Paris Day 3

Paris Day 3

Wednesday 9 September
09-09-09

Yep 090909 promised to be a big day with a lot more to digest. And the first observation to be shared is that Sacre Coeur is on top of a hill, overlooking Paris and visible from most parts of Paris, a beacon for Catholics & Christians alike - but within cooee down its slopes is a thriving sex industry (“hey madam, women may enter for free” was the common cry from spruikers touting for business) which compares to St Kilda and Kings Cross Sydney(another yin yang thing I guess and a paradox - why does that happen?). And our accommodation was in the heart of this activity but so were many families and young children all living cheek to jowl in this full on, in your face city.

Eventually Mary and I headed off. Michael and Karol had got an early start on us. Getting off Concord station was another Wow experience as we walked down the Jardin De Tuileries with the Eiffel Tower at our back and a Gold Tipped needle obelisk ( the Tuileries is a big outdoor sculpture park and garden) and the Le Louvre before us. We had an agenda to see the Da Vinci,Tintoretto, Titian, and Watteau which we quickly knocked off our list, with the bonus of seeing Michaelangelo’s Slaves sculpted and held captive in the marble stone, Ruben’s room of maybe 16 huge canvases which were an ode to opulence and baroque grandeur and amazing sculptures including a sphinx, Venus de Milo, a a wild boar, and representations of countries held captive by France when it ruled the seas.

But the highlight was the building itself – which was an attempt to capture the idea that it could house the best of human kind creations over the ages and of course it has failed and all that has survived is what the rich have collected and maintained – but what a magnifique failure. We then had our ham and cheese baguette to give us some sustenance to conquer the Musee De Orsay, and after a stroll through a room full of Cezannes and another room of Monets and another room of Degas and another room of Van Goghs and a wonderful sculpture in marble of a boy crying out in surprise and pain? clutching his foot with a big ant on it we decided to have afternnon tea and a slice of lovely of raspberry tart of course!

Then back to the apartment for a G&Ts and lovely home cooked dinner with Michael and Karol – all Tres Bon! After which we journeyed to the Eiffel Tower, which was a WOW sight all lit up , when we spotted it from our train carriage. But it only gets bigger and better and vindicates Mary’s love - bordering on obsession with sparkling glowing things. Because suddenly the Eiffel Tower went off like a bunch of firecrackers and dazzled us with a display of sparkling flashing lights which left us speechless and waiting an hour for the next show.