Paris ~ Versailles ~ Rouen
Mothers’ Day
Sunday was Mothers’ Day in France, so we started the day with family breakfast cooked specially for mum, and some presents thoughtfully selected by the kids. If it winds up, then you know it’s fun!
Nice relaxing morning, with Aisling only too ready to pitch in and help her mother with the fresh raspberries and trying out her new blocks game…
Eiffel Tower (Take 2)
Sunday was also back to the Eiffel Tower for the second time in a week, as the Scott-Bacons were keen, and Charles had missed out on our Wednesday trip.
No pre-booked tickets this time, so we were at the mercy of the walk-up queue, but it was a lovely morning and we took turns waiting in the line – this time opting for the walk up to the first floor, and lift from there to the top.
We figured we’d enjoy the view more if we had to work for it a bit!
Beautiful sunshine meant clear views in every direction, and the walk up actually gave us some of the best views as there were very few people around, compared with the top level which was extremely packed on a sunny Sunday!
Island Strolling
Sunday afternoon we headed out for one of our favourite walks, down the side of Notre Dame cathedral, with a pause in the playground behind it, then over the bridge to the Isle St Louis for some Bertillon ice-cream. There was a group of roller dancers / performers on the bridge whizzing past doing various acrobatic moves. Not too many of us at age 60+ who can roller blade backwards in and out of little cones without missing a beat!
On the way home, Charles even found a place of his own a couple of blocks down from our apartment on our street…
Paris fun & Exploration
By now the weather in Paris was HOT! And it was going to stay that way for a while.
Luckily, the spray fountains at Les Halles were spraying up a storm to give the kids a bit of relief (and a bit of fun)
We had a game of chasing around the forecourt of the Petit Palais. Somehow Dad always seemed to be “in”…
Niamh strolled the streets, snapping up some plus-sized kitchen (?) gadgets (six foot paddle, anyone?) and street signs…
Simon and Aisling walked through beautiful arcades, and played out competitive foosball matches in the Corcoran shop…
Most of all, we all just enjoyed Paris in the springtime:
Bastille Touring
Time for Niamh and Simon’s next walking tour with the EJM parents’ group – this time around the Bastille area, where the once infamous prison had stood.
Today the Place de la Bastille is marked more by the sprawling opera house than a prison, but you can still see markings on the ground where the outline of the battlements once were. The Bastille has a larger than life place in French history as the first place stormed in the revolution of 1789.
In reality it was a small prison at the time, housing only a handful of noblemen prisoners under somewhat loose conditions – they gave daily diatribes from the rooftops and the gaolers were largely elderly. A good place to attack!
We started at the noisy and bustling Place de la Bastille, but quickly diverted to one side where you can duck down beside one of the canals that flow through the river. This canal flows underground for about a kilometre beyond the Place de la Bastille (you can take a tour by boat), and comes out here at the Port de l’Arsenal.
It stands in stark contrast to the Place de la Bastille, with boats sitting peacefully on the canal. There is a port master in a little brick building, on the side of which you can see the levels of all the floods of the Seine down the ages. Exploring through a little tunnel brings you beside the lock, and into the Seine proper, with an unusual aspect down the river towards Notre Dame:
Back on the Place de la Bastille side of the canal, there’s a little park and a lovely green walkway
Following up the stairs, you reach the Coulée verte René-Dumont, an old section of raised metro line that has been converted into a green walkway that inspired the High Line in New York and the similar path recently opened in Chicago.
We braved the drizzle which had caught us umbrella-less!
The walkway led us to the back side of the Bastille markets, with prices about 1/3 of the markets in our more fashionable neighbourhood.
Niamh as always had tomato envy :-).
Speaking of envy, we also passed a cafe with possibly the world’s largest and most complicated espresso machine. I’d like a latte, and I’d like it LARGE!
Last was a quick stop into Pachamama, a hip restaurant in a historic building designed by M. Eiffel, of tower fame. Metal elements on the facade are an indication, in inside the (very dark) decor includes a beautiful staircase and soaring ceilings. Must come back for a cocktail or two one evening!
All that walking builds up an appetite, so after a few minutes trying our best to help a rather disoriented French lady trying to reach her son, we headed down the street to sample what our tour guide had confidently informed us was the “second-best” duck confit in Paris :-).
But not before a quick peek into the window of the Café des chats – which was appropriately teeming with feline friends.
Oh, and the confit was delicious…
Sculpture
Must the sculpture show go on? It must!
Another few layers of coloured patina on the water waves and the rocks starting to bring them to life a bit more.
Figures ready for staining next…
Return to Versailles
Ever since our guided tour of Versailles with the kids we had been hoping for a chance to visit the royal opera there again and see a show. Friday night was the night.
We rented a car, picked the kids up from school and headed out for the short drive west to Versailles. Early evening was the perfect time to arrive and relax in the gardens away from the busy life of Paris
Simon and Niamh had planned a quick dinner in the hotel before a leisurely stroll over to Versailles for the show. Unfortunately we lingered a bit too long over the food and the leisurely stroll turned into a cobblestone sprint – in heels for Niamh!
We must have made quite the sight dashing past the street cafes, and Niamh’s childhood cross country training came in very handy, as her parents had always told her it would…
Luckily, it turned out we were in France, and many others were similarly late, so the show started 10 mins behind schedule – just enough time to take in the architecture and find our seats.
What an amazing setting. A small theatre with great acoustics and intricately carved wooden decoration throughout, including the optical illusion chandeliers at the gallery level.
The opera was perfectly suited to the setting: Phaeton by by Jean-Baptiste Lully. It premiered in that room on January 6, 1683 and was one of Louis XIV’s favourite operas.
You can even take in the show from the original royal box where Louis liked to perch:
The setting here had been (very) substantially modernised which for us made for great entertainment and a distraction from the omnipresent harpsichord :-). Story full of gods, mortals and hubris, with morales aplenty.
A great night out that lived up to expectations.
Antiques and Gardens
Saturday morning and a glorious sunny day.
Started with a little exploration in the hotel’s beautiful gardens full of fountains, old mature and graceful trees, and lawns perfect for playing freeze tag.
Kids also tried their hand at amateur archaeology, exploring the fossil imprints in the garden paving stones…
We decided to spend the morning exploring the town and its antique markets, as well as the Versailles palace gardens before heading to Rouen.
As the attached photos demonstrate, kids less excited for antiques browsing / shopping than Marie Antoinette might have been…
Quick stroll from the town to the palace grounds, many of which you can explore without entering the palace itself.
Time for some frisbee, a game of tip on the grass and just taking in the magnificent avenues.
Given the amount of time the kids had spent learning the pirate craft in cardboard boxes at home, the boats on the lake were a perfect place to put the new-found skills into action.
Captain Aisling at the helm, while pirate Niamh looking very relaxed while preparing for attack.
Rouen
Saturday afternoon and it was off to Rouen!
Mediaeval city north east of Paris, a hop skip and a jump further on from Versailles. Rouen is famous for its architecture, its awe-inspiring cathedral, its food, and its history, including the death of Joan of Arc.
We arrived at our little hotel in the early evening, squeezed around the beds to drop off our bags, and headed out to explore! Narrow street with half-timbered houses dating from the 16th to 18th centuries, and the striking church dedicated to Joan of Arc in the main square.
However this being dinner time, our particular focus amongst Rouen’s many attractions was its cuisine. Using her trusty fourchette app, Niamh quickly found us a recommendation on the square, and it didn’t disappoint.
Aisling indulging in some cutlery sculpture (commissions by request, she’s at least got the artist’s look nailed), and Charles focused on some desert sculpture of his own…
Meanwhile, Simon creating his own splash, with questionable cocktails, curious entrées, and la pièce de résistance … the smoked steak.
How is the steak smoked you ask?
Why, the obvious way: serve it underneath a gigantic glass cover with a pile of straw sitting beside the steak under the glass. Light the straw on fire and cover immediately, leading to a choke of smoke. Leave for 1 minute then release a cloud around the table and once the coughing subsides, tuck in!
Great food and great fun to end the week. And who doesn’t enjoy a bit of melted chocolate theatre for dessert?
