15 April 2007
A quiet Sunday and a walk around the Ile de Cite. We are getting quite adept at using the Metro as getting to the Ile de Cite took two different trains. As a general rule, you should never have to make more than two changes to get anyplace on the Metro.

When we got to the Ile de Cite, we were astonished at the odd noises we heard. We walked over to the Seine and realised that along its banks were thousands of runners. It is the day of the Paris Marathon and we heard that there were 30,000 competitors. In the square by the Metro station is an open-air plant and flower market. They also have a bird market and the sound of the singing is quite cheerful although we didn't hear any Kookaburras!
Much to our surprise there was no queue for Ste Chapelle so we took the opportunity to visit that remarkable building. Designed and built between 1242 and 1248 to house the relics of Christ's Passion, especially the crown of thorns, the possession of which put France in the forefront of Latin Christendom. It is a beautiful and unusual building with absolutely fabulous stained glass windows.
We continued to wander along the banks of the island and through its pretty squares ending up as one inevitably does at Notre Dame. It being a Sunday, we saw a Mass in process; a sight not easily forgotten. What was astonishing was that the Cathedral remained open to tourists even as the Mass took place and people continued wandering around, talking and taking pictures as if nothing was happening. We found that a bit disconcerting.

As one enters and leaves Notre Dame one is faced with beggars, usually ill or disfigured. We wondered if begging there had some special symbolism, such as a hope of a miraculous cure. We certainly felt more inclined to give to them than to the beggars in the Metro, some of whom are very young and appear very fit. On the trains, of course, you are trapped by the beggars and "musicians" who enter the carriage and hope to be rewarded for their efforts. Some are very good and all are polite and non-threatening although Bruce, the old grouch, says he feels like he is trapped and being held to ransom.

We find there is a tendency to overdo the sightseeing, but we now have settled into a "one major thing" per day routine. Of course, how much one tries to fit in depends on one's time in Paris. I am sure if we had only three or four days we would be going to the point of exhaustion. When we were in the Orangerie a few days ago we overhead a woman from New Zealand telling her daughter that the secret of enjoying all of the wonderful things that Paris had to offer was "Restraint." She was right.

Virginia starts school tomorrow and Bruce will be exploring Paris on his own for at least half-a-day every weekday. Clutching his Carte Orange, he will be visiting galleries and museums (albeit with restraint) and will be reporting on it in future messages on the blog.
A bientot