We began the day by taking a bus tour of Paris to get our bearings. The first stop was the Ecole
Militaire, which is an 18th century military academy
still in use today. It is a beautiful building, but the main draw is the view of the Eiffel Tower
lying across the Champ de Mars. This is a shot of the Eiffel Tower from the Ecole Militaire. The
formal garden created at the turn of the century was previously used as a parade ground. The
Eiffel Tower was built in 1889 for the World Exhibition as well as celebrating the centennial of
the French Revolution. Even in the strongest winds the tower only sways 4.5 inches.
While riding about we stopped in the Place Vendome where there is a central column that Napoleon
made from the melted bronze of 1,200 cannons captured at the battle of Austerlitz in 1805. The
plaza is paved with granite, and the architecture proportioned 17th century buildings that provide
a showcase for the Ritz hotel. Unfortunately, this is as close as you can get. The bellmen keep
the tourists away from the inside of the hotel. Here is Virginia Ann next to one of the lions
outside the entrance.
The tour ended at Notre-Dame. From the square in front of the church all distances to and from
Paris are officially measured. The cathedral was begun in 1163 over a Roman temple. Napoleon
crowned himself emperor in May 1804 and in the middle of the century the church was restored. We
skipped climbing to the top of the towers, which rise 387 steps from the first floor. The
stained-glass windows are magnificent one of them being restored - it is fun to guess which is the
original.
After Notre-Dame we walked from the Ile de la Cite to the Ile St-Louis, which is the smaller of
the two islands. We walked down the main street looking for a restaurant my parents had described
as the restaurant with cows - actually they gave us the name but it was fun to seek the cow
place. Originally the smaller island was a cow pasture, and not until 1644 were houses built on
the island. This is the card from the L' Ilot Vache - lunch was a long and excellent six-course
event.
Fortified with French cooking we headed off to the Ste-Chapelle. This required crossing the bridge back
to the island of Notre-Dame past the church a few blocks. Cal had read about La Conciergerie - this was
the prison where Marie-Antoinette was kept during the French Revolution. Walking with several couples,
the group moved past Notre-Dame and came to a large building that Cal incorrectly identified one as the
place Marie was kept. Realizing the mistake when we crossed the next street, he corrected his last
statement and then incorrectly identified another building as La Conciergerie - we passed another street
and for the third time Cal stated that there was the building was where Marie was kept. The last time he
was correct, however, for the rest of the trip he had to put up with courses of 'Cal is that is where
Marie stayed?' every time we passed a large building
The Ste-Chapelle was beautiful - tucked away inside the Palais de Justice - the chapel has beautiful
stained-glass in the upper chapel on the second floor. The first floor is very plain and for the common
folk. Up a dark staircase is the upper chapel for the king and his court and is infinitely more
spectacular.
Next we wandered on the left bank, stumbling into the Musee National du Moyen-Age (National Museum of the
Middle Ages). Inside were spectacular tapestries, something Virginia Ann had been seeking since our
arrival. The most famous is the Lady and the Unicorn series, woven in the 15th century.
Our next stop was the Pantheon - a church built by Louis XV as a mark of gratitude for his recovery from
a grave illness in 1744. The crypt contains many famous historical figures - Voltaire, Zola and Marie
Curie. From there we walked through the Jardin du Luxembourg. Since we had been through the day before
this time, we enjoyed the wide garden paths and fountains strolling back to the hotel. Most entertaining
were the small boats, some motorized others under their own sails in the huge pond.
