Paris Chapter 1: Friday

Very early Friday morning I bundled up for my first weekend expedition; Paris! 2 hats, stockings & pants, as well as 4 shirt layers. At the train station I met my first conflict, over come by a little mangled French. I thought I would be smart and go through my wallet and only take the cards I needed. Unfortunately I remembered wrong which credit card I used to purchase my ticket. Of course, though everyone else says normally someone speaks English there, I have never been so lucky. We established together that I would be charged on the credit card I had, and the other would be reimbursed in a month. phew. One problem avoided. Richard had an even earlier train, but Mark was on mine. We all met up again at Paris Est along with Richard's mother's husband's sister's daughter's boyfriend's father or something a long those lines! Didiel only spoke a little English, so it was a quiet beginning. And COLD! We bared out the morning with a traditional French breakfast; croissant with jam, baggette with butter, and some tea or coffee as preferred. I was just supposed to hold up the Tea Pot, not actually be in it!

 Didiel introduced us to the metro system and took us downtown to the Republique. We walked through a the park there. 

King Louis XIII

King Louis XIV

We went on into Musee Carnavalet Histoire de Pairs. It was good that it was the first museum we went to, because nothing could take away from its stunning collection! The museum tracks the history of Paris back from prehistoric times to the present.
 


 The scissors are the Tailor or cutler's sign, and the Chat noir Cabaret sign painted on old medal originally brought from Montmartre. It is a 19th century creation, important to artists and the bohemian lifestyle during that time.

 These are Mascarons from the Pont Neuf bridge, however, there wasn't one that I could find to resemble Chris... Sorry.

Dad's Rule

Cassie: "My nose!!"

Danny: yum

Mom.

I would love to have a fire place like this... just needs somewhere to hang stockings!

 

 

Snow Crystal Chandelier

Pound it!                                                                                            A large shoe for Mindy.

A 19th century art portraying a rebellion

4 wall mural

 Some rooms from 18th Century Paris;

Work Study Room

Bed "a la polonaise"

Claude-Nicolas Ledoux's reception room.

 The gardens are located in the central block of Hotel de Choiseul.

 One doesn't think in awe of the work that was done, until it's there, tangible and in front of your eyes. Every detail is so precise, and this is not even the most decorated room!

I got to leave my remarks; disclaimer I was inspired by someone else, the thoughts are not my own.

"Je suis un poissont mais j'aime set musee"-Me ..."Oui le beef" -Mark !?

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We walked in the direction of the Louvre. Saw the Notre Dame de Paris along the way, and excitedly took pictures of everything we saw.

Aflac. B?  (Inside joke to later be explained)

We grabbed some lunch in a shop though we were all cold more than hungry. I ate a decent salmon sushimi tortilla wrap.
 

These guys...

We only walked in the Louvre but didn't go further because though it would have been free for us, we didn't want to make Didiel pay. We warmed up a little longer with a coffee with so much whipped cream.

 And then we goofed off a little...

 Look! the ice broke in a sweet little shape of an elephant :)

I attempted to capture a picture of the Eiffle Tower

We headed to the Eiffel Tower but unfortunately the top was closed do to ice, so our journey continued northwest to the Trocadero.










 Along the way... we saw a Merry-Go-Round, were harassed by some street venders...

But got to look back occasionally at the Eiffel Tower.

 Alas, the Trocadero, (our halfway point to the Arc de Triumph)

Engraved on it is the philosophic message:

"All Men Create Without Being Aware They Do As They Breathe

But Artists Feel Themselves Creating

Their Actions Involve All Their Beings

Their Beloved Labour Make Them Stronger" 

These birds were too silly!

 We were definitely running short on time before I was supposed to meet up with my room mates at the hostel at 17:00. I will blame my concern for being late for having forgotten to take a picture of the Arch itself!!

Here's another foot for Mindy cat!

Regardless of the rush, we did climb the many stairs that spiraled up and up and up to the top of the Arch de Triomphe.

The view was truly incredible!

 The 6 lane round about was crazy. No lanes.. more than 6 cars going across... What are those people standing outside of their car thinking?

I hope they don't plan to join the Unknown Soldier from WWI in his tomb.

The Arch de Triomphe was built in honor of those who fought and died in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

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 After this excitement Didiel took me back to my hostel; Residennce Internacional de Paris, and the boys; Mark and Richard, went to theirs. I thanked Didiel graciously for his accommodations that day. Then attempting in French, I informed the lady at the desk who I was with. And this is the end of chapter 1.