{"id":660,"date":"2016-12-29T08:55:00","date_gmt":"2016-12-29T08:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochellesroost.com\/index.php\/2016\/12\/29\/free-sunday-rolls-around-again-in-paris\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T04:59:45","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T04:59:45","slug":"free-sunday-rolls-around-again-in-paris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochellesroost.com\/index.php\/2016\/12\/29\/free-sunday-rolls-around-again-in-paris\/","title":{"rendered":"Free Sunday Rolls Around Again in Paris"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\nDecember 4, 2016, Sunday: <\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\nFree Sunday Rolls Around Again in
\nParis.<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>One of the great advantages of being
\nin Paris on the first Sunday of each month is that you get to enter a lot of
\nthe museums and monuments for free. Most folks make a bee-line for the
\nbetter-known ones such as the Louvre or the Musee d\u2019Orsay. But, having seen
\nthose several times before and being pretty certain that my Met ID card would
\nget me into those for free, I chose to go to places I had never visited\u2014and so
\nafter much research on the net, I zeroed in on four places to see\u2014if I could
\nmuster the stamina and the endurance to see them all.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n <\/o:p><\/span>Off to the Cathedral of Notre Dame:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>After carrying two pain au chocolate<\/i> for breakfast, at 9.00
\nam, I used my carnet <\/i>of 10 metro
\ntickets and hopped on to the RER (B) from Cite-Universitaire to get to St.
\nMichel. From there, the Cathedral of Notre-Dame is just across the street. My
\nidea was to get to the Cathedral for the 9. 30 am Lauds service which was quite
\nwell attended by locals and a number of tourists. It lasted 30 minutes and at
\n10.00 am, I joined the line at the side of the Cathedral for free entry onto
\nthe spiral staircase that leads to the twin towers. I had never been up there
\n(although I have visited and attended services in the Cathedral pretty often),
\nand was rewarded with an absolutely fabulous day\u2014clear and sunny (although
\nfreezing cold). This would ensure really spectacular pictures of Paris seen
\nfrom a height. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\nClimbing to the Towers of
\nNotre-Dame:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>Having reached the line at 10.00am,
\nI was shocked to find that there were at least 300 people in the line before
\nme. So although the entry door opened at 10.00 am sharp, by the time I entered,
\nI had waited in the line for one hour and 10 minutes. And the wait was brutal
\nbecause the temperature was unseasonably low. Although I was very warmly clad,
\nafter about half an hour in the line, I started to freeze and actually had to
\nenter one of the souvenir stores to warm myself. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>In the end, however, the wait was
\nfully worthwhile, for the bird\u2019s-eye views of the city from the towers are hard
\nto describe in words. Baron Hausmann\u2019s glorious city was basking in the winter
\nsun in its lovely ivory shade of Caen stone punctuated only occasionally by a recognizable
\nspire of a church or a landmark building that was easy to recognize. I took so
\nmany pictures of the buildings and of the Seine and its bridges snaking around
\nthe city. However, it was not just the city that lay as if showing itself off
\nat its dazzling best and waiting to be photographed, that caught my eye; it was
\nthe umpteen architectural features by which I was surrounded that had me
\ncompletely enthralled. The famous gargoyles, for instance, created through the
\ngenius of Violet Le Duc, can be seen up close and personal. Great ugly stone
\nanimals and birds (such as eagle-like griffons) that are unrecognizable form
\nthe Gothic water spouts through which rain water is ingeniously siphoned down
\nthe building. There are statues of saints and a number of angels in prayer that
\nwould be impossible to see from ground level. The huge bells of the Cathedral
\nare so close when you are up in the towers that to hear them peeling is to jump
\nout of your skin. As I stood there taking photographs, I simply could not help
\nthinking how worthwhile it was to have climbed 450 steps to get to the top. In
\nfact, after one has circumnavigated one level of the tower, there is another
\nflight of stairs to climb to get even higher. It was rather grudgingly that I
\nclimbed those, but from up there too the views that came into focus were
\nsublime\u2014the Eiffel Tower, the heights of Montmartre with the Church of
\nSacre-Coeur crowning it, the funky design of the Centre Pompidour designed by
\nthe Italian Renzo Piano, the confection that is the Opera Garnier designed by
\nthe one and only Charles Garnier, the dissimilar spires of the Church of St.
\nSuplice, the ugliest tower in Paris (Tour Montparnasse), the Pantheon with its
\nserene dome and the exuberant golden Dome Church at Les Invalids. I have to
\nadmit that I had a field day and was absolutely thrilled with my decision to
\nget to the top as it was my first time\u2014and probably my last (although never say
\nnever!). I seriously cannot see myself being able to repeat the feat of scaling
\n450 steps\u2014and so I was also delighted that I had the perfect day on which to
\nclick my pictures.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\nBack on Terra Firma<\/i>:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>By 12 noon, I was back on terra firma<\/i> and dying for some hot
\nchocolate as I was unbelievably cold. As I walked along the back street, past
\nthe many souvenir stores that have sprouted on the streets leading from the
\nCathedral to the Seine, I arrived at Rue du Renard where I found a McDs<\/i>! It was with such relief that I
\nwent inside to order a hot chocolate with whipped cream and gave my feet a
\nwell-earned rest. But then, not wanting to waste too much time on free Sunday,
\nI hastened away to the next item on my agenda, past the legendary department
\nstore called BHV <\/i>(and from where we
\nonce bought the best can-opener in the world!) to arrive at the Musee Picasso<\/i>\u2014the next item on my list.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\nVisiting the Musee Picasso:<\/o:p><\/i><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n <\/span>      <\/span>  <\/span>About 30 years ago, on my first visit to
\nEurope, I had received my first introduction to the world of the legendary
\nPablo Picasso in this museum. I can still remember seeing the giant painting of
\nLes Demoiselles D\u2019Avignon<\/i> at the
\nentrance and being stunned. I can recall walking in reverence from room to room
\nas I reviewed Picasso\u2019s work from phase to phase in his life. Marvelous
\ncuratorial notes in each gallery introduced the many influences in his life,
\nthe many women who crowded it and became subjects of his work, the many places
\nin which he lived and found inspiration, the many experiments he conducted with
\nform and color as he traced a trajectory that took him from realism during his
\nearly years in Barcelona to the varied \u2018color\u2019 phases\u2014his Blue phase, his Rose
\nPhase–his experiments with Cubism, his imitations of the work of the
\nMasters  <\/span>(his obsession with Velasquez,
\nfor instance, that resulted in the endless variations he created of Las Meninas<\/i>). I had seen them all and
\nunderstood with exceeding clarity, very early in my life, what Picasso had
\nattempted to do and why he is regarded as perhaps the greatest artistic genius of
\nthe 20th<\/sup> century. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>When I lived in Paris, four years
\nago, the Musee Picasso<\/i>, which is
\nlocated in a lovely hotel particulier<\/i>
\n(private manor) in the city on the Rue de Thorigny, was under renovation. They
\nwere going to re-structure it so that it would cease to be chronological and
\nwould only display some of his masterpieces at a time and often in conjunction
\nwith the work of other contemporary artists. Thus, when I arrived at the venue
\nat about 1.00 pm, I found about 75 people in the line before me.  <\/span>However, the line (unlike the one at
\nNotre-Dame) moved speedily and I was inside in about 20 minutes. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\nExploring the Musee Picasso:<\/i><\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>This time, to my utter
\ndisappointment, I found that the museum had completely changed its display
\nstyle and I am afraid I was neither impressed nor delighted. The early work was
\npresent but then the work transitioned too suddenly and with barely an adequate
\nexplanation from one gallery to the next. Also, this time the exhibition
\nfeatured the work of Picasso and Giacometti, the sculptor who also made Paris
\nhis home. I surveyed the comparative exhibits very carefully and enjoyed it,
\nundoubtedly\u2026but my enjoyment and enlightenment were not nearly as profound as
\nthey had been 30 years ago. Still, I am glad I re-visited this museum and I
\nwould say that to anyone who has not been to it, a trip to Paris ought to
\ninclude this museum.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\nOff to the Fondation Cartier<\/i>:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>Next on my agenda was a visit to the Fondation Cartier<\/i>\u2014which, as its name implies, was created under the
\npatronage of the famed French jewelry house. My interest in seeing the place
\nwas to view the architectural genius of the great Jean Nouvel whose work I have
\nseen in various parts of the world (the Opera House in Lyon, the Musee de Quai
\nBlanchi in Paris, a Tower in Barcelona, etc). He is an architect with a
\nnon-conventional vision. He introduced the concept of blurring the lines
\nbetween indoor and outdoor spaces, of creating hanging gardens that scale a
\nwhole wall, of using glass walls to block out traffic sounds, etc. So off I
\nwent to the Rue Raspail by metro to get to the museum\u2014not really knowing what
\nto expect inside. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>To my surprise, a rather weird
\nexhibition themed around \u2018The Orchestra of Animals\u2019 was in full swing. It had
\nattracted a great deal of children (it was, after all, a Sunday) and was
\nportrayed through multi-media. There were movies, film clips, paintings and,
\ndownstairs, in the basement, some more rather strange films. The exhibition
\nwasn\u2019t really my cup of tea at all, but I have to say that Novel\u2019s building is
\nstriking. There is a lot of glass (his signature touch), miles of what look
\nlike pipes and loud primary colors everywhere. I did not spend too much time
\nhere and within the hour, I was out.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\nOff to the Arc de Triomphe:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>Nightfall was not too far off by the
\ntime I emerged from the Fondation Cartier<\/i>
\nand out on the street. I took the metro again and made my way across the Seine
\non the 6 line which runs aloft and overground for most of its route. When you
\ncross the Seine on the 6, you get glorious pictures of the Eiffel Tower and by
\nday or night, it is compelling. My destination was the Champs-Elysses as I was
\nheaded to the Arc de Triomphe to climb it for the first time\u2014also for free. I
\ndreaded to think of how long the line would be, as it had been a long day and I
\nwas fatigued. But I pressed on and I arrived at my venue at about 5.00 pm when
\nit had already become pretty dark.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\nA Word about the Champs-Elysses: <\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\nWhen
\nI emerged from the metro station, I was stunned. The Champs-Elysses, the main
\nartery that radiates from the Place de L\u2019Etoile and the Arc de Triomphe, which
\nsome folks believe to be the most stylish of Paris\u2019 avenues and certainly the
\none most used for public parades, was ablaze with Christmas color. It is indeed
\nsuch a great time to be in Paris. The city is wearing its holiday best. There
\nare lights everywhere. The stores are simply glittering with eye-candy of every
\nsort. The jewel in the crown, however, is the Cartier building which was
\ncovered with red lights and wrapped in a dazzling bright red bow with the
\nCartier logo, the panther, also picked up in lights at the top of the building.
\nI would have liked to have lingered longer on this lovely avenue, but I did not
\nwant to have too long a wait to get to the top of the Arc and hurried along.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

\nClimbing the Arc de Triomphe:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>There were about 250 people in the
\nline ahead of me when I reached the Arc de Triomphe which looked gorgeous in
\nthe reflected aura of so many holiday lights. The line also moved quickly and
\nin an organized fashion and, in no time at all, I was at the top taking in the
\nbeauty of the city as picked out in its lights. This time I had climbed 250
\nsteps\u2014you can just imagine how heroic I felt after having climbed 450 steps in
\nthe morning! I do not believe that I will ever be capable of accomplishing this
\nagain. The climb to the Arc was also the first time ever that I would be
\nundertaking it\u2014and so I was excited.  <\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>All the way to the top of the Arc,
\nthere are exhibits\u2014trivia and other facts that can keep the visitor occupied.
\nOnce at the top, you circumnavigate the viewing platform to take in the sights.
\nI deliberately decided to see the views of Paris from the Cathedral of
\nNotre-Dame by day and then to see the same sights by night from the Arc de
\nTriomphe as I was sure that illuminations would portray the city in a
\ncompletely different light (pun unintended!). Needless to say, I caught the
\nEiffel Tower ablaze at the 6.00 pm hour and that was a thrill in itself. I went
\nthrough the process, all over again, of taking dozens of pictures and was
\nparticularly taken by the Champs-Elysses itself with its holiday decorations
\nand its giant Ferris wheel at one end (close to the Place de la Concorde). By
\nthe time I descended all those steps again and came down to ground level, I
\nfound out that the daily ceremony of the Changing of the Guard that takes place
\naround the immortal flame at the tomb of the unknown soldier, was in full
\nswing. It was quite moving to see the simple pageantry with which these rituals
\nare observed. It involved reading from a text, the hoisting and carrying of the
\nbleu, blanc, rouge<\/i>, the blowing of
\nbugles and the singing of the national anthem, La Marseillaise<\/i>. Again, I took many pictures and thought to myself
\nhow wonderful it was that I was having all these varied experienced on a single
\nday. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>By this time, as you can understand,
\nI was quite drooping with fatigue and decided that I needed to get straight
\nback home. However, I was hungry and needed something more substantial than a
\nsalad\u2014so I hopped into a McDs<\/i> to get
\nmyself a Croque Monsieur which is a toasted ham and cheese sandwich\u2014I got a
\ntakeaway and was soon on the train arriving at my room at 9.00 pm. I was
\nexhausted and after eating it with a salad, I showered and did not waste any
\ntime in going straight off to sleep. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\nFree
\nSunday in Paris had been a resounding success! 
\n<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>A
\ndemain!    <\/span>  <\/span><\/o:p><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

December 4, 2016, Sunday: Free Sunday Rolls Around Again in Paris.             One of the great advantages of being in Paris on the first Sunday of each month is that you get to enter a lot of the museums and monuments for free. Most folks make a bee-line for the better-known ones such as the… <\/p>\n

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