Rodin, Napoleon, the Sewer, the Seine, back to Napoleon

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Today would be a very busy and painful day. Our friend Bruce was also arriving today to spend the Birthday week with us. The initial plan was hopefully to have several of you join me on this trip, alas; reality tends to catch up with you eventually. In any event, I wish you all were here enjoying this with us in real time instead of just blog time.

We started our day by taking advantage of the petit dejeuner offered by our hotel, cheaper than the café’s in the area. After our morning croissants and café au lait, we were off to the Rodin Museum. Now, in fact it is walking distance from our hotel, which is one of the reasons we choose this hotel to stay out. However, since my feet basically gave out on day 2, walking has not been much of an option and I need to save my feet for those times when walking is a must, like in museum’s and places the metro just doesn’t go. The Metro, with one transfer took us directly to the Rodin so my feet were spared.

Rodin

The museum is on the Paris Pass (Museum Pass) so no lines no fee. Since it was a Sunday the lines were non-existent and the gardens were free of crowds. The main museum, which in fact is the former home of Rodin (he rented it), is currently closed for renovation. This doesn’t really matter, because all of the big pieces and the ones you know when you see them are in the Garden. It was a lovely sunny Sunday, so we took a nice hour stroll through the gardens. Since it is winter everything is dead, so it is a barren garden, but still beautiful in that winter way and way that I guess maybe only an Oregonian can appreciate.

Here is another thing to truly know about how I travel and Jerry is the same way.

1. Once you have seen two or three Cathedrals they all begin to look the same, so only go to the big ones.

2. Museums are great, but my brain can only take at most 3 hours, so go early and map out your viewing choices.

3. The sheer history of Europe is overwhelming, everywhere you look there is something to see, and so take your time walk when you can (assuming you don’t have my feet)

That being said an hour in the Rodin was perfect. We walked by the Gates of Hell, The Thinker and many others.

Invalides

Directly across the street from the Rodin, is the Invalides. This is a massive complex, marked by the large Gold Gilded Dome. Under the Dome is the tomb of the little emperor himself. Yes, Napoleon’s Tomb is here. As well as several museums, if you’re a fan of all things Military. This is also on the Paris Pass. (From now on I will just use PP when something is covered by the pass). The tomb itself is very large, much too large for the little emperor, but they didn’t going Napoleon Complex for nothing. There is also a church and a veteran’s hospital in the complex. It is surrounded by gardens. The building was originally built as a hospital for the military during Napoleon’s rein to take care of the wounded during all of the wars that Napoleon was always waging.

After our quick tour of the Invalides we strolled back towards Rue Cler. Bruce had texted earlier that he had landed so we were headed back to meet up with him and have lunch with Bruce. As we were strolling down the street who did we run into but Bruce, looking lost and tired. He had managed to get himself turned around after getting off the metro, as did we when we first arrived. We walked him too his hotel, which is 2 blocks from our just on the other side of Rue Cler, but on the corner of Champ De Mars. He checked in and took his bags to his room. We then decided on lunch at Café Du Marche, the café at the corner of our street, Rue Camp de Mars, and Rue Cler. This is the café that is always busy.

Bruce had a nice salad (healthy for France) with Jamon (ham), endive etc. Jerry had an excellent vegetable Quiche and I had the Plat du Jour, which was a steak with herb butter and potatoes dauphinos (kind of like scalloped potatoes but not really) All was excellent.

Musée des Égouts de Paris (PP)

So after this great lunch we got on the Metro and headed for our next museum. Now it is in French for a reason. We just had lunch and what are we going to take a tour of the Sewers of Paris. Why because there sewers are one of a kind and like no others in the world. Also, they are an intricate part of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables the hero Jean Valjean used the sewers to escape prison, Napoleon in fact order their construction as Paris was growing and the people were dying of disease. After world War II hundreds of hand grenades were found and yes the Rats live there too. It was very interesting and at times not so pleasant to smell, but it was interesting. The sewers actually run above the Metro all of the water is filtered and cleaned before being returned to the Seine and the drinking water is taken back out of the Seine, and the water here is not bad, not Portland by any stretch, but you can drink it without fear.

Bateaux Parisiens (PP)

Next on our itinerary was a cruise on the Seine. We walked along the Seine from the Egouts to the starting point of the cruise. We had originally scheduled to do this the other day, but it was to cold and I thought it would be one where we would be outside. I was mistaken, the tours that our outside, double decker like a bus, are operated by Bateaux Moches, not the company we were using. So we got to stay warm and be inside but yet see because it was all flexi-glass. There was an audio guide as well that explained the history and the sties. It was pretty touristy, but there is nothing like Paris from the river and I did learn a few things. The most amazing part of the cruise was that the main pursue spoke 5 languages, he rattled off the initial introduction in French, English, Spanish, Italian and Russian. I can hardly speak English let alone the other 4.

The one thing I did learn that I had not known prior to this cruise was that Hitler had plans to destroy all of Paris. Once the allied forces at landed in Normandy, Hitler had given orders to mine all the bridges, Notre Dame, The Eifel Tower, the Louvre, etc., and blow them up before the allied troupes could arrive. However, a German general, I cannot remember or spell his name, defied Hitler and refused to destroy Paris.

At this point, we had several more things planned for the day, but Bruce was getting tired after the long flight and opted to go back to the room and rest until dinner. Jerry and I in our usual tradition, carried on, my feet would live to regret this decision.

Ave. Foch

From the sewers to the Park Avenue of Paris

We headed to the Metro to head toward the Arc de Triomphe and the upper crust neighbor hood the lines Ave. Foch. When we got to the Eitole metro stop, which was the end of the line for the number 6, we were basically under the large round about that surrounds the Arc de Triomphe. If you go out the wrong sortie (exit) you will never get to where you want to be without going back down to the metro. To get to the exit for Ave. Foch, we basically walked the complete circle of the Eitole up and down stairs, until at last we reached our sortie. Also at this exit was a bowling alley and billiards lounge. The last thing I expected to see in Paris was a bowling alley.

Ave Foch is a wide street much like Park Avenue in New York with trees on both sides of the street and very large former mansions. In the late 1800 and early 1900’s each building would have been someone’s mansion. Today most have been converted to luxury apartments housing several wealth Parisians not just one family. There are a few mansions left on the avenue, one is now an embassy.

I do want to clarify, so the pictures are not confusing. Mansions in Paris much like New York are not huge houses with huge yards like in Newport Road Island. But they are large structures built close if not next to each other and if there is a yard it is in the back out of view from the public.

Parc Monceau

From Ave Foch we returned to the metro and headed to Parc Monceau, this would be the Central Park of Paris, but only about ¼ or less of the size. The Park is completely gated with strict opening and closing hours. No on is strolling this park after closing. Surrounding the park are again homes of the wealthy. It was a Sunday so there was lots of activity in the Park, joggers, families with their nannies and children, children playing on the grass. Few tourists come here, this is truly a place of the locals, but it is worth the trip as it is one of the few green spaces in Paris.

We walked through the park as the main reason for us to be in this area was so Jerry could find the former studio of EJ Rulmann a famous art deco furniture maker in the early 1900’s. Unlike some of the Jazz clubs we searched for yesterday, this was still where it was suppose to be. It is no longer his office and studio, but there is a plaque marking the spot.

Arc de Triomphe

From there we tried to find the café we discovered 6 years ago and learn that tap water was ok to drink in Paris (and much less expensive the bottled). We walked for several bocks looking for familiar landmarks, made several wrong turns, but did manage to find it. It was closed; pretty much everything was closed in this area because it was Sunday. It very much reminded me of the Upper East Side in New York.

While the café may have been closed it was right next to the metro stop that would take us back to our last site of the day, The Arc De Triomphe (PP). This would prove to be a personal challenge for me.

The Arc sits in the middle of one of the worst round a bout in Paris, the traffic is insane. There is no above ground pedestrian crossing; you must use one of the two underground tunnels to get there. At the base is the grave of the unknown solider, the flame is relit each night with a big ceremony. To get to the top you must walk, unless you are in a wheel chair then there is an elevator. We are not handicapped so we walked the 284 spiral stairs to the top. Do this everyday and you loose all the weight you need to and have great legs. I told myself not to look up because that would only discourage me on how far I had to go. I made it half way, and then had to rest; my legs were burning and heart pounding. We stopped two more times before making it to the top. At this level, there is a small museum. I guess I should say a little bit about the Arc itself. It was ordered constructed by Napoleon (who else) as a monument to honor himself. He however did not live to see it completed as he was in exile at the time. After he died and was finally returned to Pairs, his body was taken under the Arc and then to his eternal resting place.

After the small museum there are about 3 more flights of stairs to get to the very top. The views are of course spectacular. You can see the Eifel Tower, Sacre Coeur, La Defense, Montparnasse Tower, etc. We specifically went at night as previously I had only been during the day.

From there we returned to hour hotel to get ready for dinner. We met back up with Bruce and headed to the St. Germaine des Pres area of Paris. We were looking for La Bastide Odeon. We made a couple of wrong turns but with Bruce’s goggle app and Jerry’s almost perfect since of direction we found it. The hours were until 10:30 but everyone else was finishing up and it was Sunday night (very hard to find a restaurant in Paris open on Sunday night) but they seated us. The meal got of to a great start, Jerry had a tomato tart with mesculin, Bruce had foie gras (the first of several in the next few days, which as you will see becomes his downfall), I had a green lentil soup with foie gras melted into it on top. All were excellent. The Plats, were also good, I had lamb, and it was overcooked so I sent it back, it came back over cooked again, so I just ate it. It was tasty, but would have been better if it had been cooked properly. Bruce had a Coq (chicken) with a wonderful garlic sauce and jerry had steak. I don’t remember our desserts, and Bruce got a way with the receipt which usually is how I remember everything.

After dinner we strolled back to the Metro and the home. The next day was a day out side of Paris in Champagne.

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Photos

Invalides
20 pounds of gold on the dome

Lunch
Jerry's Quiche

Studio
EJ Rhulman's Studio

Champs-Elysees
The view from the top

The Eiffel Tower
Proof I made it to the top