Pardon Pardon...

Wish you were here! Pardon my efforts with the European keyboard, touchtyping is not an advantage here. Paris is treating me well, fine and lovely weather though a bit hot at times. Did a trip to Gare de Lyon to reserve train tickets, I leave for Venezia on Friday. Potential trouble as there was a strike going on so service was only meant to be for todays trains but the lovely lady excused my French (sorry Madame Lafdal) and helped me book my first ticket. I will have to go back tomorrow to book the rest of my connections but I have a start.







Yesterday went up to the 2nd etage of the Eiffel Tower with Tori and Megan from the States on the last ride up at 11pm, just amazing as all the sights were lit up and easily seen. Not to mention the light show of the Tower itself, it does a glitter effect every 15min. It was Megans birthday so we all had crepes with Nutella to celebrate then caught the 3rd to last Metro back as both the girls had a flight to Dublin the next morning, waking at 430am.

After practicing my French a little, I did a trip to the Left Bank to try and find Rue Mouffetard and its big market. Sadly I didnt have the best sense of direction, but I found a lovely church where I lit a candle for St Genevieve, her remains are interred there in a glass coffin (like Snow White?). Apparently according to the translation, there was a fire in the Pantheon where she was originally, so actually she looks a little shroudlike. The Pantheon was closed for renovation but I took photos of the outside and continued down to La Sorbonne and lots of shops selling bandes dessinees (comic books) I recognised a few Japanese titles and Asterix and Tintin, but no French version of CLOVER by Clamp, which I would have loved.

Paris church





















Continued the long walk and ended up at the Musee d'Orsay and joined the long queue in the heat. But there was a fantastic surprise at the end, admission today for some reason was free! So many famous artists and works came to life, my heart was pitterpat... the real Van Gogh, Degas, Pissaro, Seurrat, Monet, Manet, Toulouse Lautrec... gasp! And views across to the Seine.



Then crossed the Seine and saw artists at work, walked all the way to the famous bridge I forget the name so I will be awfully gauche and say the one from the old Cadbury Flake ad where the woman dressed in red sneaks some chocolate as she crosses it!

Pont Alexandre

Musee des Beaux Arts

Petit Palace

Kind doormen

Courtyard

Ooohs and aaahs at the Musee des Beaux Arts and was ushered into the Petit Palace by some very kind doormen, I was suspicious at first but then I realised they let me into the Jardiniere de Petit Palais for free because it was half an hour to closing time. Beautiful interior and peristyle garden with unexpected ceiling frescoes including a nymphs and strangely a large spider.

Mural with spider to the right
Then a long wander down des Champs Elysees admiring the shops. I can now say I have shopped on the Champs Elysees, no matter that it was Monoprix supermarche. Mum would love the vacuum packed cod roe, I would like to try the marron (chestnut) yoghurt and the raspberry and rose jelly, also the couscous with raisins and mint and I will return as soon as I scavenge some cutlery. None the less I have bananas, French dark chocolate and green apple cereal bars to keep me going.



Phew, better leave you here. Either a train to Versailles or Montmartre and the Louvre for me tomorrow, let's catch an early nights sleep with the earplugs.

PS: for Mum, mostly the French are treating me kindly, I think they like that I try to speak in French no matter how terrible or embarrassing! Some not so kind to Americans I notice in particular if they dont try. It takes me more than a beat sometimes to catch "cafe or chocolat chaud?" spoken at fast pace. Backpackers at breakfast here incredibly kind and gave me lots of advice about Eurail travel, there are many girls here doing the same thing albeit sadly in different directions.

PPS: PONT ALEXANDRE III Completed in 1900 for the World Fair, this bridge was built in only two years by engineers Résal and Alby. With a length of 107 m and a width of 40 m, it comprises only one metal arch made up of 15 parallel arcs with 3 articulations made up of cast steel voussoirs bolted together. It is prolonged on each bank by 2 viaducts in masonry. The considerable lowering of the arcs (1/17) required abutments foundations of very significant size (33.5m x 44m), built using decompression chambers. Classified as historical monument, this bridge is very decorated and constitutes a great monument of Paris.