MORNING:
Our alarm goes off at 5 a.m. so we can make the 6 a.m. breakfast and check out. We have our typical food fare and then load our baggages onto the bus. It is sunny our last day in London. Leaving is bitter sweet. It was so fun here, but I am excited to see what lies ahead in Paris on the 70th anniversary of Normandy Invasion D-Day.
The bus trip is not too long. We arrive at the railway station, pass through security and wait with other passengers until it is time to board our train. The lounge area is noisy, lots of excited school children in the area.
Some of the group take this opportunity to get another cup of coffee, use the toilets, and relax a bit. If we follow suit, we will not be idle long after we reach Paris and check into the hotel.
Tickets get shuffled several times before we finally get our permanent seats. I am on Eurostar train 16 seat 46. I am seated next to three other members of our group and we have the seats with the table in the middle. Once the train gets going it moves quickly, we were told 170 m.p.h. Our arrival time in Paris should be in just 2-1/2 hours.
The countryside is beautiful and the homes are larger than I expected to see in the rural areas of France.
AFTERNOON
We arrive to the train station. Adjust my watch 1 hour ahead of London's time. Most of the ladies of the three groups need to use the toilettes. They are not free and cost 70 cent Euro. Since no one has any Euros except me, I fortunately saved some Euros from my Amsterdam trip and can pay for everyone.
Barely off the train one of the ladies from Louisiana was accosted by a Gypsy trying to take her purse. She fought him off. Our guide, Guilliaume, warns us about these people and other criminals. He tells us how to avoid them.
It is definitely much sunnier and hotter in Paris than in London. Don't need our jackets anymore. The highs are around 90 and the humidity feels like back in Texas.
The tour bus that will take us to our hotel. First, we must get through the traffic congestion. It amazes me how these little compact cars and motorcycles challenge our bus for the right of way on the road. He ends up opening his window to yell at them to get back. Have to readjust to being on the right side of the road again, just when I was getting used to the other way.
Our bus makes several stops on the way to our hotel, Mercure Paris Porte d'Orleans. The Porte d'Orleans will also be our subway stop name. One of the stops is the Eiffel Tower. It is so tall over 1000'. Paris does not disappoint with its' landmarks. London felt like an American city, but Paris is definitely not like any city we have at home. Most every building and monument is such a grand scale.
click on History of Eiffel Tower
Next stop at a park spend about 30 minutes there. First things I notice different than London and US. People are taking time to enjoy visiting each other, resting even out in public. The chairs are not locked up and no rental fees to use them like in London parks. Also, the fashions in Paris are much more colorful than London, they are more grays and blacks, neutrals.
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| a garden spot at last |
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| love the red poppies |
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| more travelers |
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| Park scene reminds me modern version of the painting below |
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| A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte – 1884 is one of Georges Seurat's most famous works, and is an example of pointillism. |
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| Park chairs and tables for all to enjoy |
Finally arrive at hotel to quickly check into our rooms and get back down to begin touring. Only one problem the elevators are very small and slow. So we are given 20 minutes. Guillaume tells us that the subway system here is not the same as London. The doors will not wait for you to get on, must really hurry and there are no signs posting what stop you are at so you have to really pay attention to the wall signs and the announcements. Also the tickets are good for only one ride not passes for the day. So we have to keep up with multiple tickets and make sure we have the right one. That is nerve racking.
We head out and pass through busy streets on the way to see Notre Dame and Locks of Love Bridge. Stop to get cold water, since it is so hot easy to get dehydrated. I especially have to monitor this because of my heart condition and medication. While traveling it is hard to find that balance of enough water, but not too much for frequent bathroom breaks. Street vendors are the cheapest 1 Euro for cold water, other places double the price if it is refrigerated.
As we are looking at the smallest street still in Paris, I feel a man brush up against me. The student next to me notices too. This man has a strange look on his face as he passes looking directly at me. If he was after my wedding ring, or something else his plans failed. I decide to take my ring off while I am in Paris. Too risky.
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| Street Spray Paint Artist, interesting to watch his process |
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| Small streets led to high crime in Paris before the wider Boulevards were built |
At Notre Dame's Mass has started, you are allowed to take photos and sit in the service. I take about 15 minutes to just soak in the environment and have time for silent prayer. Grateful for having this amazing life experience.
Seeing the altar incense rise upward toward Heaven, smelling the fragrance, hearing the priest and choir chant out prayers. Looking around at the beauty and shear size of the ceiling and building expanse, sensing God's Divine presence.
click on History of Notre Dame
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| Seine River crossing to Notre Dame |
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| Notre Dame |
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| Inside is massive |
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| One of the beautiful stained glass windows |
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| Virgin Mary and Christ statue |
Quickly get a chance to see the Locks of Love Bridge. This is the bridge that made the National news on Tuesday, day after we got home. We just missed this event.
EVENING:Time to eat. We walk through the city and see lots of outdoor Bistro type cafes. Flowers in window boxes just as I imagined next to wrought iron railings and brightly colored shutters on several story stone buildings. So beautiful, a painting in the making.
We arrive at our destination. This restaurant is a remodeled cave from the 13th century. We go downstairs and it is instantly much cooler in this cavern where we will eat a duck dinner. Our first meal in France is specially prepared for us: duck shepherd's pie, organic salad that is grown on the grounds with a light vinaigrette dressing, and a papaya-passion fruit topped with kiwi creme desert. I promised to have a glass of wine in France for a friend, I do so here. I order a small carafe of rose wine. All of it is delicious.
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| 13th century cave |
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| Organic Greens, white asparagus, pickled parsnip |
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| desert, so creamy and light |
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| Bon Appetite and Cheers dear friend |
Cannot believe I still have room, but don't miss a chance to have dark chocolate ice cream on a cone 3 Euro.
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| Looking for the Gelato shop |
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| A common site along the Seine River, people laughing, playing cards eating and drinking wine |
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| PDA is a common site for the City of Love |
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| Pass by a Law University, this pic is for my daughter who is planning to attend Law School |
NIGHTFALL
A beautiful site on the way back to the subway that takes us to the hotel. I am looking for a Pharmacie to buy some bandaids and epson salts. My feet really are swollen in the evenings. My breathing is more difficult too, especially on those inclines. Our University campus' hills look easy compared to these.
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| The setting sun's reflection on these buildings is so beautiful |
Wonder why all the stores are closed so early. Well, it's almost 10:00 p.m. and as you can see the sun is still up. The sun does not set here until 10:30 ish. That really throws my internal clock off kilter.
Get back to the hotel, but first stop to get some water at the front desk. A miracle, I happen to spot some spa bath salts for sale in the cabinet next to the refrigerator. At this point, I don't care how much they cost. I am determined to soak my poor feet. When I get back to my room, my roommate and I agree to sit on the side of the tub and do just that before bedtime and it feels wonderful.
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