Le Pain Quotidien
We ate breakfast out this morning at La Pain Quotidien, which was around the corner from Britt and Chris’ apartment. This greatly pleased me as I really wasn’t looking forward to another climbing of those stairs. Britt and Chris had soft boiled eggs (you dip your bread or croissant into the egg to eat it rather than use a spoon) and a selection of breads (photo). The breads were served with eight different spreads, one tasting like chocolate pudding. I had orange juice, bread with current jelly, and coffee American with milk. What I had cost about 7,60 Euros (the French use a comma rather than a decimal point; 1 Euro was about $1.25–$1.30 U.S.). There is also a Le Pain Quotidien in West Hollywood and Pasadena, serving similar food as that in Paris.
Le Pain Quotidien
Street Market
It was Saturday morning and there was a street market set up near La Pain Quotidien. There were quite a number of booths with a great selection of all kinds of food.
Street Market
Street Market
Another selection of food.
Street Market
Street Market
More to buy.
Street Market
Opera de Paris Garnier
After breakfast, we walked around a few more corners and visited the Paris Opera House, the Opera de Paris Garnier. This building was designed by Charles Garnier for Napoleon III and construction of it was started in 1862. It is a mixture of styles ranging from Classical to Baroque. It opened in 1875.
Opera de Paris Garnier
Opera de Paris Garnier
Closer–up view.
Opera de Paris Garnier
Interior of the Opera de Paris Garnier
The Grand Staircase, made of white marble with a balustrade of red and green marble. You had to pay to visit the interior of the Opera building.
Interior of the Opera de Paris Garnier
Interior of the Opera de Paris Garnier
The Grand Foyer.
Interior of the Opera de Paris Garnier
Interior of the Opera de Paris Garnier
Close up of the ceiling in the Grand Salon. There were no lights on in the Opera’s auditorium, but it has a false ceiling in it painted by Marc Chagall. Britt and Chris had gone to see a performance here and were disappointed that they couldn’t show me the Chagall ceiling.
Interior of the Opera de Paris Garnier
Street View
View of the street taken from the Opera de Paris Garnier.
Street View
The Paris Metro
Next, I was introduced to the Paris Metro. This is not a user–friendly subway like that of Brussels which has escalators to move you to and from the different levels. No, 99% of the time, in the Paris underground, you move yourself via an unending series of steps (at least it seemed that way to me––the only reason I was glad to leave Paris was that I would not have to climb all these steps anymore). There are 14 subway lines in Paris––thankfully, I had Britt and Chris with me to get us on the right trains––and there is even more walking from one line to another. One–way tickets cost 1,30, but you also can buy all–day tickets. Hold on to your ticket even after you validate it through the ticket machine––at some stations, you need to put your ticket through another machine to be allowed out of the station. But there is also an extensive Paris bus system you can take if you don’t want to have to walk a marathon in the Paris Metro every time you want to go somewhere, but you still have to buy your bus ticket (the same ticket used for the Metro) down the steps in the Metro. We had entertainment while riding from a small boy playing an accordian––of course, he was playing for donations, but it was really very nice. There is a movie clip of this boy playing on My Movies (More Paris Metro Music).
The Paris Metro
Cruise on the Seine
We took the Metro to one of the Seine cruise boats landings (located on one side of the Ile de la Cite, one of the islands in the Seine). Most of the boats that you see in this area of the Seine are tourist cruise boats, along with, at night, gambling boats and dinner cruises. Once in awhile, you will see a barge. This was a wonderful cruise and when you look at the photos of it you are going to know how absolutely beautiful Paris is. It is a city that cares about itself and has monument after monument, church after church, square after square, one beautiful building or scene after another.
Cruise on the Seine
Along the Seine
This building on the Left Bank is (I think) the Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts, part of it being housed in a former palace. Note the houseboats on the Seine. These are just some of the numerous houseboats all along the Seine.
Along the Seine
Musee du Louvre
This is on the Right Bank. There is a movie clip of our cruise by the Louvre on this website: Go to Movies, Western Europe, France, “The Louvre, Paris.”
Musee du Louvre
Musee d’Orsey
This is on the Left Bank and is a converted railway terminal which now houses a great collection of Impressionalist art.
Musee d’Orsey
Tour Eiffel
This is on the Right Bank. The bridge is the Pont (bridge) Alexander III.
Tour Eiffel
Along the Seine
Buildings along the Seine.
Along the Seine
Tour Eiffel
A closer–up photo of Tour Eiffel. After passing the Tour Eiffel, the boat turned around and cruised past the opposite side of the Ile de la Cite.
Tour Eiffel
Along the Seine
Another photo of the Pont Alexander III with houseboats on the water.
Along the Seine
Along the Seine
A scene on the Seine.
Along the Seine
Pont Neuf
The Pont Neuf (New Bridge), but its first stone was laid by Henri III in 1578. It was named the Pont Neuf by Henri IV when it opened in 1607.
Pont Neuf
Along the Seine
Another bridge. The “N” is for Napoleon.
Along the Seine
Notre Dame
Notre Dame on the Ile de la Cite, one of the islands in the middle of the Seine.
Notre Dame
Notre Dame
Another view of Notre Dame plus Pont St. Louis. At the end of the island, there is the Memorial des Martyrs de la Deportation, which is a memorial to the 200,000 French men, women, and children who were deported to concentration camps in World War II. This section of the Ile de la Cite is where the boats came to deport them.
Notre Dame
The Conciergerie
This is also on the Ile de la Cite. During the French Revolution, it held more than 4000 prisoners, the most famous one being Marie Antoinette, who was held in a tiny cell in the dungeon until her execution.
The Conciergerie
Le Rain
After our cruise on the Seine, we went to meet my cousin Meg and her husband, Jovan. I had not seen Meg for many years although we have been e–mail buddies for a number of years. Our mothers were sisters. This was the first time that I had met Jovan. Britt and Chris had recently seen Meg in Nice. So this was a reunion of sorts and I greatly enjoyed it. We all met at Meg and Jovan’s hotel, the Lutetia. We were told by them that the hotel served as Getaspo headquarters during World War II. We didn’t have time to have lunch before our meeting, so we all went to eat at the hotel’s brassiere, a cafe that serves meals. It was warm and sunny when we arrived at the hotel, but one of the Paris very sudden rain showers started to fall while we were waiting to eat. Not only was there a deluge of rain but also some very strong winds to go along with it. View from outside the brassiere.
Le Rain
Le Supermarche
After we ate, Meg, Chris, Britt, and I walked to the Le Bon Marche, Paris’ first department store. Its ground level is a supermarket and Chris and Britt did some serious food shopping here. Photo of inside a Paris supermarket.
Le Supermarche
Les Poulets
They just don’t look like the chickens we buy in our markets. After visiting Le Bon Marche, we parted with Meg and took the Metro back to my hotel and I took a needed nap. I was invited to Britt and Chris’ for dinner and I braved those stairs again. But after dinner, Britt and Chris came back with me to my hotel as they wanted to watch the tennis matches and I had better cable than they did. But on the way down the stairway, the lights went out! We were in total darkness and about halfway down the third flight of stairs. I was the only one to freak out. Chris just climbed back the steps to put the light back on. The lights are automatic when you pass by them but they only stay on for a certain time––not for the amount of time it took me to very very slowly climb down those steps. I had some very serious thinking to do about whether “emotionally” I would be able to climb up or down those steps again.
