A Tower, A Church and a Statue

Tour Eiffel at Dusk
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Armed with a street map, a Museum Pass and plenty of time, we walked the streets of Paris, stopping hither and yon as the spirit and our appetites moved us.  Over the course of the extended week, we attended an organ concert featuring the works of Messian at St. Sulpice Church, saw the largest organ in all of Paris at St. Euchache Church and attended a Gregorian Chant Mass at the local church along the Rue Cler.  Of course we hit the Cathedral de Notre Dame, but we also walked into a large, old church adjacent to Centre Pompidou, not even shown on our maps or discussed in our guidebooks, to discover still more paintings by the old masters and a contemporary artwork hung from the vaulted ceiling of a face staring down from on high - a bit magical and a bit disconcerting, and certainly Parisian.

The view from our apartment on the Rue Cler
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We stayed in a wonderful apartment on the Rue Cler, a market street midway between the Tour Eiffel (OK, the Eiffel Tower) and the Hotel Invalides in the 7th arrondissement on the Left Bank.  Out the front door and a few steps to the left was the local fruit and vegetable market.  A few steps further on were two delis with wonderful meats and pates and salads.  To the right about a half-block was the local boulangerie, where we started each day with fresh croissants or french bread (sometimes both!) and maybe later in the day a pastry or two!  There was also a creperie down the block for an evening treat.

And while its certainly good to be home, we're already booking our next adventure! Ever onward!!!

Rose Window at St. Eustache
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And, speaking of eating, there were many fine establishments within a ten to fifteen minute walk of the apartment - so we ate (and drank) well.  While we typically ate French cuisine (being in France after all), we did have a wonderful Italian meal (with the best antipasto plate we have ever indulged in) and a wonderful Jewish luncheon in the old Jewish Quarter.  And while not as prevalent as the gelato stands of Italy, there were still plenty of opportunities for ice cream while on our strolls through the City.

Contemporary Art at Ancient Church
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We visited the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay, the Musee de l"Orangere, the Hotel des Invalides and Napoleon's Tomb, the Musee' Rodin, the Centre Pompidou, the Musee National de Moyen Age (Cluny museum of the Middle Ages), the Marmottan Museum (Monet), the recently opened Musée du quai Branly (Indigenous art from around the world), and the stained glass shrine more popularly known as Sainte-Chapelle.  (No, not all in one day!!!  The Museum Pass granted us priority admission to most of the above stops, and freed us from trying to see too much at one time.  Most of our stops were for an hour or less and permitted us to see what we wanted - often the architecture of the building was as interested as the art on the walls.)

The I.M. Pei Pyramid at the Louvre
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It may have been one of the most relaxing trips we have taken in quite some time - easier to accomplish when you arrive without great expectations and just a wanderlust to explore as the spirit moves.  And with Air France nonstop service between Seattle and Paris, we didn't even have to worry about missed connections (though we almost missed our return flight due to enormous and incredible slow check-in lines at Charles de Gaulle Airport.  Thankfully the flights were being held!)  And the falling Euro was a welcomed bonus!

Is She Like Famous? (At the Louvre)
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And while its certainly good to be home, we're already booking our next adventure!  Ever onward!!!