Vincent

Can you imagine being able to get "thisclose" to a Van Gogh? I'm not even sure there was a guard in the room, I imagine there was, but I like to pretend that there wasn't.

The Kiss

These 2 pictures are inside the Rodin museum, the post below talks more about the museum itself. Of course you recognize The Kiss, it is incomparable and romance almost rolls off of it in waves. The other picture might give you an idea of the home-like feeling of this museum, all the wood made it feel warm and comfortable. It was quite an astounding place, and very moving.

Rodin

You know, a person can sometimes see too many museums and churches and monuments. I have never liked to say things like: "Oh, I'm just 'museumed' out" because it sounds so pretentious, but sometimes it really is true. There IS a syndrome called Museum Fatigue. It's just an overload of beauty, your mind can only capture so much. However, I was not at that point yet when we went to see the Rodin Museum, and to tell the truth, after having been there, I don't think that I could ever be "museumed out" there. The museum itself is in the 18th century Hotel Biron, and you can wander around rooms that feel almost like a home, there are huge fireplaces, pictures on the walls (albeit they are Van Gogh and the like), "regular" windows that are open, and those wonderful creaky wooden floors that I so adore, I've written about those before! Not only is the museum inside the hotel, there are also a great many of Rodin's works out in the garden, where you can wander about and sit and contemplate The Thinker, as he contemplates whatever it is that he thinks about. You can stand before The Gates of Hell and contemplate your own mortality, and you can look at the statue of Ugolino in the pond and wonder what you would do if you were in his shoes, so to speak. (You have to check out Dante's Divine Comedy for more on Ugolino) It was a grey day when we were there, perfect for looking at these somewhat gloomy masterpieces, and the gardens were empty, it was quite a wonderful feeling to have it almost all to ourselves. The first picture is a different perspective of The Thinker, usually you see it from the other angle, but I like to look at things differently. I like the sharp angles of the trees, looking so stern and perfect, made by nature but changed by man, and then you can see the back of the Thinker, also made by man, but it looks so warm and almost alive, and so smooth. You'd think the trees, being alive, would give off that feeling, and the statue, being iron (bronze? I'm not sure) would feel cold, but it's the opposite. Very odd. And you wonder if he is bent over in anguish, or what he feels, even though he isn't real. The bottom picture, to me, is a wonderful snapshot of a typical Parisian in his beret, examining The Gates of Hell. Maybe it was just some tourist from Hoboken, but the joy of photographing strangers is that you can make up your own story. I have a friend, an old gentleman who now lives in Australia, and when I met him, I was in Italy, on my way to Paris. Michel spoke poor English, and he said to me one day, "We have been in Rome, where we are surrounded by Kulture, with a "K"." And of course I didn't correct him, thinking fondly to myself something along the lines of: " How sweet, his spelling is almost correct." However, he then continued: "Now we will go to Paris, and see Culture with a "C". I think of that quite often, and this picture really captures that statement, I think. A few years after that, Michel wrote a book about his childhood in Paris during the war and sent me a copy. It quite put me in my place, I felt like: "How dare you be so condescending to an old man, thinking he cannot spell, that you are...mmm, maybe smarter, or better educated, when in actuality you know nothing about him." Meeting him, and reading his book changed my way of looking at people, and that was certainly not the last time that travel has opened my eyes in a way that is more than just seeing different sights. I didn't mean to go all philosophical in this post...however, it's my blog and I can do what I like!

Could that be Chudleigh?

I was going to write a bit more, but the power went out, and then I got involved in a book and now it's time to go to work. So, just a photo of a french dog, not a French Poodle or a French Bulldog, but just a nice little bull terrier guarding his ball in a park by the Eiffel Tower. I wonder if he thinking, wistfully: "Come and play with me, black dog." or if he is thinking, crankily: "Get away from my ball, you black beast." One just never knows, with dogs & their funny little minds.

What kind of friend??

I tried to talk Nicole into carrying ME down the street...my legs were just SO sore, but she seemed to prefer to carry her daughter. Hmmmm, & I thought we were such good friends?

More stairs....

When we arrived at the Arc de Triomphe we took the underground passage to get to the monument. You can attempt to cross the multitude of streets, but there are no stop lights and the drivers just whirl around without looking for tourists...you take your life in your hands! The short underground tunnel is by far the only sane way to go. We emerged at the the base of this huge monument and paid our 8 Euro to climb more stairs...285 this time. I wonder if the ticket salesmen secretly laugh at crazy tourists who pay money to climb things? There are elevators, but they seem to be for handicapped use only. Anyhow, we climbed up the stairs, pausing halfway at a small giftshop, which strikes me as both good marketing and funny at the same time; that all these wonderful pieces of history, including churches, have gift shops half way up, or beside the sacristy. I guess money is money, but it just seems so bizarre to see plastic rosaries and mini-Eiffel Towers beside an 11th century painting or statue. but, regardless, we continued up the stairs and were eventually spit out at the top, with yet another phenomenal view of the city. Then we climbed down those same 285 stairs. So that means that todays climbing was 1,340 steps, plus probably 5 miles of "regular" walking. No wonder my legs were so sore the next day that I could barely move. And I'm used to being on feet and walking for hours each day! We slowly wandered home, it seemed like we were on Embassy Row as there were all sorts of Embassy's there...some with gun-toting guards, some so securely closed up that you had no idea who they belonged to, and others just proudly announcing who they were. We continued on, and ended up walking beneath the Eiffel Tower (saving it for another day) and around the corner to our hotel. Dinner was gathered up on Rue Cler, and we ate in our room while watching The Simpsons Movie on the laptop. A funny ending to a wonderful day.

2 odd things

Two odd sights on the Champs Elysees. This one is a Peugot (concept) car at the Peugot Dealership, and the other is a painting on a building. The people look SO real, but it's just art.

After climbing Notre Dame

After we climbed down those 385 stairs, we started to walk. It was a little chilly, so we walked quite briskly and I was so glad that I had brought mittens for everyone. We headed towards the Louvre and passed by this church on our way. It's Eglise St-Germain L'Auxerrois, built between the 13th and 16th centuries. This is one of the things I love about Europe...you turn a corner and find a simply breathtaking piece of architecture...totally unexpected. It had some gorgeous baptismal fonts inside. After a look around we continued through the courtyard of the Louvre, and into the Place de la Concorde, home of the 3,200 YEAR old Luxor Obelisk. When you stand here, you can look straight down the Champs Elysees and see the Arc de Triomphe at the end, and you can turn 180 degrees and see the Louvre. It's definately Paris!! What a sight! We proceeded to walk down the Champs, legs a little tired (remember, we had just gone up and down 385 narrow little cement stairs...that's 770 steps) We were also getting a little hungry and Nicole recalled seeing a McDonalds last time she was there...10 years ago!! But, to my surprise, there it still was, almost at the end of the street, but those golden arches looked fine to me. Now, before someone says: "What? You went to Paris and ate at a McDonalds?" let me assure you, we also ate at local places, and what's more, I always check out a foreign McDonalds...they are just different enough to be fun, and familiar enough to be comforting. Plus they alsmost always have clean bathrooms. This one had the bathrooms, music-listening stations and beer. And cappucino...we were content. After refreshing ourselves, we continued on our way, looking in the store windows at Cartier diamonds and other expensive goodies, all the while watching the Arc de Triomphe get closer and closer.

Paris Day 3

Today our mission was to climb the towers of Notre Dame. Entrance to the church is free, but it costs 7 Euros to gain entrance to the towers. We waited in a virtually non-existant line up, paid the man our 7 euros and then climbed up a few (maybe 50?) stairs to a small gift shop and a set of stairs that led to the cell where Esmerelda was held captive. You couldn't go up there, and the bell tower was closed, and we wondered if we had just paid $10.50 each to see a gift shop. However, when we actually looked around we realized that the stairs to the top of the towers were open, so up we went. The bell tower is the smaller tower in the middle. So, up we went, and up we went. And up we went some more. You have no idea how many stairs 385 actually is. It's much more than 385, or so my poor burning leg muscles were telling me. When got to the top, the view was astounding, and to be so close to the gargoyles was even more amazing. You could almost touch them. We wandered around, amazed at the sights, and then we realized that we weren't even at the top...more stairs, even narrower and twistier than the others. This little tower took us to The Top...capitalized because it was really high! There is a guard at the bottom who only lets a certain amount of people up, as there isn't a lot of room up there, and she radios the guard at the very top to let her know how many are coming up. Once we get up there, the top guard send down the prior group. The stairs are too narrow to pass on, so you have to take turns, once up top, you stay there until she lets you go down. It was phenomenal to be able to look into the eyes of the gargoyles, and you could touch them, we were literally face-to-face with them, as they sit and gaze out over their city.

Rue Cler

Rue Cler.

When you walk out of the Hotel Valadon, you turn left and walk about 100 feet, then you turn right and walk about 30 feet and then you are see Rue Cler. It's a wonderful little cobblestone street, traffic free since 1984, although you do have vehicles that go down the street, store owners I guess and that sort of thing, but it is closed to the general public's vehicles.

The street is lined with stores that are frequented by the locals, shopping for food in Paris is generally done daily, as a social aspect and the also the fact that fridges are very small and the French want their produce and baked goods as fresh as possible.

Rue Cler has 2 fromageries (cheese stores) a poisssonnerie (fish store), at least 2 fresh fruit/veggie stores, a boulangerie (where we got the most delectable and chewy baguettes, as well as amazing pastries) a charcuterie (a meat/deli store) a flower stall, a pharmacy, a chocolate store, a spice/jam store and 2 wine stores as well as an assortment of other places. Almost every night after we returned from of day of sight seeing, we would stop at the various stores and buy our meat, cheese, veggies and fruit, a baguette or 2, a bottle of wine or 2, and head into our room and share a marvelous "picnic" dinner. There are a couple of cafes and a nice restaurant or 2 also on the street, and we went and ate at a couple of them now and then, but we founf it much more comfortable and fun, to kick back in our room and enjoy the local fare.

Food!

Wine, cheese and meat...what more could you need?

Dinner!

Breakfast!

This is our breakfast, which you will read about in the post below.

Othello

This is Othello, whom you will read about in the post below.

Paris Day 2

We rose bright and early and had our included breakfast in the tiny hotel breakfast nook. Everyone gets 1 croissant, 1 crusty bun, a butter pat, a glass of juice (it was so good, apricot I think) and a pot of coffee with hot, frothy milk. Oh, and I must not forget, a selection of Victor's homemade jam...18 different kinds, I like the grapefruit the best. These breakfasts in a cafe run about 9 Euro, or about $13.00 (each), so having it included in our room price was a substantial savings. Plus we got to enjoy the company of Othello, the sad eyed beagle who came looking for treats, and then sadly wandered away when it was evident that nothing was forthcoming. However, we were warned by Victor that if we gave the dog any of our food, then the next day we could expect Othellos food on OUR plate! One day I had buttered part of my bun and then realized that my butter had vanished. I figured I had dropped in in the newspaper that I was reading, but I couldn't find it, I looked on the floor and it wasn't there, soI just assumed that it was stuck on me somewhere and that it would turn up as soon as I stood up. I continued eating until I felt a scratching on my lap, I looked down to see Othello scraping his teeth across the tinfoil butter pat that had fallen on my leg. I quickly grabbed it from him and hastily crumpled it up and tucked it beside my coffee cup. Othello gave me a glare as he walked away, breathing butter fumes onto the next guest. "But, I digress." This morning is all about Disneyland Resort Paris, as it is called. Maria, the owner, gave us instructions on how to best get there, which involved taking the Metro. We actually managed to do that just fine, and you can purchase the Metro ticket and your Disney pass right at the Metro ticket place. Very handy. So we hopped on the train and off we went! It's only a 20 minute ride and before you know, there you are. Disney is Disney anywhere I think, it was just like Disneyland and Disneyworld, and Abby had a wonderful time and ended up the proud owner of a fancy, fairy dress.

More Day 1

We wandered down the road beside the Seine, I can't really tell you the name of the road...not because I don't know it, but because it changes every few blocks. Eventually we came to one of the bridges that cross over to the small island called Ile de la Cite, which is where Notre Dame is located. It was a beautiful day, although very chilly, and the church looked phenomenal against the blue sky. You can't really tell how huge it is by the picture, the interior alone is about 1,200 feet long, and the church can hold 6,000 people. The stained glass windows are also just breathtaking. We wandered around inside and then decided to have a cup of hot chocolate at a little cafe across the street. When we realized that a small paper cup TO GO was about $6.00, we decided that we didn't really need it that badly. Abby had some, being a child and all, and I whined a little bit, but neither Chad nor Nicole would buy me any...We then walked behind the church where there is a small park and you can view the flying buttresses that are so famous.

Paris day 1

Finally! After a rushed start (phone call from the travel agent: "You can leave Cranbrook a day late since the flight has been cancelled, or you can leave in 4 hours!) and then a slow ending ("the flight from Montreal to Paris has been delayed an hour due to snow...delayed another half hour...delayed another half hour...") I finally land in Paris, a little worse for the wear, but still reasonably alert. Not alert enough to take the Roissy Bus and then the Metro, which was my original plan, but alert enough to find a taxi driver and suck up the cost of said taxi to my hotel. (42 Euros...about $63.00. Yikes.) I arrived only a few hours late, and to my joy, Nicole and Chad were at the hotel, so after a quick lesson on how to use the keys (don't laugh, it took me a few days to actually learn how to lock my hotel door, until I learned, I went in Nicole and Chads room, downstairs and through our connecting bathroom door). This is my sweet little room, sparse but comfy with a huge sunroof sort of a thing that opened to the sky. Not only to the sky, but to the view of everyone who happened to look out and down...yes, they could see right into my room. It took a few more days to learn how to operate the remote control that not only opened this odd window, but rolled an electric shutter up and down as well. Until then I just made sure I didn't stroll around naked. *sigh*. Anyhow, after tossing my suitcase in my room and brushing my teeth, off we went on a little walking adventure. Our hotel is perfectly located...a five minute walk to the Eiffel Tower, a 5 minute walk to the Metro oand bus stops on every corner. I'll talk more about Rue Cler, our marvelous street, a little later.
It was a little windy and chilly, so we bundled up and headed off to walk beside the Seine and down to Notre Dame Catherdral. Below is a picture of my travelling friends, and also a view of the Seine.