Journal Entry 22--The Last Day of Survey of France--Paris Day Two--Wednesday Nov. 5, 2014

Journal Entry 22--Last Day of Survey of France--Paris Day Two--Wednesday Nov. 5, 2014

Eiffel Tower from bateau-mouche during farewell dinner on the Seine

 



     This morning at breakfast, we ate hearty and discussed our varied evenings before.  Neither Chris nor Florence showed much enthusiasm for the performances they had seen, but the Andrews, Kratovils, and I spared no words of praise for the concert we had attended.  Howard said he wanted to be sure to give me a copy of a "walking tour of the Marais" a friend of his had written.
     Most discussed travel arrangements for tomorrow morning, but I had no such concerns.  My main thoughts centered around whether to stay in Paris or take the train to Chartres on the one full day here I would have entitrely to myself.  The Robinsons were arriving on Friday.
     After an unhurried time back in the rooms, we met in the lobby at 9:00 and boarded the bus for the Louvre.  We were going on what Roadscholar termed and "Independent Exploration."  Just what that meant we would soon find out.  Nicolas did  his usual fine job of negotiating the traffic, and we were soon near the Louvre.  Nicolas let us out on the "city side" of the museum just off the Rue de Rivoli.

 Before we entered the mall, I shot  few pictures of the large, central courtyard.

 

Arc du Carousel in distance and young man on a Paris rental bike

 



Two unbelievably long wings make this museum gigantic. (Smith in shadow)

 



     We carefully disembarked, and Louis led us through a side entrance to the Carrousel du Louvre, a lengthy,  two-level shopping mall with a large food court that connects at some distance to the main lobby of the museum.  There was method in his madness because at this hour the mall was much less crowded than the museum entrance.  Louis pointed out the area where we would have lunch and designated the Inverted Pyramid at the end of the mall as the place for us all to rendez-vous later when we were finished with the museum.

We were all to meet at the Inverted Pyramid.

 



     Ben and I had been here in 2012, and I well knew how inexhaustible it is.  Also, I knew I would be returning here next week, so I was determined to see one area that we had merely skirted by two years ago,  Ancient Egypt.

 Central Courtyard of the Louvre at night--with skylight Pyramid
 

 

 

Lobby under skylight

 

 



     After clearly pointing out the Inverted Pyramid as our après-musée meeting  place, Louis led us down the hall to the underground lobby, lit by I. M. Pei's famous Pyramid skylight above.  Here he pointed to the three main sections--Sully, Denon, and Richilieu--then purchased our tickets, gave us maps, wished us well, and reiterated the meeting place and time.

   Now, we were on our own to explore the Louvre.  Since Egyptian anitiquities were in the Sully Section, I went up the central escalator and then back down to my destination.  I went to the lowest level.  I was very dependent on the map, but I remembered being here before and where I needed to go.
 

Model of wall of the original castle in front of same

 These  original castle walls were discovered during the revamp, so they were turned into a display.

 



 



    For a while, I went around the base of the original castle that Philippe Auguste had build in the 12th century--hundreds of years before Francois I remodeled it into Renaissance style.  My route was circuitous, and I admit having a hard time finding my way back to the main entrance when I was finished, but I did find the Egyptian exhibit right where Ben and had left it two years ago, and I became mesmerized by the hieroglyphics, which were often translated into French.
    From this point,  I will mainly let pictures speak for themselves--of my "morning in Egypt" and  of art students from all over the world spread around the Louvre copying  paintings and drawing statues.  We were allowed to use our cameras without flash, so I did, along with many others.

Egyptian Section in Sully Wing

 



Irtysen's essay on art

 





Getting up close and personal with hieroglyphics

 



     "On this tablet Irtysen (Chief Artisan) boasts of the technical skill he is capable of accomplishing.  This is one of the rare Egyptian texts which speaks of art."

 



 



 



Tablet: King Ramses III offering vases of wine to god Horus

 



 



Coffin of Ramses III

Au revoir, Egypte



 

Stepping into the next room, I spent a little time in King Darius's Persian palace.

 

     At this point, I left antiquity and walked to the "facilities" in an adjacent lobby.  What I found when I walked into it was a wonderful, covered, two-story atrium filled with pieces of sculpture and students all over the place studying and drawing them.  I knew that some of the best American artists from the 19th century honed their skills right here at the Louvre by copying paintings.  I was delighted to be seeing this with my own eyes. So I spent some time here shooting pics.

 





   Les Captifs (The Captives) 1682 

   I entered this room from the balcony level and worked my way down. 

 

   

 



The Resurrection of Napoleon

 



 

Jeanne d'Arc





Hercules Fighting Achelous (transformed into a snake)

 



"Mercury putting on this sandals"

 



 

Meleager Killing a Boar

 



 



     This ancient Roman frieze will always make us wonder if that tribune grants mercy to the man who begs for it.

 

    Past a certain point and having explored this "region" of the Louvre, I had to find my way back to the lobby.  I really had no idea how to start back.  A guide had told me which stairs to go down, but that only sent me back here.  After asking several people and two false starts, I finally went down the right set of stairs and found the correct route and headed for the escalators.

     Except for spotting Miriam once, I had not seen anyone else from our tour during my time in the Louvre--such was the immensity of the place! At the bottom of the escalator, I passed through the lobby under the Pyramid and headed down the corridor which led to the Inverted Pyramid.  Sure enough, most of my companions were there with Louis, and the rest soon followed.

 Lunch at the Carrousel du Louvre
 

    Then Louis "took roll," and we walked back through the Carrousel past shops and headed up the escalators to the food court for lunch.  I ate with Chris, and she seemed very amused when she asked me where I had gone and I answered, "I spent the morning in Egypt." 

     After lunch, we had a little time, so I explored shops in the mall below.  There I found a wonderful store called Pylones; I was filled with all sorts of children's things that I knew Izzie and Teddy would love, so I resolved to return here next week and do something about that.

 

 

     Then we gathered in the hall and headed out to the bus.  Our next stop would be the Eiffel Tower.  Soon Nicolas had us across the Seine and near the steel wonder.  This was listed on the tour as one of our "field trips."  Not only would we be going up on the tower but first we would go underground into the hidden workings that from the start had allowed such a heavy, steel structure to stand level and erect on drained marshland and and underground streams.
     Something I notice as I look back through pictures is that one day, they will be plentiful and in good focus, and the next, they may be fewer and of lesser quality.  One thing that can explain this is simple fatigue from the day before and the different circumstances of each place we visited.   I found pics from Nov. 5 to be below average for whatever reason.  Additionally, if certain famous paintings or statues are missing from this post, this day's shots reflect my own personal priorities of the moment and what we actually saw and did.

 

 

Sorry, Gustave, I didn't mean to cover your name.

 



Building the Eiffel Tower had to have been one of the most RIVETING EXPERIENCES of all time!

 

 FYI--Young pilot Gary Brammer from Gainesville, Texas, flew his fighter through that arch during our occupation of Paris in 1944.  He and his buddy who joined in the stunt were severely reprimanded; the French had a photo of the incident.

 

Sunlight or shadow made a huge difference.





     It was nearly impossible to capture the entire base and all of the top antenna in one frame; sometimes I managed, and other times I didn't. The passing cloud suddenly cast shadow on the Tower and transformed its appearance. This effect seemed more pronounced in Paris than in any place I have ever been.  This even more evident two days later when we visited Sacré Coeur.  No wonder the French poets made so much of l'ombre (shadow) or a French king made so much of le soleil (the sun). 





    After trips to the Tower " facilities,"  we gathered nearby and met the woman who would guide us through the subterranean engineering that undergirded the tower.  Not only are the hydraulic works of the elevators housed away from view, but there are also long "secret" tunnels for possible military use and complex workings to relieve the marshy conditions under one of the four "feet" of the tower which had to be placed on unstable soil near the Seine.
     I took some pictures down below which should give a general impression of what we saw.   Aside from the large, underground area that housed pumps and hydraulics, there were long, lateral conrete tunnels, one of which reportedly goes all the way to the  Ecole Militaire.

 

 

 

 

   Emerging from the underground, we gathered to go onto the elevators.  There are actually three viewing platforms, and we were going to the second level.  Few of the pictures I took pleased me when I reviewed them, and Ben and I book better ones in 2012, but anyway, here are some of

them.

Miriam adjusts her camera.

 

Les Invalides nearby--location of Napoleon's tomb

 



  Sunshine comes through clouds and highlights Monmartre.

 

 View of Tower from Monmartre

Buses, barges, and bateaux-mouches along the Seine

Le Palais de Chaillot--Gazing down at this from the Eiffel Tower, I not no idea I'd be in it the following Monday.







About to board the elevator, I shot this with the Seine below.

 

     After returning down the elevator, we boarded our bus for the ride back to the Villa Beaumarchais.  Between visiting the Tower and our dinner cruise on the Seine tonight, we were supposed to have a "free afternoon."  I looked forward to resting in the room before our "bateau mouche" ride tonight, which looked like a really scenic, fun way to end the tour.

     We arrived back at the hotel  later than expected, around 3:30, and we were to assemble for our bus-ride to dinner at 6:00, so I went to my room and crashed.  I was very tired and welcomed the down time.

     A little before six, I headed down the elevator, and all of us were soon together in the lobby--for almost the last time.  We were delighted to have Nicolas and his bus still at our service, because there was some doubt about that earlier.

     I knew my "back-to-back" tour next week also included an evening boat ride on the Seine, so I planned to take pictures on that excursion and concentrate on having dinner tonight and enjoying the experience.  However, I did take a few photos.  Nicolas drove us to an area south of the Eiffel Tower on the Left Bank where  on previous outings we had noticed docks for cruise boats. We exited and boarded a very long bateau mouche called the Diamant II.   Very clear plexiglass enclosed the dining area, so our view would be excellent.

     We took tables which were on the Left-Bank side of the boat; this would give us a really good view of the Eiffel Tower as we passed.  As I recall, I sat at a table for six, but I remember only five  people sitting there.  Roy from Tennessee and Rip from Alabama sat opposite Chris from Illinois, Gordon from Texas, and Miriam from Wisconsin. I was glad to have a forward view.

 

 

I love this picture!

 



     At some point, Howard ventured to the front of the boat and reported to us an even "swankier" set-up with another tour group in the forward section.  That was interesting to know, but truly where we were was swanky enough for me.  Soon we were being served wine and hors d'oeuvres, and the Diamant II set sail slowly down the Seine.  The dinner which followed was terrific.

     We would be going past the Eiffel Tower, the National Assembly, the Ile de la Cité, up to Bercy, and turning around from there and returning close to the Right Bank.  In almost no time, we approached the Eiffel Tower sparkling at night.  It was very beautiful--going and coming.

    

         

     Good setting, good food, good wine, and good company--EVERYONE was in a festive mood and really getting into this!  At one point, God knoweth why, Rip started talking about eating frog legs back in Alabama.  Chris was from Chicago where "frog giggin'" sounds unusual, so she and Miriam from Wisconsin were amazed by what he was saying.

   About that time, I chimed in to say that we liked frog legs in Texas, too, and they were good to eat.  Many restaurants served them, and that I used to shoot bullfrogs on dove hunts, and afterwards we would fry them in the same skillet as the doves. Roy from Tennessee nodded knowingly.  Then Rip added that the legs had nerves which kicked in during the frying and, and the legs "would twitch in the skillet." 

    I said our frog legs twitched, too, and then Chris Pendley lost it.  She started laughing almost uncontrollably.  She just could not stop laughing, and we all started in.  What fun!  Here we were cruising the Seine River and eating a wonderful French meal, while Southern boys talked about cooking frog legs.

 

That's what I'm talking about.

 













    This is just one of the  funny things that happened on the last night of Survey of France.  The dinner cruise lasted well over an hour.  Paris and the Seine were well lighted at night, and we all had a great time as we visited, ate, and watched Paris through the clear roof and walls.  

 

 On the return trip--from the Right Bank and the other side of the boat 

 

 



 

     A photographer came by earlier and shot pictures of all of us, now he came back by to show us the results and see if we wanted any, and I bought one.  Here's that picture.  I simply copied it with my cell phone.

 



    Read text to see why we're laughing.

 

     Finally, we returned to the dock from whence we came, climbed the steps up to street level, and boarded our bus for last time. What a three weeks!  We thanked Nicholas for his good driving and Louis for his superb guidance.  Soon we were crossing the Seine and the Ile St. Louis, and then we were back to the Villa Beaumarchais.

    Next,  we were in the lobby saying our good-byes.  Many were chatting about airport transfers and visiting with Louis about  the logistics of tomorrow morning.  I let them talk and waved farewell; it was time for me to head upstairs and rest.

     With visions of several scenarios for tomorrow running through my mind, I showered and readied myself for bed.  I had a sense of frustration at having used the Marais merely as a base to travel from and still not having seen much of it yet.  I had Howard's walking tour; I wanted to go to Chartres; I still had not visited Père Lachaise Cemetery.

      One thing really helped me sleep.  I was not flying out of here in the morning.  I would be at this hotel for three more nights and in Paris till the end of the following week.  Chris and several others said how they envied me that,  and I was very happy with my decision to stay.

 

 

Fin

 

 

Hors d'Oeuvres

 

1.   Obviously, I did this post many months after returning from France.  One of the main things I thought then and think even more strongly now is that for what we received, Survey of France was one of the world's great travel bargains.  Roadscholar offers only four of these tours each year, and I will always be glad I took the one I did.  The counter-clockwise direction was the exception then but has become the standard now, and I certainly see why. Saving Paris till the end gives everyone something wonderful to look forward to.

 

2.  While I' m at it, I want to say how amazingly good the food was on this tour, and it was included! All breakfasts, often two other meals, and always at least lunch or dinner were there for us each day. For three wonderful weeks, we enjoyed terrific French meals, sometimes four-course, and more often than not with wine included.  Roadscholar chose the restaurants, and they were unfailingly enjoyable.  It was great NOT TO HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY of finding a place to eat and to be thrilled with one culinary surprise after another!

 

3.   For less than the cost of a one-week trip with the Flying Longhorns or National Geographic, we were able to enjoy a three-week odyssey all around France.

 

4.   In 2012, Ben and I traveled to Europe with Globus, and that was good, but this was better.  Roadscholar included more meals and all excursions, "side trips," and lectures, plus TIPPING WAS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN.

 

5.  Finally, this "older" group was well-traveled, well-informed, and wonderful to learn from.  Not much explaining had to go on with this bunch.