Day 8 - Neighborhood Walks

After yesterday's big adventure to Belgium, today was a bit more low-key. I decided to walk from my apartment across Ile Saint-Louis, one of the two natural islands in Paris (the other, of course is Ile de la Cite), and then north into the Marais, another arrondissement that I was not all that familiar with, having only been there once before at night. The day was overcast and one of only the two times throughout my entire trip I had to take out my umbrella.

Building and courtyard in the Marais

One of my destinations was the Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis cathedral. I remember stepping inside just briefly back in 2006 and recalled that it was pretty amazing so I wanted to return. This was the first Jesuit church in Paris.

Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis Cathedral

Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis Cathedral

Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis Cathedral

After visiting the church, I made my way to Place des Vosages, the oldest planned square in Paris. Once again, this was a spot I can only imagine how much more beautiful it would be in the spring or summer. On this winter day, however, it was just gray and rainy. While there, I also walked by the Maison de Victor Hugo, where the writer lived for 16 years before he died.

Statue of Louis XIII - Place des Vosages

Sign denoting Victor Hugo's house

After grabbing some lunch, I headed back to the 6th arrondissement, the neighborhood where I was staying, to check out a couple more churches (more churches . . . I know!), St. Germain, the oldest church in Paris and St. Sulpice. Neither church is as striking as say, Notre Dame or Chartres, but they were both beautiful nonetheless.

St. Germain Church

St. Germain Church

St. Sulpice Church

St. Sulpice Church

St. Sulpice Church

St. Sulpice Church

St. Sulpice Church

I spent the remainder of the afternoon just wandering around my neighborhood. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the hotel where Oscar Wilde died was just around the corner from my apartment. L'Hotel, as it is known now, is a luxury four-star hotel, much different than what it was in Oscar Wilde's day. There is a simple plaque attached to the outside of the hotel denoting it is where Oscar Wilde died. There were also other famous residents of the hotel, including Marlon Brando and Jorge Luis Borges.

Oscar Wilde plaque outside L'Hotel

Day 7 - Bruges

I was up bright and early this morning to make my way to Gare du Nord (not only the busiest railway station in Paris but in all of Europe) to catch the high speed Thalys train to Brussels and then transfer to an IC train to Bruges. I arrived at Gare du Nord early, having not been there before and wanting to have enough time to figure out where I needed to be to catch the train. True to its reputation, the station was very busy but surprisingly, not overwhelmingly so. Being a weekday morning, it was mostly commuters and even though there were a lot of people, everyone was moving around in a calm and orderly fashion. I had time to grab a petit dejeuner of a croissant and espresso and actually found a bench to sit and watch the enormous departure board as I awaited the announcement for my platform. The Thalys train experience was awesome. It travels 300 km/hr and pretty much hugs the highway. As you pass cars on the highway they look like they are standing still! What would have taken 3 hours by car was 1 hour by train. And the ride was quiet and comfortable. I could definitely get used this mode of transport!

From Brussels to Bruges was another hour on a "regular" speed train . . . sigh. I arrived in Bruges around 10:20 am and hopped on one of the many busses that run from the train station into historic city center. Because I was only spending the day in Bruges, I decided to follow Rick Steves' walking tour rather than wander aimlessly on my own. I am not the best with directions but I have to say, I really honed my map-reading skills today. One of the first things I wanted to do was to climb the belfry (the famous medieval bell tower) that is featured prominently in the movie In Bruges. The belfry was built in 1240, suffered a fire a some point soon thereafter, and rebuilt in 1280. The uppermost part of the belfry was not added until 1487.

Belfry as seen from the courtyard below

It's a 366 step climb to the top along a spiraling staircase that gets narrower and steeper the closer you get to the top you get. There aren't railings to hang onto but there is a rope you can grab if needed, which I did frequently! Also, traffic flows both ways, up and down, so be prepared to squeeze by others which can be a challenge in some of the narrower sections. It's actually a great way to interact with other tourists. Luckily, there are several places to stop and catch your breath along the way. The view from the top is amazing and I'm glad I brought my small point-and-shoot camera as the lens on my DSLR was too big to fit through the fencing that surrounded the windows.

Bruges from above 

Bruges from above

Bruges from above

I followed Rick's walking tour through the Market Square, which was actually set up as a farmer's market on this day, Bruges Square and City Hall, the latter of which I toured. Unfortunately, the main church in Bruges is closed on Wednesday afternoons so I wasn't able to go inside of that. But there was plenty to see and do besides.

City Hall

Statue in Bruges

Market Square

At the end of my walking tour, I picked a pub to enjoy some Belgian beer and a light meal. Rick Steves recommended getting out of the city center and heading somewhere more local. A 20 minute walk led me to Cafe Vlissinghe (http://www.cafevlissinghe.be/cafevlissinghe.be/home.html), the oldest pub in town dating back to 1515. I ordered a Bruges Zot ("Bruges Fool") beer, a prizewinning golden ale brewed locally and a ham and cheese sandwich with a salad. My wish for a dining companion finally came true. This little guy didn't leave my side until my food was taken away!

Bruges Pooch . . . so cute!

After lunch I spent time just wandering through the city, enjoying its colorful buildings and canals and shopping for chocolate. Bruges is considered the "little Venice" of the north with its many canals but the city reminded me more of Amsterdam (I've never been to Venice.) There were more people on bikes than in cars, even on this cold and windy winter day. As the afternoon lingered on, it came time to find my way back to the train station. I wasn't sure where to catch a bus back to the train station (my guidebook was woefully lacking in this regard) so I walked. After one wrong turn and a backtrack, I caught the 4:30 pm train back to Brussels and then back on the high speed Thalys train to Paris. Bruges was awesome and definitely somewhere I would like to return. Had I known I would have enjoyed it as much as I did, I would have stayed a night or two.

Wandering the streets in Bruges

Yum!

One of the many bicyclists in Bruges

One of the many bridges over the canals in Bruges

Canal bridge and buildings in Bruges

"Postcard View" in Bruges

Day 6 - Musee Rodin & Wandering Around Paris

Today I allowed myself to sleep in a bit and take it easy. Paris is chock-full of museums and I didn't have many on my "To Do" list, which I'm sure some people will see as a travesty! I did want to check out the Musee Rodin and once again, there was no rain in the forecast so this sounded like the perfect thing to do. While a museum may seem like a good thing to do on a rainy day, many of the sculptures at the Musee Rodin are actually outdoors in a garden, the most famous of which is The Thinker.

The Thinker - Musee Rodin

The garden was quite lovely and once again, I can only imagine how much more beautiful it would be in the spring and summer. Although there was a special exhibit going indoors, the main building of the museum was entirely closed for renovation. And this was okay as the garden provided a good taste of Rodin.

Balzac Sculpture - Musee Rodin

Musee Rodin

Musee Rodin

Musee Rodin

I didn't really have a plan for the rest of the day so I just decided to wander around the city. As Les Invalides was right across from the Musee Rodin, I walked around those buildings a bit. I don't have a huge interest in military museums or seeing Napoleon's tomb, so I didn't go in. But the gilded dome was pretty in the sunlight.

Les Invalides

Walking towards the Seine, I encountered what is considered the most elegant bridge in Paris, Pont Alexandre III, opened at the 1900 Universal Exhibition. It was built to celebrate the treaty between France and Russia. It's a little over-the-top for my tastes but it's certainly something to see as it is so different than all of the other bridges in Paris.

Pont Alexandre III

Pont Alexandre III

Pont Alexandre III

Since I wasn't too far away, I next decided to take the Metro to the Arc du Triomphe. I had only seen it once before, at night, from across the very busy Champs-Elysees, and thought it might be worth returning, to at least stand underneath the arc if not climb the stairs to the top. When I walked up from the Charles de Gaulle Etoile Metro station, I was met with the largest crowd of tourists I would encounter in Paris. I don't know how many tour busses and tour groups were there at this particular moment, but you literally needed to elbow your way through the crowds to walk anywhere. I walked around trying to find where I could cross the street to be under the arc itself. Uh . . . not possible. Finally, I found a sign that said there was an underground passage to the arc. After finding that and walking below, I discovered that you have to pay to go to the top of the arc to even be allowed to stand underneath it, which was a bit disappointing. As I was already frustrated with the crowds, I decided to pass and move on.

Arc du Triomphe

At this point, I was craving some calm and decided to visit the pedestrian-friendly market street of Rue Cler. I'd been to Rue Cler previously on my first visit to Paris and I realize it's essentially Rue du Rick Steves but it is a charming little street with cute shops, colorful buildings and great outdoor flower and produce vendors. It was particularly quiet in the afternoon and I enjoyed the stroll.

Outdoor cafe table & chairs - Rue Cler

Rue Cler

Rue Cler

Rue Cler

After retiring to my apartment to rest for awhile, I had a very early dinner (very early by Paris standards) around 7:00 p.m. I wanted to try and get to bed early as the following day I would need to be up early to catch the train to Bruges.

I have to admit, dining out was not my favorite experience in Paris and it had absolutely nothing to do with the food. I had read that many people dine alone in Paris and I really didn't think I'd mind it that much but . . . rarely did I encounter other solo diners, especially at night, so I felt a bit out of place. I missed having company and wasn't sure what to do with myself when I wasn't actually eating. I definitely didn't want to be playing around with my phone, even though I saw plenty of Parisians doing just that. I brought along a small notebook and wrote almost every night but even then, I couldn't help but feel a little anxious. I will say, I never encountered rude service and the wait staff, for the most part, seemed to tolerate my French, even though their response was almost always in English!

Day 5 - St. Chapelle, Notre Dame & Chartres

Today was church day. I started off at St. Chapelle, a destination that was high on my "To Do" list. St. Chapelle is on Ile de la Cite, a short walk from my apartment. The entrance is a little bit hidden and security is strict but, following Rick Steves' advice, I just got in line with everyone else waiting to enter. As I stood there, something didn't seem right. The people in line seemed intent with business rather than eagerly waiting to see a gothic church built in the 13th century. So, I reluctantly gave up my place in line to make certain I was in the right place and sure enough, the line I had been in was the security line for France's Supreme Court (next door) and there was virtually no line for St. Chapelle.

Exterior of St. Chapelle

I was really excited to see the upper portion of the church with its wall-to-wall stained glass, especially on such a sunny morning. Unfortunately, about a third of the stained glass is currently being restored and under a large cover. This was disappointing but not altogether unexpected. (Note: I just recently found out the church has been being restored for four decades and is due to be completed in 2014.) I found many sites in Paris were under some sort of renovation which has to occur from time-to-time for preservation purposes.  I was still able to get a couple of photos and truly, the place is magnificent nonetheless.

Inside St. Chapelle

Inside St. Chapelle

Notre Dame is just a short walk from St. Chapelle. Since I'd already toured the inside, my goal this morning was just a quick jaunt up the tower to get some photos of Paris from above. Waiting to gain entrance to climb the tower was the longest I had to wait in line for anything in Paris, and it was only about 20 minutes. It's a 400 step climb to the top up a spiraling staircase. Phew! They only let a certain number of people up at a time which makes the wait down below a bit long but it is really quite nice once you're at the top as you don't have to fight with hundreds of other tourists for a view. While it was a fabulously sunny morning, the view of the city was a bit hazy.

Token gargoyle shot atop Notre Dame

Hazy view of Paris atop Notre Dame

Having quickly ticked off St. Chapelle and Notre Dame from my list in the morning, I headed to Gare Montparnasse to catch the one hour train ride out to Chartres. When I told some photographer friends I was heading to Paris, one of their biggest recommendations was to visit the cathedral at Chartres. I did some research, agreed that it looked amazing, and added it to my list.

Other than traveling within a city's metropolitan area, the only train travel I've done in Europe was Vienna to Budapest and back. So, it was a bit of a learning curve to leave the comfort of the Paris Metro, figure out how to buy a ticket to Chartres and then find the right platform for departure. Sometimes your platform isn't announced until just minutes before departure so you have to stand and intently watch the departure board with everyone else. Being in an unfamiliar train station, this can be a bit stressful. And then you need to remember to validate your ticket in a machine before getting on board, otherwise you could face a steep fine if caught traveling with an unvalidated ticket. I didn't have too much difficulty. I stood in the wrong ticket line initially but the person working the desk was very helpful and pointed me in the right direction. I couldn't readily figure out the validation machine so I just waited until someone else did it first and followed their lead. The supposed one hour journey to Chartres actually took about an hour and a half. The train stopped for a period of time which seemed to frustrate many passengers but the announcements were in French so I had no idea what was going on! And there was not much to do except sit and wait.

My guidebook said that it was a 10 minute walk up to the cathedral from the train station and since the cathedral could be easily seen from the train station, it would be a cinch to find. That was mostly true. The roads are a bit winding and intersecting up to the cathedral so it's not like it's a straight shot. And given that this was a Monday in early February, there weren't throngs of tourists to follow. It took me about 15 minutes or so to reach the cathedral.

This was simply mind-blowing. Photos just can't do it justice. It's on par with seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time and it is easily, hands-down, the most spectacular church I've ever seen. After burning to the ground in the late 1100's, Chartres was rebuilt and dedicated in 1260. According to Rick Steves, it is considered one of Europe's best examples of pure Gothic architecture.

Chartres Exterior

Chartres - Front Entrance

Chartres - Stunning Interior

Chartres

One of the many stained glass windows

I wasn't able to take the highly-rated tour with Malcolm Miller as he is not in residence during January and February, perhaps a downfall to traveling off-season but having the church nearly to myself was a bonus.

Getting back to the train station in Chartres wasn't as easy as it should have been. I thought I was retracing the path that I took up to the cathedral but somewhere along the way, I took a wrong turn and couldn't figure out where I was. I had a map with me but couldn't determine what direction I was heading. I found a nearby bus station and, in my limited French, asked an older gentleman if he knew where the train station was. He wasn't understanding me, even when I pulled out my map and pointed to "la gare." He kept telling me I was at a bus station. At some point, he (seemingly) understood and pointed me in a certain direction and indicated "cinq minutes" or five minutes. I walked and walked and walked and after 10 minutes had passed, I stopped a couple of girls to ask again about "la gare" and it was, quite literally, right around the corner and 15 minutes later I was on the train back to Paris.

That evening I was feeling pretty wiped out, not only from the day's adventures but the cold I had caught was in full swing. Having a kitchen in the apartment and a place to lay low for the night was very welcome!