12 June 2011 Ride: Sacre Coeur, Jardin de Luxembourg, Dali et al

Out again for a sunrise ride, though, as I mentioned earlier, it’s hard to catch any spectacular risings with all the buildings.  The sun is usually well above the horizon before I can spot it.  I do the best I can catching it reflecting off of structures and embracing those sights.

 

 Arc de Triomphe

It was commissioned in 1806 by Napoleon at the peak of his fortunes. Laying the foundations alone took two years.  But work was halted at one point an the Arc was not completed until 1836.

Carol did sleep better and Sacre Coeur was on the agenda for the morning.  Paris is definitely not a morning city, especially on Sunday when many places stay closed.   With nothing opened around our hotel we headed for Sacre Coeur.  We entertained the idea of going there by bike but it is the highest point in Paris.  I wasn’t too concerned about that but given the bulky nature of the bikes and the cobblestone roads, the Underground seemed a better option given I wasn't traveling alone. 

 225 steps leading up from a lower road to Sacre Couer. Just off to the right, a funicular goes up the hill for those more faint-hearted. 

 The Domes of Sacre Couer.  We climbed to the top of the higher dome.  271 feet to the top.  No bikes allowed.

 A view from the top.

 Going down. 

 Church pigeon

 

The church is relatively new being built in the 1880s.  The view from the top is interesting but not what I would call inspiring as Paris just appears spread out as a sea of concrete with its charm completely lost.  Curiously, I found the view from St Paul’s much more interesting.  Perhaps because that view sits more in the middle of the city and details can be more easily ascertained where the view from Sacre Couer is more muddled with little details.

A permanent Dali was in walking distance from the church so we headed for that.  While still interesting, I liked him more years ago.  The lighting was very poor and the backgrounds made it difficult to get good image but here are a few that appealed to me the most. 

 Look carefully to note that this is a baby grand piano.

Dali

 Our view from our one-night stay hotel.

We headed back to our hotel to change hotels once more.  Carol is very good at finding great deals.  This time, she stumbled  upon a Hyatt credit card that offered two free nights at any Hyatt in the world and the Paris Hyatt was included.  We did not move there the night before because normally the price of the Hyatt is 800 Euros per night or about $1,200.  This was quite a treat, especially after our first hotel where the entire room there would have fit in to the bathroom of the Hyatt and that is no exaggeration.  The rooms were definitely quiet though I can’t make a recommendation on breakfast one way or another as we ate elsewhere since a simple meal of eggs, croissant, juice and coffee ran about $90. 

 Window across from our Hyatt room.

After checking in, we were back on the bikes and headed for the Catacombs with a stop along the way in the St Germaine District. 

A Panhard car.  The last civilian vehicle was manufactured in 1967.  I really liked the look of this car.  Notice the very tight parking job.  

 We had lunch in an interesting old building.  I guess that is one of the great things about Paris; there is so much to discover in what may seem the most mundane of buildings.  The photos below are from the bathroom.

 

In the St. Germaine area, we passed a chocolate shop with numerous chocolate creations.

 All totally edible.

On the way to the Catacombs, we passed this building.  Never could find what it was.

 Ping-pong in the park.  Note the handicap(?) in the hand of the player on the right.

  Apartment building

The Catacombs were supposed to be closed on Mondays which is why we made a point of going down on Sunday.  But, when we got there, a piece of paper said it would be closed on that Sunday as well.  Oh, well.  Not at all a wasted ride as we rode through pasts of Paris we hadn’t seen.  On the way back we walked through the Luxembourg Gardens.  I saw a woman taking a picture of her husband and I asked if she would like me to get both of them together.  It turned out there were from Atlanta and we ended up talking with them for about 15 minutes.

Kim and Dan

Monument honoring the student resistance.  It didn't say which war but we assumed for World War II.

The bathtub faucet at our hotel was a work of art in itself.

Enjoying a hot soak.  His and hers dressers and sinks with mine off to the left and Carol's to the right.  Off to my right is a large walk-in shower area.  As I said, our first hotel room would have fit in this bathroom.

12 June 2011 Ride:  1hr 50mins.  14 miles.  Miles YTD:  3,539.19

To see posts before 11 June 2011, please go to www.mylifeasabike.blogspot.com