Paris!

What can anyone say about Paris that hasn’t already been said? It can certainly be overwhelming but we had time on our side. We could linger and even extend our time here if we wanted. We camped on the outskirts of town at Camping de Paris- seven nights cost us the equivalent of $170 dollars. In fact, we arrived on a Monday and the van never moved until we left the following Monday. We took the camp-sponsored bus right to a metro stop each day and planned our visits around the weather and our whims. We loved having no set plans and being able to wander Paris' many gardens without pressure.

Though I had been to Paris several times, it was Dermot’s first trip here so I wanted to make sure we took in the things that would make him feel he had really experienced it. Unfortunately, we were both under the weather and we pretty much wore ourselves out most days. On Friday and Saturday night, we learned that there was some kind of late night dance place nearby making sleep difficult. Ear plugs to the rescue!

Tuesday we took Rick Steves' Historic Paris Walk to the Notre Dame Cathedral, Deportation Memorial, Ile St. Louis, the Latin Quarter, Place St. Michel, Sainte-Chapelle, Palais de Justice, one of the original art-deco “Metropolitan” subway entrances, the Conciergerie, and Post Neuf. Some of these we came back to tour later.  

Wednesday we went to the Louvre which is amazing and inspiring in all the most important ways a museum can be.  That being said, it has now become a destination for people who simply go there to take selfies with the most important art pieces. The Mona Lisa was so mobbed you couldn't just look at her, you were jostled by people trying to get close and get a picture of it, then turn and get selfies. I saw one woman in the Egyptian art area just posing next to object after object, adjusting her expression then snapping several selfies hardly glancing at the object itself. It is simply not the same experience I've had in the past and that was disappointing.

Wednesday we went to the Arc de Triomphe and then took a long walk down the Champs-Élysées. Thursday we went to Versailles and the lines to the palace were so long we took the staff’s recommendation to first visit the gardens, the Trianon and Marie Antoinette’s Hamlet where she recreated/retreated to the simpler life of her youth in Austria. This place is huge - we did over 10 miles of walking! We had packed a picnic lunch and ate it in the peace of the gardens. Dermot and I enjoyed the hall of mirrors and the “Gallery of Great Battles” depicting the many military achievements from Clovis (first king the Franks) to Napolean.  

Friday we spent a great day exploring the Orsay Museum and the Orangerie Museum. These were both better experiences than the Louvre because the people seemed much more interested in seeing the art than being seen with the art (selfies were banned!) or taking pictures of the art. I love to look at the brushstrokes of the artists and one detail I never knew was that Gauguin painted on such poor quality canvas it almost looked like a burlap sack! We relaxed in the Tuilleries Garden before dinner.

Saturday in Paris we went to the Pompidou Center and saw an amazing collection of modern and contemporary art. I’ll admit that there was a lot in this museum’s collection of the most recent art that baffled me. This museum was much more enjoyable than the Louvre as well because the people who came here were respectful and the place wasn’t over run. Afterwards, we experienced a true French specialty - a huge protest march to save the planet!

Then we went to see Sainte Chapelle. Built between 1242-1248 for King Louis IX to house the Crown of Thorns relic (which cost far more than the building) using the lastest architecture at the time which allowed massive stained glass windows that were truly incredible. Only Royals were allowed to worship in this chapel - staff and commoners worshipped in the basement under a painted ceiling. It struck me as strange when Christ taught love for the common man, but then again the French revolution was several hundred years off.

Sunday we started off going to the Grand Palais, Petit Palais and the Champs-Elysee gardens. Since this day was hot, we laced our way through parks and green tree-lined streets near the river. The huge trees along the river were chestnut trees and they were in season so they littered the walks and we heard them falling (hard!).  In seems that Paris is overwhelming when you try to see it all in a short period of time, but there are parks both large and small throughout the city so you always have a place to escape the crowds, enjoy a shady spot and relax. It's also a great place for people-watching.

Click here for the photo album! I added comments on most but you have to open the album and page through each photo to see the comments. 

One of the things I love about France is that there are so many statues and memorials dedicated to the memory of good works and support not just in Paris but all over France.  One that really struck me was a dedication to Lafayette supported (according to the plaque) by the school children of the United States as thanks for France's support in our war for independence from the British.  It got me thinking about our current national debate about monuments and wondering how many Americans would even remember France's support of us. In case you're interested: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_%C3%A9questre_de_La_Fayette_(Paris)

We experienced the lively Trocadero scene and then strolled towards the Eiffel Tower where we took in the views of the city and joined the crowds in taking selfies and pointing out the landmarks to each other. This was our last night in Paris and we enjoyed the sunset and watched as the city of lights lived up to its name.

We've heard many Americans say the French are rude but we haven't experienced much of that. However, there were a number of times I observed my fellow Americans behaving in cringe-worthy ways.  Here is a sample:

Overheard in the Louvre:
A man in his twenties strides up to a huge, famous painting, snaps a photo of it and says to his girlfriend: "Why does he get to be King and nobody else does?  Why does he get all that and not everyone else." This might be understandable if it depicted a king due to heredity but this was the painting of Napolean crowning himself Emperor with a nearby explanation. Aargh!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Coronation_of_Napoleon

Overheard in the Louvre while trying to enjoy "The Wedding at Cana:"
Woman in her twenties to friend: "Oh, it's The Last Supper!"
There's not an apostle in sight, there is, however, a dwarf, there's a dog on the table, and, well - you judge:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wedding_at_Cana

Overheard a woman in late 20's/maybe early 30's near the Eiffel Tower:
"So, like, what is it? I mean, like, some kind of sculpture?"

Now is it any wonder Americans might have a reputation in France?