Canadian Buffoon European Vacation - 30/03 - Endings and Silver Linings

[Thumper_Man's Wife]

Now that I had a little downtime this afternoon, I wanted to get to this before I left for vacation…So, here goes…

Not too far from Notre Dame on Île de la Cité is another Church that we...

okay, okay.

...another Church that I wanted to see.

Now the truth comes out! Trying to pin it on the girls I see…

Sainte-Chapelle was commisioned in the mid 13th century by King Louis IX to house his collection of holy relics.
Specifically it was to be the home of Christ's Crown of Thorns. (Which is now housed in Notre Dame.)
Unlike Notre Dame, Sainte-Chapelle was built by IKEA in less then 10 years, and completed in 1248.

Please tell me we aren’t having a quiz at the end of this TR? And if we are…Will it be open computer?

All kidding aside, I love the info you are providing. At least if I never get a chance to see this in person, I have a first hand account of the history and pictures to go along with, so it’s almost like I’m there.

Oddly enough, while the King spent 135,000 French Pounds to purchase the Crown from the Emperor of Constantinople
(well, actually he paid the Venetians, since the Emperor had pawned it to them... which makes you wonder... for what???)
and another 100,000 Pounds on an elaborate silver chest to house the crown...

the church itself was a relative steal at 40,000 Pounds.

I am far from being a person who enjoys math, so I cannot even come close to figuring out what that would be like in today’s pounds, or for that matter today’s US dollars, but seems like a steal to me…

From Notre Dame, Sainte-Chapelle is a short walk (or for 25% of our party, a hobble) around the block away.

Poor thing. I know what it’s like to hobble. Speaking of…I have to remember to pack my cane for the trip.

I had read that one of the nicest ways to have lunch in Paris was to purchase a baguette, some meat or veg, a bottle of wine and have a picnic. It sounded like a good idea to me, so I made sure that I carried my Swiss Army knife with me. In addition to a small knife blade, it also had a corkscrew, and a screwdriver, and an awl (athough I didn't know what it was awl for... sorry, that pun was awlful.), and a nail file, and a flamethrower, and a scissor, and a bunch of little accessories that served no purpose other than to take up space and enable you to show off the enormous amount of accessories contained in one moderately small.... well, slightly large, package.

I had this piece of ordinance in my pocket and I was a little concerned when I saw the Stalag 13 guards with their X-ray machine and latex glove clad oversize hands. But they were too busy being bored french civil servants to worry about little ol' me.
So while others put their oversized backpacks on the conveyor belt of fun, I motioned towards my small theft-proof camera bag and was promptly waved through.

Fools! Me and my 2 inch pocket knife were now poised for World Domination!!!

I can hear them now…

Guard #1 – Oh, it’s just a silly ol’ camera bag. He can do nothing with that, except photograph someone to death.

Guard #2 – Just wave him through.

An hour later, as they are clearing the area and trying to figure out what went wrong…

Guard #1 – I don’t understand…All he had was a camera.

Guard #2 – I should have known. It was a decoy. And now, we have no choice but to bow down to the new leader… who has dominated our world with a Leatherman!

All Guards – ALL HAIL KING LEATHERMAN!!!

It's difficult to get a decent picture of Sainte-Chapelle.
At first you don't see it as you go through the crack security,
then you're basically right on top of it.

Hmm…Photoshop picture possibility…unfortunately we will be headed on vacation and I am not that good at photoshop…

Ah, well, here's a quick snap, pretty much straight up.

Beautiful!

Not the greatest, but the prize is inside anyway.

Wait a minute…I thought you were going to a church, not a cracker jack box…

Oh, and for those of you that can't read french, the sign says "Silence" which is french for Silence... or "shaddup".

How do they expect people who are visiting from the U.S. or anywhere outside of France to be able to read that?!

Pretty in its own right, but the upper level, once reserved for the King and his family and friends is where the real show is.

Um…I thought that erotic museum was a couple of days ago? And why would you bring your children to see that?!?!

About 6,500 square feet of stained glass adorns the upper level. Unfortunately, you can't see all of it yet as the glass has been under restoration for the past 40 years.
We were a year early as the restoration is expected to be completed in 2014 in time for the 800th anniversary of the birthday of Louis IX.

Oh…You were talking about the…Nevermind…

You can see that the north side is completely covered. One can only imagine how amazing it will look like when it's finished.

Right…because at the moment…it’s nothing to gawk at.

When we were finished gawking,

Or maybe it is…

we headed back out and hopped on another bus.

See…us bunnies aren’t the only ones who hop…

Nice family photo there!

On our way to the Eiffel Tower, we passed (and once again, didn't stop at) the Musée d'Orsay.
This museum houses the largest collection of impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces in the world.
Paintings by Monet, Degas, Renoir, and Van Gogh, to name a few, are on display here.

See this is my problem…too many things I would want to see and do, and the ones that I would love to have a chance at, are the places that would take days to see completely. I know we have all seen a picture from Renoir or Van Gogh or Monet but seeing it in a museum, up close and personal, and in Paris (that once was a train station, turned museum that was meant to be bridge the gap between the Louvre and the Pompidou Centre) would be amazing.

So does this mean that if someone asks, I can say that I've been there?
I was there, if not inside, right?

Sure…

Would it shock you to learn that the last person guillotined in France was in 1895? No?

How about that the actual date was September 10, 1977.

I know I was flabbergasted when I found that out.

Gives a whole new meaning to “Off with her head” doesn’t it? Ok…I know that was old…and bad…But the only other thing I had to say was…WOW! I mean, I know we had some cruel manners of capital punishment here in the US over the years, but that’s just gruesome!

Thinking a little more about it, I guess it’s not any worse than the gas chamber or Ol’ Sparky.

After circling the square, our bus made a right turn at Albuquerque....

And you didn’t stop to even say Hi…I see how you are.

... made a right turn onto the famous Champs-Élysées. One of the most expensive strips of real estate in the world. Home to Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss and yes, Virginia, there is a Disney Store there too.

It’s like Rodeo Drive, only…5600 miles away.

At the end of the Avenue is the Arche de Triomphe. It was commisioned in 1806 by Napoleon to celebrate his victories. It wasn't completed however until about 15 years after his death. When his body was brought back to France, it passed underneath the arch on its way to his final resting place.

Did not know that. I’m feeling smarter already!

Nothing like a cheery little TR about death, is there?

Could have been worse. You could have gone into detail about King Louis and Marie Antoinette’s beheading.

Our bus then took us towards our last destination of the day.

You have to admit, even in pictures, it’s an amazing site, I can only imagine being there in person.

It might look like it from this angle, but you can't drive underneath it.
(And do you have any idea how hard it was to not Photoshop King Kong onto that???)

And you didn’t why?

The tower was designed and built for the 1889 Paris World Expo and was supposed to be torn down 20 years later.
At first many Parisians hated it and considered it an eye-sore. One famous writer would eat lunch on the tower everyday.

He claimed that it was the only place in Paris he could eat and not see it.

That actually makes a lot of sense. It’s funny as hell, but it makes sense.

Since the tower is the most visited paid monument in the world, it would be nice if you could FP it or make an ADR.

You know you are a Disney fanatic when you want a FP for almost anything that has a line.

I told the ladies to wait in the shade while I baked. I'd come get them after I got the tickets.

Awww. Aren’t you sweet!

I stood in line for about an hour... just like at Disney!

So see…you were channeling your inner Disney after all.

Carp!

Don’t you mean PRAC?

Lookit! Lookit! Lookitme! Hey! Look! At! Me!

Don’t you love that when you are doing this and hoping that the person you are doing this to, is the one that sees you, it is usually everyone else around you that notices you waving like a lunatic.

I bid a sad farewell to my swiss army knife.

So much for your world domination…

It doesn't take long and we're on the elevator heading up to the 2nd level.

And yes, the views are fantastic.

I have to say…spectacular pictures.

Kay bought a miniature Eiffel Tower, which was good for two reasons.
1. It's cool to buy a miniature Eiffel Tower on the actual Eiffle Tower, no?
2. If she bought a full size one, it wouldn't fit in the suitcase. Plus it would probably be over-weight.

Not only would it not fit in the suitcase, but it would probably be hell trying to carry it back to the B&B you were staying at. Can you imagine lifting that thing up all those stairs all the while doing the hokey pokey to get into your room?

After a quick hop on, hop off the metro, we stop for supper....


At 10pm!

This from a family that usually eats around 5!

It never fails, during vacation, eating schedules are always thrown off kilter. It takes me forever to get back into a routine once I’m back from vacation.

We had Pizza.

Of course.

Of course, Pizza in Paris…Sounds perfect!



Thanks so much for the fun and education chapter. Your photos are wonderful. I look forward to the next installment. Maybe I’ll be able to read it aloud to Nebo and Smidgy while we are at the parks.

 

[pkondz]

Now that I had a little downtime this afternoon, I wanted to get to this before I left for vacation…So, here goes…

Wait....

You have downtime before a trip?!?

Now the truth comes out! Trying to pin it on the girls I see…

Well, of course.
That's why you have kids in the first place. To blame things on them.

Stranger: "Holy! Who cut the cheese? Phew!!"
Pkondz: <points to whichever DD is in the vicinity>

Please tell me we aren’t having a quiz at the end of this TR? And if we are…Will it be open computer?

All kidding aside, I love the info you are providing. At least if I never get a chance to see this in person, I have a first hand account of the history and pictures to go along with, so it’s almost like I’m there.

Glad you're enjoying the schoolin'

But again, I stress, if you're not into it. Skip it.


And no, there won't be a test.
I was going to jokingly say that there would be one, but then I thought I'd lose all my readers, so....

I am far from being a person who enjoys math, so I cannot even come close to figuring out what that would be like in today’s pounds, or for that matter today’s US dollars, but seems like a steal to me…

The numbers given are in French Pounds... which were used up to 1795.
One French Pound was equal to one pound of silver.

So by today's standard, the church was built for a little over twelve and a half million dollars.

Conversely the Crown of Thorns cost just under forty three million and the silver chest was just under thirty three million.

No idea how much a cup of coffee was.

I can hear them now…

Guard #1 – Oh, it’s just a silly ol’ camera bag. He can do nothing with that, except photograph someone to death.

Guard #2 – Just wave him through.

An hour later, as they are clearing the area and trying to figure out what went wrong…

Guard #1 – I don’t understand…All he had was a camera.

Guard #2 – I should have known. It was a decoy. And now, we have no choice but to bow down to the new leader… who has dominated our world with a Leatherman!

All Guards – ALL HAIL KING LEATHERMAN!!!

Yeah... That's pretty much how it went.
Got dull after a while. I mean, how much fun is it to rule an old church?

Next time, I'll take over a Vegas Casino.

Hmm…Photoshop picture possibility…unfortunately we will be headed on vacation and I am not that good at photoshop…

Hmmm.... I see a possibility, but since this is a family board....

Wait a minute…I thought you were going to a church, not a cracker jack box…

Yes.... the cracker jack boxes are off to the left. See the girl in the blue top is getting one.

How do they expect people who are visiting from the U.S. or anywhere outside of France to be able to read that?!

I know, right! And there was no help on the flip side either.
That side was in British.

Um…I thought that erotic museum was a couple of days ago? And why would you bring your children to see that?!?!

Well, I thought it would be educational...

See…us bunnies aren’t the only ones who hop…

We just don't do it as well.

Nice family photo there!

Thanks!

See this is my problem…too many things I would want to see and do, and the ones that I would love to have a chance at, are the places that would take days to see completely. I know we have all seen a picture from Renoir or Van Gogh or Monet but seeing it in a museum, up close and personal, and in Paris (that once was a train station, turned museum that was meant to be bridge the gap between the Louvre and the Pompidou Centre) would be amazing.

Actually, Disney was a good pre-cursor for just that reason.
You plan and plan and plan... but you just can't see it all, right?

I basically went to Europe with that thought, and didn't sweat it.

Gives a whole new meaning to “Off with her head” doesn’t it? Ok…I know that was old…and bad…But the only other thing I had to say was…WOW! I mean, I know we had some cruel manners of capital punishment here in the US over the years, but that’s just gruesome!

Thinking a little more about it, I guess it’s not any worse than the gas chamber or Ol’ Sparky.

I dunno. I think the guillotine's worse.
Then again, I guess it's quicker.

And you didn’t stop to even say Hi…I see how you are.

Excuse me!
We most certainly did!
We waved.
We shouted.


And you just ignored us.

Could have been worse. You could have gone into detail about King Louis and Marie Antoinette’s beheading.

Yeah.... just read about it.... I'll spare you the details.

You have to admit, even in pictures, it’s an amazing site, I can only imagine being there in person.

Me too!
Oh, wait... I was there.

And you didn’t why?

Honestly, I like that picture and didn't want to sully it.


But it was still close!

That actually makes a lot of sense. It’s funny as hell, but it makes sense.

I know!

You know you are a Disney fanatic when you want a FP for almost anything that has a line.

I go to McDonalds and want an ADR.

Awww. Aren’t you sweet!

Yes. Yes I am.

Don’t you mean PRAC?

Prac!
Yes, I actually did mean that!!

I was thinking of you and then got it backwords... or frontwards...

Don’t you love that when you are doing this and hoping that the person you are doing this to, is the one that sees you, it is usually everyone else around you that notices you waving like a lunatic.

Every. Time.

So much for your world domination…

It was a very short reign.

Which is ironic since Ruby keeps me on a very short leash.

I have to say…spectacular pictures.

Thanks!

Not only would it not fit in the suitcase, but it would probably be hell trying to carry it back to the B&B you were staying at. Can you imagine lifting that thing up all those stairs all the while doing the hokey pokey to get into your room?

Good point.

Of course, Pizza in Paris…Sounds perfect!

Precisely

Thanks so much for the fun and education chapter. Your photos are wonderful. I look forward to the next installment. Maybe I’ll be able to read it aloud to Nebo and Smidgy while we are at the parks.

Sounds good! Have a great trip, guys!

 

[Thumper_Man's Wife]

Haha...my boss was out of town today (went back home to visit his family for the weekend) and I was seriously on vacation mode for most of the week, so after 3pm I said forget it and did only the bare minimum. So yes, downtime before vacation, had I, but only because I made it so.

Got it...have kids so we can blame our flatulence on them. Check.

Fyi - I love the educational pieces. I kid around in my replies, but know that the information and the way you deliver it is very much appreciated.

Ok...We have just finished packing...for the most part...and while I am sitting here making sure I don't forget anything I decided to find a good ringtone for Nebo and Smidgy when they call. (Not that they call me. T-man usually gets that pleasure). We finally decided on "The Joker" by the Steve Miller Band. I think it fits.

I better go finish packing now before I end up forgetting something crucial, like underwear or hairspray.

Thanks for the good trip thoughts. Fingers crossed all goes well.

 

[orangecats2]

Wait just a minute Ponzi! Whadda mean you might go to WDW next summer? What happened to 2015?

We got to see Ruby's arm!!! and you look exactly the same as you did last summer in Hawaii.

 

[pkondz]

Haha...my boss was out of town today (went back home to visit his family for the weekend) and I was seriously on vacation mode for most of the week, so after 3pm I said forget it and did only the bare minimum. So yes, downtime before vacation, had I, but only because I made it so.

Got it...have kids so we can blame our flatulence on them. Check.

Pretty much.

Fyi - I love the educational pieces. I kid around in my replies, but know that the information and the way you deliver it is very much appreciated.

Oh, I got that. And I'm pleased you (among others) enjoy it.
It was just a general comment to all, that if you don't wanna read it.... skip it.

I better go finish packing now before I end up forgetting something crucial, like underwear or hairspray.

Or mace.
Or did you forget you're meeting Nebo?

Wait just a minute Ponzi! Whadda mean you might go to WDW next summer? What happened to 2015?

Got one!

I thought everybody missed that tidbit of info.
Smidgy did, but she's forgiven since she had a trip to get ready for.
Don't know if Nebo did, but he didn't mention it when we spoke.

But no, no WDW next summer.

There's a fairly good chance that Elle's dance team will qualify for worlds again this season. The world dance competition takes place the first week of July in Niagara Falls.

So if she qualifies, we'll probably drive.
If we drive, we'll probably go through Chicago.
If we go through Chicago.... well, you know.

We got to see Ruby's arm!!! and you look exactly the same as you did last summer in Hawaii.

Noticed that too, huh? But that's about as much of her as you'll be seeing.

And I look the same?

At my age, that's a good thing!

 

[Queenofallthings]

Well, here I am, finally....page 21 and I'm just here now Good thing you sent me a PM or I still would have been in la la land!

Great report so far! As I'm reading and looking at your pictures it takes me back to our trip to Paris....I was only 5 but it's funny the things you remember! THe fresh baquettes, cheese and juice (parents had wine) sitting on a blanket in a park....so nice!

Shanleigh can't wait for you to get to Italy...patience obviously isn't her strong suit but she too enjoyed reading up to now!

Please tell your 3 lovely ladies we said hi and can't wait for the next update!

 

[orangecats2]

Is the dance thing in Canada or New York?

Will you also be driving through Cleveland?

 

[buzz1121]

Aww, you waited for me to respond before you posted another chapter!

Work and kid schedule has been pretty busy, sorry for being AWOL, but hopefully everything will settle down now.

Your photos of the church and the stained glass windows are AMAZING! I want to be there!

I love the world domination line. It makes me think of Pinky and the Brain. "One is a genius, the other's insane...." Nice tie in.

And holy cow, (now where's that cute little graphic?)......the last use of the guillotine was in 1977? Yeesh!

I love the Eiffel Tower backstory with all of the construction details.

What an awesome day you guys had!

And I hate I missed saying "have a good trip" to Nebo and Smidgy. I knew the dates, but I just couldn't catch the time before they left. Oh well, I'll catch them when they they get back.

 

[bankr63]

Poor thing. I know what it’s like to hobble. Speaking of…I have to remember to pack my cane for the trip.


Nice family photo there!

That is a great family photo; we finally get to see a bit more pkondz' face. Now if we can just convince Ruby to move a little to the right... (but, I seem to recall from the Hawaii report that she was camera shy).

Ok...We have just finished packing...for the most part...and while I am sitting here making sure I don't forget anything I decided to find a good ringtone for Nebo and Smidgy when they call. (Not that they call me. T-man usually gets that pleasure). We finally decided on "The Joker" by the Steve Miller Band. I think it fits.

I better go finish packing now before I end up forgetting something crucial, like underwear or hairspray.

Or the cane...
You did remember it, right?!?

 

[pkondz]

Well, here I am, finally....page 21 and I'm just here now Good thing you sent me a PM or I still would have been in la la land!

Hi Jacquie!

I actually hate to do it. It sounds like begging.
"Please. Come to my TR, please. please. please. pretty please.
I'll read yours if you read mine!"

blech!

But I figured that you wanted to but just didn't know it, so I swallowed what little pride I have left....

hmmm......


Nope. None left. It's all gone. anyway...

.... and thought I should let you know.

Great report so far! As I'm reading and looking at your pictures it takes me back to our trip to Paris....I was only 5 but it's funny the things you remember!

5?

So that's, what... twenty years ago?

Shanleigh can't wait for you to get to Italy...patience obviously isn't her strong suit but she too enjoyed reading up to now!

Well... if MTS texting would actually work, we could've told her all about it already!

Plus, I picked up a little something for her in Venice.
Don't let her get too excited, it ain't much... and you'll see why, later.


But that's a story that's several TR days away still.

Please tell your 3 lovely ladies we said hi and can't wait for the next update!

I will! And Ruby (and me too) is dying to see you guys again.
When we have time... I'll actually phone you!

Is the dance thing in Canada or New York?

Will you also be driving through Cleveland?

It's in Canada, although I'm sure there'll be some teams from the States there too.

If we drive, we usually go south around Lake Michigan then angle back up through Kalamazoo (I could've said lots of other places... but I just wanted to say Kalamazoo... 'cause it's fun. Kalamazoo.) and back into Canada North of Lake Erie.

But.... if we went south....
I could see Toledo... home of Maxwell Klinger and the Mudhens
I could see the Christmas Story House in Cleveland

We could maybe pay a visit to a certain cat or two?


IF we drive...

Aww, you waited for me to respond before you posted another chapter!

But, of course.

Work and kid schedule has been pretty busy, sorry for being AWOL, but hopefully everything will settle down now.

Oh, I hear ya. I HEAR ya!

I'm so exhausted right now, it's not even funny.

Your photos of the church and the stained glass windows are AMAZING! I want to be there!

Thanks!

I love the world domination line. It makes me think of Pinky and the Brain. "One is a genius, the other's insane...." Nice tie in.

Unintentional.... but I'll take it.

And holy cow, (now where's that cute little graphic?)......the last use of the guillotine was in 1977? Yeesh!

I know! Crazy, right? You just assume that it was never used in your lifetime.

I love the Eiffel Tower backstory with all of the construction details.

You can't buy this kind of education! I'm tellin ya'. I'm providing a public service here!

What an awesome day you guys had!

I gotta admit... it was pretty darn good!

That is a great family photo; we finally get to see a bit more pkondz' face. Now if we can just convince Ruby to move a little to the right... (but, I seem to recall from the Hawaii report that she was camera shy)

Thanks Maddox, and yes, she's camera shy.
And no, I'm not going to get into it anymore then that.

Or the cane...
You did remember it, right?!?

She said she would...

 

[orangecats2]

So if you're not driving to Niagara Falls, you're what,,,,,walking???

 

[Thumper_Man's Wife]

She said she would...

Yes I did bring the cane. And good thing too. Came in handy tonight.

 

[nowellsl]

Yes I did bring the cane. And good thing too. Came in handy tonight.

Uh oh that doesn't sound good.

 

[pkondz]

So if you're not driving to Niagara Falls, you're what,,,,,walking???

We might fly to Toronto, then rent a car to Niagara, smarty pants!


And boy are my arms going to be tired!!!

ba dum dum

Yes I did bring the cane. And good thing too. Came in handy tonight.

Please, please, please tell me it's not 'cause Nebo hurt himself again!
Wait! What am I saying!
I hope No one got hurt!!

 

[orangecats2]

We might fly to Toronto, then rent a car to Niagara, smarty pants!


And boy are my arms going to be tired!!!

ba dum dum


Please, please, please tell me it's not 'cause Nebo hurt himself again!
Wait! What am I saying!
I hope No one got hurt!!

Lady H posted a pic on Facebook of Nebo with Sunny D in hand and he looked fine.


My dad used to call me smart a**! Either way, hopefully we can meet up next summer.

 

[pkondz]

Lady H posted a pic on Facebook of Nebo with Sunny D in hand and he looked fine.


My dad used to call me smart a**! Either way, hopefully we can meet up next summer.

That's good.

uh... the part about Nebo looking fine, that is.

Of course, your dad calling you a smart a** is fine by me too.

The competition runs March 14-16, so we'll know what's happening after that.

 

[pkondz]

Chapter's about 3/4 done. Hopefully will be up later tonight.

 

[pkondz]

A journey through a strange new world

Monday, August Fifth.

When there's only one bathroom for the four of us, I like to get up first


and get the heck out of the way!


I don't think it comes as a big surprise that I can get up and get ready to go in less time then the girls.

Plus it's less frustrating.

"So, are you gonna be done soon?"
"Yes! Just another forty five minutes!"

Fifty five minutes later, the first one's done and the second one scoots in there...
"I'll just be a sec!"

And the first one said to the second one there,
"I hope you're having fun!"


sorry.
where was I?


So I'm the first one of the band to be up and ready to run.

I head down the first flight of stairs.
Unlock the room door.
Go down two more floors of spiral stairs.
Unlock the first vestibule door.
Walk down the short hallway.
Go through the second vestibule door (no code required when exiting).
Walk halfway down the next hall to the door.
Go through the halfway down the hall door (no key needed when exiting).
Walk down the other half of the hallway to the last door.
Push on the pushbar to get out...


I can't get out.


The door is not budging at all.

I push harder ('cause that'll help, right? Same premise as banging the side of the computer when it freezes)

door doesn't budge.

hmmmmm.... Maybe I need to go through the other door (it's a double door).

Nope. There's all kinds of bars and bolts on it.
I try it anyway.
Nope.

I turn the light on in the hallway to see better (there was some sunlight, but the door itself was in shadow).

hmmmmmm..... This is definitely the right door.

I push Harder. Again.

Oddly enough, I get the same result.


I look around for a video camera.
I actually wasn't thinking that I was being pranked with the French version of Just For Laughs Gags starring Jerry Lewis or a boozy Gerard Depardieu.
I thought maybe some security dude would take a moment from laughing hysterically at the inept Canadian tourist buffoon and help me!!

No camera.

Maybe because it's early, they lock the door for the night?

I look more closely at the door, trying to find a thumb lock, or a key, or a reason to live.


Nope.


Well, this is a bit frustrating isn't it? All of Paris is waiting for me.... IF I CAN JUST GET PAST THE FRONT FREAKING DOOR!!!


Ah! An idea.
I can buzz the apartment of our hosts and politely, with hat in hand (so to speak) ask them to please, please, please let me out!


But it's early. I don't want to wake them if they're sleeping.
Should I call some other tenant?
Tick off a total stranger.... But I'll never see them again... heh, heh, heh.

Naw.

If I wait long enough, surely (and don't call me.... nevermind) someone will either come in or go out and I can ride their coattails.


But it's early. What if no one shows up for an hour or three?


I walk back up to the door. This is ridiculous.
What if there's a fire? How would people get out?

A lightbulb goes off.

(yes. off. it was on a timer.)
I know how they'd get out.

I march up to the door.
Grab the 'pushbar' with my hand and pull.

The door easily swings open and I triumphantly march out into the sunshine.


Hey. It's the small victories that matter.
It's all I've got.


I happily sashay down the street, nodding and saying a jaunty 'Bonjour!' to all I meet.

All I meet look at me suspiciously and distrustfully.

Look.
It was a beautiful morning.
I'm in Paris.
And I'd just gotten away from the estrogen den and escaped from the hallway of terrors.

I had every right to be happy, right? Right.


Not very far away, just down the street and around the corner, was a little french... uhhh... I guess since I'm in Paris I should just say there was a little bakery.

Of course it's a French bakery.

I picked up some croissants and some 'Pain au chocolat', which is basically an oval shaped croissant with chocolate in the middle.

mmmmmmmmmm......

We had that for breakfast and boy was it good!

After breakfast, I made what was probably both the most difficult and yet smartest decision of the trip.


The plan for the morning was to knock an item off my bucket list.

Do you knock an item off a bucket list? Or do you pour it out?
Whatever.

We were going to go see the Paris Opera today.
Kay did not want to go.

She was tired.
Her feet hurt.
She was cranky.

And I was thinking, "I don't care how much your feet hurt, or how tired you are, or how cranky you are, which will make the rest of us miserable.

We're in Paris.

This is possibly a once in a lifetime opportunity and you are not going to squander it by being beachy and a royal pain in the caboose!"


Yup. That's pretty much what I thought.


And then I thought some more.

We really can't let her miss this opportunity.
She really needs to come and see this.
And she better cheer up and not bring the rest of us down!

We're on vacation, darn it! And it's going to be perfect even if it kills us!!!!!!


I took a figurative step back.

"Kay? Would you prefer to stay here while the rest of us go see the Opera?"
"How long will you be? Will you be gone all day?" she asked.
"No," I replied. "We'll probably be gone for two or three hours, then we're going to come back here so we can do ________ that you wanted to do so badly while in Paris."

And so we went without her.
And if you'll permit me the luxury of skipping ahead here for a second...

It was the best decision of the whole trip.

I learned to relax a bit and let the trip happen instead of trying to force an unpleasant situation.
Kay got to do what she wanted (Rest her poor feet and catch up on some rest).
We got to see what we wanted to see (and not have Kay complaining the whole time, which would not have been fun for anyone).

When we got back, we were happy for having gone, and Kay was in a much better mood and rested and excited about the rest of the day.


Sometimes I even impress myself.



So after having decided on the arrangements, Ruby, Elle and I headed off to grab the metro back to the Opera.
Except this time... we were going IN!




The Paris Opera House is actually not thusly named.

thusly.

Pretentious much?


It ain't its real name.

Arguably the most famous opera house in the world was built in 1875 on Boulevard des Capucines and was originally named Salle des Capucines. But due to its over the top architecture and ornate interior, it was renamed Palais Garnier (Garnier Palace) after the architect who designed it.
It was also commonly known as the Garnier Opera, the Paris Opera, the ol' singin' hole, or simply, the Opera.


Okay. It wasn't known as the ol' singin' hole... but it's a good name, though, right?

But we're not done yet. When the building was officially unveiled, the official title of the building was The Imperial Academy of Music.
After the French lost the Franco-Prussian war, the Imperial government was overthrown and the building was renamed The National Theater of Opera.

Except all they did (because it was easier/cheaper?) was replace the word "Imperial" with the word "National".

So now you've got The National Academy of Music.

But they built a new place down the street in 1989 and the opera doesn't play there anymore.
The ballet still does, though.


Anyway.

You can see the name it still carries on the front of the building.


See?

But it's not called that.
It's called the Palais Garnier, which is where we came in.


I'm going to lie down now for a bit, k?

................

To get inside the Opera (dagnabbit! that's what I'm gonna call it!!) you walk around to the left and go in through a side entrance.

You have a choice of taking a guided tour, or wandering around on your own. I didn't want to feel like I had to keep up with a tour, so we opted for the wandering option.

After paying our entrance fee, we walked around a corner and were confronted with a nice set of mannequins wearing elaborate costumes framed on either side by winding staircases.

It was pretty, but.... I kinda expected more, ya know?

Ruby got more out of it then Elle or me, though.

As I mounted the stairs, I had no idea that Ruby had stopped Elle for a photo op.
She couldn't quite get the angle she was looking for.
She asked Elle to move this way. No that way. Wait, I'll move up. No down. Tilt your head. Move your shoulder. Tilt the camera...

Anyway, she fell down the stairs.


She wasn't hurt. Actually, she was laughing.
I think she said, "Well, it's all good now! I've had my fall for the trip!"

Pretty sure the only thing that was hurt was her pride.

It's a little disconcerting when your wife bounces up to you with a giggle in her voice and excitedly proclaims, "I just fell down the stairs!"





At the top of the stairs, there's a small area and then you find yourself at the top of the grand staircase.



My only complaint about it that I have is that because you go in through a side entrance, your first view of the famous grand staircase is from the first landing on it.
I would much rather have preferred to come upon the staircase from below... but, oh well.
It didn't diminish it, but....

How would you like to start Splash Mountain with the big drop and then finish with all the little ones afterwards? KWIM?

At the base of the stairs, looking back.



And finally, looking towards the grand staircase as you would see it if you came in through the front entrance.



Can't you just see Lon Chaney disguised as The Red Death descending those stairs?

And finally, the view from the floor above.



The opera is a maze of hallways and nooks and crannies.
But everywhere you look, is opulence.
Example. An out of the way room had this for a ceiling.



Or this side hallway.



Elle was in her glory, too. Since there were costumes worn by famous ballerinas or worn for famous ballets interspersed throughout.




On the second level, at the front of the Opera, is one of the most beautiful rooms in all of France.
The Grand Foyer was designed as the meeting place of the who's who of Paris.

The wealthy and influential of Paris would congregate in this room to see and be seen.



Brings "Keeping up with the Joneses" to a whole new level, doesn't it?

At either end of the foyer are fireplaces surmounted with paintings.



One of the doors leading back to the grand staircase overlook.



The painted ceiling was amazing. It represents various periods in the history of music. Here's one of the sections.



Turning away from the interior of the Opera, you can venture outdoors in good weather and look down Avenue de l'Opera as far as the Louvre. This shot is taken outside the Opera looking down the length of the front of the building.



So all this is pretty overwhelming.

But really, wouldn't it be awesome if you could see the actual auditorium?
You know the one with the famous chandelier?

Chandelier?

Chandelier!

Wouldn't it be cool to see the chandelier... if it even exists?
Or does it exist only in the imagination of Gaston Leroux and all those who've read his famous novel?
Or those who've seen any of the movies...
or the brilliant Andrew Lloyd Webber production?

Wanna see if it's real? Or imagined.



The auditorium seats just under 2,000. Compared to today's huge theaters, it's fairly small.
But if you look to the left, or (more clearly) the right of the stage, you can see the boxes, one of which the Phantom supposedly inhabited.
Those boxes were reserved for the most important and influential of all.
The boxes actually are among the worst seats for viewing the operas, but the point was to be seen. Not to see.

You can perhaps imagine yourself seated in the audience.

Your eyes are irresistibly drawn to those ornate boxes and their occupants.

What?
You don't see a chandelier?
Just some little lights?

Will this do?



Yes, this is THE chandelier.
All 7 tons of bronze and crystal.
It was actually a departure from traditional side lighting and was criticized for blocking the view from some fourth level seats.
It also blocked the view of the ceiling from below.

Speaking of the ceiling, the painting is fairly new, completed in 1964.
It's a false frame that sits over (or should that be under) the original painted ceiling from 1872.

A smaller replica of the original ceiling can be seen in the museum section, adjacent to the library.



What do you think?
While the new ceiling certainly is bright and colorful, I personally prefer the original.
Suits the building/room more IMHO.

The famous falling chandelier scene from the book/movie/play was actually inspired by a real event.
In 1896, one of the chandelier's counter-weights broke free and plunged through that ornate ceiling and fell to the seats below.
One theatre goer was killed.


How did I get back onto the 'death' theme again??

Back to cheerier thoughts.

Inside the Opera is a Ballet Costume display area, a museum displaying the various stage sets and a library.



Wouldn't you like a library like that in your home?
Of course you would.

At the end of the library, against the far wall, I spotted a painting and asked Elle to pose in front of it.

She obliged.

Only later, after we had arrived back in Canada and I was looking through the pictures did I notice something odd....

Elle's hands were held in an awkward position.
To my (admittedly untrained) eye, it looked very un-ballet like.
I was going to ask her, "What's with the hands? Were you acting silly?"

Then I noticed the hands in the portrait.
She did that without looking at that picture for more then a couple of seconds.

Sometimes my kids amaze the heck out of me.




Holy PRAC (better, Heather?) I'm running out of picture space, so...

...Continued next post....

 

[pkondz]

A journey through a strange new world… continued…

After we were all done having our minds completely blown at the Opera
(and me mentally adding a tick mark next to that item on my bucket list),
we meandered (well, they meandered. I sashayed) a few blocks down the street.

Oh. Almost forgot!
One more Disneyish item!

Yes, when we left the Opera, we exited through the gift shop.


Just down the street from the Opera was another site that was listed as a "must see".

We went to the mall.

No, really.
We did.


Now normally my idea of going to the mall, is getting in, going straight to the store that has what I want, by the shortest route possible, getting the item as quickly as possible, then getting the heck out of there as fast as my legs will carry me.

So going willingly to the mall is, shall we say, a little out of character for me.


But I had my reasons. Three actually.

1. It was really close to the Opera. I mean, we were practically already there.
2. I'd read that you could go up onto the roof and have a really nice view of Paris.
3. Well.... You'll see.

The name of the "mall" is Galeries Lafayette. Built in 1912, it's an upscale shopping center.

Ruby took one look at some of the name brands that were being offered and immediately decided not to bother trying to shop.

Score!

I mean... isn't that too bad? :

We rode the escalators up to the top floor then climbed a flight of stairs to get up to the roof.
Here's the view.



Worth it?

I thought so.

The building dominating the scene in the foreground is the Opera house.


We then descended a few flights and sat and had some french (naturally) pastries and something to drink.

Here's reason #3 for going here. The view from where we ate the pastries.
This is the "mall".



And the dome that tops it all



Another view of the dome



Was it a 'bucket list' item?
Well, no. But I'm really glad we were close enough that we could go see it.

When we were done gawking and stuffing our pie holes with pastry, we hopped back onto the metro and went back to the hotel.


As mentioned, Kay was in a really good mood and was ready and raring to go.

There was something that she had said she wanted to do in Paris and now it was her turn.

We headed back towards Sacre Coeur.
Here's another shot of if from a different angle.



Remember those sketch artists from Chapter 4?
Kay really wanted to have her portrait done.

And not by just anyone.
She was very particular.
She walked from one to the other, examining their artistry as they worked.

Finally, she decided on "that man with the green shirt".

Only problem was "that man with the green shirt", while seemingly talented enough to meet her criteria, was also otherwise engaged in his craft at the moment.

Ruby and I discussed it and we decided to go grab some lunch first, then come back afterwards. Hopefully by then "that man with the green shirt" would be free and Kay could get her portrait done.

I think there were better and more skilled artists a little farther on at Place du Tertre, but she wasn't interested in paintings or an overly done portrait.
She just wanted a sketch.

Well, it's her money.


We stopped at a little bistro and had a really friendly waiter.
He was always joking around with us when he took our drink and dining orders, or came by to check on us.

I've said this before and I'll say it again.
The tales you've heard of the rude Parisian may be true... but we never encountered any.

I don't remember what everyone had, but I do remember that Elle was on a mission to have crêpes before we left Paris.
And that's what she had.
I think Kay did too.
And I don't recall what Ruby and I had. Omelettes again, maybe?

I think it was our first meal where everyone had 'french' food (as opposed to french fries?)


When we were done eating, we headed back to find "that man with the green shirt".

Of course we couldn't find him.

There was another guy, though, who was doing a woman's portrait.
Kay (and Ruby and I) thought he was really good, so she decided to go with him, once he was done.

While we were watching him sketch, another man walked up to us and asked if we'd like to have our sketches done.
We started to say no, but he told us that his price was fifty Euros for a sketch, but only twenty five for students (meaning Elle and Kay).
If we didn't like it, we didn't have to pay.

I looked at Kay, she looked at me. I asked to clarify, "So if we don't like it, we don't pay?"

Yup. That's what he said. So Kay decided to do it, without seeing what he could do.

Well, if it's really bad, we'll just walk away.
I don't care how loudly he might complain, I can walk away.
He made the rules, not me.

Kay getting her portrait done.



And the finished product.



I was impressed with how good it was.

The funny thing?
The guy that we all thought was really good, finished his portrait of the young lady.

Have you ever taken a penny and placed it under a piece of paper, then rubbed the paper with a pencil?
You know how the image of the penny comes through?

He must've been doing his portrait on some kind of lined backing, because the finished product had all these parallel lines through it.

Plus, it looked more like him then it did of her.

When she complained, he explained how he related to her and it was his vision of the two of them together.
Hopefully she didn't get fleeced for too much money.

I guess in hindsight it's slightly obvious.
Our guy was middle aged and concentrated on what he was doing.
This other guy was probably in his early twenties and was joking with the 'model' the whole time.

When she saw how Kay's portrait turned out
Elle decided to get her portrait done, too.



I think she would've preferred to have it done with her hair down, but it was a last minute decision.

When Elle's portrait was finished (sorry, I don't have a pic), we saw "that man with the green shirt".
Kay didn't appear to be too upset about not getting him.

I was so pleased with the portraits that when I approached the artist, I asked again if it was fifty euros (for both).
He looked at me with some trepidation and nodded yes.

I think he thought I was going to try and get the price down.

I gave him sixty.

Ya know. The smile on his face was easily worth the ten euros it cost.
When we took our leave, he was all, "Thank you! Thank you so much, my friends! Au revoir! Merci!"


Worth it.



So Kay wasn't too upset at refinding green shirt dude.

What was going to upset her was...

It was starting to rain.


Just a couple of drops at first... but I could see that it was going to pour pretty powerfully, pardner.

porry

I mean, 'sorry'.


We ran underneath an overhang at Sacre Coeur and waited it out.
No sooner had we arrived then the rest of humanity decided that was a good idea and joined us.

It was really quite cozy there for a while.

Luckily the rain only lasted five minutes or so, and blue skies came back and we were on our way back to the hotel.

I was still a little worried about the weather, though.

Because I had a fun... and expensive... and pre-paid... activity booked for the evening.


C ya

Oh, and did anyone figure out the chapter title?
How about before you Googled it?

 

[orangecats2]

Wow!!! The pics from L'Opera are excellent! And the mall...??? Crazy!

And I always meant to tell you that we have a cat named Ellie.

Yes, I had to google the chapter name.