A weekend of tourism

This weekend was a whirlwind of tourism. Tina and I made for very good tourists in my opinion and hit almost all of the major Paris sites in one, fast-paced (but not stressful), weekend. She arrived from Hamburg on Friday around noon where I met up with her at the airport. CDG is a much bigger airport than I realized when I arrived here. It is also teeming with military personnel holding very large guns. It seemed unnecessary to me and left me feeling uncomfortable. Regardless, Tina's plane arrived on time and we were quickly on our way back to my place to drop her stuff off.

When we got to my place, I went to see about getting an extra bed for my room. I had requested, and paid for, an extra bed two days before she arrived. However, the lovely Etats-Unis administration did not get around to getting me a bed. So, I met with them again on Friday and they assured us that a bed would be in my room by the time we got home in the evening. 

We left for the Sacré-Coeur de Montmartre where we spent the afternoon. The Sacré-Coeur is a stunning, gypsum-laced cathedral built in the early 1900s on one of the tallest hills in Paris. It was built after the Prussian army laid seige to the city as a way to petition for mercy and forgiveness from God for the sins that he was evidently punishing them for. Apparently, since its completion in 1919, there has continuously been at least one person in the church praying for "Christ to be understanding of the world's sins" (Rick Steve's guidebook).

The Sacré-Coeur on a beautiful, clear day.

The cathedral was built in a somewhat seedy part of town that produced several famous artists including Salvador Dali, Maurice Utrillo, Picasso, Renoir, and others. It is also home to Cabaret and the Moulin Rouge. Both my coworkers and my guidebook warned me to avoid a nearby area called Barbès. However, Tina and I immediately found ourselves there after accidentally passing the road we were supposed to turn on. I actually didn't feel uncomfortable there at all. It was much less seedy than parts of San Francisco. I mean, I certainly wouldn't go around flashing a Rolex or an iphone, but it seemed like a fine place to go if you want to buy really cheap clothes or shoes.

We couldn't have asked for better weather. It was hot and very clear. The view from the Sacré-Coeur was phenomenal. 

View from the Sacré-Coeur.

There are many neat little places up by the Sacré-Coeur where famous artists used to live and where present-day, unheard of artists sell their wares. It's a quaint, and hilly area that makes for a nice walk.

After that tourism success, we stopped into a grocery store and bought fruit, cheese, and wine for a picnic. We stopped by a bakery to get a croissant and a baguette to go along with it, then we headed off to the Eiffel Tower for a romantic sunset picnic.

Picnic by the Eiffel Tower.

 We had a lovely picnic and waited for the sun to go down so we could watch the tower sparkle. It doesn't sparkle until the sky is dark and only for 5 minutes at the top of the hour. Since we are in the heart of summer, the sun doesn't set until after 10pm, so the tower didn't sparkle until 11:00. Although we were getting a bit chilly as we waited for the show, we both thought that it was worth it. Beautiful!

Sparkly!

We then went back to my place and found that they still hadn't brought an extra bed. The guy at the front desk assured us that we would have an extra bed the next day. We were unconvinced, but nodded and suffered through a cramped night in my tiny twin-sized bed. 

On Saturday, we woke up early, like the dutiful tourists we are, to go to Versailles. Versailles began as a hunting lodge and a Royal escape from the bustle of Parisian life. King Louis XIV loved the place and decided to turn it into a Palace during his reign. The people of France loved King Louis XIV and it seemed that the King also quite loved King Louis XIV. He thought of himself as the Sun King and likened himself to Apollo, the god of the Sun. The palace looks like it was dipped in a vat of gold. The glistening facade gives the impression that you are walking toward the sun - especially on a hot summer day. 

Versailles!

We knew that the Chateau would be packed since it was a warm Saturday in July, so we amused ourselves in the terrifyingly long security line by reading the guide book. I love my guide book. It is awesome. Thanks again Rick Steves!

The interior is as ornate as I could imagine. Evidently, the King was a big proponent of living in the public. He thought it was his duty to show the French how one should be properly French. He was always hosting parties and events, and the Chateau was open to everyone, including peasants. At this point, France was a cultural powerhouse in Europe and everyone looked to them to learn how to dress, eat, and party - and the French looked to the Sun King.  

Opulent interior of the chateau.

We also visited the gardens and the houses of Marie Antoinette. Oh my goodness it is after midnight and I've only reached the gardens of Versailles. I'm going to stop here and spread out the weekend events over the next few posts. I'll pick up here tomorrow.

For now, goodnight!