Going Home

October 4

We had arranged with Peter, the taxi driver, to pick us up at 9:30.  Our flight would only leave at 1:30, but the drive out to Heathrow, especially during the morning rush, can take quite some time.

Peter was there early, and called from outside the building at about 9:10!  We were ready for him, but it took a couple of trips down the elevator to bring all the suitcases and then do a final check through the apartment to make sure all the lights were off and the iPhone was left charging on the counter.

We got quite a tour leaving London as we were on the east side. There is no ring road in London, so we travelled along the river, past Buckingham Palace and the London Eye on our way out. We found out that Peter and his wife live 90 minutes outside of London, near Brighton. He drives into London every day for work! He owns his own cab, and his wife is his "guv'nor". We arrived at Heathrow in oodles of time, arriving about 10:30.

I had checked us in on-line the night before, but before checking our bags I headed over to the tax refund line. You have to get a customs stamp first and then line up for the refund.   While you are supposed to be able to get the VAT back on goods (20%), few shops offer the correct forms and then the exchange company takes an administration fee.  However, as I had purchased a tapestry at Hampton Court, I would be able to receive a refund of £42 ($65).  April guarded the large suitcases and I took my carry-on with the tapestry to the refund line-up. You have to be able to produce the item(s) if asked.  After about 20 minutes in line, I hadn't moved an inch and there were probably 50 people in front of me, all looking like there were expecting large refunds.  I noticed that carry-on items could refunded past security, so I went back to where April was sitting and got our boarding passes and luggage tags.

It was a slow go through security and April’s bag was set aside for searching.  One woman was there with wine and she was drinking it rather than throw it away! When the guard finally got to April’s bag, it was discovered that she had a small tube of toothpaste that hadn't been taken out of the bag.  No problem once that was discovered and we were free to go.

The VAT refund line up was a lot smaller on this side of security, so April sat down for a coffee and I went and got the custom stamp and then applied for the refund. Although it was a short line-up, I was behind a tour group from China and they had considerable language challenges in processing their requests. However,  I was able to get through in 15 minutes or so, far faster than it would have taken on the other side of security.

Heathrow is huge, and so they only announce gate numbers about 45 minutes before departure. As well, there are notes as to whether you will need 10, 20, or 30 minutes to walk to your gate from the duty free and food court area!  Luckily we were at a relatively close gate.

The plane left exactly when scheduled, but it was probably 25% empty. The flight was smooth, and we flew over Iceland, Greenland, and then northern Canada.  A woman seated across the aisle from us had come from India and was going to a conference at the University of Calgary business school. She had to fly from northern India to Mumbai, Mumbai to London, and then London to Calgary.  She would arrive on October 4th and then was leaving on the 7^th! I can’t imagine how terrible her jet lag would be.

Getting through customs was easy. I had given April some receipts as I was probably $100 over the limit, but they never questioned the balances or asked to see anything.  April’s customs officer asked her what she had bought.  Mine, once he heard I had been over to Paris, asked if I had brought back any French cheeses or foie gras! I can’t imagine a lot of people would bring cheese or foie gras back, but it must be a problem.

Ray picked us up outside arrivals and they dropped me off at my place before heading out to Fairmont for the long weekend.

The trip to London and Paris was fantastic. Yes, we had some challenges with the apartment in Paris, but it gave us a taste of how life is for Parisians. The museum and transit passes were great time savers and the subway systems in both London and Paris are unbelievable efficient. Listening to choral evensong in the Chapel Royal in Hampton Court, sitting in the audience as Simon Callow became Charles Dickens, sharing a table with strangers at Le Chartier, eating at a Jamie Oliver restaurant - all these were wonderful unplanned adventures.

We have lots of great pictures and memories. When I got home, I got another lovely surprise. When I was putting my 20€ mustard jar from the Saturday morning flea market in Paris into the china cabinet, I turned it over and saw “Baccarat Depose”. I then looked up Baccarat mustard jars and much to my surprise, here was my jar:

http://www.google.ca/imgres?hl=en&biw=1366&bih=643&tbm=isch&tbnid=XTFeWiXVn7q4BM:&imgrefurl=http://www.lamidesarts.fr/SUPERB-BACCARAT-CRYSTAL-Mustard-pot-spoon&docid=bS1es69AuLslZM&itg=1&imgurl=http://www.lamidesarts.fr/WebRoot/ce_fr/Shops/167248/MediaGallery/photos/1109/10/0720_028.jpg&w=580&h=760&ei=2oJwUNeTF-mSiAKbpYCQDw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=382&sig=111107158614087863143&page=1&tbnh=152&tbnw=113&start=0&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0,i:71&tx=33&ty=93

I thought it was cool enough to be able to say that I had picked it up in a flea market in Paris.  Now I can say I picked up this piece of Baccarat at a flea market in Paris!

I have to thank April and Ray for the wonderful trip. Thanks to Ray for giving April a trip to Paris for their anniversary and thanks to April for thinking of bringing me along! We had lots of great adventures, ate wonderful foods, drank many glasses of wine and walked enough to wear off all the calories.

À bientôt!

Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey

October 3

We were up and out early (for us) to ensure we got to Buckingham Palace in plenty of time to pick up our tickets for our 10:15 entry. That meant getting on the Tube around 9. You couldn't imagine the numbers of people all walking very quickly and all, apparently, going in the exact opposite direction we needed to get to. Once we got on the train, it wasn't too crowded, but the walk through the station was the most bewildering I've ever encountered.

One of the transit workers told us to go to Green Park for Buckingham Palace, so that’s where we headed. We discovered that the Green Park station is across from the Ritz and is at the edge of Hyde Park. We walked through Hyde Park to get to the Palace, and it was a lovely respite after the congestion of the Tube.

Hyde Park

April at the gates

Picking our tickets up with no problem, we then had about 45 minutes before our 10:15 ticket time. The timed entry was for the Queen’s Gallery. This Gallery typically shows paintings from the Queen’s collection, but at this time the entire gallery was devoted to the anatomical drawings of Leonardo Da Vinci.  I love Leonardo, but there are only so many drawings of muscles, tendons, hearts, and skulls that you can look at!

When we were done at the Queen’s Gallery, we headed toward the line-up for the state apartments.  We were concerned that it would take a long time to enter, but discovered that our “Royal Day Out” tickets allowed us to enter at any time, so in we went, ahead of everyone queued up!

Buckingham Palace

The tour through the Palace state rooms was amazing. We weren't allowed to take any pictures, but we saw the Throne Room, the East Gallery, West Gallery, Ballroom, Music Room, Great Hall, the Blue and White Staterooms, and the State Dining Room, among others. The paintings in the East Gallery were exquisite and I was thrilled to see Vermeer’s Music Lesson on display. That makes five Vermeers that I have seen on this trip. 

Once the tour was over, we had a sandwich and latte in the café overlooking the Queen’s gardens. We then headed out of the Palace grounds on our way to Westminster Abbey. It is amazing how quiet it was in the Palace gardens, just over the wall from the roar of London traffic.

Once out of the Palace, we headed up to the nearest intersection to try and determine where the nearest Tube station was. April decided to ask a bus driver who told us his bus went that way. On we got! April sat beside a woman who noticed our Buckingham Palace bags, and she was happy to share her thoughts on the royal family when April asked. She said she didn't mind the Queen, but didn't think the taxpayers should be paying all the rest of the dukes and earls and whatever.  Thanks to the advice from another woman on the bus, we knew when to get off for Westminster Abbey.

We arrived at the Abbey around 1:15 and April noticed that the verger tour was scheduled to start at 1:30, so we bought tickets.  The tour lasted more than 90 minutes – by far the best deal for 3 pounds that London has to offer! He brought us all around the Abbey, showing us the most famous graves and memorials, as well as bringing us into the private areas (for example, we went behind the altar where William and Kate went to sign their marriage certificate). We saw the area dedicated to science (Darwin and Faraday), that of musicians (Purcell and Elgar among many others), and of course Poet’s corner. When the tour was over, we headed to the Cellarium, the café now situated where the monks used to keep their stores of food and drink.

We were getting pretty tuckered out by now, but I had to find a carry-on bag to help reduce the weight of my suitcase and hold my purchases. Off we went, looking for Trafalgar Square with the help of the iPhone. We walked along Whitehall, past 10 Downing Street, and saw the Horse Guards building. After checking a number of stores, I finally found one that had a bag I hoped I could use.

Big Ben

Back on to the Tube – this time tired from a long day of trudging around, laden with purchases and it was 5 PM – rush hour again!  Fortunately the Tube wasn't as crowded as it can be, though we weren’t sure I would be able to get off at Bank station as I was pinned in by so many.  Nevertheless, “Pardon me”, “Excuse me”, and “Sorry” – and I was out!

Back at the apartment came the hard work – figuring out what we had bought and if it would fall under the $800 per person limit.  At first I was concerned that I was way over, but then I checked the exchange rates and I had been over-estimating the exchange impact.  I still needed to ask April if I could use some of her allowance, but between the two of us, we’ll be fine.

I called the driver who had picked us up from St.Pancras train station on last Saturday and he will pick us up tomorrow at 9:30 for the trip to Heathrow and the flight home.  It has been a wonderful vacation, with wonderful sites, excellent food, and 5 Vermeers!!!

The Globe Theatre and the Tower of London

October 2

We had a slow start to the day, but eventually headed out for the Globe.  The guidebook said the nearest Tube station was London Bridge, but we had quite a walk to find it. In the tourist areas there are maps which show the directions to what’s within a 5 minute walk from where you are, but we found the first map quite some time after we started walking, and the Globe was still 13 minutes away!

With the help of another woman who was as lost as we were, we eventually found our way to the Globe. There was a large crowd along the Thames but we thought we would try and get in for the tour. Luckily we made the 12:00 tour, one of the last of the day as they have afternoon performances of The Taming of the Shrew in the theatre.

The Globe

Our guide was Glennis and she had apparently been affiliated with the Globe for quite some time. We entered the Globe and first sat in the lowest section of the seats. This was followed by a time in the standing room only section in front of the stage (under the open roof). The people who stood here paid a penny to watch the show and were called the groundlings or penny-stinkards. To sit in the lowest benches cost two pennies. To sit higher up and on a cushion, you paid three pennies. Royalty would pay six pennies to sit behind above and behind the stage. They couldn’t see much of the play, but one went to the play to hear it – and to be seen.

The pennies collected were put in a clay box and when it was full, it was broken open and the proceeds shared with the owners and actors. This is the origin of the term box office.

This reconstructed Globe holds 1,500 viewers – 500 in the groundling area and 1,000 in the benches. However, while the reconstructed Globe is exactly the same size as the original, in Shakespeare’s day they would fit 3,000 in per performance. The reason was that people were smaller. Imagine how crowded it was with 3,000 viewers who would bathe only once or twice a year (at Christmas and at Easter, if it weren’t too cold).

View of the groundlings from the 2 penny seats

Performances were only held in the afternoon from 2 to 4. People wanted to get back over the river before dark and before the gates to London were closed at 6 PM.  There was a flag at the top of the theatre. It the flag was flying, there was a performance. No flag on the mast meant there would be no performance that day, usually because of plague.

After our tour of the Globe, we had lunch at the Swan, which is right beside the Globe.

Tower Bridge

We then headed out to the Tower of London. Rather than walk across the Millennium Bridge to Blackfriars’ Tube station, we decided to take a river boat.  The Tower was only two river stops from the Globe. When we went on the boat (around 2 PM), the tide was coming in and the river was very high.

Next: the Tower of London.  I went into the torture exhibit. It seems that torture as a method of exacting information was only used during the time of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary, Elizabeth, through to James I; approximately 100 years. In that 100 years, about 80 people were tortured throughout England, mainly for crimes like burglary or treason. More than half were tortured in the Tower. The main methods of torture were the rack and the scavenger’s daughter, where the body was folded in on itself.

Traitors' Gate

We saw Traitors’ Gate, where occupants would arrive at the Tower from the Thames. We also viewed the Crown Jewels.

After all this walking, we were pretty beat, so headed back to the flat for a couple of hours’ rest. Around eight PM we headed out to Ye Olde Watling, a 17^th century pub that is a few minutes from the flat. The pub was made from old ships’ timbers and is best known as the office of Christopher Wren when he was working on the building of St. Paul’s.

Our local pub

Tomorrow, the State Rooms, Mews, and Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey.

National Gallery, British Museum and a West End Play

October 1

It rained all night and was still raining this morning when I headed out. April stayed back at the flat while I would start my day at the National Gallery.  I took the Tube to Leicester Square and walked down Charing Cross to Trafalgar Square.

Trafalgar Square in the rain

I spent the next two hours walking through most of the rooms. I followed the guide the Gallery hands out identifying the 10 paintings you should look at if you only have an hour.  I don’t know how anyone could do it in the hour as the placement of the rooms could be confusing (at least to me), and I never did find the Caravaggio!

I did, however, recognize many of the pictures as I had watched a 24 lecture series on the Gallery and many of the paintings were discussed in detail. 

The Gallery has two Vermeers, and there were two on display, but one, The Guitar Player, is on a short term loan while Kentwood House is being remodelled.  Typically there are two versions of A Young Woman Standing at a Virginal, but there was only one there today.

After a couple of hours, I headed back out into the rain to go to the British Museum. The Museum is a fair distance from the nearest Tube station, Holburn.  It was easy to find as there was a lot of signage to point you in the right direction as you went along.  It was now about 1:45 and I had only had a couple of pieces of toast for breakfast and I was getting very hungry.

I went into the Museum Tavern, a grade 2 building across from the Museum, and had a delicious lunch of bangers and mash. Once fortified, I headed into the Museum. 

Museum Tavern

Rosetta Stone

Again, I just aimed to hit the high points due to time constraints. The famous Reading Room is now used for special exhibits.  The Rosetta Stone was constantly encircled by people.

Elgin Marbles

The Elgin Marbles were displayed in a large room, though they weren't referred to as the Marbles, but rather as “pieces from the Parthenon”.

I also saw the remains of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, which was one of the Wonders of the Ancient World. 

The Standard of Ur, was surprisingly small.

The Lewis chessman, from the 12^th century, were incredibly intricate.

The museum itself was a wonder, with great mosaics and sculpture everywhere you looked.

While the signage was very good going from the Tube station to the British Museum, there wasn't comparable signage to trace one’s way back to the Tube! Thank goodness for the iPhone that the company that rented the flat gave us to use. I just located the Holburn station on the map and the phone would let me know if I was walking closer and further away from my destination.

As it was now 3 PM, I headed back to the flat, with very sore feet from all the walking.  A quick constitutional cup of tea and April and I headed out to Tesco’s. Thanks to Google, we knew to take Lothbury to Old Jewry Lane and through the Lane down to Poultry / Cheapside. We picked up some yogurt and bread for breakfast and some replacement pasta for the penne we had eaten the night before.

We headed back to the flat and got ready to go out.  We took the Tube to the Embankment station and started looking for the Playhouse Theatre. It was just around the corner from the Tube and when we got there (around 5:45), the box office was open. I had ordered the tickets on-line when we were in Paris, but I only needed to give her my name and we had the tickets.

As we still had 1.5 hours until the show, we went for dinner. April had chestnut and mushroom soup, which she found quite bland. I ordered fish and chips (again), but they continue to be good, but not great.  For dessert, I ordered a passion fruit pavlova that was delicious. We walked back along Craven Street and noticed a number of plaques on the buildings. Herman Melville, Heinrich Heine, and Benjamin Franklin had all lived here in these Georgian buildings.

We headed back to the theatre and were there about 6:55.  The show was a one-man presentation of the Mystery of Charles Dickens, performed by Simon Callow.  It only started a couple of weeks ago, but we were surprised to see the theatre (very small to begin with), was only half full.

Callow was excellent, sometimes narrating information about Dickens’ life, sometimes playing the characters. The show started at 7:30 and was over by 9:30, and we headed back by Tube.

Lothbury exit at Bank Tube station

It was another great day in London.  I think we are going to try and take in St. Paul’s, the Tower, and the Globe tomorrow.

Hampton Court

September 30

We needed to pick up our London Passes this morning and the spot didn't open until 10 AM. We took the Tube to Leicester Square and then followed the instructions to the redemption centre, passing the Garrick Theatre, among others.

The passes would give us entry to museums and transit anywhere as far as Windsor, after 9:30 AM. After picking up the passes, we got back on the Tube and headed for Waterloo station. The trains to Hampton Court leave on the hour and on the half, so we didn't have too long to wait before the next train showed up. It was quite crowded for the 30 minute ride to Hampton Court.

We spent the next six hours of so going through all the sections of Hampton Court. The palace was constructed by Cardinal Wolsey, but ten years after its completion, Wolsey had to turn it over to Henry when he was unable to get a divorce for Henry from Katherine of Aragon.

Hampton Court

Great Hall

We started off in Henry’s kitchens where they showed how the meals were prepared during the time of Henry VIII. We then went through his apartments, including the Great Hall, with tapestries that cost as much as Henry’s naval fleet. We were told that carvers worked through the nights to finish the ceilings in time for the wedding of Henry and Anne Boleyn.

We had lunch in the Privy Kitchen Café, where April had a sausage in a bun, but I had a King’s beef and ale pie. The food was great.

Privy Kitchen

We then toured the section that was completed in the time of William and Mary who commissioned Christopher Wren to rebuild the palace. We toured William III’s Apartments and the Georgian Private Apartments. The original plan was to demolish everything except the Great Hall, but there wasn't enough money for this. Grinling Gibbons carved the elaborate fireplaces throughout these rooms.

We were able to see the special exhibit, The Wild, The Beautiful, and the Damned. These were the paintings of the women of the court of Charles II and today was the last day of the exhibit. Various court beauties, in dress of the day, dressed as Greek goddesses, or not dressed at all, were painted by the likes of Peter Lely.  These pictures were often for the King’s personal rooms. 

Queen's Staircase

Candle Sconces

As it was Sunday, services were being held in the Chapel Royal. The chapel is in very much the same state as when Henry VIII lived there and has been in continuous use for more than 450 years. We were able to sit in on the Choral Evensong service at 3:30. We actually got to sit in the pews right behind the choir, women on one side of the chapel, men on the other. Among other hymns, they sang the Magnificat in C http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUWKSTysnpg and Nunc dimittis in C http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsnBDU0RTNM, both by Sanford, and Howell’s Like as the hart http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmtsuJvp7YU.

Wren Fountain

After the services, we walked back to the station and the train was there, waiting for us! We were back at Waterloo station about 5:45.  We then decided we would have dinner at Ye Olde Watling, built in the 17^th century from ships’ timbers. Unfortunately, all the pubs and restaurants in the area were closed, being Sunday night in the commercial district. With no little grocery shops open either; we went back to the flat, reconciled to having tea and toast. We decided to help ourselves to some of the pasta from the flat owners' pantry, which we would reimburse once we found a Marks & Spencers or Tesco’s. It was pretty bland as there was no sauce, but it filled us up.  Hardly the Jamie Oliver delicacies from the previous night!

Tomorrow April is going to stay around the flat and I am heading out for a marathon art gallery day – National Gallery for sure, and perhaps Tate Britain and the Wallace Collection as well. I have to be back to the flat around 4 or 4:30 as we have tickets for Simon Callow’s one man play, The Mystery of Charles Dickens, at the Playhouse Theatre. 

Lothbury

Lothbury

September 29^th

We packed up our bags in the morning and then noticed that there was a flea market that had set up on the street.  Once we were packed, we headed down to check out the flea market and to get some breakfast.

It was still early for Parisians (10 AM) and the stalls were just being set out. April purchased a lovely candle holder and then we spotted a table with what appeared to be antiques.  I ended up purchasing a crystal mustard pot, supposedly from 1920. I was afraid of carrying anything so fragile, but the owner extolled the virtues of bubble wrap, and I was convinced.

We then went over to the Café Madeline Bastille which was right beside our building and had a continental breakfast of orange juice, tartin (half a baguette sliced lengthwise, slathered in butter and covered with jam), and coffee.

We then went to collect our bags, lock up and get a cab to Gare du Nord. We were a little worried about how long it would take to flag a cab. We had always seen lots of cabs, but they always seemed to be occupied.  Anyway I bet that we would flag a cab in less than 30 minutes, which April was pessimistic and thought we would be more than 30 minutes and might need to get the café to call one for us.  As luck would have it, we were able to flag one down in less than 10 minutes.  That, of course, meant we were at Gare du Nord around 11:45 for a train that left at 14:13.  We sat in the station watching the announcement board and its constantly flipping letters as trains departed and the others moved up the list.

Boarding the Eurostar was uneventful and, like on our trip from London to Paris, our coach was just as the end of the ramp to the gate, and so we were some of the first to board the coach. 

We arrived at 3:30 London time and then went to get a cab to our apartment.  The queue for cabs was very long and it probably took 20 minutes before we got a cab. The driver was very friendly and agreed to pick us up Thursday morning to take us to Heathrow.

When we arrived at 7 Lothbury, Jen, the greeter from onefinestay, was at the front door.  The apartment building, and flat #9, are magnificent! In Paris we were living like regular Parisians, but in London we are living like royalty. The ceilings must be 20 feet high and have the original carvings from when the building was the Overseas Bankers club. The owners must be very artistic as there are antiques and beautiful art pieces through out the apartment.

Onefinestay arranged everything for us.  We received an iPhone for our use while we are here, and it is programmed with information on what’s around us, what restaurants the owners recommend, etc. If we have any questions, we just press their icon and they’ll help. For example, we couldn't figure out how to turn off the lights in the main area, so I send a text. A while later they told us exactly where the controls were.

Onefinestay also had a welcome kit with cereals, tea and cookies for us to help us settle in before we could get groceries.

By this time (5:30ish) we were getting hungry and so looked up the owner’s recommendations for restaurants.  It turned out that Jamie Oliver’s new restaurant Barbecoa was only 3 minutes away.  We decided to walk over on the off chance that we could get in.  I was sure they would laugh at the suggestion, but when we went in we were told they could take us, as long as we were done by 7:30.

We had a great supper.  Both April and I had the barbeque ribs, which came with watercress and champs, which we found out was mashed potatoes with onion. We also ordered a bread platter, which came with home-made naan, crusty bread and a dark rye.  For dessert we shared the lemon meringue pie.

We walked back to the flat and have settled in for the night. Tomorrow we have to go to Leicester Square to pick up our London passes and we’ll then head out to Hampton Court.

Scandales

Parisian Scandals

September 29

Now that we are safely back in England, we can post about our Parisian scandals.

We arrived on Saturday at our rental and were very surprised at how small it was.  The apartment was as described in the website, but I was shocked when we saw how small it really was. The owner wasn't able to meet us and there was a Vietnamese housekeeper who let us in.  Her English wasn't very good, but we were able to communicate.  When I asked where the kitchen was, she did surprise us when she opened a closet door. It was about a metre wide and 1.5 metres deep. It included cupboards, sink, 2 burner stove, microwave, kettle, espresso maker, dishes etc.

Things settled down for a while, until later in the evening when we were pulling out the sofa bed.  Like most adventures in Europe, it didn't work quite like we expected and there was a lot of tugging and pulling involved.  Anyway, when we got it pulled out, I saw “something” out of the corner of my eye under the mattress.  It looked like a folded up 20 euro bill.  When I looked closer, I could see that it wasn't money and there were several small packages.  Looking closer, I could see pictures of dead mice on the packages and the phrase “raticide”.

To say that I was upset, would put it mildly.  Here it was Saturday night. We couldn't contact the rental agency until Monday.  I couldn't stay there.  I emailed the flat’s owner and I emailed the agency. The situation was totally unacceptable and we needed alternate arrangements immediately.

I looked on-line through all the hotel booking sites, desperately looking for a hotel.  Now nervous, I only wanted chain hotels I knew of.

Well, it didn't matter, as there were no hotels available for Saturday night.  The cheapest places would be at least 2,300 euros (over $3,000) for the rest of the week.  Hotels like Best Western, even if there were rooms, would be over 3,000 euros ($4,000).

I didn't know what to do, but I didn't want to stay there. I texted Katherine and she suggested AirBandB.  She spent hours looking at sites for me and sending along the links. She even contacted one owner, pleading our case.  We spent the night with the lights on and me, at least, “resting” with one eye open.

Sunday morning was spent emailing AirBandB owners, hoping for a response. The first AirBandB owner answered back that her flat wouldn't be available until Wednesday. No one else even replied.

The owner of the flat we were renting called and explained to us that this was a preventative action and that there were no mice or rats. She told me everyone puts it out in Paris and they pay a fumigator to come and put it out 3 times a year. 

I was still a little leery, but what could I do? We had paid for the flat and there weren't any hotels anyway.

Monday we went to the Louvre and when we returned after supper, there was an email from the rental agency saying they were very sorry but it is a very busy time for Paris and they had no other options for me. 

Around 8 PM, the owner’s son-on-law phoned. He was supposed to come over to pick up the rest of the rent.  He was obviously American and again confirmed that this use of poison as a preventative is very common and nothing to worry about.

He came over around 9:30 that night and was a lovely man. He has his Ph. D and teaches Business Ethics at the American University in Paris. He helped us with a number of things.  The toilet seat was broken when we got there. He thought it was a loose nut, but the hinge was broken on one side and he would have to buy a new one.

We hadn't had hot water since we were there and he had us check the breaker and it was off. I turned the breaker back on and the water heater started up.

When he was checking the toilet seat, I noticed water dripping beside the toilet.  There had not been water dripping before.  He looked at it and said it looked like they had installed a new meter and hadn't installed it properly. I was wondering if turning the breaker on had caused the issue as we hadn't seen any water before. He said he didn’t think that would have anything to do with it.

He immediately called for a plumber and said one would come the next day. We put a pot under the drip and had to empty it every 2-3 hours.

The next morning I received a called from the owner. She was furious. We had caused a scandale about the raticide and ruined her reputation with Paris Attitude. As well, we now had broken the plumbing and there was a flood on the floors beneath us, causing another scandale.  I kept telling her that I told Paris Attitude that she and her son-in-law had explained the raticide was a preventative measure and that we were satisfied with the situation.  I told her that we had not seen a drop of water until last night and had wiped it up and put a pot under the drip. 

She could not be calmed down.  Over and over, a scandale. Eight years of renting and she’s never had any drama with tenants except once before with some Chinese, and now two scandales with us!  Oh dear, we were being lumped in with the Chinese!  When her son-in-in-law came over to get the keys so he could empty the pail, I asked him to please explain to Madame that we were two timid Canadians who would never cause any sort of scandal; he said “Don’t worry about it.  She’s French and so she’s always suspicious.  You just can’t internalize it. Just don’t internalize it.”

As mentioned in other entries, the plumber came on Tuesday but couldn't fix the leak as he needed special parts.  We ended up spending all of Tuesday in the apartment and then bought a large plastic garbage pail to use to catch the water. On Wednesday we went to Versailles and the owner’s son-in-law was to empty the pail in the afternoon. He did, but didn't put the pail under the drip, so it must have leaked downstairs all afternoon.  On Thursday the plumbers came and replaced the toilet reservoir. I noticed that they also changed the orientation of the meter, so I'm not sure what was leaking. As of today(touch wood) nothing  else broke.  We didn't dare use the washing machine though as it would have been just our luck to press the wrong buttons and break it.  French-Canadian diplomatic relations couldn't handle another scandale.

We ended up having a wonderful time, but we did notice that the following was spray painted at the doorway of our building.  Is does look like a mouse, doesn't it?

Well, we wanted adventures!

Last Day in Paris

September 28

This was our last full day in Paris and we wanted to take full advantage of it. It turned out to be a beautiful day, with lots of sunshine and blue skies.  Our first stop – Musee D’Orsay.

Our transit passes ended on Thursday, so our first challenge was to get a day pass for the Metro as we thought this would be better than getting individual tickets each time we got on.  We went to our regular station, Bonne Nouvelle, but the machine didn’t sell day passes, only individual tickets. We went to “information”, but she quickly informed us (tout en Francais) she didn’t speak English and she didn’t sell tickets and we had to go to the station Grands Boulevards.  We walked away not too clear on what sort of information she would provide!

Musee D'Orsay

Grands Boulevards station was much more amenable and the day pass was only 6.4 euros.  We then headed for the Solferino Metro station, which was closest to Musee D’Orsay.  We couldn’t find a line for people with passes, so joined the general entry line. We then saw a guard letting people out of the line, so we showed him our passes and he told us to head to entrance “C”, which had no line.  The Museum Pass was an excellent purchase, as were the multi-day Metro passes.

The museum had just opened a special exhibit tying in the outfits worn around the time of the Impressionists and the paintings.  There were Renoirs and Monets and Manets and Tissots, and often the exact dress worn by the model was beside the paintings. April was in her glory, looking at the shoes, gloves, fans, hats, and dresses. I was much more interested in the paintings. Sadly, visitors are no longer allowed to take pictures in the museum, though I saw a few people take pictures with their phones when no guards were around.

After the special exhibit, I headed up to the 5^th floor to see the impressionist paintings and April went to the sculpture area. Room after room of Manets, Monets, Degas, Cezannes, Fantin-Latours etc.  We had audio-guides, so many of the painting were described in detail. Once I was done the 5^th floor, I headed down to the second, and saw the Van Goghs, Gauguins, and Seurats.  There seemed to be far fewer Van Goghs than I remember from last time – only two of his 40 self-portraits, one of the two Starry Nights, only one of his bedroom and not a sunflower in sight! I then went back to the sculpture area to meet up with April.

We decided to head back to the 5^th and eat in the cafeteria, up behind the clock. Sadly, they no longer let your go out on the balcony, but we were able to view Paris through the windows. On our way out of the museum we went through the shop, hoping to find that “perfect” souvenir, but nothing struck my fancy.

It was now about 3 PM and we decided to go and take a boat ride on the Seine.  We walked down to the river and walked along looking for the boats.  While we were walking along, we were approached on three separate occasions by gypsies who would come walking along, would bend down and appear to pick up a “gold” ring and then hand it to us as if to return it to us.  It’s such an obvious attempt to distract you so they can pick your pocket, but three times in a few blocks suggested we weren’t in the best place. We were at the Pont Concorde and Blvd. Ste Germain, so went to the Metro station there and headed over to Place Palais de Justice.

We then decided to go to the antique shops beside the Louvre before they closed. There are enough stores for 250 sellers, but more than half are empty.  There were very few people even browsing.  I saw some beautiful silver sifters, which tempted me. However, the two that were dated (1789 and 1771) were 1,900 euros. The third was 450 euros, but had no date stamp, so I couldn’t talk myself into spending that much money without an assay mark. There were lovely galleries with paintings, bronzes, lots of Art Deco period pieces, and   dazzling jewelry, but the prices were even more dazzling.

Pont Neuf masks

After sitting in a café in Place Palais de Justice (coke and tea rather than wine this time), we walked down to the Pont Neuf as we decided to take that boat trip on the Seine. We got tickets on Les Vedettes du Pont-Neuf and toured for about an hour. We went down as far as the Eiffel Tower and went up as far as Ile Ste. Louis.

Pont Alexander III

One thing that we had noticed on the bridges were all these locks – small padlocks for the most part.  On the boat ride the guide explained that lovers put the lock on a bridge and then toss the key into the Seine to express their everlasting love.

After the boat ride we contined across the Pont Neuf heading to the Ste. Germain area. April noticed a painter selling his wares on the bridge and we ended up purchasing one of his paintings for April (20 euros) and a water colour by his friend for me (10 euros).  We found a little Italian restaurant and had pizza from a wood oven for supper.  We carried on into the Ste. Germain area, passing a jazz band that was serenading the crowd.

We finally got the Metro and took our last ride back to the apartment. The owner called and told us to just lock the door and put the key under the door tomorrow when we leave.  Our train leaves Paris around 2 PM but we’ll head out early as it might be difficult to flag down a cab.

Musee Jacquemart-Andre

September 27

The morning was spent waiting for the plumber.  Madame Galperine called around 9 to say that the plumber had to pick up the part but would be here in the morning.  When he still wasn’t here but 11:30, I thought we’d be stuck waiting around in the afternoon, but two plumbers arrived around 11:45. They had come on motorcycles in the rain and were carrying their toolboxes and the reservoir for the toilet. 

I hadn’t thought the problem was the toilet but a new meter on the pipe, as that’s where the water had been dripping from.  The two plumbers were obviously the journeyman and the helper (the one who had been here before).  More oohs and tsks as the journeyman looked at the bathroom.  From what I could tell, the helper had said he needed a 20-20 piece but he really needed a 20-25 piece, though I don’t know what piece they were talking about.

The journeyman began to look through his bag where everything was loose and he was combing through hundreds of small tools and nuts and bolts looking for that 20-25. They were pretty quick installing the replacement toilet and then the journeyman called someone and there was lots of heated conversation.  I couldn’t catch most of what he was saying but he was talking about how he chose this because the other was so expensive.  Anyway, they packed up after assuring me that it was all fixed and we were finally free.

We headed out for Musee Jacquemart-Andre on Blvd. Haussmann.  This was a private residence of Nellie Jacquemart and Eduard Andre to house the art they collected.  He was the heir to a banking family and she was a society painter.  Every year they would travel to Italy and collect art.  The house is filled with paintings, frescos brought back from Italy, furniture and statues.

The house is a marvel but it boggles the mind how one couple could amass such a collection. They have Bouchers in the entry, Uccellos, Mantegnas and Botticellis in the Italian room and three (3!!) Rembrandts in the library. Not to mention the paintings by Reynolds, Gainsborough, Franz Hals, Van Dyck, etc.

In our never-ending quest for good food, we had brunch in the tea room. We had quiche, salad and a pastry.  April and I both had the raspberry tart.  It was very good, but unexpected in its construction. It had a shortbread-like base and fresh raspberries on top, but the middle was Chantilly cream.

After leaving the museum, we wanted to go to Le Nain Bleu, a toystore that had been in business for more than a hundred years. We were standing outside a Metro station looking at the map and a woman came up and asked if we needed help. I explained we wanted to go to the Madeline station but that I couldn’t figure out how to get there without several changes. She said yes, it was difficult on the Metro but close to walk to. We were to go down the road to rue Fauberg Saint Honore and then turn left on that street and walk to the Metro.

We are so happy she gave us these instructions. Fauberg Saint Honore is one of the most exclusive streets for fashion, art galleries and the Elysee Palace where the French President resides.  We sauntered along in our comfortable shoes and looked in the windows of Prada, Gucci, Chanel, and others. We found Rue Royale and the Madeline Metro, but couldn’t find Le Nain Bleu. We did come across a Maille mustard store at Place Madeline, but they hadn’t heard of it.  After walking all around Place Madeline, we found Rue Malesherbes, but when we got to the store, it was closed with large “a louer” signs.  In business since 1836 and they shut up shop just before we get there!

We then decided to take the Metro back to the apartment and determine what our next move would be.  We thought about taking a bus tour of the city after dark, but the only ones I could find had to pre-ordered on line.

We then decided to go out for supper.  Not that we were hungry, but it would be along time until breakfast!  We decided we would try to get into Le Chatier. This is a restaurant that was opened in 1896 and has had only 4 owners. It was designed as a place to give a real hot meal to working people.  The menu is simple and they place people where they can fit them.  Although the line-up was long, we didn’t have to wait long. The maître d sat us at a table with a single woman.

I stumbled through introductions and found out she was here on a business trip and lives in Nice. She had been to Calgary and Banff. She helped us with the menu. She had the daily special, which was a beef stew that smelled heavenly. However, when we wanted to order, it was all out. The waiter recommended entrecote, which is beef. This showed up as a steak with a pat of herbed butter on it, and French fries. The steak was very good.  Our female co-diner had been finishing when we arrived, so when she left, they seated a man and a woman.

April and I always disagree about the make-up of these couples.  She always thinks they are father and daughter, but I always think they are older man / younger woman couples.  We haven’t been able to prove who is right, but it probably says something about each of our perspectives!

After a tea and rice pudding for me and an espresso for April, we were off. 

Tomorrow is our last full day in Paris. We will be going to the Musee D’Orsay and will maybe take a boat trip on the Seine.

Versailles

We had an early start to the day as the owner’s son-in-law, Robert, was supposed to drop by last night and pick up the key, but called and said he would be too late and that he would be over at 8 AM if that were acceptable.

We were up and showered and ready for our day. I gave Robert the set of keys that I had been using as April had a second set of keys for the apartment. He would come over around 1:30 and empty the pail of water holding the drips in the bathroom and then he would lock the door and leave a key under the mat as he wouldn’t be able to slip it under the door.

As we headed out, we discovered that the two keys April had appeared to be duplicates and both only worked on the lower lock, but not the top one.  I went back in and wrote him a note asking that he only lock the bottom lock as we had no key for the top.

We headed out for Versailles around 8:30. We took the Metro to Les Invalides station and then transferred to the RER C train to Versailles – Rive Gauche. The trip was quick and not overly claustrophobic. The Metro was crowded, but not jammed-in-like-sardines crowded.

It was a cloudy and windy day, but the rain hadn’t come by the time we got there.  It was a bit confusing as to where we would go in. We were in line for gate A but when we got up there was a bit about who could jump the queue (and we weren’t on the list), so we were afraid we were in the wrong line. However, the only other entry I could see was for groups, so after a bit of a wander we ended up re-entering the line for gate A, though a bit further back from where we started.

The tour of the state rooms and king and queen’s bedchambers was as enjoyable as always. This was my fourth trip to Versailles but it was April’s first. The opulence of the surroundings, in contrast to the poverty of the peasants, was quite dramatic.

We had audio guides that were a bit discombobulated at first, but settled in quite well once the main part of the tour began.  Some of the rooms were quite crowded, but all in all it was bearable.  You could hear every language under the sun, it seemed.  One great advance since I was here last is that the tour guides now have microphones and private channels so that they talk quietly into the earbuds of their group members.  Years ago, it would be the German, Japanese, French, English and Russian guides all booming out their commentary so that no one could understand a word and it was just a deafening roar.

Part of the way through we stopped at the café, Angelina’s. Here’s a picture of the pastries they use to advertise their menu.  Unfortunately, we didn’t realize there were two entrances and we went to the snack side where there were fewer options for pastries.  While I would have chewed off my right arm for a raspberry tart, we had to settle on sharing a tarte limon and an éclair fraise.

Once we left the palace tour we walked out to the gardens and then decided to take the Petite Trein on its route to the Grand Trianon, the Petite Trianon, the Grand Canal, and back.

The Grand Trianon was the summer residence of the king and his immediate family. Much less ostentatious than the main Palace, it was still quite imposing.

 

The Petite Trianon was originally built by Louis XV for his mistress Madame du Berry. Later Louis XVI gave it to Marie Antoinette.  Marie did a lot of re-modelling and even had a pretend hamlet built with peasant cottages, so she could play at being a shepherdess.  We didn’t go to the hamet.

It was now around 3:30 and we hadn’t eaten in at least 2 or 3 hours, so we stopped at a creparie. April had a Savoyard crepe, with potatoes, cheese, ham and cream. I got the special which meant I got a crepe with ham, cheese and tomatoes followed by a dessert crepe with brown sugar and a ton of Chantilly cream.

Now it was time to get back on the train. There were two trains at the station and it wasn’t clear to us which was the correct one. The closest one was very crowded and there were lots of very young looking soldiers in camouflage uniforms and carrying machine guns.  April turns to the cutest one at the door and says “Does this train go to Paris?”  He says yes and she climbs up onto the train.

If only it were just that simple.  When she climbed up, she held on to the railing to help herself up.  However, there are no railings at the doors.  She had, in actuality, pulled herself up with the handle of his machine gun!  Apparently he had the safety on and didn’t perceive her as a threat!

We arrived back at the apartment and April unlocked the bottom lock and then discovered that the top was locked as well. Tabernac! What to do? She tried to open the top with each of the two keys she had, but the top wouldn’t budge. We tried the key Robert had left under the mat, but that didn’t work.  How had he locked the top? 

Sitting down in despair, we were thinking that if the key to the top lock was in the apartment, there was probably no one with access except the owner who wasn’t in town.  I had Robert's cell phone number though I knew he would be teaching in the afternoon.  I wasn’t even sure how to call it and whether I would need a French country code (and where would I get that?)

As I was routing though my bag despairing of ever getting in the apartment, somehow, magically, April opened the top lock. We don’t know how she did it and she hasn’t been able to do it again, but we got in.

When we got in the apartment, we noticed that the pail had been emptied – and was still empty! I wondered what he had done to stop the leak.  Quietly I listened and I heard the drip drip drip.  Apparently he had not put the pail close enough to the drip and so it went on the floor rather than the pail.  I don’t want to even think about how much water leaked down. He said he would be over about 1:30, so there would probably be 3 hours of leaking water.  I’m very glad they know we were at Versailles.

We only have a couple of days left in Paris and so have to determine where we still want to go (D’Orsay, Eiffel tower..) and plan our time carefully.