And then - there's Paris!

         "When I die I don't want to go to Heaven - I want to go to France!"   - Greg, after arriving home.

Our travel day from Bordeaux to Paris was like going from leisurely driving and cycling around the rolling hills and small towns of Pennsylvania, and then taking the train to New York City!  Paris is a large and busy metropolis, albeit much more charming than NYC.

The TGV high speed train dropped us at Montparnasse Station.  We hauled our roller bags around the station trying to find the correct Metro line to get us to Saint-Germain in the 6th Arrondisement and Rive Gauche section of the city.  When we emerged into the afternoon sunshine we were in Paris! After orienting ourselves, we trekked only a few blocks to Relais Christine, our home for the next four days.  Set on a quiet side street, and inside a beautifully landscaped courtyard, the hotel and staff wrapped us in luxury and coolness amid very warm summer weather.

With only a few days in this massive city, we tried to get as much in as possible.  So, after a short rest and much-needed shower, we headed around the block for a traditional French meal and then over Pont Neuf where we boarded a tourist boat for a tour of the Seine.  Pont Neuf is the closest bridge crossing the Seine to our hotel, and it became a point of reference for us, as did the river.  It is also the oldest standing bridge across the Seine, dating from the late 1500's.  Since the river bisects the city we were always only a few blocks away from it.  To find our "home" we'd make our way to the bridge and be a few blocks away from home base.  Since it stays light until after 10pm on a July Paris night, we took full advantage of daylight and snapped another hundred photos or so on our river trip.  Here are a few:

A smaller tour boat in frnt of us

Liveaboards!

Below Pont Neuf from the water

Pont Neuf

Pont des Arts

Pont Royal

Pont Alexandre III

Eiffel Tower

Friends Pat and Eric

The Grand Palais

The French people enjoying a summer night along the river.

Notre Dame - only a few blocks from home

The River tour was well worth the fee and a great way to start our Paris weekend. Two things impressed us that evening.  The first was how structurally "finished" this part of Paris is.  As our boat made its way up the river, instead of seeing the shore, we saw finished stone carved walls for miles on both sides of the river. There were no sandy shores, bushes or reeds.  The river's perimeter was completely finished in such a way as to prevent erosion, maintain depth, and provide numerous sitting and gathering areas for locals and visitors.  One gathering spot was a series of outdoor dance halls - each one dedicated to teaching a particular form of couples dance, such as salsa or the tango.  Dozens, if not hundreds, of people were enjoying themselves while they learned the new steps.

This was the second thing that was so impressive: the thousands of people gathered and enjoying themselves all along the river, sitting on the tops of the walls, steps, picnic blankets...one big party on this Friday night that started before nightfall and continued on until the wee hours.

Saturday morning arrived and we enjoyed yet another elaborate breakfast buffet.  Then, we were off for another day's walk!  We strolled across the Pont Neuf, around the Louvre and its glass triangle, through the Tuileries, and on to the Champs Élysées.  It was a festive time as city workers were setting up the grandstands for the Tour de France, and everyone was celebrating the latest France football win.

We did a little shopping and a little cafe-ing along the way.  We popped into Ladurée for some of their famous macarons.  We visited the largest Nespresso store in the world and sampled their wares. We sat in a couple new Renaults at a city store/museum.  We strolled through the three story Louis Vuitton store, where people were lined up to purchase extravagant and quite pricey items.  We saw a lot of historic downtown Paris and put more steps on our Fitbits and Apple watches than we care to remember.  It was a delightful day filled with new experiences.

After (another!) late afternoon rest and shower, we headed out again past Notre Dame Cathedral to Isle Saint Louis (one of the islands in the River Seine) to find a traditional French restaurant and a quiet dinner.  On our way back, we enjoyed the street musicians and ice-cream vendors as the sun set behind the cathedral.

The Louvre 

I. M. Pei - Louvre Pyramid

Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel

Carrousel Garden

Grand Bassin Rond in Jardin des Tuileries

Jardin des Tuileries

Place de la Concorde

Grandstand for Tour de France

Crepes street-side

Grand Palais and statue of Charles de Gaulle

Arc de Triomphe

Ladurée and its famous double-decker Macaron

Pat's Dress matched the display in the window! We were all thrilled - what fun!

So many flavors!  You can choose whatever you want

More of Notre Dame

Inside Notre Dame - we stumbled on an organ concert!

The cathedral's architecture is amazing. These long gargoyles
actually house rain drains from the roof.

Sunday, after breakfast, we split up - Eric and Pat went to the American Church for Sunday services, Greg and Sharon went to the Musée d'Orsay.  We had it on good advice that this was the place to visit for the Impressionist artists (thank you John and Grace!).  We arrived early to beat the crowds, and covered most of what we wanted to by noon.  This museum houses one of the world's largest and most important collections of Impressionist art ~ Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Matisse, Gauguin, Cassatt, Degas and more.  What a treat to see this work.  Awe-inspiring.

Musee d'Orsay

The real thing!

A small copy of the Statue of Liberty by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi

We hooked back up with Eric and Pat for a cold soda, strolled back towards the hotel, then over to Shakespeare and Company - a famous old bookshop.  It was so crowded with a long line to get in, so we took photos and found a delightful air-conditioned cafe' for lunch, then moved on to Luxembourg Gardens.  Here are scenes along our stroll:

Baguette sandwiches were everywhere! Smile!

And Gyros!

And Crepes!

What we could see of Shakespeare and Co. from the street

A water fountain outside the bookstore

Palais du Luxembourg

These little boats just pick up the wind and sail around until they hit the wall
where little kids push them away with a stick and off they go again

Palm Trees at Latitude 48.85 degrees North - the same as St John's, Newfoundland
 - so peculiar to us - perhaps they pull them inside in winter?

A popular spot on a Sunday afternoon

After our walking tour we made our way back to freshen up and then headed off again to share dinner with good friends of our daughter Courtney's who are living in Paris.  It was so fun to see them, hear about their lives in Paris and share a yummy meal.  Thanks so much Aoife and Chris!  Great fun!

Eric, Greg, Aoife, Chris, Sharon and Pat

Early Monday morning, we bid au revoir to Pat and Eric as they scurried off to Charles de Gaulle airport to catch their flight back to Pittsburgh.  Greg and Sharon spent the day walking to the Eiffel Tower (but declined to wait in the four-hour line to ride to the top). We then walked to Rue Saint-Honoré to ogle at the high end designer shops and have lunch. We walked past the famous restaurant, Maxime's, but it was Monday and not open.  Then we returned to the hotel.  It was sadly time to pack up for home.  But, we did have time for one last cafe' dinner.  This was Sharon's birthday.  What a sweet treat to celebrate in Paris!  So romantic!

A few more pictures - click to enlarge:

Locks on the Passerelle Debilly

A cool wall system with plants growing on it

Water Limo!

Sculpture in a shopping area

Closed on Monday

Bread!

Last Paris meal - we went casual and Italian!

And Dessert!

At 9am Tuesday, we hopped into a cab for our very pleasant ride to Charles de Gaulle airport. We successfully navigated the baggage drop and security lines fairly easily, and prepared to wait the couple hours until we boarded our flight.  After finding a few last minute treats from the souvenir shops in the airport, off we went.

It was a smooth flight and we arrived ahead of schedule in Newark Liberty Airport.  We easily and speedily made our way through Customs and baggage claim - thanks to our wonderful Global Entry cards.  Our ride with Sharon's sister, Pamela, was filled with chatting, questions and enthusiasm as we made our way back to her home in PA.  We even forced Pam and Michele to view our photos before finally crashing around 10:30pm, which was 3:30am the next morning France time.

We both feel so fortunate to have been able to make this trip.  It was a wonderful experience in so many ways.  While it is always good to be back in the USA, we look forward to planning our next adventures - both on land and sea!

'Til next time -