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Published: March 13th 2010
Paris at Sunset
My favorite photo from the trip! Taken at the Pompidou Centre. Bon Matin Paris! You are so nice to wake up to😊
Since we had a lot to explore,we got an early start. Once again,it was a sunny 70 degrees-that perfect temperature where it doesn't feel like anything at all. We kept hearing how unusual this was for the time of year,so we wanted to get as much in while the weather cooperated.
I still hadn't been to a proper Parisian cafe,so I dragged Giles to the Rue Cler block that was so highly recommended. I can see why-with no cars on the cobblestone street,people were free to wander into cafes,little shops,and the several fresh food markets bunched in between.According to the guidebook,Monday was supposed to be a "sleepy" day on Rue Cler-it was slumbering as much as an average Manhattan street,I would say. Between the scent of fresh pastries,cheeses,fruits, and meats wafting through the mild breeze,I was tempted to grab some food for a picnic-but instead,the umbrellas and multicolored chiars of the cafes beckoned.
We chose one at random,Cafe Central,that looked especially lively.They had a good size brunch menu for
Cafe Central
Our favorite morning stop on Rue Cler decent prices (about 5-10 euros a plate) and the service was great.Plus,we had no problem securing a table steetside,and there was plenty to see walking to Rue Cler. We ended up eating breakfast here the remainder of the mornings of our trip!
After breakfast,we did grab a few items from the markets since we wanted to do a picnic later in Luxembourg Gardens.Then we hopped on the Metro and headed away from the beaten path,back to the 16th.Giles had wanted to visit this park near where he had lived,Bois de Bologne.
Sidenote:This is where we had another guidebook misunderstanding. At this time,he had purchased a carnet of tickets,thinking it would last him a majority of the trip(he was going back a day earlier thna I was). Now,I don't have the book in front of me at the moment (lent it to my niece to research for our upcoming trip!),but I do recall that it stated that you could make multiple transfers on a single ticket,under a certain timeframe.I do forget if it was 30,60,or 90 minutes-its been a few months since the trip-but I was aware of the time limit at the time.In any case,the
first leg of our trip consisted of two transfers to get to the Bois de Bologne from where we were at,and it did take less than 30 minutes.However,when Giles went to use the ticket on the third train,it was rejected. After multiple attempts,we went to the ticket booth who told us that the ticket was expired-apparently,it was only good for ONE transfer. Long story short-during the travels of the day,we ate up the entire carnet.We promptly purchased a 2 day Paris Visite pass for him the next morning.As I said-worth their weight in gold-don't waste euros on the carnets!!!
Once we arrived at the Bois de Bologne,we wandered around-its a large,pleasant park,off the beaten path,with a couple of giant lakes in the middle.There are paddleboat and canoe rides,and a restaurant on one side of the side overlooking these.We walked alongside on a path peppered with joggers,bikers,and dogs. There was a basic carnival set up near the entrance,which Giles found to be a little on the trashy side(actually he kept saying it "junked up the place") but I'm sure its a hit with the local kids😊
After strolling through the park,we meandered back out into the neighborhood
and had to walk a bit to the nearest Metro station,then we were off the the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elysses!! We climbed out of the station and we smack onto the Champs-Elysses.Wow! We found the underground tunnel to get to the Arc,and soon were standing under the mammoth monument. At first,we walked around looking at the sculptures on the sides(Giles jokingly covered my eyes at some-lets just say the French like to put there men all out there).Then it was off to find the entrance for the top.After watching Giles use his best "Frenglish" to buy a Musuem Pass,we ascended the staircase. Yeah.I read about these in several books,but theres nothing QUITE like seeing-or climbing-an endless,coffinlike,spiraly staircase for yourself.(And I'm not prone to claustrophobia or vertigo either-so if you are,consider yourself warned!) It was especially fun when you were making the hike with either a really slow group ahead of you.
Roughly 200 steps later,there was a break,and we entered a small museum like area with a gift shop and restrooms.We explored it for a moment-they have a lot of historical artifacts and info on good old Napoleon and his penchant for battles. Then it was
time to complete the final jaunt up to the top,not quite as bad as the first leg. About 100(?) steps later,we came to a steel door,opened it-and there we were! The city of Paris lay before us,from the Eiffel Tower to Sacre Coeur to the modern downtown buildings.It's definately a must see view-especially looking at the Champs-Elysses sprawled out before us,trees perfectly lined up and the shops beckoning(well,to me at least.) Another amusing site-watching the cars battle for right of way on the roundabout surrounding the Arc.I've read that many accidents occur here-easy to understand.
After some photo ops and city gazing,we descended and headed onto the Champs. I wanted to get a pic of us in front of the Arc,so I scanned the crowd and asked a guy who was standing by himself if he would take a photo for us. He did so without fuss,and afterwards Giles freaked out,saying that the guy looked weird b/c he was standing alone staring into space(although he had sunglasses on,so who could tell?) He also pointed out that it was odd that he didnt say a word during the entire exchange. I countered that if he were some sort of
Giles,Stacey,and The Arc
Otherwise known as the photo that almost got us killed(acc. to Giles) terrorist he probably wouldn't have bothered to acknowledge me when I asked. Since we survived,and no major catastrophes occured shortly after,I think I have been proven right.
Strolling the Champs was probably NOT Giles favorite part of the journey,and I did try to keep ducking into stores at a minimum,since I planned to come back Thursday after he left for the airport. I did drag him into the Louis Vuitton store,but quickly dragged him back out after he openly squawked,"Who would pay *** for stupid bag??" I'm guessing from the evil glares on the guards faces,most men are better indoctrined before setting foot in the store.
Anyway,we walked the length of the boulevard down to the Place de la Concorde,stopping to buy some sandwiches for our picnic. Hard to believe we were at the sight where so many lost their heads-literally! We then found the Metro and began a long trek over to Luxembourg Gardens.
The Luxembourg Gardens is yet another picturesque park,this one being in the 6th arrondisement.We strolled through,admiring the flawless green lawns,flowers,and fountains. Quickly,we discovered why they remained so immaculate-they dont allow people to walk or sit on much of
Luxembourg Gardens
One of the "people free" areas them! Instead they had a rectangular section of greenery set aside for picnickers. It was a bit crowded,being that it was so nice out,but we found an area near the back and settled in nicely. We spent the next couple of hours enjoying our picnic and resting in the sun a bit.
Once we had recharged a bit,we debated on squeezing in one more quick activity for the day. It was Giles brother's birthday,so we were going out to dinner with he and his wife a few hours later.There wasn't enough time to hit a major sight like Sacre-Coeur,or go back to Saint-Chappelle/Notre Dame. I was saving most of my museum trips for Thursday,as I knew this wouldn't be an activity that Giles would particularly enjoy. However,he said he wouldnt mind going to "a quick one." After some research,we figured we were somewhat close to the Pompidou Centre,so we decided to head over there.
On our way out,we had our next cultural experience with the European bathrooms. We found one near the museum/house before leaving the Gardens.As we walked down a few steps into a cottage like building,we found a couple of women with baskets saying"50
Luxembourg Museum
The 50 cent restroom is on the right:) cents." Looking at each other puzzled,we figured it was a donation or something for the park. Not so much-it was the fee for the bathroom! After paying it, we waited in line,spotting men and women up ahead going into separate doors. As we got closer,we realized-these weren't separate BATHROOMS.Each door opened up to a few toilet stalls,but there was a common area with sinks in between the two.And with the line of people waiting at the opening of the sink area,everyone had a clear view into the restrooms once the doors opened. The ladies toilets weren't AS bad,but the mens had a full on view of the urinals every time the door opened.Needless to say,we were a little taken aback.
After that enlightening experience,we headed over to the Pompidou Centre. We got a bit turned around when the Metro stop left us in the middle of some mall,but we found our way out,and were only a couple of blocks from the Pompidou. We ended up at the building,which looked as oddly as it was described. It was "inside out"-the plumbing,electric,etc was on the outside,so there was a rainbow of colored pipes zigzagging on the glass building.The hill in
front of the museum was littered with artists,guitar players,and people just lounging on blankets.
Upon entering the museum,we had to check our bags and go through a small security scanner.I wasn't sure what all we would find in there,as neother of us are big on modern art-I had mainly wanted to see the building.But we figured we would have a good time wandering around.First we found a floor witha lot of Andy Warhol-like paintings.Then we ended up on another floor with several rooms featuring some rather explicit paintings that looked like they had been created in an OBGYN's office.When we ended up in a room with a video version of the same,we decided that our foray into modern art was finished.
On our way out,the sun was starting to set,and I took my favoite photo of Paris from the glass escalator of the musuem.
Several Metro connections later,we met of up Giles brother and sister-in-law for dinner.We went to the Fontaine de Mars,which was a few blocks from there apartment in the 7th.Ironically,President Obama had dined there a few weeks prior,during a visit to Paris. It was a very trendy yet traditional French restaurant,and we ate outside.The food was excellent,I had a chicken dish with some type of sauce-delicious! We had a small mishap when one of the waiters dropped a silver tray behind me that brushed against my neck-the poor guy was mortified! Luckily,it startled me more than anything.
We concluded the evening with a stroll back to the apartment,then Giles and I walked along the Seine for a bit and admired the twinkling lights on the bridges and boats.Another perfect Parisian evening!
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Ernie
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people
How was the weather when you were there????????????? How was the food and the people .What was it like to be in a differnt place and how long do u think that you need to stay out there to really get a feel for the place.????