France 2008 - Dijon, Burgundy and Paris

We woke 25 September to the threat of a dire storm moving up the east coast. Strong winds and rain were sure to impact our trip plans. Emy delivered us to the airport; we checked our bags (no fee since we are flying Envoy Class) and watched as the rain pelted the terminal. But we left on time and arrived in Philadelphia on time. For lunch we ate fried rice and bourbon chicken and orange chicken at the food court. We browsed some of the shops and then retreated to the Envoy Departure Lounge and watched Philadelphia’s weather degrade all afternoon as we waited for our departure from the huge windows overlooking the runway and international gates.

After a very civilized wait, we were invited to board flight 754 for Charles de Gaulle. We had two center seats in business class, reclined for a great sleep and both of us were on the aisle. The seat configuration in business class was two along the wall, an aisle, two in the middle, another aisle and two more along the other side. As soon as we were seated the flight attendant offered us mimosas or champagne. After we took off, dinner was served, freshly tossed spinach salad, I had flat iron steak, Mike had lamb, and a sleeping pill. By the time dessert was offered, we were asleep in the most comfortable seats known to the world. We awoke to a light breakfast of coffee, juice, yogurt with granola, and fresh fruit. We passed on the apple tart. We landed to overcast skies on 26 September and gathered our luggage, wishing we had enough points/miles to travel in this fashion every time.

We left the terminal and headed for the RER station to take the train into Paris and connect to the Metro to get to Gare de Lyon, where we had tickets for the TGV to Dijon at 11:28 AM. We arrived in Dijon at 1:10 PM and headed up Avenue Foch to our Hotel, the Kyriad Hotel. Our room was not ready, but we dropped our bags and wandered to check out the area. We found a little brasserie, La Concorde, and ate omelets with red wine for lunch. We wandered through the historic area, discovered half-timbered houses, a huge market place Les Halles, parks, and museums – that we saved for another day when we would be a little more alert.

We found our way back to the hotel, watched the news on BBC, checked the weather for our stay (a little colder than we would like), showered to get refreshed and went out for a early light bite before crashing at the hotel. A very long day….

Saturday 27 September 2008
Our initial stop was the grand Saturday market at Les Halles in the center of Dijon. The enclosed market housed meats, fish, cheese, some vegetables and fruits, and a couple of artisanal bakery vendors. Photo of Market We bought a couple of croissants and took off for the Place Francois Rude to find a cup of coffee. We wandered through the vendors of household items, etc. throughout the streets surrounding the markets iron and glass structure to the sunlit square. We sat in the sun and enjoyed a cup of coffee while deciding our plans for the day.

The Michelin guide described a walking tour that began just where we were. So we left Place Francois-Rude and headed down Rue des Forges, a quaint old street characteristic of Dijon. We found the Hotel Morel-Sauvegrain with its 15 century façade. Just beyond we found the Ancien Hotel Aubriot , built by the first banker in Dijon and birthplace of Hugues Aubriot, provost of Paris under Charles V, responsible for building the Bastille, several bridges over the Seine, and the first vaulted sewers. Farther along, we found the Renaissance façade of Maison Milsand with its lavish decorations. We entered the interior courtyard of the Hotel Chambellan and found a peaceful somewhat Spartan courtyard built in the 15th century with a fine stone spiral staircase and a finely carved wooden structure adjacent.

Hotel Morel-Sauvegrain

Maison Milsand

Ancien Hotel Aubriot

Hotel Chambellan

We left Rue des Forges to reach Eglise Notre-Dame. The church was built in the 13th century in the gothic style. The entire façade is original: three bays, with two arcaded galleries above, with three tiers of gargoyles. It has two bell towers; the one on the right has the Jacquemart clock, brought to Dijon in 1382 by Philip the Bold after his victory over the Flemish.

The interior of the church was well maintained and very pleasant. Slender Colums in groups supported the height of the ceiling. Stained glass windows in the north transept date to the 13th century. While the 15th century fresco has been restored, very little of the subject matter is discernable. We didn’t linger long as we decided this was one place to bring Shoe and Carol back to visit. In 1513, on September 11th the Swiss discontinued a siege of Dijon after town through the statue of Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Espoir sought her help. A tapestry was given as a votive offering at that time and now resides in the Museum des Beaux Arts. Centuries later, Dijon was liberated without damage from German occupation on September 11th 1944. To commemorate that occasion, Gobelins wove a second tapestry that is on display in the south of the church, under the highly carved choir and graceful organ. We left the church, headed down Rue de la Chouette, to check out the east side of the church and its buttresses. One has an owl, which will grant the wishes of visitors who stroke it with their left hand.

Hotel de Vogue

half-timbered houses

Just ahead we found Hotel de Vogue an early 17th century mansion with a colorful tile roof. It was an early meeting place of representatives of the province. The richly decorated portico opens to a courtyard with iron balconies in the corners. The decorations were painted a striking cobalt blue.

Wandering down Rue Verrerie we found a group of half-timbered houses, some of their beams had been richly carved. We found these half-timbered houses scattered throughout Dijon, but this was the highest concentration.

We crossed a park called the Place des Ducs-Bourgogne to the main courtyard of the Palais des Ducs et Etats de Bourgogne. Now housing city offices, we saw couples and their families lining up for their on-the-hour civil ceremonies (required by French law, regardless of whether the couple has a religious ceremony). The central Cour d’honneur is in front of the old Logis du Roi (King’s House). It has two wings at right angle that create two more courtyards: Cour Flore, has a great view of the spectacular staircase that leads to the Salle des Etats; PHOTO and Cour de Bar which leads to the Museum des Beaux Arts. We decided to visit the museum tomorrow.

Hotel leGouz de Gerland

We crossed the Place de la Liberation to the Rue Vauban to explore the area around the Palais de Justice. Hotel leGouz de Gerland PHOTOS has four watch towers/turrets. It has a classical inner façade viewable from the entrance at 21 rue Vauban.

At the corner of rue Vauban and rue Amiral Roussin, we found a half-timbered house built by a carpenter who embellished his house with linenfold paneling on the door and lower shutters. There are carvings on some of the beams of scenes from his profession.

We wandered through the quiet streets surrounding the Palais de Justice to the front entrance. This building was formerly the Burgundian Parliament. The gabled façade is Renaissance in style with a covered porch supported by columns.

linenfold paneling

We continued on back to Place de la Liberation and stopped at a café in the square for a leisurely lunch. As we sat in the sun, we timed the FREE BUS, that circulates through the town. Generally speaking, it fulfilled the claim that passengers would wait only 6 minutes for the next bus. The bus was small only about 12-15 passengers and pretty highly used.

We spent most of the day in the Musee des Beaux Arts in the former duke’s palace off the Cour de Bar. Near the entrance we found an old well, currently used as a wishing well. The museum was free, a significant portion was closed for construction, including the ducal kitchens which Mike would have loved to see. They were built about 1433 by Philip the Good and have massive fireplaces to prepare the massive feasts at the court during the 15th century.

Just after the entrance we found the Chapter House of the Sainte-Chappelle (built around 1365) by Philip the Bold and ultimately in 1430 became the seat of the Order of the Golden Fleece founded by Philip the Good. This area was stocked with medieval sculptures.

Upstairs we found the later items of the museum’s collections, including Swiss and German primitives 15th and 16th centuries, objects from the 16th to 19th centuries, a special are of paintings from Burgundy in the 17th century, French art of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, statues of Francois Rude, an are of armory, and even modern and contemporary art, even African art from the Congo, etc. Naturally we had an appreciation for the works of Manet, Rodin, Delacroix, Victor Hugo, Monet, Boudin, Sisley and the other impressionists/post-impressionists.

Perhaps the most significant of the museum’s rooms was the Guards’ Room containing the heavily carved Tombs of the Dukes of Burgundy. This room overlooks the Place des Ducs. Built in t e1400’s, it was restored after a fire in the early 16th century. The tomb of Philip the Bold has a recumbent figure of the duke, watched over by two angels, resting on a black marble slab surrounded by alabaster arches forming a cloister to shelter the procession of mourners. All of the figures are picked out and highlighted in gilt/gold.

The other duke is John the Fearless along with his wife Margaret of Bavaria is in a similar style. Several altarpieces decorate the room, some famous, and some very intricately carved or painted.

In an old gallery up a spiral staircase in the Tour de Bar is a collection of animal sculptures by Francois Pompon. The steps were so narrow and twisted we decided to skip that part.

First item on the agenda is to arrange to get to Gray on Wednesday. Weather forecast is not looking good but we’ll take what comes. A driver will pick us up here at the hotel on Wednesday at 11 AM, giving us time to explore Gray and lay in provisions beyond what we ordered when we obtained the boat.

After a short ride on the free bus, we started the day at the Museum of Burgundian Life in the former Couvent des Bernardines. It covered local history, including furnishings, clothing, household items, and objects from the past that bring to life daily habits and traditions at the end of th 19th century. On the upper floor a whole street has been re-created, including a pharmacy, a furrier, a butcher (shop run after death of husband in 1956 by wife until she was 93. At 93, she turned the whole shop over to the museum. The butcher block was so worn, displayed years and years of knifework), a beauty shop (some items looked like items of torture not beauty), corner grocery, milliner, and a toy store. The third floor displayed tools used in the major industries of Burgundy: stone, wood, and vineyards. The architecture of the former convent was austere/severe but graceful in its own right.

From there we walked over to the Cathedral St-Benigne. St Benigne was the first martyr of the region. The cathedral’s west facing front has two towers with conical roofs of multicolored tiles common in the area. The interior is rather austere, fairly unadorned. Most of St Benigne’s own art works were lost during the French revolution. The massive organ dates from 1743. We went down into the crypt, where the remains of the sarcophagus for St Begnigne who died in 200BC were laid to rest. The sarcophagus faces a rotunda which is built in the style of the architecture of the tomb of Christ in Jerusalem (built in 4C). There are three circles of columns radiating out from the center. There are only 8 rotundas of this type in the world.

We got back on the free bus and headed toward Place de la Republique hoping to find a place to eat lunch on a terrace in the sun. Unfortunately, the place was mostly parking so we headed around to Les Halles, Place Francois Rude, and finally, Place de la Liberation before settling in at a bistro we lunched previously.

After lunch, we headed over to Eglise St-Michel, consecrated in 1529. Its façade was completed in Renaissance style in the 17th century. Our interest was sparked by its towers, sort of minaret in style, and its namesake the archangel Michael. Of the three doorways in the façade, the right doorway is the oldest dating from 1537.

Leaving the church we stumbled into the Musee de Francois Rude. Many of his sculptures and bronzes (huge in scale) can be found in the Louvre. We had seen his name many times, obviously he was from this area.

On our way back to the hotel, we revisited Notre-Dame to take some more photos and to rub the owl one more time for good luck and hopefully good weather on our cruise. We discovered that the “arc triomphe”-like building near the hotel is the Porte Guillaume, an 18th century triumphal arch named for the 11th century reformer of the St-Benigne Benedictine abbey, Guillaume de Volpiano. Originally inserted in part of the town’s Roman ramparts, it was left free-standing when the ramparts were demolished at the end of the 19th century.

Shoe and Carol are due in at 6:33 AM. Up before dawn to head to the railroad station to meet them. As we sit in the coffee shop with a cup of coffee, at precisely 6:30, the sign changes to RETARD 1h30m – so the train from Rome will not arrive until 8 AM. We head back to the hotel, figuring its better to wait there. Mike gets his birthday cards and we check e-mail. At 7:45 AM we head back to the train station. A few minutes before 8, when the train is due, the delayed sign changes to 2h30m. So back to the hotel until Mike decides to check to see if he can get money from the ATM and off we go back to the train station. The train arrives at precisely 9:03 and we greet Carol and Shoe.

They check in at the hotel and we head off the OWL trail to show them the sights of Dijon. At the market at Les Halles, we buy gingerbread, cheese, and sausage to take on the boat tomorrow. I leave them at Place Francois Rude where they have coffee and head back to OPTIC2000 to pick up my repaired sunglasses. They are ready and there is no charge. When I get back to the Place, coffee is waiting.

We continue on our tour, head to Notre Dame, where I make Shoe translate the French about the Statue. We leave the church and head for the “good luck” owl. When I walk by, I rub it with my left hand and wish for good weather. Suddenly a man exclaims loudly. He and his family had been searching for the owl for goodness knows how long and were so excited that I showed them where it is. Carol rubbed it too – she was almost too short but the French man was more than willing to lift her up if she needed it. Naturally she declined.

We continued on our walking tour (Theater, Palais des Ducs, Cour de Honneur, Cour de Bar, Cour de Flore, Place de la Liberation.) We stopped for lunch and checked out the Musee Magnin. The museum houses the art collection and some furnishings of Maurice Magnin and his sister Jeanne in their birth home a 17th century mansion. A few rooms were well preserved, but most wall decoration had been covered over to provide a flat surface for all the art. Only two of the rooms had the architectural detail highlighted – a bedroom in shades of blue and the gold parlor had details picked out in gold. One room had a gorgeous table that reminded me of the one that Janice bought at the auction – only its decoration was in red and brass on black. Two other pieces in the room were just as ornate. Artwork was very realistic in style and included French paintings from the 16th through the 19th century. The audio guide certainly needed some synchronization and work.

After the museum we took a break, we were tired from our pre-dawn wake-up and Shoe and Carol were still recovering from their transatlantic flight and their overnight train ride from Rome. Dinner was at le Sauvage, a place I made a reservation for us on Sunday. It was a small place and pretty full – I was glad I made a reservation.

Shoe

Shoe in the office upon arrival

We had petit dejeuner at the hotel when we met Shoe and Carol at 8:30 AM. After breakfast we organized our belongings to get ready for our ride/transport to Gray. Our ride arrived at 10:45 AM and drove us directly to Connoisseur’s dock. We arrived about noon. We caught up with Ian Lambert, hoping to square stuff away for an early escape. Ian, however, has lived too long in France. We located an open grocery store, laid in some provisions, took our briefing and our practice drive, and were finally able to leave Gray at 3:30 PM. Our first lock was right at the end of the Connoisseur’s dock, Shoe very aptly rotated the signal (a pole suspended from a cable in the middle of the canal); we followed the light signals, looped our lines over the bollards/cleats, activated the lock control, watched as the gates closed behind us and the level of the water lowered. When the gates were fully opened downstream, we exited the lock and went on down the Soane toward Pontailler-sur-Soane, about 33 kilometers and 3 locks, taking photos along the way, especially when the clouds broke and the sun came out. The locks close at 7 PM, and we squeezed through the last one about 6:50 PM. We tied up to the City Dock, walked to La Taverne for pizza and pitchets of wine. After dinner, we toured the town to find a boulangerie for tomorrow’s breakfast croissant.

Our Boat for the week

Our boat for the week

Mike, the captain, studied the charts and planned the next day. Shoe, the first mate, retired to the aft deck to smoke one of his cigars – that is until the rain chased him inside.

Pat at the helm

Pat at the Helm

Shoe on the bow line

Shoe on the bow line in the lock

Pat on the stern manning the line in a lock

Pat on the line in a lock

The Soane River, Burgundy France

The Soane River

We set off from Pontailler-sur-Soane about 9:45 AM. There are places along the way, clearly marked on the chart, where the curves are so tight for the long barges that the circulation path moves boats to the left side of the channel. Our first encounter was near Pontailler-sur-Soane. But since we didn’t encounter another boat or barge it was of no consequence. We encountered flocks of swans, lovely white cows grazing along the bank, kayaks, and scores and scores of fishermen and fisherwomen. Navigating is fairly easy, the channel is well marked, there are plenty of directional signs, and, because it is October, there are only a few other tourists out here. We passed through one deviation, a place where a canal has been cut to avoid a particular portion of the river that was simply beautiful. Along each side was a row of trees, just beginning to turn yellow. It was very much similar to the Canal du Midi, only wide enough for two boats and bordered on each side by a tow path now used as a bike and walking trail We stopped in Auxonne for a walk-about after lunch aboard, but most everything was closed; so, we decided to leave the quay and head downstream. We made it as far as St Jean-de-Losne, 37 kilometers and three automatic locks for the day’s total. By now Shoe is an expert at turning the signal hanging in the middle of the river. We passed one wayward tourist at the last lock who had wrapped a line around his propeller and the VNF (Voies Navigable Francais) folks had arrived in dive gear to unwrap it. We passed the cutoff to the Canal du Rhone au Rhine and seriously considered absconding with the boat and heading for the Danube.

After we enjoyed a cold beer, we set off to pay for a “jeton” for water.

The place on the sign no longer sold them, so we headed on to the VNF office – who doesn’t sell them, but directed us to a small bar across the street from the church around the corner. All, of course communicated en Francais. Since the fee included electricity and we don’t have a shore power hookup, Pat elected to forgo the jeton – much to the dismay of Mike and Shoe who were afraid we’d run out of water – even though the only water we have used so far is to wash dishes. We’ll get water tomorrow after we’ve all had showers.

Carol finally bought a postcard fro her aunt; and we went to a TABAC and bought two “timbres” for carte postale aux Etats-Unis. 88-centimes.

We left St Jean de Losne about 9:45 AM after multiple rain showers. Before we left Carol ventured into town to mail her postcard and to get a croissant for herself and Mike. The skies were so threatening that she even took her umbrella. W got underway with minimal chaos and headed downstream. We had planned a full day of cruising, and needed to head out regardless of the weather.

We cruised through some bucolic countryside. The difference between the Midi and the Soane is that so much of the land is dedicated to farmland – grazing cows and crops, few vineyards.

Burgundy Country Side

The Country Side of Burgundy

We entered the BIG Soane at the big gauge lock at Seurre. From here downstream the river becomes wider and according to the cruising guide we have a better hance of running into commercial traffic. We did not encounter big barges and almost felt we had the river to ourselves. The first commercial lock was very different from previous locks, it was not automatic, it was manned by a lockkeeper, and the bollards were so far apart we had barely enough line to feed around the bollards to secure our boat while it dropped almost 12 feet.

This part of the river is well marked with many markers all along the way. There ended up being many diversions (straight canal areas to shorten the overall traveling distance). Our second commercial lock was not exactly what we expected. We hoped that Shoe and I would step off onto the side of the lock, loop our lines around a bollard, and get back on the boat. Unfortunately, the walls of the lock were too high, and the bollards too far apart and we were only able to secure one line. We kept asking ourselves – why were the bollards so far apart – and then suddenly realized it was set up for commercial barges not pleasure craft.

The Big Soane

The Big Sonae River

We left the Soane and entered the Doubs River where we moored (backed in, very competently I might add) at the municipal dock at Verdun-sur-le-Doubs. We made great time and arrived about 2 PM, going through 2 locks and covering about 37 kilometers. The dock fee included a refill of water this afternoon and tomorrow morning, and WI-FI access.

After we arrived, we ate lunch and then toured the town. The town was established by the Romans in the 1st century AD. The town is very picturesque and we enjoyed walking through the old part of town. We found 4 bakeries and many shops – all closed until later in the afternoon.

When the captainerie opened at 4 PM, we paid our slip fee and obtained the key to fill our water tank. More showers in the afternoon as Mike prepared traditional Beef Bourginone in the galley.

A “tres jolie” boat, Dutch-made, pulled in adjacent to us at the mooring dock. It had a dark blue hull, its bumpers were actually a wound rope. The captain and his wife were from Switzerland and sailing with their grand-daughter who was 5 years old.

Using our WI-FI access key, Mike checked the weather, 42 now/up to 52 by afternoon, 60 tomorrow, 61 Monday. He sent Emy an e-mail to respond to her voice mail. Carol sent an e-mail to let everyone know where we are. Shoe and I filled the tank with water again, wiped the windows down, and readied the boat to leave Verdun for Chalon.

We left Verdun- sur-le-Doubs about 10:45. To reach out target Chalon-sur-Soane we needed to cover about 26 km – with no locks. Shoe drove most of the way, paying strict attention to all of the various buoys and markers. We passed a small town named Verjux, with a bridge across the river to Gergy. Supposedly, a young woman lived in Verjux and her geese would cross the river to Gergy. Since, at the time there was no bridge, she would have to walk to Verdun to cross the river to recover them. When as an adult she married the fonder of the department stores Le Bon Marche, she built a bridge at Cergy to connect Verjus to better the life of her fellow citizens.

The way to Chalon was marked by shallows on each side of the river; and they were clearly marked. At Chalon we rounded Ile-St-Laurent and found the marina, docking area behind it. Even though signage said the captainerie was open all day, we found it closed – for the obligatory lunch hour we assumed. At 2 PM, the secretary finally arrived and opened the office. We paid for two nights stay, in slip number 125, a total of 17 euros, with water, electricity (which our boat was incapable of using), water fill-ups, showers, etc. Once the formalities were consecrated, we wandered through Ile St-Laurent, crossed the Soane into Chalone. The sun had come out, we had a glass of wine in the square in front of the church. Walked around and took a gander at all the architecture, half-timbered buildings, 17th, 18th and 19th C architecture. Last stop, the MOMOPRIX to lay in some supplies – especially wine.

Once back at the boat, Carol and I enjoyed a Kir Royale on the top deck in the sun. Then showers for everyone and back into Chalon for a traditional Burgundian dinner. We found La Rotisserie Saint-Vincent, at 9 Rue du Ble. The menu for 23 euros consisted of fois gras and terrine or shrimp egg rolls, and we all choose the ballotine de poulet, a boned, chicken stuffed with green cabbage and lardons and wrapped in chicken skin to hold it in the proper shape. It was accompanied by roasted potatoes and green beans. For dessert the choices were an apple tart with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce with raspeberry coulis or a gourmet dessert plate: chocolate cake, crème brulee, and poached pear (poached in cassis) with a raspberry coulis decorating the plate. By far, this was the best meal we’ve had so far. By now, the night chill had set in and we headed back to t boat to retire for the evening.

A Layover day in Chalon-sur-Soane. Breakfast on board with eggs or omelets of choice with brioche toast and coffee. Once the breakfast dishes were cleared, we grabbed our grocery bags and headed to the Sunday market in the center of town. It was amazing to see the square by the church filled with vendors of all kinds. We bought a roasted chicken and potatoes, bread, a tapenade with black olives and figs, cauliflower, haricot verts, pears to poach for dessert, celeric, turnips, and red onion. On the way back to the boat we stopped at a bistro, sat outside in the sun and enjoyed cappuccino and hot chocolate. Chalon-sur-Soane is by far the largest town we have encountered so far. We took advantage of the sun and breeze to hang our towels out to dry. Shoe and Carol left for a walk around town, we hung out on the boat and relaxed in the sunshine. For Sunday dinner we had roasted chicken (rotisserie) with potatoes and roasted cauliflower and way too much wine.

We left Chalon-sur-Soane about 9:45 AM, after we filled our water tanks, and executed a flawless maneuver to pull away from the dock. We rounded Ile-St Laurent and headed back into the main Soane and headed downstream. The skies were promising, the weather warmer than we have experienced so far. We were approaching Gigny-sur-Soane a little after 11:00 AM, since we had little head wind and the current really improved our mileage. Carol and I took the helm most of the time, until we got into tight spots and Mike took over. We reached our last commercial lock just before the noon hour, the lock gates were open (a boat headed upstream had just vacated the lock), our lights were green so we entered the lock and looped our bow line around a bollard. Our stern was too far away to loop a line, so as the water dropped, Mike gave the boat some forward thrust to keep the stern against the lock wall. Again we were the only boat in this huge lock – almost 200 to 300 meters long. When we vacated the lock, there was a line of boats waiting to enter and head upstream. We passed several commercial enterprises along the shore, coal, gravel, etc. The 30 kilometer trip to Tournus was completed by 12:30 PM. We tied up to the city dock, ate Shoe and Mike’s soup that had been cooked underway. After we cleaned up we headed into the city center to check out the town. Since it was Monday, everything was closed, but we did get to visit the abbey of St Philibert. A rain shower forced back to our boat, where we spent the rest of the afternoon, listening to doo wop CD’s and watching as Mike roasted a chicken for dinner, along with garlic mashed potatoes, and haricot vert. We are now down to two bottles of wine. Naturally, it rained most of the night as the front moved through.

Tomorrow we will enter the Seille River to continue our journey to Branges. The Seille
is where we will encounter our last three locks – all manual and to be operated by us!

Up early and we left Tournus at 9:20 AM. We arrived at La Trunchere, at the mouth of the Seille River at 10:20 AM, the lock was open, the lockkeeper yelled to us to come on in, without dropping a crewmember off to see how to operate the manual lock. As we exited, we figured out why – there were four boats waiting to get in and the lockkeeper didn’t want to waste water or time.

At this point we are heading upstream instead of downstream, so the red buoys are on our left – of course, there weren’t any! The Seille is a much calmer river than the Soane and not really very developed. We cruised through much pastureland. Our first lock to operate by ourselves was at Cuisery. When we arrived the gates were closed, I jumped off the boat onto the pontoon and climbed up to the lock to reconnoiter the situation. A boat had gone through, going the same way we went and left the lock full. So I had to figure out how to let the water out of the lock: close the upstream gates, open the downstream sluice gates to let the water out to lower the level of water. Then, once the water was out of the lock, open the gates on each side to let the boat in. I waited on the side as Shoe and Carol threw the lines, looped them around the bollards, and threw them back for them to monitor, and then went to close the downstream gates. Once they were closed, I opened the upstream sluice gates to bring the water level up. But, I forgot to check the downstream sluice gates to make sure they were closed. Lesson number one. Once the situation was identified, it was easily corrected. Soon the water was up and we had to open up the upstream gates and go on our way.

Photo - Pat at the Gate!

Pat closes the gate

Lunch at Cuisery

Lunch on the deck at Cuisery

Photo Opens the gates

Pat opens the gates at our first manual lock

Photo of lock in the rear window

We're off with the lock in the rear-view mirror

Pat at the helm

Pat in charge again!

We stopped at Cuisery tied up to the dock and enjoyed lunch on the upper deck in the sun. We pushed on to make Branges before dark. We arrived at Branges at 4:30 PM but the ship’s office was closed. It was supposed to be open until 5:45 PM – but I guess that is the French way. We did have a little difficulty docking, but Mike squeezed the boat into a space with only inches to spare. After all our work, we walked up to the closest bar and enjoyed a beer on the terrace in the sun. We walked around town, pretty bare of stores and necessities. We all took showers aboard and then called for a taxi to take us to Louhans for dinner.

I asked the driver for a recommendation, and she drove us to Hostellerie du Cheval Rouge, 5 rue d’Alsace, Louhans, 71500. Telephone: 03 85 75 21 42. We enjoyed a fantastic meal, attentive service, and the hotel called our taxi and we had a ride back to the port of Branges. All in all, we covered 41 kilometers and 3 locks today.

Back at the boat, we started preparing to gather our things and straighten up to leave tomorrow for our return trip to Dijon. Around midnight we heard the pitter patter of raindrops on the roof. We were glad we decided to come into the dock this evening and not wait until tomorrow morning – the day the boat is due at 9:30 AM.

It rained all night and is raining this morning as we gather our belongings and head up to the office to check in our boat. While we are in the process, another boat with a Swiss family aboard, pulls in and decides to tie up adjacent to another boat rather than to squeeze into a space at the dock – even though their space was bigger than the space Mike pulled into. At 9:30 AM the cab was waiting to return us to Dijon. We loaded up our bags and off we went. The drive took about 1 ½ hours, the driver dropped us at Shoe and Carol’s hotel where we dumped our bags. Shoe and Carol leave tomorrow (Thursday at 10:30 PM on an overnight train to Milan!) so they had reserved a room at the Kyriad.

Since it was lunchtime, we headed into the center of town, stopped by the tourist office to get Shoe and Carol a map of Dijon, and headed over to Brasserie Les Ducs for lunch. It was pouring rain, so eating out on the terrace was not an option. It is that time of year when the French have turned on the heat and the heat runs, regardless of the temperature. When a closed in restaurant/bar/brasserie/bistro gets filled with people, it can get pretty warm; so eating outside is preferable if at all possible – even though that is where the smokers are.

Not letting the rain stop us, we walked around Dijon – as the rain picked up intensity and it rained harder, harder, harder. By the time we got back to Shoe and Carol’s hotel, rain had soaked through our umbrellas, our rain jackets, our shoes and socks. We were not a pretty sight and therefore no final photos were taken of the four of us together that last day. We dried out for about an hour, and headed over to the train station where our TGV to Paris was scheduled to leave at 16:21. We went over early so we could dry out a little from our walk to the train station before we packed into the train. At about 16:04, they announced our track (I), so we left Carol and Shoe with hugs around, validated our ticket and boarded the train to find a young businessman with papers and computer spread out in our seats. We verified the coach number and asked him to move. The train ride through the countryside was full of fall color and beautiful, especially when the rain stopped about 15 minutes out of Dijon. We passed farms, pastureland, small villages, and even a windmill farm generating electricity – but only half were spinning.

We arrived in Paris as scheduled, 17:59, meandered through Gare de Lyon to the connection to the Metro. We purchased our week’s pass and headed to the 14 to Madeleine where we changed to the 8 to Balard and got off at Le Motte Piquot, the stop closest to our apartment. All of this would have been easy going, except every escalator going our way (even at Gare de Lyon) was broken – so we lugged our suitcases up all those flights of stairs.

We easily found our apartment and settled in. Long hot showers to get rid of the travel grime and to enjoy after those short “navy” showers on the boat. We even have a hairdryer, after a week of no hairdryer, embarrassing photos, I am excited by life’s little conveniences. We divided up the dirty clothes into loads and actually washed two loads.

We went to a brasserie around the corner, Café le Piquet and sat on the terrace. It is much warmer here in Paris, even in the evening than it was in Dijon and along the Soane. Both of us had a glass of rose and salade campardarnge – expecting a light meal. The bowls were huge and we left over half. We went to the Monoprix, just before it closed to get milk and juice for the morning. Then back to the apartment for a great night’s sleep.

After a great sleep, we had coffee and Mike finally had his almond croissant. Of course, he had to shower, get dressed and run down to the bakery on the corner first. We went to the grocery around the corner and stocked up with necessities. But, we did not have access to a little grocery cart to haul everything back so we came back to the apartment laden like beasts of burden. I called Hugo for a reservation for us tomorrow, so we could introduce Karen to La Cordonnerie. We decided to walk to the Grand Epicurean near Le Bon Marche since it was a beautiful sunny day. We picked up a few items, shared a sandwich in the park, and hopped the metro back to the apartment. Since we were by the Monoprix, we slipped in for some cassis and Aligote to make kirs tomorrow night for Karen. While we were there, we priced the grocery/shopping carts. In the grocery part of the store, it was almost 50 euros – too pricey for us to leave behind in Paris at someone else’s apartment. However, downstairs in the home goods, we found one for 19 euros! We loaded our purchases in it, and headed back to the apartment, with a stop on the way for a baguette at the bakery.

Mike spent a long time noodling through our e-mail problem (we could receive mail but not send it!) About 6 PM, we opened a bottle of rose – it was porch weather after all. Later, for dinner we ate in fresh ravioli stuffed with mushrooms with a fresh tomato sauce. I went to bed as Mike was still working on the e-mail problem.

Up early to the bells of the nearby church and the sun streaming in our bedroom windows! After a quick breakfast of cereal and coffee, we headed over to Gare du Nord to meet Karen Ciejek, who was arriving on the Eurostar from London at 10:59 AM. Karen’s train was only 1 minute late and we headed back to the apartment to leave her bag.

Mike prepared lunch and we chatted to catch up. I glanced out the window and caught sight of a hot air balloon soaring over the rooftops. After lunch, we walked over to the Eiffel Tower, walked along the Seine, crossed over the Alexander III bridge and went into Tuilleries gardens. The gardens are still full of summer flowers (some quite faded) but much fuller than we usually see them in February. It was almost 70 degrees and sunny so the park was full of people, tourists and residents alike. We stopped at the terrace café in the park and had a glass of wine, people-watched and enjoyed the sun.

We walked over toward the Louvre and took Karen across Rue de Rivoli to Les Antiquaires to check out the antique shops. We surprised to see so many empty – evidently the economic crisis has had an impact there. There were many more antique jewelry shops than I remembered and some had some beautiful pieces that I am sure carried a pretty price tag.

At 5:30PM we headed back to the apartment by subway instead of walking to get ready for dinner at Hugo’s.

At 7:30PM we jumped the Metro to head over to Rue St-Roch to La Cordonnerie for our 8PM reservation. Hugo was surprised to see us; he was very busy. He even had several tables outside. We had our table reserved in the kitchen so we could watch Hugo cook and prepare the meals. Karen and I had the cod fillet Dijonnaise; Mike had the braised duck leg. After a very enjoyable meal, Karen made note of the address and phone and plans to make a reservation for the November weekend when she and David come to Paris for a visit. We hopped the Metro and got off at Ecole Militaire, to watch the Eiffel Tower flash its lights at the hour. During the majority of the evening, the tower is uplighted by dark blue lights and has a very different look from last year. After the short detour and a slight delay, we arrived back at the apartment pretty close to midnight.

Hugo's

Dinner at Hugo's restaurant a must do in Paris

We had a late start today, we kept waiting for the church bells but they were delayed on Saturday morning. Mike slipped out and visited the bakery for croissants. After breakfast, we hopped the Metro for St-Michel to visit Notre Dame. We walked around Cite, caught Flower Market, Pont Neuf, and then on to Monmartre where Karen and I visited fabric and trim stores around the butte. We got some fabulous ideas, saw great fabricsand exquisite trims, and, as always, wished I would sew more. Mike was very patient, and ultimately, we headed back to the apartment for snacks and wine to escape the frantic crowds.

Dinner tonight would be a rotisserie chicken and potatoes from the butcher around the corner. I slipped down after snacks and reserved a chicken with the butcher – in French as he spoke flawless English back to me. He told me to come back in ten minutes and it would be ready. Just after we reserved our poulet, a man came in and reserved two and there were only three on the spit! Timing is everything.

Church bells were on delay today and in anticipation we set the alarm. After showers and a quick breakfast of cereal, we headed over to the Sunday market at Bd Grenelle, under the elevated metro to show Karen all the food and other vendors. We found silk and pashmini scarves for 5€, a wide array of vegetables, meats, game (some with fur or feathers and most with all parts intact!), fruit, cheeses, olives, spices, household items, clothing, and bakery items. We wandered up and down the aisles until it was time to go back and get Karen to the train station. Her train was scheduled to leave at 12:13, but delayed until 12:36. Once she checked in, we weren’t allowed to stay with her in the departure lounge, so we caught the RER to head back to the apartment.

On the way back we cruised through the market again and were amazed to see how many vendors were displaying severely depleted supplies. The Cheval butcher was out of everything!

We decided to complete one of the walks from our Walks Through Paris book: the Trocadero, Tour Eiffel, and Invalides. We discovered the best viewpoint for the Eiffel Tower. From the Trocadero Metrostop, take the Avenue Kleber exit, and once above ground, cross Avenue Kleber and Avenue President-Wilson toward the Palais Chaillot. Walk into the plaza between the two structures and see the fabulous viewpoint of the Eiffel Tower! We learned that the Eiffel Tower was despised by many Parisians at first and that it was made up of steel and cast iron, further if it were melted down into a square the size of its base, it would be only 2 1/3 inches thick. We also discovered that a 20K run was held today and it began on/near Pont Iena, the bridge we crossed over to get to the Eiffel Tower. After the tower, we continued south on the Champs de Mars toward the Ecole-Militaire, where Napoleon studied as a young officer. The parks were filled with people on this warm, partly sunny day, playing ball, picnicking, playing boules, just spending family time. We went around the side of the Ecole toward Invalides. Invalides was built by Louis XIV for disabled veterans. It houses two magnificent churches: Eglise du Dome and Eglise St Louis des Invalides. We discovered that Invalides is still used as a home for disabled veterans as well as a highly visited tourist attraction. From there the tour crossed into the cour honneur to the front façade facing the Seine. We turned and looked back, seeing a statue of Napoleon over the arch. There are military museums in Invalides, but we chose to pass them by. The walk includes walking over Pont Alexandre III, the highly ornate art nouveau bridge built in 1898 to check out the Grand Palais and Petit Palais, two exhibition halls built for the 1900 Exposition. We headed for the Metro, to return to the Apartment. On the way back we stopped at a corner café for a glass of rose. Then, home for dinner.

Getting our orange card weekly subway ticket for the week was a little harder than we expected. We went to three different stations and ticket booths before we found one open that sells them. They are trying to push the French to Navigo, so the stations in predominantly residential areas don’t sell the weekly pass. However, I did find a huge poster on the wall of the metro station at Etoile that says the weekly passes go on sale for the following week on Friday. And, you can buy a current weekly pass only up to Thursday.

Weather is sunny and warm – so warm it was a Capri wearing day. The capris I hoped to wear on the barge, but they never left the suitcase.

We completed the Ternes and Parc Monceau walk in our 30 walks in Paris book. The area we explored is essentially a 19th century Paris, quaint Art Nouveau buildings like the Ceramic Hotel, several buildings designed by Haussman, even a Russian Cathedral. We started out at Etoile, where the arc de Triomphe stands. This part of Paris is inhabited by lots of very chic, well-dressed, stylish people. And, me in capris!

We went into the FNAC, a department store built in 1914 and now an electronic gadget store. They retained many original architectural elements of the stylish department store – but the interior is very modern. They did keep the stained glass around the skylight – thank goodness.

French metro passes

Carte Orange - soon to be history

In Place des Ternes, we found a flower market – supposedly closed on Mondays, but open today. Eventually we wandered into Parc Monceau, a beautiful park filled with people on this sunny day. Many were local office workers, etc enjoying their lunch in the park. A few even had their computers on, using the park’s Wi-Fi. Even this late in the fall, the park’s flower beds were filled with color. Around the lake, with its colonnade of columns, lantana and fuschia were being grown as topiaries. Since the park was in high use today, park workers were emptying the trash receptacles just past lunch – an extra pick-up to keep the park clean.

We passed a fabulous lighting store at rue Poncelet and avenue de Wagram. The windows were filled with gorgeous old and new chandeliers and sconces. We had previously visited Musee Nissim Comondo and since it was closed today we passed it by. The Musee Jaquemart-Andre at 158 Boulevard Haussman near the Miromesnil metro stop was open – but only until 4 and since it was almost 3 we decided to enjoy it another day. It is reputed to have a wonderful art collection and fine pieces of furniture, tapestries and objets d’art. After a glass of wine in the sun, we hopped the metro back to the apartment, picked up our grocery list and went shopping at the ATAK around the corner using our new grocery trolley.

We decided to head to the Latin Quarter for dinner and check out the transfer situation from the RER C to the RER B at St-Michel as a possibility for our trip back to Charles de Gaulle. Too many steps….have to research another way! As we were sitting in the restaurant in the Latin Quarter waiting for our wood-fired pizza, we glanced at the menu and saw “penne alla arribiata,” bringing back memories of the e-mail link Paul sent with the Lego Deathstar and Darth Vader and a few chuckles as well.

The day started out foggy/overcast and on the cool side. By the end of the afternoon, the sun was out and the temperature had increased. We started the day by taking a trial run at an alternative route via Metro and RER to Charles de Gaulle. We walked down the block to La Motte Piquet (taking the escalator, elevator available) to the second floor track. We hopped the 6 to Etoile, where we leave the train on the left side and follow the signs to the RER A (either 2 or 4, heading to Boissy St Leger, Mame –La Vallee). Hop the RER and get off at Chatelet and head to the RER B for Charles De Gaulle. Only a couple of steps (down) and lots of escalators.

We hopped back on the Metro and went to the Arts&Metiers station to begin our walk of Beaubourg and Chatelet. This walk covers old streets and passages in Paris, Paris’ oldest houses, the Georges Pompidou Museum of Modern Art, the vestiges of a medieval monastery of St-Martin-des-Champs, several 17th and 18th century homes, the churches of St-Merri and St-Gervais, the Hotel-de-Ville, and a short walk along the quay. This particular walk was fairly disappointing, except that it did bring us into parts of Paris and down streets we may have never ventured. Near the St-Paul Metro stop, we diverted from the walk to check out a fractional share ownership apartment Mike had read about – at least from the outside. The walk ends near one of our favorite department stores BHV, so we stopped in to check out the basement and the plumbing fixtures; we also visited upstairs in the kitchen area to see if we could find a corkscrew for Shoe. No luck, however.

In the middle of our walk, near the St-Merri Church we stopped for lunch at a Creperie so Mike could try a savory crepe. I had a salad with grilled turkey, tomatoes, almonds, apple, etc.

Back at the apartment we translated a brochure about Navigo and the Navigo Decouverte, a new offering available to non-residents. A possibility for next time!

Since Mike has a cooking class today we were up early (before the church bells) to get him to Jules Joffrin Metro stop by 9:30 AM. I left him with Eric the cooking instructor and took off for the many fabric and trim stores around Sacre Coeur. I wandered through them for hours and then took the funiculaire up to Sacre Coeur. Mass was going on so I sat and listened. There was a choir of nuns singing throughout the service and it was quite lovely. For the first time, lights were on all over the cathedral dispelling my initial beliefs that the cathedral is dark and unfriendly. Weather was cool and misty and by the time I left the cathedral it was a full bore rain. I went back to the cooking school at 21 rue Custine to meet Mike and the other students for lunch. After a fabulous lunch, we went back to the apartment to rest before his dinner class which began at 6PM. On the way back to the apartment, we stopped by a ticket office for the Metro and found a ticket agent who spoke English to ask questions about the Navigo Decouverte pass.

During the evening class, I took a book and stayed at the school while Mike cooked so I didn’t have to find the cooking school in Monmartre in the dark. Dinner was lovely, way too filling, even though we requested small portions after our huge lunch. After class and dinner, we were so stuffed we walked part of the way home, to the Metro stop CADET. We arrived back at the apartment around 11PM.

“Today I added another notch to my cooking weapon, studying under Chef Eric Fraudeau and pastry Chef Pino Ficara. I signed up for the class several months before visiting Paris this year. The class turned out to be an excellent opportunity to learn about French shopping (markets), cheese choices and wine. As with any class you always learn something, some time technique, and sometimes just secrets trick of the trade. Both Eric and Pino had great personalities and were well suited to handle a group of students with various skill levels. I think that that Pat will benefit mostly from the class with me finally learning how to make the French classic Moelleux au Chocolat, the cake with the molten chocolate center. Pat also seemed to like the mushroom soufflé. I think both Eric and Pino will be a good resource for the future, add to that that they both married girls from NY and we are then kindred spirits.” (Mike 2008)

We woke to rain, cloudy skies, and cooler temperatures. Since the apartment was scheduled for cleaning today, we had to vacate. I showered, put the coffee on and went to the bakery to retrieve croissants. After breakfast, we hopped the Metro to embark on another walk from our book – even though it was raining. It started at Assemblee National, the former Palace of the Bourbons, crossed the Seine, through the Place Concorde (where the fountains appear to run at full throttle every ½ hour, visited the Eglise Madeleine, the gourmet food establishments Hediard and Fauchon, strolled through Printemps and Galleries Lafayette on the Boulevard Haussman, around l’Opera, to Place Vendome. At Galleries Lafayette, we found Lampe Bergers on sale, including a scent labeled anti-mosquito! The designer scents/perfume were very heavy and they had many lampes not available in US, including a design in crystal by Lalique! We stopped for lunch at a Chinese restaurant, hoping against hope for a light lunch. We decided to forgo wine – a good idea since the portions were more than we expected.

We hopped the Metro again (actually the RER) and went to Les Halles. We cruised the street market and browsed all the kitchen and restaurant supply stores along rue Monmartre. We have been searching stores for double-action wine openers and at A Simon, we found them. So we packed in a supply as souvenirs and gifts. By the time our shopping was over, the skies had brightened, sprinkles stopped, weather had warmed, so we walked from Les Halles, past E Delliheran, down rue de Louvre, to the Seine, along the Seine to the pedestrian bridge (pont des arts) along the Quai to the Musee D’Orsay. We turned away from the river, walking toward St Germain de Pres. Along the way, we passed an AGA cooker store with a wide range of offerings, including a gas range top on an AGA oven in a wide range of colors including the very trendy lavender. We continued our walk to Invalides to check out a restaurant at 16 Avenue de Motte Piquet. We decided to eat at home, hopped the Metro for the short ride home, and arrived to a clean apartment.

We watched the last of the Presidential debates, caught up on the news, and made our plans for tomorrow…..

The day was sunny and bright, but a little cool about 50 degrees. In the sun it was warm, but on the shady side of the street we were glad we had our sweaters. We completed the walk from our book called Pigalle. It started at Metro Bonne-Nouvelle, walked down Boulevard Poisonniere (the road on which all the fish was transported to Paris’ market), past notable theaters like the Rex and Max Linder Cinema, through a Jewish area filled with restaurants and delicatessens, a couple of Catholic churches (Notre Dame de Lorette had magnificent ceilings and wall painting decorations), a grocery store with its original 19th century décor called The Housewife-founded in 1761, the French Masonic Great Lodge whose museum was under construction/renovation and closed, an area called Nouvelle Athenes where semi-luxury private houses were built in the 1820’s. We passed a guitar store called California Bass at the intersection of rue Pigalle and rue de la Rochefoucauld and wished Steve Nuckolls were here. The walk predicted in one area we would find amusement stalls (shooting, fortune-telling, etc) but they have apparently been replaced by Starbucks, McDonalds, and Pizza Hut.

We stopped for lunch at a bistro in Place Pigalle and then headed to a Metro/RER station to try to buy our Navigo Decouverte card for next week. Many of the windows had long lines so we kept heading back to the apartment. Finally, we found a helpful attendant at Etoile who tried to understand my French and let us buy the carte, buy the weekly fare, and explained how to fill the card out and made sure we understood we could not use the card until Monday. We went back to the apartment, pulled the laundry out of the washer and hung it up to dry. Headed back out to find a sunny sidewalk bar to enjoy a glass of wine and pick up a baguette for dinner.

Mike decided he wanted to go to the Marche aux Puces today. So after breakfast, we headed on the metro to Clingancourt. We roamed the open air stalls, the booths and the higher end shops. We found a wonderful old ship chandelier, only 9000€! Given the state of our personal economy, we decided to let it stay in France. We were amazed by the number of products being sold that seemed to be new (repo-depot style but higher quality). Wonder from where they are coming? We stopped at a stand for quiche for lunch, bypassed wine for water. We saw some great things and developed some different ideas. We saw a high, marble topped French blue/gray chest, narrow, with decorative leg panels in the front and a lot of the sides/front filled with cane. It reminded Mike of the radiator cover he made for Janet Brown when the symphony decorator showhouse was at Joe’s house and he considered it as a replacement for the bombe chest in the wine room/library. Naturally we saw some of the most wonderful mirrors! We looked for a ladle for syrup but they were all to big. Many of the stalls were filled with art deco, art nouveau, and mid century modern. So we were amazed by the clocks, the chandeliers, the inlaid desks/chests/commodes, the sets of 10 to 12 chairs, the sconces, even a pool table with a large three pendant chandelier, art (good and bad), a lead topped bar, frames, tapestries, fabrics, window treatments, etc. Most of the booth/stalls had signs that said no photo so we really don’t have much of a record for today.

We fought the crowds back into the city and headed back to the apartment. A quick stop at the grocery store for cereal and milk and then settle in at the apartment for the night.

Since we planned to hit two museums today, we got an early start and got to the Musee Jacquemart Andre 158 Bd Haussman near the Miromesnil Metro. We chuckled as they had ropes and aisles laid out to keep the ticket area in order and we walked right in and purchased tickets. The museum was built in the mid-to-late 1800’s and formally inaugurated as the residence of Eduoard Andre in 1876 (making it younger then our house!) Andre married his wife Nelie Jacquemart in 1881, after she painted a portrait of him in 1872. The architecture, paintings, furniture and objets d’art making up this museum are absolutely wonderful. We ended up spending over 2 ½ hours in this museum on a bright sunny day! With the price of admission (10€) you get an audio guide to get you through the collections of Fragonard, Boucher, Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Bellini, Boticelli, etc. The Grand Salon’s walls were covered with decorative panels, crown moulding, etc. It features a system whereby the lateral walls connecting it to the Music Room and the Picture Gallery could fold away through the use of hydraulic jacks to open the space to accommodate a larger number of guests – the original open concept floor plan! Each room was more sumptuous than the last – our favorite being the Jardin d’hiver with its two marble spiral staircases. Photos were not allowed at all, so we bought a book about the house and its collections. In the study with its red walls, their personal collection included 3 Rembrandts and 3 Van Dycks, as well as other Dutch works. They were protected by a sophisticated security system that relied on the weight of each painting. Just below the crown molding, they had installed a 2 by 6 board to hide all the security mechanisms and from which to hang art in the other rooms. Disappointing, however, were the window treatments, pinch pleated panels with little trim and held back by tie backs. Of course the renovation of the museum in 1991 had replaced them; but, the sun had really damaged the silk in the 17 years since. A temporary exhibit of Van Dyck portraits had just opened on 8 October and by the time we got to that part, the museum was packed. We made our way through the Van Dyck portraits and left the museum about 12:30. There was a long line waiting to get in as we left. We were so taken by the museum that we decided to skip the d’Orsay – at least today. We went back to the apartment for a roasted chicken lunch from the street market along boulevard Grennelle and then on to Tuilerries to sit in the sun, people watch and talk about the Jaquemart-Andre. As the sun dropped lower, the temperature did as well; so we left Tuileries, walking past the pond where the children had rented boats to float (moved from the central large pond to the smaller one on the Seine side) and walked over to watch the young people roller-blading in the square by the Louvre-Rivoli metro stop. Some were quite good! We ate dinner out at a corner bistro two blocks from the apartment and then settled in to watch American Gangster.

Another bright sunny day in Paris, so we decided to take another walk from our 30 walking tours in Paris book. This one Arenes, Mouffetard and the Jardin des Plantes (Latin Quarter 2) covers the southern limits of the Latin Quarter, the area around the Grands Ecoles, and the Jardin des Plantes. We passed several very handsome streets, the bustling market street rue Mouffetard, the laboratory where the Curies worked at the French Institute of Chemistry and Physics, the laboratory where Louis Pasteur isolated the rabies vaccine, and visited Paris’ oldest monument: the remains of the Roman arena the Lutece Arena now a public park. Rue St-Jacques was the ancient road out of the city and in medieval times was the great pilgrimage way to Santiago de Compostela. Prior to the revolution, there were many religious institutions established along here. Most of the current buildings date to the 18th and 19th century, with even some modern structures in place.

At the corner of Rue Tournefort and Place Lucien Herr, we found the traditional French restaurant we visited several years ago, Chez Lena and Mirmile. This was the restaurant that served us vodka after our meal and served the chocolate mousse family-style from a huge bowl.

We passed Rue Pot-de-Fer, an old narrow street filled now with restaurants. We headed over to l’Opera to find our way to the Victoria Station restaurant on Boulevard des Italiens. We left that area and headed to Quai de la Rapee so we could check out the lock there, the entrance to the 2 km tunnel over the canal, and the pleasure boat yacht basin. It is just off Place Bastille and we were amazed we had not found it earlier.

After a quick stop at BHV to look for a cable to connect the computer audio and video to the television. No success so we headed back to the apartment. As we exited the Metro station, the RATP Security police were checking metro passes to make sure we were all legal.

Rain overnight and consistent rain this morning. Thank goodness we had planned a museum day. We headed over to the Musee d’Orsay, stood in line in the rain outside for an hour – wishing all t while we had secured our tickets on line. Two special exhibits were going on: Picasso’s reaction/interpretation of Manet’s Le Diner sur l’herbe. Unfortunately, Mike and I just don’t appreciate Picasso’s style. The other special exhibition opened today – collection of masks as art. This exhibit was interesting to see the artist’s interpretations of masks throughout time. The main floor is filled with sculpture – some Rodin and some Camille Claudel, his protégé and lover. Naturally, we spent most of our time in Orsay on the 5th floor with the Impressionists. We observed several artists copying/interpreting some of the masters’ works. My favorite piece, the French flags along the avenue, is on loan to a special show in Bucharest. After cruising through the art nouveau decorative arts and the bookstore/gift shop, we headed to the Musee Rodin on Avenue Varenne – in the rain.

Rodin's Thinker Statue - Photo

Rodin's Thinker

As we entered Musee Rodin, we noticed groups of 4 and 6 gendarmarie in full riot gear on the street nearby. Periodically, they would come into the Musee Rodin to use the restroom facilities. Very interesting – but we never found out exactly what was going on.

The Musee Rodin occupies the site of a former convent/boarding school run by an order of nuns who decided to sell all the decoration in the Hotel Biron to raise funds. Many rooms were stripped of woodwork, crown molding, decorative work, chandeliers, etc. The museum houses many of Rodin’s preliminary studies and models of his final works. Some of his major works are in the gardens, beautifully landscaped, near Invalides and the Eiffel Tower. Viewing the gardens was dampened by the rain, but many of the roses were still blooming.

We left the Musee Rodin, heading for the Latin Quarter so Mike could get a crepe as a snack. Back to the apartment to do the last load of laundry before we go home and get ready for dinner at La Cordonnerie with Hugo at 8 PM.

Monet

Look familiar?
This hangs in our dining room

Totally missed the 8 o’clock church bells and slept in a little while. Sorted clothes: to wear on plane, those already clean, to wash when we get home in preparation for packing. School across the way had a fire drill this morning, a very aggravating screechy sound.

We completed our last walk from our walking tour book. This one covered the Etoile to Trocadero, a short 2 mile walk through some of the chic-est areas of Paris. We started out at Arc de Triomphe and turned around to a great city street view all the way down to the Louvre. The trees along the Champs Ellysees are decorated with their holiday lights (still or already?) We walked down Avenue Georges V, past the grand hotel Georges V, and past the American Protestant Church of the Holy Trinity. Nearby are the Spanish and Chinese embassies housed in opulent 19th century buildings. Opposite them is the renowned Crazy Horse cabaret. Midway, we found ourselves near Pont d’Alma, where the gilded torch near the metro entrance is an exact replica of the torch held by the statue of Liberty. This is also the tunnel where Princess Diana died in a tragic automobile accident and the base of the torch has become an unofficial tribute/memorial to her. Our walk continued on Avenue President Wilson, past the Musee d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. Originally built for the 1937 Expo, it has been restored and now houses a small collection of European modern art. Directly across the street is Fashion and Costume Museum, but only holds temporary exhibitions.

On Avenue President Wilson an active street market was going on, so we wandered through it checking out the differences with the Bd Grennelle market. After our walk was concluded, we headed to Leon of Bruxelles near the Mabillion Metro stop for moules. After lunch, the skis had brightened and the sun was out, so we wandered St Germain de Pres, checked out kitchen and bath shops, went into Grange and found a great chair for the kitchen table, peeked in the windows of the AGA store. A walk along the Seine and our last day in Paris is finished.

Journal 25 September 2008 through 23 October 2008

(Dijon, Burgundy, and Paris)