Day 3: New Heights

Before I get into my adventures for today, I just like to mention something silly. Sitting at dinner yesterday I discovered that I can identify Americans even when they speak very proper French. A young woman had been sitting next to me and something just seemed un-French about her. Then I noticed her book was in English and she paid with a B of A card. It turned out she was a student studying in Paris, and indeed was not French. I guess no matter what you wear, how you speak, you can't pretend to be French!

Now onto the day's adventure!
I have discovered my penchant for oversleeping on Friday's followed me to Paris! (Joanna where were you?!). So rather than go and get a baguette, I just had some cereal and yogurt. I decided to stop for coffee somewhere along the way to my first stop: Notre Dame. Due to the success of my walking adventure yesterday, I decided to continue walking about. I headed over Pont Louis Phillipe only to stop at Le Lutetia for a cafe creme. The view was beautiful, looking out over the Seine and with Notre Dame visible. I wrote a few postcards, noticing that the pace on the little island was slower than in the Marais. After finishing off my coffee, I headed down the next bridge to get to Ile de la Cite.

Approaching Notre Dame, I was awestruck! I was prepared a large cathedral, but this was beyond large! I noticed a line had formed for the climb upwards and so I decided to join in on the wait. I figured that the climb wouldn't be bad and I would get a nice view. The wait wasn't completely awful. I heard so many languages that I began to try to guess nationalities, it was a fun game and kept me busy and in no time my turn was up. Now if you have climbed Notre Dame, you know how high I was about to go up and how steep the stairs were at parts. I became convinced that this was the very reason why French women are slim and there are no Bally's in site. All they have to do is climb up to the tower and be done with it! I think along the way I started cursing my lack of an exercise regime and every non-healthy food I had ever eaten. Once at the top though, any breath I had still had was swept away by the view. It was the type of view that makes you feel atop of the world, the type of view that really makes you appreciate the beauty of Paris, the type of view that makes you forget your fear of heights! I think I snapped a picture from every direction! You could see Montmartre, the Eiffel Tower, all the cathedrals in the area, and then some more sites that I haven't yet identified! It was truly a view to be savored.

I continued onwards after regaining my breath, only to be faced with another set of steps to the very top of the other tower. I went forward once more, my legs beginning to feel like jelly but I was anticipating another beautiful view. I definitely was not disappointed! The view now included the surrounding parts of the cathedral, the spires, the gargoyles and the other tower. And to think this was all built before machinery of any sort was really in use! Makes you really appreciate what man is capable of!

On the way down I realized that walking down steps works a whole different set of muscles that I never knew existed. No Stairmaster could ever achieve the same results! Once down below I rested momentarily trying to shed that jelly feeling in my legs. I took some exterior pictures of the cathedral and it's tympanum. The carvings are absolutely remarkable! The details that have gone into the carvings are masterful and just keep your eyes constantly moving. I noticed several women wandering the crowd asking for money from those who spoke English, I played it safe and didn't stop to read the signs claiming only my Polish heritage and made sure my bag was closed up. I then went inside the cathedral, and as the trend seemed to be, I was breathless once more! The interior of the cathedral is like nothing I have ever seen. the heights achieved by the vaulting seem to reach out to touch something I had thought would be out of reach. The stained glass windows pierced the dimly lit interior with jewels of light. While admiring all my surroundings, I made sure to light a candle for my entire family.

Once outside again, I went over to a crepe vendor to get a bite to eat. I noticed they sold baguette hot-dogs, and since they were highly recommended from a co-worker I decided to try one. To my delight, I noticed the vendors spoke Polish! I asked them for a hot-dog in Polish and they flat out told me they would not sell me one! They were quite friendly and chattered a bit with me. The young man told me that even though he makes them himself, they are quite horrible and I shouldn't buy them. They instead sent me away to a place across the bridge for something different! As I walked away, I noticed that they did sell one to a poor unknowing American tourist!

The place they sent me was off Rue de la Huchette. Now I had been warned about this street, so I approached with caution. The place I had been sent to was a Gyro place, which I never actually have tried. It was filled with people, both foreign and French so I stopped in an ordered my first gyro ever. I have to say it was delicious! Very quick, but very filling. I wandered around a bit, in search of souvenirs, searching for a "real" French beret. I found nothing of the sort but did stumble upon St.Severin. This wasn't on my list, but I stopped in to take a peak. Unfortunately Notre Dame had spoiled me it wasn't as appealing. I moved on towards my next stop: Sainte Chappelle.

Walking along the Seine, I made the decision to actually skip Sainte Chappelle for the day. I really wanted to see the stained glass in all it's glory and the cloudy sky wouldn't help. So I decided to explore Ile de La Cite a bit. Crossing the bridge I noticed a familiar name: Berthillion! I know the main store closes in August, but the ice cream came so highly recommended, particularly by one forum member! So I ordered a cone with citron vert and framboise. It was absolutely delightful! Different from last night's gelato, but wonderful. Eating my cone, I walked down to Place Dauphine and further down to the little park at the tip of the island. The park was so peaceful, a few children chasing birds, couples sitting together, old and young. I liked it so much that I decided to rest my feet, and read a bit. My next stop was the Louvre, where I planned to take advantage of free entry for young adults, but that wasn't till six. So I sat with my book, read a bit and people watched. I found it amusing how tourists came in searching for a big "something", clutching guidebooks, and finding nothing they walked out. Little did they know that the "something" was buried in the peace and beauty of the park.

After relaxing a bit, I moved on to find the Louvre. I got there quickly enough, passing a ghostly Samartine store. The store was closed a while back, but from my research it once had a great view from the roof. Now it was just an empty husk. As I approached the Louvre I noticed a little church nearby with it's bells tolling. Since I had time, I popped in for a peek. The pretty little church was St. Germain L'Auxerrois . It had a beautiful altar, and some spectacular vaulting. It didn't have the crowds of tourists, so it retained the feeling of a holy place. Once I had said a quick prayer I left for the Louvre.

I entered through the main entrance as the line was short and moving quickly. Under the pyramid it was all so clean and pristine with people bustling about. I'm sure that the amount of people there is probably nowhere near the amount during the day, but it still seemed like a busy anthill! I made the decision to tackle one wing tonight and leave the other for next Friday. My choice was the Denon wing, home of the famous Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, and Venus de Milo. I actually decided to go there since the large part was sculpute and I had my fair share of paintings at D'Orsay yesterday. From the sculptures my favorites were Artemis with arrows and a deer, Venus with a cherub trying on the helmet, and a lion playing with a ball. The lion had this fun look in his eye that reminded me of Tarzan when he was about to tackle me! Of the paintings, my favorites were:
*Les Exploreurs, Leopold, Robert
* Les Saisons, Giuseppe Arcimboldo
* Horseman, Antoine Jean Gros

Notice: Mona Lisa is not impressive, I'm not sure why it is so popular. I think the curators realize this too, because in the same gallery, right across from the Mona Lisa, they hung an amazing painting, much larger, and in my humble opinion much more beautiful. It's like a private joke the curators have going!

I think in some galleries, I enjoyed looking the ceilings more than the actual displays. It didn't hit me till the Apollo Gallery that the Louvre was once inhabited. It just seemed so ornate and rich, it was a bit hard to fathom someone actually ate and slept in some of the rooms! After looking my fill in the Denon gallery I headed out because my feet were starting to ache! I knew next week I'd be back so I wasn't worried about missing anything. I stopped in the cafe downstairs for a quick cafe creme and then headed back outside.

At this point it was getting dark so I waited for things to light up. The Ferris wheel was going, all bright and flashy. And the Eiffel tower lit up (not the sparkles), and then the Louvre. Wandering the Tuillerrie Garden, I was approached by men offering bracelets. Now this part my father should be proud of: normally I would stop to chat with these men, but according to my research it's a scam. They make you pay quite a bit for a cheap bracelet, so I said no and walked on. Sitting on a bench, another gentleman approached me attempting to chatter. I played the Polish tourist while making sure my bag was secure. Of course I was here with family! Of course they were nearby! Oh and there they are, Au Revoir! There was no danger, no threat, but I wasn't taking chances so I left. I still feel safer in Paris than in Chicago, but that may be because I more on my guard since I am alone! My experiences do not have me worried, more like I am proud that I handled myself as was appropriate!

After resting a bit, I headed towards the metro for my ride home. By then, I was feeling more confident and less timid. I knew where I was going, and I knew whatever came my way I could handle it.