Paris Weekend, August 1998

Paris:  Rodin Museum with the Thinker

Woody Allen’s recent movie Midnight in Paris brought back memories of my one and only visit to Paris in August, 1998, when Art and I spent a long weekend there during our three month stay in London.  Here is the entry from my diary at the time:

    It was the August Bank Holiday Monday in England and rather than fight the crowds at London’s traditional West Indian Carnival (the equivalent of Mardi Gras and touted as Europe’s biggest street festival) we decided to spend the weekend in Paris.  We traveled via Eurostar, the high speed train that goes through the Chunnel. (The Chunnel part lasts about 20 minutes.)  It is a remarkably easy way to get from the heart of London to the heart of Paris in just under three hours.  Because we booked late we ended up going first class which cost more but meant that we were wined and dined both ways.

Toy boats for rent in the Tuileries Garden

We arrived midday on Saturday and after checking into our hotel (near the Place d’Italie on the Left Bank) we set out on foot to explore the city.  Half the fun is just wandering through the narrower streets past sidewalk cafés, open air markets, art galleries, etc.  Whenever we travel to Europe (which isn’t that often) we are on a perpetual search for a certain kind of leather key case Art likes and this gives us an excuse to go into shops.  Much to my surprise, I remembered more of my high school and college French than I would have thought, and we managed to communicate quite well.  (We never did find a key case.) 

Notre Dame Cathedral, Rose Window

Our stroll eventually brought us to the Seine and to Notre Dame Cathedral, a must-see despite the crowds.  We arrived as an afternoon service was just ending.  The combination of the organ music reverberating through the lofty  spaces, the waxy smell of hundreds of votive candles, and the brilliant stained glass rose windows makes one appreciate the power of the church.  We had dinner at a tiny family run restaurant where the food was delicious even though we weren’t completely sure of what we were eating.  (Menu items were not a staple of my high school French training.)  Paris is a relatively small city and one can walk or take the Metro almost anywhere. 

Eiffel Tower at Night

After dinner we walked to the Eiffel Tower which is brilliantly lit up at night.  Art doesn't like heights so we didn’t go to the very top, but compromised on the middle level—which is still hundreds of feet off the ground.  Needless to say, the view was impressive with the city and the river sparkling below.  One historical tidbit explained at the tower is that after it was finished in 1889, it was used to test the physical principles of falling objects.  Basically, they tossed things over the side and watched them fall!

Sacre Coeur

 Sunday in Paris was devoted to museums and a visit to Montmartre and Sacre Coeur, a church on top of a hill in one of the more arty, and quaint parts of Paris.  One climbs the steps to the church mainly for the view.  Stationed around the base were a number of street performers dressed like clowns, mummies, etc.  Each one stood motionless, like a statue, until a coin dropped into the hat; then the figure would change to a new position, a performance that especially entranced children.  The mummies, which looked like King Tut wrapped in gold stretch fabric, were particularly bizarre.

Viewing a Degas Dancer in the Musee D'Orsay

 Paris has too many museums to see anything but a sampling on a weekend visit.  On Sunday we decided to go to the Musee D’Orsay, a former railway station that has been remodeled  to display a large portion of the wonderful 19th Century and Impressionist paintings in the Louvre collection.  We also went to the Rodin museum which displays his works in a lovely 18th century house and garden.

Louvre with I.M. Pei designed Pyramid in front.

We saved our trip to the Louvre until Monday and spent most of the day there.  When we got tired of looking at art we walked in the Tuileries Gardens which stretch out in front of the museum and look toward the Arc de Triomphe.  At the end of the afternoon we returned to the train station, got onto the train, and zipped through the French countryside as the sun was casting golden shadows over the fields.  Altogether, it was a lovely weekend. 

Au Revoir!