After entering the church we fell into the "line of dance" (right to left) with the thousands of other tourists, moving casually from chapel to chapel, pausing, like everyone else, only long enough to appreciate the beauty of the massive stain glass windows flanking the sides of church.
After leaving the church we stopped and watched a small roller bladers do their bit of choreography on the Pont Au Change, and then walked the length of the island to the Pont Neuf (which, contrary to it's name is in fact the oldest bridge in the city).
After crossing over to the right bank we strolled past the numerous bouquinistes offering everything from tacky souvenirs to old photos of Paris to cool art nouveau posters, and headed for the Louvre.
We entered at the Cour Caree, the oldest section, and passing on to the Pyramide. As we reached the Arc du Carrousel we stepped down into the lower levels to show Joyce the enormous complex just beneath the seemingly tranquil gardens above. We then resurfaced and walked the length of the Tuileries Gardens to the Place de la Concorde, braving the crosswalks. We decided not to stop at the U. S. Embassy and say hi (too many gendarmiere), preferring to simply walk the tree-lined boulevard. Even if the trees lacked leaves, that simply allowed one to see more of what the foliage often hides. We also got to see Charles de Gaulle himself, forever striding away from the Grand Palais, about to step into traffic and cross against the light, defying anyone to hit him.
So we walked up the Champs-Elysees, passing one huge but characterless shop after another until we reached the Arc de Triomphe.
After duly appreciating the dramatic view back down the Champs Elysees we again descended to the metro and boarded the no. 6 for Trocadero, which in my opinion is one of the best spots in Paris. First off the area is home to some pretty funky places like the Palais Tokio, and Passy cemetery (one of my favorites) is just across the Place du Trocadero behind the large wall fronting the place. The cemetery is home to Claude DeBussy, Gabriel Faure, American silent film star Pearl White (Perils of Pauline), Edouard Manet (and his girlfriend the artist Berthe Morisot), lovely Jane Henriot's touching epitaph ("she came, she smiled, she left"), as well as numerous very cool outdoor sculptures.
But of course Trocadero is probably most famous for the stunning, sweeping view of the Eiffel Tower and beyond, across the Champs de Mars to the Ecole Militaire.
Built as only a temporary part of the exposition of 1889, the Eiffel tower (originally painted a bright yellow) is perhaps best appreciated at night.
Not long after we left the Trocadero and crossed Avenue de New York, walking beneath the bulk of the Tour Eiffel soft but powerful lights on the tower came on, bathing everything and everybody -- including the hundreds of people queuing to get to the top to see the City of Lights, all in the area in a soft glow. We walked a bit down the Champs de Mars and then retraced our steps, recrossing the river the Trocadero. We climbed back up to the terrace of the Palais de Chaillot where we stopped and watched the Eiffel glowing in deepening twilight. We waited. Joyce of course did not know what we were waiting for but soon she saw for herself: the Eiffel seemed to start twinkling all over, like an enormous glass of champagne, all fizzy and bubbly.
Returning to the metro we got back on the no. 6 and off at Place d'Italie. The evening was fresh and cool, overcast but with no rain so we walked back to the apartment.
After relaxing for a bit, we put on our coats and a little after 9:00 p.m. headed out into the night air, but the walk was short: only a couple of hundred meters to Coco de Mer, a local seafood restaurant, specializing in fish flown in fresh every day from the Seychelles. (We had eaten here once before and had wanted to come back ever since they put sand down on the floor of the restaurant.) Joyce had swordfish and Susan and I both had the bourgeois, a delicious whitefish from the Seychelles similar to Red Snapper.
After dinner it was a two-minute walk home. Conversation kept us up for a bit but before long the day's hike through the city caught up with all three of us; Paris would have to wait for Sunday.
Wish you were here,
Steve
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