Marche aux Puces

Well, Versailles didn't happen today. When I brought up the website to get directions (i.e. which train to take) a hitherto unseen pop-up appeared letting us know that the Versailles grounds would be closed today due to snow... and that the castle would be closed TOMORROW due to Christmas... sigh... we'll try later this week, although I'm starting to feel that time is running out on our trip to Paris.

No matter. We're taking things as they come anyhow, so we walked over to our little breakfast place (his cook was out for the day so instead of crepes he had tartaine et croissant to offer... we weren't complaining)... had our cafe au lait and then walked down to the local marche aux puces (flea market). Here are a few pictures of the bizarreness we encountered there.

There were quite a few people out perusing the merchandise at the market stands and we enjoyed walking through and looking at all the weird things we would buy if we lived in Paris... too many of them were too large to fit in our suitcases... and quite a few merchants expected too high a price for their wares... so we didn't buy anything there.

After spending most of the morning browsing the puces, we moved on to the Latin quarter. It's right up next to the Seine, with lovely views of the river and Notre Dame... we spent the rest of the day wandering around there, stopping into shops, eating crepes, and taking photos. All in all a lovely day.

Noah showed me this store... it's amazing. Sarah M, you HAVE to visit when you come to Paris... and Lori, wish you were there with us! You'd have loved it.

This photo is obscure, but it's of the Sorbonne for Sarah M and Lori :)

I'll leave you with a couple photos of Noah and me on the metro... and the promise to have a good time no matter where we end up over the next few days... hopefully one of those days will have Versailles in it, though!

My new hat!

Noah's new hat!

L'Arc de Triomphe

Today is Christmas, so much of Paris is quiet and still. And freezing! Today has been the coldest day yet, not lending itself to being outside for long, especially when trying to get over a cold.

We made a couple of stops, first one to Le Passage du Grand Cerf... which would have been a nice shopping street to walk down, but it was closed... and I got a tour down the seediest street I'VE ever been down in Paris... we made our way out of there pretty quick.

Next, we trotted over to L'Arc de Triomphe.

And then we took a walk down the Champs Elysees. It was crowded and more touristy than any place we have been yet. We decided to beat the freezing cold by going to the movies (thanks for the idea Lori) and saw "The Tourist" which was bittersweet... because we should have been in Venice right now and that's where the movie is set... sigh... but it was a nice theater and Johnny Depp is a dream boat... so overall it was a good idea. :)

Tomorrow we're going to try to go to Versailles. And in 2 days, Marc and Sherris will be here! Merry Christmas to everyone at home.

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.