
When I asked what they wanted to see when in Paris, they mentioned that they wanted to visit the Sainte-Chapelle. That was perfect as we had that as a high priority on our list to get to as well. It was built between 1242-1248 at the wish of King Louis IX to house the relics of the Passion of Christ. The most famous of these were the Crown of Thorns acquired in 1239
for a great sum of money, much more than it cost to build the chapel itself. Louise IX purchased these from the emperors of Constantinople in order to add to the prestige of France and Paris in particular. With the Thorn of Crowns being housed in Paris it would become known as “the New Jerusalem. During the French Revolution Sainte-Chapelle suffered quite a bit of damage due to its being a symbol of royalty by divine right. Fortunately most of the stained glass windows were left intact.
This is unusual in that it has an upper and lower chapel. The lower one which is still quite impressive, however, with its painted columns was still quite impressive. This is where the palace staff worshipped. The upper chapel is known for its impressive stained glass windows which depict the complete story of the Bible in 1,113 scenes. Not only does it have the windows that seem to rise up to the heavens, here you have numerous sculptures including the 12 apostles and tiled flooring. Five of the 12 apostle sculptures are original done between 1240 – 1260.
The shrine which contained the relics and the Crown of Thorns is impressive
even though the remaining relics are no longer housed here, but at the treasury of Notre Dame.
The Conciergerie was the Royal residence and prison. The residence was built in the 6
th century, but Louis IX wished to enhance work on the Palace by adding Sainte-Chapelle. In the 14
th C. Philip IV made the palace even more of a prestigious symbol of the monarch and the Parliament of Paris started to meet here.
Charles V appointed a steward (or concierge) with judicial powers to administer the palace and the prison. At this time part of the palace became a prison. During the French Revolution it held many well known prisoners, one of the most famous being Marie-Antoinette. Unfortunately only the lower parts of the palace are all that remain of the medieval residence. When you enter there is a large room filled with columns – this is where the king’s guards and staff were kept to in order to serve the King. The kitchen area, fireplaces and guardrooms are on this same floor and can be visited today.
In fact there was not much to view in the Concierge, but the most interesting part of this stop
was learning more of the history of the French Revolution and the changes in the justice system during this time. We had heard bits and pieces of it before, but here they very clearly laid out the time line of what happened and how many years it took. The story of Marie-Antoinette and her last 74 days in prison were also told.
The touring part of our day started with a look at the beauty of Sainte-Chapelle and lead to the lessons of the terror of the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror. Quite interesting indeed.
In the evening we had a chance to meet a good friend of Gitti and Angelika’s that lives near Paris. We chatted on the boat for awhile and then went out for a fabulous dinner together. It was especially nice to have a local give us some tips about items to order on the menu.
This was the first time since we set sail on Tsamaya that we had onboard guests. We were a little nervous about how it would all work out with 4 living on a 40 foot sailboat, but we all had a wonderful time together. We
were very fortunate to have had this opportunity to hosts them as we have stayed with Angelika each time we visited Freiburg.
A busy and very enjoyable few days with great friends – what more could we ask for!
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