The Catacombs started out as quarries from which they took lime stone to build Notre Dame Cathedral and the Louvre, among other structures around Paris. During the second half of the 18th Century, the city received so many complaints & had issues with the illnesses being caused by the cemeteries that they decided to put these underground tunnels to use, and ultimately have over 6 million people buried down there. Even people like Robespierre have their bones housed with millions of others - the city's way of not only preventing infection but also saving space! (remember, this was a time of mass-graves ... especially for those who couldn't afford a family tomb or crypt)
People started touring the Catacombs as far back as the early 19th Century. Our morbid love of these sorts of things doesn't seem to have changed despite centuries having passed. I was fascinated by the whole thing. As you would expect, it's incredibly dark down there (a bit like the tunnels under Reims ... I have to admit, I certainly know which I preferred!!!!!!) so photos were a challenge, but I managed a few. For those who are squeamish, please just scroll straight through.
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| A Foggy Day ... in Paris Town ... |
Two kilometers later and out of the Catacombs, completely disorientated, and trying to head back towards the city-proper. I AM SO BAD WITH DIRECTIONS!!!! Even with a map, I am hopeless. I will tell you now, no man is EVER going to marry me for my map-reading skills. Sad, but true. Anyway, it's freezing outside so I'm glad for the walking. Finally on the right track, the fog still having not lifted, even Paris's tallest building was half under cloud, so no photos from the 56th floor for me!
Where to now?! I know, how about I head towards the Musee d'Orsay and see what's happening. Found it! So my navigation can't be that bad after all. And hardly any queue!! Bonus! In I go. I could so spend hours in that place. My only problem today was that I was getting tired and really, really, really hungry (and the queues that weren't outside were at the random food outlets within the museum instead). So I didn't spend anywhere near as long as I liked there - one for next time! (and no photos, except for the clock and one I managed to sneak in). The fog had finally lifted, but lunch at 4:00pm isn't a good thing for me. I was grumpy. But very happy to sit & consume ... McDonalds!!!!! I don't even eat Micky D's at home let alone anywhere else!! But when you're desperate, what can I say??!! And it's never tasted better in my life! They use french seeded mustard ... YUM!
And as usual with me, I decide to take a different street to get home and discover a church where they're rehearsing for an a Capella concert, and there is this amazing display of vines growing from sachets filled with water ... truly unique and amazingly beautiful!
Friday night in Paris, and it's about time I did something "on the town". So tonight, I'm off to the Lido to see a show! For anyone who doesn't know, there are three main Cabaret/Revues in Paris - the Moulin Rouge, Folies Bergere, and the Lido. The Lido is on the Champs Elysees, and it is where Las Vegas got their inspiration from. It's ritzy. It's fun. It's a little bit naughty. There was music, singing, dancing, topless women (but funilly enough you didn't really notice them after a short while), amazing costumes, set changes, more music & dancing, acrobatics, comedy, live horses on stage, ice skaters, more music & dancing, a bit more singing ... I was like a kid at Christmas. It was AWESOME! So much fun. Here's a link to the show I saw, if anyone's interested - The Lido. The only thing I was disappointed about was the lack of 'dressing up' people did (as you may see from the photo). If you're ever in Paris, I recommend going along to see a show. It's a little disco-tacky, but amazing visually and just fun!! I was lucky enough to be seated at the bar next to this lovely couple from Holland, so we took some nice photos for each other (a little cheaper than the ones the official photographer takes).
Saturday. Misty but warm. Sydney-like. I'm on an adventure today. I'm off to the world's largest Flea Market, in St Ouen (just north of Montmartre). Woody Allen has even filmed one of his latest movies here - "Midnight in Paris". Legend has it, that this is where the term "flea market" actually came into being - back in the 1850's & 60's, long before there was an efficient garbage collection system in the city, poor folk would scour through rubbish to see what they could sell, then bring it to this area (generally where they lived - and I would not call this a rich area of town today, either) and sold it! Word got out about the site, and the more well-to-do folk said it was nothing but a place infested with fleas ... and it seemed to catch on! Today however it is a little less flea-like and a bit more bric-a-brac at a hefty price tag like, at least for much of the stock. Having said that, there doesn't seem to be much you can't buy here. Furniture - 18th & 19th Century antique, art deco; vintage clothes (and I mean from the 19th Century if not earlier, to the 1960's) - film makers come here to buy costumes; books, music, pictures/paintings; silverware, cutlery, jewelry, you name it they have it - somewhere! I only managed to see a very small portion of the seven hectares and almost 3,000 stalls. If I lived in Paris, this place would be dangerous ...
Back on the Metro to Les Halles, and in search of, well, anything really. Lunch. Found a yummy little restaurant, with the most delightful interior, and had the most scrumptious "burger" of a spiced sweet bread (as in bread that was sweet, not the traditional "sweet bread") with fois gras - and for the first time I really enjoyed it. That was the highlight of the meal, but only because I ordered steak ... we are SO spoilt in Australia with the quality of our beef. After several steaks (both home-cooked and restaurant) I am still to have one that doesn't require a chainsaw and a steel jaw to get through. I don't know what it is ... maybe cows in France are just lazy and don't move as much as the ones at home, or something, I don't know. But all I can say is stick with the chicken.
Then, completely by accident, I stumbled across a store I had heard about but didn't know I was so close to ... it's the holy grail for chefs - Dehillerin. Legendary in Paris. It's a bit like something from Harry Potter .. magical. The floor boards creak underfoot, and there is the sense that this building has housed quality kitchen products for decades. Baking moulds, whisks, knives, and copper pots that would do some serious damage if you hit someone over the head with them (a la Chocolat (the movie)... I couldn't stop smiling!
And then, one of those random things you come across in this city (and after much wandering), a classical orchestral group, standing in a square, playing... ahhh, Paris!
