Bon Voyage! We leave the Newark airport at 9 p.m. Friday night. Dan enjoys his vegetarian entree on the plane.
Albert Camus
Who me? Saints at Notre Dom
We're staying down the street from here and randomly walked past this area. It's tourist heaven. Regardless, it's quite cool...
... and we plan on taking the full tour later.
Notre Dom from afar.
Rare bookseller hard at work in the Marais.
Dan in the Marais.
The Seine River
Bourse de Commerce Building
We also randomly walked past this place while touring the Marais on foot. Detailed buildings like this seem to pop up randomly all over Paris.
There's something missing here...
Someone forgot the clothes!
Picnic on the Seine
Picnic on the Seine -- Recovering from (yet) another fumbled episode of ordering food in the Jewish part of the Marais...
One of many Seine tour boats
My "French Face" -- the same look I got when trying to order pickled pastrami sandwich, latke and perogi at an awesome Jewish bakery/cafe in the Marais.
The weather was fantastic -- perfect for a picnic on the Seine river -- a large river with lots of history.
The guy behind Dan was busy checking everyone out. Unlike New York, people in Paris actually look at other people when walking down the street.
Other layabouts on the banks of the Seine.
Backside of Notre Dom
People enjoying the Seine in the shadow of Notre Dome
Dan on the Street, Herald Tribune in Hand
Another cool corner in Paris ...
Love the way the light is hitting that building.
Day 2: Morning light in the windown of our Marais apartment, which overlooks a cute courtyard.
Flowers Dan bought for me at a nearby market.
Dan snuck in some work! I took this after chastising him. Isn't he cute?
The door to our pad. It's a trick door -- to open it you have to unlock it -- then stick your hand in the mail slot and apply pressure while pushing the door open with your other hand.
Bonjour! No ugly Americans here!
The courtyard is neat and tidy, filled with plants. Very attractive.
Our first subway trip. The subways are clean albeit a little smelly.
This is the Arts & Metiers stop by our apartment. Missed it here -- but it's gorgeous. You can kind of see some cool detailing coming out of the ceiling -- like you're inside a giant copper clock.
So -- it's the Arc. Thanks, Napoleon! He really liked to think big. Har.
At first we were a little jaded since we have a smaller version of this in our back yard in NYC's Washington Square Park...
Is this what tourists are supposed to do? Me in front of the Arc de Triomphe.
Sorry Mom. I still hate getting my picture taken...
Success! Eyes open and everything.
Dan's turn!
Tomb of the Unkown Soldier underneath the Arc de Triomphe.
The tomb honors the unidentified soldiers who died in from both World Wars.
The Arc is really a huge structure. Dan contemplates...
Names of soldiers who fought for France during the Napoleonic Wars.
After looking at the Arc, we proceeded down the Champs Elysee, with lots of high end shops.
The Car of .. the Future!
Cheese Mania! Dan is obsessed with this ad for a cheese filled burger from a fast food chain called "Quick."
Some roadside decor on the Champs d'Elysee
Charles de Gaulle statue
A French nerd coming out of a video game store chain called Micromania.
Tarte-O-Vision at Laduree, Champs d'Elysee
Dan ate a Tarte Framboise and I ate a Tarte Chocolat with Passion Fruit.
Laduree from the outside.
Everything a Laduree has fantastic packaging.
Laduree from the front side.
Laduree Awning
Iran Air!
Trust me, don't complain about the service.
Ferris Wheel and Egyptian Obelisk at the other end of Champs d'Elysee
Arc de Triomphe and the Champs d'Elysee
Details on how the Obelisk was brought over from Egypt.
It's a shoe ...
... made entirely of pots and lids.
"Am I too old to ride the merry go round?"
The Louvre
It's just as giant as everyone says it is.
A sad attempt to show (without panoramic camera) how huge this place really is.
A former royal palace, the Louvre is covered with ornate details.
Hey -- I think I know that guy...
Historic meets modern at the Louvre.
More proof that French nerds do exist!
Bonjour! Day No. 4 Begins!
A petit dejuneur at the Arts & Metiers Cafe, near our apartment.
Cimitiere Pere Lachaise
Grave Repair site
Strange but a quiet and gorgeous place. We saw people sitting and reading on benches here.
One of the main roads through the cemetary.
Some plots were open so we snuck a peek inside.
As usual, the French don't skimp on the finer details.
OK seriously, this gravestone looks like it belongs in a cheesy haunted house.
Boo!
Dan's "cemetary groundskeeper" face.
If I had a gravestone like this right now -- it'd have to be a sculpture of me reclining eating lots of bread, cheese and ham.
Nice thought ...
... if not a tad creepy. A shrouded figure overlooks this family plot.
The zillionth creepy effigy we saw during our two-hour stay at the cemetary.
Constuction zone!
Haunting but gorgeous ... right down to the cobblestone paths throughout the cemetary.
Suffrage des Femmes
Obligatory Jim Morrison Grave Shot
His bust was removed due to vandalism. Too bad, compared to the rest of the cemetary this grave is unspectacular.
Creepy.
Home of the Can Can...
... the Moulin Rouge.
Another obligatory tourist shot: the Moulin Rouge.
And the Rouge again.
We took these on our climb to one of the highest points in Paris.
Overlooking Paris...
I wish the camera could take in the entire view and show just how amazing it is to take in this much of the city at once.
Dan and I sit for a while to give our tired feet a rest.
Basilique du Sacre-Coeur, aka "Basilica of the Sacred Heart" sits at the highest point in the city.
Sacre Coeur. The inside is much less impressive than the view outside. I went in to light a candle and after lighting it, promptly dropped it on the floor. Oops. Managed to recover it without burning the building down.
Fantastic Dali museum next to the Sacre Coeur. Lots of cool works illustrating Alice in Wonderland, the Old and New Testament, the Tribs of Judah and more. The 20 euro entry fee was totally worth it.
The long steps up to Sacre Coeur. Fortunately, we went up the back way.
After dawdling around Sacre Coeur, we ran into the fabric district. Tons of stores like this lined the street we walked down.
Fabric lines the streets.
Yeah, ew. Whatevs, we're in Paris.
Day #5 starts with petit dejuneur at Le Progres cafe in the Marais.
Un cafe, sil vous plait.
Cool old wooden storefront.
Place des Vosges
This is Paris' oldest town square, built by Henri IV in the early 1600s. First instance of royal city planning.
All the building fronts look the same and a park with clipped Linden trees (seen here) sits in the middle of the square.
It's a nice part of town and the square houses art galleries and several cafes. Victor Hugo and other notables lived in this tony location.
The Jewish section of the Marais
We got a sandwich at Sacha Finkelsztajn our first full day in Paris -- it smells fabulous in there and there's always a line out the door (when it's open).
A jewish deli in Paris.
Micky's Jewish Deli
This area has several falafel stands -- all of which have long lines on weekends. The falafel is really fantastic.
A metal rabbi greets you outside this kosher boulangerie.
Kosher Pizza! While crowded, the inside of this place is dark and depressing. The pizza must be good, because we can't imagine anyone who would sit in that depressing environment.
Another kosher boulangerie.
A plaque in memory of several jewish notables who were rounded up by the Vichy government during WWII and sent to death camps.
Two guys taking giant sides of beef off a truck into a kosher boucherie.
Hey meathead!
At last, Dan gets his hands on one of those falafel sandwiches. Yum.
The. Smallest. Car.
Scaffolding takes an artistic turn. This one's covered in white material and has images of sculptures projected onto it at night.
Take that, Popeyes!
Our local brasserie/cafe.
Dan and I ate at the very traditional l'Ambassade d'Auvergne in the Marais.
They spoke very little English, but the waiter was fantastic. They serve big portions and are known for making fun of customers who don't finish the entire thing (which in France is probably all the customers).
Transit workers on strike.
All public transport was halted on Thursday and Friday while workers protested proposed changes to retirement benefits.
The strike shut down most subway lines, the suburban train lines -- and lots of the museums.
Sell Your Stuff on eBay store...
Outside the Pompideau which houses a giant modern art collection.
Inside the Pompideau
The main collection was closed due to the transit strike, so we went outside and watched this guy play the Didgeridoo.
Dan was a superb navigator the entire week.
I saw a lot of this during the entire week -- awesome navigator Dan pointing out where we were and where we wanted to go next.
The best public transportation
Hotel de Ville
The Rugby playoffs were broadcast on a big screen outside Hotel de Ville.
Dan poses...
.. and poses...
... and poses.
The Hotel de Ville is the city hall for the maire de Paris (mayor) Bertrand Delanoe and his administration.
Delanoe has stayed intent on improving quality of life in Paris. He recently introduced the Velib', an ingenious public bicycle system.
The Velib' bike transit system was tres impressive. The bicycles are mounted on big metal racks in different locatios, and you have to buy an access pass to unlock them, ride them and then turn them in again at another Velib' bike station.
The bikes are free for the first 30 minutes, then the price goes up incrementally the longer its used. So use it for 25 minutes, it's free. Use it for 50 minutes, it costs 3 euros. I would kill to have those in NYC.
We went looking for antiques in the 1st Arr. Instead of cool old stuff, we found this sculptural outdoor furniture.
A school was down the street, so we assume that was the origin of these stickers found on the table.
Un bagette, sil vous plait.
Tuile amande avec chocolat, sil vous plait. One of our favorite desserts this week.
Giant meringues were also a fave this week.
View across the Seine. Since there was a transit strike, we took the Batobus, a boat that's part of the river transit system, to get to the other side of the city.
Busted trying to take a cat nap.
On the Batobus.
So glad to be sitting down at this point.
Cute!
Mmm... wonder if we have any Tuile amande left?
The bridges across the Seine are all different, and some are rather ornate.
Floating toward the Eiffel Tower
Due to the transit strike -- three of the four legs of the tower were closed. So the line to get in was crazy.
The line to buy tickets. We thought we might go up to the first level of the tower for kicks, but this changed our mind. C'est la vie!
A giant Rugby 2007 World Cup balloon sat in the middle of the tower. A giant TV screen on the outside played the Rugby matches, so no one would have to miss a moment.
Eiffel Tower from the other side.
The Eiffel Tower light show.
Cheesy and pretty, all at the same time.
Greasy chinese food sounds positively fancy when called Traiteur Asiatique.
Galeries Lafayette -- a popular department store with a fantastic interior.
The dome in the department store. Took this picture standing in the cosmetics area.
Go to the very top of the Galeries Lafayette for another nice view of the city.
Monitors in the subway station gave us information on which trains were and weren't running during the strike.
The subways in Paris are immaculate. The NYC transit system could learn a thing or two from this model -- whatever it is.
Tres fortement perturbe -- our favorite phrase. The transit strike made us cool our sightseeing plans on the last two days, but c'est la vie.
