Today we intentionally had nothing planned. For the next 17 days we have something planned to do each and every day, so we decided to have at least one day off to do nothing (that we didn't want to do). We slept 8 solid hours, got up and had a leisurely breakfast similar to the previous one, and then talked with Danny at the travel desk about things we should see and do on our walk.
Using Google maps to feed block-by-block directions, we were able to navigate ourselves to the Petit Palais, a museum that that is across the street from the (surprise) Grand Palais. It is an art museum. Getting there we walked along the Seine. We often wondered where they got all the river boats that they used in the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Now we know that they have that many permanently stationed in Paris, as the river banks are lined with these boats and there was constant traffic of them filled with tourists going up and down the river.
I couldn't believe how many people they were able to get on each boat. Made me wonder if we hadn't chartered them to remove immigrants from the US?
We went over one of the bridges crossing the river that is adorned with statuary all the way. Here Alice was rubbing the toe of a Neptune-like figure who was riding a big fish. She really wanted a picture with one of the cherubs, but there were too many people standing in front of that one.
We finally arrive at the palace which was 2.4 km from our hotel. Today it is starting to warm up (66 degrees) so walking is starting to feel a little more challenging.
The museum was filled with paintings, statuary, and other forms of art, most from the latter 19th century. Ever wonder what goes through one man's mind as he views art? I'll share some of my thoughts and impressions.
I really enjoyed this statue of a man being attacked by a bird in an attempt to rescue its baby. There was a recurring mother-child relationship theme throughout much of the collection. For me this art portrayed the message that sometimes you just can't win.
I'm sure this next painting is much like it is in the maternity ward at Kaiser Sunnyside where Amy works. It depicts the one and only time this father will nurture his child. If only we knew what the mother was thinking.
The next painting reminded me of the courting relationship between Anna and John. The adoring love being shown by the man toward his mate is how I imagined their relationship early on (except, as I remembered it John always kept his shirt on).
On the serious side, this full-size painting of the crucifixion of Christ was very moving. It seemed lifelike and believable. It was a timely reminder having just celebrated Easter.
Getting back to our hotel was easy, we just had to keep moving toward the Eiffel Tower. Our next stop would be at the end of this street just before the trees.
Getting tired from being four hours into our journey we had to be like Parisians and make a stop for a glass of wine at a sidewalk café. We chose to go to Café Gustave. The building behind us is the building in the previous photo being reflected in the windows of the restaurant. We enjoyed a glass of a Bordeaux Rose to begin doing our homework for our visit to Bordeaux tomorrow.
This evening we took a short rest before heading out for a bite to eat. We were really not that hungry so we decided on a light dinner. We headed to the local bakery where we shared a bacon (which looked like ham to us) and cheese Panini that was made on wonderful, crusty French bread. Knowing that the next two weeks will be full of fine wines, we stopped at a convenience store and picked up two beers from Holland to take back to the room. A fitting end to a low-key day.
Last activity of the evening was to step outside our hotel to catch the hourly light show on the Eiffel Tower. The flashing lights go off for five minutes every hour on the hour from 9 pm through midnight. Make sure you ask me to show you the video of the lights twinkling.
Now it is time for showers and bed as we must have our suitcases out by 7 am and then leave at 8 am for the train station and our trip on the high speed train to Bordeaux. Boone nuit.
Fashion Alert: It is clear for women that the latest trend in outwear will be oversized, full-length coats in all different fabrics (think wool and trench coats). This is the one trend that has really stood out in this fashion forward city. Baseball caps on men, on the other hand, are not to be seen at all.
Daily Step Count: 11,461 steps from our trips to the Petit Palais, and up the street to the bakery and convenience store.
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