Day 9, 11-28-24: Did we wake up on the boat?
Oh my goodness what a day! We were all packed and ready in just twenty minutes. Breakfast, long goodbyes and off we went at 8 am. I was determined to tell the driver that I’d love for him to make two stops. We wanted to go to the hotel and drop off our luggage, have him wait, and then take us to St. Chappell. My French was terrible but the taxi driver almost had it when Johnny asked the Viking rep to help out. The Viking guy said no, I was having too much fun. Then the driver repeated it all back and we were good to go. Once we were on our way though, Johnny looked up St. Chapelle. It was a 5-minute walk from our hotel. I made the correction with the driver who seemed to understand completely.
It was indeed a short walk and such a glorious way to start the day. We bought the museum pass yesterday and it worked. That was glorious. And then after the great disappointment last week, to actually get in! November is a terrific month if you don’t mind wearing fuzzy. hats, gloves, boots, and big jackets. There are some tourists, but not many. It all makes a difference. St. Chapelle is one of the most gorgeous examples of Flamboyant Medieval architecture in Europe. There are thousands of tiny windows, each with biblical pictures on them each towering above our heads. This was a private chapel, which makes it all the more powerful. It was meant to house a collection of relics, the greatest of which was the crown of thorns (now at Notre Dame). But that aside, it’s the stained glass that’s absolutely breathtaking.
So what would we do next? I suggested the Cluny Museum, just south of our hotel (thank you Martin and Lori for suggesting the most perfect hotel in the best location in all of Paris!!) The Cluny Museum is where the unicorn tapestries are. They’ve redone the museum since Katie and I were last here, but the tapestries remain so influential. They seem to be a direct influence on C.S. Lewis, “The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe” and Frank Baum’s, “The Wizard of Oz.” The imagination and colors are so free and so French. We loved every minute.
Back at the hotel, we rested for an hour before heading out again! This time by bus to meet Sally and Jean-Max, who live here. What delightful people and such artistic lives!! We loved our pre-party and our fabulous dinner. Wow. Because it was Thanksgiving, I did make them wear the Turkey hats, though. Good idea? It’s late. Goodnight
Heads from Notre Dame taken at the time of the Revolution, but not by guillotine.
size, each depicting a different scene.
Even though we were hungry, we opted to go directly to the Musee d’Orsay. We activated our Metro passes and off we went—one stop. Okay, a waste of money, but not much. Lunch was under the gigantic clock on the 5th floor and right next to the Impressionist Exhibit hall. Perfect. This was our destination! We soaked it in picture by picture, then went looking for more. The 5th floor was our place. We looked around a bit more, but by this time of day, we were starting to fade. In the lobby, we had a family meeting. If we were ever going to see the rest of the Egyptian exhibit at the Louvre, it would have to be today. The exhibit was closed on Friday. Since it was close by, that is what we did. But the Louvre is large and even getting inside takes 10,000 steps! We did it and we saw the best of the best, but we were also tired.
Back in the room, we rested for an hour before heading out again! This time by bus to meet Sally and Jean-Max, who live here. What delightful people and such artistic lives!! We loved our pre-party and our fabulous dinner. Wow. Because it was Thanksgiving, I did make them wear the Turkey hats, though. Good idea? Bon nuit!