Above the city

Tuesday, 13-Sept. Open top, double decker buses. Yes, very touristy. However, for a first-timer, very useful, especially at the beginning of a visit.

You get a decent, if fleeting, view of sites. It also gives you a sense of the scale of the city. Plus, usually, there will be a live guide or a recording providing commentary. 

Champs-Élysées. It is the long boulevard known for the Arc de Triomphe and ritzy shopping. 

Not every establishment is hoity toity, as you can see the McDonalds in this shot.

Notice where asphalt has not covered up the centuries-old cobblestones. 

Like I was saying, the tour bus gives you some good views.

There it is. The symbol of Paris, and France, generally. Originally, the Eiffel Tower was supposed to be a temporary exhibit in an exposition.

After the bus tour, we were scheduled to go up the Tower. You can purchase a ticket or have a city pass. Definitely recommend booking your visit day and time in advance.

Once past security—x-ray scan like almost everything—we’re on the Tower grounds. 

There are options for how high up the Tower you can choose to go. My thoughts? If you’re going to visit the Eiffel Tower, VISIT the Eiffel Tower. Go to the top observation deck.

When you look up while waiting to go up, this is what you’ll see.

Once you get to the top observation deck it is very breezy. Here are the unobstructed views as you walk around the perimeter.

This view of Paris reveals the uniformity of two things: 1) height restrictions 2) the common stone used.

Buildings were designed for a particular aesthetic known as Haussmannian. 

Another factor to the look of Paris comes from below. Large voids underground limit massive foundations. Voids? Apparently, there is a vast network of mining tunnels and catacombs. 

Appetizers, sightseeing & otherwise

Monday, 12-Sept. appetizer: 1) a food or drink that stimulates the appetite and is usually served before a meal 2) something that stimulates a desire for more.

There is so much of everything in Paris—especially for first-timers like us. We picked our big, must see sites, and that naturally makes other things the undercard, warm up, preamble, or appetizer. Things like the Egyptian obelisk in the Plaza de Concorde—a nice public square that made abundant use of a French invention.

Bear in mind that appetizer does not mean inferior. Remember tapas from Spain? Tapas are small snack-sized portions. Some of my favorite things to eat are tapas. 

Speaking of edibles, you know what nobility called a fancy greenhouse to keep oranges and other citrus plants in the winter? An orangerie. That’s also the name of a Louvre spin off museum, Musée de l’Orangerie.

Instead of citrons and oranges, the Orangerie now has art and cultural events. The big thing there…are eight big things, Monet’s Water Lilies, a set of paintings that occupy two large oval rooms. Mabel likes the aquatic theme. Reminds her of doctors’ offices.

Downstairs is a decent sampler platter of well known artists like Cézanne, Matisse, Renoir. Here’s a Picasso of stuff on a table. Definitely a Picasso.

For our next stop, we had to go to Île de la Cité (City Island) on the Seine. Like most folks, I didn’t know that Notre Dame is on an island in the Seine river. Here’s Mabel on the bridge to the island.

Our destination, Saint-Chappelle, is on the other end of the island. It is a former royal chapel for the king when he lived on the island. 

What is its claim to fame? See for yourself.

Interesting side note, Saint-Chappelle is on the grounds of an imposing, major courthouse, the Palace of Justice. (Make your own statement about the laws of heaven and earth.) If you zoom over the doors, you’ll see France’s national motto.

After Saint-Chappelle, we decided to meet Daniel—our French-speaking wizard—for dinner. We chose a place near our subway station, with a descriptive name, Au Metro (“at the subway”). 

Au Metro was a good representative of a Paris brassiere. Oops, I meant brasserie. Anyway, dinner with Daniel was like a gastronomical tour of France. He told us about French, provincial classics we must try. 

Yeah, on any list of French classics one “must try” are land mollusks. Snails.

Actually, the thought is worse, 

…than the taste.