Oeuf!...I Did It Again

Our second trip since being in London was actually a revisit of a place we had already been -- Paris. We had visited well in the off season last time around, and it had been a great trip, but definitely chilly. This time, we had (mostly) blue skies and much more comfortable temperatures. We also had already done most of the hugely popular sites when there were fewer crowds, which we were very happy for once we set eyes upon the masses outside Notre Dame. We briefly talked about redoing the church climb and revisiting San Chappelle (a favorite church from last visit,) but neither ended up happening.

Looking at the Seine, there was plenty of evidence that the weather had only recently turned nice. It was running very high, and came up over the footpath that runs along the side at several places. Since we had a more casual schedule than the previous visit, we did have a bit more time to just stroll and people watch. We got this shot during a lunch-time stroll, and there were tons of what appeared to be Parisian business people and workmen relaxing on their lunch break all along the river. They didn't seem to mind it being a little high.

We also solved a bit of a mystery on this visit. On our visit to Florence, we had noticed that near the river there were a few structures covered in small padlocks. Well there is a bridge over the Seine that makes that look like child play. The entire length of it is bounded by fencing, and that fence is invisible due to all the locks. It turns out that it's a tradition to write your and your sweetheart's names on a lock, then lock it to the railing and toss the key in the river. This symbolizes that there is no exit and that hell is other people, I guess, though the romantics probably wouldn't phrase it that way.

One museum that we had missed the first time through town and caught this time was the Cluny Museum of the Middle Ages. Though one of the main draws for this place was out of commission while we were there, it still ended up being a very cool place. It had a series of small figurines that had been carved as part of a burial site, as well as these headless fellows. These are a series of statues of biblical kings that used to be in niches in front of Notre Dame. When king beheading was all the rage, folks tore these down and chiseled off the heads.

After the be-chiseling, Some brave soul collected the discarded heads and buried them in his yard to grow a king tree. Or maybe for safekeeping. Regardless, when the heat died down a bit, they were dug up donated to the museum. They are now kept in a room where they face their former bodies, which seems a bit mean-spirited to me.

Another area we spent a lot more time in this visit was the Monmartre area. This is an edgier, artier area of town. A land of can can dancers and dissolute artists. We did a walk all around this area, and also visited the Monmartre museum. This gave a great history and context for the fringe scene from the turn of the century and had many artifacts from that scene. It was very cool to see things like Talouse Latrec posters and the Lapin Agile contextualized. The walk actually brought us right past the Lapin Agile, which is still a cabaret to this day. They have shows a few times a week, though only in French. Neat! All of this was very close to Sacre Coer, which is not only a neat church but also one of my favorite stair climbs around.

One thing that definitely did not change was Paris's love of a well trimmed shrub. When we visited last time, we noticed quite a few topiaries, and we were worried that this fun feature may not be as obvious or neat during the spring when things were actually growing. Not to fear! We saw many very well trimmed shrubs, and even got to see some square trees in the park! While we like to tease and joke about this, it really is quite striking to see the rows of trees so neatly trimmed and aligned. It makes quite an impression and turns the parks into something very magical.

This time around, we also expected and respected the pace of the city a bit more. Last time we found ourselves constantly arriving for dinner before the kitchen was open, despite thinking that we had waited long enough. Either due to more practice with Europe, or just from eating dinners later since moving to London, that was less of an issue. We tended to stop for a glass of wine around six in the evening, then swing by the hotel before getting dinner. This was not only a lovely break, but also helped us fit in with the local schedule a bit more. We even managed to brave a few French (sometimes very French) stores on the trip. We shopped in a few that specialized in umbrellas, and got Mary a fun one with a printed black and white street scene. We hit a few purse stores as well, and while we didn't get the five hundred euro one, we did find one she liked that was more in our price range. We even picked up some fancy mustard from the Maille shop. I don't really have a good image for this paragraph, so I am using a jaunty sign indicating that there is absolutely no dog prancing allowed. Either that, or it's indicating the end of the dog prancing zone; I can never tell in Europe.

Overall, we had a fantastic time visiting Paris again. It was nice to take things a little easier, and seeing the city again in a different season was great. I suspect that we will be back a time or two during our stay here, and will continue to find pleasure in our visits. If nothing else, we have a boundless capability to find joy in the details. For example, this dude is positively infested with headless cherubim. Also, what's with the tiny alligators? What if the whole city is beset by tiny men and we didn't even notice? Clearly we need to visit again, just to check.