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Riley Discovers Paris 2019
Riley was dropped off at our house all packed and ready to go. The car came to pick us up at 2:00 and we drove to Chicago O’Hare. The flight to Paris was on time. 8 1/2 hours and 7 time zones later we arrived to The City of Light.
August 9, 2019
Our instructions upon arrival were to clear customs and someone would be there to pick us up and take us to the Hotel Citadines on the Left Bank of the Seine. Oops, no one there. We headed to the baggage area--no one there. Back upstairs--no one there. Called the number we were given--no one there. By now we were getting concerned. A rather inauspicious start to a promising venture. Fortunately, we drifted into an information area and the kind lady informed us that all pickups are restricted to a location near the building exit. With great relief, we found our driver still there holding a sign with our name.
Because we arrived at the hotel/apartment around 1:00, our room was not ready, so we checked our baggage (carry ons only, along with a small backpack) and walked down the street to a Hop On Hop Off open air bus. Paris today is overcast and a bit drippy so the city overview was not ideal. But we viewed the major sites and got our bearings before checking into our room and taking a two hour nap. Refreshed, we walked to a nearby cafe as the sun came out, had pizza and strolled the labyrinth of streets and alleys.
Paris is a wonderful city to stroll. Beautiful vistas, literally thousands of lovely old buildings, intriguing little streets and curvy alleyways. Music comes from everywhere--the bars and cafes, street musicians, accordion players on the subway cars and bridges.
Riley and I would walk well over 20,000 steps per day and average double digit miles. We retreated back to the apartment and collapsed.
August 10, 2019
We woke at 6:00 in order to take the metro (subway) and train to a stop near Tours, outside of Paris, and waited for our pickup which would begin an all day visit to the Loire Valley. No one showed. The information person at the train station found out our excursion company went out of business in 2015. We found out today. Unfortunately, the booking agency had sent an email to our travel agent who filed it and we never knew the pickup point and tour company had been changed. Back on the train and into Paris by 1:00, a waste of a good half day (I sent an email to our travel agent and later that evening the booking agency called, apologized, ordered a refund and an extra $50 for dinner).
From the d’Orsay, we walked through the Place de Concorde, perhaps Paris’s
greatest public square. Most famously, it is bordered by the National Assembly, the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais, and the Tuileries Garden, beyond which is the Louvre. Near the middle of the Place de Concorde is a stunning Egyptian obelisk. It arrived in Paris in 1833 and is one of a pair. The other resides outside the Luxor Temple in Egypt, built by Ramses II. It is located very near the site where Marie Antoinette (wife of Louis XVI) was beheaded by guillotine in 1793 during the French Revolution.
Just beyond here is Paris’s version of the London Eye, an enormous ferris wheel.
Fortunately, the crowd was small. Early to mid August is a wonderful time to visit as a great many Parisians take their vacations and the city is a bit less insane. The views from the top are stunning.
Me: “Let’s go visit the Paris Opera House.”
Riley: “Why?”
Me: “Because I think you will like it.”
Riley: “OK.”
The building is a masterpiece of design. Specifically, I wanted Riley to see the performance hall and the Grand Salon. The hall itself is a work of art and considered to be one of the five great acoustical theaters in the world. A magnificent chandelier hangs overhead and the ceiling is a memorable work by Chagall.
The Grand Salon is smashing, one of the great rooms in Europe. For the period from 1870 to the start of World War I in 1914, it was the place
to be seen in Paris society. The sumptuous decorations are intact and the impact is almost overwhelming. It is one of my favorite places in the city.
In the late afternoon, we took the metro to Montmartre. First thing was dinner at an open-air brasserie on a winding, cobblestone street, half way between the hilltop and the main road. Great food. Great people watching. We hiked up to Sacre Coeur Basilica for the commanding view overlooking Paris. Rather breathtaking. Every 25 steps down was another flat vantage point providing a new perspective.
August 11, 2019
We met our guide at 10:00 for a skip the line tour of the Eiffel Tower (name is actually pronounced “iffel” according to our French leader). Gustave Eiffel was a well known Parisian bridge builder who designed and built the Tower for the 1889 Universal Exposition held in Paris. He personally financed 80% of the building
with the caveat that it would stay standing for 20 years after the Exposition so he could cover his costs. It took him only 6 months to do so. His cost in today’s money would be about 45 million dollars.
The structure itself is remarkable. At a height of 324 meters, it weights 7,300 tons. After ascending to the second level Riley announced he likes looking at it more than begin on it. I wholeheartedly agree.
From here, we walked to Les Invalides, originally a site for a hospital and retirement home for war veterans. Today, it includes the military museum for the Army of France and contains the tomb of Napoleon.
Riley wanted to see Arc de Triomphe so we took the metro, snapped a few photos and had lunch at a corner Burger King.
Riley has become an expert on navigating the metro system. Took him only one day. He became better at it than me. It is terrific. There are so many stations you are always only 2-3 blocks from wherever you want to go. Connections are simple and if you barely miss one train, there is another only a few minutes behind.
After a four hour nap, we had dinner at one of the enormous number of dining places in our area. We are only three blocks downriver from Notre Dame Cathedral. It was heavily damaged during the massive fire on April 15 this year. It is completely closed to visitors and the damage is substantial, at least half the building. Supports are under the famed flying buttresses and the structural integrity of the entire cathedral is still being examined.
After another gelato we took a very long walk through the Saint-Germain area where we are staying and the neighboring Latin Quarter, both wonderful spots.
August 12, 2019
We walked to the Lourvre to meet our guide, Lily, for an informative and delightful 2 1/2 walk through the world’s largest museum. Lily was an art history major and in addition to guiding tours she is a conservator at the museum. Her enthusiasm
matched her knowledge. I told Riley, sometimes fate smiles and you get a guide who so wants you to feel the passion and love they feel for the place, it is a treat and an honor to be there. There were only 4 people in our “group” so we had her basically to ourselves.
Mentally somewhat out of breath, we walked to the Sorbonne in the Latin Quarter, so named because of the number of schools in the district and the language that was spoke there. It was fun trying to imagine what the school was like in the 1200’s when it was part of one of the first universities in the world.
After disembarking, we walked to Concorde Plaza and waited until dark to again ride the ferris wheel, this time to see Paris at night--the Louvre,
the Eiffel Tower, the churches, bridges--it was all perfect. Great day.
August 13, 2019
Today we visit Saint Chapelle, the Gothic chapel and glass masterpiece. It is one of my favorite places in Paris. When Riley walked up the spiral staircase from the lower chapel entrance, he stopped abruptly and simply said, “Whoa.”
Well said, indeed.
King Louis IX (the future Saint Louis) authorized the chapel’s construction in 1242 to be built in the middle of his royal residence, the Palais de la Cite. Its glory was to house important relics from the
passion of Christ, specifically the Crown of Thorns and fragment of the cross. They had been acquired in 1239 for a sum that greatly exceeded the cost of building the Chapel itself. Saint Chapelle is literally a wall of stained glass, whose columns measure some 20 meters tall and tell the story of the bible from Genesis to the Resurrection. Overpowering and awesome.
We walked around the back side of Notre Dame Cathedral to get a better view of the fire’s damage and drifted through a few additional neighborhoods.
Me: “Riley, do you want to go to a concert at Saint Chapelle tonight?”
Riley: “Why?”
Me: “Because it will be good for you.”
Riley: “OK.”
The concert featured music by Franz Shubert set in the splendor of this Gothic masterpiece. It was exhilarating featuring the voice of a
whose gorgeous voice did justice to the venue. Secretly, I think Riley really enjoyed the evening.
August 14, 2019
Finally, another chance for a tour of the Loire Valley. Riley had spoken with one of his teachers about going to Paris and the teacher said the Valley was a must. So Riley added it to his list. Needless to say, we were disappointed with our first effort, but we rebooked with another company and today was the day.
Our pickup was scheduled for 6:20 am. This time we were being picked up, not meeting somewhere. However, when they were 20 minutes late we had a bad feeling of deja vu.
We had the desk call their office and, voila, ten minutes later our van arrived.
The Loire Valley is studded with close to 100 chateaus, glorious places of retreat for French royalty and a safe haven from military efforts against Paris. We had three traveling companions: two ladies from Australia and a widow from South Carolina. Everyone was a delight.
Our first stop was Amboise, about 140 miles from Paris. Sitting astride the Loire River, the chateau overlooks a quaint village. Sadly,
about 80% of the building was destroyed by the mob in the tumultuous years following the French Revolution. However, Amboise has great historical significance and therefore is considered a must see in the Valley.
This was the heart of royal power in the Renaissance. It was a place to live and stay for all the Valois and Bourbon kings. It was the stage for numerous political events in the kingdom, births, christenings, aristocratic marriages, conspiracies and peace treaties. This formidable fortress ensured the royal family’s safety. In the absence of the royal couple, it provided a “kindergarten” for French kings. During his reign from 1515-1547 for examples, Francois I was off fighting wars or traveling his kingdom a majority of the time.
One side note here. The confluence of historically great kings makes this era of European history a fascinating epoch.
Francois I King of France 1515-1547
Henry VIII Kind of England 1509-1547
Charles V King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor 1519-1556
Interestingly, da Vinci crossed the Alps from Italy to France on a donkey with six of his typically unfinished paintings, including the Mona Lisa. It took him 17 years to complete the masterpiece. Many works he never completed. Once he mastered a particular technique, he would go on to something else that he fancied, returning to the original when a new burst of brilliance compelled him to alter or enhance or complete a particular work. For da Vinci, it was not the destination, but the journey. Thus, 17 years to finish Mona Lisa.
Chenonceau was our next stop. Much smaller in size, it is more livable and family friendly than most chateaus in the region. It is somewhat the
poster child for the quintessential Loire Valley estate.
As with most of the castles in the Loire Valley, it has seen many changes and additions over time.
Chenonceau became part of the Crown, when Francois seized the property from Thomas Bohler’s son for unpaid debts to the state. After Versailles, this is the most visited chateau in France.
We had a wonderful lunch in the Orangerie after our tour. Built to house the estate’s lemon and orange trees during the winter months, the building is now a lovely restaurant, serving what we all thought was one of the finest desserts any of us have even eaten. it was two scopes of sorbet between a light meringue and vanilla infused crust. Delicious.
Our final stop was Chambord. Built as a hunting lodge, the property encompasses an area the size of the city of Paris and is surrounded by a 20 mile long wall. Chambord is to architecture what the
Mona Lisa is to painting. As a matter of fact, the Mona Lisa was hidden here during the Nazi occupation of Paris. This was part of the Free French Zone.
Built by Francois I, the palace was erected for the pleasure and glory of the king. It is considered a work of genius, radically unique, belonging in its essence to the heritage of mankind. Of particular note, the grand spiral staircase is a monument that has always fascinated visitors to Chambord. It consists in two separate flights of stairs, twin helices proceeding upwards
around a hollow newel post. If two persons choose to use different flights, they will spy each other through numerous loopholes as they ascend...without ever meeting. A distinctive centerpiece for sure.
This has been quite the day. A trip through farm, forest and valley--the typical French countryside. We returned to our hotel around 7:00 pm, just in time for pizza and gelato.
August 15, 2019
Versailles is always linked with Louis XIV, the Sun King. This 2000 room palace actually started from more modest roots. In its much smaller self, it was a modest hunting lodge, located outside Paris, famed for its abundance game and wildlife.
The Sun King eventually decided to massively expand the palace here to escape the rabble and political intrigue of Paris. All the better to have the major players in one spot where a better eye could be kept on them. Over the decades of expansion, jockeying for position and royal favor was the name of the game. Over 3,000 courtiers plus their servants and advisors made for a daily count of 10,000 souls rambling about the property.
Our guide, Vladima, took us through the King’s apartments, the Queen’s apartments and the Hall of Mirrors. Along the way, she regaled us with stories of life in the palace.
Of course, maintaining favor was always a challenge as well. One unfortunate Duke had invited the king to his chateau and put on a fabulous fireworks display. But, there would be no showing up the king’s own illuminations. As a result, the duke’s chateau was confiscated and much of the furniture moved to Versailles.
Versailles’s artwork, murals, ceilings, paintings, et al were created to equate the French King to Roman mythology. Louis XIV ruled for 72 years 110 days, the longest recorded of any monarch of a sovereign country in European history. Hd died in 1715.
Our final stop in the palace was the Hall of Mirrors. Originally, it was constructed
as a hallway connecting the king’s and queen’s apartments. It is a fantastic work of art. In particular are the 17 enormous windows which allow the afternoon sun to reflect off the 17 enormous mirrors positioned opposite. Sun King indeed.
An interesting side note, however, mirror making was an extremely hazardous profession. Because mirrors of the era were made with mercury, artisans would have their hair fall out and teeth rot very early in their careers. They lived to an average age of 30!
We bought passes
for the extensive gardens and walked much of them. After exiting the grounds we went to the royal stables.
Me: “Riley, let’s go to the stables.”
Riley: “Why?”
Me: “Because I want to.”
Riley: “OK.”
This has been another delightful day. The weather forecast was always for rain the next day, but when the next day came we were blessed with a lot of sun and temperatures in the 70’s, wonderful touring weather.
We went back to the hotel to freshen up. Then another lengthy jaunt first to find our favorite gelato establishment, then past the Sorbonne, back to Jardin du Luxembourg, and finally dinner at a little cafe on our street across from the river Seine.
We decided to take one more
walk across the Pont (bridge) Neuf. Paris has a feel unlike most other large cities. It is warm and friendly. It is a comfortable place just to be. It has that certain je ne sais quoi (that indefinable something).
August 16, 2016
It is with sadness we are obliged to leave this City of Light, but leave we must.
I asked Riley, my wonderful traveling companion, what his favorites things were. In no particular (or maybe they were) order he rattled off: the Louvre, ferris wheel, Eiffel Tower and the river cruise. He forgot to mention gelato.
My additions for him next time would be: see Notre Dame (if it is open), visit Giverny and Normandy and Mont St. Michel, go to the Paris History museum, the Grand and Petit Palaces, the Museum of Decorative Arts and Museum of Science, and ride a scooter.
Sounds like enough for another trip.
August 8, 2019