Today was the worst weather we have had so far. But, that did not deter us from finishing up our sightseeing plans! Early this morning we walked down to the little bakery we had visited on our first morning here but it was closed today. So we walked back down just past our hotel to another little bakery we have eaten at. They don’t have any place inside to eat and it was too cold to sit outside so we bought our pastries and went next door to Starbucks for coffee and fresh squeezed orange juice. They have a nice, large area in which to sit to eat. Our table area was large and just before we finished another couple sat down in the empty seats. They heard our English and asked where we were from. They also are from Texas…..the Dallas area. Although we are right in the middle of Paris because this is such a tourist destination we have heard many languages spoken, and lots of English. Most of the French people we have been in contact with speak at least a passable English and I know they have enjoyed our feeble attempts at French. Scott has really been trying hard when ordering food to pronounce the French words. After eating we went back into the hotel and made sure we had jackets, as it is really quite cool and windy today.
Starting off with a metro (subway) ride we headed across town to the Pere Lachaise Cemetery. This is a typical french-style cemetery with all the different graves and crypts above ground. We came here mainly to see the grave of Frederic Chopin, a request of Amy on this trip. There were others buried here that it might have been interesting to see (Bizet, Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Marcel Marceau) but the place is very big and we don’t want to take the time. Going back to the Metro we headed back across town to the Museum Rodin, where we saw his statues of The Thinker and the Gates of Hades from Dante’s Inferno. They are all outside in a very beautiful rose garden. While there it started to rain and got very cold. We also heard what sounded like cannons being fired. I think it really was cannons as today is the day the new French president was being inaugurated. Right across the street from the Rodin museum is the building in which Napoleon is buried. We decided to try to see that also but the building and grounds were very, very large and it was very, very cold and windy and wet. So, after trying – not very hard – to get to the entrance we decided to go back to the hotel to get the umbrellas (I was the only one of the four who looked at the sky this morning and thought about taking an umbrella to begin with!). Since we were back at the hotel around noon we decided to eat lunch in the area. We found a “sandwich” shop serving Falafels. Yummy!!! Good, filling and inexpensive!
Then back out on the metro to the Opera Garnier. We had to hurry around to the entrance which was in the back to get out of the rain. Amy was so excited as this was one of the main places she wanted to visit. It is the Opera House in which the Phantom of the Opera is based. And, it is unbelievably opulent. It is so very pretty. Of course we had to “glide” up the Grand Staircase and drool over the seats in the auditorium. And pretend we were rich and famous!!! Sam and Scott just followed along…and, I’m sure, rolled their eyes. After we finally pulled Amy out of the building we froze and got drenched going back around the building to the metro entrance. Brrrrr……..
Our next stop was to the north of the city to Montmartre area. When we got out from the metro the sun was shining and the rain had passed over. This area is famous for the Moulin Rouge. It also is home to Sacre-Coure, a very large white walled and domed church sitting high on a hill overlooking the entire city. There are many steps leading up to the church but there is also a small tram called the funicular that you can ride to go most of the way up. Guess what we opted to do! I had read that the inside of the church was not very pretty but I wanted to see it anyway. In my opinion it was much, much prettier than any others we had seen. It really was beautiful. But, they were very strict about no pictures anywhere inside……..and Sam wouldn’t even let me try to sneak one. So, my pictures of this church will have to come from a small book and a postcard I bought. By the time we started to leave this area, though, it started to rain off and on again. On the way down the street to the metro were several small shops. One was a very nice chocolatier….so we had to browse and buy chocolates!! Sam also got his “street food”….a foot long hot dog on a crusty bread covered with melted cheese. Then back on the metro toward the hotel. We spent over 2 hours riding the metro today! More on that later!
Back at the hotel we started packing to leave early in the morning. About 6:30 we decided to go find something to eat. We walked down the street trying to decide on a restaurant we hadn’t tried yet. We picked one and went in. Sam wasn’t really hungry after his hot dog so he walked over to the Eiffel Tower again to pick up one more souvenir I needed to take to someone. This restaurant was more Italian than French. We were first served bruschetta, then they brought the bread plate. Scott ordered a penne dish, Amy had lasagna and I had a fettuccini style dish with ham and green peas in a cream sauce. All the pasta was freshly made in the restaurant and all the dishes were absolutely delicious. By the time we were halfway through Sam joined us. Then we splurged on desert. Scott had tiramisu while the rest of us had a hot, molten chocolate cake dusted with powdered sugar sitting in a cream sauce. Yum!!!!! Then back to the hotel to finish packing and get a little sleep before our shuttle arrives at 4:30 a.m.!
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