Paris Je T'aime – A City that He Loved (Day 4)

Paris Je T'aime – A City that He Loved (Day 4)
(Journal of a Trip to Paris from Toronto between September 26, 2007 to October 5, 2007)

Day 4 – September 30, 2007 (Sunny)

To take advantage of the sunny day, we decided to go to Montmartre and Sacre Coeur today.

We took the Metro from Saint Marcel to Blanche. Coming out of the Metro at Blanche, the famous Moulin Rouge was right in front of us.



Passing by Place de Abbesses, we walked along Rue de Abbesses -- a lively area full of cafes, eateries, fruit stalls, and pastries stores.





We saw people lining up to go inside one of the food stores in Abbesses. Its food must be very delicious. Look at the awards presented to it.



We finally arrived at Montmartre. It was right behind Sacre Coeur Basilique. Montmartre was like an outdoor studio for the artists who earned their living by painting portraits for the tourists.



I took some pictures of Restaurant de la Mere Catherine, the café/restaurant where Leslie
Leslie filmed "Sunset in Paris" and "Left Right Love" -- a place that meant a lot to us Leslie fans. Restaurant de la Mere Catherine was the oldest restaurant in Monmartre (1793). The table that Leslie sat on outside the restaurant was the one closest to the entrance on the right (when we were facing the restaurant). Unfortunately, that table was occupied by someone else, otherwise I would love to sit on that same table and have a cup of coffee.





As it was a Sunday, anywhere near Montmartre and Basilique du Sacre Coeur was full of tourists as well as local people.









































We lined up to go inside the Basilique du Sacre Coeur. No one was allowed to take picture inside. Sacare Coeur was a beautiful cathedral, simple yet grand. We quietly sat inside it for a while and later lighted a candle for Leslie.

We sat on the steps in front of Sacre Coeur as everyone did. I guess one of the reasons for so doing was because everyone was tired after climbing so many stairs to go up to the highest point of Paris. Sitting there, we had a wonderful view of Paris. Some scenes in Leslie's "Sunset in Paris" were shot there.






















We had a late lunch at Le Capage which was right beside Hotel Caulaincourt at the foot of the hill of Montmartre/Sacre Coeur. Chris ordered a Foie de Veau (cow liver) in red wine, and I had filet de Sander (fish) and mashed potato. We also ordered some red wine (Beaujolais).



















































After meal, we decided to go to Jardin des Tuileries and Champs-Elysees. On the way, I found a telephone booth and made a phone call home. The telephone card was given to me by Jade. Its face value was €12 and allowed me to call Canada and talk for 100 minutes. Thank you, Jade, for being so thoughtful.

We then took the Metro from Lamarche Caulaincourt Station to Concorde Station. It was already5:30 p.m. The sun has started to set but it was still bright.

We strolled through the Jardin des Tuileries. It is Paris's most central garden. It connects the Louvre with the Place de la Concorde and forms a part of the large central axis between the Louvre and La Défense. A beautiful garden with a lot of statues, flowers, ponds and fountains.
















After taking some pictures, we moved on to the Place de la Concorde. In 1792, during the French revolution, a guillotine was installed at the center of the square and in a time span of only a couple of years, 1,119 people were beheaded here. Amongst them were many famous people like King Louis XVI and Marie-Antionette. After the revolution the square was renamed several times until 1830, when it was given the current name 'Place de la Concorde'.

Apart from the 3,200 years old obelisk from the temple of Ramses II at Thebes, there were two fountains on each side. At one of them, a picture was taken with Leslie sitting on the fountain. Also, a scene in "Sunset in Paris" was taken there.

Then we walked along Champs-Elysees, the most beautiful avenue in the world, with a lot of brand name shops on each side. It was full of people.

By the time we arrived at the Arc de Triomphe which was built by Napoleon to celebrate his victory over the wars, it was already very dark.

We managed to shoot some pictures but were unable to go up to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. We hung around for a while and later went back to the hotel.

Paris Je T'aime – A City that He Loved (Day 3)

Paris Je T'aime – A City that He Loved (Day 3)
(Journal of a Trip to Paris from Toronto between September 26, 2007 to October 5, 2007)

Day 3 – September 29, 2007 (Rainy)

We decided to spend the whole day in Musee du Louvre today.

Getting off at the Palais Royal-Musee du Louvre metro station, we were right inside the musuem on the concourse level.  The first thing that drew our attention was the inverted glass pyramid.




Admission fee to the musuem was €9 per adult.  Tickets could be obtained from the various machines located
 in the foyer.




The building of Louvre was previously a royal palace and holds some of the world's most famous works of art, such as Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, The Virgin and Child with St. Anne, Madonna of the Rocks, Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People and Alexandros of Antioch's Venus de Milo.



Located in the centre of the city of Paris, between the Rive Droite of the Seine and the rue de Rivoli in the 1st arrondissement, Louvre is the most visited and one of the oldest, largest, and most famous art galleries and museums in the world.



 

Mona Lisa that could only be looked at from afar was one of the many paintings in Louvre that drew a big crowd of people throughout the day.



The Louvre displays 35,000 works of art drawn from eight curatorial departments, displayed in over 60,600 m2 of exhibition space dedicated to the permanent collections. It therefore was impossible to appreciate all the works thoroughly in one day.

At around 5: 30 p.m., we left the museum because it closed at 6 p.m.

We walked along Rue de Louvre and Rue de Rivoli (a shopping area), and then crossed the River Seine to the left bank.





We had dinner at Le Depart Restaurant (above St. Mechel metro station).  Just love the desserts in France, they were delicious.  


My creme brulee

After dinner, we wandered around that area for a bit. The street behind Le Depart was a very lively one with restaurants of different nationalities.  Many people dined there.

Instead of taking the metro, we walked along River Seine to go back to our hotel.  We passed by Notre Dame which was beautifully illuminated with lights outside.



On our side of the river, right across Notre Dame, was the famous bookstore Shakespeare and Company.  



Set in the heart of Paris on the Left Bank opposite Notre-Dame, Shakespeare and Company has grown from a bookstore into an institution. Shakespeare and Company first opened its doors in 1951. For over fifty years, the bookshop has housed numerous writers and hosted readings by published and unpublished authors. Shakespeare & Company was a meeting place for many of the literary luminaries living in Paris at the time, including James Joyce, Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound and F. Scott Fitzgerald.