Day 6b: Monday: Boat Tour

We left the Eiffel Tower and descended to the River Seine, where we had a quick lunch in a floating restaurant before our cruise.

There was a narration on board the boat, but I didn't pay much attention to it. Once again, I enjoyed the sights. Here are some of the buildings we passed.

At one point we passed the modern buildings of the business center of the city.

Of course we passed beneath numerous bridges. Here are a few of them.

Besides buildings and bridges, we saw the bookstalls and a group enjoying an afternoon by the Seine with their Smart Car. (Have I mentioned that we saw a LOT of Smart Cars in France?)

When we disembarked, we walked along the quay a bit and found some interesting, life-sized metal sculptures on display. Lloyd snapped this picture of Kathie as she headed toward the installations.

This is probably a good place to mention the effectiveness of the no-smoking law of 2007 that bans smoking in all public places in France, including cafés and restaurants. One of the lingering memories of my visit 40 years ago is of the odor of cigarette smoke, the harsh smoke of Galoise cigarettes, to be specific. This time: no smoke!

Apparently the ban was surprisingly well accepted. Without the smoke, the city seems much cleaner -- or maybe it was cleaner. Notice the filled trash bag in the next photo. Notice how the trash is actually inside the container, not on the ground next to it. There are wire stands with plastic bag liners like this one all over Paris. They are well used. We saw very little litter on the streets.

We taxied back to the hotel.

Day 6a: Monday: City Tour

On Monday, our group participated in a city tour and boat ride on the Seine. The tour bus was more comfortable than the Air France plane. Each passenger had a set of earphones and could listen to the canned descriptions in any one of several available languages. I  have to confess that after about the third mini-lecture about a famous historic site, I stopped listening. I had a general idea of where we were and what we were seeing, which was sufficient to satisfy my curiousity. When I hit age 70, I decided I really don't need to know all of the details --- enjoying the ambiance of the city sights was more than adequate.

Here are a few of the sights along our route, a mix of Lloyd's photos and mine. I'm sure you'll recognize at least some of the buildings.

Lloyd took this photo what was arguably the most famous street that we toured: the Champs Elysées, with the Arc de Triomphe in the distance.

Other features of the city were also interesting. We passed by this shop window several times, and each time it caught my eye. Repetto sells products for ballet. I love those flying ballerinas! (Click the photo to see a larger image; click the link to see one of the loveliest ads on the internet.)

Another detail of the city also caught my eye: the doorways that opened into the private, residential parts of the city buildings. Most of them were closed, but a few offered a glimpse of a gleaming hallway or a lovely courtyard.

Our bus tour ended at the Eiffel Tower. We were issued tickets to ascend, but the four of us declined. It was awesome just standing beneath the mighty tower. Built in 1889, at 1,063 feet tall --- about the height of an 81-story building --- it is the tallest structure in Paris.

There were street vendors all around the tower selling a variety of souvenirs spread on squares of sturdy cloth. Apparently the vendors are neither licensed nor tolerated. When some officials in uniform appeared, it took only a split second for each vendor gather up the corners of the cloth and to take off with his sack slung over his back. Now you see 'em, now you don't! These fellows would do well in Olympic sprint events.

Lloyd is waving in the foreground, but look at the double-decker bus behind him to get some idea of the size of the tower.

From the tower, we crossed the road to the River Seine for our boat trip.

Day 5b: Sunday: Notre Dame & City Lights Tour

We left the Louvre, where Lloyd encountered one of the street people trying to pull the lost ring scam. Lloyd knew better. As we walked along the Seine, we could see Notre Dame de Paris in the distance. The cathedral (twin towers in the center of the photo) is on an island in the Seine, the Île de la Cité.

We passed by the bookseller stands on the Left Bank and bought some prints of the city.

We stopped for lunch at the Café des Beaux Arts. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal but didn't think to take any photos. I found these two photos on the internet. This outside shot is by Stephen Reese, from his blog, which you can see here.

The interior shot is by Dianne G. The original can be found here.

For some lovely views of Paris as well as the Café des Beaux Arts, click on the restaurant's website, here.

When we resumed our stroll, we passed a water fountain that was beautiful as well as very popular. Folks lined up to refill water bottles.

As we approached Notre Dame, one of the party cruise boats passed by.



The plaza in front of the cathedral was a busy place. There was a long line of folks waiting to tour the cathedral as well as many Parisiens enjoying a sunny Sunday afternoon.

There are signs asking for silence inside, but still there was a lot of distracting chatter.  I have just three photos taken inside to share, a side altar and two shots of a miniature of the cathedral that show off the intricacies of the flying buttresses in this French Gothic cathedral.

We arrived at the cathedral in time to hear an organ concert by Amy Myeong, a graduate of the University of Kansas. The cathedral is the church that contains the cathedra (official chair) of the Archbishop of Paris, currently André Vingt-Trois. We stayed for the weekly mass said by the archbishop, a very moving ceremony.

After mass we went back to the hotel for dinner and prepare for an evening tour: The Lights of Paris. Only a few of the night shots turned out, but the sights were outstanding. Notre Dame takes on a whole different aspect after dark.

We arrived at the Eiffel Tower in time for the sparkling lights, which are turned on for 5 or 10 minutes before each hour.

Oddly enough, one photo that did turn out was one I snapped on a whim ... a chocolate shop for the chocoholic in our group. Unfortunately, we didn't get back here.

And so ended our Sunday.

Day 5a: Sunday: Le Louvre

On Sunday, some of us visited Le Louvre.

This is the entrance to the courtyard of this stately palace. It began in the 12th century as a fortress that was transformed into a modernized dwelling for François I and, later, the sumptuous palace of the Sun King, Louis XIV.

It was quite different from when I visited it about 40 years ago. Twenty-two years ago the once-controversial, ultra-modern pyramid entrance with its surrounding fountains was added to the complex. Today it is an accepted part of the courtyard. Although there were droves of visitors, the line moved smoothly and quickly. Lloyd, Ann Marie and Richard in front of the pyramid.

An escalator or spiral stairway takes one down to a central area where the entrance tickets are sold and one gains access to one of three wings of the museum, each featuring different collections. We chose the Denon wing, which houses the Mona Lisa, 18th-19th century French art, and the collection of ancient art from Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. Lloyd took this picture from inside the pyramid.

One of the great joys of this museum is the ability to appreciate the size of some of the paintings that we know only through books and prints.

Two paintings of the fight between David and Goliath were displayed back-to-back, a most interesting presentation.

The most famous painting in the museum, the Mona Lisa, drew a large crowd. The arrow is pointing at Richard as he moves toward the painting.

With patience, we moved closer. The painting is protected with several layers of glass, but even knowing it wouldn't be of good quality, I had to take a picture anyway.

We passed by many more paintings and some sculpture as we worked our way toward the African exhibits, but my photos are a poor record, so I will spare you. Here, though, is a sample of the elegance of the building itself.

The aboriginal art is beautifully displayed. These were some of the more outstanding pieces.

We left the Louvre by way of the Lion Gate, alongside the Seine.

Our destination: Notre Dame.