Sous le ciel de Paris
Coule un fleuve joyeux
Il endort dans la nuit
Les clochards et les geux
- Hubert Giraud, Sous le Ciel de Paris
Ever since she was a very little girl, maybe 5 or 6 years old, Little H has dreamed of Paris. When asked what she wanted for her birthday, she would reply that she wanted to go to New York or Paris. Wouldn't we all? For her 7th or 8th birthday, she had a Paris-themed party with faux mustaches, Eiffel Tower party favours, and a painting party at which everyone got to paint their own version of la tour Eiffel. When she finally saw the Eiffel Tower in person, she wept. For real ... actual tears streaming down her cheeks.
Little H's birthday always seems to fall on the first week-end of Spring Break, so travelling is not completely out of the question. For her 9th birthday, we did go to New York, a city I hated but have grown to love. We went for Spring Break, but we met friends there and had a birthday celebration at Ellen's Stardust Diner, and thus started a tradition. The following year, we went to San Francisco. Now, finally, we are in Paris. It isn't April in Paris, but it is magical. Unfortunately, the theme of our tour continues ... a brief stop, then moving on.
We only had 2 1/2 days and three nights in la Ville-Lumiere, so we each had to decide what was most important to us. For me, I hoped to see Notre-Dame de Paris and the Louvre. Little H wanted to eat French crepes and macarons, accomplished in Lyon but to be repeated in Paris, and la tour Eiffel. Kari chose L'Arc de Triomphe and Jim Morrison's grave. Our apartment was in the septieme arrondissement de Paris (Palais-Bourbon), just steps from the river Seine and about 1 km from the Eiffel Tower. We arrived into Paris the first night with plenty of time to explore our neighbourhood and walk along the river at a leisurely pace. Kari and Little H rode the carousel at the tower entrance, and we took photos from every conceivable angle, waiting for the light to be just right. We closed out our first night in Paris with an amazing Italian meal in a tiny little restaurant, then had one more look at the tower before turning for home.
Le 7e arrondissement de Paris. Photos RGH
The Louvre Palace was originally built in the 1100s and remnants of that first structure still exist today. Additional construction eventually led to it becoming the residence of French kings in 1546. After multiple expansions and renovations, its current form was completed sometime around 1682, at which time Louis XIV chose Versailles as his residence and construction slowed. It was converted for the display of art and artifacts in 1750 and officially opened as a museum in 1793. Almost 1000 years of history and construction has resulted in a building, grounds, and art collection on an enormity of scale that I can't describe and that pictures do not adequately capture.
Friends and guidebooks said that you can spend weeks going through all of the galleries and exploring the collection. We had a few hours. My preference was to explore the statuary and carvings. My mother wanted to see the paintings, and Kari wanted to see the Mona Lisa. I was out-voted, so we concentrated our time in the galleries for French and European paintings.
The Louvre and Jardin des Tuileries. Photos RGH/Little H
Some of these might be familiar. Photos RGH
The cornerstone for Notre Dame de Paris was laid in 1163 under the reign of Louis VII and continued for another 182 years with construction being completed in 1345. During the 854 years of its existence, the cathedral has undergone multiple changes and reconstructions. It was desecrated by the Huguenots in 1548, "modernized" by Louis the XIV and Louis XV, plundered and destroyed in 1793 during the French Revolution, and underwent its most recent restoration beginning in 1991. Visiting the cathedral was on our "must do" list while in Paris. We had wanted to climb the towers. Unfortunately, they were closed the day we were there. The cathedral itself was impressive, though we found the atmosphere inside very dark, cold, and foreboding. Visiting Notre Dame de Paris was a "must do", but we all agreed that the cathedrals we visited in Prague (Link: From Prague With Love) and Lyon (Link: Vive La France!) were more awe-inspiring.
Notre Dame de Paris. Photos RGH/KAH
We bought a Turbo Pass for Paris that allowed us free admission, and sometimes an express line (no waiting!) to dozens of museums and attractions. The plan was to hit several sites each day, but getting up early and moving right away was becoming less and less attractive. Each day of our tour, we have been getting a later start than the one before. By the time we made it to Paris, we were definitely sleeping in. That, and no Sandemans walking tours scheduled (this made Little H very happy). As such, we couldn't pack as much into each day as we had hoped. We did manage to get into the Pere Lachaise Cemetery at closing to search for Jim Morrison's tomb. Kari had heard or read that it was difficult to find, and it certainly lived up to its reputation. Even surrounded by a fence and covered in flowers, it took some searching. We finally found it tucked in behind much larger tombs. After lighting Kari's fire, we enjoyed a quiet stroll on our way to the exit gate.
Pere Lachaise Cemetery. Photos RGH
At 2.5 days and three nights, Paris was our longest stopover for the entire tour. We were enjoying the 'luxury" of not having to pack up and move on. We splurged on dinner at an upscale restaurant, then spent some time wandering the neighbourhood at night. The next morning, we started late again and strolled through the streets and stalls of Rue Cler. We took a cruise along the River Seine, then climbed to the top of L'Arc de Triomphe. We finished the day at an international food and music festival, then it was home and getting ready for an early morning train ride to London.
Night wanderings. Photos RGH
The River Seine. Photos RGH
Scenes from L'Arc de Triomphe. Photos RGH/KAH
Paris is the "City of Lights" and it certainly lived up to its name when we were out and wandering at night. It was amazing to step out the door of our apartment, onto the street, and see the Eiffel Tower lit up against a backdrop of historic buildings and monuments. I was surprised at how much I liked this city, despite its sprawling enormity and immense crowds. It's a city that we will return to again and again.
Here's looking at you, kid.
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