Day 12: Good-bye Visitor

After all the fun the previous evening, my friend and I were slow to get out of bed. Eventually we did make it out though, the draw of another lovely day in Paris is much too strong to be a sleepyhead!

We stopped at a café for breakfast, and made plans again. This was my friend’s last day in Paris, and she had a train to catch in the evening back to Germany. Once again we decided to split up, since she was heading towards a museum I had already visited. My itinerary was in the direction of the Orangerie and I decided to make it a nice stroll. Since it was Sunday, I really wanted to walk through the area near Notre Dame. I had heard about a bird and flower market that takes places there so I was very curious to see what that was like.

So I walked towards My bridge, and just thought back to all the things I had managed to do already even though my time was coming to an end. Soon I arrived at the stalls set up with various flowers. Some of them seemed more permanent, while others were a bit more flimsy. But what they all had in common was the beautiful plants they had! I was surrounded by carefully manicured trees and shrubs, pretty potted plants, and cut flowers of all sorts. Not to mention all the fun little garden knick knacks, and variety of seeds! I grew up with gardeners for parents, so this was all very familiar to me. My original plan hadn’t been to spend too much time here, but I couldn’t resist popping into the stores. I was also on the hunt of a butterfly of some sorts for my youngest sister. The smells of the little shops is just wonderful, and some of the variety of plants is very unique! One store had so many different orchids it made my head spin.

Eventually the flower market melted into the bird market, which in fact was not only birds! There were parrots, canaries, lovebirds, parakeets, and birds I didn’t even recognize in various cages. Some of the setups were haphazard with quaint wooden bird cages, while others were much more uniform with proper labeling and some kind of order. Some of the vendors appealed to the fur-loving people, and had hamsters, rabbits, and little mice. I stopped to cuddle a bunny or two, and played with some ferrets, missing my Tarzan the whole time! I did see some reptiles and amphibians, but I steered clear of the creepy crawlies!!

I pulled myself away from the colorful and noisy market, and decided that I needed to hop on the metro if I was going to stick to my schedule! A short ride later, I was at the edge of the Tuilleries, where I noticed they had moved the Ferris wheel to. As I approached L’Orangerie, I noticed a line. As I walked towards it, I prayed that it was not the line for the museum! Unfortunately it was! Since I had missed the museum the other day, I moved it to Sunday, which happened to be the 1st Sunday of the month! The line was incredibly long, but I really wanted to see the museum. So I stood patiently, watching kids playing on the lawn and dogs running around. It was not a horrible wait, and in Paris, my patience levels had dramatically increased!

So I made my way in, and prepared for the water lilies. The exhibit is pretty extraordinary, not just the paintings, but the way they are displayed. Despite the crowd, the rounded room seemed very open and you were surrounded by a beautiful painting. I took my time to study the painting, examining the brush strokes and use of color from as close a vantage point as was allowed. It continued on for the other rooms, filled with Water Lilies. Afterwards I made my way downstairs to see some of the other paintings. They were not as dramatic or fluid as the lilies, but there were some very beautiful paintings as well. The organization of the rooms and the crowd made it harder to maneuver, but eventually I made my way to the temporary exhibit, which was a bit of modern art very out of place in the museum! It was a different take on the lilies in statue form, but I simply did not get it! I peeked in on a movie about the artist, but that too I did not get. It showed how he would take clay and hit, throw it, bend it and then call it art. To me it looked like stress therapy, but I’m not artist!

With one last look at Monet’s Lilies, I left the museum. I headed back towards the Metro, towards Notre Dame for mass. I realized I had some time, so I stopped at a café for coffee. It was actually the café from a previous adventure, where the vendors refused to sell me a hot dog. I enjoyed the café crème and then headed inside Notre Dame for evening mass. There was actually a different service in progress, so I waited for it to end before I took a seat.

On my previous visit, I was impressed by the architecture, but I didn’t feel the religious atmosphere. On that Sunday evening, Notre Dame was infused with sanctity, religion, and something entirely different. The mass I attended is presided over by the Bishop and is televised, so it draws quite a crowd. Even though it is in French, I still understood a lot of it, and the experience is one I will not easily forget. Just looking at the lit up interior filled with worshippers, is something out of a storybook! When the small choir started to sing, I got so many goosebumps from the amazing sound. Truly, if you want to see Notre Dame at its best, I think a mass is the way to see it. On a normal day, it’s an architectural marvel, during a service it is so much more, even if you don’t follow the faith.

Once mass was over, I headed back to the apartment to meet my friend for dinner. We chose to go to Les Philosophes, and as we entered the owner bustled us next door saying we would have more room and a better seat. His other restaurant, was indeed less crowded and we got a great seat by the window. We ordered wine, and then I had a great soup, followed deliciously prepared beef. It really is a great deal for the plat du jour, and the food is well cooked! We lingered over dinner before heading across the street for dessert at Amorino’s. Taking our gelato we went back to the apartment, and I helped my friend gather her things and then bid her farewell.

I was on my own again, and even though I loved having a visitor, I liked the peacefulness of my little studio. It was my home as much as my room back in Illinois was!