Saturday 20241026

We got up early to make our pickup for this all day trip. There was a mixup because they printed two locations for the pickup on our form, and we picked the wrong one. But the tour operator called and we got it straightened out. Our guide Pascal picked us up in a van along with another couple and we headed for the Loire Valley, which was only about 2 hours or so from Paris, and early on a Saturday morning (our pickup time was 6:50am) there wasn’t much traffic. We started with Chenonceau, which spans the river Cher. The Chateau was given by Henry II to his official mistress (they had such things in France) Diane de Poitiers, but as soon as Henry died Catherine kicked Diane out and took over the place. The history of Chenonceau is really the history of the various women who ran the place. One interesting fact is the the river Cher in this location was the border between Nazi-occupied France and Vichy France, so that you could escape the occupation by walking from one end of the Chateau to the other. The Nazis knew this, of course, and frequently watched the goings on. The caretaker kept the Chateau locked, but when the coast was  clear and no Nazis were around he let people go through, in particular many Jews who escaped this way. And because it was a bridge over the river, it got some damage from Allied bombers during the Normandy landings. They were trying to make sure that no reinforcements from the South could make it to Normandy.

Then we drove into the town of Amboise, where we grabbed a simple lunch in a cafe, before going into the Chateau of Amboise. This castle was built on a high hill in the center of town. It had two circular ramps going from the street up to the castle, and people used to go up and down these ramps on horseback, and even in horse-drawn carriages! And these were steep, about a 20% grade. Amboise is on the river Loire, and was the site of the French Court in the late Medieval period when Paris was not considered safe. Leonardo da Vinci came here towards the end of his life, and died here in the arms of Francis I. He is buried here as well. And when he came to France he brought the Mona Lisa with him, which is why it hangs in the Louvre and not in some Italian museum. It was also the home to Mary, Queen of Scots, who was raised here in the court of Henry II. and in the 19th century an Algerian cleric, Abd el Kader Ibn Mouhi Ad-Din (c. 1807 – 1883), who opposed the French conquest of Algeria, was imprisoned here despite having been promised that he would be released into Islamic territory. This caused a stink that forced the French to let him go finally, but there is a memorial there to 25  of his people who died there during the imprisonment.

Then it was up the road a piece to Chambord, a simple hunting lodge of 440 rooms. This was the most imposing building we saw from the outside, but once inside it was confusing and many rooms seemed to be bare. We did find some rooms with rich furnishings, and a nice chapel. Apparently Leonardo da Vinci did some of the architectural design, but Francis I almost immediately on initial completion had it enlarged. Chambord is worth a stop because of the exterior, but I would not spend more than an hour or so there. It was clearly the stop we got the least out of.

From there it was back to Paris, and this time we hit a lot of traffic. Poor Pascal, having to drive in that. But he dropped us all off at Champs-Elysee, and we walked down to the George V station and took the Metro back to the apartment. Overall, this was a really good day, and I would rec commend this tour to anyone. We  were gone for most of 12 hours, so it was a full day, but a good one.

Photos

Sunday 20241027

We decided to make a return trip to Montmartre, so we walked up the hill, and then took the funicular to the top. From there we went through Place de Tertre, where this time we saw all of the artists set up. The deal is that they draw or paint live to get a spot, and they try to get tourists to sit for a picture and then buy it. We were not interested in that, so we went around the corner to the Salvador Dali museum. This museum is devoted to Dali’s works as a sculptor, though there were also some engravings and drawings there. But the sculptures were really the most interesting works on display. This is a nice little museum and we were there for just over an hour. Then we walked the streets of Montmartre some more, and then found a bench to sit in, and while Cheryl had her lunch I made a reservation to go on a walking tour of the covered passages of Paris on Monday. Then we continued our walk, and left Montmarte in the direction of Pigalle, and finally grabbed the Metro to go back. Cheryl went out again to visit a street market, but I stayed at the apartment to get a little rest. It has been a long trip, and I am looking forward to getting home again.

Monday 20241028

After breakfast we walked down to meet the Covered Passageways tour. These are like Arcades or Galerias filed with shops and restaurants, and we got to visit some with a guide who helped fill in the details about the history of each one. The oldest ones are 200 years old, and at a time when the streets were filthy and sewers non-existent, they provided an opportunity for the wealthier citizens to shop in relative cleanliness and comfort. This lasted about 2 hours, and when it was done we were closer to our apartment so we walked back. At the apartment Cheryl had her lunch, and then we went to Cafe Marguerite just up the street so I could try the Onion Soup, which Eileen recommended, and it was indeed excellent. Then we booked a few things for our last two days in Paris.

Tuesday 20241029

After breakfast we caught the Metro to take us to the Pantheon. The one in Paris has three things of possible interest. First, there are murals and statues about French history. Second, Foucault’s Pendulum, which demonstrates that the Earth is revolving every 24 hours. And finally, the Crypt, where a variety of famous people were interred after they died, or were moved there later. Cheryl found a nice video on YouTube that explained all of this. Now being placed there is decided by the French President, so it has become more political, but we go to see the resting places of Voltaire, Rousseau, Marie Curie, Emile Zola, Victor Hugo, Josephine Baker, and others. It made for a pleasant morning excursion, and afterwards we returned to the apartment. Again, Cheryl had her lunch, then we went back to Cafe Marguerite so I could have the onion soup.

Wednesday 20241030

For our last full day in Paris we went to Pere Lachaise cemetery. At first we just wandered a bit, but then we decided to check out a few well-known tombs. We started with  Chopin, and then by accident ran across the tomb of the painter Theodore Gericault, who painted Raft of the Medusa which we saw in the Louvre. Then we found Jim Morrison’s tomb, and finally that of Rossini, before heading back to our apartment. We booked a taxi for the morning to take us to the airport, Cheryl had lunch, and then I got my last bowl of onion soup at Cafe Marguerite. Then it was just time to relax and get ready for our return trip. Cheryl did some shopping for Patrick and David, and picked up some flowers for our landlady Isabel. Then we started on our packing for the flight home tomorrow.

Thursday 20241031

Up early and took a taxi to the Charles de Gaulle airport. It took us less than an hour to to check-in, get our boarding passes, get through security, and find our gate. That is not too bad. The flight was uneventful, and we were back in Detroit by 3pm, and happy to be home. It was a great trip.