Paris Details

Walking through Paris is a feast for the eyes. My neck feels like it's on a swivel most of the time as my gaze wanders up and down, left and right. Not all balconies are as beautifully decorated as this one, which makes it extra picture-worthy.

An interesting swirl of vines in a rough heart shape adds charm to this window on Ile Saint Louis. 

Paris' skies have been mostly cloudy, and it's cool here. I'm glad for my jacket. And my hair is frizzing away. When the sun does shine and the sky turns blue, I take off my jacket and revel in the warmth on my back.

And I take photos. The cross above is part of Notre Dame Cathedral. 

An interior shot of Notre Dame. It's amazing to consider the construction of these buildings in an age without machinery and technology. Such mathematical precision, such awareness of force and gravity, such patience in building. 

Tim took this photo of me sitting on the ledge of a stone pillar in the apse of the cathedral. Given the comfort of this seat, I wonder who else has rested here over the centuries? The long procession of history here boggles the mind of this woman from the "new" world. 

Lunch, eaten outside while we watched the crowds flow by, consisted of today's special: for me, Endive Salad with Roquefort cheese, Salmon and Leek Quiche. Lovely. 

Doorways painted in shades of dark green, shiny black, forest green stand in harmonious juxtaposition to stone buildings. This paler blue one begged me to take its photo. I obliged. 

We wandered over to the Jardin de Luxembourg and watched small children push sailboats across the pond with rubber tipped sticks provided by the park. Older people, some of whom are fascinated by boats, marveled at the way the sails on these little wooden boats are trimmed so precisely to enable them to sail merrily across the pond in straight lines without tipping. The boats are all marked with various countries - this red and white one has CA on it - for Canada.

Gardens in France are not as lushly floral as those elsewhere in the world. This bed or petunias, begonias, cosmos and salvia caught my eye.

Today has been interesting. After our breakfast of tea and chocolate bread (for me), cafe au lait and apple pastry (Tim) and a shared yogurt, we and our friends planned to take the Metro to our cruise rendez-vous hotel and then go on a hop on hop off bus tour. 

We got onto the Metro, but after just a few moments, I heard an announcement about strikes. The train stopped and everyone got off. All the civic employees went on strike. Hmmm. How to get to the meeting place? Buses weren't working either. We were fortunate enough to hail a taxi who drove through gridlock traffic, planned alternate routes when streets were blocked off with police tape, and got us to the hotel. 

Staying nearby seemed most prudent, so we wandered through the Montparnasse Cemetery, bought delicious sandwiches at a Monoprix, and watched the pigeons while we ate.

As I type, I'm sitting in our cabin on the Avalon Creativity watching the water lap outside our window. Wifi is good now, but is likely going to be very spotty in the future. Hence a long post two days in a row.