Paris

I thought at this stage I would be overflowing with ideas, traveller’s tales, to tell you about our holiday in Paris & Tours. However, I’m finding myself feeling strangely devoid of thought. Why should this be?

Part of it is that I do feel absolutely exhausted from the trip. We packed a lot into the trip. Staying in a hotel encourages you to spend all day out as you don’t feel quite as relaxed, as at home, in the environment. Breakfast is early, usually before 10am whether you want it then or not. And since we’ve been home, we’ve been anxiously awaiting the phone call to collect our new car, as well as getting on top of the inevitable household chores, the washing & ironing, the food shopping, going through the post, both paper & electronic.

Part of it is that so much has been written about Paris by authors far more articulate than I could ever be.

The Fox did amazingly well, pushing me for miles. Ultimately if you want to get to know a city you do have to walk it. Public transport gets you so far, but to join the various sights in to some sort of whole you have to walk it. In Paris we ventured as far as the Ile St Louis to the east & the Eiffel Tower to the west. We never ventured far from the Seine.

We did find some oases of calm such as the Jardin du Palais Royal

Jardin du Palais Royal

& the Square Samuel Rousseau 

 

Square Samuel Rousseau

amidst the bedlam that is Paris. We found some unexpected sights such as the imposing St Eustache church & the smaller St Clotilde. 

St Eustache

St Clotilde

Memories were stirred of visits over 40 years ago. Much was unrecognisable though some things remained the same, such as L’Opera & the Eiffel Tower. Much as I remembered the Obelisk in the Place de la Concorde, I had forgotten the impressive fountains & certainly how colourful they are (maybe they weren’t in those days!). I’d not noted, or forgotten, how some sights keep peering up from unexpected vantages, such as the Eiffel Tower & the Sacré Cœur.

Fountain on the Place de la Concorde at night

 

Eiffel Tower from the Place de la Concorde

Sacre Coeur from the Musee d'Orsay

We were surprised by how much we approved the glass Pyramid outside the Louvre. It is a strange & daring juxtaposition of the old & the ultra-modern. However, I felt the two little glass pyramids softened the contrast. On the whole we felt the pyramids brought a bit a light relief to the rather over-the-top decoration of the palace - a little humour to the place as well as providing a welcome sit down for many. 

The Louvre

Maybe we just saw too much. It will take a little time for the holiday to settle in my mind for me to make some coherent statements about it. Whatever the reason it doesn’t alter the fact it was a wonderful holiday.