Roaming the Streets - Tuesday 5/8/2007

We moved from the Minerve Hotel to the Bateau Johanna, our B&B/houseboat on the Seine on Wednesday morning. As the cab dropped us off across the street from the Musee' d'Orsay and above the bateau, a procession of maybe 150 horsement went by. They were on their way to the Arc d'Triumph as part of a celebration of what we in the States call V-E Day (Victory in Europe, WWII). Kind of moving. It's hard to remember that this city was actually ocuppied by the Germans in the early forties.

We dropped our bags off with the friendly Olivier, and headed out on foot.


Sometimes a book just stops you cold!

I'd read Rick Steves' Paris before coming, and knew we wanted to see the market at rue Cler, but we just stumbled onto it on our way to the Eiffel Tower. We checked out the outdoor stalls and the shops. Bought three small somewhat expensive smelly cheeses at a fromagerie. Sat at a cafe and enjoyed cups of hot chocolate and watched the passersby...and took the photo above.


Which begs the question: will Hydra and Sundry ever learn to take culture seriously?



Detail along the Pont Alexandre III. Pont = bridge. There are lots of them in Paris. This is the most elaborate. The Art Nouveau details and the gold really are impressive.


The view across the neighbor-barge from one of the windows of the Bateau Johanna. What a joy! It felt like a bit of a risk to rent a houseboat on the Seine. Sounded too good to be true.

But it was wonderful! We had the wheel house up top with views of the river, and then a room with a table and chairs in it below (with windows), enough storage space that we could put everything away including bags, two cabins with full beds and closets, and a bathroom with a shower. More useable space than any of our other rooms, actually. And so lovely to feel the rocking of the water...which increased when the tourist boats passed.


Hydra and I went back to the Eiffel Tower at night via RER (the other subway line). He was very taken with this monument. We took a look at the pretty much non-existant lines, took a deep breath, and bought tickets to the top. The elevators angle up the legs, then you get out and go to a smaller elevator. I swear, you can feel the framework outside the glass elevator getting narrower!

Worth doing, although I think the view and experience are actually better from the second level, where the wind's blowing in your face. We could see the fire-breathers throwing flames in the Champ de Mars all the way from the top.



It didn't turn out really well, but do I get points for trying? It was actually a little scary to lean back and look up like this!

We walked out onto the Champ de Mars afterward, and as we turned back toward the tower, all these lights started popping all over it. A cry of astonishmed approval went up from the people on and around the monument. And I think you have to be there to really get the effect. Still photos reveal individual stars of light; motion pictures even seem to isolate the lights in a way that seeing it for yourself does. From about 10:50-11:00 pm. Wow.

Took the RER back around midnight. There was a big group of possibly German or Dutch schoolkids waiting for the same train. What a city.