More to enjoy in Paris

Thursday 19th May

Last time we were here I didn't go to see the Lady and Unicorn Tapestries so this was first up this morning. It rained all night and more of the same was forecast so we decided it needed to be inside activities for the day. The tapestries are at the Museum de Moyen Age which is in the Latin Quarter (south of the river and Notre Dame). These tapestries are pretty amazing. There are 6 of them and each of them covers a whole wall – probably about 12ft square at a guess. I just find it amazing that way back in the 1500s when these were produced they were able to get the right perspective on everything. No computers back then – just by eye. There were a lot of other things to see in the museum but the main focus was the tapestries.

Musee de Moyen Age - this was a beautiful building

One of the six Lady with the Unicorn tapestries. Five of the tapestries represent the five senses. This work just astounds me. 

After the museum we headed off into the latin quarter proper in search of the church of St Severin. Yes - the tour of churches continues. This church dates back to the early 1500s and took 300 years to build. Our guide book terms it – flamboyant gothic style. Another really beautiful church. As we left the church the rain started to come down again so we decided lunch was called for. We left the church through a different door and found ourselves in a street with a lot of cafes and restaurants. Not knowing any better we just opted for the first place we saw which had a very reasonable plat du jour + glass of wine + coffee for 10euro. ($15) Boeuf Bourguignon – not gourmet but a good meal that came with potatoes, broccoli and carrots – we don’t see many veggies in France.

Church of St Severin in the Latin Quarter

The inside of the church

Time to stroll on through the area and we fell in love with it. There were lots of narrow streets/lanes all filled with food places of every variety, and all offering very cheap meals. We may head back there for lunch tomorrow. We have been practicing our French and were able to interact with the restaurant touts – no we’ve already eaten, maybe tomorrow, and a few other phrases. I am getting a bit braver with my French which is really only what I remember from French at school. I can remember a lot of the nouns but have trouble with the pronunciation and sentence structure. Anyway, we are getting by and people seem keen to help us learn more.

Just one of the bustling laneways in the Latin Quarter

The weather was still pretty ordinary so we decided that maybe we’d try going to the Arc de Triomphe in the hope that the bad weather would keep the crowds down. The metro gets you right to the roundabout and then there is a tunnel under the road to the arch. The queue was very short so we waited and went to the top of the arch. We took the easy way up in the lift. What amazing views all around the arch! We didn’t do this the first trip and I’m so glad we did it this time. Very impressed! Very cool and a couple of minor showers while we were up there but not enough to spoil the experience. As the locals say – that’s Paris. It is quite amazing to watch the traffic flowing around the arch – there are 10 or 12 roads feeding into this roundabout and I think the drivers just take a deep breath and dive right in. There doesn’t seem to be too much tooting and gesturing – they all just get along.

Arc de Triomphe - easy underground access from here - but lots of steps again.

Champs Elysee - doesn't show up real good in this photo but there is a Melbourne Star type wheel at the far end. We don't remember it being here last time.

Standing at the bottom of the arch was the first glimpse we got of the Eiffel Tower this trip. Rob is squinting against the rain and wind at the top.

At every road into the roundabout the buildings are of the same design, though not necessarily the same size. This one cleaned up best for the photo shoot.

Time to head back to Montmartre and a coffee and crepe before returning to the hotel. Tonight for dinner we had kebab on a plate which was enough for both of us to share.

We are finding it very easy to get around and are getting quite adept at changing trains – one stop this way, 5 stops that way, 2 another direction, and there you are. Of course every train change involves going up a flight of stairs (or 2 or 3), down a flight of stairs, up some more and so on. The train tunnels is one thing but designing all the pedestrian tunnels connecting the train lines must have been an interesting exercise. I lost count of the number of steps up and down today but it would have to be over 200. How many calories is that?

Tomorrow, weather permitting, we hope to walk the Champs Elysee.

PS I have changed the way I upload photos to the blog - are they still OK to view?