Ah Paris! I love to play tour guide to this magical city, alive with history, art, architecture, beauty, culture, and interest. And, for the record, Rick Steve's Paris is my favorite trusty guidebook when a little extra help is needed (no contest - it's fabulous!). So, as you can imagine, I was determined to show off my beloved city to my father and brother upon their visit, and I cannot tell you how cooperative Oliver was in allowing me to do so. In fact, he helped to establish a very comfortable pace for us, and the result was a wonderfully memorable trip. There are way too many pictures for one post, so I have three coming...
They arrived Wednesday, and we spent the day taking a walk to Invalides (Napoleon's tomb) and visiting boulangeries (an activity that carried over to each day of our trip) - a very slow, comfortable day to allow them to overcome jet lag. Thursday morning, though, we started bright and early with a visit to my spectacular neighborhood market (see Shopping: Parisian Style for more on the market). And my fellow-foodie family members loved it, of course.
Next stop: Rodin Museum, home of The Thinker and many of his other works, housed in his old mansion and beautiful gardens.
Right next door to Rodin is the gold-topped Les Invalides, wherein reside the bones of a short man with his hand in his coat.
Unfortunately, my mother, Oliver, and I did not get to pay our respects to that little man that day because we had to attend my mother's doctor's appointment, which brings us to our drama of the week. To make a long story short, my mother had a little cuticle infection (the kind you normally treat with a little neosporin and it goes away in a few days), which progressed into a major tissue infection and had to be addressed with surgery. We were only slightly concerned when the redness did not go away after a few days, but when the skin turned white, then black, and she started having chills... Anyway, we called a doctor to the house (pretty cool system they have here - you can get a house call within 10 minutes at 11 pm), and he set up an appointment at the Victor Hugo Hand Clinic, which is where my mother and I went that afternoon. Once there, the doctor said she had to have major surgery to remove all the infected tissue, so we were at the hospital until about 11 that night, and mom finally left with a major bandage, her arm numb up to her elbow, and painkillers with caffeine and opium... Quite an adventure!
Next stop: Rodin Museum, home of The Thinker and many of his other works, housed in his old mansion and beautiful gardens.
Right next door to Rodin is the gold-topped Les Invalides, wherein reside the bones of a short man with his hand in his coat.
Unfortunately, my mother, Oliver, and I did not get to pay our respects to that little man that day because we had to attend my mother's doctor's appointment, which brings us to our drama of the week. To make a long story short, my mother had a little cuticle infection (the kind you normally treat with a little neosporin and it goes away in a few days), which progressed into a major tissue infection and had to be addressed with surgery. We were only slightly concerned when the redness did not go away after a few days, but when the skin turned white, then black, and she started having chills... Anyway, we called a doctor to the house (pretty cool system they have here - you can get a house call within 10 minutes at 11 pm), and he set up an appointment at the Victor Hugo Hand Clinic, which is where my mother and I went that afternoon. Once there, the doctor said she had to have major surgery to remove all the infected tissue, so we were at the hospital until about 11 that night, and mom finally left with a major bandage, her arm numb up to her elbow, and painkillers with caffeine and opium... Quite an adventure!The following day (after her appointment back at the hospital to have her bandages changed), we tackled the Arc de Triomphe (Napoleon's need to compensate for something), Champs Elysees (with fashionable Parisian shopping and great people watching), Place de La Concorde (where Lady Guillotine made thousands one foot shorter during the revolution), Tuileries Gardens (former royal gardens now public park), the Orangerie Museum (home of Monet's famous Waterlilies), and the Louvre. That spectacular day was perfect: tons to see and do, but at a slow enough pace not to collapse at the end. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera that day...
Saturday was another fun-filled day that began with a visit to the Latin Quarter for some Pita Grec (delicious and cheap! Greek pitas that we discovered on our trip in 2008).
After lunch, we crossed the Seine to Notre Dame - probably the most famous Gothic cathedral in the world.
After lunch, we crossed the Seine to Notre Dame - probably the most famous Gothic cathedral in the world.
Though we did not see any hunchbacks, I had a blast playing with my new camera - its ability to take pictures in low light astounds me!
Though not photographed nearly as often, I love the back of the cathedral with its characteristic flying buttresses.
Across the street from Notre Dame is a moving memorial in honor of the 200,000 French deported and killed by the Nazis.
A view of Notre Dame from the other side of the river, the Left Bank.
On the Left Bank reside the bouquinistes, green stalls selling used books and tourist items right on the bank of the Seine, where they have been for hundreds of years.
We also visited a little park across the river from Notre Dame, home of the oldest living resident in Paris: a tree planted in the early 1600's. My parents are ADORABLE, no? And hilarious looking with their various medical equipment.
Of course every English teacher and book lover must visit the famous Shakespeare and Company bookstore, the haunt of the likes of Ernest Hemingway and other American ex-patriots of the Lost Generation.
Back to the Latin Quarter for ice cream, where my mother, holding my dad's cane while he orders ice cream, looks like she was hit by a bus:
Still enjoying ourselves after hours of sightseeing, we rested outside another Gothic church in the area while Chris fed Oliver.
And we ended our little tour at the Place St. Michel, with the beautiful fountain showing St. Michael's defeat of the devil.
Though not photographed nearly as often, I love the back of the cathedral with its characteristic flying buttresses.
Across the street from Notre Dame is a moving memorial in honor of the 200,000 French deported and killed by the Nazis.
A view of Notre Dame from the other side of the river, the Left Bank.
On the Left Bank reside the bouquinistes, green stalls selling used books and tourist items right on the bank of the Seine, where they have been for hundreds of years.
We also visited a little park across the river from Notre Dame, home of the oldest living resident in Paris: a tree planted in the early 1600's. My parents are ADORABLE, no? And hilarious looking with their various medical equipment.
Of course every English teacher and book lover must visit the famous Shakespeare and Company bookstore, the haunt of the likes of Ernest Hemingway and other American ex-patriots of the Lost Generation.
Back to the Latin Quarter for ice cream, where my mother, holding my dad's cane while he orders ice cream, looks like she was hit by a bus:
Still enjoying ourselves after hours of sightseeing, we rested outside another Gothic church in the area while Chris fed Oliver.
And we ended our little tour at the Place St. Michel, with the beautiful fountain showing St. Michael's defeat of the devil.
From there, my parents and brother went on to visit St. Chapelle, a beautiful 13th century chapel with stained glass telling the story of the whole Bible, while Chris and I took Oliver home. Quite a start to their visit!!
