One more bite of Paris

September 29, 2022

Power to the people

The Eiffel Tower and Monet's Water Lilies at the Orangerie top our list of ambitions for our last day in Paris. It's a walking and transit day with our friends; we'll be back on the bikes tomorrow.

Terry looks worried when we meet up to take a taxi to the tower. There's a rail strike and cabs are hard time to come by. He's concerned about subway delays as well so we call an Uber.

After an hour or so in line for the tower the word comes down. Nobody is going in the Eiffel Tower today. We don't know if the elevator operators stayed home in solidarity with the striking workers or if they just couldn't get to work, the result is the same. Oh well, it's another reason to come back, and we can still admire the magnificent Tour Eiffel.

What to do now? I had hoped to squeeze in a visit to the Cluny, the National Museum of the Middle Ages. Not only are they open, we arrive with nine minutes left on our 96 hour Paris Museum Pass which covers the admission. Score!

Off with their heads! The Seven Heads of the Kings of Juda, 13th century, were originally on the facade of Notre Dame. They were chopped off during the French Revolution and hidden in a cave in Paris by a loyalist. At the Cluny Museum.

The Lady and the Unicorn at the Cluny, a gorgeous series of six tapestries woven from wool and silk around 1500.

Stepping outside after lunch, something is up, judging from the police officers in riot gear.

We hear drumming and chants and continue to Boulevard St Michel, scene of a labor union protest march for higher wages amid riding inflation. Things are tough all over.

Scene: Labor union strike on Bd St Michel

We're sympathetic to the cause, but it's our last day in Paris and the Curie Museum is open. They have fascinating exhibits about the family that won four Nobel prizes for their discoveries on radioactivity.

Portrait at the Curie Museum of Marie Curie, the only woman to be awarded two Nobel prizes.

Another delight to cap off our afternoon in the Latin Quarter ... as we walk up to the Luxembourg Gardens, the sun comes out. We sit for a spell to take it all in. Pretty great day considering none of it was planned.

Taking in the beauty at the Luxembourg Gardens.

One more Hemingway story... In "A Moveable Feast" he wrote about how hungry he was as a young writer in Paris. As the legend goes, he would bring his son Bumby to the Luxembourg Gardens, catch a pigeon and wring its neck, hide it in the baby stroller and take it home for dinner. Ah, the sacrifices we make for art.

We say farewell to our friends Terry and Mary Fran, experienced voyageurs in France who have made this week extra special, and head back to the apartment to pack.

Such a wonderful week in Paris with Terry and Mary Fran. Au revoir, nos amis!

There's one last bit of business to do before leaving Paris – mailing home a package of things we purchased or shouldn't have brought in the first place (i.e. summer clothing, it's rather cool here). At $50 for postage it's pricey but worth it to lighten our load, make space on the panniers, and reduce the things we have to deal with.

We're ready to move on tomorrow to ride through the Loire Valley and see some of the opulent castles we've been hearing about. I hope it's warmer there.

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