Another beautiful sunny day in Paris. We walked over to the Shakespeare Book Company and admired the books. There are still a lot of bookstores in Paris for serious bibliophiles; this one has new books on one side and rare collectibles on the other. Since it is across the street from Notre Dame there is no excuse not to visit the Bard’s Store.
The Metro is very convenient, and once we (Carolyn) figured how to read the map of the underground, we took the train everywhere. Today our adventure led us to the Pere Lachaise Cemetery where some of Paris’ most notable figures are buried, including Colette, Balzac, Isadora Duncan, and Edith Piaf. But the most visited site is that of Jim Morrison. So that is where we headed. Visitors have decorated his headstone with his photo, flowers, and other memorabilia. We were fortunate to be there when a group of high school students launched into Morrison’s, People are Strange. The lyrics are particularly haunting in view of the fact that he is remembered with so much fondness in a country not his own.
Next we visited Colette’s grave. For anyone who has not seen the movie Colette, recently, you should; you are in for a treat. In truth, we could have spent the day here; between the solemnity of the tree-lined main aisles and tranquility of these monuments, it is a must see stop.
Returned to Hotel V & G for a rest. Around 7 p.m., we caught the train to La Tour Eiffel for some evening photos. There was still enough daylight to capture the chestnut blossoms in the foreground from the street. Eiffel won the competition to build this structure for the 1889 World’s Fair. We read in several tour books of Paris that the best pictures of the Tower could be had by climbing the 284 steps up L’arc de Triomphe which is about 1 mile away. We made it up after several breath-gulping pauses. When we reached the top, it was superlative. The Tower sparkles every hour for a few minutes and to see that sight it is well worth climbing the steep, spiral staircase to the top!!!!! The Metro stops are at the Eiffel Tower and then one over at the Arc de Triomphe so easy to hop on and off. Beware of the pick-pockets. They work in teams and scout out the people who look the most vulnerable. Needless to say nobody came near us!!!!!
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| Arc de Triomphe |
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| Spiral staircase in Arc de Triomphe |
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| Sculpture On Arc de Triomphe |
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| Night view of Eiffel Tower |
These travelogue posts are so wonderful! I feel like I am right there with you, sans huffing and puffing up nearly 300 stairs! Can't wait to read more as you go along. Thank you both for doing this! Prayers for Notre-Dame!
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