Day Ten - Louvre mall; in Notre Dame
Sunday March 11
It is another beautiful day in Paris, which is a little perplexing since it seemed every time we talked with Nicole by phone from Michigan, she gave a rather gloomy weather report and we'd come to expect the same during our visit - not that we are complaining. It was another day off for Nicole, too, so once again we'd be in the hands of an able guide.
We killed time some mornings watching the BBC, one of about six channels available on our plasma screen TV. Logan and/or Alayna usually made a run to the local patisserie to load up on fresh baked eclairs and whatever looked good, which was pretty much everything. We'd have a few cups of cereal with milk chilled, (thanks to cool overnight temps), from our flowerbox refrigerator, mounted on the window-sill of our room. Nicole and Aysa arrived around noon and we hopped a Metro train to district 5. Our destination - the mall leading to the Louvre.
We entered a huge mall that began where the Champs de Elysee' ended. Looking northwest we could see the Arc de Triomphe, and one of the first monuments we encountered on the Louvre property was a tall Obelisk that Napoleon carted from Egypt, just one of many treasures he'd acquired during his conquests.
As we progressed southeasterly, the mall widened to accommodate large pool and fountain, circled by a dozen or more exquisite sculptures.
Continuing on, we passed under a 'little arch', and you can still see the obelisk and 'big arch' in the distance. This arch is topped with a chariot pulled by four horses and flanked by two golden angels.
This piece was originally atop St Mark's Basilica in Venice, but was brought to France by Napoleon during one of his conquests. It was further adorned with marble columns - "Elegant, sturdy, and bursting with class."
The Louvre itself is just ahead. Like the Alhambra, it grew over several hundred years, with work beginning around 1200. Its tumultuous history has seen much construction and destruction.
As a Royal residence, construction continued constantly, taking the form of different 'pavilions'. The main portions were finally connected by Napoleon in the 1800's.
During much of the 18th century the Louvre was used for a various purposes, including as a hall for concerts and operas. Despite it's tremendous size, it can display only about twenty percent of it's holdings at a time.
Considering the gorgeous weather, we decided to save going inside the Louvre for another day and so continued our walk to the inside-out George Pompidou Center.
All of the utility support mechanisms - water and gas pipes, heating and cooling vents and conduits - usually hidden internally in other buildings, have been slapped on the exterior of this joint. But you'll never have trouble finding it, unlike most other addresses in Paris, which sport identical facades.
We'd worked up an appetite by now, so the five of us grabbed crepes/panini from one of a zillion little places you'll find on any street, and had a little picnic at city hall, looking more than a little Louvre-like.
After we finished eating, and since we were in the neighborhood, we popped in on Amira at her apartment for a short visit, and to sit in a comfortable chair and rest our bones...
...then we moved on to Notre Dame.
This time we circled the apse inside as a service was in progress. The size of this showplace is immense. There are 'small' side altars around the perimeter that are bigger than most chapels.
The stained glass windows rivaled that of nearby Ste. Chappelle, which you will see on the 'day eleven' page.
Tourists quietly shuffled counter clockwise through Notre Dame as two speakers addressed a large group of afternoon parishioners.
Notre Dame is a beautiful showcase for Catholicism and all I can say is "Amen."
After completing our circuit inside, we agreed that the line was too long to go up to the top, into the bell towers. And since it was Quasimodo's day off, we changed religions and headed to the Jewish section for the 'best falafels ever'.
I'm not sure if they were the 'best ever' because Lenny Kravitz ate here once or if they are actually the 'best ever', but I do know that while people lined up to get these falafels, the falafel restaurant ten paces across this narrow street had no line.
They were certainly quite good.
We walked off our falafel feast in that neighborhood, past shops with little towers of dripping chocolate marinating in the windows, and ambled through Place de Vosges, the oldest square in Paris, dating from 1600. The square was the residence of the King and Queen, each with their own pavilion. It looked like a good place for a duel.
As we walked toward the Metro station, it was time for a late night sorbet then, on the way home, we picked up our Metro passes for the coming week. We'd see Nicole in the morning before her first class, then we'd be on our own in Paris for the first time. We certainly knew how to get around...
Day One Travel To Iberia
Day Two Marbella
Day Three Mijas
Day Four Granada
Day Five Gibraltar
Day Six Ronda
Day Seven Marbella
Day Eight Paris
Day Eleven Ste Chappelle; Le Tour Eiffle
Day Twelve Versailles; Musee D'Orsay
Day Thirteen Louvre Musee
Day Fourteen Musee's D'Orsay, Rodin, Paris Modern Art
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