Paris September 18, 2015
Last night was not restful. I woke up at about 2:30am to people shouting on the street (those damned drunk teenagers!) but also to sounds like someone was at the window. We are on the 4th floor so I know that could not be the case. I finally realize that the sounds are coming through the wall at the head of the bed. At 2:30am the neighbors are washing and scrubbing at the kitchen sink–no doubt about it. And the sink is just on the other side of the wall where we were sleeping. They are talking and working like it was in the middle of the day. I am amazed at how thin the walls are! These walls should be thick and silent! I almost get up to find the broom to whack the wall! So sleeping pill in mouth and I am pretty quickly out like a light.
Today our new site to visit is Notre Dame church and the crypt. The last time we were here (8 years ago) we were with the dogs. I took a very brief look into the church while Howard minded the dogs. So really neither one of us has seen the church.
The line looked long but it takes no time at all to get into the church. It is a huge church with many side alters. They are hearing confessions in several areas. The church is well-known for its Rosetta shaped stained glass windows. There is an interesting series of videos with narratives showing how the church has changed over the millennium. They first broke ground in 1163 but it took about 200 years for the church’s dedication.
There are signs all around demanding “Silence!” All of a sudden we hear this very LOUD, very long “SSSSSSSSSSS” shushing us! It was a recording and much worse than nearly any sound we all could make. The shush preceded the mass but I think the loud snake sound was out of place!
Much of the history of France is beneath our feet. We make a visit to the Paris Archaeological Crypt–the entrance is at the front edge of the Notre Dame plaza. The place is deserted! No one takes the time to see this VERY interesting exhibit. The exhibit is underground and shows the Roman ruins of ancient buildings that are now covered with the current buildings (from approx 50 B.C.). The very effective movie projections illustrate how the ruins might have been seen originally. So a projection of a complete pier on the Seine River fills in the missing parts of a few large stones giving you a more complete picture of what the area was like. They even add the imagined sounds at the pier. There are also very interesting interactive videos that tell the stories of the time.
We’re hungry! We find a tavern that we have been to in earlier visits. The man and his son who own/run the place are very congenial. We both have cheese tartine (an open-faced grilled cheese sandwich) and it is perfect. We don’t want to eat too much because…
We are taking a dinner cruise on the Bateux-Mouche boats!
This is one of those things that is soooo Paris but we have not yet enjoyed. We get all dressed up–we are both wearing our new clothes and I think we look great. We take a taxi; we can’t wear such lovely clothes on the Metro. And besides, it’s raining!
It is a lovely evening. We sip champagne while we wait to take off. Our server is young and very nice. Our table is just a couple tables back from the front of the boat. The boat is all glass so we have a perfect view of all the sights. The dinner cruise is about 2 1/2 hours showcasing the many iconic monuments along the Seine River.
Our dinner is really a delicious surprise! We enjoy champagne and an amuse bouche of cheese puff pastry. For our 1st course, Howard has smoked salmon with caviare and I have a cold lobster salad. For our main course, Howard has lamb with olives and artichokes and I have veal with mushrooms nesting in an open-faced square of pasta. For dessert Howard has the iconic profiteroles and I have Mille-feuille pastry with vanilla creme. It really was a perfect evening! We would absolutely do this again! Why did we wait so long?
Back home to bed.
This apartment is in a very old building. The bedroom floor slopes quite dramatically. I find myself sliding down the bed until my feet hang over the bottom. It’s like Diana, our RV, if we have not leveled her properly!