Overview of Paris
History and Architecture
21.06.2019 - 21.06.2019
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2019 Paris - Provence - Barcelona
on greatgrandmaR's travel map.
Today our travel agent (Lauren Betenbough with Vacations to Go) has arranged for us to have a 6 hour private tour of Paris. I had been to Paris twice before - once in 1950 and once in 1964, and I had photos which I took from the upper deck of the tour bus.
For those photos plus the comparison with the ones taken on this trip, go to the end of this post.
But A. had not been to Paris and even though AmaWaterways had scheduled a city tour, I knew from previous experience in Amsterdam that it would be short and less informative one. A. had made a list of the somewhat off the beaten track things that she would want to see.
We dressed to go out for the day on our tour and went down to have breakfast about 8. When we checked in they said free WI-fi and breakfast was included (and the wi-fi has been great).
A. brought me scrambled eggs a sausage, some cheese and a roll, and grapefruit sections cut up nicely in a glass.
They also brought me tea (which I thought might keep me awake although I was afraid it would also make me pee.)
I signed for the breakfast and the price was on the bill but it was zeroed out.
After breakfast I went out to confront the desk people about having a place to put my glasses and the shower problem. I said I didn't want to move rooms, but he persuaded me that there was a handicapped room on the ground floor that would have a shower instead of a tub and that the bell man would help me move. He also gave me some change for a €10 note. He said we could look at the room when we came back from the tour. He said they were fully booked on Thursday and that was why we couldn't have the room then.
He said the tour guide had called that he would be there and I noticed a man hanging around the lobby dressed in black but didn't know that he was the guide. So A got a paper and I went and sat in the chair in the lobby. About 9:15 the man came over and asked if I was Ms. Beasley and it was our guide Angelo.
A's report on this tour
He had a big black Mercedes SUV type vehicle like the driver from the airport - it would seat six. We put the scooter in the back and I suggested that A sit in front so she could take photos more easily, and we set off. Angelo turned out to be an Italian who lived in Luxembourg as a child so he spoke three languages and he went to the Sorbonne to be a teacher. But all the French teacher candidates got the best schools and he decided he would be better off using his history to be a tour guide.
He looked at A's list and my photos of Paris, but I don't really think he changed his normal tour much. It was a really nice tour and he went over the history of Paris and the architecture and the districts and pointed out all the famous places. At one point he said that if you could drive through the traffic circle at the Arc de Triomphe without having an accident then you were a good driver.
Unfortunately the only view we got of the Arc was from the Place de l'Étoile (now called the Place Charles de Gaulle) and we were too close to get a really good photo.
We went past Les Invalides which was a place built for French soldiers to stay when they were injured, Opera Garnier, the Pantheon, Sainte Chapelle, The Louvre, and the Arc de Triomphe.
I did not know the name of Joseph Simon Gallieni (24 April 1849 – 27 May 1916) but he was a French soldier, active for most of his career as a military commander and administrator in the French colonies. He was recalled from retirement at the outbreak of the First World War. As Military Governor of Paris he played an important role in the First Battle of the Marne, when Maunoury's Sixth Army, which was under his command, attacked the German west flank. A small portion of its strength was rushed to the front in commandeered Paris taxicabs. . He was made Marshal of France posthumously in 1921.
Marie Emile Foyolle was a World War I hero and eventually a Marshall of France. His statue faces Gallieni's on Place Vauban.
This is the entrance to the Village Royal nestled in the 8th arrondissement in one of the streets hidden behind the Madeleine church. Portuguese artist Patricia Cunha set up her world-famous project called “Umbrella Sky Project” here.
Angelo let us get out at the Tuileries Garden at the Place de la Concord end and we waited for him to park and then we walked (me on the scooter) up to the Arc de Triomphe de Carrousel. The paths were flat but not very scooter friendly as they were dirt with some gravel and occasional cobblestones.
Then we waited for him to go get the car from where he had parked it.
We waited quite a long time (more than 20 minutes), and I started to get worried about it so I called the number on the tour page and they answered, but he arrived within about 5 minutes of my call and said there was traffic. And there WAS traffic - quite a lot of it.
We spoke about lunch as it was now after 12 and he said we would go to lunch, but he didn't seem to be making any progress toward actually getting some place where we could eat. I was getting sleepy, and I was also worried about getting to the dinner at the Eiffel Tower on time because the tour was scheduled to be 9-3 and we had to switch rooms and I wanted to take a shower and have a nap.
We went by the Galleries Lafayette - I wanted to take A. there but we never got time, or rather I never had the energy
But we continued on. A was taking photos in the sport mode so she was firing off several shots at once. We got to Montmartre
and I should have gotten out to take photos from there, but I was very sleepy so I said I would just stay in the car. A went off and had lunch and I ate a roll from breakfast that I had put in my pocket and a little trail mix that was in my pocketbook. They brought me a sandwich which would have been great except that there was savoury stuff in with the ham and you really needed good teeth to bite off a chunk of bread. I could do it, but it was difficult.
We got back to the hotel about 3:15 and I tipped the driver €30 plus I gave him $20 to repay him for buying lunch which was not included on the tour according to the printout. I can get to our room without going into the hotel lobby by going straight in through the garden which is on street level - no steps
Then and Now photos - One photo taken 1964 and one taken 2019. The angle is slightly different because in 1964 I was on the top of a double decker bus
Posted by greatgrandmaR 20:59 Archived in France Tagged paris sacre_coeur arc_de_triomphe private_tour fayolle tuileries_gardens then_and_now speaking_french gallieni
You got some fine photos on your tour. And I like the idea of juxtaposing old and new photos at the end.
by Nemorino