8/6 Thanksgiving Day

8/6  Grabbing three of the umbrellas freely available at the hotel, we walked back to the bakery -  Eric Hayes Boulangerie - for breakfast. We mistakenly ordered too much food! Who knew two eggs came with a salad and baguette on top of the coffee and pastries already ordered?  We enjoyed, left, and turned in the opposite direction of the tower, now on our way to the island that houses Notre Dame Cathedral. As we were walking a box of raw meat fell off the top of a cab into the street causing vehicles to dodge this way and that. On the bridge crossing the river with its traffic of commercial and tourist barges, we ran into an old women bent so far over that her face was invisible, walking with a cane, holding out a cup and mumbling something. It may have been a scam, but we couldn't resist dropping some coins in her mostly empty purse.

 salad with breakfast ...hmmm...

French breakfast: croissant, jams, butter, coffee - this is more like it ...

Once at Notre Dame and not wanting to wait in the long line to enter, we satisfied ourselves with the Mass schedule which would bring us back later in the day, and went across the street to wait in a short line (thanks to our museum passes) to enter St. Chapelle - a small beautiful chapel with walls of light from the floor-to-ceiling stained glass windows that illuminate all the major bible stories as well as the interior. You enter first in a dark lower chapel and then climb a narrow spiral staircase to the main chapel. We lingered over the detailed work within before exiting and stopping for a cold beverage across the street to take advantage of its free internet. We decided to walk back to the Louvre for a short visit before returning to the cathedral for evening mass. We stopped at an interesting fountain of sphinxes along the way where a women in mid-western dress whom we had displaced while taking photos evidently fell into the fountain shortly afterward!

In front of St. Chapelle ...

 

Inside St. Chapelle ...

After a time we made it back to the Louvre, entering through a side passage into the large central plaza with its entrance below a glass pyramid. Once again our museum passes got us to the head of the line and in no time we were checking in our umbrellas and backpacks before being permitted to enter the galleries. As we only had an hour and a half before having to leave for Mass, we asked the information desk what they recommended. The attendant was obviously exasperated, but pleasant by our short time line, but she laid out a course that would allow us to see Mona Lisa, Winged Victory and the Venus d' Milo. Our only problem was you had to navigate through long galleries of incredible art to get to these and so we were instantly and delightedly sidelined by paintings and sculpture - many we had "seen before" in other media as icon representations of this artist or that movement. The setting and paintings practically glowed in comparison to the quantities of artwork we had been appreciating in the twilight of  basilicas and churches.

Sights on our way back to the Louvre ...

 

 Streets of Paris ... ahhh...

 Finally, the LOUVRE ...

Eventually and almost leisurely we took in the three recommended icons - circling the sculptures to take in multiple perspectives, and moving in as close as possible to the Mona Lisa to try and appreciate the allure of the portrait. We stayed a little longer than we intended, grabbed a quick snack and a few gift shop items and we were off, walking through a new underground mall before gaining the street and walking back to Notre Dame for vespers and mass. A light rain appeared making us glad we'd been carrying the umbrellas all day.

 one of the long passages to the treasured sculptures, arts and paintings...

the different perspectives/angles of Venus D'Milo...

 

Winged Victory...

  

Mona Lisa in a glass encased frame ...

Replica of the Greek Sculpture 'Athena' ...

 

Artemis ... Goddess of hunting & wilderness ...

the bust of Alexander the Great ...

We arrived just in time for mass - a thanksgiving mass for us in gratitude for three weeks of memorable experiences traveling across Europe. The cathedral was quite dark inside, minimally lit by large hanging chandeliers that once must have held candles but had since been electrified - though they seemed to emit no more light than they ever had… Vespers was in progress as settled into our chairs (no benches here), incense rising in slow white billows from a metal urn in the center before the altar. Crowds of visitors roped off on the sides taking pictures and observing the ageless ritual made us wonder how they interpreted what was going on…. After vespers and a mad dash outside to find a public restroom, we were settled again for mass, which was in Latin - appropriately for the 14th century setting- some of the responses almost familiar to us. Again, as the organ echoed through the expansive space, the sensation returned of the power of ritual and the message, the symbols, the "universal" representation in the congregation, the shared breaking of bread and wish for peace… It was a fitting final mass in a historical setting. After mass was over we had only a short time to take in the setting before they cleared the church. We first appreciated it from our seats as we listened to the organ whose melody seemed both at home in the dusky interior and to enhance it. Then we walked about the nave briefly before being guided outside by determined attendants.

 The NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL of Paris ...

 

We walked across the "Ile de la Cite" housing Notre Dame and the neighboring "Ile St. Louis" and after crossing a bridge found the Cafe St. Regis for dinner - just in time as the rain returned.  Delicious food, a view of the wet street and bridge, and  pedestrians walking about with umbrellas all enhanced the meal.

 THANK YOU ... Paris!

 escargot ... hmmm ... you can't convince Lyn to eat that exotic snail..

 Paris...we will miss you ...

After lingering over the meal, we walked on to the site of the Bastille - now a monument before turning back toward our hotel, which we reached after a brief wrong turn and a loooong walk. One last look at the Eiffel Tower's beacon shining spotlights through the low clouds and we were inside to bed.

The Bastille - once a prison and a place of torture, became a symbol of freedom when the French tore it down during the famous French revolution...

one last look of the famous icon ... (sigh) ... and how beautiful ...

 

8/7 We didn't sleep long - up at 3:15AM to pack and head to the airport. The night attendant called a cab - several times - which finally arrived after not being able to find the hotel - "What about the airport?" Joe asked half-jokingly. The cabbie was friendly but didn't speak much English - just enough to inform us that he wasn't a 'regular' taxi -whatever that meant! Nonetheless after a FAST drive that would be the envy of any Manila cab driver, we arrived in one piece at the airport and got checked in. Unfortunately the 7:25AM flight to Amsterdam  - where we were supposed to transfer to a nonstop flight to Portland,  was delayed. So we were re-booked on a 1:25 pm to Boston to catch a connection to Portland. This flight, however, was also delayed leaving little hope that we would make the Portland connection. We slept in the airport, had lunch and finally left at 3PM seated in the last row.  We did enjoy watching a couple good movies on the flight.

About 20min out of Boston, the flight attendants moved us to the business class at the front of the plane in a futile gesture to help us make our connecting flight which was scheduled to leave 15min after our arrival. Keep in mind we would still have to retrieve our luggage and go through customs - and so of course we did not make the connection. And then the nightmare began. The problem stemmed from having been booked on another carrier. While our reservations had been through Delta/Air France, our missed connection was on Alaska. They didn't want to assume responsibility for us and sent us back to Delta, who also didn't want to assume responsibility for us and so began a long three hour trek between terminals A, B and E, hauling all our luggage as we went from carrier to carrier trying to get a flight home. At one point - only AFTER a phone call - did we find out that Air France had actually booked us on another flight, but after waiting in line for an hour there, we discovered that the reservation was no good as they had neglected to issue tickets (besides which they forgot to tell us when we left the plane!).

FINALLY, Air France re-booked us on a flight to PDX for the following day and, after another long hike between terminals, provided us with vouchers for a hotel and meals. We ended up with one more night in luxury accommodations at the Hilton attached to the airport (only another long walk - but hey, we'd been taking long walks for WEEKS!). We had a nice dinner, a refreshingly long sleep, and relaxing breakfast before boarding our flight without incident the following day.

8/8 We have truly enjoyed this shared trip of a lifetime for which we are ever grateful.

However, it is just the first of our escapes to the continent … we are going back to Europe! We must! But until next time: Arrivederci, Auf Wiedersehen ; Ahoj, Au Revoir, and Goodbye! - Thanks for following!

Joe, Lyn and Serge

8/5 Paris in the

the Spring…
8/5 Woke up early with the intention of getting in line early to climb the Eiffel Tower, however a morning shower - our Parisian baptism - led us to consider alternatives… We walked across the Seine  - passing in front of the Louvre, now in daylight. Two statues of tigers in the gardens now more clearly visible - one atop a slain crocodile (France in Africa?), the other holding a dead peacock (France in Indochina??). We found a cafe for breakfast and ordered omelets, strong coffee and tea (for Lyn). After breakfast, we headed for the nearby Musee d' Orsay with the intention of escaping the light rain indoors, but as it wasn't open yet we wandered the streets looking for a bakery we had passed earlier looking for second breakfasts. The waitress at the bakery was so nice and engaging with the obvious tourists (us!), and the prices were so reasonable, that we decided we'd return here for breakfast the next day.

Finding a street name starting with a word 'Rue...' you know you are in Paris...

 ahhh... someone needs strong coffee...

After sampling some delicious pastries (end taking some for later) and more coffee and tea, we headed back to the Orsay - which was now open. At this point point we realized that a misunderstanding with the morning clerk who had given us museum passes earlier, had resulted in us being one pass short. So Lyn entered while Serge and Joe hiked back to the Brighton to secure another pass. We took a slightly different route back, crossing the Seine on a pedestrian bridge and walking down along the river. On our way we passed a small cluster of people where a white-haired tourist-looking person in shorts was saying something about "the bus driver said they were pick pockets…" More on him later!

 Musee D'Orsay

 beautiful women statues outside Musee D'Orsay

We got the pass and returned the same way we'd come about 15-20 minutes later. The same tourist was engaged in an altercation with two large guys. At one point one of them yells in the tourists face while pulling out a retractable baton - "do not touch me!" The two men were trying to get the English speaking tourist to come with them, but he was pushing away and started screaming - "Help! these men are pickpockets!" The larger of the two undercover cops was becoming more angry - "I am a policeman! See this?" while patting his hand on a sidearm. The next thing we knew they had wrestled the screaming man to the ground as he continued to yell and resist. We lingered long enough to see a women run forward with two teenage daughters (?) - seemingly companions of the man on the ground, and a police car arrive dispelling uniformed officers who stepped into the fray and handcuffed the tourist, making a "crazy" gesture with one hand…

We finally made it to the museum and found Lyn who already had several pieces of famous art she wanted to show us! We lingered for over an hour, separately savoring paintings and sculptures as our hearts led us - much as we had wandered about the cities on this trip - only individually this - rendezvousing to share something - then wandering off again. It would have been easy to spend the entire day in this one museum - a converted train station whose high arched ceiling, side domes and large arching windows which bathed the space with natural light provided a beautiful venue for the treasures within. We stayed for lunch in the elegant chandeliered dining room where Serge ordered a special raw-ground beef dish. We struck up a conversation with an older Parisian couple sitting beside us - he had happened to order the same dish AND had visited Portland in the 50's. We encouraged him to come back for a visit and were on our way.

 lunching at the Musee D'Orsay

 crystal chandeliers everywhere...

 surreal...we are here in Paris...

Enjoying Parisian lunch... beef, relish and beer - not Lyn's kind of lunch...

By now the rain was gone and we carried the folded umbrellas we no longer needed (for now!) as we worked our way toward the Eiffel Tower in a roundabout way. The glass walls of the Grand Palais as well as the statuary on the Pont Alexander bridge lured us back across the Seine. The Grand Palais wasn't open, but the smaller yet equally grand Petit Palais across the street was and we couldn't resist going in for a "peek". An hour later we exited after being drawn in by the artworks - from ancient Greek/Roman statues and artifacts, to paintings, sculptures and even photographic displays. We even lingered over a jules-Verne looking lunar lander out front that turned out to be a portable habitat designed in the late 19th century which had been built from the original plans.

crossing the bridge over  to Grand & Petite Palais...

 Columns at the Grand Palais...

oh beautiful Paris...

We finally crossed back over the river to return on our journey toward the Eiffel Tower, passing the impressive Hotel de Invalides  - an expansive 17th century housing project for retired injured soldiers and stopping for coffee nearby to fight off late afternoon drowsiness before continuing on to the tower, approaching from the Champ-de-Mars - a long stretch of former marching grounds turned into gardens and full of trinket salesmen (What size of Eiffel Tower do you want?) and various scammers (Money for the deaf?). As we approached the tower, dark clouds were building. "Maybe it will rain again and shorten the lines," said Joe. Portent words…

 

Hotel Invalides....

 coffee break ...

 contemplating the beautiful Paris...

As we entered the relatively short ticket line (thanks to late afternoon and the threat of rain?) beneath the surprisingly lacy iron tower, it began to drizzle. Soon the sprinkles turned into a full shower as we bagman our ascent, accompanied by gusting winds that made our umbrellas essentially useless. We passed small groups huddled in corners of the stairs trying as much as possible to avoid complete saturation. We pushed on past - laughing at the storm - arriving at the first deck where a solid ceiling provided somewhat effective shelter, but we couldn't stop. While others huddled, we climbed to crash of thunder and into or away from the wind depending on the turn of the stairs as we continued to ascend the largest lightening rod on the planet (?). Arriving on deck two, people were crowded toward the center to keep away from the worst of the blustery rainfall. For our part, we purchased tickets for the elevator to the top and after another short line, were on our way shooting to the top.  Just as we arrived, the rain stopped and the sun broke through the shredded clouds revealing the entire rain bathed, sun drenched city rolled out to the horizon. And a rainbow... Ecstasy! We lingered over the views in every quadrant, sipped champagne (available for sale at the top), took photos in all directions, and dried out in the breeze on the sunlit side of the tower.

Eiffel Tower - a great work of art and engineering...here we come...

 thunder, rain, and  rainbow ... exquisite...

 Cheers to Engr. Gustave Eiffel ...the genius...

Eventually we made our way back down, but only after (mostly) satiating ourselves with the views and exhilaration of high elevation, heading across the Seine on the Pont d' lena. We passed along an extended fountain pool which included a battery of water jets we had seen blasting from the top of the tower but which now stood silent, and climbed the stairs of the Palais de Challiot where street performers entertained the crowd with break dancing and a skit set to their own music sampler. We turned north on the Avenue Kleber and found a restaurant for a late dinner.  The sun finished setting as we ate and the rain returned - even heavier, as we ate in shelter and exchanged pleasantries with two women from Toronto at an adjoining table who were forced to move once the rain started.

After dinner we completed the walk down Kleber to arrive at the dramatically lit Arc de Triomphe. We took the underground tunnel beneath the traffic roundabout  that surrounds the Arc to the "island" it occupies get a close up view.

flower boxes adorning the windows..

 supper time ...

 Arc de Triomphe...

Paris - day 2 - what a great adventure ...

We finished the evening with a long leisurely walk down the shop and cafe lined Avenue Des Champs de Elysee to the Louvre and our suite. It was after midnight by the time we closed the door on our first full day in Paris…