Four Days in the City of Light – Viva la France!

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Ooh la la, Paris.  The stuff of fairy tales.  Movies, songs, poems, and art all claim that Paris is the City of Light, the most romantic city on earth.  After spending 4 days exploring the treasures of this city, I’d have to agree.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many couples kissing on the streets, witnessed so much PDA as I have in Paris!  This city seems to lend itself to romance – the beautiful Rococo architecture, the lazy Seine winding its way through the city, the majestic and somewhat phallic Eiffel Tower (c’mon – you were thinking the same thing!)  The accordion player sitting on his battered folding chair amidst the plethora of locks, each inscribed with a pair of lovers’ names and attached to the bridges that span the Seine, playing romantic and cheesy love songs, hoping you’ll drop a Euro or two in his hat.  Although many of these elements can be found in Rome, NYC and other major metropolises (metropoli?) I do think Paris has taken the cake in this category!

My trip started out not so romantically or love-ly – my flight out of Denver was canceled due to a fuel leak, so I was rerouted through Atlanta to Paris.  I ended up with the traveler’s trifecta of trouble: 1.  a cancelled flight.  2. A dreaded middle seat across the pond for 9 hours.  3. And lost baggage upon landing at Charles DeGaulle Airport.  After milling about the baggage carousels for a few hours praying to the suitcase gods, I gave up and headed to the city to begin exploring, since I didn’t have my huge backpack with me to drop off at my hostel.

Let me say a word about this city’s public transportation – it’s gargantuan!  Growing up in Chicago and not owning a car until I turned 22, I’m used to taking the “L” and the subway system but it seems that Paris has more lines, more trains and more subway stations than I could have guessed (and after 4 days, I’ve been familiar with quite a few of them!)  I do love the way some o the stations are decorated – for example, the Louvre stop has artwork encased in niches in the walls of the station.  The Arts de Metier station is done in faux copper, with porthole windows containing treasures.  Even the signs outside the stops are done in different fonts to reflect the neighborhood and the name of the stops.

Not to say I didn’t make a few mistakes on the subway; but the good thing is, as long as you don’t come up for air, your ticket is still good…and I’d recommend getting the 2 or 3 or 5 day unlimited pass so that you don’t need to worry about exiting and re-entering when you’ve made a mistake.  Look into the different options – and be aware that the CDG airport and Disneyland are in zones that need special passes. Be prepared for a lot of walking between subway lines – you’ll add lots of steps to your FitBit! There are apps for the Paris transit – I’d go with the official one, RATP and check in real-time for closures.  Many of the stations I was trying to get to or from were being renovated and improved and were therefore closed; not a big deal, since there are 16 numbered and colored lines and over 300 stations used by over 4 million users each day to getcha where you need to go!  But – Be prepared to switch gears if needed…

Since I didn’t need to drop off my backpack at my hostel, I headed into the city to explore. First stop, Notre Dame Cathedral, which means “Our Lady of Paris”.  Entry to the Cathedral itself is free (to visit the towers costs around 8 euros and is included in the 2-Day Museum Pass), and I found a free tour that was leaving in 20 minutes, so I signed up and wandered around the exterior until the tour began, taking photos of this gothic structure.

This is a solid yet ethereal building, with two identical towers reaching over 200 feet to the heavens and surrounded by fantastigorical gargoyles perched up high, guarding every corner and flying buttress from evil.  The tour focused on the architectural facets of this French Gothic cathedral, and we learned about two different styles of building in the 12^th century. Soaring high above me at over 100 feet (33 meters) was the arched ceiling, replete with gorgeous artwork. This cathedral is immense, amazing and truly spectacular.  Did you know? Notre Dame contains two of the most important relics of Catholicism – a fragment of Jesus’ cross, one of the “holy nails” and also the crown of thorns Jesus was wearing when crucified.

After this tour, I walked over to the beautiful and historic Hotel DeVille, built in 1357 (actually, a governmental building and not a hotel) to retrieve my 2-day Museum Pass I had reserved and paid for online.  This pass (two day pass cost 48 euros, 4 days is 62) gets you into over 50 different museums and attractions in the city for free – from the heavy hitters such as The Louvre, Arc de Triomphe,  and the D’Orsay, as well as the lesser known museums such as the Art & Space Museum, Delacroix Museum and the Rodin Museum.  The Eiffel Tower is NOT included…I’ll cover that in a minute.  Some of these museums allow you to skip the line by being a MuseumPass holder, and it was a nice perk.

Everyone I met that was French was tres jolie – those I asked for help, those that pointed me in the right direction on the subway, those that allowed me to sit and sit and sit while I drank my one glass of wine –I’m not sure where the American stereotype of the rude Frog has come from, but I was delighted to meet and interact with many lovely Parisians.  I do think, though, that offering a sheepish and clumsy “Bonjour” upon meeting, a big smile, a couple s’il vous plais during the conversation asking “please” when you request assistance, and a “merci!” at the end go a looooong way toward bridging the gap between nationalities and peoples…in every country!  The French were helpful, charming, kind and patient with my lack of French and my bungling of the French I have learned from my Duolingo app (but hey, I’m ready to talk about the young boy eating an orange or the woman wearing a red dress if need be.)

Also, contrary to what I had read online, I did not see any dog poop – none.  And the trash in this city of over 2 million people is really no greater or less than any other big metropolitan city such as Rome, Chicago or Bangkok.  So I’d like to shatter those myths right here and now.

So what did I do in Paris?  Because it’s such a large city with sooooo many amazing places to go, things to do and areas to visit, I decided to focus on just one topic (albeit, a monumental topic!)…I was on an Art Mission.  I decided to focus on the plethora of art available to me in this city, and wanted to put a dent in my MuseumPass.  I spent hours and hours at the Louvre seeing the major pieces (Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, etc.) and could have spent days exploring this ginormous former palace.  I also visited the d’Orsay and the L’Orangerie art museums.   The expansive water lily panels by Monet in the custom room in L’Orangerie built just for displaying Monet’s “grande decoracion” made me cry.  They are splendid, gorgeous and ethereal.  I’m currently reading “Mad Enchantment” by Ross King, which tells the story of Monet’s later years in life as he painted the lilies during World War 1 while in his 70s.  A bit of a dry book, but great historical context for the creation of this lifelong dream Monet had. I also got choked up seeing Van Gogh’s Bedroom in Arles (Third Version) as well as his self-portrait in the Musee d’Orsay.  Something about seeing all these iconic pieces in person – standing close enough to see the brush strokes, the signature of the artist, the mix of colors on the canvas where the brush swirled and the paint peaked! It’s so emotionally charged for me.

I spent an afternoon in Montmartre, the neighborhood where all the Impressionists gathered back in the day.  Modigliani. Monet. Degas. Toulouse-Lautrec. Renoir. Picasso.  These giants among men walked these streets, frequented the bars, rented studios to paint here.  I found Picasso’s studio, Le Bateau-Lavoir, at  No. 13 Rue Ravignan at Place Emile Goudeau, just below the Place du Tertre. It gave me chills to stand before it and imagine Pablo painting inside.

I also went to Sacre Coeur, a beautiful basilica atop the hill.  Did not remember to look for the Moulin Rouge (Red Windmill) area made famous by Toulouse-Lautrec, and was sorry that I hadn’t.

One of the most beautiful chapels I visited was the Sainte-Chapelle, just a stone’s throw away from Notre Dame.  This stunning and intimately small chapel contains over 1100 stained glass windows.  Yes.  1100+.  The windows tell the stories from the Old and the New Testament.  The modest first-floor chapel gives no indication of the amazing, soaring, stupendous and breathtaking upper level just one stone flight of stairs up.

Finally, my visit to the Eiffel Tower.  Yea, I got choked up for this one too.  Again, an iconic symbol, seen for the first time in person.  It’s a beautiful structure, symmetrical, soaring and stunning in its simplicity.  I had bought a ticket online before arriving in Paris, to ride up to the very top at 10 pm, and was delighted to see the twinkling and sparkling lights dance across the 1060 foot high spire. The crowds were epic – soooooo many people.  So crowded, packed, hot and congested – the biggest crowds I’d seen yet.  The elevator was jam-packed, the observation decks were full of bodies jostling for space at the railing to look out over the city with all its lights and glory, and to be honest, I think the Eiffel Tower’s magic is best experienced from the ground.  Looking up, being under this classic icon was, to me, more beautiful and moving than being IN it.  Just my opinion, for what it’s worth…

Monday evening I boarded the train at Gare Austerlitz and headed 6 hours south to the Dordogne Region to spend two weeks with my favorite Frenchman, Piu, whom I met in Pokhara, Nepal

Let the story continue there…

(and yes, my backpack finally arrived.  Huzzah!! It was delivered to my hostel around 9 pm on Sunday,  merely 60 or so hours after I had arrived in Paris.  On Sunday afternoon I had finally purchased something to wear and some toiletries, so let’s see if Delta/Air France will reimburse me!)

Without experimentation, a willingness to ask questions and try new things, we shall surely become static, repetitive and moribund.                     ~ Anthony Bourdain