Paris day 3

Sunday today. We had half a day to sightsee a little more, and we wanted to go to the Eiffel Tower, for I had some secret business there. So now everybody wants to know what the secret is, so I have a question for you: Why should I call it secret if it’s not secret??? In the hotel there was an Apple Mac, which is so much nicer than a jolly TV with limited channels!

Great idea: Apple Mac in hotel rooms

On it you could access all info on sightseeing in Paris, the weather, maps, Google, etc., plus download your mail… Ilse established that it costs 20Eur to go up the Tour Eiffel, and it was misty and rainy, so we decided no, not worth it, we’ll go and be charmed by the construction. We emerged from the metro practically under the Tower, so the full impact of the edifice struck us as we saw it for the first time.

Tour Eiffel

Ilse had never been there, and we both loved the curves and lines, but make no mistake, this is a meccano-like steel structure, and really nothing beautiful! As we used to say, “mooi van ver maar ver van mooi”….

Mooi van ver

I actually love the Eiffel Tower, for we have a unique set of brass candlesticks in the form of the Eiffel Tower which we inherited from Rudolf’s mother. Her parents had bought them at the Universal Exhibition (World Fair) in Paris in 1889, so we have had the Eiffel Tower on our table for 37 years.

Under the Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower was erected in Paris alongside the Seine in 1888-9 for this very Exposition Universelle, marking the centenary celebration of the French Revolution. There were MANY people in the arts community who were vitriolic in their opposition to the Tower. They slated it in the press. Guy de Maupassant dined in the restaurant on the Tower every day. When asked why, he said it is the only place in Paris from where you cannot see the miserable Tower! It had permission to stay put for 20 years, after which it would become the property of the city council. Council originally intended to dismantle it, but decided to keep it for practical reasons: radio mast in times of war, and certainly now for the annual tourist revenue! It is the most visited paid monument in the world.

Peace memorial

At the end of the Champ de Mars, the long lawn on which the tower stands, we found a peace memorial with poles mirrored in the puddles of rain, and all of a sudden there were about a dozen people riding through the puddles with their strange motorised wheelies called Segways. Quite a novel way of seeing the city, if you ask me. But most of these people looked as if they feared falling off any moment! All they could do is concentrate on staying on board and following the one in front of them…

Eiffel at a distance

The last thing up our sleeve was the Musee de Cluny or the Musee National du Moyen Age, just down the street from our hotel. We took the metro back, and were intrigued by the unusual interior of the underground at Cluny-Sorbonne.

Les Oiseaux

It is called Les Oiseaux, and is an artwork in mosaic, consisting of two or three birds in flight and the signatures of dozens of the famous alumni of the Sorbonne.

Alumnus signatures

But first a bite. We had not had any breakfast, so we stopped at a little side street cafe near the metro and had a croque-monsieur and coffee, something very Parisian. They call it Welsh Rarebit on the menu translation, but I beg to differ. The croque-monsieur is made with a thick bechamel sauce, smoked ham and grated Gruyere or Emmental cheese. A slice of bread is spread with white sauce, topped with ham (don’t be snoep!), grated cheese, then another slice of bread, more white sauce, and cheese on top, then baked for about 15 mins @ 200 degrees – grill it right at the end till golden brown. Granted same ingredients as Welsh Rarebit, but just not the same. It originated in 1910  and is still a firm favourite on cafe menus.

Museum of the Middle Ages

Now time for the Cluny museum. It transported us to a feelgood space of warmth and awe, the space of the middle ages. Wood, stone, mail armour, swords and spears, beautiful interiors, gold and ivory jewellery, and then the amazing French tapestries. Besides the many covering the walls of the rooms, there are the famous tapestries of the Lady and the Unicorn,  a series of 6 large tapestries, wonderful. Here is a sundial which states

Sundial from 1674

Nil sine nobis – Nothing without us, the sun speaking in the royal we. Well, now the time was there for us to get our cases and leave for Gare du Nord. A last entry into Hotel de la Sorbonne to fetch our baggage, and off we were.

Hotel de la Sorbonne foyer

At Gare du Nord we found ourselves very early, so we settled down for a VERY thirst-quenching beer each.

Beer at Gare du Nord

Ilse walked around to take a few shots of this international station – not at all in the same league as King’s Cross St Pancras, but a large station nonetheless.

Gare du Nord, Paris

After customs and waiting a little while in the international hall, we found our seats on the train, this time to my delight facing the way of travel, and soon we were on our way back home after a truly enjoyable weekend in France.

My take on this experience is that it was such a surprise to me! I found the energy in the French capital so relaxed, but alive. To me it was a total surprise that they have connected the dots in the electronic age that there’s no way you are going to stop people taking sneak photos in the large museums with point and shoots or cellphones, so you might as well give up and allow it. So in the Musee d’Orsay everybody is taking memory shots of all the beautiful Renoirs and Manets and Van Goghs and Toulouse-Lautrecs. Openly and with permission. It is, however, not allowed to bring an SLR on tripod and take photos which could be used to make money. Fair enough. But nowhere else have I encountered such a practical stance. Bully for the French! Vive la France!

Paris day 2

Oh how wonderful it is to wake up as a tourist in a super bed in accommodation right in the centre of the activity! Ilse, you were SPOT ON with Hotel de la Sorbonne! The trick is to book 6 months in advance, for they sometimes have fantastic offers that make it possible for budget travellers to do this kind of thing.. We lay in bed and gassed much longer than we’d intended, but once we got going, we headed for Rue Mouffetard, where Izzie said there was this wonderful bakery called Mouffe’tarte, where you could buy slices of quiche and sweet tarts for a late breakfast a.k.a. brunch. Rue Mouffetard wasn’t far, but when we found Mouffe’tarte, it was closed for some reason, and we went hungry. We strolled down the street, which turns into a wonderful market street with food boutiques of every description.

Fromagerie

At one spot there was a deli shop where you could buy any kind of bird off a rotisserie, complete with roast potatoes done at the bottom of the roasting machine in the drippings!!

Anyone for roast duck/pheasant/quail?

I learned there that the French are serious enough about fresh coffee that they have bruleries – coffee roasting boutiques, and you smell the roast coffee up the street.

Brulerie, Rue Mouffetard

At the bottom of the street we found a lovely place to eat a late breakfast, La Salle a Manger (the Dining Room). We got a lovely table outside, not too sunny,

La Salle a Manger

and soon we were savouring freshly baked breads, croissants, rolls and even a pain au chocolat (choc croissant). But the jams, man oh man! Indescribable!

Breads, jams & fresh coffee in a bowl

Strawberry jam, lime marmalade (my favourite, best in the world!), white chocolate vanilla spread (white nutella) and mimosa honey. They even provided a choice between salted and unsalted butter! Gosh, how can anyone rave so much about a mere Continental Breakfast??!! We congratulated ourselves the whole time on being so blessed with good happenstances! Across the road was a vegetable hawker who called out his specials on local cherries non-stop,

Market scene

while behind him the church bell pealed every halfhour. Local housewives hurried past with wheelie baskets filling up with fresh produce for the weekend, children wobbled past on their scooters, and the whole lively scene charmed us no end.

Market day

Now we wanted to go and see Palais Royal and the Louvre – not the inside of the museum, just the outside. The glass pyramids weren’t there yet in 1970.

Palais Royal with pyramids

Yes, it is awe-inspiring to see an old building and a modern edifice married so successfully! And I just love this B&W photo that Ilse took! Here is my try:

Louvre

As we moved further and further from this busy square, no doubt as busy as this through the Da Vinci Code book and movie, and the fact that it was a few days before the next movie would be released, we got a better view of the grand palace which now houses France’s best and oldest art treasures.

Louvre precinct

This took us to another beautiful grand park of  Paris, the Jardin des Tuileries, past the Arc de Triomphe du Carousel, a smaller version of the real Arc de Triomphe down the road. Then left over the bridge to the side of the Tuileries, to the Musee d’Orsay, the art museum we chose to peruse on this visit. It is the museum where Paris’s art treasures dating from 1848 to 1950 are housed, including the Impressionists, probably the biggest draw card for us!

Musee d'Orsay

The museum is an old station building from 1900, expertly restored and converted into a worldclass art gallery between 1980 and 1986. What a beautiful space this is!

Station Clock

We absolutely loved this outing. Ilse studied art, and she learned all about these painters at school. She told me how whe had been to Paris in Std. 9 with the Andersons, and how she had wanted to see this museum. None of the Andersons were remotely interested, so Oom Geoff took her to Musee d’Orsay and left her there with 2 hours to browse. This time, however, we had time, and we decided to see only the Impressionists (from early to late). Early on we saw Manet’s Dejeuner sur l’Herbe, then on through many rooms filled with works of all the Impressionists, and we ended with Monet’s Dejeuner, an attention-grabbing juxtaposition of a huge square canvas and a tall oblong one forming a whole. By this time our energy was flagging a bit, so we went to the museum restaurant to get revived. It is on the top floor of the building right behind the clock, with a fantastic view over the Paris skyline.

Sacre Coeur on the hill

After quiche and salad we could take up another challenge, this time to Sacre Coeur and Montmartre.

Sacre Coeur

We got there by metro. The metro entrance at Abbesses is the oldest in Paris – it still sports the original art nouveau sign.

Abbesses metro entrance

Just here we found something you don’t read about in the guide books: an authentic Art Nouveau church.

Art Nouveau

Neither of us can remember what its name was, but we do remember how intrigued we were.

Art Nouveau church

Somehow I had gotten my memories crossed. I had the idea of an artist colony in Montmartre, a bohemian area around the hill on which the strange white church stands. But this turned out to be a seedy area, not at all nice to browse in, moreover it was raining and not at all pleasant to trudge up the hill. We got to the church after a hefty climb. It is a spacious and interesting church. A service was in full swing, so we didn’t stay. As we started the descent it started raining hard and we had to find shelter. After the downpour we looked at life going on around the carousel.

Merry-go-round in the rain

As we wondered how we would survive this seedy area, we stumbled on a street of fabric shops.

Fabric shops

What the heck, let’s go in, we said. Our mouths fell open, and we struggled to close them again! Here were the most amazing fabrics in cottons and linens and voiles, other natural fabrics, and such an array of beautiful materials you have never seen!! Upholstering fabrics galore, the one more beautiful than the next! This was the last cherry on a full and enjoyable day.Now we were cold and wet and tired, so the idea of going back to l’Ecritoire Restaurant for a small supper was very inviting. It was such a nice place we didn’t even want to try something new! Ilse had Soupe a l’Oignon again, and I had a dish with duck – very good! And the hotel 2 steps away was of course the best of the deal…

Two happy wanderers

Paris continued

One unique thing about Paris is that around every corner in the heart of the city there are bicyles for rent. They are attached to a post into which you can insert a coin and take a bike, and you can drop it anywhere else to get your deposit back. And you see a lot of people on these bikes. What a good idea!

Rental bicycles

Now that we could breathe freely again after the stuffed air of Notre Dame, stuffed probably through my inability to deal well with throngs of people, we saw on the square in front of the cathedral a HUGE marquee placarded La Fete du Pain. And in spite of another prospect of throngs, we entered to see what this was about. Very interesting!

Bakers at the Bread Festival

There were dozens of chefs from every conceivable patisserie or restaurant in the city strutting their stuff, demonstrating and baking every kind of breadstuff the French make.

Bread for the French

Then we saw croissants being made, and you could see these bakers could do this in their sleep, it’s everyday stuff…

Croissant factory

Out en plein air again we glanced back at the Notre Dame, but we were still going to see it for awhile…

Front view Notre Dame

Across the River Seine by bridge we came back towards the famous landmark, and there right on the opposite bank is the quaint oldeworlde little shop Shakespeare and Company that Ilse knew about and wanted to go and show me.

Shakespeare and Co

A real antiquarian treat this is! Stacked up to the ceiling with English books, and full of browsers, a piano in one corner, played on by the occasional pianist booklover,

Books to the ceiling

a crooked creaking staircase that leads to more of the same, a wonderful view from the 1st floor window, a little cubicle with a typewriter, creating a little writer’s museum, and so on.

Writer's museum

There are two shops cheek by jowl, and the next one is just as quaint, the one with Shakespeariana or literary collector’s items.

Antiquarian next door

Just behind this jewel we found a church with a lovely leafy garden, St Julien le Pauvre (Saint Julian the Poor).

St Julien le Pauvre

There were quite a few people lounging about in the garden so I sat down there as well – the green of spring is so very soothing!

Resting in the garden of St Julien le Pauvre

We could still the bulky figure of Notre Dame towering into the skyline..

Notre Dame

Down the lane we found the Church of St Severin, not anything outstanding

Eglise de St Severin

inside as far as I’m concerned, but on the outside really outstanding gargoyles!

Gargoyles with attitude

Now  we walked into cinema land, and they looked like retro moviehouses.

Retro entertainment

Which reminds me that Paris is full of corners looking like cake slices, something so inimitably Paris!

Paris cake slice buildings

Paris city doors have a charm of their own - many remind of the French golden age of Louis XIV and Napoleon III – and they act as a street facade which belies the sometimes spacious and beautifully landscaped courtyard behind it. When a door like that opens and you get a glimpse inside, you could easily be stunned speechless.

Gateway to paradise

By this time our feet were telling us the day has been long. We still had a lot of daylight hours left, and so we wandered along to the Jardin du Luxembourg, one of the great parks which Haussmann, the 19th C city planner created in the city of Paris.

Jardin du Luxembourg

This is one of the Paris spaces I remember best from my stay here in 1970. I used to come to the city by metro every weekday from Sceaux to Luxembourg, cross through Jardin du Luxembourg to Boulevard Raspail and go for my lessons at the Alliance Francaise. And back the same way. There have always been people sailing toy boats on the pond, and there have always been children feeding the ducks.

Some scenes never change..

The ducks have always had a nest in a little wooden house in the middle of the pond. Strange how some things never change!

Now we were ready for a nice meal, and we were thinking along typical French cuisine lines. At a wonderful street cafe on Place de la Sorbonne, l’Ecritoire,

L'Ecritoire

we sat in the riches of a wonderfully evocative ambience and had Soupe a l’Oignon, or as the menu stated, Gratinee a l’Oignon, with a glass of red wine.

Cafe interior

At the end of that we knew this was the end to a fabulous day in Paris! We repaired around the corner to our hotel, had a WONDERFUL shower,

Sorbonne shower

and struck the bed, dead.

Paris

What a brainwave Ilse had to suggest we go to Paris together! We had a thoroughly enjoyable time!

Jardin du Luxembourg

One of the things Ilse and I have in common is a love of well-made things, whether they reside in the domain of food or interiors or jewellery, makes no difference. Another common passion of ours is our love of languages. And both of these were fed amply by this uncategorisable but lovable city, Paris.

At 07.00 we left home to get to “King’s Cross St Pancras International” – what a mouthful! – with time to spare. Ruislip is situated very well for this trip, for we didn’t have to switch tubes. Ilse told me that King’s Cross has been revamped in style in the past months, and what a fantastic result! Both of us are fascinated by good architecture, and we couldn’t stop taking pictures in the interior of this huge station building.

King's Cross St Pancras International

We got ourselves a snack for the train before we started our journey of around two and a half hours, stood in the queue for customs, found the train

Ultramodern station

and there we went. The Chunnel took 25 minutes to cross through. I tried to read en route, but the cushioned, gentle swaying of the Eurostar soon had me fast asleep, and I woke up when we emerged in France. It is totally impossible to try and take photos out of a train moving so fast through countryside where the railway verges are mostly planted with shrubs and trees to minimise train noise in the occasional villages, so it must suffice to say it is very much the same as the English countryside, flat, lush, all the shades of green with every now and then a shocking yellow canola field, dotted with painterly, picturesque villages. It made me think I would really like to explore the French countryside. Ilse told one of her French colleagues she was going to Paris for the weekend, and he said “Oh, but remember, Paris is not France.” And she countered that the Parisians probably maintain ONLY Paris is France…

Soon we arrived at Paris Gare du Nord and the adventure began. First of all to Hotel de la Sorbonne, where we were booked for 2 nights. The Paris tube is called the metro, short for metropolitain, and I couldn’t help thinking this oldfashioned tube, not renovated in ages, made me feel as if I was in a war movie.

Le Metro

Ilse was the perfect tour leader who found the right train in the right direction, and in minutes we were out on Boulevard St Germain, around the corner from our hotel. It was raining lightly. The ruins of Musee de Cluny or Musee National du Moyen Age (Middle Ages Museum) bordering on Place de la Sorbonne became our landmark.

Place de la Sorbonne

At the hotel we could not yet go to our room, so we left the luggage and went to the Pantheon in the rain. We paid our dues and entered this famous Paris landmark. Through the ages it has been alternately a religious and a secular space.

Pantheon

It was one of the highlights of our trip! We joined the guided tour and had the opportunity to climb to the very top balcony under the cupola. On every level there were breathtaking views, inside and out.

Pantheon beauty

Pity it was so rainy – the views were never really worth while the whole weekend.

Misty view

I remembered how fascinated I’d been as a young girl in Paris by the typical architecture: three or four floors of “white” building, then a black roof which is one or two garret floors, and rows of terracotta chimneys on each roof.

Inner city living quarters

The wind was quite unpleasant, but we still managed a lovely smile!

Ilse Hoberman, Pantheon, Paris

Inside we went to look for the famous Foucault pendulum. As we didn’t rent an audioguide, I still have no idea what this is about, but here we saw the thing in the flesh:

Foucault's pendulum

From the very top of the dome a 28 kg brass ball called a bob hangs by a 67 m steel cable, and put into motion it swings across the circle over which it hangs. Richard has just announced to me that Foucault installed it there in 1851 to demonstrate the rotation of the earth. The plane of the pendulum’s swing rotates clockwise 11° per hour, making a full circle in 32.7 hours.

Foucault feline

Next to the circle there is a black cat – what for, I don’t know. Now we went back to the hotel to check in – we got room 13, but on the door it said

Superstitious?

We loved this lovely little hotel in the heart of Paris! Fabulous beds,

Hotel de la Sorbonne room 12B

designer bathroom, Apple Mac computer, aircon, but one problem: we couldn’t figure out how to switch on the lights! I fetched the chambermaid, who took the keycard out of my hand, opened the cupboard and inserted it in a slot, and voila! there was light!

Switching on the lights

After a little rest we decided it’s time for the treat of a lifetime: down to Ile St Louis to Berthillon for a chocolat chaud (hot chocolate). We loved Ile St Louis!

Ile St Louis

Quaint little alleyways, lovely houses, flowers in boxes, boutique shops, and the inimitable Berthillon.

Berthillon

As we approached, we saw lots of people eating ice cream in cones – dark pink and red ice cream! But it looked awfully tasty.

Berthillon ice cream

We ordered chocolat chaud and tarte tatin to share  – oh my word! Heaven! Tarte tatin is an apple upside down cake – yummy yummy yummy! The hot chocolate came separately: cup, jug with foaming milk, little jug full to the brim with fluid chocolate, so you made your own concoction. I definitely want to try and make the tarte tatin at home. I shall never forget this delicious cake…

Chocolat chaud and tarte tatin

Now we wanted to move towards Ile de la Cite’ with the Notre Dame Cathedral on it.

Notre Dame on Ile de la Cite'

Spent a lovely halfhour wandering through Ile St Louis.. (These are the 2 islands in the river Seine). When we reached the cathedral, we found out the tower costs you and entry into the cathedral is free, but WOW!! What a throng of people! It felt like total sacrilege that so many noisy tourists were marching up and down the church.

Notre Dame rose window

Ilse and I walked to the rose windows, looked up and down and maak dat ons wegkom!

To be continued…