Today was amazing...Trois Jeurs

I shut off my 8am alarm and fell back to sleep - unfortunately, there's a prepaid bike tour of Paris awaiting my arrival with a 9:45am meet time.

You know that part of the action movie with the race against time and the main characters are out of breath and running and they keep making wrong turns or dropping the valuable object along the way?  The guy keeps picking the girl back up by the arm and helping her run?  I woke up and found myself in the middle of this scene. Minus the helpful cute guy.

8:45am.  I'm LATE!

Day Three!

I ran out the door with a small bag - it felt good to be so traveling so light!  (little did I know - too light!)  I RAN down the stairs holding both rails, out the first door into the couryard, through the second door, down the street rounding the corner and past McDonals at the Metro.  AHH!  I left my Metro card (the second, a 5 day pass) on my apartment desk.  I contemplated just paying for 1 ticket - but realized how many times I'd be using it today and OH MAN!!!  I ran all the way back to the apartment, up the stairs and did it all again!  I got back to the Metro station and spotted my train (there are 3 different metro routes at this stop) and mine arrived pronto!  Whooohooo!!!

Wait.  OMG.  I got on the wrong train.  Seriously?? I could hear my GPS system: "Recalculating."

Would I make it before the tour left?  At each stop, through the train window I could see the time on the platform - seemingly counting down my action scene in the movie.  I would have to transfer trains with more stops before arriving at the Louvre.  Would I find my connection?  Would the train get me there in time?  Could I run fast enough?? And really, could I make any more mistakes this AM?

So back to my movie: the heroine is on the train at the doors anticipating her release and the entire audience is squirming in their chairs and whispering at the screen "hurry up!!"

The doors opened and I tore off in the direction of my next train but the signs with arrows are surprisingly UNCLEAR and lead me astray!  I have to backtrack running up and around, over and down.  I arrive to my platform just as the doors open.  Excellent!  But will I make it before 10am??  I have 7 minutes and 5 metro stops.  I ask one guy for the correct stop - I have no more room for mistakes.  Just to be sure, I ask another girl who tells me a different stop!  Are you kidding me??  I trust her and when the doors open I ruuuun.  My mind races, "Which sortie (exit) - which sortie??"  There are many and I read the signs as quickly as I can...GO!  I'm running - it's the correct Metro stop and I've chosen the correct exit!  Up the stairs and RUN!  I approach the meeting area not knowing what time it is and praying they are still there..."look for the blue bike" I remind myself and here's what I see in front of me:

Is that a blue bike??

I made it!  I was overjoyed and out of breath!

Our tourguide introduced himself, JB, a Parisian husband and father of two who began the tour company six months ago with his brother.  He also introduced all of us to each other.  We had three couples - Irish, Canadian and Italian and two men journalist buddies and myself!  Here's a taste of the tour!

We walked 5 minutes to the bikes in the garage!

Place Vendôme!  First floor $$$$ shopping and office on top floors.

Place Vendôme

Place Vendôme's The Ritz Hotel is a 5 star PLUS hotel -- closed for renovation.  Chanel lived at this hotel for decades!

Petit Palais (small palace) across from the biggin'!

Le Grand Palais build for the world fair!  There's bee hives on top!

There's bee hives on top of the buildings in Paris - You can buy honey from atop the Opera!

Pont Alexandre III 1900 - bridge

One step closer to recreating my Paris Inspiration Picture - I'm on the same bridge!

We crossed that bridge - Pont Alexandre III - behind him (big dome in distance is Le Grand Palais) and he is facing the Invalides

Invalides was a military hospital - 1 wing still is!  Emperor Napoléon I remains, transferred to the Invalides on December 15th 1840

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Saint Germain Des Pres (church)

Saint Germain Des Pres

Lipp: 1 of 3 famous cafes all here next to St. Germain Church! 

Cafe De Flore: 1 of 3 famous cafes all here next to Saint Germain Des Pres 

Les Deux Magots 1 of 3 famous cafes all here next to Saint Germain Des Pres! 

All three styles of pillars!

St. Germaine was magical Paris.  The wind in my hair and a smile on my face!

I mean come ON, every building is gorgeous! Overlooking the Pantheon side.

Pantheon

Greek lunch!

Another lunch ordered in French!  I may not have understood all of it - but a shwarma, baklava and drink for 7.5 Euros!

Doesn't that look yummy!

I bought lunch from L'ile de Greek (blue)

Lunching along Rue Mouffetard!

Look!  This rode really DOES lead to Rome! Mouffetard!

Le point zéro des routes de France in front of Notre Dame

Cute French - Canadian couple

Love it.

Two REALLY old buildings on right (brownish) - don't you love my specific fact retelling??

The Wall of Philip Augustus is the oldest city wall of Paris

Cannonball in the wall of the Hôtel de Sens

1830 Cannonball in the wall of the Hôtel de Sens

Hotel De Ville

Hotel De Ville

Hotel De Ville

When the tour was over, the time was almost 3pm and I was pooped!  5hrs of sleep and 4 hours of bike riding made for sore feet and a sit-down breaky-break.  I contemplated returning to the apartment for a little r&r but my day was too well planned.  I was already back at the Louvre and needed to make my first real visit to see the greats.

But first, a walk through the shopping center underground and a facebook check-in at the Apple store.  I've learned that since I have no smart phone - it's handy to stop in Apple stores to check my email and FB!

Apple store check-in!

So I like to think I can enjoy a world-class museum and I can!  In small :90 minute increments.  So today's mission?  To meet a famous girlfriend.  Wanna come with?

Let's go find her!

I found my way to her in about :15 of walking.  I now know the meaning of HUGE museum.  Lots of "wings" and they are stunning. 

The unexpected views

I feel it.  She's close!

 Just follow the signs.  When I arrived, it was such an odd feeling...like seeing proof of something you thought was just a story.  You wanna see?

Could this be it?

Keep scrolling down...

After our meeting I walked beyond her HUGE room and was absolutely awed by what followed.

And this was an unexpected delight.  This painting is so perfect.  Her skin and dress floating in the water were soft and delicate.  The reflection of light on the water was captivating.  These paintings in person are unreal!  (ps. it is hot as hell in there -- don't they have to keep these paintings cooler?)

Loved walking right up close to appreciate the brush strokes and blending.  How do they DO that??

I knew I'd reached my sore-foot, heat and attention threshold and I high-tailed it outta the Louvre.  But something brought me to a screetching HALT.

an air conditioning vent that was ON!

That's be air conditioning!!!!!  I found the coolest place in the house and I completely confused a poor Italian girl.  It went a little something like this:

"Pardon me, would you mind taking my photo for me?"
Receiving my camera, "ok."
"Would you mind getting this in the picture?"  (me pointing down at the grate under my feet)
"Eh?  That?"  In a thick Italian accent.  "You want a picture of that?"
"Yes, please."
"Uh, ok."

After the Louvre I paid for my 5euro frappaccino and jumped on the Metro two stops to the Museum D'Orangerie.  I knew there were paintings there (aren't they almost everywhere in Paris??) but wasn't that interested.  I thought I'd just stop in for not more than :45 and see groups of works in particular.

After another great detour due to inaccurate Paris signage - I walked across the

All Orangeri pictures are from here as no cameras allowed:                                                                                       http://lesmuseesdeparis.wordpress.com/2012/08/13/musee-de-lorangerie/

After sitting outside in a metal recliner in the garden to the right of the picture above - overlooking the Seine, I finished my drink.  Happily I walked into the museum on :35 minutes before closing time to get a good look and be on my way.  I made my way to THE ROOM.

First I entered an ALL white empty oval room...I almost didn't notice it.  I walked through and into the next oval room...GASP.  Every hair on my arms perked up and tears filled my wide eyes.

It was one of the most gorgeous things I have ever laid eyes on. 

I just wanted to sit with it.

The color in-person?  More gorgeous than i have ever seen in any poster/picture.  Stunning.

I don't want to leave.  But the docent stops by to point out to me that there is another room!  So I unwillingly move on to see room #2.  I am enraptured.  These are amazing in person.  I will forever have a love affair with Monet's works of art.  The water lillies are simply too much to take in in :30 and I hope to return to sit with them longer.  They.  are.  un.  real.

"Vestiblule: you are entering a completely white room.  It was designed by Monet to create a "decompression space" between the city's agitation and his work space.

 When he donated The Water Lilies to France right after the First World War, Monet wanted to give Parisians a peaceful haven by inviting them to contemplate the infinite before painted nature: "Nerves overwrought by work would relax there just like the relaxing example of those stagnant waters, and, for whomever inhabited it, this room would offer asylum for peaceful meditation amidst a flowery aquarium..." He wrote this in 1909 when he started to mature his project.    -Museum literature

The museum closes in one fell swoop and I set off to catch the metro on the Left Bank (across the Seine). 
On the bridge I met a gentleman teacher from Turkey - we talked and walked our way to the Metro.
We had the beautiful pleasure passing the Pont de la Concorde bridge!  The what-de la-what bridge? Oh, you know this bridge...if not from my own Paris inspiration photo (credit unknown):

Then by this Adele video who is walking the this fabulous piece of Parisian eye-candy!  The bridge in the background is the one that we walked over after the museum.
http://youtube/hLQl3WQQoQ0

After a quick Metro ride home, I stopped by a supermarche for fromage and a bakery for fresh bread.  I explored my neighborhood a bit - pictures another time, since my battery was out.  I noticed that every other person seemed to have fresh bread under their arm as the walked home from work...I know I'm about to enjoy mine.  Good night all!

Fromage: goat's milk and a Gorgonzola / Marscapone