June 18
June 19
June 20
June 21
June 22
June 23
June 24
June 25
June 26
June 27
June 28
June 29
June 30
July 1
July 2
Sunday, July 1, 2001
The breeze last night really helped. I almost had to pull the covers over me in the small hours of the morning. As a result, I slept a lot better. And it was quieter last night. We expected Saturday night to be even noisier than Friday night was. I guess Friday night is the big party night in Paris?
We ran into Bill, Adam, and Sherry at breakfast this morning. They told us that they had encountered a second team of pickpockets the previous day. Unsuccessful again, but more aggressive. One tried to hold Adam’s legs, trying to prevent him from boarding the Metro. Sounded more like a mugging than a pickpocket! Sol Levy wasn’t as lucky. He lost his wallet to pickpockets on the Metro.
Bill and Adam had gone back to the Louvre with the Eagle Creek luggage to see if they could get some shots there. They got a few in, then security told them to pack up. They had encountered no problems with using the tripods the first time they had gone to shoot at the Louvre, but this time they were told to move on. I think the difference was the presence of the suitcases. It looked too much like a commercial shoot, which probably requires a permit.
We told them about the disappointment at the flower market. They had planned to go there this morning, but now will find some other target.
Deb and I left the hotel about 8:30, taking the Metro to Chatelet. We walked by the flower market to see if it was any different today. Sunday, it’s supposed to be a large bird and flower market. We did see some booths with birds, but the flower market portion was the same as it was yesterday.
On to Notre Dame. We were a bit early for the line for the towers, so we prowled a souvenir shop, then wandered over and got in line. We were fourth and fifth in line, which quickly formed behind us. Only about twenty people at a time are allowed to enter, since there isn’t a lot of room up there. The line started forming at 9:10 and the doors were opened at 9:30.
It’s well worth the climb. It’s 255 steps to the gargoyle level and they are very interesting gargoyles! I could have spent even longer there. One side room leads into the bell tower itself, where you can see one of the huge bells. It’s easily ten feet across. Fortunately, it was silent while we were up there...
These three photos were taken from the Gargoyle level. The photo on the left shows two of the many gargoyles on this level. The center photo shows some of the view from this level, including the Eiffel Tower. The photo on the right shows another view of a gargoyle. This one seems to be pondering the city he guards.
Three more photos from the Gargoyle Gallery level of Notre Dame. The photo on the left shows a view of the city which includes Sacre Coeur and Montmartre. The other two photos show more of the gargoyles at this level.
And three more photos from the Gargoyle Gallery level of Notre Dame. The photo on the left shows a gargoyle eating a soul while tourists pass nearby. The other two photos show gargoyles looking out over their city.
This is my last photo from the gargoyle gallery level of the cathedral and it's looking straight up at one of the two massive towers at this end of Notre Dame.
We went all the way to the top of the right tower, the only one you can go to the top in. This is up an additional 167 steps up a very narrow spiral staircase. In fact, they keep traffic on this staircase one way at a time. There are people at the top and bottom of this section of stairs with walkie-talkies. The one tells the other which person is the last going in that direction. At that point, people can start going the other direction.
The view is fantastic from this tower. You can see up and down the river for quite a ways.
Three views from the top of the tower. The photo on the left shows the Seine River and the Eiffel Tower. The center photo shows a courtyard and buildings almost below us. The photo on the right is looking the other direction along the Seine showing a couple of the bridges and the steeple of Notre Dame. The park in the center of the photo is dedicated to Holocaust survivors.
When the lady let us up into the tower, she said we could return to the gargoyle level later, if we wanted. However, by the time I returned to that level, there was such a line of people waiting to go the rest of the way up that I couldn’t get through to the gargoyle level. So I continued the rest of the way down. It was well worth the climb. Something I would repeat if I return to Paris.
From there, we took the Metro to the Louvre. It wasn’t that far to walk, but one of the lesser used entrances is through the Metro station. It turns out that admission to the Louvre is free on the first Sunday of each month, so we didn’t have to pay, just stand in line to pass through security.
The photo on the left shows the main entrance area for the Louvre, which is directly below the glass pyramid. This pyramid admits most of the light for this underground area. The stairs to the right and left are how you gain access to this area.
The photo to the right shows one of the many exhibit rooms in the Lourve and some of the people who joined us this day.
We had a good time there, better than I thought I would have. These are some of the sights we saw:
The photo on the left shows the Muse of Drama.
The photo on the right shows the Three Muses.
.
.
.
These two photos show different views of Winged Victory, which occupied a prime spot at the midpoint of a long staircase. The stairs changed directions at this landing.
.
.
.
.
The photo on the left shows the Arc de Triomphe du Carousel from a window on an upper floor of the Louvre. This is the smallest of three arches which share the name Arc de Triomphe.
The photo on the right shows one of the many paintings in the Louvre. I didn't note the details, however.
.
.
We also saw the Venus de Milo, several statues of Diana, Napoleon’s coronation (huge painting), and the Mona Lisa. There were a lot of people there.
Even the ceilings were decorated with lovely works of art. These two photos show some of the ceilings.
.
.
Then we tried to find our way out. It’s not as well marked as it could be. For future reference, watch for the Sortie signs. Some just show you the way out of that hall, but there’s a special one that refers to the main exit.
We wound up going through the Egyptian room by mistake. Nice sarcophaguses!
.
.
.
.
We finally found the ancient foundations, which are really the way you’re supposed to enter the Louvre. We seemed to be the only ones going out that way.... We were there for a total of three hours.
Then we tried to find a bite of lunch. Not an easy thing to do in Paris on a Sunday afternoon! Most places were closed. We finally found a sandwich shop on a side street and got ham and cheese sandwiches again. We had walked past the entrance to Les Invalides (another site to save for another trip) and finally found the sandwich shop near the Place Santiago de Chile. That revived us.
From there, we walked past the Ecole Militaire to the east end of the Champ de Mars and our best view so far of the Eiffel Tower. It’s on the west end of the Champ de Mars. So we walked the length of this park, taking pictures periodically as the Tower grew before us. Soon we walked under it and out the other side. The lines for the elevators were a couple of hundred people deep. We had not planned on going up, so we weren’t disappointed.
The photo on the left above shows the Eiffel Tower and a fountain as we approached through the park. The center photo shows all the people strolling and picnicking in the park at the base of the Eiffel Tower. So does the photo on the right.
Instead, we were headed for the Seine again to take one of the boat rides. This was a very pleasant diversion.
The photo on the left shows the view looking straight up the Eiffel Tower. The center photo shows one of the boats we would board for the river ride. The photo on the right shows more of the river boat traffic and the Eiffel Tower.
Besides the major sights, there were some minor ones, also, like these three photos. The photo on the left shows one of the other sightseeing boats docked at the side of the Seine. The center photo shows a sightseeing boat with a twist - it's a sternwheeler. The photo on the right shows two boats tied up side by side - the one closer to shore is older than the one closer to the center of the river.
The photo on the left shows one of the many walkways that line the Seine. This one is covered with trees and pedestrians. The center photo shows Notre Dame Cathedral as we approach from upstream. The photo on the right shows the Cathedral as we pass by below it.
Three more photos from our sightseeing boat. The photo on the left shows an old building near an unidentified bridge. The center photo shows another old building, the river bank walkway, another sightseeing boat, and another unidentified bridge. The photo on the right shows the Pont Neuf as we started to pass under it.
These are two more of the many Seine bridges we passed under. I don't know the name of the one on the left, but the one on the right is Pont Alexander.
.
It would have been more comfortable if the sun hadn’t been so bright. The roofs of the boats are glass and it got warm...
Directly across from the boat landing was the Nomadic, the last floating boat of the White Star Line. Kelly had asked me to look for it. It used to be a restaurant, but hasn’t been used as such for a couple of years. It used to be a tender for one of the larger White Star ships, transporting people from the dock to the ship.
The photo on the left shows the front of the tender and the photo on the right shows the nameplate over a cabin area.
After we docked again, we crossed the bridge and took a closer look at the Nomadic. It’s in pretty sad shape.
These three photos are just some odds and ends as we walked back towards the Pont Alexander. The photo on the left shows the shadows cast by a bridge railing. The center photo shows the Conciergerie. And the photo on the right shows some boats tied along the Seine with apartments behind them.
So we continued along the Seine to the Pont Alexander, which is quite lovely. There were two bridal parties there getting their pictures taken. Must be good luck or something.
These three photos are three views of the Pont Alexandre III. The photo on the left shows some of the statues adorning the bridge. The center photo shows the bridge and a tour boat. The photo on the right shows the statues and lamps at the other end of the bridge.
From there, we took the Metro back to the hotel and reconfirmed the taxi arrangements for in the morning. We tried to call Judy or the Levys to see if they wanted to join us for dinner, but no one was home. About 7:20, there was a knock at the door. All the others in our group had dropped by our room to say good-bye. They had just finished dinner and wanted to see us before turning in. They said we won the prize for keeping at it the longest!
So we went out to get a quick bite. We stopped at a brassarie near us. I had planned to order the salade avec d’avocat and saumon (salad with avocado and salmon), but they were out! Wound up with a different salad - with hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, green beans, tuna, and a very tasty dressing. I had rose wine for a change - most of the time, I drank the house red. Dessert was a floating island, meringue in a cream sauce. It was a nice end to the trip.
Back to the room to finish packing and hit the sack.