Paris Again: Paris, Days 4-6

There's very little to report today. We knew that Kon and Jill Muller, friends from Hobart were arriving in Paris today and we waited around for them to call. That meant that we had some time to catch up on the chores that inevitably get pushed aside.

Kon and Jill Muller

When they arrived, we arranged to meet and took a pleasant walk up to the Place du Tertre where we had dinner at La Cremaillere 1900, a restaurant which is 110 years old and still has much of the style of La Belle Epoque.


La Cremaillere

La Bell Epoque Dining

Over the next two days we explored Paris with the Mullers.

Tuesday we went to Notre Dame which, no matter how many times one sees it, still has the power to amaze. Less well visited as a tourist attraction is the Hôtel-Dieu, a large public hospital right next door to Notre Dame. It is very old; there has been a hospital on the site for about 1400 years having been founded by St Landry in 651. The current buildings date from the nineteenth century and are quite lovely with a beautiful inner courtyard. The Hôtel-Dieu is the top casualty centre to deal with emergency cases, being the only emergency centre for the first nine arrondissements and being the local centre for the first four. It was there we went first.

Courtyard at the Hôtel-Dieu

Then, on to Notre Dame. This magnificent edifice was built between 1163 and 1345 although it has been much modified over the years. The west front contains 28 statues representing the monarchs of Judea and Israel. The three portals depict, from left to right, the Last Judgment; the Madonna and Child; St. Anne, the Virgin's mother; and Mary's youth until the birth of Jesus. The interior, with its slender, graceful columns, is impressive — there is room for as many as 6,000 worshipers. The three rose windows — to the west, north, and south — are masterful, their colors a glory to behold on a sunny day.

Notre Dame

One of the Rose Windows

Inside Notre Dame

Behind Notre Dame is a lovely garden where we ate our luncheon baguettes and admired the back of the Cathedral.

Notre Dame from the garden

From Notre Dame we walked across the Seine noting the "locks" placed on the bridge by lovers as a form of attestation to their commitment.

The "Lock" bridge

Then on to Shakespeare and Co. the famous English language bookstore and finally home.

Shakespeare and Company

After a rest, we met up with Kon and Jill again and went for dinner at Le Basilic which we had walked past and admired. Good food with good friends, things can't get much better.

Le Basilic

On their final day, we went with Jill and Kon to the Rodin Museum. This consists of a museum which is in a marvellous old Paris house and a garden. In the garden are the larger works, including Le Penseur. One of the nicest things about the garden is that it is open to the public for only one euro. And, on a lovely day, it is a delightful place to sit and enjoy life. We were told that it is kept at such a low figure so that people in the neighbourhood could use it and especially young mothers with their children.

The Museum from the Garden

The Burghurs of Calais

Detail from the Gates to Hell

The Thinker

The Kiss

We had a lunch at the museum and then walked down to Napoleon's Tomb. The Tomb itself which rests under the dome which is more than 350 feet high is impressive, but truth to tell, the tomb of Marshal Foch, which is in one of the side chapels is more impressive. It is a beautiful work of art.