2013-8-7 to 8-14 - Paris, France - Part 1

It was an orderly departure. Of course those who had to catch a flight were first off - some as early at 4am! Luggage was assembled in the reception area & we were comfortable waiting for our taxi. Coffee, tea & tid bits were available for our consumption. However, it was drizzling which made it quite the slippery slope for the staff going up & down the gang-plank. Soon it was our turn & the taxi driver was given instructions to our B&B via a translator. We arrived at our destination, a beautiful, well-kept street, not far from the Arc De Triomphe.

               Marc's B&B is the door on the left-our flat are the street-level windows

                                                           The park across the street

Our street on the right



We were greeted by a wonderfully vibrant man named Marc. The web site I used to find a B&B not only gave a full explanation about the home & amenities, but of the owner as well. Marc has played the sax for years, has his own band & plays locally. This is the first person I've met in a long time who is full of life -  His exuberance is infectious as you can clearly see his personality in the pictures. 



Marc, his lovely wife, Francois & darned if I can remember the pup's name

He spoke little English I spoke very little French but somehow we managed to communicate. He showed us all around the flat then presented us with a yummy platter of goodies & really good wine. (quite unlike Pisano, the jug wine we usually drink) I think we had this for dinner the first night. 

There was a card hanging outside the door listing all kinds of food items for breakfast & the time for delivery. At the very hour desired, everything was rolled into the flat on a two-level tray - the coffee was delicious & hot - so were the bread products which were different every day. eccentric, warm & cozy is how I describe the flat. (just like Marc himself)

That's Marc & his band in the picture above the bed.

  

Of course the bathroom is where you hang your tools.

 

 

The beautiful garden - He calls the structure the "Creole house" & fish pond on the left.

Sign in Marc Laferriere's garden

Looking out from our French doors

Where do we begin?  what should we do, where should we go? I have to tell you that I don't travel well & I'm not an adventurous traveler. Being on the river boat with guided tours at a specific hour, worked well for me. Now?...sometimes we didn't leave the flat until the afternoon. We met with François who owns the B&B website & she set us up with Brigitte lacroix who became our personal tour guide. The best decision we made. She took us places we would never know to go. We took the Metro & buses to Butte Montmartre to see the Basilica of the Sacred Heart & the surrounding area.

"Montmartre is a hill in the north of Paris, France. It is 130 meters high & gives its name to the surrounding district, in the 18th arrondissement, a part of the Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré Cœur on its summit & as a nightclub district. The other, older, church on the hill is Saint Pierre de Montmartre, which claims to be the location at which the Jesuit order of priests was founded. Many artists had studios or worked around the community of Montmartre such as Salvador Dalí, Amedeo Modigliani, Claude Monet, Piet Mondrian, Pablo Picasso & Vincent van Gogh."

 

 

 

 

 

The last Tango in Paris ??

The Metro as it used to look like - love it 

"The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, commonly known as Sacré-Cœur Basilica and often simply Sacré-Cœur,...is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in Paris, France. A popular landmark, the basilica is located at the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city. Sacré-Cœur is a double monument, political and cultural, both a national penance for the excesses of the Second Empire and socialist Paris Commune of 1871 crowning its most rebellious neighborhood, & an embodiment of conservative moral order, publicly dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was an increasingly popular vision of a loving and sympathetic Christ.

The Sacré-Cœur Basilica was designed by Paul Abadie. Construction began in 1875 and was finished in 1914. It was consecrated after the end of World War I in 1919."

Paris from the Basilica

 

Scary, guess that's the purpose of having these hunky men around 

 Also scary

She took us into Maison Georges Larnicol chocolate shop...OMG!!! I resisted - Wayne & Brigitte didn't

 

Notre-Dame - Tota made of chocolate

 



 

On to Concord square:

"The Place de la Concorde is one of the major public squares in Paris, France. Measuring 8.64 hectares (21.3 acres) in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées...Decorated with statues and fountains, the area was named Place Louis XV to honor the king at that time. The square showcased an equestrian statue of the king, which had been commissioned in 1748 by the city of Paris...During the French Revolution the statue of Louis XV of France was torn down and the area renamed "Place de la Révolution". The new revolutionary government erected the guillotine in the square, and it was here that King Louis XVI was executed on 21 January 1793.

Other important figures guillotined on the site, often in front of cheering crowds, were Queen Marie Antoinette, Princess Élisabeth of France, Charlotte Corday, Madame du Barry, Georges Danton, Camille Desmoulins, Antoine Lavoisier, Maximilien Robespierre, Louis de Saint-Just & Olympe de Gouges.

The guillotine was most active during the last part of the "Reign of Terror", in the summer of 1794, when in a single month more than 1,300 people were executed. A year later, when the revolution was taking a more moderate course, the guillotine was removed from the square."

"The Luxor Obelisk , is a yellow granite column - 75 ft. high, including the base, & weighs over 250 metric tons (280 short tons)...It was originally located at the entrance to Luxor Temple, in Egypt... It is decorated with hieroglyphs exalting the reign of the king Ramses II. Given the technical limitations of the day, transporting it was no easy feat: on the pedestal are drawn diagrams explaining the complex machinery that were used for the transportation...Missing its original pyramidion (believed stolen in the 6th century BC), the government of France added a gold-leafed pyramid cap to the top of the obelisk in 1998.

I found the following 'current' information quite interesting & funny: "

Early morning on December 1, 1993, the French AIDS fighting society Act Up Paris carried out a fast and unwarned commando-style operation. A giant pink condom was unrolled over the whole monument to mark World AIDS Day.

Without warning, in 1998 and 2000 French urban climber Alain "Spiderman" Robert, using only his bare hands & climbing shoes on his feet and with no safety devices, scaled the obelisk all the way to the top."

 

 

The Place de la Concorde seen from the Pont de la Concorde; in front, the Obelisk, behind, the Rue Royale and the Church of the Madeleine; on the left, the Hôtel de Crillon.



 Next - Hotel de Sully in Marais

The financier Mesme Gallet built the hôtel, with gardens and an orangery, between 1625 and 1630. The building was designed by the architect Jean Androuet du Cerceau. The site was chosen to give access to the Place Royale - today the Place des Vosges - & was located in the Marais, at the time a fashionable district of Paris. Maximilien de Béthune, duc de Sully, former Superintendent of Finances to King Henri IV, purchased it on 23 February 1634. He completed the decoration of the hôtel, & spent his last years living there. His grandson Maximilien commissioned the architect François Le Vau, son of Louis Le Vau, to build an additional wing in 1660, to the west of the garden. The Hôtel de Sully still bears the name of this family, who owned the building into the 18th century.

That's Brigitte with Wayne in the gardens

He just can't keep his hands off 'em

We passed by The Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) 'It is the building housing the city's local administration. Standing on the place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville (formerly place de Grève) in the city's IV arrondissement, it has been the location of the municipality of Paris since 1357. It serves multiple functions, housing the local administration, the Mayor of Paris (since 1977), and also serves as a venue for large receptions."

I found it interesting, in the summer, the city provides a beach-like environment for its residents. They bring sand in for volley ball courts right here in front of the city hall & along the river including beach umbrellas - even water spray for kids & adults alike. The sprayers were most welcomed as they were having the hottest summer in memory.

 

 



 

 



Hotel de Ville in the back ground

The Seine



"The city of Paris is intersected by the Seine river. The river is a major tourist attraction as well as a central feature of the city, which was originally broken up across many islands. Centuries of construction & fill joined most of them to the mainland, which the exception of two, Ile St. Louis & Ile de la Citie...Ile St. Louis is a traditional refuge of the Parisian upper classes. Many artists and other bohemians found their way there as well, including famous figures such as Hemingway, and it is covered in examples of 17th century architecture. Many shops and boutiques including the flagship store of Berthillion, the most famous ice cream makers in Paris."  We waited in a long line for a long time & yes, I indulged with one scoop of my favorite, mint chocolate chip. Wayne got 2 scoops.
Fabulous day. In addition to the chocolate feast & ice cream, we also stopped for a glass of wine. We were greatful that we went with Brigitte on a very special tour but were exhausted after a very full day.