11 Oct - Friday - Paris - move from Tour Hotel and Emma's arrival

On Friday the tour group disbanded.  Most went by coach to the airport early in the day.  We went to the next Hotel (Les Jardins du Marais) Link for Les Jardins that wonderful Grania had organised for the next two nights. Emma joined us.

The first thing we did was buy our ten trip tickets for use on the Metro ( Euro 13.30) as well as our return tickets for our trip to the Palace of Versailles ( Euro 6.90 each).  The paper tickets on the Metro/ Bus are so tiny in Europe - but they work and are so cheap! The photo below shows the size of the tickets in relation to a business card - from our ( later discovered ) favourite bar restaurant - The Acrobatic Cow. 

Next, I did my usual thing of finding the local supermarket - about 100 metres from hotel. They also had a Jewish supermarket (same food chain) right next door.   I knew I was in Paris, because one of the items was washing powder named (two of the French words I own up to knowing) "Le Chat":

There were a few other things that I would have loved to buy:

 This was Heaven but I had to face reality.  I couldn't possibly consume any more purchases before we left.  Another reason we should have stayed longer! 

(Do you know that in Spain Jonathan and I considered it would be cheaper to stock up on wine rather than buy toothpaste? Reluctantly we bought the toothpaste. Ah why are we so sensible.....?)

Then we set about having lunch.

We found a local cafe and Jonathan made use of his French in the ordering process.

We went with the first item for the main course and then, I had to try the dessert. It was superb - and this is from someone (unusual for a Melbourne resident) who does not normally like Tiramisu but I was having it for Michael! (I'm a wonderful mother, aren't I?) Here's the photo!  Michael, you would have loved this! 

Our next brilliant idea was fantastic!  We went on the Discover Walk tour of Trendy Marais that started at the Metro near to our Hotel.  What followed was a two hour walk of 'hidden treasures'.  We loved it and realised that we should really be staying for at least a week to investigate and explore further. It was truly delightful.

Amongst the places we saw were:

 

This is public housing

 

Public housing connects to this private (expensive) housing.

 

A beautiful area that was promoting breast cancer awareness when we were there.

This was part to the Jewish area

Signs like these are around Paris to indicate the historical significance of the area.  This one refers to the Jewish area

A very old building that is now a Youth Hostel.  I think it would be a great place to stay though they might baulk at my ability to qualify as "youth" and to mingle with all the school kids on trips to Paris.

One of the oldest fire stations in Paris

And we also saw loads of other things: beautiful parks, wonderful shops (open Sunday when Paris city shops are closed), and many more things..........

 The 2 hour tour ended on the bank of the Seine with Notre Dame on the other side.  If we had walked direct from the Hotel, it would have been about a 15 min walk.  Of course, when we walked back - not quite knowing where to go, it took us about 45 mins.  All good for the soul!  During the walk, I went over on my ankle -but I'm always doing that so thought nothing of it until the flight home.

Then as we started to walk from the river, I noticed this restaurant - Chez Julien!
I was so happy to see this.

My great uncle Julien who with (great) Aunties Alice, Lucy and Angela looked after Dad and his sisters after their mother died in childbirth, had a French name.  He had this as when he was born, it was thought he was weakly and likely to die soon so the priest was called to baptise him. The priest was a visiting priest from France called, Julien Maturin and he gave his name to the baby boy.  (Fortunately Uncle Julien (or Uncle Julie as he was always called) lived until his 80s).  I was named after him as Julie Anne so I feel a special affinity to him even though I do not have in any way his wonderful skills as a musician.  He was also someone with extreme generosity and when he died he gave all relatives (i.e. the first surviving member of the family of his brothers and sisters (in our case Mum, as Dad had predeceased him) a share of his estate.

Not to be outdone, I then found a Jonathon

Later, Emma arrived on the Eurostar and caught the Metro to the Hotel.  Then it was time to eat at the bar/restaurant recommended by the Hotel staff that was in the same street about 2 blocks away.

We loved the Acrobatic Cow.  

Such a great place for the locals (and the occasional others like us) and fantastic food.  I have never, ever had such a fantastic burger and the dessert Emma and I shared was pure Heaven.  

(Michael, you would have loved it!  I do all this tasting for you.  It is so d-i-f-f-i-c-u-l-t! but mother's try to do their best. On this occasion, I had Emma's help.)

Beef Burger with foie gras - top bun removed 

Speculoos mascopone or Heaven!

Of course, Kermy and friends joined in.

We had a fantastic evening and we only had a short stroll back to our beds!

9/ 10 Oct (Wed/ Thurs) - Paris last days of second tour

Early on Wednesday 9 October, we left Lucerne for the drive to Paris and we arrived there around 4pm

My first views of Paris from the coach included the following:

 Hard to see but if you zoom in on the Arc de Triomphe, those 'ants' at the very top are people. How small humans are!

It was rather wet and gloomy on our arrival but good fortune smiled upon us because the heavy rain held off for the rest of our stay.

We had an early tour group dinner and then it was off for a cruise along the river Seine with that unique icon in the background. It is amazing how magical it all felt under the lights.

 Lovely photo isn't it?

 I mean of the bridge and the Eiffel Tower with the laser light from the Tower.  Shame about J&J with wind blow hair and strange facial expressions as we juggled camera and plastic cups that held our wine. It's all about the moment!!

We returned to our hotel with its long corridors and very strange (like an aircraft or train toilet/ bathroom set up), ready for our final day of the tour in Paris.

 Long, unending corridor of rooms............

Looking at the doors at our tour hotel room -after the entry to the room,  the next door was to the toilet and then the remaining door was to the bathroom. 

At least in this hotel we had a double bed.  This was such a rarity in Europe.  Most times it was two beds together.

Thursday 10 October - final day of tour Highlights of Europe
I enjoyed all that this final day offered but again the day was too short for all that I would have liked to have done.  Obviously, I belong in Europe and need to spend much more time there dining, drinking, walking, discovering things and spending time wandering around all these beautiful places and things.  I don't have the memory these days for facts and figures nor do I know the details of  this painting or sculpture from that or the history of a dynasty or country but in my ignorance, I love it all. 

I do appreciate beauty  ( that yes it is in the eye of the beholder) and love to learn something new each day. 

(In saying this about 'beauty', I remember Ed saying many years ago when someone said 'Age before beauty', Ed retorted 'Yes, but Beauty was a horse!') That still makes me smile.

Notre Dame was the first point of call - fancy that!  I think it had been 2 days since we had seen a cathedral or two. I tell you, the good Lord is going to do wonderful things for us all after all the prayers I have said at the 400 or so churches we've been to recently.  ( If not 400, it felt like at least 400).

Can you imagine how poor old J and others who have no great ( or small) interest in churches were feeling by this time? It's a tough life for some isn't it? On the other hand I liked each 'venture' as it was a new experience and such beautiful works of art and craftsmanship.

 You can see how thrilled J is to be going  to Notre Dame!

 Kermy and friends didn't let me down!

Next, it was coffee and a quick visit to the junk shops ( heaven!) and then back on the coach again.

Eiffel Tour

This was the last part of the set tour and for many, the highlight.

It was an interesting process to get through the lines, security and then finally into the lifts. It is the only place where we had to open our bags before submitting them to security and I would say confusion amongst the general public reigned.

Up and down the Tower

At the top

It was cold up there up but I had my new junk shop hat to keep the wind out of my hair and my ears warm.

The Louvre 

A visit to the Louvre was an optional tour and I couldn't have missed this!  We had some free time to 'mosey about' ( ie shop), have lunch and go to the loo before going into the Louvre itself.

We followed the signs to the toilets, but kept on 'missing them'.  In the end, J asked a 'service attendant' or someone who was standing there outside some shops looking like a butler.  Silly us!  The loo was where the sign had said - it just looked like a shop!

Cost was Euro 1.50 and you had to wait until you were told to 'enter'.  (I did say I liked to learn something each day.....). For me, entry was allowed after a young man checked the cubicle vacated by the previous female and then directed me to proceed.  It was quite bizarre and a bit disconcerting.  I didn't linger to either buy the products on display in the cubicle or the coloured toilet rolls near the basins.  Oh for the simple life!

We only had a short time wander around but I did manage to duck into the Apple store - because it was there!!

Then it was time for the Louvre itself.  The time was all too short and my photos don't do justice to what was there.

 This ' golden section' was a 'mini version' of what is in the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailes.

The most noticeable thing for me about the Mona Lisa was the female attendant standing close to it with a sign above her head that she shook constantly 'Beware pickpockets operate in this area' or words to that effect. Some jobs would be worse than others in the Louvre.

 

And, because no one knows what this painting really looks like, I took a photo!

The evening cabaret

The last function for the tour was an optional dinner cabaret.  We had decided we would not go if it was at Moulin Rouge and when another venue just 'down the road ' was chosen, we opted to join.

 

 The venue we went to and where Jonathan had his 'time on stage'.  He was very good.

And that completed the tour part of our trip..... but we still had more to go......