Friday 18 May 2012 – Paris
Got up at 0400, since my alarm was squalling at me. Lynn got up and washed her stinky butt. Then Lisa got up and had a cold shower. She’s used to it. Or she is now, since she seemed to have the singular talent for finding the cold showers everywhere we went. I think she might have been doing it on purpose to steel herself for the task of putting up with the rest of us, but she’d never admit it. We all met with bags ready to go and left the house a little before 0500. It was just starting to sprinkle a little bit as we approached the train station. We arrived with about 10 minutes to spare before the 0521 train departed. We arrived at the Haupbanhof with plenty of time, so we had something to eat. Lynn had a salami sandwich with a second “to go” for the train ride. Lisa and I had apple turnovers. Brian had McDonalds and Cindy had a croissant. I enjoyed a “milchkaffe.”
The TGV departed on time at 0654 and slowly picked up speed. Between Stuttgart and Strasbourg there were a couple of stops and slow places, but after that it picked up speed to about 120MPH and for about the last hour and a quarter, was running between 175 and 205MPH. My cell phone didn’t work in Europe, but all of the other features worked, like the GPS applications, so I logged the ride and kept an eye on the speeds we were going. We arrived in Paris on time, 1035.
We took the Metro to St. Augustin station, right around the corner from our hotel, Cercle National des Armees on St. Augustin Square. It is a French military officer’s hotel, much like our own Hale Koa in Hawaii. The staff were very friendly and helpful, unless you wore jeans to the bar.
We checked in and dropped our bags and embarked on an expedition to see as much Paris as we could in the day, and started with lunch at a little place on the Ave. de Rivoli. I had a ham and butter baguette, while Lynn had a chicken caesar salad. Brian and Lisa had club sandwiches. I didn’t remember what Cindy had, but I seem to think it was some kind of Thai salad.
Napoleon’s Tomb
After lunch we walked across the Place de Concorde and across the river to the Musée de l’Armée at Les Invalides. We bought tickets for the museum, and also bought 2-day museum passes to use during the next two days, since that is when we were going to all the big museums. We toured a small part of the museum, and then proceeded to the other end of the palace to the cathedral where Napoleon’s Tomb is. It was impressive, even for a man such as Napoleon. We enjoyed all the ornate carvings and murals in the rotunda.
Then we made our way across the Pont Alexandre III and turned up the Champs-Élysées toward the Arc de Triomphe. It was a beautiful walk We stopped for a little while for Cindy to get a heating strip to put on her shoulders. She was still sore from schlepping her bags around for three days while trying to get back from the States. While we were waiting we were showered with water from a plastic bottle left on the street when it was run over by a car. It was quite sudden and unexpected; a real “rue de wakening.”
As we approached the Arch de Triomphe we could see it was being evacuated by police. Part of the Champs-Élysées was also blocked off for an apparently distinguished person to pass through. We never saw who it was, but took photos of the Arc anyway.
Then we took the Metro to the Eiffel Tower and got an up-close look there. Since they had a mechanical issue, only one of the four elevators was running and the wait would have been unbelievably long, we decided to settle for having seen the tower and photographed it; no ride to the top.
We then saw the river tours at the landing below the tower and decided to do that, so we bought tickets and boarded one of the not too large boats for a river tour. The tour was one of the hop on, hop off types and went up and down the Seine, stopping at various landings and attractions. We got on at the Eiffel Tower landing and rode upriver past City Island, viewing the sights along the way, including Notre Dame. It was a nice break from walking for a while, and let us get back closer to where we started. After passing City Island, the boat headed back downriver, and we got off at the Pont Alexandre, where we started looking for some dinner.
We made our way back up to the Rue de Rivoli again, and started looking in side streets for a nice little place. We elected to try Nelly Pizza, and had a nice meal. Most of us had individual pizzas (I had the 4 cheese), but Lynn had spaghetti bolognese. We washed it all down with a suitable quantity of house red wine, which was also quite tasty. Then it was back to the hotel where we had a nightcap in the hotel bar.
Saturday, 19 May 2012 – Museum Day
Got up at 0700 and enjoyed a hot shower while squatting in the narrow tub in our bathroom and using the handheld shower wand. It was tricky to get rinsed off without spraying outside the tub. Lisa went first and ran the hot water up for us without wasting any of it on herself. Must be how she wakes herself up for the day.
We met the Johnsons in the lobby at 0830 and walked a couple of doors down and around the corner to a patisserie for breakfast. I had a raisin roll and Lynn had a salami baguette. Then we took the Metro to a very large flea market (Marche aux Puces), near the Porte de Clignancourt Metro station. It was a very large antique market with lots of furniture and housewares. We spent about an hour there before heading back to the Metro, passing all kinds of street flim-flam guys with various versions of the old shell game to entice tourists into loosing money to them. We got on the Metro and headed back into the city to find the Catacombs.
Once we got there, we discovered the line to be several hours long. Apparently even after all this time, people are still dying to get into the Catacombs. We decided the wait was too long for our short visit to Paris to sustain and found a comfortable place across the street called the Indiana Cafe, where we had lunch before heading back to tackle the Louvre. We all had hamburgers, which were quite tasty. Brian, Lynn and I tried some beer called “Desperado.” It turned out to be a beer and tequila mixture. It wasn’t too bad and even had a hint of lime in it, so it was fairly refreshing. Still not great, and we probably would not order it again. Definitely not.
After lunch we took the Metro back to the Île de la Cité to see the great Notre Dame cathedral. On the way, we walked through the very nice flower market right where the Cité Metro stop exited. The market was fairly large and very pretty, with plants and flowers of all kinds and all sorts of gardening and decorating “stuff” for all occasions. Lynn and Cindy cut loose while the rest of us waited before heading over to the cathedral. A few things may have been purchased. Some of them might have been quite heavy and might have been put in Brian’s bag.
Inside Notre Dame
We walked over to the cathedral and the place was full of people. The church was every bit as beautiful and interesting as you might think, having seen it in pictures and heard all sorts of things about it. We were able to get in without too much difficulty once we injected ourselves in the stream of people that were pressing on toward the doors. Once inside it was much quieter and darker. It was very full of people reverently taking in the beauty of all the paintings and artifacts and the ancient architecture. Very interesting!
Once out of the cathedral, we walked over and used our Museum Passes for the first time to get into the Crypte Archéologique du Parvis de Notre-Dame, an archaeological site discovered during excavations between 1965 and 1972. There were ruins as old as 2000 years to be seen, right there under the square in front of Notre Dame. Displays and exhibits illuminate the history of Paris from the Gall-Roman town of Lutetia (about 27BC to 14AD) to the present. Fascinating.
I like my Pschitt! straight up, cold.
But we were all thirsty and had to take a bathroom break by then, so we moved on and found a place to get a drink and “ease springs.” We found a little cafe not too far from Eglise Sainte Chapelle, which we wanted to visit next. Brian and I marched in and headed to the loo, but the maitre’d was quite insistent that we sit and order first. We offered the counter proposal that we relieve ourselves first, and then order when we could concentrate sufficiently to make a good choice. He was adamant in his refusal. So we sat, crossed our legs and ordered a glass of the local draft, and then sprinted on our way to the little boys room. Relieved at last, we sat and enjoyed our beers and the conversation that erupted when Lisa’s “something like Sprite” arrived. They didn’t have any Sprite, but they did have a carbonated lemony drink produced by Perrier called, “Pschitt!” They said the name was supposed to have originated “in the transcription in French of the noise made by a Perrier bottle when it is opened.” Well, okey dokey, then.
We moved on and used our Museum Passes again, this time to get into Sainte Chapelle. It was small and quaint after the grandeur of Notre Dame. Brian had read that the Crown of Thorns worn by Jesus was displayed there and wanted to see it. We didn’t find it, and when we asked, we were told that it had been moved to Notre Dame. We didn’t really feel like going back into that press of people, so didn’t see it.
We left Sainte Chapelle and made our way across the river and down the Voie Georges Pompidou to the Louvre. It began raining just as we arrived and we got into the museum just in time to avoid a downpour. The museum was very warm and full of people. There were several who tried various means of getting in without tickets, but there were plenty of safeguard in place to keep them at bay.
We began by seeing the ancient statuary- Venus de Milo and others, and then the Winged Victory of Samothrace. The place was really overwhelming. Statue after statue, many familiar due to the many copies around the world, and many not as familiar. Then we went for some of the paintings, culminating in our visit to Mona Lisa – mandatory for a first visit to this museum. We all tried to get good photos of her, as Brian had challenged us to do it. The lighting and the glass cover made it very difficult, not to mention the competition with the press of other people trying to get a good spot right in front too. We got mixed results, but left satisfied in having seen it in the first place.
Once exhausted by the artwork in the Louvre, we made our way across the river again to get in position to go to the Musée d’Orsay. We were ready for dinner, so walked around until we found a nice little Thai restaurant. We rested our feet and had drinks and ordered some very tasty food. The penang curry was particularly good. It rained again while we were in the restaurant, but had finished by the time we left.
From there we walked over to the Orsay and noticed a tremendous crowd pressing the entrance. It turned out that not only was it Museum Night, when the museums stay open late, but the Orsay was open with free admission. This drew the enormous crowd we saw, so we elected to go somewhere else. Right next door to the Orsay is the Musée de la Légion d’Honneur which was also open for free, but had a tiny line as compared to the Orsay. We decided to go there, particularly drawn by the special exhibit on Napoleon and Waterloo. Once inside, we had to check our bags and umbrellas, and then looked around. The Waterloo exhibit was not very big, but was interesting. The rest of the museum was about the history of the Legion of Honor award. There were displays containing many of the medals presented to famous people, and also many, many displays of similar awards and honors that other countries present. There were thousands of medals on display!
By this time it was getting pretty late and we were tired and ready to go back to the hotel. On the way out, we retrieved out bags and umbrellas from the bag check desk. While Brian was at the counter, a woman retrieving her short collapsible umbrella incautiously let it fall by the wrist strap, ensuring it swung with a wide arc, striking Brian squarely in what is now euphemistically referred to as, “the junk.” Of course, the expression on his face was priceless. We laughed until we hurt; maybe not as much as Brian hurt, but you get the point. We laughed about it the rest of the trip. We still laugh when we think about it. Well, all of us except Brian. Anyway, we walked (and Brian limped) back to the hotel. We thought we might have a nightcap again, but the bar was closed. We took that as a sign that we should just go to bed and rest up for our day in Versailles tomorrow. We went to bed. Brian iced himself.
Sunday, 20 May 2012 – Versailles
Got up and showered. We let Lisa sleep in this time so we could run up the hot water up for her. Maybe we ran it up and then used it up, but I’m pretty sure Lisa managed to have only cold water again. It’s a gift she has. Met in the lobby at 0830 again and headed straight for the Metro. Took the Metro to meet the C-train to Versailles. The train was busy but not overflowing, but when we arrived in Versailles, the place was overflowing. As the guide books say, just follow thew crowd from the train and you’ll end up at the palace.
Everywhere, the glint of gold.
We walked (pretty much following the crowd) to the Palace of Versailles and discovered that the wait, even for the Museum Pass holders, was about an hour. We arrived just before 1000 when the gate opened. We queued up with the rest of the world and waited out turn while observing as much as we could from the outside. Some of the most interesting sights were the other people waiting in line.
Once inside, we picked up handsets with tour information recorded in English to listen to on the way through the Chateau. The tour sequenced through the Louis XIV chambers, going more or less backwards, I think. We began by looking in on his chapel, where he worshiped and his subjects worshiped him worshiping. It was of course, impressive. The on to his various chambers and dining areas and into the queen’s chambers and then the Hall of Mirrors. It was also very impressive.
Eventually we exhausted the main areas of the Chateau and ended up in a snack area where they served sandwiches and drinks, which was fortunate because it was about lunchtime and we where hungry and definitely thirsty. We had various baguettes with ham and cheese or lettuce, tomato and brie. There was plenty of wine and beer and also the ever present carbonated mineral water that Cindy and I enjoyed. Now refreshed, we continued.
We proceeded through some Louis Philippe chambers and several that he had dedicated to Napoleon before starting on the Dauphin’s rooms on the ground floor. They were also very nice and decorated with spectacular works of art. So many wonderful painted ceilings, so many exquisite rugs and so much beautiful furniture. Too much to imagine!
We exited the Chateau and made for the garden. Since it was Sunday, there was a special fountain and music show and our Museum Passes were not sufficient to get us admission. We had to buy an 8.50 Euro ticket each, which we did. We walked down the main walk toward the Grand Canal. We never saw any real fountains spewing, but the music was playing all over the entire garden area. A large rainstorm was stalking us as we walked, but so far had not hit us with any real rain.
After reaching the Grand Canal, we attempted to take a shortcut to the Grand Trianon but found only a locked gate marked “Temporarily Closed” and had to retrace our steps back to the normal route. We arrived to find yet another magnificent home, much smaller than the main Chateau but still quite elaborate. We enjoyed the wonderful views and the well decorated rooms.
After walking through the Grand Trianon we started on our way to the Petit Trianon, but the stalking rainstorm was now upon us. We were forced to stop at another snack area for a beer or glass of wine. We huddled under the tented eating area as the rain lashed the place for about half an hour. Once the storm blew by it looked like it would clear for a while, so we proceeded to the Petit Trianon.
This was much smaller than the others and was right on the edge of Marie Antoinette’s Estate. It was much less ornate but still elaborate. We probably spent no more than half an hour there before consulting our maps to find the shortest way to the “peasant hamlet” on Marie Antoinette’s Estate, where she could pretend to “return to the pleasures of simple, rural pursuits, away from the pomp of Versailles.”
Part of Marie Antoinette’s Estate
The walk was not all that long, but the landscape was beautiful. Eventually we came to a pretty pond with houses and the farm on one side. The farm and buildings were very picturesque, so we took many photos. We came upon a family whose little boy was feeding bread to the carp that were coming out of the water onto the shore to get to it. They were flapping all about with mouths wide open and held aloft for the tasty gift. The whole place was teeming with the fish. A couple of ducks came by to get in on the action too, and were successful in taking some of the bread from the carps’ sucking mouths. One of the birds was not know to us, being a dark bird with a red and yellow bill. Photos were taken for further investigation.
We made our way back to the Petit Trianon and then started back for the main Chateau to depart for Paris. Just as we were leaving the Petit Trianon, we saw one of the little tram trains leaving and decided to hop aboard for the ride, since our feet were tired. As we started to board, the driver yelled at Brian, since he looked the most guilty and holler-worthy. He was closest to her as well; that might have had something to do with it too. Anyway, she advised us bluntly that it was not a free shuttle. In rather brisk language, we were informed that it was a four Euro fare for each of us. We declined and began the walk back. Since the fountain show was still showing until 1830 we had about an hour left and thought we’d see some of the show as we walked back. Nary a drop; only the music again.
We reached the entrance with little additional excitement or drama, and headed back to the train station. We expected it to be mobbed, and it was quite busy, but it was with relatively little difficulty that we bought tickets and boarded the next train to Paris. We were even able to sit together on the train. We decided to go back to St. Augustin to find a dinner location close to our hotel. We settled on a corner cafe right on St. Augustin Square that we had been walking past every day. I had lamb chops, as did Brian. They were very overcooked but tasted very good anyway. I can’t remember what Cindy had. Lynn and Lisa had pasta and it came with a small, raw egg on top. I was able to scoop the eggs out with a large spoon so they were able to eat the dish with little discomfort.
After dinner, we went back to the hotel, dropped our bags and tried to get into the bar. There had been a wedding at the hotel, so the regular bar was closed. The other bar was not allowing our jeans due to the dress code. We then went out to find a nearby place for a nightcap. We selected a place across the street from the cafe where we had dinner. It was raining as we got there, and rained even harder after we sat. After our first drink, we went inside before we had another. Then we decided to call it a night and went back to the hotel for our last night in Paris.
Monday, 21 May 2012 – Return to Stuttgart
Got up and went through the usual bathing ritual. Again, Lisa decided to take a cold shower – probably to keep herself alert on the trip back to Germany. Who knows why she does these things, but we admit our grudging admiration for her pioneer spirit on these situations. Finished packing and get ready to depart and then met the Johnsons in the lobby. We went next door to the patisserie again for bread. Lynn had a nice ham and cheese baguette this time. Then we went down one door to the crepe man. Cindy had a Nutella and banana crepe and I had a ham and cheese crepe. It was very tasty!
Then we went back to the hotel, picked up our bags and checked out. Went to the Metro and caught a ride to the main station to meet the TGV. The TGV was late due to an electrical problem onboard. However, it was replaced by another train and we left about 30 minutes late. The time was all made up on the trip. Once again, the train got up to 200mph for over an hour.
We got off the TGV and took the S-bahn to the airport to pick up the rental car. the car was a Renault Scenic. We drove back to Kirchheim and stopped at the market to buy some road trip snacks. We got a great assortment of candy, cookies and chips. Then back to HofJohnsonHaus. We put some laundry in the washer and relaxed a little, having a beer or two as we talked. Then we went out for dinner.
We looked for a nice place and as we walked it started raining again. The place Brian was hoping for was closed, so we kept looking. We finally found a nice hotel restaurant, just as the rain began to fall heavily. The food was excellent! I had a beef brisket with a light cream horseradish sauce and potatoes that were like home fries, only ten times better. Lynn and Cindy had a roast chicken salad with German potato salad under the meat and greens. They said it was particularly good. We all left stuffed and satisfied.
Went back to the Johnson’s and relaxed and discussed the trip so far. Decided it would be best all around if we left town again tomorrow. That being the case, we put more laundry in the wash. Ended up going to be quite late.
Click here to continue as we go On to Berlin.