Oct 6-10, 2008 – Paris – Decision to not drive in Paris

A number of people had advised us to not drive in Paris, particularly since our hotel was in an area with virtually no parking.  There were also references to crazy Parisian drivers.

But this posed the problem of where to park the car and how to transport ourselves from there to our hotel.

We settled on the long-term parking lot at the Charles de Gaulle airport at a mere 20 Euros a day and then grabbed a taxi from the airport to our hotel.  The taxi ride was about 50 Euros (the Cdn $ – Euro exchange rate has ranged from about 1.52 ($Cdn) – 1.66 ($Cdn) = 1 Euro) and took about 1 hour.

These turned out to be good decisions, despite their cost (we came to accept the fact that Paris was very expensive).  It would have been tricky to find our hotel – it was on a small 3-5 block long street and the French traffic, particularly in the roundabouts and Places, seems to be a bit of a free-for-all.

However, it did impress upon us the need to travel lighter on future trips.  Flexibility seems to be a good goal when traveling and there would be more options if we didn’t have the 3 seasons of clothing and other gear we are carrying.  We all agree that when we travel again it won’t be for as long a period and that getting our kit into two pieces of carry-on luggage is a worthwhile goal.

Oct 6-10, 2009 – Paris – Eiffel Tower

We went one afternoon to check out the Eiffel Tower and its schedules and then returned the next day to ascend its heights.  We took these photos on our reconnaissance day and, as you can see, we had good weather on both days.

The first picture below is from a water bus (more on this in a moment) on the Seine and the second is looking right up into the Tower.  I read other accounts in guide books and other sources that were genuinely impressed (and surprised) by the size of the Tower and that was also our reaction.  It is HUGE. 

 

As everyone that knows our family is aware, I don’t like heights.  Laura-Lyn, Charlotte, and Allister all think heights are cool.  So when compared our ideas about how to tackle the Eiffel, they wanted to go to the 3 etage (observation deck level) and I told them I’d wait on the ground.  We said our goodbyes and arranged a spot to meet and off they went.

The 3 observation deck elevations are:

1. 200 ft.
2. 400 ft.
3. 900 ft.

As I started to wait, I thought, “I can’t come to the Eiffel Tower and not go up at least part of the way!”.  So I bought a ticket that enabled me to take the stairs to the first level.

Here is the photographic evidence that I made it to the first observation deck level.  This was plenty high enough for me.

However, LL, Charlotte, and Allister carried on to the 2nd and 3rd levels.  This photo of LL is from the 2nd level.

 

This is a photo of the 3rd level observation deck.

Here are some examples of the view from the 3rd observation deck.  I think these are Allister’s photos.

As we found out during our walks around Paris, destinations can appear farther than they look.  We decided a 2 day Seine water bus pass would help reduce our travel time to areas such as the Latin Quarter, Blvd. St. Germain and other areas.  Here are some photos that give some idea of these water buses and what it was like to travel on them.

There were other types of tourists at the Eiffel Tower – there were at least 3 groups of 3 soldiers each on foot patrol in the area at all times we were at the Tower.

There were other also groups that weren’t so serious.  This group of French girls were dressed in costume and playing a selection of standards and popular tunes on their mostly brass instruments.  They sounded quite good, but seemed mostly interested in having a good time together.

Oct 6-10, 2009 – Paris – Parc Asterix

Update: I’m sorry this didn’t appear at the end of the Paris entries.  As I said below, we went to Parc Asterix on our way out of town.

On our way out of Paris, on our way to Normandy, we stopped at Parc Asterix, an amusement park on the outside of Paris that both Allister and Charlotte were interested in attending.  They thought it was more ‘French’ than some of the other Disney or Disney-inspired amusement parks. 

The weather started out the day foggy but as it progressed, became sunny.  It was a Sunday and Parisians had turned out in droves.  LL, Charlotte, and Allister spent much of the afternoon (5 hours) waiting for about 6 rides.  I was reading in the car because my stomach doesn’t respond well to roller coasters with 7 loops (!).

Surprisingly, the Parc also included an excellent dolphin show.

One night at dinner we starting talking to the family at the table next to us and it turned out they were from Scotland and had come to Paris for a school holiday.  At dinner we had shared our plan to attend Parc Asterix and both of us said we’d keep any eye for the other family.  Unbelievably, as LL and the kids waited in the lineup for their second ride, they spied Phillip, Inez, and Zoe in the lineup ahead of them and spent the rest of the afternoon with them.

Parc Asterix has different themes, one of which was Greek mythology.  This shows the figure of Zeus in that area of the park.

Oct 6-10, 2009 – Paris – The Pantheon

Included in the Paris Museum Pass is access to the Pantheon – more on this in a moment.  To visit the Pantheon required us to pass through the beautiful Jardin du Luxembourg and, later the Boulevard St. Germain area.  This is a picture of the Jardin du Luxembourg where many Parisians were enjoying the fine fall weather.

As I learned, the Pantheon is the place where the remains of France’s heroes are interred.  It seemed to me that to be posthumously interred here is one of the greatest honors that can be conferred on a French citizen.  This is the crypt of Voltaire, just to give an idea of the type of person in residence here.

 

I’d like to include more information on this exhibit in the Pantheon but it involved the brass ball you see in the picture, attached to the ceiling of the Pantheon, swinging back and forth.  The change in trajectory of the swinging brass ball indicated some aspect of the Earth and its movement.  More about this later after I do some more digging.

Update: The ball swinging in the Pantheon is called Foucault’s Pendulum and it was installed in the Pantheon in 1851 to demonstrate the rotation of the earth.  More information is available here and here.

This is the view of the Pantheon from outside.  Fairly impressive and probably a fitting tribute to its occupants.

Oct 6-10, 2009 – Paris – Champs Elysees and Arc de Triomphe

As we headed up the Champs Elysees from the Place de Concorde, to Allister’s delight, we came upon a huge French aerospace display.  The following pictures are only a small subset of the displays that were set up in the treed area between the the Place de Concorde and the retail area of the Champs Elysees (before the Arc de Triomphe). 

This picture down the sidewalk gives some idea of the crowds of the crowds on a weekend in October – probably not bad by the standards of those who have been there in the high season.

Everyone who is anyone seemed to want to be represented in this part of the Champs Elysees.  Toyoto, usually a restrained company that lets its products speak for themselves, felt compelled to spend a bundle to give the brand a shot in the arm.

The Heltons have arrived!  All the way from Saanichton, BC to the 8th arrondissement  and the Champs Elysees!

Louis Vuitton, one of the flagship brands represented on the Champs Elysee.  I went in long enough to see a 400 Euro handbag, Allister didn’t make it that far.  Charlotte was in her element.

 

Many are probably wondering – what did you buy?  The short answer is nothing, but it was still cool to go for the stroll.

After successfully navigating the Champs Elysees retail gauntlet we arrived at this sight and after a few moments wondering how to navigate the approximately 16 lanes of traffic that swirl around the Arc we located the underground passageway that bears pedestrians to the Paris landmark.

 

We didn’t go up to the top of the Arc on this visit (we came back again – see below).  The following picture was taken by either LL, Allister, or Charlotte (no way you get me to even that height, let alone the third platform) from the second platform on the Eiffel Tower.

Finally, as I’m sure everyone finds in Paris, distances are a lot further than they appear.   Nonetheless, we enjoyed walking all over Paris and on one of our nocturnal we returned to the Arc to take these photos from the observation deck on top.

Oct 6-10, 2009 – Paris – The Louvre

Reclining on the Place de Concorde.  If you think we have poor posture in the first photo, check out the chairs we were using in the second photo.  Perfect for kicking back.

Further down the Place we came upon this tree fort; the sole piece of impromptu ’sculpture’ in this famous stroll.  It seemed incongruous (to me at least, to Allister and Charlotte it just seemed neat) and wanted an explanation.  A little further down the mall we found those responsible.  We asked them what they were doing and they explained it was part of some art exhibit or other – ah, the French!

 

The entrance to the Louvre is impressive – parts of this same structure extend below ground level also.

 

Is any trip to the Louvre complete without the Mona Lisa?  A little underwhelming, the painting is much smaller than the space in which it is displayed could support.

The Venus de Milo was deemed another ‘must see’ by our tour group.

And after a hard day of cultural enrichment, Laura-Lyn and I headed for an outdoor cafe to relax.  The kids were only too happy to stay in the room and play games and watch videos on the computer giving Mom and Dad a perfect opportunity to slip away for some adult time. 

 

We took this picture (and a couple of others like it) to remind us of the benefit of traveling in the ‘off-season’ when there aren’t so many tourists.  This is not to say there are no tourists about; places like the Louvre are magnets for them, but just to make the point that, from all accounts (since we have no direct experience for comparison) post-September is much calmer.