It is a whirlwind trip to Paris, less than a day, really only a transit to Amsterdam. Paris is one of Peter's favorite cities, though, and he wanted to share some of his favorite places in it. We got to the hotel by 11 A.M.after the very short trip, arriving at the Gare de Lyon train station. We stayed - for the one night only - at the Castex Hotel, close to the Gare de Lyon - and the (former) Bastille. It is a hotel where Peter has stayed before, and is quite serviceable, and certainly convenient (travelers, take note; it probably passes for cheap in Paris).
A word about Peter, and all the arrangements. As many of you know, Peter is the major traveller, and actually loves making the arrangements for trips such as these. He's good at it too, as you can tell by the ease of the transitions and the extent of what we have been able to see. He also has a wonderful memory, and was the fact checker of last resort (any mistakes in this blog were mine and mine alone!). Peter usually travels on his own, and I was hugely grateful to be included in this (for him) short jaunt! So, a huge debt of gratitude to Peter, certainly from me, and I am sure from my gentle readers.
So, back to the hotel. It is early; our room isn't ready, so we leave our luggage and start doing what one is meant to do in Paris, walk. The hotel is in the Marais district of Paris, formerly the Jewish district, and now very lively and trendy (probably where I would get an apartment if I were to win the lottery and get an apartment in Paris, neither of which is hugely likely).
....notice the date on the right....
...the Kosher butcher....
....even Kosher pizza!!
There was, however, also a memorial to those 200,000 Jews deported from France during the Nazi occupation:
We continued walking the Marais District (for you Paris-philes, this runs over parts of the third and fourth arrondissements-sp?-), and then on to the Hotel de Sully, the Place des Voges, Notre Dame, the Hotel de Ville (city hall), the Tue de St Germain (the Left Bank), the Louvre (not inside, of course, that would have taken days in and of itself, but I hadn't seen the new I.M. Pei additions, and Peter insisted that this was a must), San Suplice, and the Luxemburg Gardens. Please note that the above list is in no particular order - yet another reason to get a scanner for map entries - but merely to give you an idea, as will the pictures below, also in no particular order.....
As you can see from the following pictures of the Luxemburg Gardens, we have gotten lucky with the weather. It is overcast, but a perfect temperature for walking, and not raining.....
And then there's this, which deserves an explanation....
See the highrise in the background? There is probably a nickname for it - according to our guides from the ship, the French have nicknames for everything - but Peter didn't know it. He calls it "the Monstrosity" though, and says that once it was built, the French were so horrified that they allowed no further highrises to be built in central Paris (they are all grouped together in the outskirts).
So, Hank, remember the bridge with the locks on it in Florence? Here is one of several we saw on bridges across the Seine.....apparently it is catching!
....and then there's Notre Dame. There were lines around the block, so we didn't go in, of course, but the flying buttresses are my favorite part anyway....
And, finally, the I.M. Pei additions at the Louvre. (Just to be clear, these are not really new - at least 15 years old and maybe 20), and I had, of course, seen pictures, but I hadn't seen them live.
Anyway, you can never get good pictures of these monuments - there is always, always, always construction going on somewhere, nor does the grandeur come through, but there you have it.
And, at this point, both Peter and I gave up. It was quite a walk, though, 6 hours or better, with a brief stop at the aforementioned cafe, and we were both tired. So, a perfect chance to try the Paris metro (a few words about the Paris metro - it is very quiet, due to the rubber wheels, it is bright, the stations were well lit and well decorated), to get back to our hotel. After a brief rest, we ventured out for dinner, with no particular place in mind, and ended up in a small Argentinian restaurant called (and this is why we went in, of course) Santa Carne - the saint of meat!! Peter is as big a carnivore as I, and so the name suited us both, and, actually, it did not disappoint. (Not quite foodie material, I didn't think, but fine) After a day like this, a nice bottle of red and some meat - what could be better!
And so, to bed.
On Wednesday morning, we take the train - from a different station, the Gare du Nord - to Amsterdam. Again, the train is quiet, clean and fast, and in 3 1/2 hours we are in Amsterdam, at the central train station. After arranging some basics - the hop-on, hop-off canal boat, for example, and the four day transit passes, we are off on a trolley to our hotel. Once again, Peter has chosen well. It is called the Hotel Zandbergen, and we have been upgraded to an apartment like room in a building several doors down. The hotel itself - and our accomodations - are both lovely, and as they are on the aforementioned trolley line, we will have no problem going back and forth.
There are three full days in Amsterdam to come, about which more later. Now, though, it is time for me to pack. We are leaving tomorrow morning for San Francisco, and will have to finish the trip for my readers once I get back - well, I was going to say home, but I am not quite sure what that is. In any event, to be continued.....
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