During the day on Friday, we toured the Montmartre area. Eric was excited to buy (and later model) some new boxers with Moulin Rouge pictures on them.
On Friday night, we ventured out to Montmartre after dark. We walked through Sacre-Coeur and then through the red-light district to get to the Moulin Rouge. That was an
experience in and of itself! Eric and I thoroughly enjoyed the show at the Moulin Rouge. Initially I was afraid that it would be a tourist trap but it ended up being a fabulous night. The show was more than just dan
ce, it had ventriloquists, magicians, living statues...very similar to cirque de soleil in some respects. I'm trying to give Eric a taste of French culture and I think I succeeded...he said he liked the show but won't admit whether it was all the bare breasts or the show itself that he liked!
experience in and of itself! Eric and I thoroughly enjoyed the show at the Moulin Rouge. Initially I was afraid that it would be a tourist trap but it ended up being a fabulous night. The show was more than just dan
ce, it had ventriloquists, magicians, living statues...very similar to cirque de soleil in some respects. I'm trying to give Eric a taste of French culture and I think I succeeded...he said he liked the show but won't admit whether it was all the bare breasts or the show itself that he liked! After the show, Eric grabbed a hot dog from a street vendor - although a fresh baguette with gruyere cheese and a sausage is not a hot dog by North American standards! Then, we hopped on the metro to get home. When we got off at Montparnasse-Bienvenue to switch to the line that would take us home, we were the only ones in the subway. As we tried to make our way out, we discovered that we were seemingly locked in the metro. There was one French person there who was passed out by the door and an English speaking man trying unsuccessfully to wake her up. It was definitely a few minutes of wondering if we were going to have to spend the night there until some other girls came along and helped us find our way out. There are many exits at that station and there is one side door that is open. We had no problem taking a taxi the rest of the way home and were very thankful to finally crawl into our beds.
Saturday at Vaux-le-Vicomte was amazing. I would love to be able to go back 
just to spend more time in the gardens. We thought the trains left at 11 p.m., so we left before we got the full effect of the chateau in the candlelight. However, it was better to get home rather than spend a second night worried that we'd be locked in a subway station! (I won't elaborate more on the chateau since Jac already has you convinced it is hers.)
just to spend more time in the gardens. We thought the trains left at 11 p.m., so we left before we got the full effect of the chateau in the candlelight. However, it was better to get home rather than spend a second night worried that we'd be locked in a subway station! (I won't elaborate more on the chateau since Jac already has you convinced it is hers.)Sunday had u
s finally deciphering the velib system. I love being able to bike wherever we need to go in Paris. It's the best way to see things because you can stop when you need to but it is a lot faster than walking.
s finally deciphering the velib system. I love being able to bike wherever we need to go in Paris. It's the best way to see things because you can stop when you need to but it is a lot faster than walking.I was so excited to see Le Malade imaginaire at la Comedie Francaise on Sunday night. That's the play that I do with my grade 12 French class every year but I have never had the opportunity to see 
it done. So, not only was I able to see it, but I saw it where it was meant to be performed! We scored last minute tickets for 5euros each. They were in the top level of the balcony (the gallery) and we had to lean over the railing in order to see. It required me to very quickly overcome my fear of heights. Eric had some troubles understanding the play because they spoke very quickly, but he got the gist of it in the end.
it done. So, not only was I able to see it, but I saw it where it was meant to be performed! We scored last minute tickets for 5euros each. They were in the top level of the balcony (the gallery) and we had to lean over the railing in order to see. It required me to very quickly overcome my fear of heights. Eric had some troubles understanding the play because they spoke very quickly, but he got the gist of it in the end.
After the 7 curtain calls at the play, we walked over to the Louvre and les Pyramides in order to avoid the crush at the subway by la C-F. What a nice surprise awaited us because it wasn't very busy so we were able to enjoy the whole place while it was lit up. As we were heading toward Tuileries, the Eiffel Tower started 
its 5 minutes of sparkling. Very neat to see that in the distance when we weren't expecting it! As well, there was a big fair at Tuileries so we walked around there for a bit. Eric was awestruck that the prizes for the games were things like iPods, PS3s, tvs, etc. (Not that I was giving him any money to play!) Then we walked down Quai du Louvre and hopped on a subway to take us home. Once again we wanted to make sure we were home in lots of time to avoid being locked in.
its 5 minutes of sparkling. Very neat to see that in the distance when we weren't expecting it! As well, there was a big fair at Tuileries so we walked around there for a bit. Eric was awestruck that the prizes for the games were things like iPods, PS3s, tvs, etc. (Not that I was giving him any money to play!) Then we walked down Quai du Louvre and hopped on a subway to take us home. Once again we wanted to make sure we were home in lots of time to avoid being locked in.Yesterday, Eric and I left the apartment after Matt, Jacqueline and Sam. We grabbed the velib again and rode to la Cite where we biked around the island. We met up with M, J & S at the park and then left them again while we went to Ste-Chapelle, le Palais de la Justice and la Conciergerie.
Ste-Chapelle is a 13th century church that was built to house the relics that Louis VI had bought (supposedly the crown of thorns from Jesus crucifixion). It has the most amazing s
tained glass I've ever seen. Considering how old the church is, it was built very quickly and lets in a lot of light through the windows that take up 3/4 of the walls all the way around. Each window is divided into small vignettes that tell all the major bible stories from the Creation all the way the a beautiful rose window showing Judgement Day. Most of the glass in the windows is original. I could have stayed there for hours just looking at all the pictures.
tained glass I've ever seen. Considering how old the church is, it was built very quickly and lets in a lot of light through the windows that take up 3/4 of the walls all the way around. Each window is divided into small vignettes that tell all the major bible stories from the Creation all the way the a beautiful rose window showing Judgement Day. Most of the glass in the windows is original. I could have stayed there for hours just looking at all the pictures.After, we went into the Palais de la Justice which is the court house. It is massive! It was built around the time of the French Revolution and not much has changed since then. Eric was excited because when we went in one room, it was full of lawyers in front of a judge. It was only lawyers filing their petitions though, not an actual trial, so he was let down a bit.
Our next stop was the Conciergerie which was a prison and was the place where Ma
rie Antoinette spent her final days before being taken to the guillotine. It was interesting to see the architecture and details they used even in a prison. There is also a small chapel which has been built for the memory of Marie Antionette. It has silver tears embroidered on all the walls and paintings of her as well as a stained glass window with her initials.
rie Antoinette spent her final days before being taken to the guillotine. It was interesting to see the architecture and details they used even in a prison. There is also a small chapel which has been built for the memory of Marie Antionette. It has silver tears embroidered on all the walls and paintings of her as well as a stained glass window with her initials.We made our own stop at Poilane (the bakery from Giada diLaurentis) and got bread and pastries. (Yes, for those of you who have noticed, we are eating our way through Paris!) We had to switch our velib by Montparnasse Tower so we stopped at the "shopping mall" for a bit. Eric managed to find a new shirt before we were back on the bikes for more sightseeing.
I took us in completely the wrong direction for supper because I keep getting confused at all the roundabouts with several streets intersecting at once. It took us about an hour to bike to the restaurant and about 10 minutes to bike home. (This is the reason why Eric is the chief navigator and not me!)
Today we got up extra extra early and arrived on the Champs-Elysees by 7:30 a.m. to secure a spot for the Bastille Day Parade. Even though the parade did not start until 1
0 a.m., there were already lots of people and security there. We tried to hold our place but apparently we are not as pushy (or smelly) as the average Parisian. We still managed to see most of the parade but we had to crane our necks for the better part. With 2 hours still to go before the parade, people were already crammed in cheek by jowl. Matt was violated repeatedly by two Italian guys behind him for most of the morning. I had a woman using my shoulders as an arm rest! Yup...we Canadians definitely need more personal space than the French! In all, it was one of those experiences that I'm glad I had but don't need to repeat again. (Just like Disney World on New Year's Eve.) For almost 2 hours, every army, navy, air force, police, firefighter, whoever, marched by us for the parade. They announced all the of the groups/regiments ahead of time, but it didn't mean anything by the time we saw them. I have no idea who was there.
0 a.m., there were already lots of people and security there. We tried to hold our place but apparently we are not as pushy (or smelly) as the average Parisian. We still managed to see most of the parade but we had to crane our necks for the better part. With 2 hours still to go before the parade, people were already crammed in cheek by jowl. Matt was violated repeatedly by two Italian guys behind him for most of the morning. I had a woman using my shoulders as an arm rest! Yup...we Canadians definitely need more personal space than the French! In all, it was one of those experiences that I'm glad I had but don't need to repeat again. (Just like Disney World on New Year's Eve.) For almost 2 hours, every army, navy, air force, police, firefighter, whoever, marched by us for the parade. They announced all the of the groups/regiments ahead of time, but it didn't mean anything by the time we saw them. I have no idea who was there.Since there had to be over a million people on the street this morning, there was no place to go to get away from the crowds, so we shoehorned ourselves back onto the subway to go home.
We all had nice, long naps this afternoon before heading back out for the Bastille Day fireworks at the Eiffel Tower. We did not want a repeat of this morning's crowds so we m
anaged to secure a patch a grass several blocks away with a half-decent view of the tower and only about 1000 people around us. Drinking wine, eating bread and cheese and playing cards helped while away the hours and keep up our spirits until the fireworks started. They were pretty amazing. It was 1/2 hour of fireworks being set off from Trocadero and the tower itself. There was a family from San Francisco beside us whose little boy talked more than Eric! We enjoyed watching the show with them because he was so excited every time another one went off.
anaged to secure a patch a grass several blocks away with a half-decent view of the tower and only about 1000 people around us. Drinking wine, eating bread and cheese and playing cards helped while away the hours and keep up our spirits until the fireworks started. They were pretty amazing. It was 1/2 hour of fireworks being set off from Trocadero and the tower itself. There was a family from San Francisco beside us whose little boy talked more than Eric! We enjoyed watching the show with them because he was so excited every time another one went off.It was another adventure to get home. The police had barricaded the subway and were only letting in a certain amount of people because the metro was too full. We made it home safe and sound and are now looking forward to a good night's sleep so that we can be up and out early tomorrow for Versailles.
I hate the spacing on this blog but it is late, Eric is already trying to sleep despite my clicking on the computer keys so it will have to stay as it is!
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