Paris in a Day

It is Betty’s first time in Paris, and so we plan a randonnée to see some of the sights.  We originally plan to walk down to Sainte Chapelle near Notre Dame, have a café, and then head back: a 9km route with a break in the middle. However, the plan quickly blossoms into passing the Louvre on the way to Sainte Chapelle, then expands to a stroll through Les Tuilleries, then gee, the Eiffel Tower is “right there,” we might as well see that, then oh look, there’s the Grand Palais, and yes, we might as well walk back to Notre Dame along the Seine, and of course we should swing by Georges Pompidou on the way back… you get the idea.  ;)  In all, the randonnée becomes 18km of mercifully little elevation change. 

We head down Rue des Poissoniers to Barbès, then at Boulevard de la Chapelle, we jaunt a block over to Rue de Rochechouart. We follow that, and it changes to Rue Cadet, then merges with Rue du Faubourg Montmartre. 

At the Places des Victoires, we circle around to find Rue du Louvres, and pass La Bourse du Commerces before approaching the back end of the Louvre.  We walk through it to the more famous view from the other side.

There are little concrete blocks scattered around the pyramid, and people are using them to take photos. A popular pose is to pretend to touch the top of the pyramid with your finger.  A plethora of young ladies are posing and readjusting, trying to get it just right.  I figure out an easier way.

At Place du Carousel, there is a mobile Paul cart.  Betty gets the first croissant of her trip, and gives the Louvre a happy salute.  After the Louvre, we walk through the Jardindes Tuilleries.  I adore it.  It is so beautiful walking under the trees... I feel like I have stepped out of the tourist district.  There are fountains and sculptures, some beautiful, some strange, some classical, some very modern.  We stop to have lunch at one of the brassseries in the garden.

After the Jardin des Tuilleries, we end up at Placede la Concorde with its iconic obelisk.  We can see the Eiffel Tower tantalizingly close.  It definitely seems worth the effort to walk over there.  So we take the Pont du Concorde across the River Seine towards the Tower.  We notice Notre Dame in the distance down the Seine to our left as we cross.  It also doesn't look very far away, and we decide we'll go there on the way back.  

***Very important note: large objects in Paris are much farther away than they appear!!  This is the second time I’ve made the exact same mistake, thinking the Eiffel Tower is “right there” when it is 3-5 km away.  Tacking on an extra 6-10 km of unplanned walking to your randonnée is no small addition, and can potentially ruin the whole trip.  Walkers beware!  

The water of the Seine is peaceful, not at all like the swiftly flowing Rhone river in Lyon. As we finish crossing the bridge, we see two lines of horses and riders in dress uniform approaching. Police stop the traffic, and TV crews dash about madly to take photos.  We assume this is our official welcome party, and not at all for the King of Spain who just also happens to be visiting Paris, and giving a speech today in the Assemblée Nationale right across the street from us.  ;)

From here, the Eiffel Tower seems just blocks away, so in our continued folly, we head over towards it along Quai d’Orsay to Rue Fabert, circling around Les Invalides to Rue Saint-Dominique.  On Rue Saint-Dominique, we notice plaques on the walls of buildings, commemorating those who died in the Second World War.  It's touching to see plaques that were created to honor as few as three people each. The horrors of the War are still not far from the minds of many of the French citizens I have spoken to.

Rue Saint-Dominique drops us right in the middle of the Champs du Mars.   We take our requisite Eiffel Tower photos, and briefly contemplate taking the lift up the tower.  The sign announcing a 45 minute wait quickly decides the issue for us, and we head back towards the Seine. 

We stroll back along the water with a lemon slushie (me) and a vanilla icecream (Betty), admiring the Grand Palais and Petit Palais across the water.  Yes, that's my enjoyment face.  It was delightfully tart. 

We see the docking point for the Bateaux Mouches, and then pass many “environmentally friendly” exhibits along the seawall.  Some of the exhibits are very practical, some amusing, and some sublime. The most interesting for me are the Capsule Hotels: mini-submarine-type structures made out of recycled materials in the 70s and 80s.  They are meant to act as survival pods in any environment.  Betty enjoys the shipping containers turned into urban picnic sites.  I play Godzilla with an installation called l'Egoisme by a street artist from Germany.

By the time we get back to Pont Royal, I realize I had forgotten my water bottle at the brasserie in Les Tuilleries.  There had been two places to fill water bottles for free along the Quai, including one offering sparkling water.  (What luxury!)  However, when we look around, there doesn’t appear to be any place to buy bottled water.  The weather is really hot, and I start to worry about getting too much sun. There are only two options:  stop at a brasserie and pay 5 or 6 Euro for an Evian, or push onward in hopes of finding a grocery.  We decide to push on.  It’s a mistake.   There are 4.5km between the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame.   That means nearly an hour in the hot sun without water. 

The streets are crowded with tourists and souvenir stands, and by the time we get to Ile de la Cité, we are hot and grouchy.  We buy cold waters and a butter-sugar crepe from a very cheerful man who cracks jokes and sings songs while serving us.  These all definitely help. 

Next, we check out the long lineup outside Sainte Chapelle -- which extends all the way to the Palais de Justice next door -- and decide we are just not up for it.  Instead we walk the last block to Notre Dame and sit down on the big stone blocks out in front.  After taking the requisite selfie, I start to search for a washroom and briefly end up in the Cryptebelow Notre Dame.  The cool shade feels glorious.  I try to convince Betty to go into the Crypte, but she just wants to sit down. 

I continue my search for a washroom, and follow the signs to a public restroom sporting a sign “Open 8-20H”… you guessed it: locked up tight.  About 8 other people try the door as I stand there, trying to gauge my next strategy.  Finally, a kind man notices my desperation and says to me, “There is another washroom around the back of the church.”  I round up Betty and we head around to the back.  There are lovely benches under shady trees, and yes… open washrooms!  We sit in the shade a while, drinking our waters.  Suddenly, I hear a loud wet PLOOP! behind me, and look up to see the proud pigeon who delivered it.  Fortunately, it missed me.  Unfortunately, it did not miss the man sitting behind me.  Fortunately, I can tell him where the (open) washrooms are: they are in the green thing that looks like a garden shed.  I manage to take a photo of the back of the church, but in my state, I forget to take a photo of the washroom or trees. 

Refreshed by the shade, we decide to head back towards my friend’s place.  We use Pont de Notre Dame to cross the Seine yet again, and head up Rue Saint-Martin past the Square de la Tour de Saint Jacques, l’Eglise Saint-Merri, and the GeorgesPompidou modern art museum. 

We follow Rue Saint-Martin all the way to Boulevard de Magenta.  Near Georges Pompidou, the road is filled with tourists and stores selling souvenirs.  

Just as we reach our fill of the tourist district in the Marais, we end up passing through a fairly rough looking neighborhood as we pass through the 10th Arrondissement.  Some people call this area "iffy"; some people call it "urban."  ;)  I stop taking photos and we walk with purpose and relative speed.  We then pass the Gare de l’Est and Gare du Nord, get to Barbès, and finally Rue des Poissonniers (see "Chamelet to Paris").  This afternoon, the street is packed and the African market is humming, so we must play a game of Frogger to get down the street and back to the apartment.

We are welcomed home with a dinner of delicious soup, salad, ribs, roasted potatoes and cheesy cauliflower.  We pass up dessert in favor of an amazing cheese plate, as my friend’s husband introduces us to all the regional delicacies.  A couple glasses of wine later, we are more than ready for bed.