We finally made it back to Paris

October 29, 2016

We finally made it back to Paris

Bayeux turned out to be a small city and the older part of town, where we were staying, was a fun place to explore. That area was filled with small little lanes and cobblestone streets. There was even a canal with a waterwheel running through the middle. Very charming.

On Wednesday, we took a bus out to the American Cemetery and Omaha Beach. There is a large visitor center with all kinds of nicely displayed information on D-Day and the importance it had for the French and the Allies. They have done a nice job of giving personal examples of the soldiers who were involved.

The cemetery is a beautiful site that is laid out perfectly and well-maintained. There are around 9,400 people buried there, including some unknowns and some civilians. It overlooks Omaha Beach and is a peaceful, quiet, contemplative place. I can’t imagine what it must have like for the young men who were coming in to fight that day. Fear of the unknown and death were no doubt on their minds. Sobering.

After spending time in the cemetery, we walked over to where there are remains of German bunkers which we walked through and then hiked down the hill to the beach. The tide was out, just like on D-Day, so you could imagine what it was like as the soldiers were coming in on the boats and the Germans were firing down from on top of the hill. Fear must have gripped them.

We were glad that we visited the site because it was a reminder of how important D-Day was for the beginning of the end of WWII. Neither of our parents or any family members were in the military, so we never were raised listening to war stories. It gave us a new perspective.

We made it to Paris and to our Airbnb on Thursday without a problem. After we checked-in, we went down to see Notre Dame, which is beautiful. We walked along the Seine for, what seemed forever, walked by the Louvre, and saw the Eiffel Tower lit up, from a distance. By this time, my knees and legs were calling, so we headed for home. The place we are staying is very close to trains and metro stops so it’s convenient to travel around. There are also plenty of shops, etc. to buy food, or anything, for that matter.

Yesterday, was another day of walking all over Paris. We went down to Notre Dame where we had missed the Deportation Memorial, close by. It deals with the 200,000 French victims of the Nazi concentration camps. Another sobering, simple and tasteful presentation.
Then, we started a Rick Steves’ walk in that area of Paris. It took us to some interesting places, one being one of the few English bookstores in Paris, Shakespeare and Company. It is very tiny, old, jampacked with books, and so quirky and delightful. We loved it! The only sad thing, was that no picture taking is allowed inside, so our memories will just have to do, which is a little scary.
We sauntered over to the old medieval part of town, where the homes are skinny and out of shape, and the streets narrow. They call it the Latin Quarter today, but there is more of a visible Greek influence. It was fun. In a nearby church, where we stopped, someone was practicing the pipe organ, and was good, so that was a plus.

We made several more stops during the day, including Sainte Chapelle where the stained- glass windows are breathtakingly beautiful, the Conciergerie, where prisoners were held before being beheaded in the Revolution, Marie Antionette, included. Our evening climaxed with a visit to the Eiffel Tower. We got there during the evening hours, when the lights came on. It was beautiful! We finally arrived home, having added more miles to our ever-growing list.

Today, we went out to Versailles, toured through the chateau, and skipped the gardens, since it is pretty much the end of the season, other than the layout. All I can say about that place is, it is extravagance overload. To me, it is almost sickening. It made the chateaux in the Loire Valley we visited, seem like pauper’s homes. Go figure. No wonder there was a revolution.

After leaving there, we ended our day at the Musee d’Orsay, which is housed in an old railway station which is a fascinating structure. We walked all over, viewing some of our favorite paintings from the periods of Realism and Impressionism, and more. It was art overload, but interesting.

Tomorrow, it’s more art at the Louvre and other Parisian sights. I’ll try and get one more blog post in before we leave. We’ll see. It’s been a great trip, so far!