Paris – The City of Lights

The Eiffel tower lights up the Paris night sky.

The green checkerboard

The train trip to Paris from Brussels passed through a lot of farmland and rural areas along the  crossed many rural areas along the way.  What I found interesting, is that they use water in lieu of fences to separate pastures for livestock (mostly sheep).  So the areas are dotted with land that looks like a big checkerboard with a stand-alone gate and bridge at two corners of each square to herd the animals through.  I guess the water is too deep, or sheep are afraid of crossing it?  Saves on paint, too.

Gypsy cab tour

Paris is a bit different than I imagined.  I expected sidewalk cafes and little shops that sell coffee and pastries would greet me.  Savvy well-dressed ladies wearing the latest in fashion and high heels with tiny dogs in their purses or miniature poodles on a leash would parade by.  Ivy covered buildings and flower gardens or window boxes would brighten the landscape.

Kathy and I may have seen those things if we didn’t get into a gypsy cab at the train station and take a roundabout tour through the congested outdoor Middle Eastern market, and wedding row.  The driver turned a mere 10 minute trip into a half an hour.  Go for a taxi instead…and NO, they are NOT on strike!  Instead of the quaint Paris of my mind’s eye, a typical city scene surrounded us.  People all on the move to somewhere.  Traffic is congested, and no one looks you in the eye or smiles and says hello.

Hidden Paris

As we continued, the scenery changed.  There number of stores diminished, and lots of big double doors presented themselves.  Occasionally, someone enters or exits these doors and I get a glimpse of the Paris I long to see…inner courtyards with benches, ivy, bushes, – serenity behind closed walls.  I imagine people enjoying a coffee, reading a magazine, or discussing current events with friends on those benches…

Stir crazy

Our apartment had skylights as well as windows…but curiously no screens on any of them.  The Inn in Germany didn’t have screens, either.  Must be a European thing.  We are now fourteen days into our trip, and at this point I’m DYING to sweat!  I want to dance or go to a gym or something – I hate to say it – even work!  I know…a  4-letter word. But I probably gained 15 to 20 pounds already, and I feel really stiff.  We’ve done a lot of walking, but it’s nothing like the daily exercise I’m used to.  And now I’m inundated with all this fine French food right down the street!  There’s a great gourmet supermarket around the corner and we have a full kitchen.  Plenty of cheese selections, entrees made each day, salads, and soups…anything you could want…and wine to pair with it.

Kathy was a little restless, too, and went outside for evening strolls often.  She kept threatening to bring a nice boy back with her to meet me, but I am glad she didn’t make good on her threat.  The “nice boys” I saw her talk to always asked her for money.  And since it’s warm this time of year, the homeless people sleep right on the sidewalks.  It’s just like being in NYC, but everyone speaks French.  Either way, I didn’t think they were suitable prospects.

The French get a bum rap

I want to dispel the notion that French people don’t like Americans and are quite rude.  I didn’t find to be true.  They do appear to be rather unfriendly walking along – but no different than in the Big Apple.  They are simply self-absorbed.  Whenever I stop someone to ask directions, they are very helpful and even save me from obliterating their native tongue by speaking in English.  Apparently my French is horrible.  All I had to do was say “bonjour,”  and people interrupted me to ask where I was from each time.

Shopping in the City of Lights

Champs-Elysee

The Champs-Elysee at night

Paris is the epitome of shopping.  On first night here we made our way along the famous Champs-Elysee.  This is where the action is.  One could easily spend a large fortune on wardrobe additions, a new watch, or jewelry, and then drive away in a new Tesla or Mercedes.  Both automakers have showrooms occupying prime space near the Arc de Triomphe.  There is no shortage of window shoppers, and the street looks amazing at night.  We also got to see the ceremony at the tomb of the unknown soldier from World War I.

Galeries Lafayette

The Opera House

We also stayed in a prime shopping area, right around the corner from the Opera house and close to the Galeries Lafayette.  The Galeries is a gigantic mall.  One full city block houses the women’s department, while the men’s department takes up another full city block ACROSS THE STREET. One neat feature – you can escape and relax on the rooftop lounge!  Enjoy a bird’s eye view of the city and at the same time give your wallet a rest.

Tour buses visit the Galeries Lafayette daily bringing an onslaught of shoppers.  One day, a large group of Asians got off the bus and surrounded us.  They were like flies, that I confess I wanted to swat out of my way.   It was a bit comical, yet annoying.   Since I don’t understand their language and all of them seemed to be talking at once, it sounded like buzzing.  I suspect these are the same tourists that swarm to photograph EXACTLY what I am trying to shoot from exactly my perspective, and are rude enough to step in front of me to get their own shot….all 15 of them at the same time!

Sight-seeing…

The Louvre

One wing of the Louvre

We spent nearly all of one day roaming the halls of the Louvre, and in the end we only covered about 1/3 of the museum!  And Paris is full of smaller museums.  There are separate collections of Monet, Degas, Rodin, Moreau, Picasso, and Dali to name a few.

Outside the Louvre

You definitely need to spend more time than we had to see everything.  For you shutterbugs, beware – there is a blaring red-walled gift shop erected in the courtyard of the Louvre by the pyramid that ruins any panoramic shot of the building.  But no worries – you can BUY a photo WITHOUT the gift shop in it – inside the gift shop.

Sacre-Coeur

On our way to Sacre-Coeur subway singers eager for donations serenaded us.  They come with amps and everything!  I read that this famous church overlooks Paris from the highest point in the city.  We didn’t realize how high until we skipped the elevator that everybody else was waiting for from the subway to the surface and opted to climb the spiral staircase.  P90X, hah!

Montmartre section

This is the Montmartre section, which is exactly how I pictured Paris.  Quaint cobblestone streets lined with colorful cafes, artists painting beneath the tree canopies, street singers in period dress, little shops, and an intimacy you could fall in love with.

We passed through the winding, hilly streets to the steps of Sacre-Coeur.  I was a glutton for punishment and climbed the 300 or so spiral steps to the dome, while Kathy enjoyed the musicians playing nearby.  At the top I had a gargoyle’s view of most of the city with 360 degree open-air views.  It was very windy up there – hold on to your hat!  Paris sprawled out below like a sea of gray buildings.

View from Sacre-Coeur

Not near as stylish, colorful, and inviting as the Montmartre section; and very little green this side of the Seine.  The Eiffel tower looked lonely in the distance with no skyscrapers to keep it company, and the people below me looked like ants.  It was an interesting perspective.  I found Kathy right where I’d left her…enjoying the musical renditions of Presteej.

Eiffel tower

Our last day in Paris my friends from England were due to fly in and meet us for lunch in the Eiffel Tower.  Disappointment and then worry set in when they didn’t show, since I couldn’t get in touch with them.  We were in the middle of our main course when they finally made it — Yea!  I was relieved and excited to see them.

Eiffel tower at high noon

Turns out their plane sat on the runway for two hours before taking off, and they nearly missed lunch altogether!  They brought WHIPS! – and a huge tin of thick butter cookies wrapped in Christmas paper.  Score!  Can you tell I have a sweet tooth?  Afterward, we sat in a cafe, had a drink, ate pastries, and did the people-watching thing.  It was great fun!…and now I’m faced with the task of eating all those cookies!  I didn’t have room for them in my luggage, so I set to my task with a vengeance.  Kathy helped, but not as much as I’d hoped.