Justin was highly nervous letting me go off on my own on the first day. I was hen pecked with instructions about crossing the street, flashing my cash around and being safe on Metro. I was keen to head off so we parted ways, he to the Course and me to the big wide world.
I had a bit of a plan about what I wanted to see so I metro’d it first off to Notre Dame. Inside was quite amazing with the windows and architecture. I lit a candle and prayed for the health and safely of my whole family (in-laws too!!). I would have to get some kudos for praying inside Notre Dame!!
Next I headed further afield on the metro to St Sulpice. This was the church in The Da Vinci Code where the albino monk found the rose line and smashed open a bit of it to reveal a secret box. So I was keen to have a look at this little church. Well it was actually HUGE and very run down, but in the midst of renovation (like half of Paris). Mass was on, so I subtly found my rose line, took a photo and had a little browse around then left. Back onto the Metro (I bought a 3 days visitors pass which allowed me unlimited metro and bus use. I totally got my money’s worth) and the next stop on my agenda was Musee d’Orsay.
This museum in housed in the old train station, so it is massive and it has a lot of wonderful pieces of art. I have a confession to make…I really only wanted to see things that were famous. Sure I looked at stuff it it took my fancy, but to be honest, I just wanted to see the things that I had only ever seen in books before, by the well-known artists. So I headed up to the top floor which is where the Impressionists section was and I saw some works by Renoir, Degas Monet, Mattisse and Van Gough. Did take some photos, but Justin has got hold of them all in the depth of his lap top. Shall make a note to get them!
Spent a good while looking through here, then went for a long round-about walk trying to find the next place on my agenda, Musee de l’Orangerie. This looks quite modern on the inside, but it was made especially to house Monet’s massive paintings in the waterlily series in 1927. In two oval rooms, there are 8 of these waterlily scenes, about 12 feet long each and curved to fit in the space. It was quite amazing, as each one depicted Monet’s beloved garden at different times of the day, so the light shades were different and really beautiful.
After meandering though there, I made my way up into the city, accidentally walking past the Ritz (where Diana was last seen alive. I was having a bit of a Diana memory fest this trip. More on that later!). This part of the city was glamorous and expensive, but I was loving it. The French woman are so gorgeous without even having to try, so I was breathing in their perfection, hoping some of it might absorb into me! I was heading in the direction of another museum, Musee du Parfum where I was promised by the brochure that all the perfume secrets of the world would be revealed. Yeah, nope. There was no-one there, everything was in French, there was no guide, so that was a flop. I headed out, wanting to do a bit of my-kind-of-budget shopping, so went in search of Galeries Layafette and La Printemps. Both extremely large department stores, I’m talking 3 blocks with entire levels just of shoes. Impressive! At the top of Printemps you can grab a coffee, and sit on the roof, overlooking Paris. This was my first aerial view, so I was delighted to eat my cake and sip my Cafe o lait there. I bought shoes, gloves, a scarf, earrings, tried on some clothes but rejected those and generally had a fun time.
Coming out of there I unknowingly stepped into a crime scene. The entire intersection was taped off, police were everywhere and a lone white van was parked in the middle. There were onlookers 5 people deep and I was thinking that this was probably not the best place for me to be right now. I was high tailing it out of there when there was a huge blast. I didn’t stick around to find out what it was, but I imagine they were diffusing a suspicious looking package in the white van. Justin was alarmed when I retold this story later on. He hoped I wasn’t running away from the scene too fast so as to cause suspicion that I was the white van bomber!
I was pretty pooped by this time, so I decided to head back to the Hotel and wait for Justin to come home. I was on the train line that ended at the Cemetery, Cimetiere du Pere Lachaise, and a few people had told me to get there if I could. So as an afterthought I did go there and it was amazing. It was very large, and just…well… there. Right in the middle of the busy town area, opposite houses etc. I suppose it was once on the outskirts of town, but now the town is built all around it. Famous people at this cemetery are Jim Morrison (photo of this one to come!), Chopin, Oscar Wilde and Victor Noir. It is said that expectant mothers stroke Noir’s bronze effigy (it really is a life size him on the top of his grave) in the hope to conceive. Well I am not hoping to conceive but I did stroke him (!) and chanted my dear friends name over and over in the hope that SHE finally falls pregnant.
From the cobbled village of the Cemetery I headed back to the Hotel, had a quick nap and waited for Justin to come back. When he did, I chewed his ear off telling him all the things I done and seen during the day, then dragged him back out, back onto my friend the Metro and towards Tour Montparnasse.
We ate underneath the 56 storey tower at a quaint cafe, where all the tables and chairs out the front faced the street. I guess this is so we could watch the people go by and they could watch us having a delectable meal. It was like this at all the little street cafes. Amusing! We had a great pizza and a beer or two, then went up an extremely fast elevator to the top floor and THE best view in Paris. It was daylight, but getting to dusk and then went dark, so the images we saw of the city were just incredible. The Eiffel tower was sparkling with thousands of fairy lights and a laser beam shooting off into the sky. Magic. I could have stayed there for hours.
We had a great sleep that night. Double glazing and very dark curtains are conducive to a good slumber. Happy days!