Advertisement
Published: August 30th 2013
I am posting 87 photos with today's blog entry so be sure to continue scrolling on down after the writing ends to see all of them.
We are staying in the beautiful Passy neighbourhood, across the Seine river and east of the Eiffel Tower. We never seem to tire of wandering our nearby narrow streets and cobblestone lanes and exploring the small shops around us. It seems that there are few straight lines in Paris. The roof-tops are a jumble of triangular and rectangular sections all at intersecting angles or curved, honeycomb shapes, all covering attics with apartment windows in all of them for the people living at the top of Paris. The streets are curved as are many of the buildings and it seems that every other “corner” is a roundabout with at least five or six streets going off on their own curved paths, with awning covered small round tables spilling out of the cafes all around the corners with people enjoying their lattes or wine all facing across the sidewalks into the roundabout, engrossed in conversation with their friends, waving their hands, or reading the paper or people watching. The buildings average about 5 or 6 stories
and are mostly lighter in colour than in London, usually plastered and painted light pastel shades over the bricks, and covered in delicate, intricate wrought iron railings across the many balconies and terraces with window boxes full of pink, white, yellow and red flowers.
Chris and I decided to follow one of Rick Steves' recommendations today to take bus #69 for a cheap city tour. We walked a few blocks to the Passy train station and bought a pack of ten tickets called "carnet". You can use them to ride the Metro (tube, subway), train or bus. And instead of each ride costing 1.70 Euro it's only $1.30. We had Rick's tour commentary from his book in my Blackberry Playbook so we were all set for our city tour.
We made our way walking along the Seine towards the Eiffel Tower where the first stop for the bus is. Okay, I admit it; I took a FEW more photos of the Eiffel Tower while we were in the area, but I'll only post one or two this time. 😊
Between the Eiffel Tower and the Parc du Champ de Mars behind it, there is a street, "Ave.
J. Bouvard", cutting across that is FULL of tour buses. We wandered up and down the street until we eventually found bus 69 parked at a bus stop at the north end of the block. We managed to get a right side rear area seat as per Rick's suggestion and we were off. Rick's tour notes give a great city tour, giving us information and commentary at each point of interest along the way.
The bus route was 52 minutes long and passed by numerous top sights and neighbourhoods giving us a pretty good feel for what there was to see and where everything was situated. The bus line ends at the Pere Lachaise Cemetary where you have to get off and either change buses, have a glass of wine or a snack at the many sidewalk cafes in the area or tour the cemetery which is what we chose to do.
It's a huge and beautiful park-like setting with mostly above-ground mausoleums as well as a chapel with a working crematorium and a crypt with about 20,000 cremated remains. We toured the cemetery and found the grave sights of Frederic Chopin, Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein and Jim
Morrison.
We got a little turned around coming out the far side from where we started and it took us about an hour in the rain pouring down off and on to find our way back to the bus stops. We finally made it though and rode bus 69 all the way back to the Eiffel Tower. It takes a slightly different route going back, going right through the grounds of the Louvre so it's well worth taking it both ways. After a 20 minute walk home from here we went into the Marche de Passy, a small market place near our apartment. Chris shopped the cheese stall, veggie, fruit and seafood (we bought some beautiful salmon) and we went "home" to have our first real meal in our Paris apartment. The weather had cleared nicely so we ate out on the terrace with a beautiful view of Paris as the sun set.
Wednesday morning we decided to all meet at Notre Dame Cathedral. Garth & Sue walked to the Eiffel Tower to pick up on their Hop-on, Hop-off tour for a free ride and we started walking a block to the Bouainvilliers train station. Okay, that's not
Berthillon Ice Cream
Best ice cream in Paris!quite true. We started by walking in the wrong direction then I tried to get us there with a short cut..... okay long story short, I finally bought us a map after wandering around for an hour before we finally found the train station one block away from our apartment!
The train took ten minutes to get us within a block of the cathedral where Garth & Sue were waiting for us along with thousands of other tourists. There was a steady line of people filing into the cathedral so we joined them to enter for a free look around. There are volunteers giving tours in various languages but none available on this particular day so Chris picked up the $5 Euro audio guide. There was a mass in progress while the thousands of visitors slowly walked around the outside aisles so it made it difficult to be positioned in the correct locations to match the audio guide but it still provided some helpful information.
The cathedral is widely considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture and among the largest and most well-known church buildings in the world. The naturalism of its sculptures
and stained glass are in contrast with earlier Romanesque architecture.
As the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Paris, Notre-Dame is the parish that contains the cathedra, or official chair, of the archbishop of Paris, currently Archbishop André Vingt-Trois. The cathedral treasury is notable for its reliquary which houses some of Catholicism's most important first-class relics including the purported Crown of Thorns, a fragment of the True Cross, and one of the Holy Nails. We plan on buying a Paris Museum Pass next week which gives us 6 days of free admission to many museums, including this treasury, and immediate entry past the lineups so we skipped seeing this for today.
In the 1790s, Notre-Dame suffered desecration during the radical phase of the French Revolution when much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. An extensive restoration supervised by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc began in 1845. A project of further restoration and maintenance began in 1991.
Notre-Dame de Paris was among the first buildings in the world to use the flying buttress (arched exterior supports). The building was not originally designed to include the flying buttresses around the choir and nave but after the construction began, the thinner walls
(popularized in the Gothic style) grew ever higher and stress fractures began to occur as the walls pushed outward. In response, the cathedral's architects built supports around the outside walls, and later additions continued the pattern.
Many small individually crafted statues were placed around the outside to serve as column supports and water spouts. Among these are the famous gargoyles, designed for water run-off, and chimeras. The statues were originally colored as was most of the exterior. The paint has worn off, but the grey stone was once covered with vivid colors. The cathedral was essentially complete by 1345. The cathedral has a narrow climb of 387 steps at the top of several spiral staircases; along the climb it is possible to view its most famous bell and its gargoyles in close quarters, as well as having a spectacular view across Paris when reaching the top. Our museum pass will also give us free admission here next week but not entry past the lineup which had hundreds of people waiting for what seemed to be hours today so we may skip this.
Notre Dame Cathedral is actually on an island in the Seine, Ile de la Cite, and
Lovers padlocks on Pont des Arts
You can buy these locks (cadenas) from the vendors along the sidewalk for about $5 Euros. this is connected by bridges to a smaller island, Ile Saint Louis. We crossed to Ile St. Louis and followed another Rick Steves' recommendation to buy ice cream cones at the foot of the bridge at the famous Berthillon ice cream parlour. After this we walked along the right bank for several blocks past all the green stalls selling secondhand books along the wall separating the sidewalk from the drop to the Seine. Booksellers first started setting up here back in the 16th century. Besides used books you will also find old and collectible magazines and posters.
We briefly crossed back over Pont Neuf bridge back to Ile de la Cite and took the steps down to the very tip of this island and onto the Square du Vert Galant. Erected in tribute to Henri IV and his numerous mistresses, the Square du Vert Galant obtained the ‘Espace vert écologique' (ecological green space) label in 2007. And with good reason, the square has an impressive fauna and flora considering it is situated in the centre of the capital. Consequently, the Square du Vert Galant has become one of the most popular places for romantic strolls where loving couples enjoy
little boat trips and wonderful views of the Seine, the Musée du Louvre and the Hôtel de la Monnaie.
After walking a little further along the Right Bank we crossed back to the Left Bank over Pont des Arts bridge which is covered with padlocks. For those of you who haven’t heard of them, here's the story. A couple writes their names on a padlock and locks it onto one of the bridges. They then throw the key into the Seine River as a symbol of their undying love. The locks on the Pont des Arts near the Louvre were mysteriously cut off in 2010, reportedly by the government. But romance beats politics in Paris and the locks can now be seen on two Paris bridges: Pont des Arts and Pont de l'Archevêché and it is also beginning on Pont Neuf.
Along the Left Bank there are also some booksellers but you will also see small art prints and souvenirs. We walked along here for a couple of blocks until we found the RER train station in the Air France building, the Invalides stop, and hopped aboard with another carnet ticket and were back at the Bouilainvilliers station
a block from our apartment in 10 minutes.
A quick stop at the Marche Passy to pick up some cold cuts and cheese and we returned home to have our evening supper snacks on the rooftop terrace along with the wonderful bottle of champagne that our hosts left for us.
Thursday morning was warm and sunny again. Chris and I started out today walking along the Seine for a few blocks up to the unofficial memorial area set up for Princess Diana above the tunnel entrance where she lost her life in the crash on August 31, 1997, at the center of Place de l' Alma, located at the Right Bank end of Pont de l'Alma. The flame replica monument was a gift from the American Friends of France (and the International Herald Tribune) in 1987 as a token of thanks for France's gift of the Statue of Liberty. There are numerous notes of condolences taped to the monument and written all along the cement walls around and over the tunnel entrance.
From here we walked up Avenue Marceau for a few blocks straight to the Arc de Triomphe. It's a huge, and very imposing and impressive
structure in the middle of a very large and open roundabout with ten streets meeting at its centre. The Arc de Triomphe stands 49.5 m tall, 45 m wide and 22 m deep.
The Arc de Triomphe Paris, the most monumental of all triumphal arches, was built between 1806 and 1836. It stands at the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle, also known as the "Place de l'Étoile". It’s located at the western end of the Champs-Élysées. The arches whole decorative style is entirely of the tradition of sculpture from the first half of the nineteenth century.
The triumphal arch is in honor of those who fought for France, in particular, those who fought during the Napoleonic Wars. Engraved on the inside and at the top of the arch are all of the names of the generals and wars fought. There are inscriptions in the ground underneath the vault of the arch which include the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I where the Memorial Flame burns and have made the Arc de Triomphe Paris a revered patriotic site.
The monument is considered the linchpin of the historic axis — a sequence of monuments
and grand thoroughfares on a route which stretches from the courtyard of the Louvre Palace to the outskirts of Paris.
We began our walk here down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées which runs for about 2 km from the Place de la Concorde in the east, with the Obelisk of Luxor to the Arc de Triomphe. The Champs-Élysées forms part of the Axe historique.
One of the principal tourist destinations in Paris, the lower part of the Champs-Élysées is bordered by greenery (Carré Marigny) and by buildings such as the Théâtre Marigny and the Grand Palais (containing the Palais de la Découverte). The Élysée Palace is slightly to the north, but not on the avenue itself. Further to the west, the avenue is lined with cinemas, cafés and restaurants, and luxury specialty shops. The Champs-Élysées ends at the Arc de Triomphe.
The Champs-Élysées was originally fields and market gardens, until 1616, when Marie de' Medici decided to extend the axis of the Tuileries Garden with an avenue of trees. The avenue was transformed by the landscape architect André Le Nôtre in 1667 according to the wishes of Louis XIV. It was commissioned in 1670 and was then called
"Grand Cours" (the Great Course) and wouldn’t take the name of Champs-Élysées until 1709.
Because of the high rents, few people live on the Champs-Élysées; the upper stories tend to be occupied by offices. Rents are particularly high on the north side of the Avenue, because of better exposure to sunlight. The baroque-influenced regular architecture of the grandiose Champs-Élysées is typical of the Haussmann boulevard architecture of the Second Empire and Third Republic.
The Avenue is also one of the most famous streets in the world for upscale shopping. Adidas, Benetton, the Disney Store, Nike, Zara, H&M, Cartier, Bel Air Fashion, Toyota, continental Europe's largest Gap, and Sephora occupy major spaces. Traditionally home to popular brands, as well as luxury brands Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss, Lancel, Guerlain, Lacoste, Hôtel de la Païva, Élysée Palace and Fouquet's.
It was a crowded walk around all the other tourists and café tables (including McDonalds!) across the sidewalks for a few blocks until we were past all of the stores. We stopped for a picnic lunch along with dozens of Parisiens, on a bench in the park in front of the Palais de l'Elesee (the Presidential Palace). After lunch we crossed
the street to take pictures of the Grand Palais and the ornately decorated Alexandre III bridge then we toured the gallery and museum inside of the Petit Palais which houses 1300 works from the antiquity through the early 20th century, featuring masterpieces by Courbet, Cezanne, Monet, and Delacroix. Both palaces are museums built for the World Exposition in 1900.
Leaving the Petit Palais we walked across Place de l'Alma and over Pont de l'Alma bridge and caught our train at the nearby RER station to return home. A quick stop at the Mono Prix grocery market to buy supplies for a pasta dinner on our terrace to end the day.
Friday morning was another beautiful sunny day but we decided to stay a little closer to home so we walked only a few blocks to the Musee Marmottan Monet. $10 Euros each got us into this beautiful mansion full of art from Monet, Pissarro, Sisley, Renoir, Morisot and others. Luckily we arrived at the 10:00AM opening time as the tour buses started rolling in an hour later and the place began to get crowded just as we were finishing our viewing.
Originally built as a hunting lodge
in the 1800's, it was inherited in 1883 by the art historian and noted collector Paul Marmottan. He transformed it into a sumptuous private house filled with a large collection of paintings, drawings, prints, books, sculpture and furniture and bequeathed it on his death in 1932 to the Academie des Beaux-Arts for the creation of a museum in his name.
We stopped by the markets on the way home to pick up some veggies and rabbit for dinner then stayed home for the afternoon, Chris doing laundry and me writing. This evening Chris prepared Lapin Confit (rabbit) and it was fantastic! Chris is really enjoying shopping the local markets for fresh ingredients and exploring her cooking skills.
After a wonderful dinner we had trifle that she whipped up this afternoon and coffee. We had planned on a city light bus tour this evening but we're so relaxed and satisfied (and tired) after another day of walking and a fabulous meal, that we're just staying put tonight. We'll see what tomorrow brings! 😊
Advertisement
Tot: 0.067s; Tpl: 0.029s; cc: 8; qc: 20; dbt: 0.029s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Milton
non-member comment
The blonde looks great.