It is very fast ... but the weather has been violent in the south. There were heavy downpours, we stopped. There had been a mudslide on the tracks ahead of us, and a fire. Arrived Paris 2.5 hours late, but in time to enjoy a delicious dinner with new friends. Thank you Sarah and Karsten!
My plane home Sunday was cancelled, as was the next possibility, on Tuesday. Paris is full of stranded travelers, and so are the hotels, and taxis, and bistros. Except for some frustrating searches for an affordable hotel (which worked out in the end perfectly) and some frustrating time trying to reach Air France (useless) I have been walking the city, looking, stopping, eating, walking, sitting in parks, eating. And attending concerts in the evening.
There are only a few images to share with you, the broken camera has stayed in my hotel.
Sometimes people disparagingly call the center of Paris a museum, but people jog, sunbathe, fish here.
And at least one independent bookstore has a line. Hope I wasn't the only one buying books.
A lovely park at the tip of Isle de la Cite
With boats moored just across from it
Spent half a day in the Louvre, enjoying its collection of 15-16th c. Dutch painting. That's a Vermeer ... and the halls are empty. Guess the crowd is at the Mona Lisa.
Ever wondered how they keep the pyramid clean?
And from above
I do have a plane ticket, for Thursday, and if everyone does what they are supposed to, will be home tomorrow.
Thank you ... every one of you ... for reading!
NEXT POST
Lucky girl, I love Vermeer!
ReplyDeleteLucky is the right word and I think it often!
DeleteYou are certainly having an adventure, though whether it was quite what you would have liked is a different matter. I am glad that the weather was at least kind to you when you got to Paris. I hope that you get home on your revised schedule without more excitements.
ReplyDeleteHi Tom,
DeleteAm reading this from home ... the flights were quiet and uneventful, just what one wants in an airplane trip. It was the first time I was in Paris when sunny and warm ... a lovely treat!
So glad everything is alright. Love that you had a chance to explore Paris. The photos are still great, broken camera or not. Can't wait to hear all about the adventure. Miss you.
ReplyDeleteEverything is fine, and the time in Paris felt in some ways like suspended time .... see you Tuesday!
DeleteOh, I somehow figured you'd be home by now, but forgot about that endless strike! I'm very happy you had the chance to meet Sarah and Karsten. I'll be seeing them tomorrow in Olargues, by the way. Troubles when traveling can be frustrating, but it does make for great blogging!
ReplyDeletePlese tell Sarah and Karsten hi from me. It was very very and some more fun getting to meet them! Am now home ... via Icelandic. Coincidentally, AF flight 338 (same number, different day) landed just ahead of my plane today, so they must be back at work.
DeleteHi Suze
ReplyDeleteIt's Sarah here in Olargues, planning what to feed Gerry tonight ;). It was very fun to meet you too, so glad we were able to manage despite les intemperies, strikes, and conflicting bike tour schedules. And glad you finally made it back home, relatively unscathed.
I have never seen such a long line outside Shakespeare & Co before! Nor have I ever seen those little window washing robots working on the pyramids before. Clever.
Wish I was there, have fun. Ahhh, now I am back to saying that! Really, in the bigger scheme of things I am totally unscathed, there were a few minor nuisances, but really it was a gift to have unexpected, unscheduled time to wander your beautiful city. What a pleasure!
DeleteIt does indeed sound like you are having an (unexpected) adventure, and Paris is certainly a great spot for it. These images bring back wonderful memories for me, especially Shakespeare & Co., where I have vivid recollections of poetry readings some years back.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely that you can find the upside to the inconvenience. (That is so much harder for some to do than others.)