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Published: September 2nd 2009
Je m’balladais sur l’avenue
Le Coeur ouvert a l’inconnu
J’avais envie de dire bonjour a n’importe qui …
And this is where the similarities between me and Joe Dassin ended … This is essentially a song about a night-one stand he had with a girl he met on the Champs-Elysees. Not exactly what I was going for here on my last day in Paris! But it is where my day began …
Oh Champs-Elysees
Au soleil, Sous la pluis
A midi ou a minuit
Il y a tout ce que vous voulez au Champs-Elysees!!
I took the subway to the George V metro station which allowed me to stroll up the Champs-Elysees towards the Arc de Triomphe. This avenue is a major artery in Paris and it is lined with shops that I sadly cannot afford (think Hugo Boss, Gucci, Chanel …) but window shopping is free so I did peak in a few windows! I may have left a nose print or two.
From there, I took the underground passageway which takes you across to the Place Charles de Gaulle and the Arc de Triomphe. Contrary to the fact that I thought that the pyramid at the Louvre was much smaller than I had imagined it; this was much larger. It was commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 but was only completed much later in 1836 and therefore after his death. It is said that his only chance to pass under this beautiful arch was when his body was brought back to Paris in 1840 to be reburied at Les Invalides. Directly underneath the arch is the tomb of the Unknown Soldier with an eternal flame which is re-lit every night during a wreath laying ceremony.
I had decided to go up the Arc de Triomphe in order to get the sense of all the boulevards converging onto that one central point or as it is referred to “l’etoile”. The guide book referred to a short elevator ride however that would be mistaken and the ascent to the platform high above the Arc de Triomphe is via stairs; all 284 of them! It is narrow, dark and a circular stairwell and it was there that I had one of my classic klutzy moments. Thinking that a photo looking all the way down the spiral staircase would be interesting, I moved up against the wall to not block traffic and pulled my camera out of my backpack. As I did so, the lens hood (which I have never ever ever ever used I might add… this trip is the first time that I have attached it to my lens!!) went flinging off and essentially fell down the middle of the spiral staircase. You heard it bopping down as it hit the railings. Putain … this is why I was leaning against the wall! I had visions of being dragged back down by the Gendarmes because they thought I was unruly or worst yet injuring some small child who just happened to find it interesting that the stairs went round and round. Imagine my surprise when a few minutes later, this woman comes up the stairs with the lens hood in her hands and she asks me if this is mine!!! Mais c’est sympa!
The view is amazing. First, it is the best view of the Eiffel Tower. You, of course, see up the Champs-Elysees all the way down to the obelisk of Place de la Concorde on one side. On the opposite side, you can see all the way down to the Grande Arche de la Defense, which is this modern building that is shaped like an archway and is said to be so big that the Notre-Dame Cathedral could fit underneath. It is also the third arch which makes up Triumphal way.
I made my way back down the stairs holding on tightly to my stuff and then got back on the subway to my next destination, Musee du Parfum Fragonard. I got there and the French tour was well underway and the English tour was just about to begin. The girl made a comment about the group being sizeable. Well … this is a small museum and I definitely wanted to hear what was being said and it just wasn’t happening. So I went back down to the reception and said I would come back a little later in the day.
I walked around a bit, stopped at an internet café to quickly check my email (four photo sales in four days …woohooo!) and then grabbed some sushi and a glass of wine (well it was more like two … it was a small bottle … the menu wasn’t clear, what can I say!). So no longer hungry and slightly tipsy, I made my way back to the Musee du Parfum Fragonard. Fragonard is a family run perfume house that has been passed down from generation to generation since 1926. Although not necessarily a recognizable name, they provide known perfume houses with essences and have contributed to some well known perfumes. They import from all over the world including Canada from which they import pine. They do no advertising and do not invest in any marketing in order to keep the price as low as possible. This means that all of the bottles for all of their fragrances are identical. The tour essentially takes you through the different processes used to make perfumes as well as the evolution of the use of perfumes (originally used for religious and medicinal purposes and then much later on moved on to being a sign of wealth and beauty). They also had an extensive collection of jars and bottles and how they too evolved over time. The guide also had us play a game and identify fragrances … well I got coffee and chocolate right! I say it was the wine … professional perfumers are not allowed to drink, smoke or eat spicy foods and their career span is only 20 years. So I did end up splurging and bought two small fragrances … Diamant and Eau Fantasque.
From there, I had planned on completely crossing the city and visiting the catacombs but realized as I was looking up on how to get there that they were closed on Mondays. I completely lose track of what day it is when I travel … means I am having a good time!! I have honestly just been counting days … I know that this is day five. Day six …go home!
So at this point, I was at a bit of a loss as to what I would do next. The catacombs were pretty much the last thing on the list. My friend Jessica had said … when a girl gets tired of Paris, she is tired of life. No no no … that just can’t be!!! So I decided to end my Paris visit in my little piece of heaven (well my actual piece of heaven is in the pool at the Palm Village Resort in Cambodia …oh bliss!). The Jardins du Luxembourg sure is a close second though … so I hopped on the subway and made my way back to this beautiful park. I grabbed a large bottle of water, a couple of chairs, put my feet up and listened to my iPod while soaking in the Parisian sun and making some new freckles. Bliss …
And so ends my Parisian adventure … the Paris Visit Tourist Metro Pass has been officially retired and I am back at the hotel looking at a suitcase in need of packing. And I would venture a guess that they are baking the pains au chocolat for tomorrow … the smell is killing me!!!
Come to think of it, this is the end of my adventures for 2009 … the passport is being put away for a while now (mom and dad … I swear this is it for now!!!) Every time I come back, I always get the question “so where to next”. I truly and honestly could not tell you. I have no clue. Ask me again in December …that’s when the itch will start up again!!
I say it every time but I have no idea when and how this became my life. I certainly hope that I never get to a point where I take it for granted and will always remain in awe and surprise that I got to live one of these amazing adventures!
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Francine Fournier
non-member comment
Well, it sure looks like a beautiful trip. Some of the pics made me smile:} And it surprised me to see that the subway station sign in the old Montréal is a replica of the ones I saw in your pics.