Merrans travels

Arohanui

My daughter Jen sent me a link to the NZ Herald online news site early this morning, and I read with a heavy heart about the eruption on White Island and the tragic loss of life. I am sure that in the days ahead there will be questions and recriminations, as people look for answers and who is to blame. As a New Zealander far from home, and an adventurous traveller, I feel hugely sad reading about this. No one sets out on an adventure, or helps others to experience adventures, for it to end this way. Sometimes the desire to see or experience things outweighs the potential for a risky outcome. It doesn’t make it a bad decision, but in this case it was hugely unlucky. I too have signed waivers acknowledging I accept risks and responsibilities, so there but for the grace of the universe go I.

Lazy Sunday

There are so many things to do on a Sunday in Paris, but I was in the mood to avoid the big crowds and to be outside as much as possible, even though the rain had settled in. A friend in NZ had suggested I go to the bird market (Marche aux Oiseaux), which is on every Sunday on the Ile de la Cite, close to Notre Dame. During the week there is a flower market here, and as well as bunches of flowers you can find rare and expensive orchids. Some are so rare, they are hidden behind curtains and you can only see them on request if you are a serious buyer. But on Sundays, the flower vendors take a break and the bird-sellers move in. It is apparently one of the last remaining street pet markets in Europe, and you can hear the chorus of bird-song from a block away. There is every size and colour of bird you could want here, and every type of cage to house them. And there were serious collectors this morning when I visited, haggling over the price, putting a bird back in its cage because its personality wasn’t up to scratch, before finally settling on the perfect one (or a pair, which would set you back between 40 to 400 euros, depending how rare it is). Maybe 20 minutes walk from the market is the Palais du Luxembourg and the gardens, which cover 25 hectares of land and were created in 1612. Beautiful, even in winter. Then, as it was close and I hadn’t been able to go inside when I saw it a couple of days ago, I went back to the Pantheon. Inside is amazing, decorated with grand paintings, housing Foucault’s pendulum which was installed in 1851 to prove the Earth’s rotation, and underneath in the crypt several important French people are buried, including Voltaire, Alexandre Dumas, Marie Curie, Louis Braille and Antoine de Saint-Exupery who wrote the Little Prince. Walking back home there are Christmas markets in every arrondissement, selling hot wine 🙂 and beignets (like a filled doughnut), roasted chestnuts, and other goodies. I love hot wine so stopped for a cup, and also bought some more socks. With all my walking I have worn out three pairs, so I bought three more. These ones are made of Mongolian Yak wool 🙂 and apparently guaranteed to keep my feet warm and dry. Fingers crossed.

Pyramid scheme

I’m quite taken with the Louvre pyramid, it is really beautiful and not at all out of place amongst the historic stone and marble buildings. I saw a quote from Ming Pei, the architect who designed it, in a museum in Amsterdam, and it came to mind today when I went to line up to go into the Louvre. A dear friend who had supported and cheered him on through the difficult project, had died before it was finished, and in the eulogy he gave he said, “We have created something significantly beautiful, to be seen from the heavens; but I did not expect it would be seen so soon by you”. What he has created is more than beautiful, and he was an architectural genius. Some of the galleries were not open today due to the transport strike and having less available staff, but I covered a lot of ground, thanks mostly to a really helpful blog I found online, with tips to make the most out of your visit. The Louvre has more than 60,000 square metres of floor space, so a plan is recommended! The one I liked (by Luke Slattery from traveller.com.au) outlined a simple route through the maze of corridors to see the big four exhibits (statues of The Winged Nike and Venus de Milo, The Mona Lisa, and Rembrandt’s Bathsheba)in just 15 minutes, plus suggestions on other important pieces to then go and see, and where to find them. I wrote it down and took it with me, and although it took me twice as long to complete my mission, I am quite poor with directions, so I thought that wasn’t too bad 🙂 The rest of the time I followed the suggestions from the blog and saw pretty much everything I wanted to find. The pyramid was the real winner for me though, and worth the entry fee just to see that up close. While I was in the neighbourhood, I wandered up the Champs-Elysees, and bought a ticket to go to the top of the Arc de Triomphe on the way (to save waiting in line). Amazing views from the top, and I loved it! Well worth 12 Euros to go up if you don’t mind a few stairs.

Beating the feet

Yesterday was the first of a multi-day strike by the transport workers in France, which has knocked out most air, rail and bus services. The strike is in protest against planned pension reforms – France has 42+ active unions, each with their own pension rules, and the government wants to move to one scheme for everyone. As with any change proposal, a lot of people are unhappy. Yesterday more than 850,000 people across the country took to the streets in protest, and in Paris 6,000 police were deployed to keep the peace. I happened to be out walking and collecting some food when van after van of armed police in riot gear, with gas masks, rolled past, stopped, and started blocking off the streets. Too many to count. Sacre bleu! I saw in the news later that the protest erupted in violence in some places where other radical groups had infiltrated the march, and tear gas was used, and arrests made. Hence the heavy police presence. Many tourist attractions like the Eiffel tower, Arc de Triomphe, and some of the larger museums were closed because people could not get to work easily, and because police were diverted to support the protest. There is no end date yet for the strike, each side is standing-off in their respective corners. Luckily I am not in a rush to move on, and will see how it plays out later in the month when I need to head for Switzerland (and my white Christmas). In the meantime I am definitely experiencing life as a Parisian 🙂 Today the mood of the city was a lot calmer, although without public transport, the roads are jammed with cars and there are a lot more people out walking. I had planned a quiet morning (washing 🙂 ), and this afternoon ventured out to see Notre Dame, which is now behind a large fence as restoration work has begun. Even though it is damaged, it is an impressive building. Amazing. Around the corner from this is the Sainte-Chapelle, a medieval gothic chapel built by the French kings. Stunning glass windows maybe the prettiest I have seen so far. From there, winding through the Latin quarter, is the Pantheon and other impressive buildings. And some amazing patisseries 🙂 Tomorrow I’m going to the Louvre which will be awesome.

The handsomest dog in the world

With his new Christmas haircut 🙂 Miss you Maximum, mon petit ami xxxx

Who let the dogs out

I was so looking forward to today, because I got to spend 2 hours walking with Juliette and her pack of 13 lovely dogs, through the Bois de Vincennes woodlands, on the eastern edge of Paris. The down-side to my travels is that I miss my own dog a lot, so spending quality time with 13 new four-legged friends was awesome. Juliette has been working as a dog-walker for 7 years, after moving to Paris from Bretagne in the north-west coast of France. She loves being outside every day with her pack, and I think she quite possibly has the best job in the world. It’s another sunny day in Paris, so I walk to our meeting point, at the edge of the woods. When Juliette arrives, the dogs are quivering with excitement for their walk, and they leap out of her van, one after the other, running and barking, and smiling (and cocking their legs 🙂 ). Each dog has their own unique personality and characteristics. Getting to know them, and seeing them bound through the grass and playing together will put a smile on your face that is almost as big as the smile on theirs. This is a unique experience in Paris, available to book through Air BnB. The Bois de Vincennes is the largest public park in the city, created in 1855 by Napoleon III. It is huge, perfect for off-leash dogs to run free, and a peaceful break from the crowds in the city.

This one likes to find balls in the grass, but doesn’t want to share them (just like Max)

Way up high

I have a fear of heights, which I usually only remember when I am up very very high; parachuting, or on cable cars, or ferris wheels. Ladders and moderate heights are ok, it’s just super tall places that freak me out. So I want to knock off the famous Eiffel Tower early in the visit, then it is done. And I have booked a ticket right to the top, 281m above the ground. It is another gorgeous day for a walk in Paris, so I opt for the footpaths rather than the metro, and it is a very pretty walk through the Marais district and then along the Seine. Catching my first glimpse of the tower it doesn’t look so tall! Then I am closer to it, and I see it is quite tall. And it looks as though it is made of pick up sticks. And you can see through it. Eek. 2019 is the 130th anniversary of the tower opening, and it is quite incredible to see in person. Such a simple design, but so beautiful, and elegant. I guess that is the French way, simple ingredients, made beautiful 🙂 When you come here you must buy a ticket online and reserve a time, because the line of people waiting for a ticket is ridiculous. When it is my turn to go, we are ushered into a glass-walled elevator, that shoots up to the second level, mid-way up. With the glass walls, and the see through structure of the tower, it is a bit unnerving, so I shut my eyes. Out on the second level you line up for another elevator to take you to the summit, which is in a much smaller glass-walled lift, and the ride up to the top is longer as it travels up the thinnest part of the tower. The lady next to me asks why I have my eyes shut, so I open one and tell her I don’t like being up high. She is from Australia, and laughs, then jumps up and down a bit and says ‘I guess you won’t be doing this then’. I shut my eye again and silently send her very bad thoughts. Then the lift opens, and you are at the very top of the tower, standing on a platform that is maybe 2 metres wide looking at the sky and the ground that is very far below. The jumping Australian exited to the right with her children, so I head left, and stand with my back against the tower. It is at this moment that my lovely friend Claire from the UK texts to say hullo. “I’m at the top of the Eiffel Tower at the moment and I’m scared of heights”, I tell her. ‘Don’t look down!’ she says. ‘Are you at the top top or just the mid section?’ The top top”, I reply. She sends me a reassuring smiley face and tells me I can’t fall down. So I take some pictures, venturing carefully to the edge, make a full circuit (there’s a small champagne bar up there, but even though I’d quite like a drink, I’d rather head down), so I go back to the elevators instead. I can see the jumping Australian is standing by the edge, jumping up and down again. Sigh. Eyes shut again for the elevator ride down, and then, on the middle section it is more pleasant! So I take my time and get some photos, before I head back to the ground. From the tower it is maybe 30 minutes walk to the Jardin des Tuilleries , which is beautiful, and home to the main Christmas markets this year. Which means there is mulled wine! Next to the gardens is also the Louvre, which I’m visiting on the weekend. So cool to stumble across famous places! I was going to stay in the city and take photos of the tower at night, all lit up, but it is clouding over, so instead I wander home, picking up some asparagus, bread butter and parmesan for dinner – simple ingredients made beautiful 🙂

Following Amélie

I had intended to come to Paris after I had been to Iceland, but at the last minute decided to first visit Scandinavia and northern places before the days became too short (and cold!), and I am glad I did. I have loved my travels so far and being here now in December, the weather is not bad. Today was 7 degrees and sunny, and perfect for wandering. There is likely to be a large transport strike starting here in the next few days, which will cut off the metro/bus/airport indefinitely, but that is fine with me. I like to walk. And it will help off-set my consumption of pastries 🙂 Hopefully it will be resolved by later in the month so I can get to Switzerland in time for Christmas! If not, I will hire a car and drive. I want to spend a few weeks here, experiencing life as a Parisian (albeit not as stylish as I would like). So I have rented an apartment in the Bastille (11th) arrondissement, well out of the centre, in an old building that is oozing with beautiful charm and character. And it’s perfect 🙂 A few steps from my front door are cozy cafes, boulangeries (bakeries), boucheries (butchers), supermarches, and pretty much everything I need, without loads of tourists. I arrived late in the day yesterday so ventured out for food and supplies, and settled into my new temporary home, and UNPACKED my case! What a treat. There are loads of things I want to see and experience here. It’s a vibrant and cool city, and I can already tell I am going to love it.

For my first full day in the city I took myself on a walk around the sights and scenes from the French film Amélie, which is one of my all-time favourites. Set in Paris, it is a whimsical story of a shy and quirky but beautiful waitress, who decides to create joy for people around her. It is such a cool film, guaranteed to make you feel good. Watch it if you can 🙂 A quick Google search unearthed a few different blogs from people who have mapped out a self-guided tour and experiences to re-create. Most of it is set in the gorgeous bohemian Montmartre neighbourhood, which is a must-see anyway. It was so much fun seeing these places in person, and recreating moments from a film I love. Way cooler than just sightseeing 🙂 Soundtrack for today is of course from the film, you can find it on You Tube or Spotify.

Qu’est-ce que c’est?

Even the mannequins are stylish here!

I want to ditch my practical thermal traveler wardrobe and buy new pretty things!! Sigh. Lipstick is cheaper 🙂