Evelyne, did you meet someone in Paris that you’re not telling us about? Funny you should ask. I did meet some wonderfully fascinating people and I’m going to leave it at that.
Arriving very late (11 PM), I had booked a hotel very close to Gare de Lyon. Super modern with an iPad to control all the lights, the blinds, the temperature, and the general mood of the room. I instantly missed the cozy hotel rooms I’d had on previous visits. But for the late arrival and early departure I had planned this was perfect.
So, what was on the agenda?
I wasn’t able to get tickets to the Catabombes last time. They sell out quickly and are only put online 7 days in advance. That’s where I headed first. It was meant to be raining and I thought the Catacombes were a great place to be.
Well … let’s start at the beginning. There were lines for the earliest timeslot (earlier than mine) when I got there. Since I’d learned that getting there super early for your timeslot is basically a waste of time, I sat on a bench in the sun for a bit and people watched. I also ate the pain aux raisin I’d bought at the corner bakery right outside the train station. The guy who sold it to me was shocked I didn’t want coffee to go with it. Apparently, having your morning croissant and pain aux raisins without coffee is not something people do. It was delicious either way.
I passed a sign that said tickets were sold out for the day when I got in line. Next came the bag and security check before heading down into the unknown. There were audio guides in several languages. I’m not a fan of audio guides myself, but people seemed to enjoy them.
When you get down below, you’re first told some of the history and where they got all those bones from (surrounding cemeteries for instance). I skipped ahead of everybody from my timeslot at this point. I just wanted to see the bones.
It was below Paris in a dark and narrow tunnel that I was glad I’d worked through my fear of walking through tunnels up on the Gotthard Pass last summer. Taking a train through one that’s 20 mins long – now that’s still a different story.
Anyway, where was I? Ah, yes – bones. I had read that there were millions of them, but – do you have any idea what millions of bones look and feel like? And by feel I don’t mean that I touched them. That was not allowed. I mean that being surrounded by millions of bones feels weird.
Some of them were arranged in patterns and there were some sayings in Latin and/or French. As I said it felt weird. I had entered at around 10.15 and was out the other side at 10.48. It’s not that I didn’t like it or didn’t find it wort visiting – I just had a reaction to all those bones.
Please note if you are visiting: you don’t exit at the same place you enter. So, if you have people waiting for you, make sure they know that and allow extra time to walk back. Your bags will be checked when you exit. No stealing bones! The gift shop is really nice, but I was only at the start of my day and didn’t feel like carrying a souvenir around with me. A skull to dump the contents of my pockets into at the end of the day would have been super cool though.
Next order of business was riding the metro in the wrong direction to a stop called “Barbara”. That’s my baby sister’s name and I thought it was funny. Pretty decent station too. Of course, I hopped right back on a train going the other direction and didn’t exit. I love my sister, but not enough to “waste” 2.15 Euros.
The plan had been to go to the Arc de Triomphe next, but my tickets got cancelled the night before. There was some event. It’s in the small print that they might cancel at short notice. I got tickets for Saturday instead.
But now I was debating what to do. I was going to hunt down the six statues of liberty that are spread around Paris. And since it was bright and sunny instead of raining, I headed to the one on an island close to the Eiffel Tower. I was looking forward to a nice walk.
On the way there I did something I tend to do. I noticed where everybody got off the metro and saw that there was some kind of tower, and it was marked in brown. That’s the sign of a tourist attraction. I googled the name and saw that it was the tower that was that absolute eyesore that completely spoiled the view of Paris looking down from Sacre Cœur. So, of course I decided to get a ticket for later that day. There was a viewing platform and everything. Also, it’s the only place in Paris where you have a view that does not include the ugliness that is this building.
First, I headed out to that statue of liberty close to the Eiffel Tower. It’s on an island in the middle of the Seine called Île aux Cygnes. This translates to swan island. It’s a pretty little walk from Bir-Hakeim metro station. And here’s a bit of history for you. The Statue of Liberty in New York was given to the United States by France to celebrate the centennial of US Independence. Now the one on Île aux Cygnes was in turn given to the city of Paris by the “Communauté Parisienne des États-Unis d’Amérique” to commemorate the centennial of the Statue of Liberty in New York. I wonder what’s gonna be done for the next centennial.
I had some time left before I needed to head to the Tour Montparnasse. I figured I might as well track down the next Statue of Liberty. That one was in the Jardin du Luxembourg. It’s a replica of the model used by the sculpture Auguste Bartholdi when he designed the Statue of Liberty. On the way to the Jardin du Luxembourg, I happened to walk past a language museum. Unfortunately, it was closed on Fridays, but I did make a mental note of wanting to go there the next day.
There are no coincidences – I know, but the fact that I walked up that little alley instead of the main road was unplanned. When I arrived at the park I took a bunch of picture of the statue and sat down for a bit, soaking up the sun wondering if the weather forecast for Paris is always this unreliable.
I have a question for you – what do you do if you’re looking for a quick lunch and you’re in the Jardin du Luxembourg area?
I’ll tell you in Part 2.
I love the Statue of Liberty standing on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. I have had a love affair with New York City for decades. The optics with NYC skyline and this neoclassical sculpture symbolizing freedom are magical.
Glad you got to visit the other statues. Sounds like an amazing trip.
The bones in a catacomb, I’d have been out of there quickly. What was the reason for stacking all those skulls there?
Just burial or other significance? The Statues of Liberty are all beautiful. Surprised Paris has six and we have only one. I like the torch and tablet with inscription the best. The meaning these days is a little hypocritical considering our border “complaints.” The criticisms of immigrants are way overblown as these refugees have to live somewhere. OK, not the fentanyl mules or dealers. But so many are innocents with no place to go. I feel badly for them and now they are political fodder which exacerbates the situation. Looking forward to next installment. From HOT, 🥵, terrible air quality SC, USA. 😘🕊️