Day 21 Bonjour Paris!
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Bonjour! Today we drive to Paris! Au revoir, Beaune! Oh la la, Paris! The drive from Beaune to Paris would be our last with our dear Richard. It was still a good few hours ride between the two cities. At our final stop before Paris we had an opportunity to take pictures with Richard and thank him for his wonderful work as a driver! Before that we had a restroom break and an opportunity to get a drink before meeting back outside. Our time inside was sped up when a bus full of "yellow jackets" (Asian tourists) pulled in behind us. Once outside we met before Richard's bus to take pictures as it would soon be time to say good-bye.
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After a little while of picture taking Dimitri came out of the building and joined Richard in front of his bus. They began posing for pictures together. Those two goofs. To look good in the pictures both Richard and Dimitri sucked in a deep breath and held them while we took pictures. One of the ladies in the group took a minute or so making sure everything was right to take the picture. Meanwhile they were holding onto their breath. They kept asking, "Have you taken the picture yet? How about now?" Before the two of them gasped for air and started laughing. Of course after that moment they could not get it under control again.
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After picture time Richard joined us up at the top part of his bus for a little Au revoir speech. I am going to miss that sweet man!
As we drew closer to Paris we got our first view of the Eiffel Tower. It was very exciting! The feeling was similar to seeing Neuschwanstein up on the mountain side in Germany. Could we seriously almost be arriving in Paris?
As we drove around the city Dimitri pointed out one of the airports we might be using when leaving. We were carried through the old part of the town until we began to move inward. It was most exciting once we started reaching the heart of Paris. Along the drive we neared the tall, lovely and glorious Arc de Triomphe! There was a 4 lane roundabout circling the arc. Richard, with all the power of his large bus, pushed his way directly through the four lanes of traffic, causing them to pause for a moment in their busy lives as he pulled into the innermost lane of the roundabout. We made a full loop around the arc, meanwhile our faces were pressed against the windows as we admired the lovely monument. A few twists and turns through the city (and closer to the Eiffel tower) we arrived at a street just a block or so away from our new hotel. It was at this point where we had to disembark and leave Richard and the bus behind. We unloaded quickly onto the street since it was a busy street and Richard had to get going again. Au revoir Richard! It was very fun and very memorable! With EVERYTHING now in hand we struggled along down the road, fully loaded with luggage. We walked past a busy street full of shopping opportunities to investigate soon. The next street led us to our hotel. We entered into the lobby, filling all empty spaces with luggage and bodies. Some of the rooms were not ready yet and so some of us had to wait for a little while. Finally the room for three people was called out and we were given our key to the room, located on the top level, 5th floor. This hotel had an elevator (hooray!), however it was the smallest elevator I have ever been in. Emily and I had to go up separately in the elevator. Additionally to open the elevator you had to wait until it was on the floor then you could open the door and pull back the inside sliding door. I squeezed in first, pulling in my bag and backpacks. Mom also stacked her bag on top of mine. I sucked in my gut to get everything a little closer before we closed the sliding door/fence and pushed the button to go up. It was a tight fit for sure. Meanwhile Mom jogged up five flights of stairs to meet me at the top. Magnifique! She helped me unload (aka pulled out the two bags before I could imagine moving inside the box). We then waited for Emily to make it up with her two bags before entering the room. It was a simple room, very plain. It had three beds, a small TV and a restroom. This room had a fridge, however the fridge was locked! (This was the first room we had gotten that actually had a fridge in it. Up till this point we had been keeping our cheese from Holland, including the cheese that split open, inside the sink surrounded by cool water. Now that we finally had a fridge we were so excited, however we cannot even get it open!) The most incredible thing about this room, however, was the view. We were high enough to see above many of the surrounding buildings. From our window we could see the Eiffel tower standing so proud and tall against the beautiful blue sky. Very exciting! This was another instance where we had a little bit of time to settle in and venture out to the city where we could get something to eat for lunch. So after checking out the room, the view, and calling dibs on the beds we packed up to go and explore the next street over. We spotted many of the people in our group on the nearby street we had passed with all of the people. As it turns out this street had most of everything we, or anyone for that matter, would need. There were pharmacies (une pharmacie) everywhere! This street also had a souvenir shops (une botique de souvenirs), flower (les florailes) shop, cheese shops (une botique fromage), bread and sweets shop (botique pain) and grocery store (épicerie). There were also a variety of restaurants. We purchased some bread from a nearby bread shop to make sandwiches with as well as some vegetables to go with the meal. From that same bread shop we also got some beautiful looking pastries! It made for a very simple, tasty, and inexpensive meal. It did not take us long to devour much of the bread in the loaf we had selected. After lunch we met back in the lobby of the hotel where our group was steadily gathering. Once together again we then headed for the nearest Metro stop for a quick orientation on how to use this system of transit. Together we followed Dimitri's lead down into the Metro system and onto one of the trains. From there we rode a couple of stops until we could switch to another line. From there we could reach our destination. |
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This was all new and exciting for the three of us. I did not know exactly where we were going, but I was excited to get there. Upon our approach to a large monument I saw a sign for the Sainte Chapelle. We then stood in line behind that sign, waiting for our entry. Meanwhile Dimitri moved on ahead of us to check with the guards running the security checkpoint (since this area is government land). Due to a reservation we were allowed to move ahead in line and go through before some of the others who had been waiting. Sweet!
Once through with the security checkpoint Dimitri led us around to the front entrance of the Sainte Chapelle. He told us to meet him outside in an hour or so. With that we went inside. Now the Sainte Chapelle was commissioned by King Louis IX and was completed in 1248. It took only a couple years to make since this would be the official chapel of the King. It was built not only for the king, but also to hold special religious relics which the King had received over the years. Some of these included: the Crown of Thorns, fragments of the True Cross, and precious pieces of Passion of Christ's life, none of which are located within the Sainte Chapelle currently. My initial impression of the church was complete and utter awe as we entered into the lower level of the chapel, a section dedicated to the Virgin Mary. This area would have been used by the palace staff during the time of the monarchy. The ceiling was built to resemble the night sky with stars painted upon the veiling. In this room there is a statue of the Virgin Mary as well as 12 circular pendants on the walls to represent the 12 Apostles. To get to the upper level you had to enter into a spiral stone staircase located to the left of the entrance door. This led to the even more outstanding Upper Chapel which features a prime example of gothic architecture. Because this was the section of the church where the King and close family and friends would go to service, special care was taken in its decoration. That much was evident. It truly was a sight to take your breath away. Fifteen stained glass windows wrap around the walls of the upper chapel. These windows recount the history of humanity from Creation through Christ. This also includes: Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Judges, Isaiah, the Tree of Jesse, Saint John the Baptist, Daniel, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Tobias, Judith and Job, Esther, the Book of Kings, and the History of the Relics all highlighting brilliant blues and reds typical of the 12th century stained glass workmanship. These stained glass windows cast a purplish pink glow across the whole interior of this outstanding chapel. Two thirds of these windows are original windows created in the 12th century style. Words cannot describe the awe. From the detail of the stained glass to the decorations below and the alter at the front of the building. Chandeliers were lit to help illuminate the interior. At first they seemed to float in the air by themselves as if by magic. Closer examination and you can see the dangling chains holding them. The inside of the chapel was crowded, but that did not distract at all from the surrounding beauty. Similar to the lower chapel the ceiling was covered in stars. There was a dull murmur across the floor as guests are asked to speak quietly or not at all. At the back of the upper chapel is a 15th century western rose window which added to the grandeur of the scene. It was breathtaking. It deserved an Oh la la la la (WOW WOW WOW WOW)! This is one treasure that I am so glad I had the opportunity to see. It was so stunning. Photos cannot do it justice! |
After leaving Sainte Chapelle we walked across the Seine River where we found ourselves walking into the Latin Quarter. Our first sign was this lovely fountain across the street from where we came out. Dimitri led us through some of the streets of the Latin Quarter where restaurants featuring every conceivable ethnicity could be found. There was Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Italian, Greek, and so many more. It was quite incredible. As we were reaching the end of the Latin Quarter we stopped to make sure that we still had everyone with us. As we were doing a buddy check two of our group members, Bucky and Herb, arrived, both carrying a gyro. They had been with us the whole time, but somewhere in all of that chaos of streets they had stopped by a stand to get a gyro. Dimitri laughed, along with the rest of us, and we proceeded onto the next grand and glorious attraction just down the street, and over a bridge. This path would deliver us to the glorious Notre Dame Cathedral.
As we approached the Cathedral we had to walk past this streetside diversion featuring loud hip-hop music. In one area there were people dancing and in another area where they had set up this skateboarding display. We made our way past the surrounding crowds to the front of the grand Cathedral. From here we could see the familiar scene that we had only seen in pictures. So beautiful! |
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We walked around the outside a little before we finally went in. While we were on the outside of the Cathedral we admired the statues and gargoyles. While looking at those statues we tried to find Victor, Hugo, and Laverne from the Disney movie The Hunchback Of Notre Dame. I am pretty sure that I found Victor and Laverne! (Fun fact for those who might not have known, Victor Hugo is the author of the Hunchback of Notre Dame as well as Les Miserables. Laverne was named after Laverne Andrews of The Andrews Sisters, just in case you were curious.) Mom was really looking forward to seeing the gargoyles, so it was pretty exciting. After Dimitri explained the plan he set us loose to go inside if we desired. Of course we did. Upon entering we immediately noticed that there was a service going on. So we, like many other tourists, wandered around the area that was blocked off so we could still see as much of the grand cathedral as possible. We also paused to watch some of the ongoing ceremony. We were excited to see part of a service within the glorious Notre Dame. Words cannot describe the peace one feels when listening to a gentle song echoing through the glorious church and seeing the smoke of incense swirling up is a mesmerizing pattern. We also were able to see the stained glass and the large rose windows which was a real treat! The Notre Dame is quite an incredible building. It was fantastic to finally be able to see it in person. C'est veau (That's beautiful!)!
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Once we were done with the Notre Dame we determined that it was time to eat, but first we had to split up and find a restroom. Emily wanted to continue to explore and so mom and I set off to find a restroom. We would meet at a nearby garden we had previously discussed.
While looking around for a restroom and following signs to a restroom that was closed down we finally stumbled upon a Subway across the Seine. Inside there was a restroom, which was, apparently, our only hope for now. For these restrooms you had to insert the money into the door for it to unlock and allow you entrance. I was digging around my bag for my coin pouch when a young man came by. Since I was still going through my bag I waved him by, so he went in. When he was coming out I finally had my change. However, to my surprise, he held the door open for me (I got to pee for free! That was great because they did not do a very good job keeping the facilities clean...). I did the same for Mom when I was done. Ahhhh, now for some souvenir shopping while we wait for Emily to meet us. One thing I quickly learned is that all of the Paris souvenir shops are very similar, so once I got my miniature replica of the Eiffel Tower I was quite content. By this time we were all getting hungry and so we made our way back to the Latin Quarter. After looking around at a few of the shops we decided that gyros sounded the best! We stopped at one of the Greek restaurants where we could sit inside. After we ordered and received our food it seemed as if the room filled very suddenly. What had been a quiet place when we came in was now noisy and crowded. We were thankful to have our little table together at the back corner of the restaurant. The gyro was pretty good too, as were the fries. It was a good choice for dinner! As we ate we kept an eye on the time. We were kind of undecided on what we wanted to do, but last minute we decided to head back toward our hotel with Dimitri and the rest of the group. However we amended that decision and instead planned to hop off the Metro at the Eiffel Tower stop (however not realizing that there was a good little walk from that stop to the actual Eiffel Tower). So we met with Dimitri and got some directions, but once we were underground we went our own way. |
From the Eiffel Tower metro stop we had to walk along the Seine River for a little way before we finally were able to approach the large structure. While walking along the river we had to fight off several individuals trying to sell us replicas of the Tower as well as selfie sticks. We answered each with a firm, "No."
Excitement mounted as we drew closer to the Eiffel Tower. While this does not, or cannot compare to structures such as Neuschwanstein, we determined that the Tower's charm comes from its representation of an iconic structure. The Eiffel Tower is not exceptionally beautiful, but it does have a beauty and grace to it I think. We crossed the street when we were close enough to the tower. From here we walked beneath it so that we could gaze up. We saw a very large tennis ball suspended just above our heads. This is in honor of the French Open starting up very soon (within the next couple of days). Down below we also noticed a group of people with signs who were protesting. Some were lying on the ground while others held their posters and shouted. Others still lifted their bikes above their heads and shouted. As far as we could tell the little protest was about pollution. About this same time we saw some guards walking toward us bearing large guns. Once again we were not sure if that was everyday military forces, or if something was going on. Irregardless we left the area and ventured further on down the grassy fields sprawled out before the mighty Tower (heading in the direction of the Military Academy). Out in these fields and areas we were bombarded with people trying to sell the Tower figurines, selfie sticks, and bottles of wine and alcohol. The fields were also filled with people of all ages sitting out on the grass. Many were in groups and had several bottles of alcoholic drinks sitting nearby. Curious about what they were waiting for I pleaded with my tired family that we be allowed to hang around and wait for the 10-o-clock hour to see if something was going to happen. We had half an hour to wait. So while we waited we moved further on down the fields until we were closer to the Academy than we were to the Eiffel Tower. Finally we found a spot with some nearby benches and where the sales people did not flock. It was at this location where we hung out in wait for the 10-o-clock hour. Meanwhile we got to watch a lovely little sunset. Finally, after a bit of a wait the sun had set and the last colors of the sky where fading away. At this time the lights of the Tower were illuminated so it stood out orange against the horizon. Unsure if all of these people were waiting for anything else we were beginning to head back in the direction we suspected our hotel room was (according to the map). Suddenly the Eiffel Tower began to sparkle! Lights all up and down the length of the Tower were flashing on and off making it sparkle. It was beautiful! Standing nearby Emily said that it was a, "German sparkle party!" (Even though we are in France.... o_O It is a song that she likes). She then started singing and dancing, "Sparkle party, sparkle party! German sparkle party!" We let her do her thing. They keep the sparkle on for about 10-15 minutes after the hour, just in case you missed it! Dimitri told us that they don't keep the lights on all night. I guess he was talking about the sparkling tower since the tower stayed illuminated. We, thankfully, had no problems finding our way back to the room. On our way back we walked past a grocery store. We stopped by to get some drinks while we headed back to the hotel. We also took a couple minutes to look around and see if the store seemed much different than the ones at home. I did not notice much of a difference. However the prices for the drinks was the best that we had seen so far, so that was great! Back at the hotel room we settled in and drank our drinks, discussing the memories of the day. By the time we were settling into bed another hour had passed and the Eiffel tower was sparkling again. Also when it gets dark outside there are spotlights that are constantly rotating around the head of the Tower. So from my bed I had the pleasure of watching it sparkle until I fell asleep. What a view, what a day! Tomorrow we go to the Louvre. It is also our last day with the group. I look forward to those adventures, but after a long day such as today it is good to settle into a comfortable bed and get some rest. Till tomorrow, bonne soiree! |