C’est Dimanche À Paris…It’s Sunday in Paris
Bonjour,
Sundays are my favorite in Paris, especially Sunday mornings. The city is so quiet, slow, easy. It’s still a family day and still a church day for a few. It begins to liven up about mid-afternoon. Fewer restaurants are open, and rain is predicted …desperately needed. And of course, the church bells currently ringing outside our window are symbolic of the special day of the week.
For us, today is laundry day (oh, how I love it) before we get busy with several rounds of company. First we’ll visit with Jim and Peggy Bilbro in the early part of the week and then with Cindy and Bob Ludwig arriving on Thursday for 10 days. What fun.
Before I forget, I failed to mention a scene we witnessed after our day at Montmartre which left me shaken up and sad. Bernie and I have been doing this crazy count of all the expectant mothers we see along the streets of Paris. Don’t ask me why…we just thought it would be a fun observation since France’s birth rate is supposedly so low. In the subway, I called out to Bernie, “There’s #6!” when suddenly a woman maybe 7 months pregnant went to the floor and began having an epileptic seizure. It was a difficult thing to watch. She was immediately surrounded by three cops, two male and one female. We moved away and hated to continue to stare. Thank God, no one was taking photos! Let’s all hope that everything was okay.
Yesterday was Annual Heritage Day in Paris when all the government buildings are open to the public for a free tour. We chose to go see the Sènat building at the Luxembourg Gardens. If you’ve visited us, you’ve admired this gorgeous palace from a distance. Of course, it was also the day for planned protests across the city, and we almost got caught in one.
I had the thought to go very early (for Paris), and we were in line by 10:15. Just like Disney World, we waited patiently for about 45 minutes and then enjoyed a tour of what is comparable to our Senate chambers. Enjoy the pics.
Right outside the gates, we stopped for lunch and were suddenly inundated with gendarmes or police in full riot gear. They blocked off the street and started security checking everyone entering the area. Don’t know exactly what happened, but we could hear the chants of protesters.
Our light-themed photos all come from this excursion, my favorite being one I took in line. The others capture the beautiful light fixtures inside.
Enjoy your Sunday!
L & B
September 22, 2019 @ 12:32 pm
Bo(soft n) jour. The sights of the city you’ve captured this weekend have been appetizers that have us drooling for Paris long before the entrees are served beginning Thursday.
September 22, 2019 @ 2:08 pm
Actually, no “n” at all. Just a nasal sound like when you hold your nose!
September 22, 2019 @ 12:53 pm
Thanks Linda! Really do enjoy and appreciate these.
September 22, 2019 @ 2:06 pm
Merci! It’s a pictureless day today as the rain is coming down. So needed!
September 22, 2019 @ 1:56 pm
What a lovely building and gardens! The outside and inside pictures of light continue to intrigue me. I hope the pregnant woman is alright. It’s good to hear she had immediate help.
September 22, 2019 @ 2:06 pm
Yes, it was a scary scene!
September 22, 2019 @ 3:28 pm
Favorite part of my day. Reading your blog! Vicariously enjoying Paris. Looks like you picked the perfect time to go!
September 23, 2019 @ 3:33 am
Hi Penney, such a sweet thing to say! Merci!
September 22, 2019 @ 3:41 pm
Loved the Senat photos. I’ve always wanted to see the interior of that lovely building.
September 23, 2019 @ 3:33 am
Bernie says “Hi” and will be teaching French again in the spring for Learning Quest.
September 23, 2019 @ 12:07 am
We’re behind and trying to catch up. Montmartre always seems be one of your favorite days — is it possible sum up your attraction in a couple sentences. Again from the trip to Montmartre – the person that shortened 2 legs on the stool deserves a big gold star — thanks for catching that. You’re both on a roll this year — the trip has gotten off to a great start. P.S. Has your app that lets us make comments always had spell check? Pat & Sybil
September 23, 2019 @ 3:32 am
Hi Pat & Sybil, glad you’re along again this year. For those reading these comments, I think its’ fun to know that Pat and I started first grade together and went to school as classmates all through the years. It’s been so neat to reconnect! I didn’t know about spell check!
September 23, 2019 @ 1:10 am
How special to be able to go inside!!
September 23, 2019 @ 3:29 am
Oui, oui!
September 23, 2019 @ 4:50 am
The Senate building is amazing- like so much there!
It’s sweet, exciting and a little sad (bc who knows if I will ever see again in person) to see places that I recognize such as the draped ivy near the love wall (forget the name of the fountain). Is that the restaurant we ate at last year post Luxembourg gardens?
Fun trick with the camera…so for clarity, always wipe your lens but in the right light (such as when the sun is peaking through a darker shot or when there are little lights against a dark background) try it also with a finger swipe across the lens. It can streak/blur the lights and make them fun. Just watch out it doesn’t give you a hazy shot. Have fun! And great eye with the camera and light!
September 23, 2019 @ 5:36 am
The fountain is the Medici fountain but it’s not the love wall. That’s at Montmartre. And yes, it’s the same restaurant where we ate. In fact, we talked about that! My goal is to get Carson here before I’m too old to come.
September 23, 2019 @ 3:12 pm
Send some of that rain back home. We desperately need it. Jim