We met Stan and Margie in front of their hotel at about 8 Wednesday morning and the four of us strolled casually in the direction of the Seine, turning westward at the Pont Neuf and heading toward the Musee D’Orsay. Although rain had been predicted it was another nice day in Paris and we were going to make the most of it. (photo: cruising the St. Martin canal.)
Just as we approached the musee we turned right toward the lower bank of the river and walked along the quai for just a few minutes until we reached our objective, the boat that would take us up the Seine and then turn into the St, Martin canal. We would then cruise leisurely up the canal through a part of Paris that most tourists rarely see, passing through a half dozen or so locks as we rise some 80 feet above the surface of the Seine, and disembarking at the Parc de la Villette in the northeastern part of the city.
Arriving a bit early we sat along the quai waiting to board, taking in the river in front of us and the huge bulk of the Musee D’Orsay above and behind us. Soon we were aboard, paid our tickets (€16 per person which I believe included a round trip) and before long we were moving quietly up the Seine.
Not long after we passed the Isle St. Louis we turned left (“port”) and passed into the St. Martin canal and our first lock. Soon we were into the canal and in a few minutes the boat passed into a 2 km-long tunnel that passes beneath the Place de la Bastille and then the 10th arr. It was really an odd experience to say the least. Still the occasional grated cover in the middle of the Blvd. Richard Lenoir kept just enough light flooding the tunnel to make seeing (occasionally) easy. Early on we passed a film crew apparently shooting something in the tunnel but then no sign of human life until we exited a short while later.
As we passed through lock after lock, gently rising each time, we would slide gracefully beneath steeply arched footbridges where there was always someone waiting to watch the action. The thing which struck us as quite odd was here we were in the middle of a very busy boulevard in Paris, essentially going up and down the street by boat; strange but in an oddly pleasant way.
The boat passed through a couple of swing bridges, which were designed for vehicular traffic and under one lift bridge, rather like the original London Bridge but on a much smaller scale of course.
After a trip of about 2.5 hours or so we reached our destination, the Parc de la Villette. On the site of the old city slaughterhouse the Parc is actually an enormous art, science and museum complex. We decided to forgo any serious exploration of the Parc – leaving it for another day. We did walk into and through the enormous “Cite des Sciences et de l’Industrie” (The City Museum of Science and Industry; open Tues-Sat. 10am-6pm and Sun 10am-7pm; admission). According to the Rough Guide of Paris this is one enormous building. The central space is open to some 40m high to the roof and the entire building is all glass and stainless steel with platforms, walkouts, bridges and suspended walkways scattered everywhere. It is truly a fantastic piece of architecture; and we can’t wait to get back here later this fall.
We didn’t dally too long however on this trip and soon left the science building walking toward the metro. From the Parc we caught the no. 7, switched to the no. 2 at Stalingrad and got off at the Blanche stop where we then headed uphill toward R$ue des Abbesses and Montmartre proper. After a few minutes strolling along Rue des Abbesses we found a place to eat and had another delicious lunch of goat cheese salad and (for Margie) onion soup.
After lunch we worked our way a few blocks over to get the funicular up to Sacre Coeur where we admired the view before heading back down, eventually getting on the Metro for our last big trek of the day, out to La Defense.
Ever since Susan and I stopped at La Defense on our way to have dinner at Anna and Pietro’s home west of the city we wanted to come back and so we did. It was a bit overcast but no rain and just like our first trip we got off at the Esplanade metro stop and walked up toward the Grande Arche. This place is simply awe-inspiring and inspires me to remember what our species can accomplish even in this jaded era of plastic this and disposable that. I am convinced that no trip to Paris is really complete without a stop to see what capitalism combined with imagination can really achieve: the integration of grandeur with art. This is truly a spectacular place.
After wandering around the enormous open space of La Defense the four of us walked down into the metro and caught the no. 1 back toward the Louvre where we got off. We parted company with Stan and Margie on the Pont Neuf. The plan is to meet back at their hotel at 8 for an aperitif and then off to dinner, our last together in Paris, at least this trip.
By 8 pm Susan and I were sipping Camparis at Stan and Margie’s hotel, and about 8:25 the four of us left and walked the two blocks to Les Bouquinistes (53 Quai des Grands Augustins; reservations: 01 43 25 45 94; online at: http://www.guysavoy.com/ ).
Susan and I had eaten here in 1998 and had always wanted to return. The food was even better than we remembered. The service was impeccable, and the wines, a red Merseault and a red Volnay, worked really well with our food; three of us had seafood and Stan had veal. The desserts were equally spectacular; and the cheese board (which I had) consisted of four different cheeses, a hard Comte-like cheese, a chevre, a Brie -style and a fabulous blue called “Fourme d’Ambert,” which was almost sweet. Delicious!
How would you top off such a wonderful meal? Well if you time it right, on the hour for 10 minutes you can see the Eiffel tower sparkle as if it were a flute of champagne! Which is what we did. A few minutes after we left the restaurant, walked across the street and strolled onto the Pont Neuf we saw that most famous icon of Paris winking with light, the effervescence that makes this city truly special.
After saying good night we stood for a moment on the bridge watching Stan and Margie walk toward their hotel, savoring the moment here not wanting to break the spell maybe I don’t know. It was so good to see them; good friends are always sorely missed and most painfully when saying goodbye. Moreover having them here reinforced in Susan’s mind – and in mine as well – that we are doing the right thing. They firmly believe it and so do we. But as they went one way so we went another, heading toward the no. 7 back to our apartment. “C’est la vie.” We will miss them. (photo: below, detail from the Palais de Tokio.)
Wish you were here.
Steve
No comments:
Post a Comment