Petit Palais and Palais de Tokyo

We woke to thunder and rain this morning; a definite cooling effect for hot summer days we’ve been having.  Last night the neighbors partied until 2 am.  Paris lives outside on hot summer nights!

We did a load of laundry at the laundry mat down the block between the raindrops.  Met a couple there from Texas who we discovered live across the courtyard from us…they also had trouble sleeping from the party happening between our buildings!  Going to the laundry in Europe can be fun and interesting if you’re will to talk to strangers.

After lunch in the apartment we headed out the door with umbrellas in the backpack and walked to our nearest bus stop, about 3 blocks.  Took the bus across town to Gare Montparnasse….that’s where a very tall building allows people to go up for the view from the top.  It’s as good as the Eiffel Tower views.  There we caught a different bus that took us to the Louvre. 

 From there we walked through the Tulleries Garden toward the Champs de Elysees.  Beautiful and nice to enjoy watching people enjoy the sunshine!  Notice in the slideshow the security forces that are constantly walking in public places. 

Finally arrived at the Petit Palace where we enjoyed an hour for free of art in a beautiful building.  Then we walked to the Palais de Tokyo and again found a free museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.  This is the one that Maeliss recommended….but still glad we went to see the one on Architecture and Monuments yesterday. 

This one was very different for us but we enjoyed the change of style and Jim found several works by artists that he was very familiar with.  I particularly enjoyed the furniture that was displayed.

Walking again we crossed the Seine River at Pont d’Alma; viewing once again the Flame where the people have erected a memorial for Princess Diana.  Then on to the Eiffel Tower and the dock for our Batobus for our trip home.

Caught the bus after getting off the boat and just as we hopped off for our three block walk back to the apartment; the rain drops began to lightly fall. 

Home for a dinner and then some local shopping.  We’d planned a concert tonight at 8 pm but we were wrong; tonight it began at 6 pm so we missed it.  Tomorrow we will try to make the 8 pm concert.

It’s quiet outside.  They started to gather below the window earlier and Jim very carefully watered the plants in the window and “accidentally” spilled some that dripped on the girls below.  They laughed and moved the chairs to the end of the courtyard so it should be a quiet night!

Hope you enjoy the slide show: 

Eglise Saint-Etienne Du Mont

It’s 12:30 am and the party is in full swing below our windows!  It was another very warm day in Paris and life is outside and alive!   Jim is sound asleep with earplugs and a sleeping pill; I’m waiting for the end of the party!

We had a great day beginning about 11 am when we caught the Metro to the Pantheon area to visit the church made famous in the Woody Allan movie “Midnight in Paris”.  We’ve been several times over the past two years and always found the doors locked.  This time we checked out the time for Mass and it was open.  We spent an hour exploring the interior of the church and then stayed for the 12:15 pm Mass.  This church is full of history going back to the time of Clovis and St. Genevieve.  Several popes have visited this church to say Mass when in Paris including Pope John Paul II.  The interior features an arch midway that is truly spectacular. 

Leaving the church we got back on the Metro and headed northwest.  We needed to change trains at La Motte Picquet Grenelle Station.  This was within blocks of our apartment last year so we decided to visit our McDonalds Restaurant that is across the street from the station.  There we grabbed a quick lunch and then back on the Metro in another direction all the way across the Seine River to Trocadero which is located directly across from the Eiffel Tower.  Departed the train and entered the Museum of Architecture and Monuments.

Our Paris friends, Nicolas and Maeliss, recommended this to us.  We were amazed at the models of so many famous churches and other public buildings in France.  Very worthwhile and soon we discovered we’d spend nearly two hours.  It was time to get back on the Metro…too hot to ride the Batobus like we’d planned. 

Home by 4 pm, did some shopping and dressed up for our dinner tonight with Yorba Linda friends who are in Paris with their friends for a few days before they go to the Midi Canal for a self-guided boat trip.   We’d decided to meet at a restaurant near their hotel in the Latin Quarter called La Jacobine.  We’d selected four, this one because of the rating on Trip Advisor; then Barbara narrowed it to two and we chose this one. 

We headed for our Metro again, we made six trips today; and soon arrived in the area of St. Michel near Notre Dame looking for the restaurant when we saw our friends Barbara and John.  It was a wonderful three hour dinner and we all had a good time and wonderful food. 

We arrived home by Metro about 10:30 pm and the party began shortly thereafter.  It’s going to be a long night but not my first experience with European’s habit of gathering outside in the heat of the night for sharing good times with each other.  After all, it is their country and I’m a guest. 

Hope you enjoy the slideshow: 

Using the Bus in Paris

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It was nearly noon by the time we left the apartment today.  Lots of housekeeping things to do with bookkeeping, etc.  Time flies when you are having fun!

We took the Metro to La Defense this morning.  That is where the Grande Arche is located and also the end of the Metro Line.  We checked the price for our tickets to Maison Laffitte for Saturday and by using our Navigo Pass to La Defense it is only a small amount to complete our journey.  We are definitely enjoying the weekly pass for our transportation.

We checked with the man at the desk and he confirmed that “no” you cannot go to the top of the Grande Arche anymore because it is a security issue and more importantly the elevators have been broken for three years!    But it is a beautiful structure to see and the views are phenomenal just from the ground.  You can actually see the Arch de Triomphe in the distance!

We discovered the public toilettes in the large shopping mall…find the Poste (Post Office) and it’s just down a hall.  These are important issues when you are traveling!  LOL   Then as we took the stairs down to the Metro we discovered a McDonalds and enjoyed a sandwich before we headed back into town!

When we arrived at the Arc de Triomphe we changed Metro Lines and headed north towards Sacre Cour.  We arrived at Anvers Station and walked up the hill for a couple of blocks past all sorts of seedy places in the red light district.  But soon we were at the funicular that accepted our Navigo Pass and after a few minutes of being packed in an airless glass car on a very hot day…we were at the top of the hill in Montmartre.   There was an unusual street performer; a lovely lady in a red dress singing opera, beautiful.  We entered the Basilique du Sacre Cour and said a few prayers for our family while enjoying the quiet joy of perpetual adoration there in the beautiful sanctuary. 

Leaving the church we considered, but not for long, climbing the 300 steps to the dome; but decided instead to walk pass La Masion Rose, a very old restaurant on the hill, past the only remaining vineyard and then to the famous Lapin Agile Cabaret.  Only open at night so we couldn’t go inside. 

Rather than walk back up the hill we turned over our Metro Map and looked at the Map for the city buses.  We figured it was time we took the plunge and started riding the buses.  We found one down at the bottom of the back of Montmartre and climbed on using our Navigo Pass.   Within six blocks…we hit the end of the line.   We followed buses around the corner to see where to get on going the opposite direction and we soon found the spot.  Used our Pass again and climbed on board.  This was bus # 80 and we found that it would take us all the way south to Pont d L’Ama and the Seine River.  On the way we passed all the major shopping stores from Jimmie Choo, Dior, etc. etc. etc.   

We hopped off when we crossed the river and walked a few blocks to Eiffel Tower and the stop for our Batobus!  Yeah…we have a pass for this also!  Had to wait for the next boat but Jim found shade from a post and I stood behind the ticket booth.  The sun has been really hot today!  And, tomorrow is going to be even hotter!   We have no air conditioning so I’m sitting here in the dark typing with my flashlight.  We have the windows open for air and there are no screens.  But…hey…it’s Paris!

We stopped for an errand at Notre Dame and then got back on the next Batobus which took us back to the end at Gare d’Austerlitz.  There it turns around and goes back to the Eiffel Tower.  We headed for the bus stop and rode a bus home to the apartment.  Arrive before 7 pm.  Time to reheat the chicken dinner leftovers from last night and then phone calls home using Skype and the Internet.

Another fun day in Paris…hope you enjoy the slideshow: