The theme of the day is death

Friday, May 22, 2009

Thanks to our early night on Thursday, we were up and clean by the time Alyce arrived off the 830 train. We quickly found our way for breakfast and used our cafe time to plan our itinerary for the day. We wanted to check out the Parisian catacombs, a subterranean bone yard filled with 19th century Parisians, so we headed for the cemetery to which they were supposedly connected. We wandered around the cemetery, stumbled upon the grave of Simone de Bouvoir and Jean-Paul Sarte, renowned French philosophers and lovers, and finally found an attendant to tell us we were in the wrong place and needed to go back to where we'd come from. Laughing all the way, we headed back to the "little green building" alleged to mark the entrance to the catacombs but on arrival were confronted with such a long line we immediately began to decide where to go next as there was no way we were waiting.

(Headstone of Simone de Bouvoir and Jean-Paul Sarte)

Leaving the catacombs we intended to take the most direct route to the Pantheon, an historic church and the final resting place of many famous Parisians. But meandering a little bit seemed to serve our purpose better when we found another outdoor garden worth walking through - complete with a fountain we managed to make asses of ourselves playing around.

Eventually we did make it to the Pantheon. But took one look at the 8€ entry fee and opted to take some lovely photos of the ceiling and depart.

(Ceiling on the Pantheon)
(One of the closed but cool looking entry doors to the Pantheon)

After the Pantheon we meandered our way back to the Island on which Notre Dame sits, hoping the morning line would be more manageable than the afternoon's before. And it was. We waited about ten minutes to enter the world famous cathedral. Having lived through the claustrophobia caused by all the tourists inside once, Alyce opted to rest on a bollard outside while Ben and I went in.

(The face of Notre Dame)
(The cathedral's rose window)

Leaving Notre Dame we made our way through the city in pursuit of a little Bistro Alyce had tried before and enjoyed and as usual, her recommendation was exactly right. We each enjoyed delicious French fare, Ben even trying another French specialty of sirloin steak with charred thyme. After our yummy lunch we headed back to the Centre Pompidou and rode the elevator and many escalators to the top to enjoy a lovely view of the city. While the museums here boast an impressive collection of art, we opted to just enjoy the view.

(Sacre Coeur, the highest point in Paris, as seen from the top of the Centre Pompidou)

After descending the many escalators again we made a quick stop in the square outside to decide where to next, ultimately choosing to visit hôtel des invalides, home to the French military museums and Napoleon's tomb. Busy and tourist filled like every other site we'd seen, we decided to see Napoleon's tomb first and then make our way into the museums. Ornate and austentatious, Napoleon's coffin is designed as six individual coffins that fit inside one another like a set of Russian dolls.

(A tiny Alyce and Ben in front of the entrance to Napoleon's tomb)
(Napoleon's tomb)

Our visit to Napoleon's tomb led naturally to visiting the French military museum. It was weird. And dark. The whole museum was set up in a long aisle with doorways extending off every so many feet. The central hallway was littered with swords, muskets and revolvers. Each room held relics of 17th and 18th century French warfare, with special emphasis on textiles.

After Invalides we decided it was time for a rest and headed back to the hotel for a nap. An hour and a half later we were back on the street headed for La Coupole, a restaurant every guidebook we had between us recommended. Unfortunately, the place was a bit too touristy and overpriced, but as always we enjoyed the company so much it didn't matter. We laughed and ate well into the evening until we were too full and sleepy to do anything but meander back to the hotel and pass out. But it seemed that knowing we wouldn't see each other again for a while kept us awake and we chatted and laughed until well after midnight and occassionally at a volume that we worried might get us yelled at by the hoteliers!

Exploring what Paris had to offer

Thursday, May 21, 2009

We began our morning hunting for a boulangerie for the breakfast pastries to which we'd already become accustomed. Ironically, the place we decided on was the same bakery (in a sea of Parisian bakeries) that A&D had found and fallen in love with on their last trip to Paris. After our breakfast and sizable cafe au laits, we trooped into the metro bound for the Louvre.

Upon arrival we made our way to the Ancient Mesopotamian area which turned out to be a good decision. Although this exhibit has the Code of Hammurabi, a very famous archeological find, the throngs of tourists just didn't seem to share our interest, which was great! After meandering through that exhibit we moved on the Egyptian antiquities exhibit where we were greeted with all the humans we'd managed to avoid all morning. Rather than wasting our time in exhibits we could neither see nor appreciate due to the heavy volume, we decided to go find lunch and then come back to see a couple of famous pieces we felt we couldn't come to the Louvre and ignore, the Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa. But en route to the exit we got turned around and found ourselves face to face with armless Venus. Checking that off our list we managed to find our way out and to a small bakery for the French sandwiches A&D had also managed to hook us on.

(The upright famous Louvre pyramid)

(The Code of Hammurabi in the Ancient Mesopotamia exhibit)

We enjoyed our lunch in the gardens nestled next to the Louvre before re-entering the building in pursuit of the Mona Lisa. Weaving our way into another wing of the building, we found Da Vinci's masterpiece surrounded on all sides by more photo snapping tourists. We got close enough to take a look but not to take a photo. If you'd like to see the Mona Lisa, I'm sure you can google her ;-).

As an aside, my disdain for tourists is probably showing. I realize that Ben and I were also playing tourist, but the tourists I am clearly judging are those who walk slower than a hip replacement patient, gaping all the while and paying no attention to the people they a) run into, b) stop fast in front of and force crazy course corrections or collision or c) blind with their flashes because they clearly can't heed signs that say "no flash photography." I do not like these people and I wish they would go away. That said, we still made the best of our surroudings, just trying to be patient with the lines, something that is particularly hard for me as I lack a "patient" setting.

After our Louvre visit we headed for Notre Dame. The cathedral is located on one of the Seine's islands. When we arrived the lines to enter the church was too long that we decided rather than waiting we'd try back in the morning and instead walked around behind the cathedral to see the flying buttresses and to sit in the gardens and decide where to go next.

(The rear of Notre Dame and its flying buttresses)

After Notre Dame it was time to see some of the lovely green space Paris had to offer, so we walked to the Jardin du Luxembourg. It was a huge garden filled with Parisian and tourists alike sitting in little green chairs enjoying the lovely weather. By the time we finished our walk through the gardens our feet were achy and we were ready for an early evening rest before heading out for dinner so we meandered back to our hotel.

After a quick rest we set out for dinner. But we couldn't decide on which place to eat so we wandered around for a couple hours, getting very hungry, but still exploring the city. We finally decided we couldn't leave France without at least one more crepe so we settled on the Creperie Bretton for our evening meal. Delicious and, because of its Brittany roots, serving salty caramel crepes. After dinner we turned in, knowing we'd need to be up early the next day to be ready for Alyce's 830 arrival.

Au revoir Brittany, Bonjour Paris!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Our morning was bitter sweet. While we were excited to be heading to Paris, neither of us wanted to say goodbye to A&D. We'd had so much fun together, we contemplated whether we could bribe them into coming to Italy with us too! But we had to settle for saying goodbye to Dave and knowing that at least we'd get a bit more time with Alyce in Paris. Before heading out we grabbed a quick bite of breakfast and acquired the best souvenir possible - 4 jars of incredible, homemade, still warm, salty caramel!!

During our time there A&D had been nice enough to suggest some places we might like to stop en route back to Paris. We decided to stop and see the Cathedral at Chartres and were glad we did. Unlike most cathedrals, which strive for symmetry between their large architectural elements, this cathedral prides itself on the opposite. Due to its staggered construction, the cathedral is comprised of one truly Gothic looking spire and one much more Romanesque.

(The cathedral at Charte from the front)
(The rose window in the nave of the cathedral - the photo is a
bit overexposed, but you get the picture)
(Flying buttresses at the rear of the cathedral)

After our stop in Chartres, we made the remainder of our journey to Paris and, with the help of our GPS, found our hotel without incident. Once checked in we had to return the car to Europcar, a trek of two miles straight up a single road. This certainly sounds as easy to you as it did to us. Nearly an hour later we handed the keys over, so thoroughly stressed from the traffic we'd both nearly forgotten we weren't still living through DC rush hour. But we used the walk back to our hotel to relax and by the time dinner came around we'd managed to forget about our traffic nightmare.

We enjoyed dinner at Le Cerise ("The Cherry"), a restaurant A&D had recommended, before heading down to see the Eiffel Tower at night. Our guidebook had mentioned that while we would still encounter tourists, seeing this spectacle at night would be more relaxed and far less crowded. We arrived just in time for the 10PM lighting and we were pleasantly surprised to find the book was right, some tourists, but not nearly the mob scene you'd expect during the day.

(The Eiffel Tower lit up)

(The Eiffel Tower from the opposite bank of the Seine)

After our ET visit, we decided to enjoy the beautiful weather and walk along to Seine to the Champs Elysees and up to the Arc de Triomphe. The Champs Elysees, while glitzy and glittering, held very little appeal. Yes, it's a material Mecca, lined with couture shopping, but window shopping for things we can't afford has never appealed to either of us, so we moved quickly up the road. Planted in the middle of a giant traffic circle at the end of the Champs Elysees sits the Arc de Triomphe, memorializing France's military participation beginning with Napoleon.

(The Arc de Triomphe at night)

After walking under the roadways to see the inside of the Arc, we decided it was time to turn in. Got a little lost on the walk home, but all in all, a great day!

Last Day in Rennes

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

After great food and fun the night before, we awoke well rested and ready to enjoy our last day in Rennes with A&D. We'd see Alyce later in the week in Paris again, but would have to say our goodbyes to Dave next morning.

Since we didn't have a strict itinerary for the day, we spent a good part of the morning in a cafe, being very French as Alyce put it, chatting and laughing and enjoying each other's company. After our leisurely breakfast and coffee we strolled the streets of Rennes checking out many of the local artisan shops including a chocolatier that sold us the best piece of candy I've ever had. Bittersweet chocolate shaped into a craggy oyster and filled with the saltiest of Brittany's salty carmel. Fantastic!!

After we'd tasted our fill of chocolate, honey and olive oil we began collecting the goodies required for a picnic in Thabor Park. Stowing our sandwiches and some delicious apple juice in Alyce's backpack we meandered our way through Rennes to the park to meet Dave for lunch.

After lunch we thought it wise to walk off some of the deliciousness we'd been enjoying. Alyce lead us through Rennes to a small path that runs along the canal and over the river. It was a lovely walk, allowing us to see a little more of Rennes on the way to and from the path and to escape into a natural setting in the midst of a bustling city.

As Alyce had to teach that night as well, we were able to enjoy a quick rest between our walk and meeting up with Dave for our dinner reservations. We'd been hearing about this restaurant from A&D all week and were really looking forward to trying it. Again, we were not disappointed. Ben and Dave opted to engage in the full French dining experience, starting their meals with aperitifs and moving through the courses all the way to coffee/tea at the end. We enjoyed gorgeous blanched asparagus with poached egg, duck foie gras, perfectly prepared beef on a bed of sweet carmelized shallots, creamy, buttery potatoes, again, here I sit, salivating. Such incredible food and again, a three hour meal went by in the blink of an eye as we laughed and talked.

Deliciousness with a side of tourism

Monday, May 18, 2009

We started our day in Avranches with more delicious pastries for breakfast. But our meal was quick as we were trying to get on the road in time to beat the tourist mob that descends daily on Le Mont St. Michel, our morning destination. We made it there by 11AM at the lowest of low tides. With no water to be seen for miles Ben and Dave opted to trek out into the sand to get some far away shots of the abbey and its incredible architecture.

As we made our way up to the abbey we realized we'd failed miserably in our attempt to beat the tourists. Thankfully, Alyce new a lesser traveled route that we were able to take up to the top without running into any tourists. We opted to take the more traveled route down to give us a better idea of the other side of the abbey. All in all, this is a very touristy spot, but is really incredible to look at understanding that its construction and use began somewhere in the 10th century and has endured to this day.

(Le Mont St. Michel from below)

(Alyce and I posing on the walk up into the abbey)

Once we'd tired of the tourists crowds, we climbed back into the car bound for Cancale, a small fishing village acclaimed for its fantastic seafood. On arrival we chose a small venue with a promising chalk board menu and we were not disappointed. Delicious food and some incredible values. Check out Al's blog for a complete description and photos. http://lotusmusings-amw.blogspot.com/2009/05/joys-of-going-coastal.html

After our incredible meal we wandered out onto the pier to get a closer look at the water. From that vantage point you have a great view of the whole town as well.

(Cancale's main street)

After Cancale we made our way to St. Malo, a smaller fortified city on the English Channel. The city's fortifications are incredible. We didn't have a lot of time as we had to get Alyce back to teach that night, but we managed to poke around the raised wall and to wander through some of the narrow city streets.

(A narrow St. Malo street)

(Alyce and Dave on the wall in St. Malo)
(Ben wanted this photo, Alyce and I with a poster of a guy engaged in a questionable relationship with a bear)

At around 430PM we headed back to Rennes, arriving in time for Alyce to teach and for Dave, Ben and I to pursue a delicious deli meal for dinner. Since it was Monday and many of the stores are closed, we didn't have as many options as we normally would, but we still managed to make an incredible picnic style meal including delicious sausage, peppered goat cheese, gooey cow cheese, heirloom tomato, potato gratin, french baguettes and for the finale, a perfect carmel tartlet and heaping mounds of sugary gelato. There was so much gelato left Dave is probably still finishing it. For the second night in a row we finished off our evening with a game of euchre and a LOT of laughter.