alexandriacardinals

[As I was processing the photos from our first full day in Paris, I realized that this was truly one of the very special days in this old buck’s life.  Well over 200 photos were taken beginning with this very French lamp that greeted us in the lobby of the Hotel Eber Mars each day.  And then it was off on a subway ride to the Louvre (the geographic center of Paris), then walking to the Tuileries Gardens, the Orangerie, the Champs Elysees, the Arch de Triomphe, then back to the hotel, then subway to Montmartre and the Funiculaire to the Basilica of the Sacre Coeur with dinner at Chez Marie, subway back to the hotel, then a walk to the mall for an all lit up the Eiffel Tower.  Uffda, I just got tired typing that!]

The Louvre

[As we entered the Louvre, we were now the Magnificent Seven.  Kathy and Bert, and Sharon all went home this morning – Kathy and Bert had been in Paris the week before our cruise; and Sharon had previously been to Paris, more than once as I recall.]

[This is where we entered the Louvre from the subway.  The inverted pyramid was completed by I. M. Pei in 1993.    ]

[The entry led us to this center court.  With seven of us, it is so easy to split up and go our separate ways, so we needed a time and a place to meet up again – this was it, at noon.  If I remember my teachings from Mrs. Riggs [nee Ms. Falvey], “Printemps” is Spring!  🙂   ]

[Above ground, the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, basically the border between the Louvre and the Tuileries Gardens.]

[Entering the Louvre grounds and I. M. Pei’s courtyard pyramid of 1988.]

[A “side door.”]

[The Pyramid, and the line-up to enter the museum.]

[Yup, security here like getting on an airplane. ]

[We’re in!  All pre-trip advice called for getting to the museum as soon as it opened in the morning and then run like hell for the Mona Lisa!]

[And we followed that advice.  I tried to make mental notes of all the things I wanted to return to see as we hurried along the way.]

[Whew, we made it!  Crowds weren’t too bad.  Bill fires our first shot from afar.]

[People elbow their way to the security rope, take their photos, then leave for the next tier to move up.  Didn’t take long.]

[“Mona Lisa,” you’ve probably heard of her?]

[I ambled about, shooting what I thought we be a representative sampling of the displayed wares.  As it turns out, The Biddies wanted to hit the impressionists wing, which was fine with me, but then we never made it back to our original corridors with all the statuary from antiquity.]

[I tried to shoot the explanatory panels where I could.  Most will need no further explanations.]

[The first pedicure?]

[Amazing place . . .]

[The Biddies had a way of finding Diana, the Huntress, who was well represented throughout the museum.  Maybe it’s a Xena, Warrior Princess, thing?]

[Is that Diana?  Again?  🙂  ]

 [An artist, committing forgery, in front of everyone in the Louvre?]

[Another decorative ceiling . . . ]

[In a decorative room . . . ]

[Now that’s the way to shoot a ceiling!]

[With everyone looking up, the absence of collisions was surprising.]

[Cited as an award winning Facebook photo under the title, “Why is this man smiling?”]

[Reetz seems to be re-enacting the “Stella” scene in a Streetcar Named Desire?]

[Another ceiling somewhat more elaborate than white plaster.]

[The Biddies were getting quite fed up with the lack of elevators and escalators!]

[As you explore, you have to wonder how many ceilings you missed?]

[Almost by accident, we stumbled across the Venus de Milo.]

[In a large atrium, access was easier than to the Mona Lisa.]

[A statuary hall near the Venus de Milo.]

[A window view across the courtyard.]

[Another window view . . . this is a massive place.]

[Is Liberace here?]

[It must be time for . . . another selfie!]

[Taking ostentatious to the next level.  Oy!]

[That’s a lot of crystal to dust!]

[Ostentatious, part 2.]

[And 3!]

[At first blush, I thought this all was the Louis’s stuff?  But I believe this was all Napoleon.  The guy had a thing for chandeliers?]

[Another peak through a window – it was a gorgeous day and despite being where we were, I had a hankering to be back outside.]

[Can you spot the ubiquitous Tower again?]

[Dinner is served!  PB&J’s and chocolate milk.]

[Statuary hall or hall of the statues – not sure if either is a formal name?]

[Boy, that’s a lot of stuff to clean!]

[Another look out – the other side of the Louvre, the aforementioned Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, and, of course, the Tower.]

[From one side of the Louvre to the other.]

[Statuary hall, above and below.]

[Heading back to our meet-up spot.]

[Leaving the Louvre . . . ]

[Through the Arc . . . ]

[Another look back . . . ]

[American tourists posing at the Arc . . . ]

[Looking back through the Arc to the Louvre . . .]

[Due to the mammothosity of this day, we are dividing it into two parts.  You have just left the Louvre.]

In Paris they just simply opened their eyes and stared when we spoke to them in French! We never did succeed in making those idiots understand their own language.  ~  Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad

Up next:  Versailles

“The first time I saw Paris . . .”

[As you may recall, our original plan, documented by reservations, was to take the high speed TGV train from Chalon-sur-Saone to Paris, a 200-mile trip in about an hour.  But a railroad strike “cancelled” our reservations.  Fortunately, some people had opted for extended travel with Viking Cruises and were taking buses to Paris.  They had empty seats.  We had a ride!!  Along the way, the landscape scenery was not unlike . . . home?]

[We made a pit stop along the way.  The Biddies saw a photo op.  🙂   ]

[OK, they made me do it too.  One dares not refuse a request from The Biddies!]

Auxerre

[This was also nice unplanned addition to the trip.  Those on the extended Viking Cruise had this planned stop about halfway to Paris . . . visit the small town of Auxerre and have a little lunch.]

[I think we decided Auxerre turned out to be worth the stop.]

[There was something magical, or unique, about this building.  We had a guide’s description which I’ve of course forgotten.  Something to the arrangement of the woodwork on the façade.]

[Cadet Roussel was a popular French song satirizing a bailiff who died here in 1807.  This plaque was in the street.]

[Here’s that house construction again?]

[But let’s take a walk through town.]

[September 4 is my birthday.  Who knew it was also the establishment date of the 3rd French Republic with the overthrow of the Bonaparte dynasty?]

[The requisite outsized church . . .]

[And its environs.]

[Hey, let’s take a photo!]

[Bert and Kathy decided . . . ]

[As long as they were there they may as well partake of the service.]

[I think this was taken because we had another “Etienne.”]

[Au revoir, church.]

[And then it was further into the fairyland town.  Yes, it was as cute as it looks.]

[City hall (but then you already know that).]

[Marie Noel (nee Marie Rouget), a/k/a, “The Warbler Auxerre,” a poet and writer.  I thought it was Mary Poppins?]

[Kept looking for the gingerbread house . . . ]

[This neighborhood seemed to be all about reading.  Reetz is big into such with the fine residents of Nashville, Indiana.]

[There’s the previously photographed reading couple on the right.]

[Where Keebler cookies are made?  Nah!]

[A garage hotel?]

[In-spiring!]

[Kay and Sharon chose a lunch table . . . soon to be accosted from the right by a Mike Scarborough (of Alexandria) wannabe coming in from the right.]

[Faux Mike then volunteers to take a table photo!  🙂  ]

[I think we had pizza here on the outdoor square.  Bill and company attempt divide the bill proportionally among the diners.  OK, who had the two beers?]

Paris

[And then it was on again . . . to Paree!  Our first sighting of the Eiffel Tower, crossing the Seine, all the indicators were that we were in the City of Lights.]

[And our first viewing of the Arch de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees.]

[If one viewing was good, how about two?]

[Or better yet, three!]

[Telephotoed . . . we would be here soon.]

[Still on the bus driving in, another shot of the Eiffel Tower.  Get used to it, it’s how you figure out where you are in the city.  The second of dozens of photos of this structure.]

[People on a bench and some sort of gold colored statuary?]

[What’s unique about this set, as we cross the river by bus, is that I got a different individual in each shot.  That takes a talent driven by having only one eye.]

[Our home for our six days in Paris.  I just stuck my camera out our room’s window here.  This would be the direction we would walk every morning, take a left at the corner, cross the street, have breakfast, and our subway stop for the day’s adventure was right there.]

[Looking out the window in the other direction, you can see a left turn street at the top of the photo.  Take that street two blocks on you’re on a mall overlooking the Eiffel Tower.]

[This is our room.  Reetz’s bed is on the far wall.  Just like co-ed dorms, with now co-ed rooms!  🙂   ]

[Makes being three to a room more comfortable!  🙂    ]

[You may remember the one on the left is the one the boat captain bought for us all at St. Etienne des Sorts.]

[There’s that metallic spire again.  We’re actually walking away from it here as our first destination was a couple blocks past our subway stop to . . .]

[The Musee de l’Armee (Army Museum) . . . not really to see it as a museum, but it was the place to go to get our museum and subway passes (see bottom of this page) for when our sightseeing really began the next morning.]

[The Eiffel Tower (which can be spotted from almost everywhere) from the grounds of the Army Museum.]

[Statue of a no doubt important personage on the museum grounds and . . . the Eiffel Tower.]

[The once (and future) moat?]

[Ahhh, a Paris café!  🙂   ]

[Home again around dinner time . . . which we unbelievably got used to occurring about 10:00 pm every night.  That’s past our usual bedtime!  It just seemed to work out that way as after a day of touristing, we’d come back to the hotel, clean-up, and then go out again for dinner.  Plus, Paris is really far north so it stays light till really late.]

[You may recognize this . . . ]

[Before dinner, we decided to check out this mall, with its view, about three blocks from our hotel.  People seem to gather here about this time of day and stay until it’s dark enough for the lighting.]

[The other end of the mall . . . appears to be a building of some sort.]

[Reetz establishes perspective.  She still appears to be in good spirits, sans luggage (it wasn’t at the hotel, as we were lead to think it might be).]

[An Eiffel Tower selfie?  Possibly a first for a denizen of beautiful Lake Darling?]

[I think you can tell these are kids on ponies.]

[Looking back as we begin our hike to the Tower.]

[There will be dozens more photos of the Tower in this blog.  It’s an international icon, and landmark, and provides interesting contrasts from day to day, with different lighting and shot from different angles.  This series was from our first evening in town, just strolling down the mall its direction . . .]

[Well, I enjoyed that!  🙂    ]

[We continued on past to the river, hoping to locate where to catch the train for Versailles in a couple of days.]

[Map study abounds as the supervisor finds a photo op in the background.]

[The super thinks it may be down there?]

[And now we’ve discovered a footbridge.]

[The Seine.]

[The Tower and the Seine.]

[The Tower and us.]

[Fellow tourists on a boat – we never did do this (for another time?)]

[Not the Tower.]

[Roy Campanella’s?]

[Our first night dining on the streets of Paris.  This was on Rue Cler, a famed restaurant row street just a few blocks from our hotel.]

[Don’t recall what we had . . . was too busy just taking in the excitement around us.  Once the World Cup began, this street was really hopping!  🙂   ]

 

[Reetz and the super have a common fear of starving to death before breakfast.  They stopped at a small pastry shop on the way home for provisions!  How do you say Eclair in French?  Oy!  🙂   ]

[The key to the rest of the week in Paris – our museum passes and subway tickets!  🙂  ]

Don’t just stand there with your Eiffel Tower smile. Tell me you love me, and tell me in French.
  ~ Jarod Kintz

Up next:  Paris, day 2.

The last day on the river cruise . . .

[The supervisor selects her morning spot, to act as the boat’s masthead.]

[Leaving town and heading up river to . . .]

[Another lock.]

[Bert and Kathy took advantage of the lovely weather to . . .]

[Complete their final round of the French Open.]

[And I took the opportunity for one last tour around the boat’s rooftop.  From here, they pilot the boat, and as you can see it can be hydraulically lowered for low bridges . . .]

[And then they can pilot from here, or from a similar one on the other side.]

[Blocking their view for the photo op.]

[Hi, guys!  That’s the captain on the right.]

[The Biddies keep an eye on things from the bow, calling out “Mark Twain” whenever necessary.]

[The right side pilot station.]

Chalon-sur-Saone

[The last stop on the river cruise.  It looks like an interesting place – wish we could have spent some time here.]

[A river cruise destination.]

[City sights from the boat . . . ]

[Looks like a bridge ahead . . . ]

[Yup, definitely a bridge.]

[A statue . . . likely of someone we wouldn’t know.]

[I don’t even remember this?  But it’s a neat looking street, and we’re probably heading for buses and a road trip to Beaune.]

[Exactamundo!   We are now traveling through the famous Burgundy region of France.]

[I know that because it says so on this sign.]

[This way for that . . . ]

[But we’re heading for Beaune . . . ]

Beaune

[Which is this way.]

[My sister has the best sister in world!]

[Kinda reminds me of France.]

[We had stopped the bus for a brief interlude with the vineyards.]

[Beautiful scenic overlook.  Burgundy is more well-to-do than previous wine areas we visited, and we got a sense of that just driving through the countryside.]

[The pinot noir grape is the most common of the region.  Based on my extensive knowledge as an oenophile, I have no idea if these are such.]

[Hey, our boat is “on” the bus!  🙂  ]

[Kathy captures the sisters Coldren.  Bert exits stage left.]

[Pommard, a small wine village just south of Beaune.]

[A mustard mill . . . didn’t really have a chance to “get into” mustards this trip.]

[Beane, the unique roof soon to be noted.]

[Learn all about wine and wine making.  🙂   ]

[Empty land?  Grow some grapes.]

[A winery we did not visit as we walked through town.]

[Where we were – and noting the top of the map, this was also a mustard area.]

[Wandering through town.]

[Founded in the 15th century as a charitable almshouse, a hospital for the poor.  It remained a hospital until the 1970’s.  It is now a famous museum, and we spent a bit of time here.]

[And here is the unique glazed tile roof we sighted when we first came into town.  We are in the Hotel-Dieu courtyard.]

[I not only didn’t capture a memorable moment here, I didn’t even see it.  The wind was swirling through this courtyard and a gust lifted our guide’s dress to heights she’d rather it didn’t.  But with the great aplomb of the French, she merely said it was a Marilyn Monroe moment.  🙂  ]

[As usual, I can’t remember her name?  And I should, because the supervisor noted she is the quintessential French woman.  I think maybe something like Annabelle?  Doh!]

[Inside the hospital.]

[Nurse Reetz checks out the facilities.]

[I don’t recall what this was for, but likely something to do with sanitation.]

[The apothecary.]

[The Beaune Altarpeice by Rogier van der Weyden.  I know because I just looked it up.]

[Out on the streets again.  Annabelle (what we’ll call her for now) noted a very high proportion of the population of Beaune work in the wine business, and that they do very well.  She pointed out the resident vehicles tended to be of an upscale variety.]

[OK, let’s find a winery.]

[This looks like a good one . . . ]

[Let’s go in for a tasting.]

[Kathy and Bert lead the way. The Biddies prepare to follow.  You can see the supervisor’s audio device through which Annabelle delivered her bon mots.  They were used on all our tours to keep the groups together and so the guides wouldn’t have to shout. ]

[Now this is a wine cellar!!]

[Now this is a wine tasting room!!]

[Annabelle was even the wine tasting guide.  Again, surprisingly, I was most impressed with the white?  It may be getting tough to keep up with the New World’s zinfandels and malbecs . . . and now Minnesota’s Marquettes!]

[Outside again, a race car exhibit, and they were being driven in while we were there.  The cars were Panhards – I’d never heard of them?]

[Back to the boat, our last night so it was the Captain’s dinner.  This should be right up local gourmet “Weakie’s” alley!  🙂  ]

[Bring it on, say the diners!]

[The server, again whose name I’ve forgotten.  He served us all week and was excited that he was going home – to an East European country, Slovakia? – for five weeks as soon as our cruise was over.]

[This is Matteo Martini, great name, the hotel manager.  While the captain drove the boat, he was in charge of everything else.  He’s Italian, and like Cornelia, multi-lingual, so it was those two who generally addressed the passengers.  He had a terrific sense of humor, put to good measure here as he introduced the entire crew and all the good work they did during our “trying times” – and they did.]

[And the chef, Cornelia, the housekeeper, and the maître d’ (is it true the French don’t have a word for “maître d'”?). ]

[A round of applause for all.  We had a good time.]

[I believe these are locally called desserts.]

[The diners, from various perspectives.]

[Bon apetit!]

If there were no Frenchwomen, life wouldn’t be worth living.  ~ Friedrich  Engels

Up next:  Dare I say . . . gay Paree!

[Pedal to the metal, we speed past Andance, a “commune” of about 1,100 (think Osakis).]

Vienne to Lyon

[We obviously had to make time from the two days idle . . .]

[And that caused us to skip a scheduled stop in Tournon and Tain L’Hermitage, missing a winery tour and tasting (drat!).  Now we’re going as fast as we can to do Vienne and Lyon in one day.]

[And we pass through some locks along the way.]

[This is the fun part about river cruising, just the sights along the banks.]

[Pulling into Vienne . . . get your walking shoes on.]

[And away we go with the stop at the cathedral.]

[3C again!  And again can’t remember our guide.  It seems I used to remember such things.  Note to future travelers (one specifically who may be on this trip even as we speak), it seems common practice to generally tip your guide a couple Euros and one Euro for your bus driver.]

[No, here’s the cathedral . . . that first place must have been an adjunct?  😉  ]

[So, now you know.  When all else fails, read the instructions.]

[Sufficiently cathedrally.]

[Stained glass, due to the dearth of dishwashers in those days.]

[And by now we all know the difference between a fresco and a frieze.]

[The Biddies take a load off.  Reetz is a noted bell-ringer at the Methodist church in Nashville, Indiana, where someday she hopes to be reunited with her luggage.]

[Just an architectural shot.]

[The 1st-century Roman Temple of Emperor Augustus & Livia.]

[I’m still amazed at what could be built 2,000 years ago.]

[Ah, home away from home for Bill . . .]

[He was a Temple grad . . . and this apparently is where all the local Owl alum hang out!]

[Just walkin’ around . . . ]

[Shooting up the side streets . . . ]

[A major commercial street, lotsa window shopping.]

[Hmmm, even a “search” of statues in Vienne did not produce this one?]

[Seems like a biggie in the middle of a major traffic circle?]

[Always a fun stroll on a “restaurant row.”  Unfortunately this was an abbreviated tour, and we had to move on to Lyon.]

[And here we come to Lyon, France’s 3rd largest city (behind whom?).  We were originally scheduled to boat from Vienne to Lyon, but to make up time we took buses.]

[My guess would be a bridge.]

[The Sydney Opera House?]

[It’s the Musee des Confluences, a science and anthropology museum, located at the confluence of the Saone and Rhone Rivers.  “Confluence” is one of those wonderfully descriptive words, almost onomatopoeiac?]

[It says “Euronews” on the side.]

[Lyon]

[Driving through town . . . ]

[A park, and the Fourviere in the distance.  The Fourviere is the district, and hill, in the distance where we are heading.]

[Our goal . . . and will be identified when we get there.  😉  ]

[It’s still in sight.]

[Soon to be luxury apartment living on 2nd Avenue in downtown Alexandria?]

[But we’d have underground parking, of course.]

[Crossing the Saone.]

[Our somewhat fuzzy destination.]

[And we’re there . . .]

[The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourviere.]

[What appeared fuzzy three photos ago.]

[Pope John Paul II]

[Oh boy, steps!]

[Quiet (well, it is a church), and go this way!]

[They’re all so spectacular you run out of words to describe them.]

[Oy!]

[I can’t remember if it was “lit” this way, or if we just got lucky with the sun.]

[So, what are they all looking at from the Basilica?]

[This!  And the three following sweeping views of Lyon.]

[Tour metallique de Fourviere (Metallic tour of Fourviere, the highest point in Lyon), a/k/a, the Eiffel Tower of Lyon.]

[OK, another sweeping view.]

[Ain’t we cute?  Don’t know where the rest of our party is – sometimes it’s like herding cats.]

[If one is cute, two must be cuter?]

[OK, you are now free to wander about the area.]

[This a famous building.  I know because it was discussed on the tour.  But I don’t know why and an internet search proved fruitless (not that I was looking for fruit?)?]

[If you include the hill upon which it stands (is that fair?), it’s taller than the Eiffel Tower.]

[It’s even taller than the Eiffel Tower from this angle.]

[It seems to be a continuing point of reference.]

[Back on the bus . . . ]

[Along the Saone (I believe?) . . . ]

[A bridge (the thing that spans the river).]

[Wall paintings (frescoes) and murals not uncommon throughout the city.  These are the La Fresque des Lyonnais.]

[And back to Notre Dame (they’re everywhere!).]

[I wish I knew what this was . . . I like it.]

[We’re walking through Lyon.]

[We don’t have anything like this at home . . . well, maybe some parts of Boston?]

[The Pink Tower, from the internet: The tower rose is one of the most famous and lovely towers of Lyon. In the medievalquarter of old Lyon, these towers are secret passages that lead you through the courtyardsof the buildings without being exposed. They were used to avoid the police, army, orsimply to avoid having to go around the block. This traboule was constructed on warm pink stone, and has the distinction of being endowed with a tower. The tower serves as a ladder to move from one floor to another. It can be found at number 22 Rue du Boeuf, where there also is the restaurant La Tour Rose, who had stars in the Michelin guide but now it has had a change of manager and not as good as before. Once in the traboule, it’s all much quieter. The people who live there use of space when there is some sun to get a drink in the courtyard, together with neighbors, or allow to dry clothes. The traboules are a part of UNESCO world heritage with the rest of the old Lyon.quarter of old Lyon.]

[Kathy, Bert, and the super going down a “street.”]

[A courtyard on the “street.”]

[QUIET!!!!]

[La Fountaine Bartholdi in Place des Terreaux, created by Bartholdi who later went on to create something called The Statue of Liberty.   The square is the transport hub of the city, though we had little time to spend here.]

[Believed to be a department store, designed to reflect its surroundings.  Apparently controversial.  I like it.  🙂 ]

[I have no idea why I took this picture . . . ]

[Possibly to pay homage to the ubiquitous French little black dress?  Based on my extensive expertise in the world of women’s fashion, it is my understanding all wardrobes should be built around the little black dress.]

[Or maybe I was just trying to capture a pensive Reetz?  (But then that is something outside the bus window? . . .)]

[And it looks like it was it.  Weren’t we here before?]

[This is where we again met up with our boat, about a block behind me as I took this shot.  The building was a major shopping mall.  The Biddies took full advantage by pouncing on it with great vigor, figuring it may be Reetz’ last shot on attire at the expense of Air Canada – as we were soon to Paris, where allegedly her luggage has been hiding.]

What’s the trick to remembering that a sandwich is masculine? What qualities does it share with anyone in possession of a penis? I’ll tell myself that a sandwich is masculine because if left alone for a week or two, it will eventually grow a beard.  ~  David Sedaris, Me Talk Pretty One Day

Up next:  On to Chalon sur Saone, our last stop on the cruise.  Recounting this adventure has been time consuming due to company, surgery, and the just generally too many things to do in Alexandria in the summer!