We conquered the city by bike Monday morning. It was absolutely magnificent. We saw beauty on such a large scale… Crossing the Seine on a bridge with ornate lamp posts, having lunch at the Jardin des Tuileries, seeing the gorgeous buildings surrounding the Louvre’s glass pyramid, learning about the museum’s secret entrance from the bases of the two small statues across the street, moving together as one speedy unit through central Paris’s wide streets and being greeted enthusiastically by the horns of Parisians hurrying to get to work but still taking the time to welcome tourists warmly to their home town (jokes).
We had two tour guides, a young Scottish in her mid-twenties and an American young man as well. They were both hilarious, but nothing can come close to being as funny as the Scottish woman’s misunderstood jokes and her enthusiastic shouts of “dominate!” that signaled our cue to clump into a large, slow-moving form to cross large streets despite the traffic. We were also shown how to use the “Palm of Power” to collectively stop traffic, and it was all absolutely exhilarating! It felt empowering. And I forgot how much I love riding bikes, despite the almost constant grey drizzle. But hey, according to Woody Allen Paris is more beautiful in the rain, right? I’m still not quite sure how I stand on that.
After the bike tour we set off to find Sacre Coeur, the church that resembles a white castle in the sky. Perched on top of a hill, it offers the best view of Paris around, and it really is spectacular. Especially on a cloudless day. We wandered back down the hill through the back streets and came across the only wine vineyard in all of Paris, nestled on a square block between various traditional French houses and small cafés. I’m not sure how productive the vineyard is, but it certainly is charming.
After the bike tour we set off to find Sacre Coeur, the church that resembles a white castle in the sky. Perched on top of a hill, it offers the best view of Paris around, and it really is spectacular. Especially on a cloudless day. We wandered back down the hill through the back streets and came across the only wine vineyard in all of Paris, nestled on a square block between various traditional French houses and small cafés. I’m not sure how productive the vineyard is, but it certainly is charming.
Next stop for the day was something that I have personally been looking forward to since before boarding the plane across the ocean – a visit to Shakespeare & Co in the Latin Quarter. In the 1920s Shakespeare & Co was a bookstore frequented by writers of the Lost Generation including Hemmingway and Fitzgerald. Oh how I have looked forward to seeing the small winding streets and endless cafés of this student district! So we set out to catch a poetry recitation that my guide book promised happened at the store every Monday night, but when we asked the clerk who worked there about the event, she replied kindly with a puzzled face that she had never heard of poetry recitations at the book store. A slight disappointment, until we climbed the narrow, spiral staircase and were greeted by rows upon rows upon bookshelves upon walls of books, nestled between quiet reading corners and ancient volumes placed around carefully for the casual lover of books to enjoy. I look forward to my next visit back to the store, because after the bike tour, this was the second time that Paris took my breath away.
For dinner we chose a small, corner Italian restaurant that was absolute perfection. The food was incredible, the waiter was kind, and we all got the chance to practice our French. The combined ambience of our group and of the restaurant provided the perfect ending to an absolutely lovely day.
À demain!
For dinner we chose a small, corner Italian restaurant that was absolute perfection. The food was incredible, the waiter was kind, and we all got the chance to practice our French. The combined ambience of our group and of the restaurant provided the perfect ending to an absolutely lovely day.
À demain!