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…