Gordon gains perspective at the Place du Tertre.
This morning, I joined the Schullers for breakfast again and discussed plans for the day. Paul and Johanna wanted to use the Métro today and go to Les Invalides in the morning and then ride to Monmartre for lunch and to see Sacré Coeur Church in the afternoon. Louis had given them day passes for the subway, but I would have to buy my own. They said they'd show me how to buy one in the machine at Bastille Station, so we headed back to our rooms.
While we were in the lobby, we ran into Jack Thomas as he was heading out somewhere. He was the only other member of the Survey Tour who had stayed over, and soon he was gone, and we would not see him again.
I knew the Robinsons were flying here from Houston today, but I had no way of knowing when they'd be at the hotel, so I needed to let them know what we were doing. Back up in the room, I wrote a note saying we'd be gone till late in the afternoon, but would join them when we returned. This I left with the desk clerk.
Now we exited the Villa Beaumarchais, took a right, and were soon on the boulevard for which the hotel was named. Another right, and a few blocks more, and we arrived at the Place de la Bastille. We crossed over to the traffic circle, and went down the stairs into the large subway station.
Musicians in the Metro
We started our travels at the Bastille Metro Station.
As we went down, we could hear groups of musicians playing even at this early hour. Sometimes individual musicians even went onto the subway cars and played. Basically, Paul showed me how to put money into the wall machine to buy a day pass. I put in the number of euros required and received a "ticket mobilis" which allowed me to travel all over central Paris for the day.
We put our tickets through the turnstile, retrieved them as they came through the machine, and walked on in. Then we were free to go to whichever numbered line this station served. I followed Johanna and Paul to the platform where we could catch Metro Line 1 to go west toward Les Invalides. They had the route mapped out, and we changed lines once before heading over to the Left Bank and to the Ecole Militaire station.
The walk to the museum was long, and we decided to try for a closer metro station when we left. Paul and I shot a few pics as we approached Les Invalides from the rear. The name comes from the use of this place as a home and hospital for French military veterans, often suffering from war wounds, in old age.
We cross to the grounds of Les Invalides.
To my mind, the place is unalterably associated with Napoleon, because he is buried here and basically made it his own when he was Emperor; many of the exhibits chronicle his military career, but Les Invalides was built by Louis XIV for the country's wounded veterans back in the 1600's. Shortly after the completion of the first phase, King Louis added the in-house cathedral with its landmark golden dome which dominates this part of Paris.
Before going around to the Church of the Dome, we stopped at an annex on the extensive grounds and bought tickets and went to "les toilettes." This was also the souvenir shop. Then we walked around to the rear of the complex, because that entrance put us where we wanted to go first. Paul shot a few pics of me near the ornate bronze door, and then we entered the Church of the Dome. Napoleon's tomb lay below us directly under the dome.
We entered the complex through The Church of the Dome, which is on the back side facing away from the Seine towards the Left Bank neighborhood.
Paul suggested I put my hand inside my jacket, and that cracked me up.
Here rests Napoleon Bonaparte.
Johanna had been here before and knew the place well. We looked down upon Napoleon's tomb from above and feasted our eyes on this beautiful interior. Sure enough as I'd seen in numerous classroom films, it lay directly under the dome downstairs from the entrance level. Soon, we went downstairs to see other tombs and displays. We looked at monuments commemorating his victories, other major moments in French military history, and the tombs of his
sons.
Beneath this dome is not a bad eternal resting place.
Tomb of son of Napoleon
Tomb of Marshal Turenne. He died in 1675 and was a major military hero, but he was also the namesake of the street behind our hotel!
"Everywhere my reign has gone, it has left lasting benefits."
Then we went upstairs to examine the altar at the back of the main room. It was built in front of a clear glass wall so it was visible from both sides. Behind it lay a large, impressive-looking church which formed the center of this entire complex. Its entrance was at the opposite end from where we were standing, so now we walked around to it.
Johanna was very knowledgeable about this entire compound, and the large church the veterans had in the middle of their "home" certainly gave the impression that this place was meant take care of their souls as well as their bodies.
Next, we went outside to the Court of Honor where troops would drill and be reviewed by Napoleon, and many of the cannons his soldiers captured were on display.
Johanna strolls across the Cour d'Honneur on a cold, cloudy morning.
Screening off restoration work
Something very noticeable today was the transformational effect of sunlight when clouds passed and we could see the limestone walls in the clear light of day.
Paul takes the same stroll later after the clouds parted and sunlight came through.
Paul and I checked out the view from the front porch.
Facing the Seine and the Czar Alexander Bridge
Briefly, I walked to the porch outside the Court of Honor and shot this picture of the front gate of Les Invalides and of the beautiful Czar Alexander Bridge beyond. The glass-roofed building flying the French flag and to the left is an exhibition hall.
Once we detoured to the facilities and found an exhibit dedicated exclusively to Charles de Gaulle. If time had allowed, I would really have liked to see it, but I also wanted to go into the large Military Museum, and we could not do everything and still go over to Monmartre.
I knew personal items belonging to Napoleon were among the displays, and I wanted to see them. The Schullers seemed okay with that idea, and what else we would find, we would soon find out.
The Military Museum
Much to my surprise, one of the first things I found after I went upstairs was an entire room dedicated to the Battle of Yorktown in the American Revolution! Here was a large oil portrait of French General Rochambeau and detailed maps of the American, French, and British troop and ship positions at Chesapeake Bay in the last battle of the Revolutionary War in 1781.
The French are clearly proud of their decisive role in the American victory over the British. They are our oldest ally. Americans should be keenly aware of this. It is definitely a point that our history teachers need to drive home. No wonder the first American soldiers who arrived in France in WW I yelled, "Lafayette, we are here!"
Rochambeau
Interactive map showing troop deployments at the Battle of Yorktown--In the French Military Museum
In this particular battle, my sons and I had nine relatives fighting on the American side, two of whom were direct ancestors.
French ships in red kept Cornwallis from withdrawing by sea, so surrounded on land by both
American and French troops, he was forced to surrender.
Then I said good-bye to General Rochambeau and went looking for old La Fayette. I did not have far to go; he was right across the hall--a bust of him, that is. Near the statue of the Marquis was a piece of the Bastille. Of course, it was the famous fortress torn down during the French Revolution at the location of the huge traffic circle and Metro station we had just come from.
George Washington's right-hand man--the Marquis de La Fayette
Stone from the Bastille
I now explored more displays and found Napoleon's last horse--stuffed of course. It was an Arabian stallion named Vizir. Then I found a large display that included his tent, coat, hat, and numerous other belongings. These were not Marlon Brando's costumes, but the actual things Napoleon wore and used. Clearly, many of the French still admire him, or this entire set-up would not exist.
After over 200 years, Napoleon's horse seems to have lost weight and be a little the worse for wear.
Somehow, this pic from my cell phone shows the horse a little whiter.
Well, how will Trigger look in 200 years?
Napoleon's horse was easily identified.
Officers uniforms (with Gordon in mirror behind)
The Emperor's (old) Clothes, etc.
History's verdict on Napoleon is mixed, but many of the French obviously admire him. As his own quote from the Church of the Dome said, he brought lasting benefits, e. g., the end of the Reign of Terror, the Code Napoleon of laws, the metric system, and (from our viewpoint) the sale of the Louisiana Territory to the United States. (That's how we got Oklahoma, along with most of the land from the Mississippi to the Pacific.) Mistakes like invading Russia or causing so many war deaths cannot be excused, but there were accomplishments that few would deny.
When we exited Les Invalides, I was really taken with the beauty of the exterior in full sunlight. It almost looked like a different building from the one we'd seen in the cold, cloudy perspective of morning.
The bronze double-door was made from cannons captured at the Battle of Austerlitz.
Gendarmes walk in front of the Church of the Dome. I had visited Les Invalides, and the frustration of having missed it up until now just fell away. Thank you, Paul and Johanna!!
Now, we walked to a closer Métro station than we found this morning, used our passes, and boarded a line going to the Place Vendôme. There we would change to another line which would take us to Monmartre--specifically to the Abbesses Station. I was also looking forward to this because Monmartre had long been a haunt of artists and la vie bohème--far removed from the Left Bank, but just as significant. Here, we would be on a high hill with a wonderful view of Paris and could visit the magnificent Sacré Coeur Basilica, which classmate Ann Murphy had praised to the sky. This was the location of what was once a hilly, rural area near Paris--a place so high and windy that windmills once dotted it.
So soon, we were on our way to the Vendôme Station. When we arrived, we simply changed lines underground as usual. We never went up to see the Place Vendôme. Then we headed to Abbesses, and in less than ten minutes, we were there. Next, the Scullers and I found an elevator to go far up the hill to the exit. Now we boarded the largest elevator car I have ever seen and headed up the hill. The entrance doors were on the front, and the exit doors were on the back. So next we simply turned around and headed out to the stairs that led to the station entrance/exit.
When we emerged high up on street level, I was surprised to find a famous art nouveau métro entrance pictured in numerous high-school French books. So I proceeded to photograph it, too.
Abbesses Métro Station in Monmartre
We walked until we found a long set of steps leading up the enormous hill we were on. Next, we found the funicular and rode it to a spot just below the steps of Sacré Coeur. Now, instead of heading to the front of the basilica, we went left and stayed behind it. We were looking for a place to have lunch, and that's when we came upon the Place du Tertre (Turtle Square), which excited me even more than the subway entrance.
La Place du Tertre is a very famous Monmartre square at the top of the hill where artists have gathered for a couple of centuries. I was delighted! People were sitting while artists drew their pictures, and displays of finished paintings, pieces of sculpture, etc., were on display around the perimeter, so I shot a few pictures, and Paul was nice enough to take some of me.
La Place du Tertre
The Schullers had been here before and suggested we eat lunch at a corner café right on the square called Au Clarion des Chasseurs (At the Hunters' Horn), so next we walked into the crowded eaterie and were fortunate to get a table right by the window where we could observe all the passers-by! By now we were all hungry and ready to sit down. I was so happy to be able to have lunch and watch the goings-on at the Place du Tertre, I could hardly contain myself, so I shot pictures from inside the place as we sat and visited.
Johanna at lunch Au Clarion des Chasseurs
I do not remember what the Schullers had for lunch, but I saw Salade Niçoise on the menu and ordered that. It's a sort of chef salad made famous in Nice, France. It has lettuce and other veggies mixed with chunks of tuna, boiled eggs, anchovies, rice, corn, etc. Mine turned out to be very good along with plenty of crunchy French bread. Here I finally photographed my food, but by the time I thought to do so, I had mixed everything together and eating it was well underway.
Salade Niçoise in Monmartre
After a satisfying lunch and time to gather ourselves together, it was time to head over to Sacré Coeur, which was only a short distance from the place du Tertre. So we exited the café and headed back back down Rue Norvins. Soon we were in front of this magnificent, white structure (begun in 1875 and finished in 1919). I was anxious to go inside, but almost as intent on turning around and looking at the awesome view of Paris from atop this magnificent hill.
After we climbed this last set of formidable steps, we were awed by the view of Paris from this highest point in the city. We drank it to the dregs, and of course, I shot some pictures. What I shot now of Paris and the Basilica were mostly in shadows cast by clouds. The contrast with the scene when we exited later was spectacular. The travertine of which Sacré Coeur was built was deliberately chosen from a particular quarry because it constantly exudes calcite. This makes the exterior white--despite weathering and pollution--and in direct sunlight, the effect is amazing.
La Basilique de Sacré Coeur de Monmartre
It seemed we were climbing steps until the last moment before entering,
but when we turned around and looked, the view was worth the climb!
A pigeon sitting on the roof could see this!
(Notice the lightening rod.)
Pictures were not allowed inside the church, so I will include a few Google Images; even they hardly do it justice. I was really impressed by the beauty of the interior, especially of the ceiling of the apse above the altar and the dome in front of it. I was glad to be here at long last! When we had finished touring the inside, we spent some time in the souvenir shop, and I purchased some beautiful stained-glass panels representing the art in this particular building.
The image of Christ on the ceiling above the altar was transporting! The Apse Mosaic, done in the 1920's, is one of the largest in the world. It is absolutely gorgeous and reminded of the mosaic artwork at Baqsilique Fourvière in Lyon. Both reflect interest in Byzantine style.
Behind choir, St. Peter points up to Christ.
When we emerged from Sacré Coeur, the sun was shining through scattered clouds, and we paused for some pictures of the front. I was surprised by the intense white glow of the building in sunlight versus the rather gray look when clouds were passing as we entered. We took more pictures, and Paul was again gracious enough to shoot a few of me.
As we came out of Sacré Coeur
What a place! What a View!
Au Revoir, Sacré Coeur
At this point, the Schullers and I had a confab about where to go next. Once we went back to the Metro, we would need to know which lines to take, so Johanna suggested that we make our way to the Arc de Triomphe and go up to the observation deck on top of it. Paul and I were tired and pleaded for a return to the hotel.
To sum it up, the majority ruled. We decided to ride from Abbesses to the nearest connection to Line 1 and to go back to the Bastille Station. I wanted to check on the Robinsons and to rest before dinner. Simply, Paul and I were pooped, and Johanna went along with us.
We now found our way back back to the funicular, went down it, and walked a different route to Abbesses. When we got there, people were all over the place. It was a Friday afternoon, schools had just let out, and a large, animated group of school children accompanied by their teacher came onto that enormous elevator car in which all traveled down the hill. The children were their usual cute French selves as they stayed together until reaching the platform at the bottom of the hill where they exited to the street. This appeared to be part of their daily routine.
Looking away from the school kids, I turned to Johanna and said, "French children are beautiful." Without hesitation, she replied, "Gordon, all children are beautiful." Somehow in hindsight, I think this may have been one of the most important moments of the trip.
Now we used our day passes and went back the way we came to the exchange point for Line 1. We soon boarded a Metro train headed east, and in very little time, we were at Bastille--just a little ahead of the big, Friday-afternoon crush, but not by much. Then we crossed over to Boulevard Beaumarchais and headed to Rue des Arquebusiers. On the way, I took note of a restaurant called Le Bar à Huîtres (The Oyster Bar). It had seafood displays that had caught my attention several times.
Back at the Villa Beaumarchais, the clerk said the Robinsons had checked in and left me a reply note. Laron wrote that their flight went fine and they are going to the nearby Picasso Museum while they had the chance. That was a wise move. It had just reopened and was very popular. I simply left another note asking them to call me when they returned.
The Schullers and I went up to our rooms with the understanding that I would call them when I learned more and we would plan on going to dinner tonight with the Robinsons. Back in the room, I put my stained-glass souvenirs away, rested, and cleaned up for the evening. In about an hour, Laron called, and we agreed on a time to meet in the lobby. I relayed the info to the Schullers and lay down to rest happy in the knowledge that this whole thing really seemed to be coming together as planned!
A little before the appointed time, I went down the elevator and sat on one of the tufted leather couches across from it. In a little while, Laron and Jana emerged, and was I ever happy to see them!
What a thrill it was to be with these wonderful friends in Paris! The Schullers soon joined us, and after introductions, they named a nearby restaurant they had in mind for dinner, but instead, I suggested Le Bar à Huîtres over on Beaumarchais.
There were several seafood places in the Marais, we'd passed this one several times, and I had a hankering to eat there. Louis said earlier that in Paris, seafood was readily available and not too expensive because it was so convenient to bring it in from Le Havre right up the Seine. Well, the Schullers went along with my idea, but when this was all over, I wished I'd gone along with theirs.
The time was around 6:30 or 7:00--way earlier than this restaurant became busy. When we walked in, the staff was shooting the breeze around the bar and seemed surprised to have customers so early. We were the only ones in the place. A waiter showed us around to the windowed area near the street that I'd noticed earlier.
When I saw this through the window, I was hooked, no pun intended.
Clawless European lobsters in the tank
We were in the far corner.
As we found our places, I was seated facing the glass windows and across from the Robinsons. There was a "patio heater" in the corner behind me, and I soon felt heat from that on my head! When the waiter came to take our orders, and it took a long time for that to happen, I complained about the heat. He did reduce it, and that helped, but the first impression the place made on me was not good.
I think I ordered crevettes (shrimp), and the prices were higher than the Schullers and I were used to. We waited to be served and visited pleasantly. Bread and wine and water were brought, eventually our food arrived, and it was "good enough," but I am like a good Cajun; I enjoy lagniappe, and this place did not give us "a little something extra."
Everyone else seemed to like the eatery okay, the Robinsons said it was fine with them, but this drove home the lesson that Ben had often preached to me, "Look for a place off the beaten path where you see lots of customers." This restaurant was on a major thoroughfare and near the Place des Vosges to boot.
Having finished the dinner, we walked back to the hotel and discussed our plans for tomorrow morning. Paul Schuller talked to the clerk about transfer arrangements because they would be leaving early for the airport. When he came over to us, I thanked him and Johanna profusely for their guidance and fellowship over the past two days, gave her a hug, and wished them a cordial farewell.
Laron and Jana and I agreed on a time to come to breakfast and to tour the Marais in the morning on the way to the Centre Pompidou. We would spend most of the morning at the museum, have lunch, and take the Metro over to the Palais Garnier. There we'd scout out the area before returning to the hotel to rest up for the opera tomorrow night!
All three of us had tickets to the Mozart's The Abduction from the Seraglio. We'd bought them online back in early September, and we were really looking forward just to being in that awesome, famous, old theater for hours tomorrow night and experiencing a wonderful opera with music to match! So far, things were coming together marvelously well!
Fin
Hors d'Oeuvres:
1. What might have been is not as important as what was. What might have happened was four days on my own without guides in the gigantic capital of a foreign country. That was the original plan, and I would have adjusted and made the most of it. Miriam Stauff had done a fine job of getting around Paris and northern France days before the tour started, and I think I would have done okay on my own.
2. Fortunately, I will never know because the Schullers stayed over and were terrific company, knew Paris rather well, and had scholarly priorities. We had the same interests and much in common, and Johanna's knowledge of France, its history, and the French language was simply amazing!
3. Now, I would be without them or anyone else from Survey of France, but friends had arrived from Texas, and together we would take this place on! I prayed for the know-how to do what was needed.
4. To finish this project, I still have NINE more of these to do. Saint Joan, pray for me!
