Paris - Day 4

There are certain things that make you know you're in Europe. When I arrived on Tuesday morning, it was all a bit surreal, but then that unmistakable sound touched my ears that let me know exactly where I was - that distinct siren of a police car or ambulance - that two notes back and forth and a particular pitch, and whose pitch changes and lowers as they get further away. Another thing that is distinctly Europe are the cobblestone streets and sidewalk. Absolutely charming to look at. Absolutely killer to walk on! Then, there are the buildings and the churches. We were walking along the Rue Francois Miron this evening, and came upon two houses, side by side, that had been there since the 13th century. Or the gorgeous St. Gervais-et-St.-Protais church that we found - from 1494! Seriously, folks. Columbus had just discovered America, and already, Paris was already a thriving country, and already had an ancient history. (In fact, the original church built on that site was from the 4th century!!!) A sign that you are in a European museum is that you are walking among masterpieces, and they start to become white noise. And, even more, the museum is almost more beautiful than its art! Take the Louvre, for example. We visited it today, and although we stayed on just ONE FLOOR of ONE WING, I saw more famous works of art than I ever had. Fra Angelico! Da Vinci! Raphael! Monet! Van Gogh! It goes on and on and on. Of course, we made the requisite visit to the Mona Lisa, which is smaller than you can imagine, but truly eerie in her ability to follow you with her eyes. We saw the sculpture "Winged Victory", from BC 190, and the Coronation of the Empress Josephnie. (A favorite of mine since I love reading about Napolean.) Afterwards, we crossed the Siene River to see the Musee d'Orsay. It is an old train station that has been repurposed to house impressionist art. I had not put it high on my list of things to do, but it was important to Cathy, and I'm glad that it was. It was truly stunning, and I saw some terric art by Money, Pissaro, Degas, Renoir, etc. My favorite part of the museum were two giantic clocks that face the outside. If you looked out of them, you saw the most beautiful views of Paris. Next, we went over to the Musee Rodin, which was a beautiful estate that was actually the sculptor's home. "The Thinker" was outside, along with many other beautiful works, and "The Kiss" was inside. The manor house itself was reason enough to go in. Before it was his home, it was a convent school for aristocratic girls. Next, we went next door to Les Invalides, which was the French version of a VA hospital. Yes, they did it as the French did, charm and opulence all rolled in to one. While it is still a working hospital, much of it has been turned in to a military museum. But, that's not why we went. The magnificent (I mean, rivals St. Peter's in Rome magnificent) dome inside the church towers over the tomb of Napoleon Bonapart himself. His coffin was ENORMOUS, and I mean ENORMOUS. Much too much for a man of his small stature. (I know what you're thinking, and we thought it, too...) However, given my love for all things Bonapart, it has been one my list of things I wanted to see for almost twenty years. I was not disappointed. Now, why were we doing so many museums today? We bought a two-day museum pass, which is terrific. Not only do you save a lot of money on entrance fees, but you get to go in a special line that gets you to the front. Tomorrow, our pass will expire, so we will hit the ground running then. But wait! (As they say on infomercials.) We walked from there to the Eiffel tower. We found a fruit stand along the way, so I bought plums and clementines, and sat on the grass for a mini-picnic. It started to drizzle about 15 minutes after we got there, so we headed out. Cathy insisted that I needed to do more than just see it - I had to see it from the top! So, we made our way to the tunnel that takes you under the street. Unless you have a deathwish, that is the way to go. We started up a spiral staircase before I knew what we were doing. And, 270 steps later, it did, indeed have a beautiful feel to it. Where to go from there, but the Champs Elyssses? We strolled down that one, taking in the outrageouly sales gimmmmcks. We turned right on George V, and decided that it was time for a much needed break. Cathy offered to buy me a drink, adn they gave us great eating with a door to the outside. The experience (especially the bathroom, after using one of those holes-in-the-floor set ups. Let's wrap up George V with this parting note: the club sandwich was on the menu for $75!!! That's 94 in dollar. For a sandwich. For a SANDWIGH!!! Needless to say, we didn't eat there anyway, because we had plans. Our plan was booked several months ago, and good thing, because they sell out quickly. We reserved spots at a French cooking school called La Cuisine. They specialize in teaching English speakers how to cook. There were eight other people in our group, mostly from Canerra, Australia. Our instructor was excellent - and, he was from Nacogdoches, TX! You would never know it, though. After high school, he spent a few year in Romania, and then moved to Paris, where he met his wife. He's worked at some prestigious places. The French say he sounds Romanian, the Romanians say he sounds French, and there was no trace of a Texas accent, other than a "y'all" dropped here and there. He looked all of twelve. Well, almost. But, the Texas roots and youthful appearance belied the fact that he was an EXCELLENT teacher, and a great resource of food and of technique. I finally know how to properly dice an onion and how to peel garlic easily. We made stuffed quail, ratatouille, and almost apricot tarts. They were delicious! I only hope that I can replicate them at home Anyway, I'm off to bed after what I think was a very disappointing open ceremony for the Olympics. I just don't get everything that the UK did. Although, Mr. Bean was really, really funny.