Last Tango in Paris

Back in Paris after Giverny (with only 2 days to go), the weather has warmed up and the crowds are out in even greater force, especially at Versailles and along the Champs-Élysées. 

The impressive boulevard is twice the width of St Kilda Road (to be exact it is 1.9km long and 70 metres wide).  In front of the Arc de Triomphe there are 6-8 lanes of traffic going both ways and some idiotic tourists brave the traffic to stand in the middle to take equally impressive photos of this huge structure. I was about to point this out to Mark and turned around to see he’d gone.  Guess where, to the middle of the road to join the other idiots risking their lives dodging traffic!!

Mid Champs Elysees

less life-threatening view

He survived to get me out bed at the crack of dawn to go to L’Orangerie to see Monet’s Water Lily murals.  As you all know, early morning starts and me are rare but it was worth it to be one of a handful of people in the elliptical rooms where the magnificent murals are displayed.  Crowds would have destroyed the peacefulness and serenity of the paintings.

Monet's water lillies

At the crowded Musee D’Orsay, getting in was easy with pre-purchased tickets on our Iphone.  We couldn’t print tickets and getting them to be viewable on the phone without wifi was not so easy until Mark worked out that pdf files and downloaded images could be stored on iBooks.  Thanks Steve Jobs.

What you can do with a station

Rather than rush from room to room, we took a tour with a very knowledgeable guide who explained the roots of Impressionism before showing us the Masters’ works.

A brilliant blue

All this walking and gallery time was taking its toll.  We needed to head home before I collapsed from exhaustion but thought that if I sat down for ½ hour somewhere I could recuperate enough to continue.  So I took refuge in Notre Dame and this is where I put my feet up for nearly an hour until our next walking tour was to begin.  God almost struck me down.

Inside Notre Dame

Two young uni students showed us and 3 others around some unusual haunts and talked about interesting facts about life in the area around Notre Dame and St Germain.  We visited a hospital right next door to Notre Dame where you can stay as a guest rather than a patient; just make sure the bed’s not in the psych ward.

Hospital garden

You only go to the Police HQ for 3 things the young ones pointed out.

1.) to be arrested

2.) to apply for a driver’s license (which is extremely difficult to pass in Paris – they take you to Champs-Élysées)

3.) for a baker who must apply for permission to go on holidays –. French bread is sensational.  It must be fresh and Parisians can never be without their bread.  For doctors, that’s a different matter – they’re lower in the pecking order (GLS would concur). 

Our Guard of Honour - Blvd St Germain

Our walk concluded around the St Germain area where one half of this very long street is dedicated to very pricy shops, like toddler sandals for 150Euro.  I didn’t even bother going in to any of the shops they appeared outrageously expensive.  However, we did stop at a café/bar for refreshments, sitting side by side facing the street to observe the passers-by (as our guides told us Parisians would do).

QE11 Flower Market - the French miss their Royals

Our final day was a trip to Versailles.  We thought we’d be the clever dicks - entry/travel pass pre-purchased and out at 8:00 to beat the crowds.  Best laid plans…..The train stopped half-way after a major incident.  One generous local passenger played ‘pied piper’ to 100 tourists, we took a different route and met at the bus stop.  Clearly, we all wouldn’t fit on said bus so reverted to plan B and hitched a ride to within walking distance of Versailles. (the things we do to see the sites). 

Versailles was spectacular and so were the crowds.  We were almost pushed through the rooms as if on a very slow conveyor belt.  The Hall of Mirrors and the royal apartments were fantastic.  We tried to re-enter later but the crowds were even worse and almost at a standstill and this was on a slow day!!!!!!

Hall of Mirrors + the hoards

The immaculate gardens were more peaceful and I transformed my chef to a gondolier and took to the water and later, we lay in the shade to rest up before heading back to Paris and a last supper.

Now you see me

There are crocs in this lake

Slave labour

View from the lake

Siesta under the trees

At home in our apartment

view of the bridge club opposite

our French bath

As I write this we are sitting in our Bergen apartment having had our first taste of fish of the 3 week tour of Norway.  I cooked it as my chef has officially gone on strike.  (it’s so hard to find good staff these days)

Bergen - typical narrow streets