Paris Day Four

Uff. I am very tired of crowds and tourists and other people. I know I know, I'm one of them too. And it's not that they're all that bad, I've just reached my limit of standing in lines, trying to walk down the sidewalk when the people in front of me suddenly stop, mid-stride and mid-sidewalk, to consult a map. And the endless, "Pardons," when I'm trying to get through a doorway but someone has decided it would be a great place to stand for a while. I suppose it's sort of my fault, since I decided to visit three top tourist attractions on a beautiful Sunday. Today I went to the Eiffel Tower, L'Hotel des Invalides, and the Musee Rodin. The Eiffel Tower? Awesome. Actually really beautiful close up, more than I'd sort of expected an enormous metal structure to be.

I did not go up it, however. The queue was much too daunting, and the sign said the wait was an hour long. Then I contemplated taking the stairs to the second level, but when I saw the stairs, my scaredy-afraid-of-heights self said NO WAY. I'm okay standing on top of tall buildings, especially tall really solid buildings, as long as I don't look straight down. But open metal things, where you can see right down to the bottom as you're climbing to the top? No thanks. Anyway, I saw some amazing views of Paris from both Notre Dame and the Arc de Triomphe. Maybe later this week, when I meet up with some friends, they'll be able to convince me to try it. Till then, I am entirely content to contemplate the tower from ground level. I wandered through the park at the base of the tower, watching my step and dodging all the broken glass from the drunken rugby revelry the night before, then I headed off to the Hotel des Invalides.


I mostly skipped the attached Musee d'Armee, both because most of the Napoleonic section was closed for renovations and it's all guns and war and stuff. But the Eglise St Louis, the church where Napoleon's tomb is, was definitely worth a visit. It's a beautiful structure, and the tomb itself is appropriately excessive and impressive. The Invalides is still a working hospital for veterans, although the surrounding gardens and the setting is a stark contrast to my current place of employment. Perhaps they're hiring.

Oh no! There are some patients! Turn away, you are not on duty now.

I found some lunch at an Italian cafe on the rue Cler, then headed off to the Musee Rodin. I spent a while wandering the gardens, and toured the museum itself. I loved it, despite the fact that Camille Claudel's works were all on loan to a museum in Spain. All of Rodin's human figures look like people that he set free from marble or clay or bronze, it's absolutely amazing. They are so raw and tense, I almost felt like I was intruding on them in a private moment. And of course I visited The Thinker. So go rent Camille Claudel, then come to the Musee Rodin and sit in the gardens with your baguette for a while. I highly recommend it.


After the museum, I'd had it with crowds so I hopped on the metro to come home. I tried to find a little tabac or grocery store on my way, but everything was closed because it's Sunday afternoon. Fortunately, a few blocks from my apartment is the Centre Pompidou, and all the shops and cafes there were still open. So naturally, I bought a nutella and banana crepe and ate it on the steps of the Centre Pompidou and people-watched for a bit.

And now, I'm tired. This vacationing thing is hard work, but only in the best way. I'm falling for Paris, even though I feel a bit like I'm cheating on London, my first love.

Oh, p.s., if you just can't get enough of pictures of Paris, there are more on my flickr page.
But there's an embarrassing amount of photos there, so brew a cuppa or uncork a bottle and put your feet up first before you start looking through them...