Friday, April 29th - Paris Day 3

 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.)

Thursday, April 28th - Paris, day 2

After a good nights sleep, I woke to another sunny morning, although it was a bit chilly to start off.

I took my time because I was wanting to find somewhere to purchase an adapter to allow me to plug in my laptop. I thought I had one but it turns out it only will work with USB plugs, not regular plugs. I did some searching online to find somewhere local that might have them but most didn't open till later. So after 9:00 I headed out. I tried a couple of places and finally found one who had just what I needed. Now I have no trouble keeping connected.

I sent the link to the blog to a handful of people yesterday but unfortunately I sent the wrong information. I've since sent out the proper link. It should work this time.

After finding my adapter, I strolled down the streets and found a couple of things I thought I might need. One is a very flowery and flowy top and the other is a scarf with dragon flys on it.

By now it was getting close to lunch time so I came back to the apartment and packed a picnic of sorts. I had a lovely sandwich I had purchased yesterday and along with some bottled water and some yogurt I headed off the see the canal. 

There are lots of spots along it to sit and enjoy lunch but it was still slightly chilly so I opted instead for a coffee and macaron dinside at a little cafe, before heading back. (nothing wrong with eating dessert first!) I chose to sit out on my balcony and substituted the bottle of water with a glass of wine for the rest of my lunch.

One of the sights I was interested in visiting this trip is Père Lachaise Cemetery (Cimetière du Père Lachaise). There are numerous famous people buried here over the course of history but being a rock and roll girl from way back, my focus was on the grave of Jim Morrison. 

It truly is a sight to see. The tombs are beyond description and the pictures really don't do it justice. 

Morrison's grave itself is not that impressive compared to most, aside from the fact there are metal barricades all around it to keep fans out. I remember when we were here in December and some of the pilots had visited. They were a little taken aback that there are lots of famous people buried there, some who have done amazing things, and yet a rock singers grave gets all the attention. Just doesn't seem quite right somehow.  And yet here I was.

Outside the walls of the cemetary there are long stretches of marble with names engraved on them of, I suspect, is every french citizen who has ever died in a war. It truly is remarkable.

It was a long walk to the cemetary and equally long coming home after spending over an hour touring the inside. It had warmed up so it was only appropriate that I stop along the way to quench my thirst.

Now I'm back and done exploring for the day. I think my tired and achy feet will enjoy a soak in a hot bath. 

Need to rest them up for a walking tour tomorrow with Sandeman's. We've done their tours in other cities and they are always really good. 

Wednesday, April 27th - 10 days in Paris - day one

 My day actually started around noon on Tuesday. I woke up that morning to the sight of a very large truck backed into the neighbours driveway, literally within 2 inches of my car. I finished packing up my stuff and the cat's things then went out to see when they might be finished. I spoke to this very nice youg man who informed me that they would likely be there all day. I explained that I needed to get my car out. He was surprised as he had asked the neighbour if my car might be able to be moved but the neighbour told him I was in Paris. I politely explained to this young man that I was indeed going to Paris but I needed my car to get to the airport! In the end he agreed to back my car out for me as I was just too nervous to do it myself. With it parked safely on the street, I could breath a sigh of relief and get on with my preparations for leaving. 

After gassing up, I made my way to Guelph to drop Pepe Le Pew off at the Dennisons. While there I picked up Patti's parking pass and was on my way.

The ride to Pearson was uneventful, except for a bit of a slowdown that added about 15 mintes to the trip. Fortunately I had left early enough that it wasn't a problem.

I really enjoy watching people at airports and it amazes me what matters to some. There was a group of 3 young women, trotting around the waiting area very arrogantly. You'd have thought they were the Kardashians or something. I happened to be at the desk when one of them came up to the counter and wanted to know why her and her two friends hadn't been upgraded to business class. She was quite put out that the best they could do for them was premium economy. She was not happy. I just wanted to look at her and remind her that it was hour out of the rest of her life! Seriously people. I really wouldn't want to have the job of the agents. 

I made my flight to Montreal with no issues and lots of time to spare. While I was waiting for my name to be called a couple of young women approached the desk to have their documents checked so they could board. One of them was wearing a headband with two glittery animal ears and a purple unicorn horn in the middle. She was at least 30 years old. She asked the desk agent if there was anywhere she could go to have a cigarette before getting on and was told no. Then she wanted to know how long the flight was. The agent told her around 6.5 to 7 hours. Then she asked if she could smoke on the plane. Again she was told no. I've never smoked so I really have no idea what that addiction feels like but I'm betting it was a pretty awful night for this poor woman. I did she her again when we were in line to go through customs. Apparently she'd made it that far.

I recognized this escalator from my last trip. They were only allowing a few people down at a time. It would have taken forever had my fellow standby passenger  not spotted our crew in the crowd once we got to the bottom. Today it took close to 45 minutes. I'm sure it would have taken much longer in December with the Covid restrictions that were in place. Today we just sailed through, with no issues.

Once out of customs it was time to find my way to the apartment. The owner had given very detailed directions and they worked for the most part. It was about a half hour train ride to the metro and then a short hop on the subway. I did take a wrong turn out of the metro station and walked a bit further than needed but I had lots of time. On the ride in, everything was so very lush and green. The leaves are out on all the trees and it was sunny and warm. A gorgeous first day in Paris.

 I wasn't meeting the owner until 2:00 so I walked around a bit and then stopped into a little cafe and had a coffee and tart au poire (that would be a pear tart!). Very tasty and a great way to kill some time. The older fellow who served me didn't really speak very much english so we had a bit of trouble communicating. He finally leaned over and confided that it was his first day on the job there. I told him it was my first day in Paris so it was all good and we both had a bit of a chuckle.

Eventually I met up with Aline and she gave me the tour of the apartment. It's a very lovely little spot with a tiny balcony with a table and chair. It's a perfect spot that gets the afternoon sun.  I was a little concerned about being on the top floor. I was afraid I'd have to carry my bags up all four flights of stairs. You can imagine my delight to find an elevator. Mind you it is only big enough for one person and a not too large bag. Anything too big will require sending the luggage up by itself! But it works and I was ever so grateful to see it when I arrived.

After unpacking I headed out to have a look around. I found the local grocery store and picked up a few provisions as well as a small bottle of wine. Just what I needed for sitting outside in the sun!

                                         

                                           The view from the balcony to the street 4 stories below

After sitting out and enjoying the lovely sunshine and balmy temperatures for a little while, I thought it best to try to take a bit of a nap. It had been a long 24 hours.

I tried to sleep but I think I just dozed for a little bit. There was just too much out there to explore. So after my nap I struck out to explore the neighbourhood a bit more. I've only been here less than 12 hours and I would gladly stay here forever. What a lovely place this city is. 

After walking around some more I headed home to have some supper. I had picked up some cheeses and meats, olives, cherry tomatoes and a lovely loaf of some kind of bread packed with nuts. The very nice fellow at the store offered to slice it for me and it was perfect on my plate of charcuterie! I had forgotten I'd picked up a delicious looking sandwich that was meant to be for supper, so it will be lunch tomorrow along the St. Martin Canal. I've read it's another lovely place to stroll around and have a picnic lunch.

On that note, I think it's time to call it a day. A nice hot bath and then off to bed so I will be refreshed to start exploring more tomorrow.

Stay tuned.....