We started today around 11:00am. First stop was the Jardin du Luxembourg. It was beautifully landscaped. The streets of Paris might be dirty but the French respect their landmarks. We heard kids laughing all over the place as they fed ducks in the ponds around the grounds. You couldn’t help notice the Greek influence there. Statues of a Greek actor rehearsing his lines and other elements situated around the grounds. We did get lost trying to find it. We spent a great deal of time being lost. Make sure you prepare better than we did. Do not try to be spontaneous on a European vacation, that ain’t happening. I thought we needed to see the Sacred Coeur. That was easier said than found. We walked what seemed like miles upon miles, asking everyone who didn’t speak good English how to get there. We finally stumbled upon it. Word of advice, take your hiking shoes because it is up on a hill and it is a steep one. The church is just as I’d thought it would be from seeing pictures but I did not know about the panoramic view of Paris you could get from that hill. It was something you couldn’t stop looking at. We really needed some lunch by this time. On our way up to the church, we got some jambon and fromage (ham and cheese) sandwiches from a bistro. When in France do as the French do, oui? We also used the side of the hill in front of the Sacred Coeur to relax our feet and eat. A sidewalk performer sang everything from Lionel Richie’s “Stuck on You” to The Eagles’ “Hotel California”. We had to laugh because he kept putting the emphasis on the wrong syllable on the word “hotel”, he didn’t hit “ho” but “tel”. It sounded funny. We went inside the church and I don’t want to keep describing things the same way but it was beautiful and very inspirational. I am not Catholic but you couldn’t help feeling “un peu” closer to God. Our next stop was some shopping. We decided to take the Metro instead of the RER this time. It was packed. Some fellow tried to get on without paying but the driver spotted him, parked the bus, yelled out a few lines in French and then threatened to call the police before the guy got off the bus. We made a couple of stops and even got to see the famed Moulin Rouge on the way. It was kind of like one of those things where you look up and say “oh look, that’s the Moulin Rouge.” We ended near the Arc du Triumphe. It is mammoth. I was awed by how big it was. I thought almost as much of the drivers who whiz in circles on the roundabout surrounding the Arc. It was time for some shopping on the Champs Elysees. Wow, the throngs of people pumping lots of money into Paris’ economy. I thought I saw a lot of people on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago but this was something much more. At this time, we were so tired from walking, it actually hurt. Bicycling or mopeds are the choice transportation. I have to comment on the amount of beautiful women dressed to kill with high heels whizzing by on bikes. Something much different than you would see in the US. We decided to check out the big department store BVH, I think that is what it is called. My friend was looking for gifts and we were in the place forever. She decided she wanted to get these earrings but the guy wouldn’t sell them to her because it was 7:30pm. The store was closed, no exceptions. We started walking back to the hotel when she spotted a jeweler. It said “ouvier” in the window, open! The door was locked and the man inside came over to unlock it. He asked what piece we liked. I didn’t know because we were window shopping. He locked the door back up and went about his business. My friend then found something she liked and I told her if she wanted it, she had to get him to open the door again. She did but he did not look to repeat the process. Once inside, his mood changed. He tried to sell us two diamond rings. They were nice but we were not in the market for such things. We paid for the earrings in cash which he liked and we were on our way again!
(I’ve not yet completed this…)
