Day 14: Bon Jour Paris

It was still so dark when we departed that the popping of my ears was the only sign we had entered the Chunnel. Only after emerging and racing across the French countryside for a bit did a rolling pastoral patchwork of fields slowly appear in the morning light. Thin wefts of mist lay in the hollows, and occasionally a farm or church would flash past. Then suddenly the bucolic landscape became city, and we were pulling in to Gare du Nord station. We had arrived in Paris.


  As we shouldered our bags and headed toward our hotel Greg started quizzing me about the Marais district where it was situated. He gave me a dubious look when I told him that the Marais was home to the Parisian gay neighborhood. I had to admit the street we were trudging down looked a little run down and sad, but I was reserving judgement until we were able to see a bit more of the city. We almost missed our hotel the Hotel Jardin du Marais which was actually a collection of buildings situated around a narrow courtyard. The room was tiny (of course) but nicely decorated. We quickly stashed our bag, and grabbed breakfast, or petit déjeuner, and began our Parisian adventure in earnest.


 Wandering through narrow streets toward Notre Dame we had the happy realization that our hotel was indeed located on the northern edge of the city's gayborhood. We made our way down it's narrow streets filled with men's clothing stores, grooming boutiques, and sidewalk cafes filled with handsome and stylish men; eventually finding ourselves on the bank of  the Seine. A bridge took us to the small island, Île Saint-Louis, and then another bridge led us to the larger Île de la Cité where Notre Dame sits. We slowly walked around the gothic wonder joining the other tourists in the plaza situated in front of the cathedral.

  Greg noticed that a tour bus company had it's main hub at the end of the plaza, and proposed that we get a two day pass to use as our transportation around the city. This turned out to be a brilliant idea. As the temperature steadily climbed to the high 70's we rode comfortably around the city enjoying the sights, and hopping off occasionally to get a closer look.  We made our way by the Louvre and Tulleries, and then up Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. After circling around the Arc we headed back toward the Seine past the Tracadero and finally the Eiffel tower where we lingered to take in the massive structure.

  For a beautiful afternoon the lines to Tour Eiffel were unexpectedly short, and we took advantage of this opportunity. As I waited on the second platform for Greg to return from the top I amused myself by imagining an allegorical painting like those I had recently seen in British museums. In this painting London and Paris are depicted in human form having a mid-day meal. London is a prim and stately beauty sipping tea with a outstretched finger. Her head is cocked and eyebrow slightly raised in disapproval of her dining companion. Paris is a swarthy lothario slouching in his chair. He stares seductively over his glass of wine not at London, but at the painting's observer.



Day 14 Photostream