One Day in Paris

If you had just one day in the city, what would you do?  We started our day at the Musee d'Orsay, which Kevin missed last time we were here.  The Impressionist rooms were very crowded, but the rest of the museum was pretty empty (maybe because tomorrow is free museum Sunday?) so we just enjoyed looking at everything at our own pace.  The museum itself is one of my favorite buildings -- I love the open exhibit space with the huge clock (a holdover from when the building used to be a train station).

For lunch we went to our old stomping grounds, Rue Montorgueil, where we discovered that all our favorite establishments (the crepe restaurant, the beef bourgignon restaurant, and the best bakery) were all on vacation for the first part of August.  Crap.  I love that the French have this great concept of lots of vacation time, but not when it impacts me personally.  Not to worry, we had a nice lunch (with escargots, even) and enjoyed sitting outside watching the bustle of Rue Montorgueil.

A little further away, "Paris Plages" was in full swing.  Every summer, the city sets up temporary beaches in different parts of Paris. When we walked by the Hotel de Ville, we saw several beach volleyball games in progress.  And along the Seine were the usual sun umbrellas and beach chairs.

After lunch, Kevin wanted to check out Notre Dame just "one more time" so that was next up.  Lots of people had the same idea.  The line to get in was pretty long, but moved fast.  Here is a photosphere Kevin made of the courtyard (you can use your mouse to see the 360 degree view): 

Views: Notre Dame, Paris by Kevin Salt

We didn't have any more "must-sees" on our list, since we'd mostly done everything we wanted to do (and more!) during the ten weeks we were here last time.  We bought a French SIM card and had some heavenly hot chocolate at Angelina.  We also managed to squeeze in a stop at a fruit vendor where I bought a few of my favorite fruits in the world - Reine Claudes (greengage plums).  I wish they sold these in grocery stores back home; they are so sweet and refreshing -- a perfect summer treat.

I see London, I see France

Our British Airways flight from Phoenix to Heathrow was blessedly not full, meaning Kevin and I both had empty seats next to us, hooray!  We both did our best to sleep and start converting ourselves to the new time zone.  Unfortunately we had an eternal layover at Heathrow, which was busy and crowded.  But once we got to France, we were once again pleased by the (lack of) care upon entering the country -- no immigration paperwork was necessary at all, no forms to fill out, the guy just stamped our passports and looked bored.  The customs agent had left for the evening so we didn't even need to deal with declaring or not declaring anything.  So easy!

The French class that I've been taking through city of Scottsdale has been paying off surprisingly well.  The taxi to the hotel and the hotel check in were both conducted entirely in French and only twice did I need the old standby "Repitez-vous, s'il vous plait?"  (Meaning: wait...uh...what did you say?).  I've now just barely learned how to say things in the past tense and the future tense, so my language skills have gone from that of a four-year-old to that of a seven-year-old.  Look out, France!

Our hotel is not far from the Arc de Triomphe so even though it was late we took a little walk.  It's a pretty touristy area.  We ordered two beers at a terrace cafe and the bill for 18 euro nearly gave me a heart attack.  Granted, they were "big beers" (1/2 liter), but still...  But the weather is fantastic and we were outside on the Champs-Elysees, so really I can't complain.

Au revoir, Rue Montorgueil!

Our last full day in Paris.  We spent most of the day cleaning, doing laundry, and packing.  But we did walk down the street one last time.  It has been fantastic to live within walking distance of so many restaurants and shops; we will miss the convenience of it when we get back home.

The Marché Montorgueil sign

This is the Palais du Fruit, where I did most of our fruit and veggie shopping.  Some of the freshest produce I've ever had.

La Fermette, the cheese shop down the street where we could buy a plate of assorted cheeses for 6 euros.

Shrimp on sale at the fishmonger called Le Poissonnerie Soguisa.  Whenever I passed by it, I would get that song from the Little Mermaid in my head:  "Le Poisson, le poisson, hee-hee-hee, haw-haw-haw!"

The famous Stoher patisserie.  We stopped in a couple of times but found that we liked the pastries at Maison Collet (the boulangerie nearby) better.

The headquarters of the 2nd Arrondissement's Socialist party.

Some more window shopping.  Clockwise from left: fresh cuts of meat on sale at the boucherie, bottles of wine at the cave au vins, deli items from the Deli Italy, dried pasta from the Deli Italy.

View of the street from one of the other produce vendors.

The Rue Montorgueil is lively day and night.  This is one of the busier corners at night, with Planet Sushi on the left and Cafe du Centre on the right.

And at the very end of the street, down by the Saint Eustache church, is the cafe La Pointe Saint Eustache.

We have been so lucky to live in this fun, vibrant area for a few weeks.  It was a great way to literally get a "taste" of Paris.

From Our Window

With only two days left, we thought we'd share a few sights we've seen just looking out our window.  We didn't even have to leave the apartment to see interesting things!

One of the first weeks we were here, we heard jazz music seeming to come from right below us.  Looking out the window, we saw this promotion for Ricard, which is a brand of pastis (anise flavored drink served as an apértif).  The "parade" stopped at several of the bars below us, and the drivers served samples out of the backs of the two huge R's.



There was also this activist march for RESel, a group protesting high rents and evictions (100,000 per year).  We heard the chanting and looked out the window just in time to see them go by.

On August 12, a group of what appeared to be students marched down the street singing songs accompanied by drums and guitars.  Unfortunately, I have no idea who they are or why they were marching, and I can't make out the flag they are carrying.  It looks like it's red, white, and black with some kind of insignia.  Any ideas?

The most interesting for sure was when we kept hearing someone yell "Action!!" down below, and then he would shout other verbal cues "You look at her!!!  You keep going!!!".  Curiosity piqued, we looked down and sure enough it was a commercial shoot.

From what I could tell, the one model (fully dressed) was walking down the street eating some kind of baguette.  But then, a sassy topless model walked past her eating some other kind of bread (maybe a croissant -- I couldn't tell, I was distracted by the lack of clothes).  They did about 20 takes.  I'm sure the bar patrons at Grappe d'Orgueil were riveted.

About a week ago, the Ricard's promoters came through again.

And this was the view of the houses across the street just before a very heavy rain one evening.

Technically this one wasn't shot from our window, but it was just down the street....there are all kinds of street performers who perform regularly in Rue Montorgueil.  These breakdancers got a bit of a surprise when an elderly lady decided to join in the fun.

La Défense

Today we rode the Metro to the end of Line 1 to have a look at La Défense.  We had seen it from a distance many times, but we decided we should probably go see it up close before we leave the city.  The business district is called La Défense not because it has anything to do with military defense, but because in the center of the district is a statue called La Défense de Paris, which commemorates those who defended Paris during the Franco-Prussian War.

The most recognizable structure in the district is the Grande Arche.  Built in 1989, it is 350 feet tall -- the entire cathedral of Notre Dame could fit underneath it.

The monumental building was one of François Mitterand's Grands Projets, a major scheme to add modern buildings to the city.  A Danish architect won the design competition to build a monument inspired by the Arc de Triomphe. 

Government offices are housed in the two sides of the arch.  You used to be able to ride an elevator to the top observation deck, but the outdoor elevators were poorly designed and have been shut down for now.

From the marble steps of the Grande Arche you can see all the way to the Arc de Triomphe.  The Grand Arche, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysées, the obelisk at the Place de la Concorde, the Tuileries Garden, and the Louvre are all in a straight line called the Axe Historique (historical axis).

The La Défense district is home to some other interesting buildings as well.  The CNIT (Center of New Industries and Technologies) building was one of the first structures built in the area, in 1958.  An enormous concrete shell covers 200,000 square meters of office and retail space.  But what makes it interesting is that the space is entirely open -- there are no support beams to disrupt the interior space.

This very modern-looking church is the Notre-Dame de Pentecôte, built in 2001.

There are more than 50 sculptures and public artworks placed around the esplanade.  Clockwise: L'araignée rouge (The Red Spider) by Alexander Calder, Le Pouce (The Thumb) by César Baldaccini, and an untitled monumental ensemble by Joan Miró.

The thumb photo is not mine, I forgot to take a photo so had to find one via google images

I probably wouldn't describe La Défense as a must-see in Paris.  But after seeing so many 19th century (and older) buildings in Paris, it was a nice change of pace to spend an hour or so looking at more modern architecture.

The French Will Never Forget

With the crisp weather and the falling leaves it is really starting to look like Autumn here in Paris.  It was gray and rainy in the early afternoon today, but we were determined to go to the Place du Trocadéro one last time. 

The Place du Trocedéro was the site of today's memorial service in honor of the victims of 9/11.  In between the buildings of the Palais de Chaillot stand two symbolic towers, each 10 stories high.  In the afternoon was a service commemorating the solemn occasion, and in the evening a candlelight vigil was planned.

The event was sponsored by a group called "The French Will Never Forget", an association that is committed to remembering the events of 9/11 as well as the gratitude of France for the US actions during WWII.  The group emphasizes the continued goodwill and historical connections between the French and American people.  On the left-hand tower are inscribed the names of the 9/11 victims, and on the right-hand tower were hundreds of messages of sympathy, solidarity, and friendship from the people of France and America.

Saint-Denis Basilica

Gothic architecture can trace its roots to the 12th century basilica of Saint Denis just outside Paris.  The church is located above a burial site thought to contain the remains of Saint Denis, a bishop of Paris who was martyred in the 3rd century.

There has been a church on the site since 750 AD, but the building was expanded and rebuilt in the 1130's at the direction of Abbot Suger, an influential religious and political figure.

tympanum and central doorway of the western facade

A hallmark of gothic architecture is the emphasis on vertical space; the building seems to soar heavenward.

There are gorgeous stained windows in the nave...

... and an impressive rose window on the north transept.

Sunlight streams through the windows and makes colored patterns on the stone.

In the crypt they have excavated the area where Saint Denis was believed to have been buried.  St. Denis was beheaded for his beliefs in 250 AD on the hill in Montmartre.  As the legend goes, he picked up his severed head and walked several kilometers to this site, preaching a sermon the whole way.

But the basilica is best known as the final resting place of kings.  The necropolis is the burial site of 42 of France's monarchs.  There are many ornate tombs in the crypt and transepts.  Most feature a likeness of the deceased.  François I (friend of Leonardo da Vinci) is buried in an elaborate tomb with his wife Claude and several of their children.

The tomb is one of several two-level "cadaver tombs".  On the upper level are effigies of the deceased as they were in life, but on the lower level they are depicted as they were at the time of their death, a nod to the fact that all men are judged the same in the afterlife.

It was common practice at the time to remove the entrails for separate burial.  This nearby urn was constructed to hold François' heart.

At one time the tombs were brightly painted; you can see traces of blue and gold paint on the tomb of Philippe de France (brother of Saint Louis).  His feet rest on a lion; this was a symbol of valor and nobility.

 Another monumental cadaver tomb shows Henri II and Catherine de' Medici.

Nearby are two more gisants (recumbent statues) of Henri II and Catherine de' Medici.  These effigies show the couple in coronation dress.

Not all of the tombs were decorated with white marble.  There was one effigy sculpted from Tournai limestone.  It is thought to be of Marie de Brienne, Empress of the Latin Empire of Constantinople (a crusader state).

There were also two (rare) metal tombs for two of Louis IX's children, who died in infancy.

Gilt tomb for Jean, son of Louis IX

And this stone mosaic tomb was created for Frédégonde, a ruthless queen who lived in the late 6th century.

The tombs in the transepts were all very ornate and pretty to look at.  Some of the tombs and sculptures in the crypt below were a little creepy.  Like the dessicated heart of Louis XVII (lower left) and the room of wooden coffins and reliquaries for various royal entrails (lower right).

I found it very interesting that most of the tombs are actually empty.  During the French Revolution in 1793, the anti-monarchy revolutionaries ordered the opening of all the royal tombs in Saint Denis and the remains were dumped into a pit and covered with quicklime.  Later (in the early 1800's), the pits were exhumed, but because it was impossible to tell who was who all the remains were placed instead in an ossuary in the crypt.  Only the royalty from the Bourbon restoration (in the 1800's) are actually in their tombs.

The Bourbons at rest