DAY 7 : PARIS

Our final day today. We made preparations for our next stage - tickets - as well as haircuts, pedicures (essential to be a well-presented pilgrim!) and were able to enjoy some last minute sightseeing.

One of the places on the list was "L'Orangerie" in the Tuileries Garden. This is where the Monet's huge waterlily canvases are displayed. This is the home of the Walter-Guillaume collection, which includes works by Renoir, Picasso and Modigliani. A fabulous venue. Mark particularly liked some of the Andre Derain collection, some landscapes of small French towns - similar to towns we'll be walking through in the next few weeks.

Monet's Waterlilies at L'Orangerie

Andre Derain's La Route

Julie and Bob revisited one of their favourite restaurants in the Latin Les Papilles. They had eaten there with Nick 2 years ago when he was in Paris for the Wallaby Tour.

We walked from the Place de Concorde through the Opera district through the extensive  buildings of the Louvre and to the Latin Quarter for lunch.

 

Rodin's The Kiss overlooking Place de la Concorde

 

Creative entry to a Metro station

 

Sculptures in the Louvre

 Afterwards we wandered up to the Luxembourg Gardens - what a revelation they were! Full of holiday-makers and office workers having a lunch break. The palace and  gardens were designed by Marie de Medici (wife of Henry 1V), when she was widowed in 1615. She was homesick for the Pitti Palace where she had grown up in Florence and attempted to recreate it in Paris. When her son was crowned Louis X111 he exiled his mother to Germany, so she had little time to enjoy it.

Luxembourg Gardens

 

Luxembourg Palace designed by Marie de Medici

 

 

Hiring boats and sticks on the pond in the Luxembourg Gardens

 

 

The Eiffel Tower still keeps us spell-bound (we can even see it out of the bathroom port hole) and has been especially thrilling as it sparkles furiously on the hour (for five minutes) from 9 o'clock.

 

 

Sparkling lights on the Eiffel Tower on the hour after 9 pm.

 

So Paris :
It's all about the war - every war that France has won, lost or had an interest in - the monuments, the churches, the bridges, the main thoroughfares all are named to reflect this.

 It's about beauty - anything can be achieved - the monarchy over the centuries, Napoleon and his successors - all believed this and have created a most sumptuous city with gold plate gleaming from rotundas, statues and public buildings.

 It's all about service - a bustling city that copes efficiently with millions of tourists - buses, boats, restaurants, cafes  - all at the ready to provide a wonderful experience from early in the morning to late in the evening.
And for us this week for us, it's been all about the Seine, and the fabulous setting it provides for the city.

M&M
30/8/12
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