We started our morning with a wonderful breakfast at our hotel and then boarded a bus for a tour of Paris. We headed to the Arc de Triomphe and heard all about its history. I remember when I was here twenty years ago that we climbed it and took pictures. We didn't get out here, but it was nice to visit again and be reminded how massive it is. It was also important to remember how many French soldiers lost their lives in World War I. Equally intriguing was the traffic circle around the Arc. I could have sat and watched that crazy traffic forever. I will never know how more people are not killed every day in French traffic accidents.
From the Arc, we drove down Champs d'Elysseis and got to see the highlights of the chic shopping districts. There were so many places in this area that we saw. There was the statue of Charles de Gaulle and an obelisk from Ramses II that was a gift from Egypt. We also saw the Opera House from the outside, and I need to out it on my list of sites to visit when I return. We continued driving around Paris for the morning and truly saw it all. The problem is that so many of those places really run together after a while, and in order to learn anything about it, you have to get out and walk in the streets.
Before heading out to Versailles, we went to the Eiffel Tower where we took lots of pics with our group. I really would have liked to have gone to the top on this trip but it just didn't happen. We never did get time to come back to it but that was ok. One day, I will make plans to drink champagne at sunset at the top.
We grabbed a quick sandwich to eat on the street and then walked through the castle. It truly was unbelievable. One thing I have learned on this trip is that the French heat is just as (or possibly more) imposing than our heat at home.once we got indoors, I expected it to be cooler, but it was not. The entire tour was extremely crowded but the building was unbelievable. No wonder e French were so put out with the king's excess. We toured through the castle for about an hour and then walked along the grounds for a little while. The gardens are beautiful but we only saw a small portion of them. I can only imagine what it must have been like to have been a resident or guest of this estate. Another thing I need to note for my next trip is to arrange to visit the stables. Apparently Louis XIV had over 1000 horses in his stable. We found a spot for an ice cream before heading back to our bus. I kept thinking of the Biltmore Estate while we were there and how I need to visit it again.
As if we had not done enough for the day, we had the bus take us back to Paris and drop us off at Montparnasse. This is an extremely tall office building in downtown Paris. Originally the French had planned to build an entire hub of sky scrapers. However, once it was built, Parisians hated it and re fused to allow another one to be built in the area. For that reason, Paris has beautiful, unobstructed views with only a few tall structures. (Montparnasse, Eiffel Tower). Our guide bought tickets for our group to go to the top on the high-speed elevator. Once we were there, he gave us a wonderful explanation of what we were seeing from each view. I found delightful junk in the gift shop and picked up a few souvenirs for my people at home.
Our bus was gone by this time, so we took the metro back into the Latin Quarter. By this time, some people elected to go other places and we were traveling with a smaller group. We stopped at the at the Saint Michele fountain before Tristan pointed us indifferent directions. We had approximately 3 hours before we were to meet back at the fountain. We walked down Boulevard du Saint Michel, affectionately know by the French as the Bu Miche. We were able to find th Musee du Cluny (medieval Museum). I was able to practice my French at one point as I stopped and asked a French shopkeeper Oú est Musee de Cluny? And, miraculously he responded in French as opposed to many French who put you out of your misery and reply in English. (I always assume at that point that my French is so dreadful that the native speakers don't want me to participate in their beautiful words.)
The Cluny Museum is really quite striking. First of all, it is really dark and spare, mainly because the tapestries would be destroyed by the light. We saw the incredibly amazing tapestries including the Lady and the Unicorn. This is one spot that I enjoyed so much when my mother and I came all those years ago with Doris. I refrained from buying anything in their giftshop though I would have like to have bought a pillow cover of the lady and the unicorn.
We only had a brief time at the Cluny as they were about to close when we got there. Little did they know how fast we could breeze through a museum. Fortunately, they did not ask us to pay the admission fee. With the Cluny checked off our list, we walked back towards the Seine and stopped at a restaurant for dinner. Of course, I can't remember the name of where we stopped but I will look through my books soon and see if I can find it. This was our first meal where we truly ordered on our own. I had a Niçoise salad for my aperitif, beef with Roquefort sauce and creme caramel for dessert. I split a half carafe of white wine with Sylvia. The menu had English translations so I felt like we were cheating on our ordering. It was a pleasant enough meal but we ate indoors when we should have chosen seats on the street. It was so hot while we ate. I definitely have a new appreciation for AC.
After dinner, I finally made it to Shakespeare and Co, the bookstore where Hemmingway hung out when he was a young writer in the 1920s. The owner was Sylvia Beach and she would loan him books since he could not afford to buy them at the time. It was a tiny, tiny store with rickety little staircases and seemed quite dusty and warm. It was a delightful little place and I think it would be so fun to go there when it wasn't quite so warm and just sit upstairs and read.
And of course, our day was not over yet. Our group returned to the Saint Michele fountain and we headed off for an evening boat ride down the Seine. I really enjoyed this, except for my seat. You know life I lways better in a boat. I was still so dreadfully hot that I was a bit late getting on the boat because I was standing in line to buy an overpriced bottle of warm Evian. One of the women in our group saved me a seat at up at the very front of the boat. The seat was designed for a very small child so I sat with my knees crammed up against the metal side of the boat for the entire hour. That was ok. It was a beautiful ride. The boat had a guide who described what we were seeing, both in French and in English. And, people in our group splurged for a couple boxes of wine which we shared among ourselves. Wine definitely goes with a Seine boat ride. What was amazing to me was how the Parisians enjoy their river during the evening. Americans would call it tailgating but there were no tailgates. Throngs of people gathered on the banks of the river to eat and drink with their friends for a mile or so up and down the river. It looked like a delightful thing to do and maybe if Mike and I ever make it back, we will have to buy a picnic and take it down to the Seine for a romantic evening.
And, that completed Day Two for my excellent Paris adventure. Of course, there was a group of teachers who went out drinking late into the evening, but I definitely was not one of them. I headed back with the majority of the group and completely collapsed into my bed.
I am so glad you had a great time. I was amazed on my training tour people had enough energy to go out u was always ready to drop after a long and full day.
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