Paris France, Voila

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Eiffel Tower

Realizing that there would be a long weekend, we book a flight for a Paris get away. November 1 and 2, are holidays! Poland has a holiday for All Saint's Day and All Soul's Day so it's a four day week end. Now Keith likes to plan well in advance, and with five days to go, he does not consider this advance planning. Just barely two weeks ago he was in Morocco, but he is convinced to hit the road again. This entry is long, there is a second page of pictures. (I put "voila" in the title, because when ever we were given something, a ticket, a dish, or receipt, they said "voila"! I think it means "here it is".)

Yes, Paris was so nice. It's all more wonderful, and bigger than we thought it would be, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre museum, the flea market. Paris - my grandma said that Paris France was about as far as someone could go on this earth. And here we are. As Travel Bloggers, we do not rate with the adventurous ones, but our adventure began with a train ride into the city from the airport. It was easy (Keith had his little print out in hand) and we watched the stops go by while getting used to yet another language. When we did pop out of the Metro, we were just a block away from our hotel. As much as we were blown away by the size of the city of Paris, we first were amazed at the size of our room. A bed, chair, and table fit in, and maybe Keith and I at the same time. It was tiny but cute, with tall casement windows, and flower filled window boxes. Describing this area, the author of the guide book said he felt like he had been a french poodle in a past life! I agree. We weren't the only tourist here, but it felt like a neighborhood, with families shopping and eating along this busy little street by our hotel.

Ate lunch at a little place Cafe du Marche, I really enjoyed seeing how well everyone was dressed. Then spent the rest of the afternoon in the crowded Louvre, we could have spent days here. We purchased an audio tour, but then kind of got off the path, it being a tour based on the Da Vinci Code. (That Dan Brown, again!) Still, we saw plenty, there is something like 300,000 works of art there. I did post a photo of people waiting to get a closer look at the Mona Lisa, there were so many of us! Before we left for Paris I got out an art history book from college days, and refreshed my memory. (thanks mr cox) So glad I did. To actually examine these paintings is rare treat that I never thought I would be able to do. I noticed a few students were tucked away in different halls and rooms of the museum, sketching and taking notes.

We saved the next morning for the Eiffel Tower. Took us about 4 hours total, with the crowds. This is a holiday week end, too. We met some Americans there, you know we can be heard all over. Only went up to the second level. I learned that Keith doesn't like heights. He preferred not to go to the top, just as he didn't want to ride the huge ferris wheel near the Louvre. (It's something everyday with him.) Did you know there is a post office up there, our post cards got an Eiffel post mark! Did you know that it takes 60 tons of paint to cover this structure? Despite overcast sky, the view was encredible. Our little video shows the tower with the light show it puts on for 10 minutes on the hour.

I talked Keith into finding one of the Paris Flea Markets. Thanks to the internets mapping system we have our print out, and we catch the metro. Not quite knowing where we are is an adventure to us! Once at our destinantion and standing by the metro figuring out which way to the markets, a man catches Keith's eye, and offers to take us there. I'm not trusting him, but Keith seems to be, and he did take us right to it, although it wasn't the exact route we had on our map! As I'm walking beside him I talk up a storm, have you always lived here, who were you waiting for, and -the all important- what do you do for a living. Hoping that while we were dodging turned over trash cans, broken sidewalks and heading for a dead end, he wouldn't say he robs unsuspecting tourists he meets at the entrance to the metro! I know it wasn't very nice of me, but the thought crossed my mind. Can't remember his name, but we thanked him heartedly and went on to enjoy our day! The market was all I thought it to be. Alley ways and streets crammed with shops and boths. Junky, but elegant and very expensive, even though the vendors expect bargaining, it's too rich for me. The most unexpected item - a huge sea turtle shell. 1800 euros.

Proving that it is a small world, we see in the hotel's guest book, that the day before we arrived, tourists from Chapel Hill and Clemmons, NC had been there. Also staying here we had breakfast with a family from Virginia. (the guide book must be a best seller)

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Photos

ferris wheel at the Tuileries
found out that Keith doesn't like heights!

Eiffel Tower
from across the Seine at Trocadero

Keith in our room
I'm in the doorway

stairway
the elevator was too crowded with me and Keith

Rue Cler
early Sunday morning

Louvre at night
this from just inside the museum, on our way out

for all you bluegrass folks
Egyptian banjoes and mandolins?

a market along our street
also butcher, cheese, bread, shoes, linens, flowers

recapping our day
I think the waiter was upset with my tired feet in a chair, but I don't speak French

Paris seen from the Eiffel
as far as the eye can see

Comments

[Mike]

Awesome
Just started "following" you and this is great! What an experience you had and I can't believe you visited all these places. Writing is great and pictures are perfect.