Thank goodness we were not seated by a window upon landing in Paris for the sky was so thick with clouds that the ground was not visible and I would have had a heart attack anticipating a plane crash.
It was cold, rainy and windy but it was Paris so who cares. Our arrival day was marked by the ringing of the church bells at Notre Dame. The first day since the fire in April 2019. Restoration crews are still hard at work. The church doors will open for mass on December 8th.
Click photos to enlarge.
We bundled up and headed out to find the Institut Catholique de Paris where Bill went to a semester of law school in 1973. That was easy to find but the hotel where he resided was a bit trickier..
The Mercure hotel in the Latin District is a couple blocks from the Seine where our double bed fit snuggly in the room and the tiny two foot shower’s rain head shower was so low that Bill had to stand towards the corner to be able to stand erect.
We had visited Versailles many years ago in the summer when everything was in full bloom, and the weather was perfect. This time it was cold and a haunting blanket of fog hung low reminding us that winter had arrived. Nothing had changed on the inside except this time the creaking of the wooden parquet floors, like my back in yoga, resonated in the background as we and hundreds of our new friends toured the ornate rooms.
On the outside the statues were bundled up, the fountains turned off, and the fall leaves hung on by a thread. The lawns were still bright green and majesty of the whole place loomed large. It made us think of what it would have been like to live there in the winter with no heat. Brrr. The vast staff necessary to maintain the grounds and buildings could house a city. Magnificent.
Still heading down reminiscent row Bill booked dinner at Lucas Carton – a Michelin star restaurant where our good friend George took Bill 51 years ago. The interior decor had changed completely – no more gold leafing. A tasting menu had been added to the menu – both parties had to agree to the same. No a la carte for one. The oldest staff member has been there roughly 25 years – no one employed long enough for Bill to reminisce about the good old days.
The Eiffel Tower added diamond like sparkling lights that popped up at random times making this beacon on the horizon even more spectacular.
From one cafe to the next, we wore down the treads on our shoes as we walked around the city and enjoyed every minute of it.
Au revoir and merci beaucoup Paris.
The opera to see Mayerling.
59 Rivoli – artist loft
