Paris Adventure Part 2

     Leaving Versailles behind us, we headed into the city. The most stressful part of this whole trip involved the car - driving somewhere and then finding a place to park. This part was no exception. Andrew did a masterful job getting the car through the traffic of Paris where there doesn't seem to be any traffic rules. We didn't hit anything the whole time! If you were there you'd understand just how amazing that really is. The next part was parking - where? All the spots along the road side were filled except for a few that were for residents only. So we consulted the GPS. She brought us to an opening in the side of a building barely wider than the car with what looked like regular house doors opened to the inside and a "P" sign hanging above it. Hmm . . . we weren't sure. It looked as if you had to drive up over the sidewalk to get there and if it wasn't right, how were going to get out? Backing out would be tricky. So we looked some more . . . and found nothing so we came back and decided to go for it. It did turn out to be an underground public parking garage - yay! So we parked, memorized our parking spot number, and headed out . . . except we could not find the exit. We walked around looking all over until finally we saw some other people park and go to the exit so we followed them. Up some stairs, out a door into a courtyard and into another building - that seemed to have no exit. All the doors were locked shut. Ahhh! We went back out to the courtyard and looked around - nothing. Then another couple came up the stairs and went into the other building - follow them, we thought. But not quick enough by the time we got into the building, they'd disappeared. Then Andrew noticed a button on the wall with a sign in French that said press to open door. Stupid tourists!
     When we were finally free of our parking garage, the next task was to figure out where we were so we could figure out how to get where we wanted to go. I had a map that I'd picked up at the hotel but where was that blasted "You are here" arrow? The street names in Paris are difficult to find. They are posted on the corners of the buildings at the intersection. But if a store or restaurant happens to flow over the corner of the building - no sign. We knew the general direction we needed to go so we headed that way. A few minutes walk along the Seine river and we came to our first destination of the afternoon - The Paris Sewer Tour.
     This tour took us underground to the very old sewers of Paris. Sewers were built in parts of Paris in 1370! That's a long time ago. Louis XIV improved upon the existing sewer and Napoleon created the first Parisian vaulted sewer network. It was quite the place. There were interesting exhibits of the machines they used/use down there was well as the history of the sewers. Victor Hugo, author of Les Miserables, was a friend of the sewer architect and actually explored the sewer himself and used the information when writing about Jean Valjean's escape through them. He said "...Paris has another Paris under herself; a Paris of sewers; which has its streets, its crossings, its squares, its blind alleys, its arteries, and its circulation, which is slime, minus the human form." The sewers of Paris also played a part in The Phantom of the Opera. It was interesting and quite the experience being in tunnels created so long ago - though the smell was anything but wonderful.

Piper poses with some former occupants of the sewers

This is a device they use to clear tunnels

Write-up on Victor Hugo's knowledge and use of sewers

     Next we were off to the Army Museum with the Tomb of Napoleon. Napoleon had died in exile on the tiny island of St. Helena in 1821 but his body was brought back to Paris in 1840 and laid in several coffins in a sarcophagus in a magnificent domed room that portrays the greatness of Napoleon all around it.

Outside the Army Museum

Courtyard - the dome above Napoleon's tomb in the background

Napoleon's tomb! But a different Napoleon. This is Joseph Napoleon, Napoleon Bonaparte's brother

Here is the tomb of the great Napoleon Bonaparte!

He's looking pretty majestic here, isn't he?

There were panels like this on the wall surrounding the sarcophagus
all showing the great works of Napoleon. 

The ceiling of the dome

Opposite the entry to the tomb.
On the other side of the crucifix is a church.

     We didn't linger too long at the Army Museum. We had our list of must see things in Paris and the museums don't stay open very late so we had to keep moving. The Rodin Museum was next, home of the famous Thinker sculpture. It was just up the road from the Army Museum. Rodin was an amazing sculpture - his pieces have a real, life-like quality to them. 

In the Garden with the Thinker in the background

Taran thinks with the Thinker

Piper with Rodin's "Head of John the Baptist on a Platter"

This one's called "Despair"
- we decided the figure must be despairing of ever  getting that yoga pose just right.

The kids noticed that all the statues were naked!

The Kiss

Bust of Victor Hugo - he keeps turning up! 

In the museum garden, the bushes sang.
 Taran peeked in several of them but could never find the singers.

     It was almost 6 pm by now and we were all a bit a hungry so we headed to Rue Cler. The whole street is lined with little restaurants and food shops so we picked up a little of this and a little of that and ended up with a feast of rotisserie chicken, cheese, bread, strawberries, and chocolate eclairs for dessert. We walked over to the park beneath the Eiffel Tower and had a picnic.

Walking the streets of Paris

Chocolate eclairs - yummy!

     After that fortifying supper, we set our sights on the Eiffel Tower.

That's it for tonight. Once again, I've run out of time. More tomorrow! = )