Paris Apartment

October 30: Our apartment sits in a building that's I'm guessing is from the early 1800s, reachable on the second American floor from a private courtyard up circular wooden stairs.  It measures about 13 by 15 feet, though the 15-foot ceilings and efficient use of space make it feel much larger. The space contains such amenities as a kitchen with dishwasher, microwave, grill and washer/dryer; phone with answering machine and free calls to the U.S. and Europe; computer with Internet access and printer; sleeping loft; small closet; and one bathroom with a shower, wc, sink and heated towel rack. Two electronic security doors keep the residence safe.

Helen, a charming madamoiselle and an agent of the owner, welcomed us and gave us all the details. We even received a plate of fruit with pineapples, kiwi fruits, apples and grapes, and a bottle of 2008 Chateau Cazeau bordeaux.

Aside from the excellent location in the heart of the Marais, a major Jewish, gay, shopping and entertainment district, the apartment excels with a rate of only $100/day for the low season. This is already cheap by American standards, but by Parisian standards, it's a steal.

Check out more pictures and a Google Street View stroll down our street at this link.

Versailles

October 30: Like Disneyland in California, the Versailles palace is over-hyped and overcrowded, but a necessary stop on any visit to Paris. The rooms were carved with intricate details, painted with grand family portraits, and festooned with large chandeliers. But after awhile each of the rooms merged into the other, since all used the same 18th-century decoration. How much gold can you look at before it seems as monotonous as Formica?  (At least Formica comes in different colors.) And after hours of shuffling through crowds of tourists, with nary a seat in site, my reaction to the interior tended toward this:

Eventually, the most memorable parts of the interior became the anime-like creations of Murakami, a Japanese sculptor with a temporary exhibit:

 After an expensive lunch (about $12 for a ham sandwich and a can of Coke Light), we escaped the masses of humanity by exploring the exterior. The landscaping became the more manageable and comprehensible part of the sight. Though Louis 14th created most of the gardens, Marie Antoinette added her own touches, such as a small Norman village where, dressed as a peasant, she could supervise the inhabitants as they grew crops and raised animals. Think an 18th-century version of Disneyland. She even had her own peasant house, complete with billiard room, covered gallery and two living areas:

What's especially refreshing about the gardens is that few of the tourists ventured out to the far corners. We both felt like royalty, strolling by ourselves among the manicured lawns and strategically placed ponds. Though we both took advantage of the respite, Anthony felt more relaxed:

Chartres Old Town

October 29:  The old town of Chartres is worth a stroll, apart from the Cathedral. Among the tacky souvenir shops, we discovered La Galerie du Vitrail, a stained glass shop that offered artisan-crafted delights in traditional and modern designs. They could even ship anywhere in the world. Natrually, I couldn't afford anything.

Monsieur Bellini

Then there was the Galerie Bellini, a tiny shop located down a few twisting steps, run by a retired computer entrepreneur. Monsieur Bellini took the time to talk to us, in fluent English, about his rotating set of artwork, the history of Chartres and about life in general.

Finally, Punjab Restaurant is closer to the train station but offers excellent Pakistani meals at reasonable prices. (The staff warns you when you first come in, that they don't serve alcohol. But they don't tell you it's because the restaurant is Muslim.) My fixed-price menu included a delicious lamb biryani. But the pistachio kulfi stunned me with its flavor, since it was the first time I've ever  had this ice-cream-like sweet. It seemed to have just a hint of rose water as an enhancement.  They don't have a website, so here's the contact info:

Punjab

13 rue Ste. Même  28000 Chartres
02 37 21 31 36

Chartres Cathedral

October 29: More people seemed to cling to the facade of Chartres Cathedral than were living in the city of Chartres when we visited. Granted, the former were made of stone. Some were fist-sized depictions of new testament scenes that covered every inch of the stone door frames. Others were the size of actual human beings with such details as folds in clothing and coats of arms. Trying to view let alone comprehend all of themthem would take a lifetime.

More statues decorated the interior, especially the choir screen. These showed the everyday lives of the Holy Family, especially the one below, which proves that Jesus was Jewish.

Jesus is not having a good time.

The most unusual aspect of the interior for me was the circular maze, though I'm told this is a common feature of many Gothic cathedrals. Pilgrims were supposed to follow its path while meditating, until they reached enlightenment at the center. A gaggle of tourists were trying to negotiate the lines when we visited, self-consciously posturing their way to the middle. It looked like a one-ring circus incapable of producing any religious dividends. It would seem to be more productive to buy one of the hand-sized mazes at the gift shop, and trace your way to the center with a finger.

If only the maze was this uncrowded when we visited.

Chartres Cathedral

October 29: More people seemed to cling to the facade of Chartres Cathedral than were living in the city of Chartres when we visited. Granted, the former were made of stone. Some were fist-sized depictions of new testament scenes that covered every inch of the stone door frames. Others were the size of actual human beings with such details as folds in clothing and coats of arms. Trying to view let alone comprehend all of themthem would take a lifetime.

More statues decorated the interior, especially the choir screen. These showed the everyday lives of the Holy Family, especially the one below, which proves that Jesus was Jewish.

 

Normandy Weather

If you don't like the weather in Normandy, just wait a few minutes. This area to the north of Paris and bordering the North Sea braces visitors with constantly changing weather. In the course of a few hours, we've experienced bright sun, cloud cover, drizzle, pouring rain, thunderstorms and hail, seemingly in random order.

If it's sunny, bring a raincoat or umbrella. If it's cold and wet, dress in layers so you can shed your clothing when the weather gets warm.

D-Day: Pointe du Hoc

October 27:  Just before D-Day on June 6, 1944, the Allies carpeted Pointe du Hoc with bombs to take out six 155mm guns that the Germans had captured from the French. Because the point was between Omaha and Utah beaches, Germans could easily fire on any advancing troops. Rangers were then sent to scale the 100-foot cliffs to take out the concrete emplacements that held both the guns and the Germans.

Unfortunately, because of weather, the Allied assault that was supposed to take place before sunrise, happened 40 minutes later in full sunlight.  The over-220 men who started out were reduced to about 90 by the end of the day. In addition, they discovered that the Germans had moved the guns about a mile inland and replaced them with decoys. The Rangers eventually found the guns and destroyed them with thermite grenades.

All that leads to a modern memorial park that is peppered with bomb craters about 10-15 feet deep. (They used to be about six or seven feet deeper but 60 years of erosion has filled them in and softened them with grass.)




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Cratered landscape with remains of a concrete bunker.

Anthony at the bottom of a crater.

Testament to German engineering are the concrete bunkers that survived the assault intact. We entered one or two to experience the war from the German point of view.

However, some emplacements didn't survive the assault.