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Today was my last day in Paris. I spent it walking around the Right Bank, taking pictures. I love Paris. Still, I'm ready to go home. A few years ago, I thought I'd like to someday live in Paris. I no longer feel that way. Home is where all of the important people and things are in my life. Claire, Kiki and Alex. Megan and Banker. All of my friends. All of my hobbies and interests. I always want a Paris trip planned in the future but I want it to include a return ticket. As Audrey Hepburn once said, " Paris is always a good idea." Photo Stuff: Last year, I sold two Nikon bodies, a number of Nikon lenses and a Canon G16. I bought a Sony A6300 mirrorless camera and love it. Almost all of my pictures were taken with Sony's 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 lens. A few were taken with a Sony 20mm f2.8 lens. Another few, mainly in the evenings, were taken with an iPhone 7 Plus. À bientôt! Jeff C.
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Hopefully, most of you are not waiting, breathlessly, for my next post! If you are, you will be disappointed today. I was rather wiped out and slept in this morning. After a quick lunch of a sandwich from the boulangère around the corner, I went to Musée des Arts et Métiers. It's a museum dedicated to the history of science and industry and it's amazing.
No pics. Didn't even take a camera. I went to Versailles for the day. I had lunch at a crêperie in the town of Versailles. Then, I went to "Versailles" and wandered around the gardens, taking pictures. It was interesting, since the chateau is closed on Monday, as are certain areas within the gardens. Because of this, the crowds are very light and admission into the gardens is free. It's a really nice garden. You Master Gardeners could learn a thing or two about garden design and execution. In our yard, we have a water feature but those at Versailles are more elaborate. I arrived in Paris on Tuesday morning. Since then, I've been walking...constantly. According to Apple Health, I've walked 78,908 step and 31.5 miles. I believe it. Today, Sunday, was my day of rest (12,386 steps). I visited Musée de l'Orangerie, which houses a small collection of later Impressionist works. Then, I walked through Jardin des Tuileries, from Place Concorde to Le Louvre. Later, I spent time, on a park bench, in Champs de Mars, reading a book and watching the world go by. It was cool but sunny. It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon is Paris. I have found, in Champs de Mars, an area where dog people meet (I find the term, "Dog owners" pejorative. Megan and Banker are deeply offended when they hear the phrase used. They consider themselves Canine-Americans). Almost everyone in Paris lives in an apartment. Still, one is amazed with the number of dogs in the city. BTW, people are, mostly, cleaning up after their dogs. Anyway, in the afternoon, the dog people meet, along with their canine family members (Franco-Canines). The dogs are having a blast, running and chasing balls thrown by their human family members. In Paris, dogs are Parisians first and dogs second. I'm surprised the dogs don't wear berets and smoke cigarettes! Based on my casual observation, Jack Russell Terriers and French Bulldogs rule. Tonight, I had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Le Petit Châtelet. As always, it was wonderful (Roger E. - Thank you!). It's located next door to the famous bookstore, Shakespeare and Company. The first two pictures are from previous evenings. The river scene pic was taken on my way home from the concert at Sainte-Chapelle. The food pic was from last night, at Bistrot Le P'tit Troquet. Yes, that's a hunk of butter! Le P'tit Troquet is a tiny restaurant about a three minute walk for the apartment. It's traditional French cuisine and it's wonderful. Another out-of-Paris adventure today. I visited Auvers-sur-Oise, van Gogh's last home and his final resting place. Reaching this small town is a bit difficult, accessible via the SNCF/Transilian train system. This network serves Île-de-France and is not one of the Grande Lignes (fast, high-speed, inter-city lines). Getting there required two Métro lines and a train. The return was more complex; two trains and two Métro lines. Van Gogh's home is still there, visible through a fence. The small chateau was closed and the cemetery was at the top of a hill, outside of town. There a number of sites that are in van Gogh paintings, such as the church. All in all, it was underwhelming. I'm glad I went but don't plan to return. Today's weather was a bit disappointing...overcast and cool. Unfortunately, not a good day for photography. Today was the first day of my trip with mild temperatures. It was a lovely Spring day in Paris. Actually, I spent most of the day outside of Paris, in Chantilly. It's about a thirty minute train ride outside of the city. At Domaine de Chantilly, the main features are the chateau, the stables and the gardens. All are breathtaking. I didn't go inside but spent all of my time outside, in the gardens. Since it's a bit difficult to reach, there aren't a lot of visitors. When I walked through the English Garden, I didn't see anyone. It was wonderful. The first picture is of the stables. The last picture is of the chateau. Musée d'Orsay this morning. It's probably the finest collection of Impressionist Art in the world. They also have an incredible collection of decorative arts, with amazing Art Nouveau furniture. Then, a visit to the Canal Saint-Martin neighborhood. Some call it Bohemian and hip. I call it seedy, grimy and gross. Another area off my list. Late this afternoon, I spent two hours, on park benches, reading a novel and watching the Parisian world go by. Spending time in Champ de Mars, literally in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, isn't a bad thing. This evening, I had a great dinner at Au Bretzel (Jerry-Yes, another of my favorite restaurants). It's Alsatian cuisine and, as you will see, looks German. Choucroute Garni is great (If you like lots of meat)! Today was busy and my first full day in Paris. I took the Métro to Notre Dame de Lorette and walked up Rue des Martyres to Sacré Coeur and Montmartre. I have not visited the Montmartre area for many years and I know why! It's incredibly touristy. After lunch I visited Musée de l'Armee and Tombeau de Napoléon. This evening, it was La Tour Eiffel. It was incredibly windy and cold so that was a rather quick visit. Security was quite visable. Police and military (with assault rifles) were at the major tourist sites. Around Sacré Coeur, in fenced areas, they are using dogs. It's reassuring to see the security measures taken by the French. If this is your first visit to my website, please take a few minutes and read the "About Me" page.
Jeff C. |
