Paris - the story continues

The march walk continues ....  

The primary “mission” for our second full day in Paris was to see the Louvre.  Although we were there for half a day - we didn’t really make a dent in it.  It is immense and comprehensive beyond compare ... too much to fathom really.  We did, of course, see hundreds of amazing works of art, including Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa and Jacques-Louis David's The Coronation of Napoleon which is approximately 10 meters wide and six meters tall. David's piece is grand in form and style but also interesting in that it was commissioned by Napoleon and is essentially a piece of political propaganda. It contains several lies regarding the actual coronation event and sought to perpetuate a persona and legacy of his (Napoleon's) invention.  One of the most famous and captivating sculptures we viewed was the Venus de Milo, or Aphrodite of Melos (dating back to 323-31 BC. and named after the Greek island on which it was discovered by a farmer in 1820).  Another favorite was Antonio Canova's statue Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss, commissioned in 1787 and depicting Neoclassical obsession with love and emotion.  To capture all the Louvre has to offer, I think one needs to live in Paris and take it in bits and pieces over time.  If you try to take in too much at once - the significance get’s washed away and you cannot absorb all that you have seen.  I think it’s best taken in portions like a fine meal ... one course at a time.


When we left the Louvre we went to the Jardin des Tuileries where we sat on the edge of a pond (with fountain), ate our picnic lunch, people watched and basked in a beautiful sunny day.  Before nodding off, we roused ourselves and strolled down the length of the Jardin des Tuileries and the Champs Élaysée to the Arc de Triomphe.  The Jardin is essentially a huge park that is romantic and beautiful with statues, flowers and trees as far as one can see.  The Champs Élaysée is an interesting avenue but a world a part from the adjacent Jardin.  Home to fashion, shopping - and unearthly prices, don’t expect any souvenirs from here.:-)  


At the end of the avenue we climbed to the top of the Arc du Triomphe built to honor those who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. Underneath is the tomb of the unknown soldier from World War I.  (The monument is so huge that a bi-plane flew under it in 1919.)  The view was spectacular - one of the best city views of any city I’ve ever seen.  Paris has many amazing views - Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and Sacré Coeur to start a list - but I think the view from the Arc du Triomphe was my favorite.  

After taking in the view, we walked back to our hotel, stopping along the way for wine (of course) at a sidewalk cafe.  No thought or time to linger back at the hotel ... we changed clothes (by now it was cold, dark and raining and I needed to put on my Black Dog T-shirt) and headed to the Eiffel Tower.  (My friend Adam owns an Art and Frame shop in Chelan, WA and I try to take a picture with his shop's shirt whenever I'm someplace distant or unique.)  The view from the Tower is breathtaking but the weather didn't cooperate so well. The best part of our time on the Tower was being there when they turned the lights on.  20,000 "twinkle lights" came on at once and we were right in the midst of it. Vicki was in heaven!!  Everybody oooohed and aaaahed in mass. What a perfect night cap it was.  

Paris ... walking goes hardcore

Our first full day in Paris was a little bit like Gilligan’s three hour cruise. We set out to do a 4 hour self-guided walking tour but it took us 8 hours and didn’t hit everything we were “supposed” to see.  Among the sites we did see ... Cathédrale de Notre-Dame and a million or so gargoyles, the Latin Quarter where students and dissidents traditionally gather to rally and debate, the Conciergerie where Marie Antoinette was imprisoned before her execution and Sainte Chapelle the home of some spectacular stained glass.  (Chapelle is also the namesake of the catholic girls high school near my childhood home in New Orleans.  Never underestimate the perks of living close to a girls high school.:-)) But I digress ... as usual.

Although we are doing a lot of walking in Paris, we're also taking advantage of the city's "mass transit" system.  The Métropolitain system (mostly underground) has 16 lines, 300 stations and 384 stops.  It carries 4.5 million passengers a day, and an annual total of 1.479 billion. It is also famous for its station architecture, influenced by Art Nouveau. We also find the bus system very helpful - the #69 can get us pretty close to most places and is a short walk from "home".

Today, we also went to Shakespeare & Co. Booksellers - originally started by Sylvia Beach and a hangout for ex-pat authors and critics such as Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, George Antheil, Man Ray and James Joyce.  It's a funky, eclectic place that I could make a whole day of.  Writers are so often the voice of reason, curiosity, retrospection, introspection, vision and change.  This stop was also special because when I completed my studies at the University of Washington, my mother took me to the Sylvia Beach Hotel on the Oregon Coast.  It's a place for book lovers - no TV or internet - only books, cats, wind and waves.  I stayed in the Hemingway room with a big orange house cat.  Life has a certain circular nature to it.


Another highlight of our first day in Paris was dinner at a local restaurant.  We met Pierre, our waiter and a very nice young man who recently started a new venture (with a major silent financial partner), whereby one can invest in expensive (> 100,00 €) art without buying the whole piece.  It’s kind of like an investment fund dedicated to a certain type of stock or commodity.  Anyway, the venture sounded quite interesting and Pierre certainly was.  He provided some excellent tips for the remainder of our visit - and offered to give us waltz lessons before we left for Vienna. Vicki and I decided we were beyond any dancing help that could be obtained in one evening.  We exchanged information with Pierre and will continue to stay in touch.

Reflections upon entering Paris.

Boy oh boy has the last week been eventful.  So many places to go, people to visit and things to do. By the time we got to Paris we'd seen vast stretches of the Normandy Coast and Loire Valley.  It might seem like a “drive by” but we really enjoyed everything along the way.  Among things not already mentioned were Mont Saint Michel (see picture of our patio), the city of Amboise (including the home where DeVinci lived his last years) chateaus (including Chenonceau and Chambord) and a brief stop in Orleans. (Having grown up in New Orleans, I especially enjoyed this.)  As always, when seeing such historic sites, one can’t help but compare and contrast to current times and one’s own culture.  The scale and artistic nature of the architecture is something to behold.  It is common for churches, castles and chateaus to take centuries to build and always on the backs of the poor. Without the blood, sweat and tears of people with “no standing”, none of the great architectural feats would have been possible.  It is no wonder that revolutions and uprisings occur - not just in France or Europe, but around the world.  


Upon arriving in Paris, we turned in our car, got on a subway and headed to our hotel.  Unfortunately, we got off at the wrong station and had to walk (a lot) longer than expected to get there.  It was the end of a long day and so our mood was almost as dark as the rainy, night sky.  Almost - but not quite.  How dark can your mood be on a trip like this?  I mean, even dragging our baggage, how bad can it be to walk a little further in a beautiful city like Paris?  Not bad at all we decided.








Now that we're in Paris, we're ready to hunker down for a while.  We have a lot on our “wish list” but really want to get a sense of the place and the people.  Vicki chose an excellent place for us to call home for five nights.  We are staying at a small local hotel (Hotel Champs du Mar) in the Rue Cler district - near the Eiffel Tower.  We are able to walk, catch a train or catch bus to every place we want to go.  If we get lost, it’s not a problem - just another chance to see something new.

I've Been Everywhere Man

My "handler" has let it be known that the "followers" are raising a ruckus and wondering where in the world we might be.  It has been an eventful few days since we left Honfleur.  To give you a peak into the mind of our trip "planner" - we drove 1,221 kilometers between Sunday afternoon and Wednesday afternoon.  We now own the Normandy Coast and Loire Valley of France.  You name a Beach - we've been there, name a Chateau - we've been there. With apologies to Hank Snow, Johnny Cash, and all the others that have sung "I've Been Everywhere" - we covered a lot of ground in three days.  It was beautiful - even hallowed ground to travel.  We weren't busting down any autobahn.  These were country roads - over hill and over dale through villages, farms and the heartland of France.  And ... I have flip flops bigger than this car.  It was a Chevrolet Spark - with maybe 3.5 cylinders.  I was hell on wheels going down hill but I was Fred Flintstone running up hill - "feet don't fail me now"!




Beyond the fun (and it really was fun) of driving around France, I should share some highlights.  One excursion I really enjoyed was stopping in the small coastal town of Trouville.  V-Mac and I walked through the local markets buying tomatoes, peaches, apricots, fromage, baguette, andouille, mustard and wine.  Later, we stopped along the beach, ate our lunch - and washed our hands in the Atlantic Ocean.  It was "quite lovely" I must say.


















There is much left to share with you and we won't get it all covered tonight.  I do want to wrap up regarding the Normandy Coast however.  I think Vicki would agree that visiting Omaha Beach and the United States D-Day Cemetery was an honor.  It is such peaceful, hallowed ground - a different time and place entirely than the one it commemorates.  Quite literally, I was moved to tears reflecting on the sacrifices men, women, families, friends and countries made.  I think the thing that struck me most was seeing graves marked with the Cross and the Star of David side by side.  People from all ethnic backgrounds, people from all religions and people professing no religion - fought together to preserve liberty for all.  Not just for some and not just for those like them - but for all.  They also fought knowing that they, very likely, wouldn't be around to reap the benefit of the liberty they fought to secure.  It was very humbling being in that place - and a powerful reminder that we must carry on their charge yet today - standing up for those who have neither the voice nor the means to stand up for themselves.


Merci. Au revoir.

Bienvenue a la France

Bienvenue a la France!

It was an early get up - and door to door it was 24 hours from the time the shuttle picked us up from home until we arrived at our hotel in Honfleur in the Normandy region of France. I'm happy to say it was smooth 'sailing' all the way.  I have to give V-Mac a big shout out - from the time we got our car at Charles de Gaulle Airport until the time we arrived in Honfleur we never took a wrong turn.  Don't faint!  It's true - the directionally challenged lady we all know and love, was brilliant!  The scenic drive through the French countryside and quaint villages was wonderful.


If you have never been to this area of France nor heard of Honfleur - there was an article in the 8/10 edition of the New York Times (Thank you Mary Ellen). 


http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/travel/08Cover.html


The hilly, cobblestone streets are a step back in time and a relaxing way to start a vacation.  It is hard to think about the stress of work or the problems of the world while wandering in and out of the many galleries or having cheese and wine on the harbor. 


I fell in love with several sculptures and paintings but unfortunately my wallet did not.  One gallery had an amazing piece that was priced at 4,600 euros. No worries, they assured me it included "free" shipping.  


Vicki had her lust for wine and cheese fulfilled (for the  moment) with a plate and glass while we sat outside (the best way to eat) and people watched.  She gave me a lesson in cheese 101 - which I'll no doubt need to have continuously refreshed throughout our trip.


Tomorrow we will have a leisurely morning before hitting the Normandy beaches.  We both are really looking forward to the day and the next three weeks.

Have coffee, will travel!

Honfleur Harbor - Impressionist pilgrimage 

Wine, bread, cheese ... and a smile!

Technology U-Turn

Out witted again - apparently my video didn't was overweight and didn't make as carryon.  I'm hoping it can still make it the final destination by following this link.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZbKHDPPrrc

Que Sera Sera

Well, the time is nigh ... tomorrow at o-dark 30 we will put on a face and head to the launch site.  I have no idea what is in store for us - everyone knows I'm not the planner in the outfit. Nevertheless, I can't wait to find out. I know there will be twinkle lights involved and everyday will be like Christmas.  My big wish for the first day is that when we stop in Dallas, that I have time to grab me some Popeye's Chicken.  I know it won't compare to all those fancy crepes and such in France - but maybe I'll get my chicken with "french" fries instead of dirty rice.  I digress ... the one thing V-Mac has taught me is "whatever!" so, in honor of my lovely bride, her mantra and the lovely city of Paris - here is (of course) a song.