18-21 September 2022

Bonnie circles sites to see on her map of Paris. Lots. Probably too many. Robert suggests a place now and then. Google maps on the phone are great, but geographers like Bonnie and her friend Jaime also need bigger paper maps—maybe several different ones. National Geographic does an especially nice foldout Paris city map. As we navigate the city, every day we see something new and something we remember from years ago on our separate stays in Paris, before we were B+B.

Paris is almost too crowded, at least to Bonnie, who has not gotten out of the house much for three years. Lots of tourists. Streets are jammed with traffic—cars, taxis, buses, motorcycles, bicycles, and scooters. The bicycles and scooters often have dedicated lanes separated from other vehicles by curbs. Taxis also have special lanes that help them move through the congestion. Sidewalks are filled with people shopping, going to and from school, and of course drinking and eating at the many tables outside restaurants and cafes. All this activity extends over a broad area of central Paris on both the Right and Left Banks. Even thirty years ago, Robert remembers walking for more than an hour without encountering a street without retail—something unknown in San Francisco even though it is the second densest city in the United States. Smaller, narrower, more pedestrian-friendly streets branch off the wide Paris boulevards. Trees are everywhere, making a pleasant environment.

Bonnie noticed that Parisians, unlike Italians, greet each other with a kiss first to the left side and then the right. Always in this order.

We witnessed a pickpocket as we were standing in a tightly packed Metro train. We watched a young woman squeeze past the woman directly in front of us, making lots of body contact. The pickpocket took the long way around to get to the exit door, passing tightly against her victim, invisibly taking her necklace on the way out. When the exit doors closed, the young woman was gone. The pendant remained but the chain had disappeared. Very fast. Very practiced. Very effective.

18 September 2022

Montmartre

High on a hill overlooking Paris. A Metro ride brings you to a lovely cluster of stores and restaurants at the bottom of the hill. We strolled there for a while. Bonnie found scarf and earrings by Marion Godart. Robert found a bright blue earring. Then we took a funicular up the hill to the Sacred Heart of Montmartre. Montmartre (Martyr Mountain) is where Romans martyred Christians including Saint Denis of Paris. The iconic white basilica, the most important tourist site in the city after the Eiffel Tower, was begun in the late 1800s and completed in 1914. The Society of Jesus (Jesuits) was founded on this hill. The view over Paris is spectacular. Fences around the basilica are ladened with locks of varying sizes and colors left by romantic couples, most with some writing.

Church of Saint Jean de Montmartre

We ran across this unusual Art Nouveau church nearby. It was the first church to use reinforced concrete, which caused years of delays because it did not meet building codes of the time. The design is quite unusual. The priest behind the building the church hoped to reach out to the population of the racy Pigalle district just down the hill.

Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre

More Wandering

Le Bon Marche

THE favorite Parisian department store of Ellin Klor! and the one with the longest and most storied history. Zola even wrote a novel about it. Unlike Printemps and Galeries Lafayette that we visited a few days before, Le Bon Marche is open, airy, and very inviting. We almost bought something! They are celebrating their 170th anniversary.

19 September 2023

Eiffel Tower

The tower is under renovation along with many other sites throughout Paris. Bonnie asked a taxi driver when construction on Notre Dame would be completed. His response—when the Olympics begin in 2024. That seems to be the deadline for most of the big projects.

There is a lot of security consciousness in Paris—barriers, bag checks, staff dressed in security gear. The Eiffel Tower is no exception, surrounded by glass panels and security checks. What is not checked are the MANY East European men scattered around the perimeter of the tower running the “find the ball under the three cups” game. People are betting amounts of 100 to 450 euros. (One euro equals almost exactly one dollar.) In this game, a second person can guess and bet after the first person loses. Robert thinks some people are plants who win more often than they lose, just to encourage other players.

Rue Cler

With recommendations from Ellin Klor and Rick Steves, we walked to Rue Cler. The two-block stretch and adjoining streets comprise a small working neighborhood lined with shops, food markets, restaurants, and even a hardware store. Bonnie noted that when you see gray-haired tourists, including us, using maps on their smart phones, the place is succumbing to the tourist trade. Fashionable cafes are already replacing old family businesses. If Rick Steves mentions it, it is already too late.

On the Way to the Arc de Triomphe

More Wandering

La Samaritaine

What!? Another department store? Yes. Our cousin Bruna Nitzi recently posted tantalizing photos of the renovated interior on Facebook. The store was closed for 10 years of business reorganization by LVMH and building renovation. It is a great example of Art Nouveau. Like the other major department stores in Paris, it is spread over three buildings on three blocks, with some floors linked by skyways. Enormous. It is interesting that some of the ground-floor space is leased to other clothing stores such as Zara and Uniqlo.

Wandering Back to the Hotel

20 September 2022

Place des Vosges

One of the prettiest places in Paris. Robert ran across this square on a weekend walk more than 30 years ago. It was a delightful surprise to him then, and to Bonnie now. Place des Vosges is an example of beautiful urban design. (Robert majored in urban design in graduate school; Bonnie majored in urban geography.) The park has ample space for a variety of elements without being cluttered. You can enjoy watching people in the park without being intrusive. The clipped linden trees soften the transition from the surrounding buildings, which are uniform in design and about four stories tall. Shops, art galleries, antique stores, and restaurants are tucked discretely under the arcade at the ground level. You don’t even realize they are there until you duck under the arches. The upper floors are residential. The square was built by Henry IV between 1605 and 1612. It is 140 x 140 meters and is one of the first examples of royal town planning. (Thank you, Wikipedia).

Schiaparelli Exhibit

21 September 2022

EuroStar Paris to London by Chunnel

Before boarding the train at Gare du Nord station there were three security checkpoints—France checked our passports because we were leaving the country, Britain checked our passports because we were entering, and there was some other confusing thing. The train ride to London is only 2.5 hours—a pleasant cruise through the French countryside of big farm fields, all rather dry this year. Only about 30 minutes of the train trip is under the English Channel. Robert looked forward to this trip because the chunnel crossing was being considered when he worked near London in 1973-74.

Nourriture

Next- London!