WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2008

.
We actually left on on Tuesday, August 12th at about 9:00 am. We flew Delta to Atlanta and then overnight to Paris. On Wednesday, we arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport about 6:30 am local time and immediately ran into some folks from our tour group. We eventually found our driver, who got us safely to the hotel, where we met our Program Director for the trip – Rita Lazer.

Our hotel was the Meridian Montparnasse. At first it seemed a long way off from the major sights of Paris, but we found it to be a good location – close to the train station, a couple of Metro (subway) stops, lots of shops and restaurants – and it was right beside the Montparnasse Tower, a landmark almost as easy to spot as the Eiffel Tower. It was not a quaint little inn, however – it was a big tourist hotel. So not much local color, but it was helpful that everyone there spoke English.

In spite of a bit of jet lag (6 hour time difference), we dumped our bags and headed out into the city. We took the subway to the heart of Paris and got busy being tourists.







A word here about the Paris subway system, known as the Metropolitan or Metro. It is the oldest subway system in the world. It has 14 lines and more than 300 stations; we were told that we’d never be more than 500 feet from a Metro station – they are very convenient everywhere in the city. And – the Metro is fast and super-efficient; we never had to wait more than 2 minutes at a station.



.
.
.

We stopped first at Ile de la Cité, a small island in the middle of Paris, in the middle of the River Seine. It was on this island that Paris was first established, by a tribe of fisherman known as the Parisi. The Romans took over the area in 52 BC, and in 508 AD, King Clovis united France as one kingdom and made Paris its capital.

We also had a look at Sainte Chappelle, which was built between 1242 and 1248 for St. Louis XIV to house the supposed Crown of Thorns. It is the best example of how the Gothic architects used stained glass windows to turn dark stone buildings into places of light. In this church, there are 15 separate panels of stained glass – over 6,500 square feet – which essentially surround the entire chapel. There’s more stained glass than stone!




.
.

The chapel itself is now surrounded by the Palace of Justice – part of the local government of Paris.









And then – the main attraction of this little island, the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Construction of Notre Dame de Paris began in 1163 during the reign of Louis VII. The building was completed roughly 200 years later, in about 1345.





Notre Dame is considered one of the masterpieces of the Gothic age, looking somewhat like a great ship moored by the huge flying buttresses. Victor Hugo called it a “symphony of stone.” The west façade of the cathedral is dominated by the huge rose window and tall twin towers.








.

Over each of the three portals, there are lots of elaborate carvings – all manner of bishops and kings and saints and Biblical scenes.




















.

Inside, there is a great contrast between the darkness of the nave and the light in the sanctuary.

.
.
.
.
.

.
.

The magnificent stained glass windows create this effect.










.
.
.

As we walked around the cathedral, we had a good look at the flying buttresses.









.
.

We headed over the Bridge of St. Louis to the even smaller island of Ile St. Louis. This is a nice place for just strolling around – tall houses on single-lane streets, tree-lined wharfs, a school, a church, assorted restaurants, cafes, and shops.







.
.

As we crossed over the Pont Tournelle, we had a great view of Notre Dame across the water, as well as some of the mansions that line the island.












.
.

We walked along the left bank of the Seine, with more nice views of Notre Dame, finally reaching Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in the city.





.
.
.


When Notre Dame was built in about 1600, it was the city’s first pedestrian bridge; it was unique for its time because it had no houses built on it.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Near the foot of the bridge, we stopped for lunch at Chez Dany – nice quiche Lorraine and salad (at this point, anything would have tasted good – we were tired AND hungry.)








.
.

After lunch, we walked around a little more – here is one of the many street vendors along the river.





.
.

And then we headed under the bridge for a boat ride on Les Vedettes du Pont Neuf. Yes, it’s just for tourists, but it was a relaxing way to get a glimpse of some of the major sights, including our first view of the Eiffel Tower.
.
.
.
.
.
.

And of course, the bridges, lots of bridges. Every one is different and every one has a story to be told.

This is Pont des Arts, or Arts Bridge – a pedestrian bridge that leads to the Institute of France. It was the first cast iron bridge in the city.


.
.

This is the Pont Royal, or Royal Bridge – one of the oldest bridges in the city. It was built during the time of the Sun King, Louis XIV.



.
.

Here is the Musee d’Orsay, or Orsay Museum – it’s hard to miss the impressive façade of the Orsay train station built in 1900 for a world exhibition.



.
.

Just across the river is the Louvre, Paris’ largest museum and for centuries the home of kings and queens.







.
.

This is Pont de la Concorde, the Concorde Bridge, which was built with the stones of the Bastille prison when it was demolished during the French Revolution. To the left of the bridge is the National Assembly, an old Bourbon palace where the French Parliament now meets. And … in the distance … the Eiffel Tower.



.
.

This is Pont Alexandre III, or the Alexander the Third Bridge – by far the most ornate of the city bridges. It was built to commemorate the French-Russian alliance in 1893 and named after Tsar Alexander III. The ornate candelabra are copies of the lamps on Trinity Bridge in St. Petersburg, Russia.



.
.

And here is the Alma Bridge, which has on its right side a sculpture called “le zouave,” a title given to a certain type of infantryman in the French army. Parisians track the river water level by watching this statue. In 1910, during the great floods the poor man was covered by water up to his neck.



.
.
.

And then – we were at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, the monument that best symbolizes Paris.








.
.
.

There are lots of houseboats along the River Seine. We heard that they pay dearly for the privilege of docking here, but it does have a certain appeal as a place to live.

.
.
.

On the return trip, we circled Ile-de-la-Cite for a riverside view of Notre Dame.






.
.


And of the Conciergerie, which is known as Paris’s oldest prison, where Queen Marie Antoinette spent two months before losing her head in 1793. During a particularly busy period of the French Revolution, she was only one of 2,600 prisoners kept here on the way to the guillotine.
.
.
.

.

At the end of our boat ride, we got back to the Metro and returned to the hotel, just in time for another walk! This one was an orientation to the neighborhood of our hotel. As noted earlier, our location was convenient to anything we could possibly need.
.

Of course, Fran’s favorite stop was the local supermarket for a quick look at food.
Lots of nice fruit and vegetables and fresh bread.
.










After finally unpacking our bags, it was time to meet with the whole group to meet everyone, have a glass of wine, and get briefed on what would be happening for the next few days in Paris. By the time the briefing was over, we were seriously tired, so we got some soup for dinner and staggered into bed about 10 pm.