We flew into CDG airport, then took a train (or two?) into Paris, like we did in 2011.
Gare de Lyon, Paris, France
Here, we have arrived at a station near our hotel.
Cynthia chose this station because we will depart from the same station in two days to go south. The district around the hotel had plenty of things to see while we acclimated.
So, next we go out onto the street...
Boulevard Diderot (outside the train station)
Paris is crazy. The scale boggles my mind - buildings, people, time, history everywhere you turn. There are miles of avenues with seemingly generic mixed-use residential buildings. Churches and parks are squeezed in everywhere.
Two-wheeled electric scooters (Lime, etc) all over the place. Car drivers do not want to yield to peds in crosswalks, even when they have Red. Frigging motorcycles going too fast. It's amazing people aren’t killed. Way more bike lanes than our visit 8 years ago.. more than Portland!
Horns honking all the time on the street!
(I think they've clamped down on the scooters since our visit.)
Bercy Village
We checked into the hotel, and then set out for adventure. We headed to Bercy Village.. a converted wine warehouse area (Les Nains de Bercy, Paris, France). Small units are now shops and restaurants.
Bercy Village
In that warehouse district, some units had magic / fun venues. There were a dozen busts above the street on each unit.
Who are these guys?
JFK and Jackie were up there but no photo here.
Ronnie RayGun
We stayed for dinner. We heard people taking turns playing a piano in one of the Passages.
Night Crossing
After dinner, before crossing back over the Seine, I noticed a set of ~two dozen statues lining the Quay. Research in 2023 says they are "Infants of the World", or LES ENFANTS DU MONDE
[LINK].
We re-crossed the Seine and checked out the national library - entrance shown here. Quite a place for locals to hang out and practice rapping and dance moves.
Bibliothèque Nationale France.
Then back to the hotel, where a skate boarder was banging after at midnight till I finally yelled out the window in my best French he was a F-ing idiot! Then came the delivery trucks with their banging hydraulic lifts, and the garbage truck... a daily haul in the City of Lots of Garbage.
Rue Cremieux
Next morning we visited the nearby Rue Cremieux. It had houses for 35 workers (dairymen or Laitiers). The houses were developed in 1857, now updated and charming. Now historic.
No 23. Flying bird with shadow.
No. 29. Normal Decor. Narrow doors!
No 21. Vine painted on.
Each one was delightfully different.
Closed for Renovations!
We tried to visit Victor Hugo museum... closed for renovations.
Victor Hugo Museum
Then over to Carnavalet, closed for renovation!
Carnavalet
Betty Shelley suggests Musee des Arts et Metiers
[LINK]
Pascal recommends:
"You should try the Musée de la Vie Romantique. Sweet little place."
Speaking of closed for renovations, we went to pay our respect to Notre Dame Paris.. sad scene...
From outside a construction wall to the north.
From the Left? bank of the Seine.
Wooden trusses stabilizing flying buttresses?
OCT 1 - Picasso Museum
Due to the aforementioned renovations, we chose Picasso!
The museum is just too much.
Could this be a Woman??
I tried to paint something like these once. LOL
I didn't know Picasso did ceramics. (Did you?)
End of the Paris Commencement!
We have adjusted to being in France, and the different time zone. We are ready to go to the train station in the morning and get out of Paris! Go back to the 2019 France Trip page and continue from there.
