Last Supper – Friday 5/25/2007

First off, we packed up the apartment. Then we got dressed and started breakfast. Vladimir stopped by two hours earlier than arranged (he’d said he would call, but didn’t) to pick up the key. No biggie. We dropped the key and trundled our bags about 5 blocks to Delhy’s Hotel, where we left the bags for the day and went roaming until after checkin time.

Went over to Notre Dame to photograph some more of the carvings, and decided to visit the Crypte Archeologique which explores the history of the site of Notre Dame. Took several fuzzy photos of the old walls of the city that date back to Gallo Roman times when they first came and messed with the original Germanic tribe, the Parisii who’d settled the Ile de la Cite.

I loved this display of the pigments used to paint the walls, alongside fragments.

Walked to the point of the Ile de la Cite furthest from Notre Dame because we’d seen the green stretch of park out there. This is the very end, looking toward the Pont des Artes. The Pont Neuf is behind us. We actually lay down and took a nap on the grass…until a bunch of school kids started playing tag around us and woke us up. Felt like real Parisians, though.

I talked Mom into going on a Seine river tourist cruise. It turned out to be a relaxing and fun way to end the trip. A bit of a review of things we’d seen as well as some new things we hadn’t reached. Cool to go all the way around both islands, and to go past the Bateau Johanna again, etc.

Some school kids on the cruise. She’s eating a tomato like it’s an apple, and some has just fallen onto her shirt. In the next shot, she’s sucking her shirt! I took three, and the boy is always very intent upon her. Think he likes her?

Another kid on the boat. Nobody wanted to sit with him, and the kid that did routed him out of his outer rail seat. Mom and I both wanted to tell him it was going to be okay someday, but he probably wouldn’t have understood us.

1/4 scale replica of the Statue of Liberty donated by Americans living in Paris, and the actual Eiffel Tower. Cameras were snapping all over the boat.

Pont Neuf from below.

That last supper I was telling you about. Back to the Bistro des Augustins (39 quai des Grandes Augustins, 5th arrt) where I asked for a recommendation and received this amazing Salade Neptune… smoked salmon, warm goat cheese, toast drizzled in olive oil. Mom’s was kind of like a capresi with lettuce. The woman, who I think is one of the co-owners, gave us a deal on a better wine (by the 25 cl carafe rather than by the glass) and held a finger to her lips. So don’t tell her I told you, okay?

They warned us at the bistro, but did we listen? “Tahn, tahn, tahn,” she said, pointing at the sky. That’s like boom boom boom in French I guess. Thunder’s coming! We were near the Place Saint Michel, getting money from an ATM for the cab ride in the moring, when the wind kicked up and people started scampering back and forth. As we readied to cross the street, a gust picked up a very large umbrella and sent it twirling into the the outdoor tables. A few started diners scrambled, but I think they were okay.

We ducked into this passage between Saint Michel and the tiny rue des Hirondelles, where our hotel was while the rain just pummeled the streets. Every so often a gust would send us all scurrying. It hadn’t quite stopped when Mom and I decided to make a run for it. Got fairly wet in the half block we had to run.

Now that was an impressive au revoir from the City of Lights!