This morning we had our croissant and coffee and decided that it was Eiffel Tower Day. The weather was gorgeous and the sky was clear. We walked the 5 minute walk to the base of the tower and paid our 11 euro to get our tickets to the top. 11 euro is about $16.50, which seems a little pricey, but what can you do? Again, being there in February was good timing as the line-up was maybe 10 minutes long. It would have even been less than that, but we went to the wrong line-up at first. You can take the elevator to the second level, or you can walk it. Our legs were still sore from all the other monuments we had climbed, so stairs were OUT! We wandered around the second level, took some photos and then Nicole and I went up to the top. There was only one other couple in the elevator with us...sometimes in the summer there is a 2 hour wait, so we were very pleased, to say the least! It was a little nerve-wracking to watch the ground fall away as the elevator creaks and moans and shudders it's way to the top. It's a lot further up that a person realizes. Or, further than I realized at any rate! The top level can hold approx. 800 people, I think there were maybe 50 of us there. I had a moment of uncertainty when 3 or 4 Middle Eastern fellows held up cell-phones and started doing a sort of chant in Arabic. Yeah, yeah, I know, don't generalize...but still, things do happen. However, in this case, nothing happened and I felt a little guilty. The views were astounding and it was a very well spent $16.50! 
After we left the Cluny Museum we headed towards St. Sulpice, which, if you have seen and/or read The DaVinci Code, is the place where the mysterious albino monk, Silas, searches for a clue. These first 2 pictures are of the Rose Line (featured in the movie) , a narrow brass strip that marks the orginal zero-longtitude line, which passed through Paris before it was relocated to Greenwich. 
Just an interruption of the Paris blog to show a picture of "my backyard." We went for a walk this afternoon behind our house, and this is what we are lucky enough to be able to see. 
In the post below you'll see one picture of The Lady and the Unicorn tapestry. Each one is about 12 feet by 12 feet and the intricate stitches are an amazing 300 per inch. It's inconceivable to imagine something like that being handmade today.
After we spent some time at the Luxembourg Gardens we walked over to the Musee de Cluny, which has the most amazing tapestries from the 1400's. The most famous are the series of 6 called La Dame a la Licorne, or, The Lady and the Unicorn. Five of the tapestries are devoted to the 5 senses, and the 6th is called A Mon Seul Desir, or To My Soul Desire, a reflection of vanity, or, some interpretations are Love or Understanding. The tapestries are displayed in a dark circular room, with each one spotlighted. It's sort of like walking into a darkened theatre and suddenly seeing these astounding, massive works of art. You could walk right up to them, they were not behind glass, although you couldn't touch them, nor use your flash. These pictures certainly don't do justice to the size, or detail. The backgrounds were filled with whimsical animals, flowers and other little details that don't appear right away. We sat and looked at them for quite some time, the room was so silent and calm. It was a very serene place, and very few people were there. The museum also has a large collection of medieval books and stained glass.
After the Musee d'Orsay, we headed back to the hotel and as we were walking we heard sirens, certainly not an uncommon noise, and then we saw a police van speed around the corner, then another and another and another...we must have seen at least 15 or 16. Of course we were curious so we had to follow them and see what was up. Just around the corner we saw all the police vans parked, plus a 4 or 5 police buses. I've never seen a police BUS before, it was like they were trucking them in by the busload. Apparently the vans are for the people that get arrested, and the buses did indeed bring in the cavalry, so to speak. Anyhow, there was some sort of protest going on in front of the national Assembly building. The signs and the shouting were (obviously) all in french, but from what we could figure out, it was something to do with disturbing archeological sites. We watched for a while, and as the news crews arrived we decided to move along. Even though there were some police in full riot gear, with shields and facemasks, it seemed to be reasonably peaceful. The protesters were hauled off to the sides of the roads and unceremoniously dumped there, and they would instantly jump up and run back to the middle of the street. Buses and traffic were held up and honking and hollering, but we were told that these protests are quite common. It was interesting to see, especially since there was no violence.
After we were finsihed at the Musee Rodin we headed off towards the Musee D'Orsay, which at one point in time was a huge train station, now it contains amazing works of art both famous and not so much. Before getting there however, we decided to stop and eat, the further from the famous sights, the less expensive the meal. We found a nice spot on a side street and we indulged in some excellent pasta and then we headed on to the museum. It still has a bit of a "train station" feel to it; the huge clock and height of the building. Even though there were a lot of people there, it didn't feel crowded.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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?
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.
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 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.
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. 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.
