Paris (Day Two)

A bit of a well earned sleep-in and I’d missed the hostel’s free breakfast - not that I was interested in it anyway as I’d rather have breakfast in a café. Just round the corner was the spot and in the sunshine too. Again, I survived the ordering process with no English and no reference to ‘Allo ‘Allo...

That done, it was off past the Gare du Lyon to cross the Seine again. This time, instead of following the river, I headed west through the Latin Quarter towards Montparnasse. Through the streets with their autumn brown leaves, past another small streetside market and eventually reaching the Square De L’ Abbé Migne, which is another lane-less roundabout with a large statue in the middle.

Just down the road a bit from here is the entrance to the Catacombs, and it was this that I had come to see. Not your standard Parisian tourist attraction, but still somewhat busier than I had expected. Below Pairs are miles of these catacombs and tunnels that were originally from the quarries used to build the city. In the mid 1700’s they also became a convenient place in which to store the remains of over six million ex-Parisians due to all the cemeteries becoming seriously overcrowded. This was but one section of this.
These tunnels are dank (excluding the one on the right), a little claustrophobic in parts and go on for far longer than I thought they would. Naturally they are entered through - you guessed it - a stone spiral staircase. This opened up into a small museum that gave you the history of this section of tunnels, before you headed into the catacombs themselves.
Eerie they were, although not all that eerie thanks to two nattering women that had entered just behind me. Amazing that what Johann had been up to, as well as that being the sort of conversation that I’d have thought would be the last thing on your mind while going through these caves! But there you go...
It took a while before we reached the tunnels that housed the bones, and it was certainly something to see. Very surreal really, and hard to describe the continuous stacking of bones that went on for several kilometres, so you’ll just have to look at the pic and take it from there. Yes, what you’re seeing between the pillars are stacked femurs (thigh bones) with skulls interspersed - the other bones are all behind these ‘walls’. It did reach a point where I was wondering just how much longer the catacombs and bones went for, and even then it took some time before they finished. The entire walk lasted for well over an hour so you can imagine how much ground we covered in the tunnels.

Once back into the day, it was time to head somewhere a little less grim - the Jardin du Luxembourg. I made my way there via the Paris Observatory and for the second time this year I straddled the Greenwich Meridian. I continued along this line down through the Avenue De L’Observatoire between the sculptured trees and grass to then enter the ‘Gardens of Luxembourg’. These are impressive in their size and layout. A great spot to just chill out with a book, or even a game of boules (pétanque), which is exactly what I settled in to do. I got no reading done as I ended up watching and then getting involved in a social game of pétanque. Certainly far from easy, and that’s just to get the technique right, let alone know what the rules are - although I suspect they’re somewhat similar to lawn bowls, but with an aerial aspect to them...
The game was ended prematurely as the heavens opened and the rain came pouring down, so the shelter of a large tree would do. Today’s forecast was for heavy showers throughout the day, but the sun still got a good showing.
After assisting a lady with the time, I was heading back towards St-Germain when I came across the St Sulphice church, its small square and fountain (left). An interesting photo exhibition filled the square that encircled the fountain with some rather impressive photographs (even if modified by photoshop or some other programme). I continued from here through the laneways of St-Germain and past many different clothing stores, many of which had rather exorbitant price tags in the windows too! It was amongst these shops that I found something that would be a large tick in the “25 Ultimate Experiences: France” guide book - Ladurée. Now this wasn’t the original Ladurée, which the guide mentions, but even if it’s another branch it would do for both its intention and to shelter from the next shower that was just beginning. It is a patisserie of quite some fame, so it said, and the queue was up to the door when I entered. Thankfully the lady behind the counter serving me spoke fluent English and took me through the selection. They are most famous for the macarons (that’s macaroons to us), and I ended up with a selection and box of eight. Although there were more flavours I could have chosen from, I’d spent enough on these. Time to head into their little café for a coffee while the rain came down and also partake of one of their larger pastries - okay, so it was a tart that I ended up with. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, no, I couldn’t try the macaroons I’d just bought - not in the café anyway as the waiter sternly told me.

Once I was done and the rain had stopped, I headed back into the laneways to end up back at the Seine and the Pont Neuf. Crossing this bridge put me at the western most point of the Ile de Citie where the divided Seine reunites (or is that, where the united Seine divides?). The Square Du Gert-Valant was a tranquil little park and a nice spot to just sit, rest the legs and watch the barges on the Seine. Also a good spot to try the recently bought macaroons - le magnifiqué!!
Back up to street (bridge) level and I was on my way again trying very hard to resist the urge to get stuck into the remaining Ladurée macaroons! Heading west along the northern bank in the sun and I came upon the impressive building that was (and still is) the Louvre. When I reached the archway through to its grounds I headed for the Arc du Carrousel instead of towards the Louvre itself.
Like Notre Dame the day before, this wasn’t the intended afternoon venue, so after a brief look I continued under the Arc and through the Jardin du Carrousel with its sculptures and artistic layout of trees, shrubs, etc... This took me through the Jardin des Tuileries with its large pond and fountains before finishing at the Obélisque in the middle of the Place De La Concorde. It is here that the Avenue Des Champs Elysees begins. And this is what I wanted to do this afternoon - stroll the length of it up to the Arc de Triomphe. The first half of the Avenue was lined with anything and everything that was involved in the 100 year history of the French Aerospace Industry. Planes, missiles, helicopters, rockets and all sorts were on display, so after a bit I opted to walk the gardens that were further to the side of the avenue itself.
Past this, I entered the main section of the Champs Elysees, which is like a massive shopping main street, and it was PACKED with people. Everything seemed to be available along here including a Mercedes Benz dealership, as well as such shops as Cartier and the like. The €40,000 Cartier watch did look nice, but I wasn’t in the mood to buy it today... yeah right!
Finally, I reached the Arc, and was surprised by not just its size, but also by the chaos of traffic that was encircling it! While I had hoped to ride a bike along the Champs Elysees - even asking one fellow to borrow his bike (yes, he thought I was nuts too) - I’m glad I didn’t because I’m sure I’d have been an instant roadkill upon reaching the Arc!
But I digress... Through the underpass and I was in line to grab a ticket and head up to the top of the Arc. Two hundred and eighty-something steps awaited, and as usual, they were a continuous spiral. I reached the top and after letting the dizziness pass, had a look around in the large room inside before heading up the final two stairways to the observation deck. Not quite as impressive as the night time view from the Tower Eiffel, but still impressive none-the-less. A good view of the mayhem on the road below too, and it didn’t look to be as mad as I first thought - there was some order to it.
With the viewing done, and having taken yet another couple’s photo for them, I headed back down. When we emerged at the base, we discovered that there was some sort of ceremony going on around the grave of the Unknown Soldier. Just after it finished, one of the women involved opened the barriers and motioned that we could pass through. Now, while I wasn’t the first through, I did venture around the front of the grave and flame to take the pic you see here. Only I didn’t realise that we weren’t supposed to be out there. I discovered that as I walked towards the Champs Elysees only to be suddenly confronted by a member of the French military - oops!
Quickly returning to the rest of the riff-raff and we made our way through the allowed areas back to the underpass that led to the Champs Elysees. This time I went down the opposite side to investigate the shops and cafés along this side. Again, the heavens opened up for a heavy but brief shower and sheltering under the nose section of an airliner made for a rather unique place to stay dry.
By this stage, as I returned to the two main gardens (Jardin des Tuileries and du Carrousel), what parts of the sun that could be seen through the clouds was setting. It was still a pleasant enough walk through them towards the Louvre, but it was time to put the feet up and find some sort of dinner.

Seeing the queues at the large glass pyramid in the centre of the Louvre’s grounds suggested that my intended night-time exploration of this museum would probably be best left to another time. On Wednesdays and Fridays the Louvre is open until around 10pm and ‘allegedly’ the crowds are thinner - yep, another one of the 25 Ultimate Experiences is to do the Louvre at night.
Passing the Arc de Carrousel, I saw another hole in the ground similar to the one by Notre Dame that led to my discovering the Crypte Archéologique. I headed down these stairs to discover that there is not only an alternative entrance to the Louvre, but a whole massive underground series of shops, food court and other exhibitions that covers two levels alone. After taking a bit of a look around these hallways, the food court made for a handy stop for dinner and somewhere to rest a certain pair of tired and sore feet. It also made for a good moment to whip out the rough guide and suss out the section on the Louvre. After finishing up I pulled out the small box from Ladurée only for an older fellow to see and laugh as I did. Bad luck buddy, but you’re not getting one!

Past the inverted glass pyramid that was at the centre of these malls and into the Louvre I went. I headed for the Denon ‘wing’. It is here that some of the most famous works are displayed, including that certain smiling ‘lady’ painted by Da Vinci himself.
I spent a couple hours here strolling the halls of this side of the Louvre checking out works by Botticelli, Delacroix, Da Vinci, Pisarro, Véronése, even finding works by both Constable and Turner (which I didn’t expect!). I must admit that I had expected to see more known masterpieces than I did. Still, the hub-bub around the Mona Lisa was quite interesting to see, even if I was more impressed by Véronése’s ‘Wedding Feast at Cana’, which was opposite - as you can see above it’s not a small work.
I’m honestly not sure which I found more interesting at times, the works or the people viewing them. Don’t get me wrong, as there were some stunning pieces, but most are from an era that seemed obsessed with religious scenes, nudity or both. I guess in a time before cameras, film and magazines this may have been the ‘porn’ of the time? Take Delacroix’s ‘Lady Liberty leading the People’ (right), whilst amazing for its size, you do kinda question one aspect of the scenario itself... Moving right along, I did have a chuckle at several of the David & Goliath paintings, as they all had Goliath’s head with a large scare in the middle of his forehead. Remember where David’s stone was supposed to have struck him? Fair dues though, as painters weren’t noted anatomists... And I did have to have a chuckle at the positioning of this painting of the fellow on the left, as you too can no doubt see that it looks like he’s indicating that something is up with the painting next to him. Who said the French have a strange sense of humour? (you might need to click on each of these two pics to see them as their larger selves to see what I'm getting at)

But I digress... One of the most impressive sections had to be the Apollo Gallery (pictured on the right - again you may want to click on it to see a larger version) as the entire gallery was a work as it celebrated a history of France. It may have been quite small, but it was still amazing to walk through. The walls and ceiling were exquisitely crafted and painted.

Anyway, eventually I left the Louvre having probably only scratched the surface of what is there, but there’s nothing stopping me returning again to check out the other levels and wings of the entire place. I certainly wasn’t ready for its size.

Back across the river and into the cafés and bars of St-Germain again to find somewhere for a quiet beer or few and to put the feet up. After a while in Café Conti, I was approached by another lone guy who’d been at the other end of the café. Out of nowhere comes “You’re Australian, right?” It turned out that Darien was Canadian and this was his second day here after moving over. Being from Toronto and not Quebec, his French wasn’t all that great, but it was enough to get by on. He asked if I knew any good places to go and drink at, and all I knew was this was supposed to be one of the better areas. As we were discussing where we might go, another guy, Joel, asked us if we knew where there might be a good spot to go.
So this American, a Canadian and an Australian walk into a bar... Alright, as clichéd as that is, it did happen quite a few times during this night. Darien and his ability to speak to the doormen certainly helped, as it also did for breaking the ice with the ladies. Don’t ask me why, but it seemed at times that they were more interested in scruffy Aussies than Americans or Canadians - who was I to argue?
I got back to the hostel at just after 4am, and no, you don’t get any pics. ;) So just enjoy this one...