Just one day in Paris….(July 26, 2008)
Once I arrived in Paris, I easily found my hotel (Palym). There was a massive amount of people in the Gare de Lyon. It was Saturday, and I guess many were leaving for vacations. I excited the station, got an adrenaline rush from being in Paris again, and tried to figure out which street was Rue Emile Gilbert. Right away I saw the sign for the Hotel Palym, and headed that direction. (I found all of my hotels on this trip via http://www.vernere.com/, which I now highly recommend to all of my traveling friends.) Since it was only 10:30 a.m., my room was not ready, so I left my bags with the front desk and set off to meet William.
We met at the Café Français across from the Opéra Bastille. I had an espresso, figuring I needed some caffeine to keep me awake for the matinee at the Comédie Française. We then started our little walking tour. William was staying in an apartment near the Place des Vosges that belonged to friends of his in New Orleans, and he wanted to show it to me. I have always been curious as to what those apartments look like, because you can’t really tell from the outside! This was a one bedroom….the tiniest apartment you can imagine! There was a kitchen tinier than a small closet, and a “living dining” combination that literally had two chairs and a very small table. Plus a small bathroom and a decent sized bedroom. William said that they probably paid $100,000 for it 10 years ago! I can’t imagine spending much time there…..I’d be very claustrophobic!
We walked through the beautiful Place des Vosges (which now has Wifi, by the way!) and looked at Victor Hugo’s house, and then walked towards Beaubourg (I was on a mission to find the Christian bookstore). We grabbed a “picnic” in a boulangerie and walked on over to the Comédie Française, where we ate our lunch on a bench and then went to get our tickets for the afternoon performance.
I didn’t realize what a big deal it was….but this was the 1000th performance of Cyrano de Bergerac at the Comédie Française! It was also the last performance of the season. Every seat was sold. The theatre was absolutely beautiful. The performance was excellently staged and performed. Thank goodness I had seen the movie and knew the story well enough to follow it. It is truly a masterpiece….both comedy and tragedy combined!
My students know that if I have just one day to spend in Paris, I am going to spend part of it in the LUXEMBOURG GARDENS! In fact, I think I would grieve if I had to leave Paris without at least walking through. So William and walked over to the Left Bank, past the famous Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots, and into the gardens. As it was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, the gardens were full of people! The flowers were beautiful…this year in pinks, lavenders, and purples. We relaxed there a bit, and then realized it was 7:00 p.m.! William had friends to meet, and I still needed to get into my room at the hotel and prepare for my trip back to the states on Sunday, so we took the subway together as far as the Gare Austerlitz, said our good-byes, and I walked back over the Seine to my hotel. I had a salad in a nice little sidewalk café and then organized my things for my early morning departure! It was a great day in my favorite City…..but it’s time to go home!
Once I arrived in Paris, I easily found my hotel (Palym). There was a massive amount of people in the Gare de Lyon. It was Saturday, and I guess many were leaving for vacations. I excited the station, got an adrenaline rush from being in Paris again, and tried to figure out which street was Rue Emile Gilbert. Right away I saw the sign for the Hotel Palym, and headed that direction. (I found all of my hotels on this trip via http://www.vernere.com/, which I now highly recommend to all of my traveling friends.) Since it was only 10:30 a.m., my room was not ready, so I left my bags with the front desk and set off to meet William.
We met at the Café Français across from the Opéra Bastille. I had an espresso, figuring I needed some caffeine to keep me awake for the matinee at the Comédie Française. We then started our little walking tour. William was staying in an apartment near the Place des Vosges that belonged to friends of his in New Orleans, and he wanted to show it to me. I have always been curious as to what those apartments look like, because you can’t really tell from the outside! This was a one bedroom….the tiniest apartment you can imagine! There was a kitchen tinier than a small closet, and a “living dining” combination that literally had two chairs and a very small table. Plus a small bathroom and a decent sized bedroom. William said that they probably paid $100,000 for it 10 years ago! I can’t imagine spending much time there…..I’d be very claustrophobic!
We walked through the beautiful Place des Vosges (which now has Wifi, by the way!) and looked at Victor Hugo’s house, and then walked towards Beaubourg (I was on a mission to find the Christian bookstore). We grabbed a “picnic” in a boulangerie and walked on over to the Comédie Française, where we ate our lunch on a bench and then went to get our tickets for the afternoon performance.
I didn’t realize what a big deal it was….but this was the 1000th performance of Cyrano de Bergerac at the Comédie Française! It was also the last performance of the season. Every seat was sold. The theatre was absolutely beautiful. The performance was excellently staged and performed. Thank goodness I had seen the movie and knew the story well enough to follow it. It is truly a masterpiece….both comedy and tragedy combined!
My students know that if I have just one day to spend in Paris, I am going to spend part of it in the LUXEMBOURG GARDENS! In fact, I think I would grieve if I had to leave Paris without at least walking through. So William and walked over to the Left Bank, past the famous Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots, and into the gardens. As it was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, the gardens were full of people! The flowers were beautiful…this year in pinks, lavenders, and purples. We relaxed there a bit, and then realized it was 7:00 p.m.! William had friends to meet, and I still needed to get into my room at the hotel and prepare for my trip back to the states on Sunday, so we took the subway together as far as the Gare Austerlitz, said our good-byes, and I walked back over the Seine to my hotel. I had a salad in a nice little sidewalk café and then organized my things for my early morning departure! It was a great day in my favorite City…..but it’s time to go home!
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