In Paris we stayed three nights in a hotel that was 20 steps from the Saint Paul metro station, 3 blocks from Place des Vosges. It was a typical small Paris hotel, with very steep, crooked stairs, no fire escape, but surrounded by many chocolate shops (we didn't buy any!) and a large variety of restaurants.
Our first day we visited the Picasso Museum and wandered around the neighborhood surrounding the Pompidou Centre and the Forum des Halles. From there we headed to the Arc de Triomphe, only to find that the observation deck was closed when we arrived due to a commemoration to the unknown soldier buried there. We then had dinner at an American diner, where we ate pancakes, chili and a cheddar cheese omlet!
Our second day in Paris took us to the Palais de la Decouverte, which is attached to the Grand Palais. The exhibits included Ants and Termites, energy, and animal communication (which included the electric eel shown in one of the photos - see link below). From there we walked to the Arc de Triomphe and again found it closed, this time due to a general worker strike. As there was a brief reprieve in the weather, we walked the length of the Champs Elysee, from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place des Vosges, 6 kilometers, sampling the pain au chocolat along the way, and stopping in the Peugeot store (see photos). We walked past the US embassy, where grandpa used to work, and at Place de la Concorde we took a side trek for a few blocks past Maxim's in search of a recommended toy store. Then back in the Tuilleries garden we took a break, where Cyrus finished reading Gulliver's Travels and Griffin tried in vain to catch one of the birds floating in the fountain. Continuing west, we stopped again for a quick spin on a merry-go-round in front of l'Hotel de Ville. Continuing down the Rue du Rivoli, heading up to Place des Vosges on a quest to find our friends, Kadi, Adrian and Martha, who had arrived from Madison that day and were staying with Kadi's mom just off Place des Vosges.
Friday took us back to the Cite des Sciences at the Parc de la Villette, where we had visited during our last trip to Paris, Christmas 2006. In addition to a special interactive section for children, we enjoyed the light and space exhibits. We also took in an IMAX film in the Geode on Creatures from the Deep, a docu-drama about reptilian dinosaurs that lived in the great sea in what is now the great plains of the US. Back in Paris we met up with Kadi and Adrian for a walk through Notre Dame and the back streets between there and our hotel.
Saturday morning we were up early for the trek to the Tour Eiffel with our Madison friends. After a 30 minute wait in light drizzle, we walked up over 300 steps to the first level. A stop in a neighboring cafe for hot chocolate and croissants warmed us up enough to take a leisurely stroll through the Champs de Mars, under the Eiffel Tower, where the kids took a spin on the pedal go-carts that we rode on our last trip to Paris. We said good-bye to our friends, who were continuing on to the Basque region of Spain for the rest of their vacation.
Cyrus, Griffin and I then walked the 3 kilometers from our hotel to the train station, in the sunny rain, to start the next leg of our journey, to Blois.
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| Paris - March 2008 |
