Diving into Paris
On Friday morning, we got up early and had breakfast. I had gotten Metro passes as part of my package, and the Metro was highly touted. I imagined it to be like the Washington Metro, which is beautifully kept up, but it is much more like New York, with a touch of the Boston T. Additionally, it turned out that I had to walk three blocks to the station, and another block or two, once in the station, to the train.
Well, it was a direct line to the Louvre, so okay, I was game. We arrived at the Louvre before it opened at 9 am, and got in easily with our Museum and Monuments passes. I made a bee line to the Flemish and Dutch paintings. There were few people, and there was ample seating if one just wanted to take it easy and stare. I took advantage, after a night tossing and turning.
Now, the Louvre is a magnificent building with a main section and a couple of wings. It has a large plaza area, and I find the pyramid built by I.M. Pei rather attractive, if startling. It has vast holdings in several areas. However, to a degree quantity overwhelms quantity, and the collection of Dutch, Flemish,and German painters at the National Gallery in Washington is more replete with masterpieces. Still, the Louvre has some fine Rembrandts, some Vermeers, a number of Brueghels and Cranachs, and is, generally, interesting, if not a revelation.
We liked better the floor with objets d'art. There were many tapestries and pieces of china that were exquisite, and the cabinetry and other carved pieces were sometimes amazing in their detail. We finally had lunch (what the French call a snack) on a terrace. Diet Coke in a fairly slender glass with a few pieces of ice cast $3.20. Overall, it was about $30 for a very light lunch. Then we moved on to the apartments of Louis Napoleon, which were ostentatious and decadent, but somewhat impressive. I was busy with my new digital camcorder, trying to record things to take back to my mother and others.
Finally, after about 3 hours, we left, to return later. We got back on the Metro to catch a tour bus. It turned out that we had to walk blocks to get it, and might as well have walked directly from the Louvre. While waiting, we went to a cafe to get Cokes and some ice cream, and got clipped for $45. We returned to the waiting area for the tour bus, and while there, my camcorder was stolen. It had been sitting at my wife's foot. Someone distracted her, there was a crowd, pooof!
Rather than call the cops, the manager of the desk at the tour location gave me direction to a police station, and we walked about 6 blocks so that I could file a report. Fortunately, there was a fellow with good English. He mentioned that there were pickpockets in all tourist areas and Metros, and gypsy children who could liberate one's wallet in a second. From then on, I took taxis.
We went back to the tour bus, to see the standard sights with commentary as we rode along: The Arc de Triomphe, the Champs- Elysee, The National Assembly, as well as Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower. One problem was that I was so worn out that when I got comfortable, I started to nod slightly. I saw most things, but sometimes was startled awake.
Something one doesn't anticipate is that Paris, though lovely, is somewhat monotonous. Most of the buildings are beige or gray; the same apartment facades are found throughout the city; the same assortment of businesses, varying mainly according to affluence, line many streets. Not only that, most buildings are less than several stories, so from a higher vantage, it all goes on and on, until Montmarte, anyway.
The public buildings are pretty grandiose, and often in a similar style. Of course, there are older structures, like Notre Dame, and recent ones, like the Pompidou Center, but one feels that most everything was built either during the First Empire or in the 19th century. Also, it is odd that there is little focus on buildings like the National Assembly, whereas the Capitol is a prime destination in Washington. History is somewhat smooshed together, the kings and emperors and presidents, and it is hard to decide if they are, even now, truly committed to being a Republic, in the same way that it is important to America.
After the tour, we went to a brasserie that was recommended in the guidebook as cheap but good. It was okay, but there are so many decent deals, it was hard to see why we had gone out of our way. I got sauerkraut, some sort of wurst, and a slice of ham (it was Alsatian). Still, the main plate was less than $10.
Dinner stretched out, and we walked to the hotel tired and ambivalent, but satisfied that we had had adventure, and could settle down.......... |
