Marathon

A marathon day in more ways than one. As it was the first Sunday of the month, Paris museums were free, so I got up early and walked to l'Orangerie Museum at the end of the Tuileries gardens. Drums, shouting, helicopters overhead reminded me that today was the Paris Marathon, with a route going from one side of the city to the other, right along the Seine.

I watched the runners for a bit, then spent time at l'Orangerie. They won't allow pics inside, but this is where Monet's huge canvases of water lilies are installed. I've wanted to see them ever since the last time I was here (2006 with Emily) but the museum had just opened and the lines were crazy. This time, no line at all, and almost no one there. I might have been at Giverny in the middle of Monet's garden. I did get a snap of the Rodin sculpture out front.

But back out into the noise and excitement. I walked along the race course in the direction of Notre Dame. Not sure how Emily and I missed the Pont des Arts last time, but I made sure to take pics for her of the millions of locks lining the bridge. Just think of all those keys resting on the bottom of the river. So many hopeful lovers :)

And remember the flower market behind ND that I saw the other day? Well, on Sundays it transforms into a bird market :) I wish I could have taken pics of the "bird men" - such interesting characters, bargaining for a new songbird. Oh yes, bunnies and fish too!

Bought one of those meringues to try, finally. Macarons win, with the same meringue (in a smaller portion) but the bonus of those gazillion flavourful fillings. 

BTW, the line to get into the Louvre for free was worse than the line for a Disney ride! Huge!!! Really huge! Good thing I hadn't considered going there.

 

There's always time for a gargoyle or two.....

....and some of that gorgeous Parisian architecture.

The little secret park at the end of Ile de la Cite.

I noticed there was almost no line up for Ste. Chapelle, which is #2 on many "must-see" lists for Paris. And it deserves to be there. The stained glass is astounding, although very difficult to photograph and convey the size and beauty of the place. It takes stained glass to a whole new - and epic - level.

Yes, it was a long day. But I decided at 4pm to see if the line had subsided at the Musee d'Orsay, home of the French Impressionists. It had, and I went in, but the line was now all crushed inside the building. Still, it was 'impressive' to see all those paintings you know so well from art books and repros, right there before your eyes. When you could see past the crowd that is! I will definitely pay to enter - some day when it's not so busy. Oh yeah - no pics allowed here either. But that didn't stop a lot of people. I restricted myself to a photo out of the huge glass clock (this museum used to be a train station, and the architecture, and how they've turned it into a museum, are pretty cool), and of the hilarious giant resting pillows at one end of the gallery. Seems like a lot of people were worn out.

Bonne Nuit!