Paris!

May 20: we camped last night near Senlis, a pretty little market town an hour out of Paris. Walked into the town centre, with many renaissance era buildings and shops. Market stalls lined the streets from one end to the other with a huge variety of quality foodstuffs. We bought some pizza for supper. It was the rare rainy day today, with some pretty intense downpours at times.

Next stop was the chateau at Chantilly, a huge acreage and chateau , most recently restored and furnished by Henri d’Orleans, son of Louis-Philippe, the last king of France. It was another example of the enormous excess of the doomed aristocracy. Henri was a collector of paintings and antiquities, so we did spend a couple of hours with an audio guided tour. Earlier owners of Chantilly hosted such as Louis IV and various Russian Czars to hunting parties, and a huge stable complex and horse museum was also available to explore. A small equestrian show was presented in early afternoon.

At 3:30 or so we set off for our Paris campsite near the Bois de Boulogne, a big park on the west side of Paris. The 35 km drive took almost 2 hours through Friday afternoon traffic, but was really not unpleasant.

We have stayed here at Camping de Paris 4 times previously so it is pretty familiar territory. It is pretty huge with some 400 campsites and cabins, but it is also very well established with lots of vegetation and hedges that make it feel intimate. It has its own shop, cafe, numerous toilet and shower buildings and laundry. It is the only campground we’ve found so far with Wi-Fi available at each campsite. It is the most expensive campground at about 35 Euro per night, but that is comparable to average North America campgrounds…. And this one is just a 30 minute bike ride into one of the greatest cities in the world! To bed early for an early start tomorrow.

May 21: Our first day in Paris was all that we’d expected, and then some! After the 30 minute bike ride in to our arrival point at the Eiffel tower we ditched the bikes and walked for the morning around the Champ de Mars and Rue Cler area delighting in the Saturday people watching.

Then biked along the left bank, with an excellent bicycle road, and across to the garden outside the Louvre for a picnic on the grass.

Ditched the bikes again and wandered through the St Germaine area of the left bank, with its art galleries and iconic cafes. In this photo you can see a great busking jazz band on a corner just across from the famous Cafe Deux Magots, hangout of some of Paris’ most famous 20th C artistes and writers, such as Picasso, Sartre, Hemingway and James Joyce.

Being a warm sunny Saturday the crowds got very thick near Notre Dame and Ile St Louis, but it was vibrant with buskers and cafes. Of course Notre Dame is all surrounded by construction fencing, but that didn’t stop masses of tourists. We retreated to a cafe for sustenance.

Our serendipity bunny found us a small church under renovation, that was holding a free recital session for some young musicians. It was a mixed bag with a competent 18 yr old flutist, some so so younger violinists, but one brilliant 13 yr old pianist playing a difficult Bach fugue and Haydn sonata with great feeling and flawless technique. The finale was a little choir of little kids, around 6 yr old, singing a nice little folk song. What a delight!

Back to St Germaine for a Creperie light supper, and then the 40 minute bike ride home via the Eiffel Tower.route. More to come.

May22: not quite as glorious a day today. The weather was a bit off and we were exploring more away from the bustle around the Seine.

The main goal was to ride to the Clingancourt market. The first third of the ride was through the Bois de Boulogne which was busy with joggers, hikers, bikers and horseback riders on a Sunday morning.

We paused for a rest at Arc de Triomphe to watch the mad traffic. Fortunately there are relatively safe pedestrian lights at the radiating street entrances.

The middle few kilometres were through typical Paris residential and shop streets, through mostly 19th C developments… pretty and fairly quiet on a Sunday. Well marked bike lanes. Had a nice break at a corner cafe.

The final few kilometres were through some redevelopment area… not such a pleasant ride.

The market itself was a madhouse. Blocks upon blocks of booths, somewhat segmented with a jam packed fruit and veg section, a section of cheap hardware schlock, used tools and electronics, some relatively interesting antique nicknacks, and a whole big section of cheap t-shirts and jackets. Many cultures were represented, mostly African and middle eastern, Muslim and some Sikh.

We stopped for lunch of sardines and frites at one of the small hole in the wall cafes.

It was worth seeing, but nowhere near the depth of quality to be seen in such as Camden market or Portabello in London.

We moved on south for another 20 minute ride to the Maria’s district, the traditional Jewish quarter. This area was bustling with tourists and Parisian families with kids. Highlights were a brass busking band playing a kind of funk jazz mix. They were a young and fun little group. And the to another cafe for a biere and a plat du fromages to share for supper.

We got off track a bit riding home, and our 20 minute ride became a 40 minute slog, so pretty pooped this evening. Off to bed!

May 23: Another full day of Paris. Biked in our usual 30 minute ride to Eiffel Tower, then another 30 minutes along the Seine to Ile de la Cité with the goal of visiting the Conciergerie. It poured with rain along the way and off and on over the day, but we managed with shorts and rain jackets.

The Conciergerie is the historic heart of Paris. It was the king’s residence in the Middle Ages, and then the administrative and justice centre through til the 19th C. It is not recognizable as ancient from the outside, with 19th facades and extensions, but inside are the original medieval halls. During the French Revolution it was the courthouse through which passed such as Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, Robespierre, Marat on their way to the guillotine. Marie Antoinette’s prison cell is featured.

Security was very tight in the area with many dozen police blocking the roads, many of whom with heavy arms. Not sure why, but apparently it’s been so since last September.

Next stop was the Lafayette Galleria department store, Paris’ answer to London’s Harrods. All of Paris seemed to be there as a rainy day retreat. We were amongst the very few masked up for the dense crowds.

And the views were spectacular from the rooftop terrace.

In late afternoon we headed back to Bois de Boulogne to the Frank Gehrig designed Fondation de Pouis Vuitton.

This modern art gallery is one of the most spectacular buildings in the world! It is a sculpture in its own right with an unbelievably complex engineering infrastructure supporting a free flowing, light and airy gallery.

The design purposely exposes views of the modern Paris, the iconic Eiffel Tower, and the greenscape of the Bois.