Palm Sunday in Paris

Sunday, March 28 2010

We started our day in the café at our hotel. A breakfast of an omelette (a French staple), café au lait, and croissant was a great way to start the day. Nikita joined us after breakfast, his last day with us until Thursday.

This morning we walked out of our hotel to the sound of a church choir. Across the street from our hotel is a beautiful church. Out of curiosity, we walked around to the front of the church and there was a mass of people with palms and branches. The choir was singing and the church officials were dressed in their regalia, holding tall candles and banners. We then realized it was Palm Sunday! We watched as the church doors opened and the processional began into the church. We went around and entered the side and watched the processional. It was very busy place as people were still coming in while the service began. It was fun hearing the choir and organ in a cathedral-like church. The acoustics were amazing.


From one extreme to another, we left the church and took the Metro to Pigalle – “pig alley.” The area is known for its adult “entertainment.” In the middle of it all is Moulin Rouge, home of burlesque, the French cancan and the Las Vegas style dancing-girls show. Toulouse-Lautrec was known to hang out here and sketch the dancers. We’ve heard the show is really not worth the over-priced admission, so we settled for a photo out front.





It was hiking time again. Above Pigalle is Montmarte and Basilica Sacré-Coeur. Montmarte was the home of the original Bohemians. Painters flocked to the area and even today there are artists selling their works throughout the square. Sacré-Coeur overlooks the city and has gorgeous views…well most of the time. It had started raining pretty heavily and the clouds hung very low over the city. Because of the holiday, crowds were huge around the Basilica. We joined the throngs entering Sacré-Coeur and again were awed by the architecture.

The rain was still coming down when we came out of the Basilica, so after wandering through Place du Tertre (the square with shops, cafes, and artisans) we found a café with an awning and settled in for a cup of hot chocolate while we waited for the rain to pass. The rain finally subsided and we worked our way back down the hill. (Did I mention that we were climbing then descending several huge flights of stairs – again!)




At the bottom of the hill we jumped on the Metro and headed for Cimetiere du Pere Lachaise, final resting place for famous folks such as Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Rossini, Gertrude Stein, Frederic Chopin and around 70,000 other dearly departed. The tombs ranged from ancient and run down to new and shiny. Each tomb typically was the size of a grave but most had several family members stacked inside, an efficient use of real estate.

After a delicious lunch at another café, we walked to Notre Dame again. The crowds were huge here as well with a line that stretched clear across the square. We wouldn’t be able to go in as Nikita had a train to catch. So, we walked back to the hotel where he had left his things and we bid him au revoir and then crashed for a nap.

After a refreshing nap, we headed back to Notre Dame for the evening lights. Once again we were treated to a Palm Sunday event and arrived for the ringing of the bells and the recessional from the evening service. It was quite a treat. We then proceeded to circle the cathedral and took in the beautiful architecture lit for the evening. Need we say, Rich took just a “few” photos?


Our walk led us down the Seine on the left bank where we found a café for dinner. We were “treated” to our first stereo typical rude Frenchman. He was the maitre d' and waiter. Although he spoke English to some, he would not speak English to us. During the course of our dinner we watched him kick out one group that was lingering too long (very un-European), ignore others as they tried to talk to him, and refuse to seat a couple (we’re not sure why). We just kept smiling and saying merci, as well as focusing on a younger, happier waiter and all turned out well for us. We had been advised at home at Barnes & Noble when picking out travel books, to expect the behavior then enjoy it as part of the experience. I must say we did. And, fortunately, this guy was the exception, not the rule. Almost all of the service staff in the restaurants we have eaten in speak some English and have been delightful.

After dinner, we continued to walk and discovered Little Athens. An area of narrow streets/alleys lined with shops and restaurants. It was a very colorful and lively area. We discovered an Italian gelato shop that made cones with gelato shaped like a rose in as many flavors as we wanted. It was delicious!

We ended the day at the sister hotel using their Internet as ours is still down. (Thus this late posting.) We finished up about 12:30 AM and clicked post just as the battery died on the lap top! Timing IS everything!

Au revoir from Paris,
Rich & Will