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.

Paris Je T'aime – A City that He Loved (Day 2)

Paris Je T'aime – A City that He Loved (Day 2)
(Journal of a Trip to Paris from Toronto between September 26, 2007 to October 5, 2007)

Day 2 – September 28, 2007 (Rainy, then Cloudy)

Going to Chateau de Versailles from Paris was not as complicated and difficult as I thought.  In fact, it was super easy.  Paris has a wonderful public transportation network --  Metro, RER, railways and trams are conveniently linked up.

We took Metro from St. Marcel Station to Gare de Austerlitz to connect to an RER going to Chateau Versailles Rive Gauche.  Special attention, though, must be taken to take a VICK or a VERN train (trains start with a 'V' go to Versailles).  The fare was only Euros2.8 each and the journey took half an hour only.

The Chateau was about fifteen minutes' walk away from the train station.  It was one of the most visited attractions in Paris so almost all the passengers getting off the train were heading to the same direction.  One would not miss it.

It was a rainy cool day.  The stone-covered square outside the Chateau was uneven thus walking to the Ticket Office to meet with Jade and Eva was a very unpleasant experience.  A big warning to girls who are planning to go to the Chateau that they should not wear high-heel shoes.  We were supposed to meet with Jade and Eva in front of the Ticket Office at 10 a.m. , but finding our way to the train station and to the right train had made us late again.  This really made me to feel bad.

When we arrived, Jade and Eva were already in the line.  

Admission fee to the Palace was Euros13.5 for adults.    After getting our tickets, we decided to make a tour of the garden first because it was where Gorgor had filmed some scenes of his musical drama "Sunset in Paris".  The palace could wait until later.




Chateau de Versailles

The garden, or what the French called Le Parc, was designed by André Le Nôtre(1673-1700) who was an expert not only in botany but also in architecture and painting.  He worked for the king on many other sites, including Jardine des Tuileries.  The grounds were laid out geometrically around a main axis, secondary axes, radiating pathways, and circular (or semi-circular) pools known as basins. Everything was symmetrical, if staggered on several levels. Trees were rigourously pruned to create a veritable architecture of vegetation. Closer to the chateau were flowerbeds, or parterres, which would not mask its architectural features and could be enjoyed from the upper floor. The south flowerbed, or Parterre du Midi, was composed of low boxwood hedges bedecked with flowers, while the Parterre du Nord was all boxwood and lawn. In between them, the two ornamental pools of the Parterre d'Eau were ringed with masterpieces of sculpture, namely reclining statues representing the rivers of France.









The story of Apollo illustrates the solar myth and governs the subjects of statues and fountains along the main axis of the gardens. The large basin at the western end is adorned with Apollo's chariot, the sun god can be seen emerging from the waves at dawn, beginning his daily path.



Nearer to the chateau is Apollo's mother, Latona, who dominates the central fountain.





If one remember Leslie's musical drama "Sunset in Paris" well, the spot we were standing now was the same spot where Maggie stood in that drama.  


The garden was huge, yet every single inch of it was attended to carefully. Greek mythology statues could be seen everywhere. It was a very pleasant place to wander around.

We were hoping to find the bench that Leslie and Cherrie Cheung sat on in "Sunset in Paris".  It was the scene when Leslie and Cherrie Cheung were waiting for Maggie Cheung to come.  Unfortunately, we failed to do so because there were too many statues in the garden than we expected.  





In order to catch a 5 p.m. train back to Lyon, Jade and Eva left Chateau de Versailles at around 2 p.m. to go back to the hotel in Paris to pick up their luggage.


Hall of Mirrors

After visiting the Palace of Versailles until late, Chris and I wandered around the small town of Versailles and enjoyed its quiet beauty.










 

Paris Je T'aime – A City that He Loved (Journal - Day 1)

Paris Je T'aime – A City that He Loved (Day 1)
(Journal of a Trip to Paris from Toronto between September 26, 2007 to October 5, 2007)

Day 1 – September 26/27, 2007 (Sunny, then rainy at night)

Twenty-six years ago, Chris and I went to Paris for the first time. Unfortunately, we could not appreciate the city fully as our stay there was very brief – merely one day.

On September 27, 2007, with an eager heart, we set foot on Paris again.

Although we did not get much sleep on the red-eye flight from Toronto to Paris, our spirits were high. I believe excitement played an important part.

After checking into the hotel, we immediately rushed to Notre Dame to meet with Jade and Eva. Jade was the girl I met last September in Hong Kong at the Queen's Cafe. Our sole purpose to go to Hong Kong then was to attend Leslie's 50th birthday party. Jade came from Shanghai China and is now living in Lyon, France.

From Hotel Devillas, where we stayed, to Notre Dame, we had to walk along the River Seine for half an hour. The sceneries along the river were so beautiful that it was hard to restrain from stopping and taking pictures. As a result, we were late for our meeting.

Notre Dame

I managed to seek out Jade among the big crowd of tourists in front of Notre Dame. Although this was my first time to meet with Eva and second with Jade, we were like very close friends already. This was all because of Leslie. Eva came to visit Paris from Shanghai to trace Leslie's footsteps. She would also be going to Lyon, Chantilly, Cannes and Nice.



We then went inside Notre Dame. My eyes saw but did not see anything there as I was too concentrated on my conversation with Jade and Eva, sharing our feelings about Leslie.

After Notre Dame, Jade took us to the Pont des Arts ("Bridge of the Arts") – a pedestrian bridge in Paris, France. It crosses the Seine linking the Louvre's Cour Carré and the Institut de France. The bridge was originally built in 1803 and was the first iron bridge in Paris. It was rebuilt in 1984 with 7 arches instead of the original 9.

This bridge was special to us because it was the spot where a scene of "Once a Thief" was shot. In that scene, Leslie, playing the role of James, sat [or rather stood] for a portrait to be painted and then freely walked down the steps of the bridge. That was his first appearance in that movie with a very stunning and unforgettable effect.



Pont des Arts

We tried hard, but failed, to determine the part of the railing where Leslie leaned on. In any case, we took some pictures and were happy to be at the same spot where Leslie had once been. His presence could almost be felt.

One thing that's worth mentioning is that in the movie, because the shot was made from a low angle, the impression that it gave us was that that flight of stairs that Leslie stepped down was a big one; however, in reality, it was small. It was funny to see how the movie world was different from the real world.

We also stopped by Pont Alexander III which is an arch bridge that spans the Seine, connecting the Champs-Élysées quarter and the Invalides and Eiffel Tower Quarter, commonly regarded as "the most ornate", "the most elegant", or "the most extravagant" in Paris. A scene in Leslie’s musical drama “Sunset in Paris” was filmed there, I believe.




Pont Alexander III


We walked past Jardins des Tuileries ("The Tuileries Garden") which covers about 63 acres (25 hectares) and still closely follows a design laid out by landscape architect Andre Le Notre in 1664 [note that the garden at Chateau de Versailles was also designed by him]. His spacious formal garden plan drew out the perspective from the reflecting pools one to the other in an unbroken vista along a central axis from the west façade, which has been extended as the Axe historique.



Leslie filmed his musical drama at the garden of Versailles and it was believed that he loved the landscape design of Andre Le Notre. The layout of Jardin des Tuileries and the garden of Versailles are very similar. Walking through this beautiful garden, I had no doubt that Leslie must have also done so many times when he was in Paris enjoying his holidays.


Jardin des Tuileries

We then moved on to the Place de la Concorde which is one of the major squares in Paris, France. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées. The Place was designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel in 1755 as a moat-skirted octagon between the Champs-Élysées to the west and the Tuileries Gardens to the east.

During the French Revolution the statue of King Louis was torn down and the area renamed "Place de la Révolution". The new revolutionary government erected the guillotine there. The first notable being executed at the Place de la Révolution was King Louis XVI, on January 21, 1793. Other important people guillotined there, often in front of cheering crowds, were Queen Marie Antoinette and Madame Élisabeth, etc. The guillotine was most active during the "Reign of Terror", in the summer of 1794, when in a single month more than 1,300 people were executed. A year later, when the revolution was taking a more moderate course, the guillotine was removed from the square and its name was changed in token of national reconciliation.

This Place was special to us, fans of Leslie, because Leslie had once taken a picture in front of one of the two fountains there. We were puzzled though because both fountains were identical. After some logical deduction, we believed that the fountain where Leslie got his picture taken was the one farthest away from the buildings.




Place de la Concorde

We then walked on the famous Champs Elysees which was lined with beautifully manicured trees on both sides.

The walk was a long and tiring one so we had to settle down in a coffee shop on Champs Elysees to regain our energy.

Later, we ended the day by having a dinner in a Chinese restaurant called Miramar near Notre Dame. The standard of was not bad at all.