Our Vacation: Made In France

how to view this blog?

2008-07-01T00:38:00.006-04:00

This Blog is simply the online record of a voyage to France by 2 men: Shawn and Didier.

It is a re-cap and a photographic record of our adventures from Paris, to Nantes, to Rennes and beyond...

The best way to view this blog is in chronological order... to do that you can click on the "it starts..." link on the right hand side (under 'Blog Entries') Or you can simply click HERE and go post, by post. When you reach the bottom of an individual post you can click on the "Newer Post" link in the bottom left corner.

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Aside from the main daily posts there will be special smaller posts on a few specific subject matters, that after reviewing the photos (we in fact took 6236 photos in total, most of those by Shawn - 5094) appeared to be rather constant subject matter, some intentional and some not. They are:

'du jour': A favourite photo of the day.

'leopard spotting': these are sightings of Leopard Print, be it clothing, furniture, in a painting or otherwise.

'knock-knock': Photos of some doorways that for whatever reason caught Shawn's attention.

'deux pour un': Mostly Duo self portraits, although also included are pictures of both of us together, taken by friends or family.

'l'amour est un oiseau rebelle': Birds. Birds. Birds.

'beauté est la bête': Gargoyles. (they are every where.)

'juste pour rire': Staged or otherwise amusing photographs.

'a la carte': What was on the menu when we dined out.

'sphinx-ters': Sphinxes. (Like Gargoyles, they are everywhere.)

'naughty bits': Call them kiki, or zizi (a la Française), they are even more prolific than gargoyles and sphinx!

'fess-tivale': Well you cant take a picture of a kiki and ignore the 'b-side'

'arcade of Joan': miscellaneous Jeanne d'Arc.

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We hope you enjoy this blog as much as we enjoyed our time in France.

Shawn & Didier.

a la carte: le 22 juin

2008-06-22T13:36:00.004-04:00

Shortly after arriving in St-Malo and walking for about 45 mins we decided it was best, to get a bite to eat for a long day of sight-seeing, so we stopped off at Crêperies Chez Chantal. Apparently the oldest crêperies in St-Malo (since it's completed restorations). It first opened for business in 1955. Of course we all had crêpes and Apple Side (most traditional, and delicious)

Didier: Andouille
Philippe: Jambon et Patates

Shawn: Chevre

And then of course it was time for dessert...

Didier: Chocolate et Grand Marnier
Philippe: Chocolat et Chantilly

Shawn: Chocolat, Poires et Chantilly

Later that afternoon, while strolling along the boardwalk in Dinard we stopped for Belgian Waffles...

Didier: Chocolat et Sucre

Philippe: Confiture
Shawn: Crème de Marrons

DE-LICI-OUS!

juste pour rire: le 22 juin

2008-06-22T13:35:00.002-04:00

OK not so much something funny as something eye-catching...

...I did find it cute though, that they drew a protective circle around themselves, as if to say, Hey! this is OUR part of the beach, now beat it!

l'amour est un oiseau rebelle: le 22 juin

2008-06-22T13:34:00.005-04:00

St-Malo being on the coast, it was a sure thing that gulls would abound. This happy little fellow had been walking on the crosswalk (Right up until I got my camera out of course!)

These little fellow were all about as we had lunch at La Crêperies Chez Chantal. The two in the rear of the photo were feeding each other the little scraps and morsels they found. They were too cute.

While walking along the ramparts of the city, wee came across these Gulls and their friend...

While walking along the Boardwalk at Dinard, I spotted this Egret fishing along the breaker line ...

deux pour un: le 22 juin

2008-06-22T13:33:00.001-04:00

Taken from the point at Dinard, looking toward St-Malo.

du jour: le 22 juin

2008-06-22T13:32:00.005-04:00

St-Malo
(from le Grand Bé)

Le Petit Bé

(from le Grand Bé)

day nine (2): st-malo / dinard / dinan

2008-06-22T13:31:00.002-04:00

Dinard and Dinan

After a short drive, we arrived in Dinard, and headed down to the main beach, with spectacular views of the old homes hugging both sides of the beach...

Some closer shots of these magnificent old homes...

Then we took a walk on a boardwalk around a point where we could get a better view of St-Malo...

...a a beached sailboat...

On our walk back, we passed another salt water pool (check out the raised road. And yes that's a single dwelling home to the right of the road)

The local Casino Barriere De Dinard (which overlooks the Beach)...

Then before heading back to Rennes, we stopped off in Dinan to visit Jacques and Gael. They just purchased a centuries old house and were beginning to renovate. I cannot wait to go back and visit again when it's done... the place will be spectacular!

After a couple drinks and a bite to eat we said our goodbyes and made our way back to Rennes.

day nine (1): st-malo / dinard / dinan

2008-06-22T13:30:00.002-04:00

St-Malo

Philippe put the top down on his Peugeot 307CC and we were on the road...

After a 45 minute drive, north of Rennes, we arrived at the sea side, fortified city of St-Malo.

Jacques Gouin de Beauchesne...

Port St-Louis...

Once inside the city walls we walked around a bit...

Cathedral de St. Vincent ...

The Breakwater...

After a short walk within the city, we climbed the Ramparts for more impressive views...

Public beaches below the ramparts...

Plage le Môle:

Plage de Bon Secours:

A view from the ramparts:
Foreground: Plage de Bon Secours with the famous seawater swimming pool...
Behind the pool: Le Grand Bé
Behind and to the left of le Grand Bé: Le Petit Bé.

Jacques Cartier. He was born at St-Malo...

In the distance, Fort National...

Place du Québec and Robert Surcouf...

After walking along the Ramparts, we went outside the city walls and since it was low tide we walked to le Grand Bé...

Two views from le Grand Bé, looking toward le Petit Bé...

A view of St-Malo from le Grand Bé. You can see the bell tower of the Cathédrale de St-Vincent...

descending le Grand Bé...

Walking along the path toward St-Malo (This path is submerged at high tide)...

Another view of le Fort National...

After the walk to and from le Grand é we headed back inside the City walls...

And eventually took a rest at le Café Univers...

...where we had a wonderful view of l'Hôtel de Ville...

After our rest, we walked along the street where there were many local artists. We particularly liked the work of this artist and bought a tryptic... actually the one in the lower left corner of this pic...

...and here's the proof of purchase...

After a couple hours walking the streets we headed back to the car and headed across the bay to Dinard...

day eight: édition spéciale: brezhoneg*

2008-06-21T13:41:00.004-04:00

* brezhoneg is Breton for ... well... Breton, one of the two native languages of Bretagne...

This is the Flag of Bretagne.

At the restaurant Creperie des Portes Mordelaises there was a world map on the wall, completely in brezhoneg...

The World...

North America...

Bretagne...

a la carte: le 21 juin

2008-06-21T13:37:00.003-04:00

As Bubble Devere says.. "Champagne darling. Champagne for everyone!"

Time for an apero...

At Le Grappa, a small bar run by friends of Philippe. We (Philippe, Jacques, Didier and myself) had a drink or two and a saucisson au Canard. (5 euro, a really great deal actually!) Basically they plunk a cutting board and knife on your table and give you the saucisson and you cut it and serve yourselves. I can tell you this, it tasted blood good with my Biere Lancelot...

And then for supper, we went to Restaurant Creperie des Portes Mordelaises, with Philippe and his friends Gael and Jacques.

Mr had the andouille* (yeech) ad I had the escargots (yum) ...

For dessert, Mister had Caramel and Apple and I had the Chocolate / Grand Marnier flambée...

- - - - -

* I don't think I can impress upon you just how foul andouille both smells and tastes... Really... it makes you wonder about the whole of french cuisine...

juste pour rire: le 21 juin

2008-06-21T13:36:00.002-04:00

Near the beginning of our walking tour, on a pedestrian street: rue Ste-Melaine, we saw this exquisite parking job... keep in mind, this is a PEDESTRIAN STREET...

After the nuptials of Philippe et Didier at the abbey church of Notre-Dame-en-Saint-Melaine...

beauté est la bête: le 21 juin

2008-06-21T13:35:00.002-04:00

Le Parlement de Bretagne

knock-knock: le 21 juin

2008-06-21T13:34:00.003-04:00

Two doors to the crypt of the abbey church of Notre-Dame-en-Saint-Melaine...

Front door to a small private residence...

A FANTASTIC Art Nouveau building. La Piscine Saint-Georges...

And a close up of the keystone over the main door...

Another small private residence...

The main entrance of Le Parlement de Bretagne...

leopard spotting: le 21 juin

2008-06-21T13:33:00.002-04:00

You know, I fell in love with Rennes... not so much for it's history and architecture, as it's people and the style with which they chose to express themselves and their transportation.

Here we see a delivery truck...

and not an hour later, do we find this charming little scooter...

du jour: le 21 juin

2008-06-21T13:32:00.003-04:00

Le Palais de St-Georges
(aka La Magdelaine de la Fayette)

day eight: rennes

2008-06-21T13:30:00.017-04:00

Early morning... 8:30 or so, on the train: Nantes to Rennes. Off to visit La Reine de Rennes... M. Philippe.

A couple hours later and voila... Rennes. Once we get to Philippe's he does what any self respecting Frenchman would do... pours some Champagne...

Here's a couple pics of the view from his apt. The front:

The back:
(ain't that the biggest cherry tree ya ever did see?!)

After a short rest and Champagne (of course) we went off for a walking tour of the city.

Rennes is quite a beautiful city, with a lot of history, as you'll soon see from it's archetecture... going back, oh about 500+ years or so...

My ankle curses you... oh cobbled streets!

In the distance you can see the bell tower of the abbey church of Notre-Dame-en-Saint-Melaine

...and a little bit closer...

Through the gates toward the Parc Thabor...

...and back again to the abbey church of Notre-Dame-en-Saint-Melaine...

The Gendarmerie...

A miscellaneous window...

La Poste...

L'Hôtel de Ville, Place de la Mairie.

l'Opéra de Rennes...

...and to the right of the Opéra is Le Picca,...

...where the who's who of Rennes are seen...

...oh look here they are now...

Le Parlement de Bretagne (Parliament of Brittany) probably the most famous 17th century building in Rennes. It was rebuilt after a terrible fire in 1994. It now houses the Rennes Court of Appeals.

Miscellaneous other buildings in the city...

I can only assume that a relative of mine owns this place... oddly enough showing my passport and family name of Ellis did not entitle me to any freebies. Dommage.

The only remaining medieval Gate of the original fortifications of Rennes: Les Portes Mordelaises. From the exterior...

...and the interior...

This is Gael and Jacques in front of le Restaurant Creperie des Portes Mordelaises... but more of that later in 'a la carte"...

juste pour rire: le 20 juin

2008-06-20T13:38:00.002-04:00

It's really hard to explain just WHY we are both smiling so much in this picture, but the short story is...

It was taken by Didier's father after what seemed like five minutes (but I'm sure it was less) of explaining not so much HOW a camera worked, rather which side was the front, which was the back and in what direction you must hold the camera so that you take a picture of the desired subject, and not your own face...

I guess a day at the sea-side with an Anglo from Canada was just too much... heh

a la carte édition spéciale: le 20 juin

2008-06-20T13:37:00.008-04:00

After our walk along the port, but before we left, we were in dire need of an ice cream, and so we stopped at La Fraiseraie.

Oh La La!

leopard spotting: le 20 juin

2008-06-20T13:37:00.007-04:00

I'm not saying that Mama Buisine wore Leopard Print just for me, but then again, I'n not saying she didn't...

a la carte: le 20 juin

2008-06-20T13:36:00.007-04:00

Lunch at the seaside.

Resto Coeur et Creme, Pornic.

Toasting with a Ricard...

Mama and Papa Buisine had the Mussels, Didier had grilled shrimp, and Shawn had the salade Gourmand... Smoked Salmon, Foie Gras and Magret de Canard. YUM.

Main Course. Les Buisine had roast lamb, Didier had Petit Curry des Mers, and Shawn had Brochette de coquilles Saint Jacques. Oh, so good.

And them came dessert... for all the Buisine Nougat Glacés and for Shawn... le dessert gourmand... Café, Creme Brulée, Baba au Rhum, et Mousse au Chocolat...

deux pour un: le 20 juin

2008-06-20T13:35:00.001-04:00

On the boardwalk at Pointe Saint-Gildas.

du jour: le 20 juin

2008-06-20T13:33:00.001-04:00

Two chateaux...

Pornic...

de la Balinière...

day seven (3): pornic, pointe saint gildas et nantes

2008-06-20T13:32:00.007-04:00

Just up the street from Didier's Parents is Le château de la Balinière. (now the home of a music school). A beautiful example of a 'folie Nantais', it was built in the 1700's by Ducoudray-Bourgaud family.

day seven (2): pornic, pointe saint gildas et nantes

2008-06-20T13:31:00.005-04:00

Pointe Saint-Gildas

After another short drive, we made it to Pointe Saint Gildas (north of Pornic)

It's a beautiful seaside vista full of rocky shores and abandonded WWII bunkers...

Bunker with the Phare de la Pointe Saint-Gildas ...

La Famille Buisine...

Another Salamander...

All this sun and salt air was beginning tucker us out, so back to Nantes we go...

day seven (1): pornic, pointe saint gildas et nantes

2008-06-20T13:30:00.012-04:00

Pornic.

Road Trip!

We got up this morning and loaded ourselves into the family car and headed west to the Atlantic Coast and the seaside village of Pornic. If you're looking for quaint, tranquil and picturesque, Pornic is it.

Once we disembarked Papa Buisine insisted on a family pic...

After a bite to eat (see later in 'a la carte') it was time to sight-see...

It was marée-basse (low tide) obviously... but we were there for the day and so it was only a matter of time...

I don't know why there were elephant statues either, but they were cute...

An old church converted into a theatre...

l'Eglise Saint-Gilles...

Old ramparts...

An old castle, now home to locals...

Sainte-Somebody-or-Other... looking out to sea...

SALAMANDER!!!
(The symbol of Roi Francois I)

The Chateau...

Flags:
(l-r) Port of Pornic, Ville de Pornic, Pays de Retz, Bretagne, France.

More Chateau...

Villa Malouïne...

Famille Buisine et Villa Malouïne

A cute little sea-side cottage...

Lighthouse...

Pleasure port...

Looking toward Nova Scotia...

Famille Buisine...

The walk back...
(the tide is coming back too)

After our walk we took a little drive then stopped for a drink at a café and as we returned to the car, I caught one of the locals hanging out...

a la carte: le 19 juin

2008-06-19T13:35:00.007-04:00

What's the first thing any proper, self respecting Frenchman offers his guests.. why Champagne of course!

We were not at Didier's Parents place more than 5 minutes before we were asked whether we would prefer white or rose Champagne... of COURSE I said "Rose!" before the question was even finished! I do love me some Rose!

(l-r) Shawn, Didier, Eliane and Christian.

Then an appetizer was served... Langoustines, with incredible bread, home-made mayonaise and what seemed like a pound of the most delicious butter (yea I swear even THAT tasted better in France!)

And as if the couple of pounds of Langoustines were not enough, the main dish... Poisson au beurre blanc. So delicious I swear I am craving it right now!

juste pour rire: le 19 juin

2008-06-19T13:34:00.004-04:00

PUNCH BUGGY [OLD] BLUE!
Two points!

knock-knock: le 19 juin

2008-06-19T13:33:00.004-04:00

Side door of Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Nantes...

Random courtyard door...

Main door to Eglise Sainte-Croix de Nantes...

du jour: le 19 juin

2008-06-19T13:32:00.004-04:00

A most exquisite building.

This is a close up of the remaining of

two towers of the original LU Factory.

day six (2): nantes

2008-06-19T13:31:00.013-04:00

With the Doctor's visit out of the way it was time to get our tourisimo back on. We hopped into Mamie and Papie's car and headed across the Loire to central Nantes to start seeing some sights...

Place Marechal Foch...

Port Saint-Pierre (15th century, built into pre-existing Roman wall. The gate was the main route from Nantes to Paris.)

Heading toward the Cathédrale...

Looking back to Place Marechal Foch...

From the steps of the Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Nantes...

The Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Nantes...

Cours Saint Pierre...

La Tour LU.
(LU make some of the yummies cookies you ever dunked in a cup of coffee... EVER!)

Château des ducs de Bretagne...

There's lots to do and see here.

Anne de Bretagne...

Eglise Sainte-Croix de Nantes...

Les Rigolettes de Nantes...

"Jacques qui pleure et Jacques qui rit"
...you see a LOT of faces in the archetecture of Nantes.

One of the few remaining medieval buildings in Nantes...
(in the Bouffay district)

Les Machines de l'île de Nantes...

By this time it's 11:00 PM and the ankle needed a rest. These old french cities are beautiful but do all the cute streets and sidewalks have to be in cobble-stone?!

day six (1): nantes

2008-06-19T13:30:00.005-04:00

We woke up, bright and early, had a quick breakfast and then we were on our way. A couple of metro lines and my hobbling along, and eventually we made it to Gare Montparnase. Got on the train and now it was time to relax. We both read a bit while and as well we took advantage of this time and viewed the countryside where the occasional château, or at the very least, impressive house would catch our attention.

It's a 4 hour drive from Paris to Nantes, but only 2 hours by TGV. In no time at all we had arrived.

Didier's parents met us at the train station and soon we arrived to their home...

Once we got our baggage in, it was time to get down to business... Champagne and some food. (but more on that in a bit)

Once Didier and I could not drink another drop or eat another bite, it was time to attend to my ever swelling ankle. I could walk on it, but with great discomfort and it was not going to get any better in the coming days, with a lot of sight-seeing on the agenda.

I thought all I really needed were some anti-inflammatories and a pressure bandage, so off to the local pharmacy we went...

Well not only did they not have the bandage I wanted, but could not give me any decent anti-inflams... Further they highly recommended having a Dr look at my ankle, as the nurse the night before had directed.

Acquiescence.

The lady behind the counter of the Pharmacy was very kind and called the Dr's Office down the road, ensured that they could see me without issue and so after a ten euro call to my Insurance company (there's no toll free from Europe and although they tell you to call collect, that didn't work either) my dossier was opened and we were off to see the Doctor.

Ah, but we knew it could not be that easy. I think there were 4 people ahead of us and it seemed we sat in the waiting room for over two hours, but in reality is was probably only one hour and fifty-five minutes... BUT the Doctor was kind and ultra sympathetic to the fact that I was not from France. She prescribed some pain-relievers / anti-inflammatories and while she gave me a prescription as well for an ankle-brace (basically a firm ankle brace) she also directed me to get some X-rays, as the ankle-brace could actually cause more damage if there was a fracture or a break, as opposed to just sprain or torn ligaments...

So, off to an X-ray clinic...and I swear these were all within 2 blocks of each other... and thank god, as we were still on foot...

Forty minutes later we were outta the X-ray clinic and thankfully there was no fracture or break and so no need for step number four: Emergency and Cast.

Back to the Pharmacy to fill out my prescriptions and we were back to Didier's family home and I put my now braced ankle up and had a Panache. I think I deserved one...

After a short rest it was time to resume our grand tour of France...

fess-tivale édition spéciale supplémentaire: le louvre, 'got tail'

2008-06-18T13:46:00.006-04:00

If you take the time., such as we did, you will oft times notice the 'slightly irregular', the 'not quite as it seems'

We noticed a few of the more spectacular backsides had, tails.

We don't judge, we simple document...

fess-tivale édition spéciale: 'le louvre ASSortment'

2008-06-18T13:45:00.007-04:00

As with Kiki, the Louvre is a virtual cornucopia of beautiful bums...

naughty-bits, édition spéciale supplémentaire: world (kiki) vision

2008-06-18T13:44:00.005-04:00

For only pennies a day, you too can help unfortunate statues at the Louvre regain their lost 'pride'.

Won't you help today?

naughty-bits édition spéciale: le louvre

2008-06-18T13:43:00.010-04:00

All I can say is this.... There are a LOT of kiki in the Louvre. This is by no means all of them, but it's a goodly bunch.

a la carte: le louvre

2008-06-18T13:42:00.005-04:00

Before going to Le Louvre, Didier and I met Anne for lunch. We had a wonderfully delicious Choucroute at "Le Bretzel"

Mid-Afternoon snack.
Lemon Torte with Chocolate...
Café Le Louvre.

Apero on le Passerelle des Arts.
Macarons et Champagne...

There were many other groups of people having a late day picnic on the bridge...

juste pour rire: nuestro amigo español

2008-06-18T13:41:00.005-04:00

OK, now this is an amusing story...

On Monday, while waiting in line for the Tour of the towers at Notre Dame, it began to rain a little. Nothing torrential, but rain nonetheless. We were not properly prepared for the weather but a nice young man, of indiscernible origins was prepared and held his umbrella out over himself and us. We thanked him and shared a few passing comments.

The next day, while waiting in line at Versailles to purchase entry tickets, after turning the first bend, we looked over our shoulders and whom should we see? By Mr. Umbrella. It being a wonderfully sunny and warm day Didier jokingly commented that he probably would not need his umbrella today. He smiled. A few minutes later, after the amusement of seeing our new 'friend' again, Didier then asked "Are you going to the Louvre tomorrow?" It seemed that our friend did not understand, but when Didier said "Le Louvre; Tomorrow. Demain." He nodded in return and said "Yes, I go to the Louvre tomorrow." we laughed and said that we would see him there, as we were scheduled to go to the Musée on Wednesday ourselves.

Now let me just say this... In the Louvre there are 3 distinct wings: Richelieu: Denon and Sully. Each have four floors, and there are well over 350 individual galleries and rooms to visit. Countless thousands of people pass through the doors of the Museum each and every day. The chances of finding the same 'stranger' for the third time in as many days, with such odds seems a new improbability.

After about an 2 hours as we walked the grand gallery of Large Format French paintings in the Denon wing, look who we saw...

We all had to laugh. After trying to communicate poorly, but so very well intentioned, in English, we asked where he was from. He replies Spain, Asturias to be exact. Fortunately Didier speaks Spanish rather well and so the communication barrier was breached. We chatted for a few minutes and then we all went on our way.

We passed him a few more times throughout the day, always saying hello, or smiling.

I only wish we had asked his name... alas all we have is this one pic and a great story of our amigo de Asturias.

juste pour rire: le louvre

2008-06-18T13:40:00.002-04:00

You just HAVE to have a little fun in a Museum...

Deux Pierrot.
(By J.-A. Watteau)

"Génie de la Liberté 2008"

Les Roi; Louis XIV et Shawn I

I ain't got no Body...

No Comment...

l'amour est un oiseau rebelle: le louvre

2008-06-18T13:39:00.004-04:00

From the Café atop the Denon Wing...

We saw some crows playing in the updrafts of air above one of the entrances to the Cour Carrée after our break on the Passerelle des Arts. I was very happy to see some crows, I always feel at home when there are crows around...

deux pour un: le louvre

2008-06-18T13:38:00.002-04:00

knock-knock: le 18 juin

2008-06-18T13:37:00.002-04:00

Before we made it to the Louvre we had lunch with Didier's friend Anne. After lunch we walked around a bit, this was the door to Anne's favourite building. You can see why...

leopard spotting édition spéciale: le louvre

2008-06-18T13:36:00.007-04:00

Saints be praised. There's Leopard Print all over the Louvre!

Was I a happy Camper?
Yes indeed I was!
Kitty Like!

du jour: le 18 juin - le louvre

2008-06-18T13:35:00.004-04:00

OK, so it's another one of those 'impossible to pick just one picture' type days. What do you expect?! It's the Louvre!!!

A couple more ceilings...

Le Cour Marly...

A Fireplace Mantle...

A Janus Head...

And oh look... the Goddess Diana...

day five (5): musée le louvre

2008-06-18T13:34:00.004-04:00

Le Louvre. Napoléon III's Apartments.

Now this was some majorly over the top living...

Grand Hallway...

Salon...

Music Room...

The 'Breakfast Nook'...

The Dining Room...

And this was one of the furniture suites from Versailles...

day five (4): musée le louvre

2008-06-18T13:33:00.008-04:00

Le Louvre. Sculpture.

Now this was something I didn't know... just HOW MUCH I really enjoyed sculpture. It was incredible. The detail in some of the statues. they seemed more real than half of the people walking through the galleries! I thought it was going to be the paintings that impressed me, but it was the sculpture that stole my heart...

The Egyptian Wing...

That's Didier to the right of Ramses II...

And me standing 'like an Egyptian' ...

Ramses II

Mesopotamia...

Miscellanea...

Berger flûteur
by: Antoine Coysevox

Philopoemen
by: Pierre-Jean David

Annebel
by: Sébastien Slodtz

and

Julius Caesar
by: Nicolas Coustou

...and of course Emperor Napoléon Bonaparte...

A few versions of the Goddess Diana...

The Winged Victory of Samothrace or 'Nike'...

Aphrodite, or as she is better known:
the Venus de Milo...

Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss
More commonly known as Psyche and Cupid (or Cupid and Psyche)

The Four Seasons:
by: Pierre Ier Legros

Le Printemps

l'Eté

l'Automne

l'Hiver

A couple angels...

GOT BEARD?

day five (3): musée le louvre

2008-06-18T13:32:00.004-04:00

Le Louvre. Paintings.

What is interesting about the Louvre, is that there are roughly over 6000 paintings in it's collection, or, just about the same amount of photos we took on our trip to France... coincidence???

This really was a chance of a lifetime for me. I got to see some of my all time favourite pieces of art. This really was a dream come true...

Not only one, but TWO Saint-Sébastien... hanging across from each other...

The first by:
Andrea Mantegna

the second by:
Pietro di Cristoforo Vannucci

Portrait de deux hommes dit autrefois Portrait de François Mansard et Claude Perrault
by: Philippe de Champigne

Le général Bonaparte
by: Jacques-Louis David

Le Tricheur
by: Georges de la Tour

Saint Jean-Baptiste - Bacchus
by: Leonardo da Vinci

Musée, Pan, Amphion et Marsyas
by: Baldassare Peruzzi

La Gioconda
by: Leonardo da Vinci

Léonidas aux Thermopyles
by: Jacques-Louis David

Les Sabines
by: Jacques-Louis David

Le 28 Juillet. La Liberté guidant le peuple (28 juillet 1830)
by: Eugène Delacroix

Roi Louis XIV
by: Hyacinthe Rigaud

Le Radeau de la Méduse
by: Théodore Géricault

Jeune homme nu assis au bord de la mer. Figure d'étude
by: Hippolyte Flandrin

day five (2): musée le louvre

2008-06-18T13:31:00.004-04:00

Le Louvre. Look up. Look way up...

What you soon realize when you're at the Louvre is that what is IN it is only half of the show. It's the building itself. The architecture. The floors, walls and most incredible of all... the ceilings...

Beautiful, non?

It's because of these accursed ceilings, that while descending one set of the monstrous stairs, I missed the last step (while looking up) and sprained my ankle. Well we didn't know that at the time... it happened at 7:00 pm. I thought it was just a little twist and decided to walk it off.

We met out friend Lionel at 7:30 pm in the Pyramid and walked over to the Passerelle des Arts for a little traditional apero... (more on that in the post: a la carte, that follows)

We then returned to the Musée at about 8:15 pm and my ankle only got worse the more I liked, especially on those damned stairs. But I wasn't leaving til the place closed... who knows when I'd be back in Paris again...

Just as we were leaving at 9:30pm, Didier noticed a sign on a door near the main entrance that said "Infirmerie" It was still open and so we went in. The nurse could not have been nicer. She had me put my foot up on a chair, she put ice on it and then later massaged it with Arnica gel. She gave me both anti-inflammatories and pain relievers right then and enough for the next day. She insisted that I see a Doctor in the morning, which we said we would do, but just not in Paris... as we had a 9 am train to Nantes...

ANYhoo... enough of the ugly of my Ankle, and back to the beauty of le Louvre...

day five (1): musée le louvre

2008-06-18T13:30:00.008-04:00

Le Louvre: Miscellaneous...

Well another day has passed us by, and today we experience Le Louvre. We hop on the Metro (station National)

...and first head off to Gare Montparnase to pick up some train tickets for Thursday, and then we meet Didier's friend Anne for lunch (more in the a la carte post that follows). Once we are sufficiently fed it's off to...

...Le Louvre... or as it's more correctly called these days: Musée Le Louvre. In it's day it was more correctly called Palais du Louvre.

Shawn, Lionel and Didier in front of the Pyramid...

Didier and Lionel heading toward the Pyramid from le Cour Carrée...

From the Café atop the Denon wing...

Some overflow storage...

The Grand Gallery...

Self portrait at Le Louvre...

The cutest Bear Tapestry...

Courrone de Charlemange...

Taking a rest, mid-day...

OK, lets get going...

fess-tivale - versailles

2008-06-17T13:41:00.001-04:00

The Dying Gaul.

(sorry the photo is a little over exposed.

What do you expect with a white marble statue in full sun?!)

naughty-bits - versailles

2008-06-17T13:40:00.003-04:00

Two Kiki from la Galeries des Glaces...

Two Kiki from the Parterre, near the entrance to the Queen's Gardens...

This one is a copy of the statue The Dying Gaul You can't really see it, but I assure you, he has a kiki...

And yes... the standard Column from a square in Paris. La Fontaine du Palmier at La Place du Châtelet...

sphinx-ters - le 17 juin

2008-06-17T13:39:00.004-04:00

At the entrance to the South Parterre, Versailles...

La Fontaine Saint-Michel...

OK, well I'm not sure if these are really considered Sphinx or not, seeing as they end with Serpents tails, but well, I am adding them here at any rate because they are rather impressive!

La Fontaine du Palmier at La Place du Châtelet...

beauté est la bête - tour saint-jacques

2008-06-17T13:38:00.003-04:00

There's only the one tower left of l'Eglise Saint-Jacques-la-Boucherie, but it's beautiful.

l'amour est un oiseau rebelle : versailles

2008-06-17T13:37:00.005-04:00

While taking pictures of la Fontaine d'Apollo this duck kept following me around the pool...

Then a short while later as we walked along the Grand Canal we saw a family of ducks, so of course I stopped to take a few pics... (Please note my Leopard print socks. heh)

Closer...

Closer...

Close up!

Then when we were leaving at the end of the day I decided to take a couple more pics of the statues at the main gate, and two cheeky pigeons ended up in 2 of the 3 pictures! Camera hogs!

deux pour un: le 17 juin

2008-06-17T13:36:00.001-04:00

Les nouveaux Rois Soleils.

Versailles.

leopard spotting - Versailles

2008-06-17T13:35:00.002-04:00

It was a Double Spotting today. Whoda thunk it? Well me really. I mean when you think of grandiose luxury you think of two things...

Versailles...

and Leopard Print.

This was from a ceiling painting in the King's Apartments.

And this a painting in the Dauphin's Apartments.

du jour - le 17 juin

2008-06-17T13:34:00.002-04:00

Versailles.

OK, it's absolutely impossible to pick just ONE pic of Versailles and say, THIS is THE picture of the day. And so, here are four...

day four (4): Versailles and more...

2008-06-17T13:33:00.012-04:00

And more...

After we returned to Paris we stopped at station Saint-Michel to walk a bit. We arrived naturally at Place Saint-Michel and saw the great Fontaine Saint-Michel...

After a few minutes on foot we came to Préfecture de Police Kinda hard not to notice you're in France huh? I guess there was a sale on flags...

If you look just behind the motorbike you can see a small fountain. It's called a Fontaine Wallace, and here's a close up...

They still function today, and we used them many times throughout our travels in Paris.

As we continued on our walk we passed again Le Palais de Justice where we could better see La Sainte-Chapelle.

After reaching the Right Bank we came to Place du Châtelet

And then La Tour Sainte-Jacques

Then finally we made it to the Marais. And after all that walking (Versailles and Paris) it was time for a drink, so we stopped at Wolf Bar...

Then had a bite to eat at le Pavé...

And then one last drink at the Bear's Den...

And by the time the drinks were done... it was time to go home and sleep...

Tomorrow... Le Louvre.

day four (3): Versailles and more...

2008-06-17T13:32:00.007-04:00

Les Fontaines de Versailles.

An important part of the structure of the Gardens are the many fountains. And even though none were on while we were there, they were nonetheless impressive...

View of the Parterre de l'Eau from La Galerie des Glaces ...

Assorted statuary surrounding the fountains of the Parterre de l'Eau...

From La Fontaine de la Chasse...

Fontaine Latone, with the Green Carpet and Grand Canal behind...

La Fontaine d'Apollo...

Miscellaneous petit fontaines from the Avenue de 'lEau...

La Fontaine de Dragon...

La fontaine de Neptune...

Urns around La fontaine de Neptune...

... this one has Lobster handles...

day four (2): Versailles and more...

2008-06-17T13:31:00.008-04:00

Les Jardins de Versailles.
Almost as impressive as the Palais are the Gardens, that go on and on and on...

A photo of the Gardens from the Anti-chamber of the Chapelle Royale...

The South Parterre, from the Queen's Apartments...

The Orangerie...

The North Wing, from the North Parterre...

A few Topiary...

Looking up toward the South Wing from deep within the Gardens...

Walking toward the Fontaine d'Apollo...

A close up of one of hundreds of Urns...

Another Urn...

In the King's Garden...

Didier on the stairs leading to the Grand Trianon...

day four (1): Versailles and more...

2008-06-17T13:30:00.023-04:00

Versailles.

We awoke early on Tuesday morning, took a 40 minute ride on a commuter train arriving at station Versaille-Rive Gauche.

...but it was worth it because we were now in the domain of the Sun King: Roi Louis XIV.

After a walk from the train station we arrived at the main gate of Versailles.

Versailles, the name alone signifies Grandeur. Excess. And Beauty.

Le Palais de Versailles is in a word, breathtaking.

Welcome to THE Glory of France.

After waiting in a queue for 45 minutes we bout our tickets to enter the Palais (Access to the Gardens is free by the way and a great many people come just to picnic, stroll through the acres and acres of gardens, fountains or take a row-boat on the grand canal). We thought we were done, but alas no, now we had to queue for another 45 minutes to actually enter...

Didier, MY gloire de la France.

While we were in the 2nd queue, this was as close as we could get to La Porte Royale, as it was under renovations and only a small part of the gilded fence was visible.

Every where you look you see Fleurs de Lys, AND the symbol of the Sun King.

Shortly after entering we arrived in a large hall that was the separation between the Kings Apartments and La Chapelle Royale.

This was the largest of the paintings in the room...

The ceiling...

A close up of the mantle...

Two statues in the anti-room to the Tribune Royale of the Chapelle, (where the royal family heard mass.)

The Chapelle Royale

This was actually the 5th Chapelle. Aside from perhaps the Gallerie des Glaces, this is one of Versailles true masterpieces.

the Tribune Royale.

Two more views from the main floor. Unfortunately entrance into the Chapelle itself is limited to tour groups. We thought of sneaking in with one of the groups but we, neither of us look particularly asian...)

A 17th century gallery on the main floor, just past the Chapelle...

The floor of the Chapelle...

We next entered the Grand Apartments du Roi. This is le Salon de Mercure, the King's rather public bedroom...

Roi Louis XIV (le Roi Soleil)

Roi Louis XVI

Then through the Salon de la Guerre...

...to THE room of Rooms, hall of Halls, the glory of Glories:

La Galerie des Glaces

And then to the Queen's apartments...

Reine Marie-Antoinette.

Soon thereafter we were beginning our tour of the exterior.

A view of the Grands Apartments from le Parterre de l'Eau.

A close up of le Galerie des Glaces from le Parterre de l'Eau.

Le Grand Trianon.

a sneaked peek inside...

The front gate and its 'Guard'...

And of course Marie-Antoinette's escape from court life... Le Petit Trianon.

And now onto the Gardens...

arcade of Joan - le 16 juin

2008-06-16T13:43:00.000-04:00

Notre Dame

fess-tivale - l'homme au trocadéro

2008-06-16T13:42:00.000-04:00

l'Homme regarde ~~Le Kiki~~ La Tour Eiffel.

Didier regarde l'Homme.

naughty-bits - le 16 juin

2008-06-16T13:41:00.001-04:00

At la Place de la Bastille, we have a duoble whammy... Not only is the Colonne de Juillet a phallic symbol in itself, but at the top... Génie de la Liberté, in all his golden kiki glory...

At the Trocadéro:

Hercule domptant un bison.

Apollon Musagète.

L'Homme.

Concerned that the sculpture lacked sufficiant structual stability, Didier volunteered to lend a hand...

And the Granddaddy of 'em all...

La Tour Eiffel.

sphinx-ters - place des vosges

2008-06-16T13:40:00.000-04:00

The Sphinx (Greek again) was in one of the courtyards at Place des Vosges...

Seems she just had a Nose-Job... and if you ask me those breasts aren't real either! Look how perky they are!

juste pour rire - le 16 juin

2008-06-16T13:39:00.001-04:00

Le Génie de la Liberté, au Place de la Bastille, as performed by Le Didier.

Les Trois Soeurs Gorgon, as performed by Le Didier et Deux Portes en Bois.

Quasimodo.

There was this guy at Notre Dame that all afternoon was scaring the Merde out of girls and guys alike, but mostly girls. It's incredible how just unaware people are, especially in tourist situations. He was able to hold hands, take things very casually out of people's hands, put his arms around people... When they'd slowly turn, expecting to see their husbands, boyfriends, lovers etc they would freak-out! We enjoyed watching this the entire time we waited in line for the Notre Dame Towers tour. It seemed this guy just did it for fun, he did not ask for any money. Very amusing!

Un chapeau très joli.

No comment.

beauté est la bête - Notre Dame Spectaculaire

2008-06-16T13:38:00.001-04:00

From the ground looking up...

This one was weird. It was only about 5 metres off the ground, just around the corner from the left door of the church. I checked around the right corner but there was no twin...

And then once we arrived up to the Gallery of Chimere it got really interesting.

This is the most famous of all the gargoyles and chimera on Notre Dame. His name is the Stryga.

l'amour est un oiseau rebelle : Notre Dame

2008-06-16T13:37:00.001-04:00

Saint Gabriel and Friend.

deux pour un: le 16 juin

2008-06-16T13:36:00.000-04:00

Notre Dame.

La Tour Eiffel.

knock-knock - le 16 juin

2008-06-16T13:35:00.000-04:00

Four assorted doors:

Near Place des Vosges...

In the Marais...

The main entrance of l'Hôtel de Ville...

du jour - le 16 juin

2008-06-16T13:34:00.001-04:00

I couldn't pick just one pic today, but then they both have a common theme...

La Tour Eiffel (jour), vue de Notre Dame.

La Tour Eiffel (nuit), vue de Trocadéro.

day three (4): la tour des tours et plus

2008-06-16T13:33:00.001-04:00

La Tour Eiffel

Let me just say here and now that I have a fear of heights... and while I'd already managed the walk up and views out of both Sacré Coeur (83 metres) and Notre Dame (67 metres), that is NOTHING compared to the 324 metres of la Tour Eiffel... and we went up to the flippin' top! Yup, if anything was going to help me tackle my fear of heights, la Tour Eiffel was gonna be it.

---

As we arrived on the Batobus we got the first clear views of this magnificent structure...

Before attempting to ascend the structure we decided a fortifying Ice Cream was in order...

Once we were sufficient satisfied with our snack we headed to the Tower. You cannot help but be impressed by this structure. And it's damn near impossible to take an uninteresting picture of it...

After waiting 45 minutes in line for tickets, we took the elevator...

...to the 2nd deck, where even more pictures were taken...

And then we waited another 45 minutes to take the second elevator to the top (3rd deck). And you know what... the height was not that bad. My guess is I was just too damned impressed with the views to care that we were so high up. Well, that and the fact that you were basically caged in so couldn't fall off it if you tried. But I DID manage to stick my camera out for one pick straight down (before I was stopped by security)

It's at this moment that I pull off one of the more romantic things I've done... and disappeared, only to come back moments later with two flutes of Champagne...

Ah, the views... Starting, facing South-West we see the Seine, and the Île des Cygnes...

Which contains at the far end, a replica of the Statue of Liberty...

Now looking North-West we see, again, the Seine, le Pont d'Iéna and the Trocadéro.

Looking now East-North-East we can see the Le Grand Palais, Le Petit Palais, le Pont des Invalides, le Pont Alexandre III, Place de la Concorde, La Madeleine and Le Opéra Garnier...

And then Eastward; l'Hôtel des Invalides, Notre Dame (it's there, just look for it) and the Panthéon...

South East you look down Le Champs-de-Mars and to the Ecole Militaire...

A close up of the Champ-de-Mars will show a Heart in the grass... I don't know why it's there other than to simply say, Paris IS the City of Love...

And so after 45 minutes of checking out the views and 20 mins waiting for the elevator we arrived on the 2nd deck, looked around a little more, had a hot chocolate (it was a little breezy on the top and it was only 17'C) then we started our descent down the steps to the base of the Tower...

Once down we again were impressed by the views... this one from directly under the centre of the tower looking up...

By now it was 8:30 pm and we headed across le Pont d'Iéna, and headed toward the Trocadéro. We walked around a little, got a bite to eat and then waited til 10:00pm when La Tour Eiffel is lite for the evening... and starting then for the first 10 minutes each hour it twinkles with thousands and thousands of lights placed all over the Tower.

We watched the Tower twinkle, as if only for us and then after a bust day of over 10 hours of sight-seeing it was time to head home and crash... after all tomorrow we are headed to Versailles...

day three (3): la tour des tours et plus

2008-06-16T13:32:00.000-04:00

Plus +

After our apero, we decided to take it easy a little while longer and so instead of schlepping through the Metro again to get to our next destination, we hopped on the Batobus and relaxed as we floated down the seine and caught the sights...

Notre Dame, one last time...

The Conciergerie-Palais de Justice. It was the Conciergerie where Marie-Antoinette and her children were kept prior to her be-heading.

Le Pont Neuf. -- The 'New" bridge, is in fact the oldest bridge in the City. "Isn't it Ironic..."

Le Louvre...

Musée d'Orsay...

Le Pont Alexandre III...

And then onto the day's final destination...

day three (2): la tour des tours et plus

2008-06-16T13:31:00.000-04:00

Notre Dame

After crossing the Seine from 'l'Hôtel de Ville to Île de la Cité on the Pont d'Arcole we soon arrived at, Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris Damn, its impressive! HUGE! MASSIVE. Notre Dame. It's plain to see why it's such an inspiration to people, spiritually and otherwise.

To the left of the Portail de la Vierge we see (l-r):
Charlemagne, Angel #1, Saint-Denis (and his head), Angel #4.

There another statue of Saint-Denis somewhere in the Cathedral WITH his head, but I didn't find it...

Then on to the interior:

The Nave...

The vaulted ceiling of the Nave...

Looking down the Nave toward the Sanctuary...

Some wood carvings...

And the good lady herself... Notre Dame...

Unfortunately, between the two of use, we were unable to capture any good photos of the rose windows... so you'll just have to so see them for yourself.

After touring the inside we decided to take the tour of the Towers. Only 400 steps...

At the 1/2 way mark we stopped at a GIFT SHOP?!?! where there are also the Steps of Esmeralda (way to suck in the tourists, I'm sure a lot of them believe it's true)

Once on the Chimera Gallery, a mere 46 metres above the ground, there were wonderful views of the city. In this one you can see La Tour Eiffel, La Defense, Le Palais de Justice, La Sainte-Chapelle.

Next we see some of the Gargoyles, Chimeras, Saint-Gabriel, The Central Spire over the Transept, with the Apostles standing guard...

"Emmanuel" the 13 Ton bell in the South Tower.

Looking straight down from the gallery looking toward the Place du Parvis.

If you look (at the photo above) at the top of the photo, a little right from centre there is a small group of people looking down. They are looking at 'Point Zero' This is considered the centre of Paris and the figurative centre of France, and the point from which all distances are measured.

Now let's go back up to the towers...

Here we see Didier and a rather hungry looking Chimera.

After looking around the Gallery, we headed up to the top of the South Tower where the views got even more wonderful, and slightly nerve-racking... Lets look down to the ground again shall we... this time at 67 metres...

Toward the back of the Church, down to the Seine...

Once back down on the ground you can see the wonderful statue of Charlemagne.

After Notre Dame it was time to take a break, have a little something to drink, and so we crossed the Pont au Double and stopped at the Café Panis (in the picture it is just across the bridge and where the two crosswalks meet. The Café has the white awning...

A Glass of Chardonnay for Monsieur and a Ricard for me... not a bad view eh? (The Cathedral, not me!)

day three (1): la tour des tours et plus

2008-06-16T13:30:00.000-04:00

Plus

We're going to actually start off today with a little 'Plus Action' before we get to the main events... La Tour des Tours...

After a short Metro ride, we exited at station La Bastille. And if you know your history, or even love musical theatre then you probably know a lotta stuff went down here...

Today it's home of the more modern Opéra Bastille.

At the centre of Place Bastille is the monument: Colonne de Juillet. Commemorating the Revolution of 1830. At the top, le Génie de la Liberté

After a short walk we arrived at the oldest and one of the most popular squares in Paris: Place des Vosges.

Two of the four fountains in the parc at the centre of the Square.

Roi Louis XIII.

One of the more plain courtyards in the buildings of Place des Vosges...

One of the more spectacular courtyards of Places des Vosges...

Soon after we arrive near l'Hôtel de Ville, and pass Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville that over looks Paris City Hall. Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville is one of Paris' more upscale and popular department stores.

And here is l'Hôtel de Ville. just a little building... City Hall also contains the living residence of the Mayor of Paris, although the current Mayor Bertrand Delanoë. He is widely expected to run in the 2012 Presidential race; not a rare political path of other Paris Mayors, but what is exceptional about him is that he is openly gay. You go gurl!

Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité

arcade of Joan - le 15 juin

2008-06-15T13:41:00.000-04:00

Basilique du Sacré Coeur.

Above the main entrance and to the right. She is joined by Roi Saint Louis IX on the left.

l'Eglise La Madeleine.

naughty-bits - le 15 juin

2008-06-15T13:40:00.001-04:00

La Colonne Vendôme

So, yea, sure this isn't a real Kiki, but again I say, it's a skotch phalic..

sphinx-ters - théâtre daunou

2008-06-15T13:39:00.001-04:00

Mythology Lesson time...

These are Greek Sphinxes, and not Egyptian. How do we know this?

Easy.

Greek Sphinxes have the body of a lion with wings and female heads.

Egyptian have no wings and typically have the head of lion with a male head, or occasionally with the head of a falcon, hawk, or ram.

juste pour rire - le 15 juin

2008-06-15T13:38:00.004-04:00

Paris Is Burning.

And no I'm not talking about the documentary on drag ball culture in NYC back in the 90's, I mean Paris IS burning. When we were leaving Sacré Coeur, I noticed some smoke in the skyline... An apartment building in the Marais.

Trash in the streets.

You know back here in Montréal, you'll see old newspapers, Coke cans, cigarette butts... BUT, in Paris you find empty Veuve Clicquot...

a la carte - Café des Deux Moulins

2008-06-15T13:38:00.003-04:00

Shawn: Salade Niçoise
Didier: Magret de Canard

beauté est la bête - Sacré Coeur

2008-06-15T13:37:00.000-04:00

A regular looking Gargoyle...

Two slightly more greusome visiting ones with some of the locals...

knock-knock - Montmartre

2008-06-15T13:35:00.000-04:00

One of the main doors into Saint-Pierre-de-Montmatre. A nice sturdy looking door, wouldn't you say?

Another door, just below both Saint-Pierre-de-Montmatre and Sacre Coeur, to a house overlooking the city of Paris.

I loved the Art Nouveau look, and there was a placque beside the door stating that the artist Maurice Neumont dies in that building. (yea, I don't know who he is either, so I looked him up on the web. So there yu go, we all learned a little something.)

du jour - le 15 juin

2008-06-15T13:34:00.002-04:00

Basilique du Sacré Coeur.

day two (3): montmartre, sacré coeur and beyond

2008-06-15T13:32:00.008-04:00

Beyond

Hello, and welcome to Beyond...

After leaving Montmartre, we took the metro to Charles de Gaulle-Etoile, and took some time at l'Arc de Triomphe.

And then we started to make our way back East along the Champs-Elysées.. passing amongst many top of the line boutiques like Cartier, Hermes, Dior, The Gap, Starbucks Coffee, McDonalds, and... Louis Vuitton...

A short while later we took a side street off the Champs-Elysées and walked past the Palais de l'Elysée. The modest home of the French President. We were supposed to stop in and have a glass of Champagne with Nicky and Carla, but it seems there was some sort of mix up and they were unfortunately stuck entertaining the Bushs. Poor Nicky and Carla.

So since we were felt so bad for them we headed straight on over to La Madeleine to pray for them...

After leaving La Madeleine we walked around the square and although it was close, we were very pleased to see the Maille Boutique... As some of you may know Didier and I, while not agreeing on whether it's correct to just call Maille Dijon Mustard, 'mustard' or 'dijon', we both agree that everything is better with a little Maille.

"Que Maille, qui m'aille"

Our next stop in the Beyond was to be the Opéra Garnier. La-ti-dah! Unfortunately it was closed so we didn't have a chance to get in and look around... OR catch a matinée.

But we did take a table at the Café de la Paix, designed by the same man that designed the opera house (Charles Garnier), had a little apero (Kir, Ricard and an appetizer... 27 Euro!) and looked out onto the front facade of the Opéra.

After our 'little snack' we walked over to Place Vendôme...

Walked past the Ritz..

Then headed on back to our friend Lionel's place, had a little rest, then went back out, walked by the Parc de Bercy to Cours Saint Emilion and had a late dinner in an old wine warehouse area converted to swanky dining establishments and boutiques. We ate at a chain called...

Yup.... Le Hippopotamus Grill.

One last late night stroll and we were back at Lionel's and ready to call it a day. Tomorrow... Notre Dame, and La Tour Eiffel...

day two (2): montmartre, sacré coeur and beyond

2008-06-15T13:31:00.009-04:00

Sacré Coeur

Once we finally climbed (ok walked) to the top of Montmartre, we first visited l'eglise Saint-Pierre-de-Montmartre. A great old church with personality and a lot of history.

Then we headed for the Basilique du Sacré Coeur.

And due to some minor inclement weather, we took the opportunity to take the tour of the Dome and Crypt. And luckily got there before the masses started heading in for cover...

...and so up 300 steps we climbed... (the dome is 83 metres above the ground).

...for a spectacular view of Paris...

...and a few moments blatant tourista photography...

That's the bell tower and Saint-Michel.

Then after walking around inside and out of the Dome we descended back down the 300 steps into the Crypt. There were many statues of Saints This and That, but this is the one that caught my eye, Saint-Denis (and you'll get to see him again tomorrow at Notre-Dame)

And even more spectacular is the statue of the Pieta.

Once we emerged from the Crypt, we walked around the Basilica and then made our way down the front gardens, fountains and steps...

...finally landing at the bottom next to the double decker Carrousel, where of course is where Amélie finally returns Nino's photo album (after making Nino climb all the way to the top and have him watch her through those ridiculous tourist magnifying viewing devices.

And with this part comes to a close the Amélie Poulin walking tour. :-)

Now we go... BEYOND...