Crowd Control

Just like "regular" life, our days have been a combination of accomplishing the basic and necessary tasks of everyday life (e.g., laundry, maintenance) and the "fun stuff" that helps us to become better acquainted with Paris. One of our big challenges has been, and will continue to be, how to best deal with the fact that there are currently hordes of tourists in the city. The post-Covid travel boom is on full display, and as we're not big fans of standing in long lines or getting caught up in throngs of spectators at those "must see" sights, we've made some decisions about what we will and will not attempt during our extended Parisian stay.

The sightseeing boats (this one on the Seine) are packed. We also see this from our
mooring in the Arsenal, as tour boats pass into and out of the St. Martin tunnel several times
a day, most of them loaded with customers. 

A visit to Versailles Palace is "out" for now. It's one of France's biggest attractions, and given the crowds we're seeing in Paris, we can only imagine how horrifically packed it must be at the moment. Maybe we'll get there in the fall before we head back to the U.S. We won't be revisiting the Louvre Museum either. Too popular, too crowded, too likely to drive us crazy. 

What we did do was start our wanderings last Saturday (June 10) at "Breakfast in America", where we know we can satisfy our cravings for a breakfast that isn't just pastry and coffee. The quality isn't quite up there with our St. Pete favorite "City's Bistro", but after seven weeks with no American-style breakfast, it was a real treat for us. The stroll afterward through the historic Marais district was a joy--Paris was just starting to stir in the late morning, and it's an area made for strolling rather than for visiting famous monuments or large museums. It's currently considered an artsy and "hip" area; in the 17th century it was a place of residence for the privileged royalty and upper class.

"Juliette has a gun" is, without doubt, a very strange
name for a shop that sells perfume.

The Library of the History of Paris, in what used to be a 16th 
century mansion. 

One quadrant of the Place des Vosges, originally Place Royale. It
is the oldest planned square in Paris and was built by Henry IV
from 1605-1612.  The square is surrounded by buildings all constructed
to the same design. Each quadrant of the square has a fountain like
the one pictured. The whole package was absolutely beautiful.
It was a great place for people to hang out.

We grabbed our bicycles and decided to see how truly 
bicycle-friendly Paris is these days. We didn't go too far--just north 
of the Place de la Bastille to the Saint Martin Canal. The bike lanes
were great, although between cars, pedestrians, bicycles, and 
scooters, we had a lot to keep track of in order to stay safe. For now,
for a more relaxed experience, we'll probably stick with
 the subway and walking!

Appropos of nothing, French public toilets
near the Canal St. Martin. Not great if you're shy.

In the afternoon we crossed the Sully Bridge into the Latin Quarter (so named because of the schools in the district, and the Latin language taught at many of them in the Middle Ages). It is one of the oldest districts in Paris, which was evident from the many meandering, narrow streets, reminiscent of the layout of medieval towns.

The Place de la Contrescarpe was a popular place for lunch.

The Jardin des Plantes botanical garden has existed for nearly
400 years. They say that they have 10,000 wild and cultivated
 specimens. Also on the grounds of the park are the National
 Museum of Natural History and a zoological garden.

The Latin Quarter is a popular place with tourists. It's
possible to find quiet streets, but Rue de la Huchette
isn't one of them.

Now here's a quiet street! And lovely buildings, too.

The Pantheon. Built during the later part of the 18th century
to be a church, it wasn't completed until after the French Revolution
had started, and the National Constituent Assembly voted to 
transform it into a mausoleum for the remains of distinguished
French citizens. Twice in the 19th century it served as a church, 
but after 1881 its exclusive use has been as a mausoleum. Among
those interred there are author Victor Hugo, Nobel laureate physicists
Marie and Pierre Curie, and most recently, performer Josephine Baker.

Luxembourg Palace and Gardens. The park adjacent to
the palace is a beloved gathering spot. Built in 1625, the palace 
was a royal residence before it became a prison during the French
Revolution. It is currently the seat of the French Senate. 

After walking nearly 10 miles on Saturday (and some of that was steps!), we decided to take a more relaxed pace on Sunday. In the morning we wandered through the large market set up just north of the Place de la Bastille (markets every Thursday and Sunday). 

The market was huge. Lots of produce stands (although most
things you could find in the grocery store for a similar price), as
well as meats, fish, and specialty products like honey (above).

In the late afternoon we wandered back into the Marais neighborhood to the Church of Saint Paul-Saint Louis to attend a free organ-voice recital. It was just OK, and we took advantage of a disruption outdoors about 40 minutes into the concert to make our exit.

The interior of the Church of Saint Paul-Saint Louis.

The outside "disruption" was an environmental demonstration,
complete with a group singing songs that could be heard inside
the church. The crowd outside was appreciative, but not
the car drivers or bus riders, as the street was effectively blocked.

A 10-minute metro ride on Monday afternoon (No. 1 line direct from the Bastille station--convenient!) took us nearly to the entry gate to the Chateau de Vincennes. This fortified royal residence began as a hunting lodge in the 12th century. Charles V (1364-1380) completed much of the work on the large keep, and then surrounded it and the manor (which existed in the 13th and 14th centuries but was destroyed starting in the 17th C) with a protective wall. He died before the chapel--if something that large can be called a chapel--was completed. The chateau served as a prison from the 15th through the 19th centuries (one of its "guests" was the Marquis de Sade) and was a place of refuge for French monarchs during the 16th and 17th centuries, but was abandoned as a royal residence when Louis XIV decided to settle in Versailles in the late 1600's. From that point it became a major arsenal.

The Germans occupied the chateau in WWII. The complex sustained major damage in 1944, when the retreating Germans set off explosives in three areas of munitions storage. 

The chatelet in front, and the tall keep, where Charles V had a residence, in the background. At 50 meters high, it is the tallest medieval keep in France. 

View from the observation level of the chatelet toward Sainte-Chapelle, the Holy Chapel.

The classical pavilions (buildings to the right and left) are 17th century additions
ordered built by Louis XIV.

The story of our time in France, on this day as well as many
others. 70 steps to get up to the balcony level in the chapel;
I have no idea how many other steps we conquered in the numerous
circular staircases we climbed that day. In case there's any
doubt, those are Lon's lovely legs in the background.

Lon on the 1st level entry to the keep. When the
 keep was built, this was the only way in.

The ceiling in Sainte-Chapelle. 

"Tree of Life" art installation in the Holy Chapel.
The photo doesn't do it justice. It had small lights
throughout, and over 100,000 hand-sewn leaves.

View of the chatelet, which formed the main entrance to the
keep. We were permitted to climb to the terrace (just to the
left of the small tower) for a great view over the chateau grounds.

All-in-all, it was a great place to visit. The only crowds we encountered were several groups of schoolchildren, and their itineraries did not impede anyone who was doing the "regular" visit. If there were a magic formula for touristic visits, this was it: easy to get to, interesting historical site, and no crowds. Too bad we couldn't quite duplicate the "total package" the next day.