The Islands in the Seine

9/6/11 Quelle jour!  Days just don’t go the way I plan them.  I had mon petit dejeuner dans l’hotel.  Then I set out walking to Ile de la Cite.  My plan was to cover the island, climb to the top of Notre Dame, then go on to Ile St. Louis, then to la Rive Gauche to find the little walk-only streets, then have dinner at Procope (where Ben Franklin used to dine).  It was very cold & windy this morning, so it took more energy to walk against the wind.  I stopped at a café for un café.   Then on to Notre Dame.  I was looking up at the top of the cathedral to see people up there where I planned to climb.  I didn’t see the low curb & stepped off and fell, skinning my right hand and left knee.  People helped me up and pointed out that the hospital was around the corner.  So, I went to the emergency room.  The staff there are tres gentils.  I was seen by a nurse and a doctor.  Diagnosis was just skinned palm and knee.  Palm cleaned & bandaided.  And released to climb to the top of Notre Dame.  So that I did.  But not all the way to the top, just to the second level.  I took pictures of the views of Paris from the viewing platform.  Then down to walk in the park.  I had taken my bread & cheese, so I had a little picnic in Square Jean XXIII.  Lovely.  Then I went to Ile St. Louis for a little walk around, crossed over to la Rive Gauche.  But I was tired, lots of sitting in parks, so I started back towards my hotel.  Another Paris surprise!  There on the bridge was a film crew, in the process of filming a scene!  I watched for a while, took a few pictures, then wandered back to the hotel.  After a little rest, I went out again to mail my last postcard (to myself), buy some bandaids, eat a nice salmon salad at Café Royal near my hotel.  It was very good.  Came back to the room, took a hot bath.  I have to accept that I cannot go all day & into the night.  I am exhausted.  And now both my wrists hurt a lot.  Tomorrow I have a tour of Versailles & truly hope to go to Musee D’Orsay in the afternoon.  I just hope some ibuprofen takes away the pain in my wrists, so I don’t have to go back to the hospital. 

Paris is such a young, energetic city.  I’m tired.  Actually Paris is extremely old, so much history, but I’m still tired.  Actually Paris is so old and still young and energetic.  I think it has always been on the cutting edge of creativity, art, literature, architecture.  New, modern sculptures and art immersed in the center of old architecture.  The Louvre is in the old palace built over 500 years ago.  And the entrance to the museum is a group of modern glass pyramids.  Old and new in the same space.  Paris is not stuck in its past. 

City Tour and Boat Tour

9/5/11  Much  better day today.  Amazing how sleep helps change the attitude.  Got up early today to go on a bus tour of the city.  Petit dejeuner ici dans l’hotel.  Then met the tour guide.  He had three other pickups, then our tour began.  We drove by so many palaces, government buildings, monuments I can’t name them all.  I took pictures of some of them.   Our first stop was Montmartre and Sacre Coeur.  I took some pictures of the view from the hill and of the exterior of the church (pictures not allowed inside the church).  Then I walked over to Place Tertre to see the artists.  And I let myself get taken by a street caricaturist (for 20E).  I felt really stupid about it.  Oh, well.   Then we stopped at Notre Dame, which was lovely.  Our tour guide took my picture for me in front of the cathedral.  Our last stop was for photos of the Eiffel Tower.  One of the more interesting sites was the Roman ruins in the Latin Quarter.  I really don’t feel the need to go up in the Eiffel Tower.  There are so many more interesting places to go.  And I really would prefer to see the rooftops of Paris from the top of Notre Dame.  After our tour, I bought a delicious brown bread, a block of reblochon fruitier cheese and a bottle of water, walked over to Jardins Tuilleries and had my picnic.  Then I found myself walking down Champs Elysses to the Arc de Triomphe (which we had driven by several times earlier).  I got a little lost getting from there back to the Eiffel Tower for my boat tour, but I found it eventually.  I had thought I’d do the boat tour at night when la cite is lit up, but decided to go at 4:30.  It was a nice trip & went a little further east than I plan to go, so I saw a little new territory.  It was a pleasant ride.  And every tour gives a little more information about Paris history.  I walked back along the river after the boat tour.  Had another public restroom experience.  This one was free. It was so modern, opened & closed the door automatically after each person, with a thorough cleaning between users.  Of course I took a picture!  I didn’t see a restaurant I wanted to eat at as I walked back from Tour L’Eiffel to the Louvre.  So I ate at Brasserie Louvre, very near my hotel and had a delicious shrimp salad.  Back to write about my day’s adventures & rest my hurting hips.  Lovely day.   Tomorrow I plan to go to Ile de la Cite again & take my time there.  And hopefully I’ll have energy to go to Procope in St. Germain des Pres for dinner