Merry Christmas in Paris... edited*

It's still snowing here in Paris. From the reports we've seen about CDG, I'm beginning to worry that we're going to have a harrowing adventure trying to get home. We're hoping for the best... the return trip is still a week away.

This morning we woke and visited the Rouge Pomme, where we had petit dejeuner for the second day in a row... cafe creme, crepe du beurre et sucre, tartaine du beurre, jus d'orange... perfect... and cheaper than the hotel breakfast which we can never quite seem to wake in time for. (Hey, we're on vacation here... sleeping late is definitely on the menu).

After that we had to make provisions for ourselves since most restaurants will be closed tomorrow for Christmas. So we made a stop by the local boulangerie.

Yeah, the line was out the door! Everyone was picking up their holiday bread and cake.

So we got our two baguettes finally... and some juice, cheese, carrots and apples at the grocery... and a bottle of champagne... because... it's Christmas! We took our provisions back to the hotel and prepared for our next adventure of the day... the Pompidou.

The Pompidou is ... wow, you can't say anything about it without understating it, really. It's a completely different kind of art museum from the Louvre... and one that should be on more people's lists of places to visit in Paris. This was Noah's pick, as he had been here the last time he was in Paris, and I'm glad he showed it to me. (*Noah did not come here last time...)

Awesomeness

This was actually a video of a woman playing a cello duet with her own echo... I thought of my friend Maggie and smiled.

After our trip to Pompidou, we gorged on carbs, spaghetti with butter, pomme frites... crepes... and then took a walk around the nearby shopping area.

I thought these two old ladies were adorable :)

We'll be missing our friends and extended family the next couple of days. I hope that everyone has a fun and safe holiday.

The Louvre

I should tell you, I'm not sleeping well... I was up past 3 a.m. last night. I think my cafe was not DEcafe last night at Chez Bebert... but it sure was good. Also, the snotty kids at the airport gave me a cold... so my stamina is pretty low today. But I was determined not to let that stop me!

Today's adventure was a trip to the Louvre. The last time I was in Paris, I got a half an hour at the Louvre. Not enough time at all... we ran in (literally), ran to the Mona Lisa (most underwhelming art experience of my LIFE, by the way) and then ran back out. All because the bus driver was stupid enough to get into an accident in a traffic circle... bah.

THIS time, we took the metro and took our time. I felt no particular need to visit the Mona Lisa again, needless to say... so we avoided the crowded halls of paintings altogether and instead focused on the sculpture that lives at the Louvre.

Photo by Noah :)

Photo by Noah :)

This is Noah in his awesome boots that keep getting him stopped on the street. People in Paris apparently can't get enough of the Sorels! They sure do keep his feet warm and dry.

Yep folks... that's snow falling on King Louis...

The boots make another appearance...

 I love sculpture for so many reasons... I enjoy the 3Dness of it... the way you can walk around it and take in a different aspect of the piece from every angle... and it amazes me that artists with chisels can do what they do to marble, wood, clay, bronze, alabaster....

Photo by Noah :)

This next sculpture of Psyche and Cupid is one of my favorites. I remember this as the only other piece of art I could focus on the last time I came through the Louvre. It was a pleasure to see it again... and photo it from a different perspective.

I found this sculpture of Narcissus intriguing. Of all the male subjects in sculpture he is posed the most effeminately. Likely because he was so obsessed with his looks... in love with himself... He is beautiful.

The building itself is very beautiful.

We meandered along for a while... saw the crown jewels...

 and a few ornate snuff boxes...

And pretty soon I was completely pooped.

Photo by Noah :)

Here's hoping for a good night's sleep tonight. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Noah and I are planning to attend mass at the nearby cathedral... we won't understand much of the service, but it will be nice to observe the holiday.

The snow is still falling... and Christmas is coming.

The catacombs

First! A thanks to everyone who has been reading and commenting on my blog! It's nice to know I'm not just talking out into space :) and that you are finding my entries enjoyable. I'm trying to keep it up for myself, as well. Writing about the things we experience each day helps to strengthen my memories for later.

Today's adventure was a trip to the catacombs of Paris. Here is an excerpt from the wiki entry on the catacombs:
"The Catacombs of Paris or Catacombes de Paris are a famous underground ossuary in Paris, France. Located south of the former city gate, the "Barrière d'Enfer", at today'sPlace Denfert-Rochereau), the ossuary fills a renovated section of caverns and tunnels that are the remains of Paris' stone mines. Opened in the late 18th century, the underground cemetery became a tourist attraction on a small scale from the early 19th century, and has been open to the public on a regular basis from 1867"


The definition of an ossuary (according to wikipedia) is: "An ossuary is a chest, building, well, or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. They are frequently used where burial space is scarce. A body is first buried in a temporary grave, then after some years the skeletal remains are removed and placed in an ossuary. The greatly reduced space taken up by an ossuary means that it is possible to store the remains of many more people in a single tomb than if the original coffins were left as is"


So we descended below the streets of Paris, into a mine excavated in the 1700's to view the stacked remains of thousands upon thousands who died over the next hundred years... most of those buried in the catacombs had been previously buried in mass graves, as they were too poor to afford their own crypts.

These sculptures were created in the 17th century. The sculptor was killed during a cave-in when they tried to build an access way for the public to come view his work.

This is hard to see, but it tells you that you are entering a sacred area, basically a burial ground.

Here are pictures Noah took as well:

The sheer magnitude of the volume of remains was staggering. One's mortality presses in closely when you stand in the presence of so much death and decay. We were happy to return to the surface, to the land of the living for now. An amazing place.


In other news, we received our refund from EasyJet for our cancelled flight to Venice... now if we can just get the refund for the AirFrance flight we'll be in good shape, no worse for the wear. On the agenda for later this week, the Louvre and Versailles... not to mention a wander through the Latin Quarter.


Au Revoir for now!

A quiet day in the 14th Arrondissement

After yesterday's strenuous adventure at CDG, we needed to take it easy today. I am afraid of our immune systems taking a hit and there were ample chances for people to cough and sneeze near us yesterday (not to mention a lot of snotty children). So we slept in, had our petit dejeuner, rested some more, and then took stock of the neighborhood.

Walking in Paris is not only easy, it's quite pleasant. There was some sun, and the streets were wet but not as snowy as previously. We found we're not far from the catacombs that Lori talked about, and we plan on taking the tour tomorrow! There are lots of little places to eat around us, and Noah's dad also recommended a few that we'll happily investigate. For today it was crepes for lunch and Italian food for dinner. You can't blame us for eating Italian... it's vegetarian friendly and we WERE planning to be in Venice right now. :)

We continued our tour of Parisian cemeteries today... this one was largely Jewish, as far as I could tell.

I feel a little irreverent taking photos in the cemetery... but in the bold tradition of tourists the world over, I do it anyhow.

We're enjoying the hotel and the idea of staying in one place for a little while. We even bought a baguette and some cheese today! We may make our own petit dejeuner tomorrow, or we may eat it for lunch. Either way, I'm feeling very French :)

Noah took some pictures today as well! Here's one! The web service is being funny about uploading the other one...

 We're watching French t.v. and scratching our heads a little... and planning to get some sleep soon. Until tomorrow... bonne nuit.