An Afternoon in Paris--Part 2

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A Bit of Practical Info

Public restrooms that don't require admission to something else first can be scarce in Paris. In an emergency, I've used those gray metal cylinders on the sidewalks—the ones that automatically clean themselves after every customer—but I find them damp and a little scary, and they aren't plentiful either. The conventional solution is to stop at a cafe, then (1) order a beverage and (2) use the facilities. Doing 2 without 1 is frowned upon, and some places even post a notice forbidding it.

In the Louvre area, there's a quick pit stop in the Carrousel du Louvre, a modern shopping mall beneath the great museum. Visits used to be free, but since my last trip to Paris (September 08), the mall has subbed-out management of their restrooms to the contractor WC-Point and a visit now costs a euro. It's worth it, though, because you get a freshly cleaned-since-the-previous-user, gorgeously painted, well-lit, plentifully stocked, and sweet-smelling accommodation.

While we are on the subject of les toilettes (and I promise it's my final word on the subject), check out these two photos of restrooms next to baggage claim at Charles de Gaulle. There's even one for little kids, with kid-sized fixtures.

Quicker Access to Louvre?

After freshening up, I browsed around the Carrousel, people-watching mostly. The shops there offer pretty much the same wares you'd find in, say, a north Atlanta shopping center. Beyond the mall is a cavernous hallway leading to what a French friend tells me is an entrance to the Louvre less crowded than the main one at the Pei pyramid above ground. (Can't verify, though. Haven't actually visited the Louvre yet.) On your left as you walk toward the museum, you can see the excavated remains of the wall that once surrounded Paris.

Hot Chocolate

From the Carrousel, I rode the escalator back up to the street—the always-throbbing rue de Rivoli. By that time, I was beginning to feel a little peaked, so I picked up the pace and set the autopilot for Angelina's, where I had in mind a pot of their African hot chocolate served with a side of whipped crème. I wasn't the only one with the idea, though: a queue of tourists was snaking out the door. I took my place in line but then decided to reserve Angelina's for another day, and cut across Rivoli into the Tuilleries, picking up white dust from the paths on my shoes.

In my opinion the Tuilleries is overrated as a public space, especially in comparison to other Paris parks. Certainly there are pleasant spots, and a broad mall where you can see the Arc de Triomphe at one end and the Louvre at the other, but it's hard to disguise the fact that Tuilleries is just a filled-in swamp gridded with allees of tired city trees too alike to be interesting. I did appreciate this statue of a proudly fleshy woman, though.

The most pleasant route over the Seine is by the wooden footbridge Passerelle Solferino. Mid-bridge a vendor of padlocks—his wares hooked to the bridge's wire fence—shared caresses with a lady. The couple was well past 50 and they were frankly passionate for each other. The sight of them did me a world of good.

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Photos

Entrance to Passerelle Solferino from Tuilleries
From the gardens, you go through an underground tunnel to emerge on the footbridge.

Lock merchant and his lady
Notice the padlocks displayed on the wires.

Comments

[Ta soeur]

Ma soeur, the travel writer
This was a good one. It brought back memories of last year. I think we had just had lunch with Hildi when we did the Carrousel and the foot bridge. What a fun day that was. Loved the pics. J'aime beaucoup Paris!!!

[tinka]

Encore!
Very interesting and engaging. The mix of photos, description, and dry humour make a tasty pate'.