Keep the Change....If You Can Get It

We needed information on taking the RER to Versailles in a couple days. We were standing outside the Staint-Georges Metro Station. We looked at the map and thought we had it figured out. Lots of transfers along the way to get to the RER line. We walked into the Metro. There was a man sitting at an "I" Information Booth. Perfect! I walked up to him and said, "We are going from this station-St. Michaels- to Versailles. What are the transfer points?

He took a subway map.

Circled "Saint-Georges Station"

Circled "Versailles Station"

Said nothing.

Handed it to me.

Turned back to his computer.

A good friend gave us a tip about visiting Paris. "Get off the main tourist routes and see the neighborhoods too."

Like any big city-tourist destination, the crowds gather around "the" attractions. I know I love being on the Golden Gate Bridge, but there are also about 60,000 others on any day there also. I enjoy roaming the sidestreets and neighorhoods of SF. So, with my friends advice and my own experience, we decided we had to do the same in Paris. Indeed, we have been to the Notre Dame, The Arc de Triomph and walked along the Seine and more. Later today we will finally get to the Eiffle Tower. (Someone said we really should make it there.) But, Saturday was for walking around the Montemart area or our neighborhood, the Opera district. Wherever we are....we were going to walk around it. Plus our neighborhood has a couple major draws also.

Remember that street fair/flea market which we thought was coming to our neighborhood, well it is here on Saturday and Sunday. I suppose it is like most flea market/second hand/collectors gatherings. It's rather interesting to see it wedged into a street which is about as wide as the hallway outside my office.

What the street department did was eliminate parking and the stalls set along each side of the street. That allowed just enough walking space between the regular shops and the flea market stalls for one or two people to walk. This being crowded Paris; the locals didn't seem to notice the cramped space. If you stopped to look, you had to look behind you to make certain you the people walking behind you noticed that you had stopped. It was crowded. If you wanted some great second (or third or fourth) hand furniture, old art prints, scarves, collectable watches, statues or whatever, this was the place. Is your home decor lacking that certain ceramic bust of Stalin or Lenin? You could find it just down the street from our hotel.

It was great fun. I nearly bought a Charles de Gaulle hat. Hard to describe but you see pictures of him and the Resistance Army sweeping into Paris and he is wearing this typical French Military Hat. Very cool. Probably not something I would be wearing to the next Buckeye tailgater anyway. Speaking of such...this has surprised me. Nowwhere in the past 8 weeks have we seen a Buckeye Sweatshirt on any tourist across Europe. OSU is always talking about it being the largest Alumni group of any college. I am one. But haven't seen anyone. Haven't been looking carefully though and, the main couple reasons probably are, it is not tourist season. Few American tourists. And, it they were wearing Buckeye T-Shirts anywhere where we were...they also had to wear a coat because of the cold and damp. But, you might tell Archie that they are missing a good bet here in Europe. You see Mickey Mouse, McDonalds and countless other logos. The NY Yankee "NY" logo is everywhere. I saw a Muslim man walking into a great mosque in Istanbul wearing the "NY" hat. (He took it off, by the way) The Buckeye Alumni should get to Europe. Sell those shirts and hats. But, I digress...

It is the Sacre-Coeur. The Sacred Heart Basilica.

It was built in the mid 1800's to memorialize the 58,000 French soldiers who died in the Franco-Prussian War. It was built on the highest point in the city and on this day, there were as many here to enjoy the view as to see the basilica. Both were stunning.

Anyone who has seen a few cathedrals in Europe, or even if you have seen big  old, downtown churches in the States....what is usually lacking? Land. Landscaping. Sweeping vistas. Here is a church built intentionally with land and then landscaping. The climb is so steep and long that a funicular is built right along side the graceful stairs and like a ski-lift, one can be swept to the top. We walked.

It is like a park, just walking up the curving, beautiful steps. In a few weeks, Spring will be in bloom, yet even now, there is beauty. Once you actually reached the top and approached the steps into the church, so many people we just sitting and looking out over all of Paris, that you had to thread your way in the front door.

Alas, no pictures were allowed inside. The crowd was oddly, rather silent. The number of candles sold and lit exceeded the total number of candles we had seen lit in the previous 47 cathedrals we had visited. Maybe a bit of an exageration but the Paris Fire Dept. built a station next door just to keep the place safe. (Maybe another exageration.)

A Byzantine mosaic of Christ in the vault of the chancel was magnificent. The various chapels were beautiful too. The crowd swirled around the sanctuary and back outside where the real show was....Parisian life. African guys selling tourist trinkets. Kids having tourists sign something and indicating that they were deaf, and yet when they gathered together, they talked and no one used sign language. It was some sort of scam. People sitting and eating their lunch. A man playing classical music on an electrified harp. Street artists. A jazz band down by the funicular entrance. We sat on a park bench and ate also.

Our neighborhood walk took us down the hill and over to another church a couple hours later. We had to walk past several beggars on the way in and the church's beautiful altar had a Video screen blocking everything else. Hmmmmm.

Across the street was a very expensive Chocolatier shop and Makaila wanted to look and taste. We bought 5.60 Euros-worth of chocolate and I got out a 20 and the owner (in this very expensive shop) rolled her eyes and howled that she could not break a 20! I thought she was going to call in the Mayor, like I had insulted her and the French people by asking her to break a 20 for a 5.60 purchase. Her chocolates were selling for about 30 Euros a kilo. It wasn't like this was penney candy at a Mom and Pop store down the street. OK, I had some coins and paid her. Once again, I ask...."what is it with Europeans and 20 Euro notes?" They act like you are asking them to exchange gold bullion.

Interesting neighborhood. We wandered. Found the Moulin Rouge just up the street from our hotel. Left the Moulin Rouge area.

That evening we wanted to eat in our neighborhood and we chose a simple French restaurant a couple blocks away. Great food. Nice place. Owned by a Pakistani. The night before we ate Indian food. The night before that, Japanese food. I don't recall any British in London when I was there a few years ago. Are there any French in Paris? It's a one-world culture out there in the international cities. They retain the look and feel of their home countries but the mix of people is astounding, but they all seem to have one thing in common.

They won't take a 20 Euro note without a fight.

Peace,  Bob