April 2013

Paris continued.

We went to see the Eiffel Tower of course and were impressed again with it's size and aspect. I know it was an engineering marvel in its time and epitomizes innovative Paris for so many, but I still don't like it. I think it is so incongruous on the city skyline.

Just as we were leaving the Eiffel Tower we walked past Shane Warne with Liz Hurley and his children. They are in the middle of this picture below. Notice that the grass is roped off. The signs say that "it is sleeping"and the French are very supportive of letting it rest until the growing season starts.

Arc de Triomphe

We approached the Etiole, the intersection dominated by the Arc de Triomphe where twelve boulevards meet. It reminded us of driving up the Champ Elysees in our right-hand drive... campervan in the seventies, into the utter chaos of that place where you give way to entering traffic... The only roundabout in France, if not the world, where that happens!

Like its Roman ancestors, this arch has served as a parade gateway for triumphal armies (French or Foe) and for important ceremonies. Beneath the arch lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier where the flame is re-kindled and fresh flowers laid daily.

Looking up at the arch.

We wandered down the Champs-Elysees, one of the world's grandest and most celebrated streets, home to big business, celebrity cafes, glitzy nightclubs and high-fashion shopping. I have to admit to being seduced by a huge store selling every known brand of make-up. I had promised myself some new make-up for years, and now I have it!

Two lolly lovers.

More street art. This artist does his work at night and similar examples are found on many Paris buildings. His work is sought after and it improves the value of buildings it adorns.

Metro station with beautiful old Paris lights.

Ohlala!

After a very full and memorable week of celebration and adventure with Carol, Jenny, Susan, Brian and Jan and Zig, we said our goodbyes and all headed off in different directions.... Carol and Jenny to Madeira, Susan and Brian to Avignon and Zig and Jan to Venice. We moved to our new address in Paris just on the edge of the Marais and not far from Bastille.

Our one bedroom unit had a tiny kitchen and bathroom but quite a spacious bedroom and living room and an entry through a courtyard with a rosemary plant in a pot. I think it belonged to the bar next door but we used a bit for dinner one night!

We went to the Pantheon which was a disappointment, once a church, now a gloomy, uninspiring and extremely secular mausoleum. The floor was beautiful though.

Following that we ventured into the archaeological crypt under the square of Notre Dame. The aim of the tour is to provide a better understanding of how the city has been in a continuous state of reconstruction for over 2,000 years by revealing its various archaeological layers. The most fascinating display for me was the interactive screen which allowed the viewer to see different stages of the building of Notre Dame over the two hundred years of its construction. I could move a button on the screen which changed viewpoints vertically and horizontally so the cathedral could be seen from every conceivable angle of the interior and exterior. It was brilliant .

We then walked down the St Michelle Boulevarde, had lunch and then went to Luxembourg gardens where the blossom on the trees was just pinking on the branches and the daffodils and jonquils were flowering. Another week or two and the late spring will be sprung!.

Our visit to St Chapelle was a delight. The roof is supported by muscular buttresses so the walls are there to display the stained glass windows. As we walked into the church the brilliant colour of the windows was 'gob-smacking'. Most of them have been restored and coloured light floods into the interior. It is a gem. For the moment there are not any photos. Somehow I've obliterated them but expect they'll turn up later!

On Sunday morning we happened upon people running the Paris Marathon which streamed past the end of our street for ages. The highest registration number we saw was 65,538. It was quite a spectacle with a brass band playing and people cheering and clapping encouragement as the runners came past.

It was a busy day, first Sunday of the month, when museums are free. We thought we would take advantage of that fact and started with the Muse d'orsay. We started with the sculptures on the bottom level and an hour later decided we needed to prioritize the exhibits as we could not see them all. Up to the top floor we went to concentrate on the Impressionist paintings which were wonderful. And so many of them. We also saw some of the Art Nouveau furniture.

These are small sculpted caricatures by Daumier.

This beautiful clock has been preserved from the time when the museum building was a railway station. It barely escaped the wrecking ball when the French realized it would be a great place to house the enormous collection of 19th century art scattered throughout the city.

Eventually we reached saturation point and left.

The next museum which we walked to was the Rodin Museum. We wandered through the lovely gardens, just pushing out the early spring buds, and gazed at Rodin's sculptures which were dotted around. We had lunch in the sun sitting outside the cafe and then tackled the museum. Rodin was prolific and the building houses many of his great works.

'The Thinker' dominates the formal garden.

Coffee and cake in the sun. lovely!

On our way home we crossed the bridge over the Canauxrama Boat Dock, a canal near our new apartment. You can just see the Bastille monument in the distance.

The little car is plugged into electricity... A common sight.

And... This is how the furniture is moved in!

The next day we strolled down the Rue Cler which houses a thriving traditional Parisienne neighbourhood with workaday charm. The street is traffic free and is lined with shops selling everyday essentials - wine, cheese, chocolate, bread, meat. There is a PO and a bank, restaurants and flower shops. We couldn't resist the produce and bought strawberries, cold meats, pastries, bagettes and cheese and went home to eat our goodies. There's no doubt that the French have good food!

Cheese shop with a mind boggling selection.

Same for the delicatessen... Meats, pate, small goods of every description.

Asparagus spears arranged like battlements.

A day later we returned to The Marais area and the Place Des Vosges to buy a book I saw and should have bought the first time we were there. While we were there we saw the very interesting little car below.

These two seater( one behind the other) vehicles are a great answer to the traffic in narrow medieval lanes. They can back into parallel parking places and not be parked in. They don't seem to have windows which could be a bit chilly in the winter. Glenn says they are roofed motor scooters which they are I guess.

Probably the most interesting of all the museums we saw was the Salvadore Dali Museum. I have long been interested in his Surrealist view of the world and the works we saw were amazing, startling and sometimes beautiful. His juxtapositioning of exceptionally well drawn and familiar objects in unfamiliar ways is unsettling.

He was an original talent.

 

The Petit Palais museum is an impressive building with a delightful courtyard and cafe and some lovely Art Nouveau vases, timepieces and ceramics.

We also saw a stunning exhibition of illuminated manuscripts too, with superb colours and fine detail, which kept us gazing for ages. Neither of us can remember where but we did see a lot of museums in the space of a few days and they tend to run together!

Lunch again!

We thought this was a great system which allows people to pick up a push bike in one place and drop it in another. The cost for a year is minimal and they are greatly patronized. Cyclists have recently won the right to their own designated bike paths through the city streets so can ride safely.Take note Sydney!

Before we left Paris we took the metro to Gare du Nord to find out where to catch the train to Beauvais where the regional airport is located. We were warned that the railway station was a nightmare and it did take some sorting out as nothing is in English. We bought our tickets in advance and had no problems on the day with the exception of being roused on by the nice ticket collector on the train for not validating the ticket before we left... Which we knew nothing about!!!