FRANCE: Paris, following barging through Burgundy

The last several articles have been on my trip to Normandy and the barge trip through the Burgundy Canal. It was a wonderful trip and none of us wanted to leave the barge. The day prior to our departure from Dijon the train engineers throughout France went on strike. We were hoping that meant we could stay longer, but trains were still running, though on a reduced schedule, and the Litote was already chartered for the following week. We were all very disappointed!!

The train engineers timed their strike perfectly. We arrived in Paris on Friday, October 19th, the weekend of the final match of the World Cup Rugby Tournament between South Africa and Great Britain. The train station was a madhouse; “Brits” were everywhere. To lend support to the train engineers, the metro (the subway) was also on a holiday time schedule and taxis were impossible to find. Thank goodness we had a bus waiting for us to go to our hotel.

I had not been to Paris in many years. In fact, the last time I was in Paris was when I traveled with my friend Marjorie (Handel) on our trip through Europe when I graduated college…many, many years ago. At that time we spent a week going from museums, to churches, to art exhibits to sculpture gardens---Marjorie had just finished a class in art history and we didn’t want to miss a thing!!! In those days traveling in Paris was relatively cheap and it was easy to find inexpensive lodging on the left bank. Times have definitely changed.

This time in Paris we stayed at the Hotel Keppler, a charming four-star boutique hotel on the right bank two blocks off the Champs-Elysees and near the Arc de Triomphe. It was a fun location with metro stops quite close, which would have been nice if the metro was on its regular schedule. The first morning we took a half-day city tour of Paris, which reacquainted me with the city. Much to my surprise, it really didn’t look that much different. Traffic around the Ard de Triomphe was ridiculous with people going around in circles, the cafes along the Champs Elysees were crowded with tourists, and the Eiffle Tower was the same, except for the giant rugby ball hanging from the center. In all seriousness, monuments really don’t change that much.

One major addition to the Paris skyline is La Grand Roue Ferris Wheel near the Place de la Concorde, just west of Tulleries Gardens. It was built as part of the millennium celebration in January 2001 and is still spinning. According to our guide, “the big wheel has caused much controversy and many Parisians see it as an eyesore.”
With transportation at a minimum, the best way to get around the city was on foot. Carolyn Groves, my long time friend and fellow circus mom, took off on foot for the Rue de Saint Honore, a great shopping area between the Louvre and the Opera. It was fun to window shop and see the latest fashions from Versace, Hermes and Yves Saint Laurent. We also took a short detour so I could see The Ritz, considered one of the top hotels in Paris. The hotel is absolutely beautiful and outrageously expensive.

The following morning we drove out of Paris to Versailles, the grand palace originally built as a hunting lodge and later became the official residence of the Kings of France from 1682 until 1790. The palace is truly magnificent with extensive gardens and parklands. I think opulence is the word that best describes Versailles. During the French Revolution the palace came under attack and was stripped of most of its furnishings.

Versailles is now a national museum and the French government is pouring millions of euros into preserving and restoring the palace and grounds to its original splendor. I really wanted to see the famous fountains, designed by La Notre in the late 17th century, and read they were operational on Sundays during the fall and winter months. It seems the cost of keeping the grounds has become prohibitive and the museum has been forced to cut back on services. The fountains are dry until spring.

For our last night in Paris we celebrated with a dinner cruise on the Seine. It may be touristy, but it was lots of fun. Paris is beautiful by day and magical at night. Even the Eiffel Tower took on a special glow with rotating red, yellow and green lights in honor of South Africa winning the Rugby World Cup. It was a delightful evening and the perfect ending to a great two weeks in Normandy and the French countryside.