Paris - Day 2

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.”

~ Henry Miller

Today was a full day in Paris.  I have to admit; I really enjoy the two major European cities that I have visited thus far.  There is a certain sophistication that just seems to emanate from the people walking down the street.  The buildings are amazing EVERYWHERE you look.  There is so much amazing architecture – I’m sure I could fill my camera with just photos of all of the buildings in the city.

Breakfast was at 7:00 AM today on the “RR” floor of the hotel.  The buffet was REALLY something.  We sat with Murray and Maureen, a couple from New Zealand who we’ve chatted with a number of times.  Instructions dictated that we board the bus for 8:00 AM this morning – so we went straight there after breakfast.

Today, being Sunday, things were quite quiet (for Paris) as we made our way down to the Latin Quarter with our local guide. And although the streets were quite with pedestrian and vehicle traffic – there was A LOT of police presence on the streets – preparing for the Euro-Cup final match tonight.  We noted everything from military (with automatic weapons), to local police and other law enforcement everywhere we went today.  We even noted that the police here have their own tow trucks and lifts and they were moving cars off of the Champs Elysees one after another.  Apparently they are also getting ready for Bastille Day celebration – so that is adding to the congestion.

This morning we took an optional tour of Notre Dame Cathedral and the Latin Quarter of Paris.  This included a guided drive through Paris' bohemian Left Bank with a Local Specialist to see the amazing Notre Dame Cathedral designed with Gothic architecture. But before that, they took us to the Louvre, the world’s largest museum (George, you’d be in Heaven here).  Our guide told us that if you started walking through the Louvre and took no breaks, walking 24 hours a day, it would take you more than a month to see everything in the Louvre.  It’s located on the bank of the Seine river, and about 2 months ago, the Seine was very close to flooding so they began taking things out of the basement of the Louvre, just in case the water crested (it would have flooded the basement of course, damaging the many priceless works of art they have stored in the basement).  We did not go in the building, although Laureen and I thought about coming back in the evening to check out some of the works of art.  I would have loved to gone in and seen the Mona Lisa.

The Louvre

After checking out the grounds of the Louvre, we re-boarded the coach and headed for Notre Dame Cathedral.  Even though it was Sunday, we were still allowed into the building.  This has something to do with the French laws that keep church and state very separate.  It felt a little strange to be walking around the outside edge of the church sanctuary while mass was going on.  The building is interesting architecturally, and the rose window (the large circular stained glass window) was beautiful.

Notre Dame Cathedral

The Rose Window

After that we took a stroll through the Latin Quarter, a medieval maze of winding cobblestone alleyways where we were guided by sidewalk bistros, boutiques and hidden squares.  We saw some very interesting sights – including the narrowest street in Paris (cars could not travel down it, it was so thin).

Narrowest Street in Paris

Next, we had the opportunity to admire panoramic views of the city from the second level of the Eiffel Tower and drive along the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe, once again, with the Local Specialist.  Given that we are on a reputable tour which made reservations for us, we were able to jump the queue and head straight to the elevator which took us up to the second balcony of the Eiffel Tower.  There is a third observation deck, way up the tower – but our local specialist indicated that since there was a law in Paris that no building can be built higher than Notre Dame Cathedral, that the 100-Meter-high second observation deck would give you amazing views without having to spend the extra money to go to the top.  Besides that, the line for the elevator to the top of the tower is a significant wait as well.

The Iconic Eiffel Tower

They were right about one thing – you sure get a nice view of the city from there!  The structure was built for the 1889 World’s Fair as the entrance showpiece.  It was built by Gustav Eiffel (incidentally, the same guy who designed/built the statue of Liberty that stands on Ellis Island in New York) and is a wrought iron lattice structure.  It was apparently a temporary item, and was supposed to be brought down after the World’s Fair ended; however, the military wanted an antenna up there, so the Tower stayed.  The lattice construction means that the 300 M tall structure doesn’t sway in the wind like closed structures do.  It was indicated that the structure, at the most, might move 5mm and that would be mostly due to expansion/contraction from heat/cooling.  If you feel it moving, it’s probably due to the amount of champagne that you’ve had!  The Eiffel Tower is one of the most recognized structures in the world today – and after getting a chance to not only see it in person, but walk around on the second level for a while, I understand why.  It’s an exquisite structure to experience live.

The Sun was in a Perfect Location

The Magnificent View from the Second Deck (see the Arc de Triamphe)

When we were done there, they drove us to the Champs Elysees, and let us out close to the Arc de Triumphe.  This monument was commissioned by Napoleon for his troops so that when they came home from battle, they had an amazing monument to march through.  Unfortunately, Napoleon never got to see the finished product.  He died in a battle close to when it was being completed.  They did march his coffin down the Champs Elysees and under the Arc – so I suppose he did get to experience it in a small way.

Arc de Triamphe

Arc de Triamphe with the French Flag (for Euro Cup 2016)

The monument is bigger than I thought it would be as it towers over the city.  It certainly conveys a feeling of strength and might as you look over its construction.  What is even more interesting is the 12 streets that lead to the traffic circle that surrounds the Arc.  We’ve had the occasion to drive on this (in our coach and with a Taxi today), and it’s like total mayhem getting through there.  There are no lines on the road and as we understand it, the inside lanes do NOT have the right of way.  Those entering the traffic circle have the right of way.  It’s quite the scene to watch 5 or 6 “lanes” (I use that word loosely), of traffic navigating through there.

When we were done with that, we headed off down the Champ Elysees to check out the shops along the road.  It’s very prestigious to have a store on this road and even though there are apartments above the stores on the first level, nobody lives there.  Instead, organizations can rent the space to get the Champs Elysees address.  It was mentioned to us that multiple organizations will rent the same apartment just to have an address on the street.

A view of the Champs Elysees

We were hungry, so we stopped at a little restaurant along the Champs Elysees and sat out on the patio (just like the Parisians) to order lunch.  Beside us were to older Parisian women who were (a) not happy that they had to move their purses so that we could sit down beside them; and, (b) they seemed to be having an issue with how long it was taking to get their food.  The waiter insisted that it would only be 2 more minutes before it came – but they almost left.  The food DID show up in less than two minutes and that was really the last that we heard of the two ladies.

Crepes were on the “desire” list, so we made sure that the place we stopped at, had them.  We both ordered a Ham & Cheese crepe, except I added an egg on top of mine.  To say the least – they were fabulous!  While we were eating another man and woman were seated beside us (after the two older Parisian women left without leaving a tip), and began to order dinner.  Turns out they were Americans and cousins who liked to travel together.  Bryce, who was a doctor from Washington DC who studies infectious diseases and operates multiple clinics, and Bernice who was from Ohio.  We had a great chat with them about a number of subjects – not the least of which was their political situation in the US.  Bryce indicated that if Trump actually does get in as President, he will be calling me claiming that he is a relative and looking to become Canadian.

When we were done, we walked down the full length of the Champs Elysees on both sides, occasionally going into a few stores.  We checked out H&M (nearly bought a shirt and a pair of shorts).  Laureen bought a hair clip as it was sunny and warm.  Incidentally, we’ve been extraordinarily lucky with nice weather.  It’s been basically sunny and reasonably warm since we have been here.  I just hope that this continues.

From there we walked into a Sephora store, but didn’t find anything of interest. Next was a Disney store, but it was smaller than the one(s) that we have back home. Louis Vuitton – where we saw handbags selling for more than 3,500 €.  I checked out a men’s flip-flop for 430 €. And then I found a Louis Vuitton Watch for $70,000 €.  This clearly is not my kinda store.  But what was interesting is that the place was jammed full of people (controlled entry by security folks – only letting people in as people came out) and I personally saw people buying stuff.  There is definitely money in this town.

Inside the Louis Vuitton Store

Our last stop was a store that is famous for its Macaroon cookies.   I had forgotten to mention that we bought 5 of them on the Eiffel Tower when we were there and they were unbelievably good.  So when we saw them on the Champs Elysees, we went in and picked up a few more.  While in the store, waiting to pay for our selections, there was a man and woman ahead of me, from some Slavic country, who were also making a purchase.  He reached for where his wallet was supposed to be and you could see that look of horror in his eyes when he could not find it.  Pickpockets are rampant around this area – and I’m sure he thought that it had been lifted.  I looked down and noticed that he had put his wallet down on the counter ledge (and he must have forgotten that he had done that).  I tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to the wallet.  He picked it up with great enthusiasm, looked in it, and then thanked me profusely.  My good deed for the day.  We are careful every day to make sure that we have nothing in back pockets and keep our bags close to us and well protected.

Couple last items of note.  First, given that today is the final match of the Euro-Cup with France and Portugal playing for the championship, the Champs Elysees has been streaming with fans, cars and horns for both sides.  It seems like a friendly rivalry as they will both taunt each other when they meet on the street.  There are many of both fans – and they are everywhere.  You see flags, jerseys and all kinds of face painting in support of their team.  The game is tonight at 9:00 PM (should be done by 11:00 PM).  Tomorrow will be interesting no matter what the end result is!  And, I believe the winning team will march up the Champs Elysees in victory tomorrow.  Second, I noticed that the Champs Elysees is flanked by Maple Leaf trees.  I sent a picture of them to Pastor Darren Platt (of Steele Height Baptist Church) whose professional life included Forestry – and received confirmation that they were indeed Maple Leafs.  Felt a little bit of home after I knew that!

We leave here at 7:00 AM headed through Chartres to Bordeaux France, which is famous for their Bordeaux wines.  Something I learned while here is that French wines have to be named by the region that they come from, not from the type of grape used.  That means, Bordeaux wines must all come from the Bordeaux area.  Beaujolais, must come from that area. Etcetera.

Looking forward to the next adventure!

Curt & Laureen in Paris