I had been checking the Paris weather off and on for the past couple of weeks. It always told me that we would have slightly cooler temperatures with some rainy days thrown in for good measure. It is spring after all, April showers and all that stuff.
So you can imagine my delight when I awoke once again this morning to clear skis and sunshine. It's around 10' in the morning, so a little too chilly to sit out on my balcony, but by afternoon the temperatures have been up to 19 and 20'. With the afternoon sun beaming down on that side of the building, it's sheer heaven to sit out there and feel the warmth on your face and bare arms. By all accounts this trend should continue but a couple of degrees cooler during the day. Still not too shabby, and perfect for walking around.
Speaking of walking around, I met up with the Sandeman's tour group at 11:00 this morning. We met at Place St. Michel which has a huge fountain with a statue of the angel Michael conquering Satan. Just an absolutely gorgeous piece of art in the middle of the city, but what else would you expect?
Our tour, in English, was lead by surprise, surprise, an Englishman who came to Paris about 8 years ago to live permanently. His name is Harry, and he quickly acknowledged that he was neither a wizard nor a prince. He had a great sense of humour and his love and knowledge of history became very evident very quickly.
While the tour lasted about 2.5 hours, we didn't walk all the time, which is typical of a Sandeman's tour. We spent a lot of time learning about the history of each stop, but told in a totally engaging way that was not in the least boring.
We just skirted the Latin Quarter, and Harry recommended that we should come back on our own and explore this area a little more fully.
Coming out of the Latin quarter you enter a beautiful garden, with copious amounts of flowers in full bloom. What a beautiful sight. This is the garden to the side of Notre Dame Cathedral. From here we could see all the scaffolding still in place from the fire a few years ago. We were told that it took over 200 years to complete the cathedral and hopes are that it will be restored by 2024, but that seems a little optimistic, but time will tell.
Coming out of the garden and around to the other side, you are faced with the front of the cathedral. It truly is a magnificent sight so close up.
Harry gave us a lot of informaton and we continued on. We went across a bridge to one of the islands in the middle of the Seine and we visited the halls of justice. The architecture in this city is beyond belief.
We continued on across another bridge that had wooden slats on the bottom. We learned that this was the famous lock bridge. For decades couples would fasten a lock onto the bridge to symbolize their committment to each other. Unfortunately over the years, the weight of so many locks on the railings began to compromise the integrity of the structure itself. So several years ago, the locks were all removed and plexiglass panels were installed so no locks can be fastened on the railings anymore. There are a couple of small spots that locks can be fastened but they are removed each week, only to be replaced by more.
We continued on learning about Marie Antoinette and all the famous kings of France and their various claims to fame. Our travels took us next to the Louvre.
Last time I was here, we did a quick drive by, so not even a good picture could be taken. This time we walked right inside the courtyard and it's beyond belief. We were told that the museum holds 30,000 pieces of art on display, but that is only 7 or 8 percent of the total collection. You would never in a lifetime see all that there is to see, as it changes regularly. Some things of course, stay put, such as the Mona Lisa. He told us that most visitors que up for long periods of time to get in to see her, only to be slightly underwhelmed by the small size of the painting and the security measures that are in place to keep people away. But when it Rome.... or rather, Paris....
And of course the famous pyramid at the entrance...
I might add that the entrance had a line up of people that was easily a couple of hundred long, waiting to get inside.
Harry suggested that the Musee D'Orsay and the Orangerie are both spectacular museums, but much smaller and easier to navigate, Lucky for me they both have free admission on the first Sunday of the month so guess where I will be on Sunday? I'm sure it will be crowded but can't be more than we saw today. Here's hoping anyway.
Our tour ended at the Louvre and we were to find our own way back from where we came from. I'm getting pretty good a finding my way around the metro system. Most people speak English, or at least some, and I'm trying my best with the very limited French vocabulary that I have.
Once I found my way back, I made some lunch and after eating it outside in the sun, it was time for a little nap. Just because I could.
I didn't do much else the rest of the day. Went out for a little walk and then back.
Yesterday someone suggested I should be posting my steps for each day, as it is part of our TOPS challenge. I did really well on Thursday, logging over 20,000 steps, but today was not quite so good. As I write this, it's 10:09 at night and my count for the day is only 12,186 so still not too shabby. I really do need to stave off the calories I'm consuming in bread, cheeses, croissants and wine. I need to really up my steps or my first TOPS meeting back will not be a pretty sight.
(On a side note, today marks almost to the day, three years ago, when I was informed that my marriage was over. I had two choices: let it make me angry and bitter for the rest of my life (how ever long that might be) or move on, accept what is, and get on with it. I think I've done a pretty decent job of geting on with it! But that is all thanks to some very special family and friends and you all know who you are. Wish you were all here with me to experience this lovely city.)
