Wine tasting and too many museums

I feel like I have walked the length and breadth of Paris. Sunday I went to Notre Dame and then visited the Deportation Memorial. It is extremely sad but a beautiful memorial. 

Next I wandered to the Île St Louis (happier spots) and walked down its main street. I bought a few chocolates from Cacao et Chocolat (very tasty). In the afternoon I headed back to Notre Dame to meet up for a free tour of the Latin Quarter - very interesting. I had earlier been totally lost in the same area when I turned down a small street and veered off to another street and then – help, where’s the map? Informative and fun. We went past the Sorbonne, Pantheon and Saint Julien le Pauvre church. The tour gave me lots of ideas for private walks. The gardens, parks and squares are strange here, for example, the Tuileries and most big parks are gravel with a few trees etc, whereas the squares have a bit of green grass. 

Then I had a late lunch on Sunday - a salad Perigord style. It had foie gras and duck and was incredibly tasty but I could feel my arteries clogging up.

On Monday I went to the Carrousel du Louvre to buy my museum pass, which was really worthwhile having. It saved me a long of time queuing and also some money. Then I went to a wine and cheese tasting at O Chateau, which was absolutely fabulous. The tasting room was downstairs in a small cave-like area set up with tables and chairs. We had 2 whites, 2 reds and a champagne to taste, as well as five different cheeses, some meats and bread. There was an excellent chevre and also a camembert. My fellow participants were mostly Americans but Canada, Australia and Singapore were also represented. Very interesting talk and the wines and cheeses were fantastic.

Yesterday I walked a million kilometres - I had walked from my apartment on the left bank to the Louvre (about 10 minutes away) through the Tuileries to Place de la Concorde and then to Place de la Madeleine and went into Église de la Madeleine. 

After this I decided to try to find the Île des Cygnes. About 1½ hours later I finally got there. I walked right to the end to see the Statue of Liberty but unfortunately she was facing the wrong way, that is, away from me. 

So I trudged back towards the Eiffel Tower, thinking I would do the touristy thing and climb it, but it was closed due to strike action; the first time in its history. The metro and schools are also closed. So after a brief chat with some of the strikers I staggered across the road and paid to catch the batobus back home – and it was well worth it. I caught the batobus to St Germain des Pres and went home to tidy up. Then I returned to the stop and hopped on again. Later, I used the same ticket to go to Hotel de Ville on the right bank and wandered around the Marais for a couple of hours. I visited the Carnavalet museum, which is dedicated to the history of Paris, but unfortunately quite a few of the exhibits were closed. I walked up to Place des Vosges and then headed back to the river, hoping to take the batobus further but it had finished for the day. So, I had a kir and nibbles - baby olives and nuts – at a nice little roadside café. I went for dinner at Le Procope; very smart little restaurant. I had coquilles St Jacques (extremely tasty but very small dish and I was starving so had to fill up on bread).

This morning I had a coffee at the famous Deux Magots and then I headed to Musée d'Orsay - only the ground floor of the museum was open, due to strike action - but I managed to see some decent art and after that I walked to Musée de l'Orangerie and saw the wonderful Monet paintings - they were truly amazing and absolutely huge. I thought about visiting the Louvre but was too tired so after enjoying a chicken and salad roll at the Tuileries, I headed home. I planned to see Ste Chapelle this afternoon but it was closed. The Conciergerie is totally closed, so luckily I didn't really want to see that. However, I did visit the Hôtel Dieu, the public hospital, on Île de la Cité. Absolutely ancient building but gorgeous and with the most stunning garden. I went in and headed to the garden where I took some photos before heading down to the Île St Louis again, trying to find a recommended place for hot chocolate, well I did find it but it is closed for renovations, what a nuisance.

I’ve just been to the Cluny museum with its beautiful Lady with the Unicorn tapestries. It was extremely interesting but soooo hot in the museum that I couldn’t stay long.  Today I have been to Ste Chapelle - very beautiful but the main altar is under restoration. The stained glass windows are stunning. 

I next headed off to the Pantheon - wow! what a building. I saw Foucault's pendulum (well a copy thereof) and then went down to the crypt - scary - as in there are hundreds of passageways, was a bit nervous I would never find my way out again. So many famous people are buried down there including St-Exupery (The Little Prince) but couldn't find his grave. The Pantheon is simply amazing.

The first few days were very warm but now the winter chill is setting in. I find it difficult as the museums, shops, restaurants and bars are overheated but it is extremely chilly outside. I have my coat on most of the time and my scarf and I am buttoned up tight. I have been wandering the streets quite late a night and there always seem to be plenty of people around, in fact, the place is quite crowded. I would hate to be here in summer I can imagine that you could hardly move. From here I am heading to the Luxembourg gardens and hoping to find a nice spot in the sun. Everything is quite expensive but I just pretend that E6 is $6 and ignore the price - there is a nice fruit market near me and last night I bought some blueberries, figs and an apple so I had that for dinner with some bread I had bought earlier. Tonight I will dine out - but will be trying to find somewhere a bit cheaper in the St Michel area.