Today we tackled the Metro

Our plans for today included our first trip on the Metro, it’s not as scary as you might think!!!!

After a breakfast of cheese and croissants we were off and running, well walking really but with a definite spring in our step. First a quick stop at our local internet café to check on news from home and send a few emails, then we headed on foot towards the Boulevard de Sebastapol where the road crosses the River Seine onto the Islé De La Cité. Before crossing this busy road onto the bridge there were buildings and monuments that had to be photographed and of course those beautiful Parisian doors that I have been snapping ad hoc!

Michael outside our friendly Internet Café

Yet another Paris door

The Tour St Jaques

 The first thing we spotted just before the river on our left was a tall highly decorated tower, that we mistook for a church. This is the Tour St Jacques in the square of the same name. Carvings of Saintly figures and mythical and real animals covered it from top to foot and it stood out brilliantly against the blue sky. Oh yes I forgot to mention we started the day with a brilliant blue sky and sun, what a day! You wouldn’t be dead for quids! On our right and directly opposite the bridge was another knock out sight, a tall column with four black sphinx at its base and a golden angel at its tip holding what looked like two golden wreathes in outstretched hands. I think this is the Edouard Fontainé Column. Looking to our right along the Siene we could see on the skyline a dome and on closer inspection a little further on the distinctive silhouette of the Eiffel Tower, a photo was necessary, just in case we don’t actually get to see the Tower at closer range. At least we can say we’ve seen it!

The Edouard Fontainé Column

The Column is topped with a Golden angel

Across the road to the river’s edge we looked over to an old building with two round fairytale-like towers at its centre, facing us. The building is a mix of architectural styles ranging from the thirteenth to the twentieth centuries, but what faced us just looked ancient, it is The Conciergerie, Palais de la Cité. We had made ourselves a schedule for today and a visit inside this wasn’t included, but that’s because we didn’t know it existed!  There was a queue of only 8 or 10 people. We discussed it briefly and decided that the queue for Notre Dame would probably be really long and we would both be content just to see the outside of it anyway and viewing inside this building could be time better spent than standing in the Notre Dame queue. Decision made, we paid the entrance fee and in we went. Apparently this building was the first residence of the kings of France in Paris. It later became a prison, described as death’s waiting room during the Revolution. Marie Antoinette was incarcerated here and there is a recreation of her cell on view. There is also a very impressive display of many of the movies, costumes and sets that have been made within these walls.

Looking along the river to the Eiffel Tower

The fairytale-like towers of the Conciergerie

Inside the Conciergerie

Film costume for Joan of Arc worn by Ingrid Bergman

We moved on outside into the Boulevade du Palais, along the walls to large black iron fence and gated area richly decorated in gold, there was a queue that doubled back on itself, this was, I believe part of the Palace of Justice and Sainte Chappelle, We could see the spire of Sainte Chappelle above the  Palace roofs. We kept moving towards Notre Dame, passing restaurants and sma;;er sandwhich bars along the way. Time for lunch! Today we had French fast food, the Formule menu (the French equivalent of a meal deal!) was 7 Euros 90 and consisted of a baguette of your choice, a desert of your choice and coffee.

The first sight of Notre Dame is breathtaking, having seen photos and films it is of course, easily recognisable and as expected the crowds were enormous, we’d already decided not to go in, by now the sun had gone and the air was a little chilly. We walked around the outside taking photos and oohing and ahhing as some familiar gargoyles glared down at us from on high. The front facade has three arched entrances, with the queue being channelled through the centre one. The saints, kings and other figures that are represented on this front façade are beyond belief, animals, workers, children and others support or watch over the more important statues. We walked right around the whole perimeter, there is something new on every inch of it! Always looking up, there are, among the gargoyles, spires of black with vertigris figures beside them depicting little tableaux of a religious bent.

First sighting of Notre Dame

One of the doorways into Nortre Dame, not open for tourist entry

Creatures of all sorts adorn the outside of the church

One of the more famous creatures that look down upon the  crowds below

After many photos and a change of batteries for the camera, we left the Ile De La Cite for the left bank and St Michelle, here we caught the Metro for Peré la Chaise with a change at Reaumur Sebastopol, to visit the Cimetiere Du Peré la Chaise, the largest cemetery in Paris and probably one of the most famous in the world. There are many famous people buried here. The family crypts are like little outhouses, some highly decorated. Many have wrought iron doors, through which you can sometimes see stained glass windows on their back walls. There are also some very large mausoleums. Modern graves nestle among ancient ones, it is still a working cemetery. We chose a few famous graves we would like to see and set out to track them down with the aid of our guide map collected at the entrance.

Entrance to the Metro at St Michel

Jim Morrison's grave

Family tombs, like little out-houses

 Jim Morrison was the first on our list. It was not an easy map to follow, but the crowd gathered at his grave eventually led us to it! The grave is covered in all manner of offerings, flowers and candles mostly. There is a tree nearby that has inscriptions and messages to him scribbled or carved all over it. Next we tracked down Edith Piaf’s grave, a family grave, also hard to find, it is quite new looking and well kept, of black stone, granite, I think but maybe marble. There is a crucifix on top and a small urn for flowers inscribed in gold with her initials. On the way to Piaf’s grave we passed the path leading to it and found ourselves in a part of the cemetery that had monuments to victims of the Holocaust there were many, honouring people who lost their lives at the different death camps. The last grave we sought was that of the artist/sculptor, Modigliani, also found when we spotted a guide talking to some people in what we thought was the general area of his burial. The grave was mossy in places and had remnants of flowers and a paper maché bust vaguely in the sculptor’s style, it was quite moving, it stood in the shelter of a large bush that obscured it from the path.

There were many monuments dedicated to victims of the Holocaust

Edith Piaf's family grave

Artist Modigliani's resting place.

It was getting cold as we made our way from deep inside the cemetery to a gate and out onto the street, maybe 200metres from where we had entered, which was directly opposite the Metro entrance. We had been walking all day and with the encroaching cold my hips had started to nag! It was a slow walk to the Metro and once inside we had stairs to descend. The station we returned to was Sentier which is near our local shops and then just a short walk to our flat. We called at the supermarket for some supplies for dinner, then home. Another full day and around 300 photographs!!!!