Evening Walk Along the Seine | Paris Travel

Inside the courtyard of the building of our appartement.

Our Silver Paris

Welcome to my Paris travel journal,

where I share our experiences of our special journey to Paris.

Please use these posts as a guide for your own travels

to this amazing and wonderful city!

Or simply read, and dream...

Earlier on this, our first day in the City of Lights, we packed several activities into one afternoon:  a walking tour of St-Germain, a side trip to a bustling organic farmers market, a stroll through jardin du Luxembourg, and a delightful visit to a beautiful church, St. Sulpice.  We were tired (can anyone say jet lag??), and hungry for dinner.  At the farmers market, we managed to procure half a loaf of bread, a bag of rice, another of pasta, some veggies, and a jar of raspberry conserves.  We were missing the meat we had planned to stir-fry with our veggies.

The rest of the story:  At le Marché Biologique, we stopped at a vendor selling rotisserie chickens.  How wonderful!  We could get an organic, free-range chicken, de-bone it, and add it to our vegetables.  We'd have a number of meals to last us the week!  In French and pantomime, we found out from a young lady behind the counter that the chickens weren't done roasting yet, and to come back in ten minutes.  So we did.  And we waited.  Another young man working the booth said they still weren't done.  So we waited some more.  Booths were starting to be taken apart, merchandise stowed--it was the end of the market.  Finally, we went back up to the counter, where an older woman and man were preparing meat at a table in the back.  Despite several attempts to get their attention, they refused to turn around and serve us!  Even Fernando's loud voice didn't budge them.  Frustrated, we both decided simply to leave.  And that is how we ended up with no meat for dinner.

So, there we were in our apparetment, wondering what we were going to eat!  After venting again about the mean chicken lady (dubbed by us), we decided that one bad apple wouldn't ruin the bunch.  We pulled out our loaf of bread, sniffed it appreciatively, and realized we had both butter in our little fridge (bought just after we arrived), and organic raspberry conserves in a jar on our counter (also bought at the Marché Biologique).  So, skip that mean chicken lady--our dinner consisted of bread, butter, and conserves.  It was one of the most delicious (and most appreciated!) dinners I've ever had.

Fresh bread with butter and organic confiture de framboise.

We felt we had dined as kings and queens!  Satisfied, with taste buds singing, we were up for one more adventure.  Fernando suggested a walk to the Seine River, sans Métro.  The Seine lay just 1km from our appartement; surely that wouldn't take us long--one little half mile.  And Fernando suggested he carry both the camera bag and my tripod!  So, away we stepped, down boulevard Henri IV, toward the Seine.  We crossed the last road before the bridge, and...

Our first view of the Seine River was glorious, with pont Marie lit up in the distance.

A bridge, pont Marie, on the Seine.

Pont Marie, along the Seine.

Detail of pont Marie.

Yes, I spent a lot of time photographing that bridge.  It was glorious, lit up like a dream.  I loved it.  Fernando loved it, too--we decided that we would kiss each time Ellie (my camera) took one of the long-exposure photos required to capture all the beauty we saw.  Needless to say, Fernando encouraged me to take lots of pictures.

We continued on, looking across the river to Ile de la Cité and another first glimpse--this time of Notre Dame.  I love the reflections of the lights on the water.

Looking across the Seine River to Ile de la Cité and Notre Dame.

Scene along the Seine River.  Pont d'Arcole, with the greenish railing, is the first bridge.

Another Seine River scene, featuring pont Notre Dame.

We wended our way across bridges and onto islands, to pont Archèveché (below).  Legend has it that you're supposed to purchase a padlock, write your names on it, lock it to this fence, and throw the key into the river.  In this way, you seal your love for all eternity.  We didn't purchase a lock, but we'll do that when we return.  ;)

Lovers' locks along pont Archèveché.

There were so many lights shining, that I couldn't help noticing the spider webs woven into the railings along the bridges.  I didn't want to take the time to switch to my macro lens, so the below was the best I could do.  Yes, people were wondering what I was doing.  But hey--I was in Paris, and I was just another one of those crazy American tourists, I'm sure.

A spider illuminated by the many lamps along a bridge over the Seine River.

This was the most romantic evening!  I still can't believe we did all that we did that first day in Paris.  But I'll tell you something else--it's not all we did!  But that will be a future post.  :)


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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St. Sulpice | Paris Travel

View of le jardin du Trocadéro from the top of the Eiffel Tower.

Our Silver Paris

Welcome to my Paris travel journal,

where I share our experiences of our special journey to Paris.

Please use these posts as a guide for your own travels

to this amazing and wonderful city!

Or simply read, and dream...

On our first, and very adventurous, day in Paris, we not only braved the Métro, the crazy maze of city streets, a bustling organic farmers market, and a busy, hot, and dusty jardin du Luxembourg, we continued following the walking tour book to one last destination.  Remember when we left the jardin, and a street musician played his music box, seemingly just for us?

Well, we stopped to listen for just a little bit, then literally had to turn our backs to him and head in the opposite direction, just for a block.  We spotted this shop on the corner where we were supposed to turn:

La Maison de Poupée, just outside le Jardin du Luxembourg.

This English speaker thinks that's a funny name for a shop.  But of course, it's French.  It looks like there are dolls and tea sets and such in the windows.  Too bad it was closed--though Fernando would not have wanted to go in and browse.  :)

We turned north to stroll up rue Servandoni, a narrow cobblestone street leading to the side of the church, St. Sulpice, which would be our final destination for the afternoon's walk.

Looking down rue Servandoni, just outside le Jardin du Luxembourg.

What a pretty street!  Just a block long, and wide enough for one car to drive through--notice the lack of sidewalk!  We stopped at No. 14 to admire the massive carved doors.  The right door contains a depiction of Giovanni Servandoni, the Florentine who was the principal architect of St. Sulpice.  I took a picture of the door on the left, which was beautifully carved, below.

Carving on a massive wood door at No. 14, rue Servandoni.

At the end of the street, we turned to the left and caught our first glimpse of St. Sulpice.

One of the towers of St. Sulpice

We were struck by the immense height of this church, whose top and towers rose up above all the other buildings in the area.  We read the tour book (Paris Walks, ISBN 0-7627-4160-0) again:  "Inside, check out the..."  Well, I guess we could just walk in.  There was a door right there along this side of the building, so we opened it, stepped into a foyer, then opened the door on our left.  We stepped into the sanctuary.  My reaction:  *breathless*

After the longest time, we slowly and reverently, like everyone else, walked around the sanctuary.

Mural on the wall of the sanctuary at St. Sulpice.

 The organ at St. Sulpice.

 One of the chapels along the side of the sanctuary at St. Sulpice.

Candles aglow in another chapel along the side of the sanctuary.

This part of the walking tour was not really in our sights.  We had no thought of visiting this church, or going inside.  But, we were so glad we followed along with the tour book.  Finally, after a sweet time inside, we made our way out of the main doors of St. Sulpice and walked out onto place St. Sulpice.  Turning around, we saw the façade of St. Sulpice in all its glory.

Notice the two towers in the photo above?  Yes, they are unequal!  This was the result of too many hands in the pot.  A host of of various architects, a great deal of meddling, and this was the consequence!

Have you seen the movie The Da Vinci Code?  St. Sulpice is central to that movie:

It is here that the meridian line crosses Paris, and inside the church is the mysterious gnomon...  The gnomon at the transept crossing is a large-scale sundial.  It consists of a white marble obelisk in the north transept, inlaid with a brass line that crosses the floor along Paris's original north/south meridian.  From this, the obelisk is linked to a square plaque.  An optical device in the south transept window originally focused the sun's rays on the gnomon.  The lens is now missing but, on the summer solstice, a disc of light falls on the floor plaque, and at the winter solstice it falls upon the obelisk.  During the spring and autumn equinox the oval plaque in front of the altar is illuminated.  ~From the book 24 Great Walks in Paris by Frommer's(R), pp137-8.  (ISBN 978-0-470-22897-5)

To get an idea of just how massive this church is, check out the below photo, which I took from the top of the Eiffel Tower.  In the foreground, you can see the gold dome of Église du Dome.  Look beyond, and you will see the two unequal towers of St. Sulpice rising up out of the maze of buildings surrounding it.

In place St. Sulpice, you can see this:

Fontaine des Quatre Evêques, in place St. Sulpice.
(Fountain of the Four Bishops)

I used a little artistic license to capture both the church and the fountain together, below.

I was actually happy to have just skimmed the two tour books we had before taking this particular walk.  The surprise and delight of St. Sulpice were totally worth the not knowing.  And now we know.  :)


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Jardin du Luxembourg | Paris Travel

View of le Tour Eiffel from le jardin du Trocadéro

Our Silver Paris

Welcome to my Paris travel journal,

where I share our experiences on our special journey to Paris.

Please use these posts as a guide

for your own travels to this amazing and wonderful city!

Or simply read, and dream...

After our jaunt to le Marché Biologique, we continued walking around the St-Germain area, following the directions in our On-Foot Guide (Paris Walks; ISBN 0-7627-4160-0; look for an updated version).  This particular walk ("Shamelessly Chic") guided us through the 7th Arrondissement and the marché, then into the 6th Arrondissement and le jardin du Luxembourg.

This elegant garden contains fountains and statues, chestnut trees and flowers, playgrounds and chess tables.

Promenade through le Jardin du Luxembourg.

Beyond the gardens and statues lies the Palais du Luxembourg, now the seat of the French Senate.  The palais was built for Marie de Médicis (the widow of Henri IV) to remind her of her native Florence.

Le Palais du Luxembourg.

Guarded by gendarmes and surrounded by pathways and cultivated gardens, the palais is a beautiful sight.

Standing in the gardens, we caught a glimpse of another famous structure.  :)  That landmark will have to wait for another day.

A glimpse of le Tour Eiffel at le Jardin du Luxembourg.

Walking the promenades, you can spot people sunbathing, relaxing, reading a book, or chatting with family or friends.

We happened upon an artist painting the scene before her with pastels.  I was blessed to catch a photo of her, for she was soon surrounded by onlookers and admirers.

As we walked around the front of the palais, we stopped to admire some flowers along the path.

A few paces more and we stopped in front of a fountain.  I just love water, and could sit here all day listening to the gurgling as I read a book or relax in the warmth.  *sigh*

Even though the September day we walked le jardin was rather hot, we enjoyed our stroll.  As we exited the gardens, we were delighted to hear, then see, a street musician playing his music box of old.  What a great way to end our tour of the gardens.  :)

Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Riding the Métro | Paris Travel

From the top of l'Arc de Triomphe, looking toward modern Paris

Our Silver Paris

Welcome to my Paris travel journal,

where I share our experiences on our special journey to Paris.

Please use these posts as a guide

for your own travels to this amazing and wonderful city!

Or simply sit, read, and dream...

Street map, used Métro tickets, and some euros.

On our first full day in Paris, we decided to brave the Métro and visit the St-Germain area in the 7th arrondissement (district--Paris is divided into 18 arrondissements).  Since our appartement was located in the 4th arrondissement, we knew our Métro ride would involve a train change.  We figured we would just jump right in, figure it out, and be set for the rest of the week.  Which did happen, after much of the aforesaid bravery.  :)

Waiting for the Métro train.

The Métro is fairly simple to use, and we were hopping on and off like pros after just a few days' practice.  Métro stations are identified at street level by a large circled "M" or a sign indicating that it is a Métro station.  Once you enter a station (usually underground), follow the signs for the line you want (there are maybe a dozen different lines; some stations service only one line and some stations are "exchanges" that serve multiple lines).  Put your billet (ticket) into the slot at the barrier and grab it when it comes out.

Side Note:  Hang on to your ticket until you exit the station; you may need it to exit in some places, or you may need to show it to the ticket checkers if they are present.  (Ticket checkers = officials who have the authority to check to make sure you've used a ticket for that particular ride; if you can't show proof with your ticket, you must pay a fine.)  If you're not sure, take your cue from the local residents--on our Friday night Métro ride, we encountered ticket checkers upon exiting.  We saw everyone stopped, showing their tickets (or Métro passes), so we got ours out and showed them to them.  I'm so glad I read about it first so I knew what was going on!

Once you're through the turnstile, there are maps that show the stations along that train line's path.  You find the station you want on the map, and you follow the arrows to the train.  Once the train comes, hop on and wait for your station.  Then hop off.  Easy peasy.

Métro sign and entrance.

Side note:  Purchase a carnet (packet of 10) tickets at the airport so you're set to go once you're in the city.  Or, you can purchase tickets at the machines once you enter the station.  American credit cards won't work, so plan to use Euros--both paper and coins work in the machines.  There are usually attendants on duty to help if you get stuck; we had a very helpful attendant the first time we tried it.

One thing I missed in my reading about using the Métro is the fact that various musicians and performers may enliven our ride as they hop on, play a classical (or contemporary) piece, accept tips, and leave the train car.  We were pleasantly surprised the first time this happened, and we were "serenaded" by a violinist playing traditional French music.  I wish I had snapped a picture!  We were "serenaded" on all but one ride.

Our most memorable musical Métro ride occurred when we went to an American Express office to exchange dollars for euros.  We sat right at the entrance to the train car; there is an open space with a pole in the center for standers when the train is full.  There are seats on either side of the pole, facing each other.  Fernando sat in one seat and I sat facing him, and the train took off.  At the next stop, three men got on--one older gentleman with an accordion, and two young guys, one carrying what amounted to a boombox.  They flipped on the recorded music, the man started playing his accordion, and the two young guys started singing.  Rap.  In French.  It was rather funny.  Then one of the young men (pink-shirted guy, below) started dancing and swaying as he sang.

Okay; still rather amusing.  Then the pink-shirt guy (above; he also wore bright, tight lime green pants!) started dancing around, and ended up in front of me.  At which point he started a bump and grind dance.  (It's good if you don't know what that is.)  I was laughing, hiding my eyes, and peeking around him toward Fernando as I mouthed, "Help!"

Of course he offered me his "tip cup" afterward.  Handy phrase:  "Je n'ai pas d'argent."  (I have no money!)  Which was true--Fernando had everything in my camera bag in his lap.

What an experience!  We laughed about it, for there was nothing else we could do, and continued on our journey.

Coming up from the Métro; our last ride.

Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Project 2012 -- Week 40

Project 2012 -- Week 40

September 30 - October 6

Welcome to my Project 2012 weekly post!  This is my time for looking back over the past week, choosing my seven favorites images, and sharing them here with you.  If you have a project you're working on, please leave a comment so I can visit your blog and see what you're up to!

I wasn't sure I was going to use Ellie at all this week, until I got a phone call and scheduled a mini family portrait session.  The client wanted to shoot at a particular park, and even though it was just a few miles from my home, I had no idea it even existed, let alone what it looked like--if it was uncluttered (I hate getting power lines, houses, etc. in my backgrounds!), if there were trees (most of this area is former farmland), if there'd be some good portrait locations...

I also knew I'd better scope it out beforehand, so I could figure out the above issues and get a good idea of where in that park I wanted to shoot.  One more and:  the weather would be changing, so I'd better scope it out soon!  Wednesday was the key day, but I didn't get the car until 3:00, when Danny got home from college classes.  He hopped out, I hopped in, and several minutes later I was in the parking lot.

This scene greeted me literally steps from the edge of the stone parking lot:

[276] Bridge at Knoch Knolls Park

Oh, yeah.  I think this location will work.  I also think this location will be the spot for many future portrait sessions!  Sigh--I just love autumn.  And the below scene--a beautiful frame of trees and tree branches, and a huge log sitting there begging to be sat on by portrait subjects!

[277] Great portrait location

I snapped shots of several great shooting sites at this park.  I was thrilled to find and mentally catalog a new shoot location!  Then, I pulled out my macro lens and went in search of some beautiful autumn details.  The below is one of my favorite macro shots from that afternoon.

[278] Leaf on bark

There were several kinds of wildflowers still happily blooming away.  Little did they know that there was a 20-degree temperature drop and extreme weather change just 12 little hours away!

[279] The last summer flowers

A few days later, once the sun came out, we donned shoes and socks, jackets and work gloves, and headed out to the garden for the last of the harvest chores.

[280] Picking cayenne

Danny worked hard to transplant my sage plant from my veggie garden to the front sun garden.  I don't use sage often, the critters won't eat it, and the blooms are pretty enough for it to belong in that garden.  I wanted to free up some space in my veggie garden for growing other veggies.

 [281] Transplant

The below tree is pretty special.  Twenty-one years ago, my dad received two 12-inch-high "sticks" that were baby maple trees, and he gave them to our family.  We planted them in our back yard (we were living on the other side of town then), put little fences around them, and watched them grow.  Well, one of the fences somehow disappeared and the little stick tree got mowed over.  But the other one survived and grew a little.  Then we moved.

We dug up that little tree, maybe two feet tall or so, and since we weren't in a new house yet (long story), my parents planted the tree in their own back yard.  Then, in the spring, when we finally moved into the house where we currently live, the tree was dug up yet again and planted in our new back yard.  That was 14 years ago.  For a 21-year-old tree, it's not very big.  But having survived a lawnmower and being planted/dug up several times, I'd say this tree is doing very well!

We call it Jacob's Tree because my dad gave it to us in April, and Jacob was not quite three months old.  It simply became his tree.  :)

[282] Jacob's tree

I love autumn.  This is my favorite time of year.  I'm planning on getting out there as the leaves turn amazing colors and the air becomes crisp and chilly, as my shoes crunch the autumn ground underneath, walking nature's paths.


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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Le Marché Biologique | Paris Travel

View from the top of the Eiffel Tower, featuring Église du Dome.

 Our Silver Paris

Welcome to my Paris travel journal,

where I share our experiences of a special journey to Paris.

Please use these posts as a guide

for your own travels to this amazing and wonderful city!

Or simply sit, read, and dream...

Our first full day in Paris was a Sunday.  Although we managed to get a full night's sleep, we were still tired and not sure what we wanted to do our first day.  Before we left, we talked about maybe sticking close to our appartement for the first few days, exploring the city little by little, and then branching out further afield as the week progressed.  But then I read one of our walking tours of Paris books.

Le Marché Biologique.  If I wasn't mistaken, this was an outdoor organic market.  Sure enough, the guide books confirmed it.  We love organic food, knowing our farmer, buying raw ingredients, and all that.  So I really wanted to go to this market, even just to wander and see if it was anything like American farmers markets.  According to Paris Walks:

On Sunday mornings, the excellent Marché Biologique, an organic farmers' market, extends along the middle of boulevard Raspail as far as rue de Rennes.  Full of the aroma of peaches, cheeses and potato galettes being cooked for instant consumption, this is the only Parisian market where you will find country farmers selling their produce--but don't expect country prices.  (p. 54)

Well, of course not (prices)!  It's an organic market and we already know that organic = more money.

To begin our journey, we muddled our way through The Métro, and got off at station rue du Bac.  We really were on our way!

rue de Luynes/square de Luynes, 7th Arrondissement

I pride myself on being a good map reader, with a great sense of direction (north, south, east, and west!).  However, I'm used to Chicago-style streets--square blocks, and streets that go north-south, or east-west.  Parisian streets criss-cross every which way, meeting at points and creating triangle patterns everywhere.  (Just look at that feature photo above!!)  It's almost as if a city planner took a bunch of Tinker Toy sticks, dropped them onto the floor, then traced the pattern on architect's paper.  I was lost.

Eventually by chance or mishap--or my husband's keen visual skills--we found ourselves at the entrance to le Marché Biologique.

The "entrance" to le Marché Biologique

Needless to say, it was packed, and when we read about this market later that night, we discovered that it is the place where the Parisian upper crust shop for their fresh produce.  We were doubly out of our element, and we didn't even know it!  Mostly in French, we bought some rice and pasta from a friendly vendor, and went on.

Flower vendor at le Marché Biologique (organic market) in St-Germain.

We asked a baker if he spoke English, and he responded, "Vous êtes en France; vous parlez français!" with a grin.  Ooookay.   (You're in France; you speak French!)

"Je voudrais du pain, s'il vous plaît, monsieur!"  (I would like some bread, please!)

With the help of a friendly young Frenchwoman standing next to me, along with my own broken French and lots of pantomime, the gentleman cut half a loaf of spelt bread for us and cheerfully took our money and made change.  We loved it!

We also purchased a crêpe au poire (pear) from another vendor, and ate it up lickety-split.  (Of course that means that we licked our fingers clean.)

We also managed to purchase some fresh vegetables, but weren't able to purchase a rotisserie chicken (read about that story here), then we were on our way for the rest of our walk.  What a great way to begin our French vacation together!

Le Marché Biologique along boulevard Raspail in St-Germain.

Just a few blocks from le marché lay a beautiful park, and that was where we were headed.

Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

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