Arising with the sun this morning, we headed down to the breakfast offered by the Hôtel France d'Antin. Eight Euros allowed us to enjoy coffee, croissants, cheese, fresh fruit, yogurt, and freshly squeezed orange juice which was out of this world. Tom was hoping that there would be some scrambled chicken babies and a couple pig part links, but he was not in luck. We laid out a map on the breakfast table and planned our day. After the long walk yesterday, we decided to start with a taxi and head to the Right Bank. The Jardins du Luxembourg would be our first stop.
The gardens were created by Queen Marie de Medici in the early 1600s. She was inspired by the gardens in Florence, her home. The Jardin du Luxembourg covers over fifty acres on the Right Bank and is a wonderful place just to hang.
There were private coaches providing workouts for their clients, small children running on the lawns, students studying, and some people were just enjoying the beauty.
The way the trees were pruned allows one to stroll through the immense property in the shade.
Exiting the gardens, we headed towards Rue Saint-Germain which runs parallel to the Seine. Our route took us through the Sorbonne, better known as the University of Paris. The brick work in the Institute of Art and Archeology building was simply amazing. We had never seen anything that rivaled the craftsmanship in this brick structure.
The sun was warming up the day quickly. We decided not to push ourselves, take frequent breaks, and enjoy the stroll. Our first stop was the Fontaine Saint-Sulpice. Standing next to this fountain cooled us down, and after a few minutes we continued our hike to the Eiffel Tower.
We continued towards the river on Rue de Bonaparte until we intersected with Boulevard Saint-Germain. This route added extra distance to the Eiffel tower but would take us down a major street with some great window shopping and people watching.
It would not be long before we saw a store window that said, Les caves de la Mère Germaine… another wine shop. Going inside we were greeted by the owner and Tom politely asked if he had any Domaine Tempier Rosè? He answered with a big smile, followed by the words, Oui, it came in today. There on the shelf was the Holy Grail of Rosè wine!
Tom wished he could buy the other three bottles, and a 1.5-liter bottle, but knowing he would have to carry it for the rest of the day he opted to buy just one. Albeit the wine was about $20 cheaper here in Paris than it would be in the states, which was surprising. Up to this point, we had found that most Bordeaux and Burgundy wines were priced the same in France as in the states, however, there was lots of availability and choices.
Tom, who was smiling like a Cheshire Cat, left the store with wine in tow and we continued down the Boulevard. Since our arrival here in France, we have rekindled our love of coffee. More than just a jolt to wake you up in the morning, this warm beverage when enjoyed sitting in café can be very refreshing and relaxing. Ahh… there is a café with a red awning – lets go have a cup of coffee. It is so nice to be on vacation with no real agenda.
As the famous Willie Nelson line, Back on the Road Again, we forged ahead. The temperature was climbing and it just did not seem as if we would ever reach the Eiffel Tower. Our goal was to walk this iconic landmark, take a few shots and walk back to the Museum d’Orsay. Stopping to check the time, we had officially entered the window to complete our COVID testing for the return flight tomorrow. Seeing a green flashing cross in front of us we went into the pharmacy to get our test.
The pharmacy did not have Wi-Fi, so the guy working the counter used his phone to set up a hot spot. We logged into the French Government website and started filling out the forms. They were in French, of course, and we were struggling to where we almost had reached total frustration. Upon reaching the bottom of the form Tom smiled when next to final verification was a button that said, push for English. Oh well, we were done and did it in French.
A tent was set up outside the pharmacy. A nice young lady poked at our brains via our nose and told us we would be notified by email in 15 minutes.
Finding a brasserie across the street with free WI-FI, we decided to go ahead and each lunch and wait for the results. Red awnings must be popular on the Right Bank, well at least for us. Our destination loomed on the horizon, but first a cold beer, lunch, and email from the French Government saying we can go home was needed. We got the email before we could take our first sip of our beer. No magic red shoes would be required to go home, just a ticket and our COVID free UR code.
As we got closer to the Eiffel Tower, the amount of people, traffic, and tourist buses rose significantly. For some reason this bus seemed very out of place to us in Paris.
We walked around the grounds of the tower but did not stand in line to go to the top. The tower had changed color! When we here in 1972 it was green. Today the structure is painted brown.
A young lady stood in the middle of Pont d'Iéna in an elegant gown as cars whizzed by in both directions. A professional photographer snapped away pictures of the princess, with her dad and his iPhone over his shoulder.
The day was absolutely beautiful, but it was beginning really warm up, we are talking hot now, and Janet had started the day in a black shirt. We began the 3 km journey back towards the Musée d'Orsay. Walking along the river we could not escape the sun and began to overheat.
Regretting that we did not buy hop on – hop off tickets for one of the riverboats, we pressed on. However, we made a command decision to get off the river and walk down the Quai d’Orsay which offered much needed shade.
Musée d'Orsay was initially built to be a train station to support the onslaught of visitors for the 1900 Paris World’s Fair. The station was very modern at the time, but it quickly was no longer useable as train sizes grew. By 1939, Gare d'Orsay was no longer able to support the trains of the day. This beautiful building remained vacant until the 1970s. It was not until it was recognized as an historical building that plans for a museum began. The renovation has brought new life to this piece of history.
The Musée d'Orsay is spectacular inside. It is open, light, and airy and features mostly pieces of art from the 19th and 20th centuries. Many of the paintings, sculptures, and photos are some of the most recognizable of the period.
By now we were hot and tired and the sun was still shinning down. We headed across the river to Jardin des Tuileries to seek out one of those amazing green chairs in the shade. The Pont des Arts bridge is covered in locks signifying someone has a deep love for someone else and their hearts are locked with each other… forever. (Personal opinion – my bets say, over 50% of the people who added a lock have been divorced or broken up since that magic moment… just sayin’)
Although it may be a nice jester for your loved one, it is ugly, stupid looking, and evidently causing structural integrity problems on the bridge. The estimated 700,000 locks add approximately 250,000 lbs. of weight to the structure. Nothing says, I am tourist in Paris better than clipping a lock to an inanimate object and throwing a piece of metal into a living body of water. We should note it is now illegal to add a lock and could possibly ruin the rest of your sightseeing that day. However, in full disclosure, we are not safe from scorn of defacing beauty. In 1972 we scrapped TBB + JLF, our initials at the time, on the second level of the Eiffel Tower. As we learned the tower is repainted every 3 years, so that would mean it has been painted 16 times since we were stupid – long live love!
Reaching the Jardin des Tuileries, we stopped and reflected on our amazing few days in Paris. The amount of the city we had covered by foot was numbing.
There was no doubt in Tom’s mind that we had walked our butts off, and we promised each other that on our next visit to Paris we would spend more time inside the museums and galleries. Hopefully, the germ will be gone and face masks will not be required when we return.
However, there is something to be said for seeing the city on foot rather than zooming from place to place underground. In the last three days, we had logged over 22 miles on foot. These walks allowed us to stumble on some pretty fun things. Within the red lines in the quadrilateral, we received the button that says, Been There! – Seen It! At least from the outside.
The day would not pass without another great people watching encounter in Paris. Long known for being the fashion capital of the world, this lady takes it a step too far. Tell us… who dresses to match their chair at their favorite brasserie? Or maybe she was camouflaged so no one would see her with this gentleman… Inquiring minds want to know.
Returning to the hotel, we packed our suitcases for our morning departure. Knowing we would be rising early, it only made sense to stay in the neighborhood and grab a simple meal. Finding a brasserie across from the Opera House, we chose a table inside that was located next to the window, which was open. One of the very few negatives we would say about our visit to Paris is the cigarette smoke. It can only be escaped inside of most restaurants. Hence, we chose inside for our last meal. Albeit with the window open, it really did not matter, the smoke was present.
A street musician entertained a crowd sitting on the steps of the Opera House with classic songs from days gone by. He had a wonderful voice. The lady in blue dress in front of us smoked 8 cigarettes before our meal came, which corresponded to when the street musician stopped. By the blessing of the almighty, she left when the music stopped.
As darkness came, there was new activity on the steps. Crowds were gathering once again at the Opera House and from across the street we could hear Latin Music. Had a pop-up street dance broken out? We asked our waiter about the dancing and he told us that every Friday night they gather and dance the night away. We had to go watch! Sure enough, it was a dance party for all ages. The ladies had dropped their bags in the center of the landing and couples went around them in rhythmic steps. The classic moment came when we saw one old man smile at a young girl. She returned his smile and he dropped his cane and off they went in each other’s arms. A picture could not capture this event in a single frame, so we switched to video. Enjoy!
What a great way to end a very special trip. We watched for thirty minutes before deciding it was time to get some sleep. Walking back to the hotel both of us knew that this would be a trip we would never forget. Sleep came quick as flashbacks of our journey became alive in our dreams.
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Our taxi arrived right on time at 8:15. The streets of Paris were empty as we made our way to the Charles de Gaulle airport. Sitting quietly in the back seat, the realization that the trip long overdue is now ending way too soon.
We had experienced so much in the last 12 days. The history of the Land of Normans must be experienced in person to be truly appreciated. Our adventure allowed us to relive the Battle of Hastings, sleep in a 12th century manor house, stand where Jeanne d'Arc was burned at the stake, and were humbled in a cemetery where so many gave everything. This adventure ended with so much more to see and do.
The stories and descriptions told to us by Bénèdicte years ago came alive through her family and friends. The foods and libations of Normandy only added to this surreal experience, for it was like Bennie was with us always. Eating bulots and fish cake, sipping Calva with Pierre Guillotte, and enjoying a gourmet meal on a rooftop in Paris with Remy and Sarah, Bénèdicte presence was felt in our hearts.
The hospitality offered and our time spent with Sabrina and Rui, Jocelyn, Florence and Michel, Isabelle and Gérard are something that we will never forget. We thank each of them for their kindness.
Our flight home was non-eventful, as we read, napped, and watched a movie. The return to Long Island on the train went off without a hitch as our son picked us up in the pouring rain one hour earlier than planned. We returned to his home and were greeted with hugs from our grandchildren. Enjoying a steak dinner, we celebrated that our daughter-in-law was less than a week away from graduation from Stony Brook University and our granddaughter had just turned five. Sleeping well after a day of traveling, we awoke early Sunday morning. On the road again, but this time headed back to Virginia. Six hours and 15 minutes, we were crossing the Potomac River and our home was on the horizon.
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