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Such a delay submitting my writings on our last few days in Paris. I’ve been hobbled by a thumb surgery and previous attempts have been more challenging than my typical clumsy writings. Thanks for your patience.
If you have upcoming adventures, please keep me in mind for preparing daily or weekly calendars to aid your travels.
Paris Part 2
New Years Day and we’re up and out of our hotel by 8AM. Why so early? Since the city was up late celebrating the new year, we expect a more sparse crowd at the Eiffel Tower early in the morning. We take the metro and a bus to get close to the tower where we practically have the monument to ourselves.
Side Notes:
1.) All public transportation in Paris is free between noon on December 31 to noon January 1st.
2.) The street cleaners are out by 7AM as well as litter crews picking up garbage around the Eiffel Tower. Nice move, Paris! And did I mention how clean the subways are? Well, they do a nice job keeping things tidy. US cities could learn a thing or two, just sayin’.
3.) Neither of us knew the Eiffel Tower has famous names printed on the sides. Pascal, Couloumb, & Foucault (remember the mention of Foucault’s pendulum in the pantheon on my previous Paris post?).
Walking back, we circle the Arc de Triumph and visit the French Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Is this one of the busiest traffic round-abouts? Maybe, but not that busy on this holiday. We find the underground access so we don’t have to risk our lives crossing traffic.
Later we meander down Champs Elyse and find the quintessential French bakery for coffee and pastries.
Caffeinated and super-fueled we walk past some intriguing architecture, pausing to marvel at the spectacle that is the Louis Vuitton store, designed to resemble one of their $60,000 travel trunks. Definitely not carry-on!
Back in Hotel des Artes Montmartre, we relax and begin our Musee D’Orsey strategy. Even though I purchased our tickets through Viator, I’d heard enough horror stories and scams about tickets bought through third parties to be skeptical (i.e. Hilary & Ricky’s misadventure at the Eiffel Tower). When I looked closer at the “tickets”, I noticed a disclaimer stating “this is not an actual ticket”. Alarmed, I flood Viator and the museum ticket seller with queries until I finally received e-tickets. In this case, the squeaky wheel strategy pays off. Relieved, we venture out to stroll Montmartre and visit the Sacre Coeur again. I even sneak a photo of the Virgin of Guadeloupe for our friend Enrique. Dinner tonight is at Bibiche, a bistro just around the corner from our hotel. They serve delicious French cuisine and we enjoy sharing the space with the locals.
Montmartre is on a hill and we are required to walk steep inclines around the neighborhood, but it’s all worth it. One thing that impresses me are the many small grocery stores with fresh produce. There are many and the produce looks fresh and delicious. I especially like these tiny sweet apples shown in the photo.
The Musee D’Orsey opens at 9AM, so we arrive at 8:30 and get in line for “Visitors with tickets” which is much shorter than the line for those who still need to purchase tickets. Also, it’s very rainy and windy, more than one inside-out umbrella and we’re grateful for the protection provided by the veranda.
Once inside and through security, we make a beeline for the coat check and pick up my audio guide. Tom doesn’t usually get the guide and I don’t listen to everything, but tune in if looking at a particularly intriguing piece I want to hear more about. Next we head toward the back of the building for the escalator to the top floor where the majority of the Impressionist art is displayed. But we are sidetracked by the Van Gogh exhibit, they allow us immediate entry at no charge (we did not think this was an option for us). We see dozens of his originals – right up close – before heading upstairs for the majority of the Impressionist works.
Tom was surprised to see an exhibit of one of his favorite artists, Odilon Redon, whose work is dreamlike and quite a wonder to behold. Additionally, we both enjoyed the works of an unknown artist (to us), Gustave Caillebotte. His friends were Impressionist painters, like Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir. In fact, Caillebotte supported his artist friends by purchasing their works and even paying for their studio rent (Monet). He was quite an interesting fellow, earning a law degree and also an engineer. What’s most incredible about Caillebotte is that he supported his fellow impressionists by purchasing many of their works. When he died (incidentally, Renoir was the executor) he bequeathed his large collection of impressionist art to the French government, stipulating it be displayed at Luxembourgh Palace and then in the Louvre. This was a big deal, since Impressionists were still largely condemned by the art establishment in France. Caillebotte’s donation marked the first time Impressionist art was displayed in France.
Here is where our planning really pays off. There are a few visitors, but not a crowd and we easily gain access, up close, to many of our favorites. We walk the length of the entire floor, but view only the art on the left side. We break for lunch after a couple hours, then view the art on the opposite side as we head back toward the escalators. We walk toward the exit on the main floor, which is now very crowded. There is a line of 100 or so waiting to get in to the Van Gogh exhibit – and they’re checking tickets. We are so glad we came early and went straight to the exhibit once we arrived. On our way toward the exit, we browse a few side galleries with more painting. One in particular captivates : The Truth (La Verite) an 1870 painting by Jules Lefebrve. Later I found out that the painting was a model for the Statue of Liberty.
One thing I’d do differently: bring my power bank to recharge my phone! My phone battery died at the end of our viewing, but we needed google maps and train schedule info. I can’t believe we lugged that power bank around for 13.5 weeks but didn’t have it when we needed it! Fortunately, I found a kind couple at the recharging couch area, and they allowed me a few minutes of charging while Tom went to retrieve our coats, which was NOT a well organized system, since there was no distinction between people checking coats or picking up, so it ended up taking 20 minutes or so.
In all, this museum experience was more enjoyable than the Louvre for us, less crowded and more of the art we appreciate. The timing allowed us to get right up close, mere inches away, and study the pieces. I would love to return and explore Musee D’Orsey again. Maybe just sit for 30 minutes immersed in the dreamy Redon paintings. Or The Truth by painter Jules Joseph Lefebvre, which we both were mesmerized by. Certainly worth an extended gaze. And especially the master of perspective Gustave Caillebotte mentioned above.
Afterward looking for a place for dinner, we again find ourselves climbing back to Sacre Coeur but this time the streets are empty and many restaurants are closing early. Even THE SQUARE is empty, all the sketch artists must be home, in warmed and well lit studios (tavernas). We walk along the street next to the windmills on our way back to the hotel, alone and already missing the City of Love.
We check out of Hotel des Arts Montmartre in the morning. The receptionists, particularly Alessandra, were so helpful during our stay and we do our best to convey our gratitude.
We could have taken the Metro to the airport, but opted for a 30 minute cab ride. Even though the driver is apparently auditioning for the next Fast and Furious film, he delivers us safely to Charles DeGaulle airport which is huge. While waiting to board we meet a family of 12 traveling together. They tell us the now frequent luggage tale : at the start of their two week trip, the airline lost their luggage and didn’t get it delivered to them until day 9. More incentive to carry-on for us, whenever possible.
We leave Paris at 1pm and fly to Reykjavik where we change planes. Next we head through passport control then board our flight home to Portland. It’s an 8 hour flight, leaving Reykjavik at 4:50 PM arriving Portland at 4:50 PM. Yes, an 8 hour flight but time stands still for us, due to east to west flight across time zones. When the flight takes off, the sun has just nearly set and the sky is dark. During the flight, the sky gradually gets just a bit lighter which seems to really throw us into full-on jet lag. The flight attendants are so sweet, they bring us four different Icelandic chocolate bars, one with black licorice inside; strangely delicious.
Once we land in Portland, we need to go through Passport Control, along with everyone else on the plane. But then I remember I have the Mobile Passport Control app on my phone MPC. I open it, check a few boxes and we are able to step over to the MPC fast line. I recommend downloading the MPC app before your trip so you can breeze through the Passport line like we did. Then it got a bit dodgy, probably due to the construction at PDX.
Home! And I’ll post some follow up topics with summaries and cost breakdowns along with ideas for helping you with your upcoming travels.
Nice finale chapter for your trip. Quite well recorded memories and I am sure that we all identify with your many successes in the old country. Wish I had a record of my three years in Europe that could compare to yours! Thanks for sharing.
Can’t believe I’m just finding a few moments to enjoy this posting – I knew it was here but didn’t want to see it on my phone. It demands the big screen ie, my computer! It’s extra special to view this through your eyes and experience having just been there. You and Tom were indeed fortunate to be there on a quiet holiday. Definitely the City of Love and Lights – can’t get enough of it. Nice job covering those artists, several of whom I’ve never heard of.