Getting a taxi in the evening is extremely difficult in Paris. We ended up giving on the Champs Élysées and taking the subway at 11:30 pm.
Earlier in the evening, as we were leaving the Eiffel Tower, Martha didn't even try for a cab. She secured one of those motorcycle rickshaws and the four of us crammed in, the three ladies in the open seat in the back with me squeezed in the front with the driver. Here's the very short video I took at the backseat as we began careening away.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Getting mooned along the Seine
Missed most of it. You can see them lifted their draws.
-- Post From My iPhone
-- Post From My iPhone
Location:Port de Suffren,Paris,France
Yet Another Paris Church
Another Church, just blocks from St. Roch, has pretty poor curb appeal, but an impressive interior. Don't even know the names of the church, but clearly the church serves the Polish community.
-- Post From My iPhone
-- Post From My iPhone
Mass at St. Roch's
I split off from the girls, who wanted to shop, to do some random sightseeing. I thought it might nice to find a church, since I slept in and missed morning Mass. Using google maps, I learned the closest church was the Church of St. Roch, right in the heart of the shopping area of Paris.
From the outside, it did not look promising. Homeless people on the steps with trash scattered about. I wasn't even sure it was open.
Turned to be a beautiful church on the inside. Huge murals over the many altars. It was uoriginally built in 1209, but the current structure appears to have been built in 1653. Typical of Europe that this amazing site is barely worth mentioning in tourist material.
Just as I arrived I noted the telltale signs of people rushing by me to the front of the church behind the main altar. Sure enough, Mass was about to begin.
-- Post From My iPhone
From the outside, it did not look promising. Homeless people on the steps with trash scattered about. I wasn't even sure it was open.
Turned to be a beautiful church on the inside. Huge murals over the many altars. It was uoriginally built in 1209, but the current structure appears to have been built in 1653. Typical of Europe that this amazing site is barely worth mentioning in tourist material.
Just as I arrived I noted the telltale signs of people rushing by me to the front of the church behind the main altar. Sure enough, Mass was about to begin.
-- Post From My iPhone
Location:Place du Carrousel,Paris,France
Paris Gardening Store
Went shopping today in a very unique gardening store. A little "high end," kind of like the old Smith and Hawkin. But what was truly unusual was the collection of stuffed animals on the second floor, everything from small rabbits to loons and tigers and bears. They even had a giraffe and a baby zebra. All formerly live animals. Prices ran up to tens of thousands of euros. Pretty creepy stuff. Picture of just one of multiple rooms below
-- Post From My iPhone
-- Post From My iPhone
Location:Rue du Bac,Paris,France
A Rainy Day in Paris
At the corner of Rue Dauphine and Rue de L'Ancienne Comedie.
-- Post From My iPhone
-- Post From My iPhone
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Brunch at the Odeon
We returned to the Odeon for Sunday bunch. Scrambled eggs and bacon. It's chilly but sunny. Going to the catacombs. Apparently, not for the claustrophobic. Martha is anxious.
-- Post From My iPhone
-- Post From My iPhone
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Paris - Mass at Notre Dame Cathedral
Notre Dame is very similar to the Washington Cathedral. Of course, it's probably the other way around.
Mass was held in the front section with the congregation seated on either side of the altar.
It was a pleasant way to begin our first full day in Paris.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Back to Berlin....Without my luggage
The first change I noticed from my last visit was how expeditious the arrival process was. We had a layover in Munich where we showed our passport. But there were no customs declarations forms to fill out. Just show the passport and move right on through. Berlin was even more expeditious, actually too expeditious. We just followed the crowd off the plane, expecting to be herded to some large immigration line, followed by a customs line. In so doing, we walked right past baggage claim and the next thing we knew we were outside security without our luggage. Uh oh. I knew that couldn't be good. Going back through the exist would probably have caused them to shut down the whole airport.
Sure enough, we had to go to a special office at the other end of the airport. After about an hour wait, we were told that our luggage didn't arrive anyway. Over to another office at another end of the airport. To my relief, they told me that the luggage was in Munich. Didn't make the connection, but would be delivered to the hotel in the evening. And that's the situation, as it exists. Hope they are right.
Thanks to an unbelievably organized wife, I had a change of close in my carry on, so no stress.....yet.
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