We also found ourselves living slowly, like we do at home. We were content that we had seen all that we needed to and everything else we were to experience was "gravy," so we turned off the alarm clock, started days slowly, and enjoyed just "being" in Paris, rather than vacationing. The first day we visited the only people moving slower than us - at Père Lachaise Cemetery.
It's a 105 acre plot named after Louis the IVth's confessor, but the naming didn't seem to be from patronage, but rather that Père de la Chaise (yup, I know that they have condensed his name) retired to a hospice on this spot that was built by the Jesuits.
It has a great number of very old graves, and lots of affluence shown in the family mausoleums, sculptures and other decoration.
While there were many famous people buried, including artists - this wasn't the grave of one of them. Just goes to show that fame is based on what others say, not just friends and family.
This person has an image of the TGV on his tombstone (high speed railroad). Clearly he was really proud of it and so are visitors who drop their transit tickets in the urns at the base.
Then there was this odd one, a huge camera, with no explanatory engraving, just a QR code that my reader didn't decode. Above the opening is a nest and mother bird feeding her offspring who appear to be vultures. Hmm. Paparazzi perhaps?
This was the kind of stella that was often seen at Mayan archeological digs. The person buried was from Guatemala.
This guy must have been someone - Jim Morrison. Imagine, still popular today, yet I never hear the Doors on the radio. Sara and I even slept a couple of rooms down from one of his LA motel rooms! People were even coming there to pay homage. Old school!
His grave is kind of tucked away.
Dennis tells me he was famous for disposing of his gum in strange ways (I am constantly amazed by the trivia my husband holds in his brain).
Seems like Morrison's followers have chosen to use the closest tree to express their love, so the arborist has chosen bamboo to thwart this praise.
I liked the tile on this one.
But the sculpture here confuses me. Is it the grim reaper, or someone trying to break into the tomb?
Iconic, but simple. Well played Ms. Bernhardt.
Just reading some of the names was awesome.
Others were just plain different.
Or lovely to look at.
Simple grave, but great artist. Loved that people left drawings of women with long necks.
My favourite. Full-on art nouveau.
Or, art deco.
Finally, there was Vincent Noir, clearly a dandy and now visited by women to seek a fertility blessing. 'Nuf said.
The Petit Palace
We had only seen the top of the Grand Palace on our visits. It is all curved glass in an iron grillwork. Lovely. We knew that this building was used for large conventions or travelling exhibitions, so didn't expect to see anything but the outside. We knew nothing about it's neighbour the Petit Palace, but decided to take a look because we were there. So glad we did. It turns out that it is the City of Paris' Fine Art Gallery housing a fabulous collection. The building was erected for the 1900 Universal Exhibition and is one of the most lovely pieces of architecture I've seen. It's the only palace I've seen that I could live in.
I have nothing but admiration for the craftspeople who can carve four different stones and have them unite to form a piece of this amazing precision and beauty.
I love that this palace is built around an interior, semi circular, courtyard.
Light wells illuminate the bottom floor. The tile work is amazing.
If I was an art thief this might find its way home.
Having done some ceramics, this larger-than-life size statue is amazing both for its beauty and its difficulty to achieve.
They called this a marriage coffin, but I'm pretty sure they meant "hope chest" which plays quite differently!
The woman in front of me decided these were soap dishes, I wonder if that was true.
The first little pocket watches, with opening glass or quartz covers.
There's something about this painting that grabs me.
It's great that they celebrate furniture and interior decor as art too.
This painting grabbed me. Partly for its size and also for the dark figures in the foreground. So interesting.
Lovely painting.
And there were early Impressionist paintings by some of my favourites.
The one on the right looks like way more fun!
So lovely, but at the bottom were a whole bunch of monkeys playing music instruments. What??????
The painting below is of the old market area of Paris called Les Halles. I can't really imagine being there at that time - just not that good with crowds or smells.
This painting grabbed me too.
The interior courtyard was brilliant, but Dennis and I decided we would need a pool deeper than the one they had for the fish, if we were to move in.
Just hanging in my garden waiting for the pool to be put in.
The Grand Palace is across the street.
But I like my Petit Palace better!
For the rest of the day we just wandered a bit.
Seen in the windows of Agence France ( a French version of Canadian Press). We saw these in various places in France, but not as many as we would have expected, or liked.
Shakespeare and Company is an icon in Paris, especially for English readers. It has been around since 1919 and lives in a little place just across from Notre Dame that is a pilgrimage point for many.
Outside there is one of the original 66 Wallace fountains from the 1870's that still dispenses clean, potable water.
A few blocks away is a new used book store on the scene, with a great pedigree!
One of the strange English translations, or PR attempts that are found in odd places.
Coco Cola Life that we haven't seen over here promises a lower calorie, less sweet product. Dennis and I agree that it just tastes like watered down Coke.
I like these, but not as much as Twiglets.
Wednesday
As the intense heat continued, we lived as we would at home. Grabbing our books, we headed to the Tuileries, found some of the ubiquitous green metal chairs and settled in the shade for a day relaxing the same way as Parisians. It was delightful and non-sweat inducing. Perfect.
Our view # 1.
Our view # 2.
The neighbourhood.
One view from our apartment window.
Another.
Thursday
As the week progressed and we looked ahead at our few days left, we picked places we really wanted to see, or areas we just wanted to walk again. Mostly, we felt content and easy that Paris had been perfect for us and not much felt left undone.
I wanted to go back to La Madeleine because when we had visited before, my 'limpiness' had kept me from going in. I had read that it was one of the few churches that has Mary on the alter rather than Christ and that made me curious. It was worth the visit.
The doors are beautiful and huge.
When we were here before there were amazing art nouveau washrooms open to the public that sadly are now closed and falling into disrepair, at lease from the outside view. So very sad.
This is just random inset mosaic that is sort of lovely.
We went to visit Le Printemps, one of the Grand Magazines that have been around for over a century.
These were embellishing the overhang all along the outside of the building and were perfumed!
Views from the Printemps roof.
Random images as we walked around.
Shaving on a street corner.
The Passages or Galleries were a dry shopping experience before the Grand Magazines were built. They are so interesting and we kept finding different ones.
This is the new Bourse, or French stock exchange.
We saw a few people on these "wheels" that are like Segway unicycles. Very cool, but I am sure they require a learning curve before you can speed around like the riders we saw.
Not a store window you see everywhere.
Daisies are my favourite flower and I don't think I've ever seen ones with black centres before. They're beautiful.
One pill makes you larger and one pill makes you small.
The street art is pretty cool, I suspect there will be a whole blog of images.
This was a cool, one-person delivery van for a Thai restaurant. Pics for my little boys.
Cool old building in a city of old buildings.
Interesting.
Love the green hair.
There were doors into the walled city of Paris that now are left like arches in strange areas.
The Metro near the Musée des Arts et Métiers looks like a submarine! How cool.
On the last day we just walked around Montmartre and enjoyed all we had seen and done.
Street art with a conscience.
OMG, the French have no problem doing their private nose things in public. Ew! So it made this store name so funny.
Random Lamborghini and more pics for the little boys.
A church at Place des Abbesses that we hadn't seen before is very different and cool
More public art. A wall of 'I love you" in many languages.
The market featured in the movie "Amelie."
The only windmill left on Montmartre hill, the Moulin Galette.
We ran into a random procession, not sure what was being blessed, but a large congregation was following the Mary statue and praying as they walked.
Sacre Cour peeking out over Montmartre.
Last glimpse of the Grand Lady.
Brought a bottle home, hasn't had this effect yet.
This lovely old house is squeezed between two tall buildings on each side on a busy Montmartre street. I would love to see upstairs.
And our last evening was at an icon...Au revoir City of Light.
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