A la fin - at the end

We did start with the Musée d’Orsay. It is a truly amazing place. It is a former railroad station, although it did not stay that for long. It is directly across the river from the Louvre. Trains were smelly and dirty at the turn of the 19^th century, and the Parisians didn’t want that in the center of the city. Add to that the fact that trains were longer than the station and caused huge traffic snarls, and it was quickly shut. It has housed everything from city records to a circus. But it is an incredible museum.

The natural light that comes through the glass ceiling is perfect for the artwork. Hayley and Abby quickly disappeared into the depths of the fifth floor, the Impressionist gallery. The rest of us followed, but without the edge of pure excitement that those two had.

We conducted ourselves through, so we weren’t always together. Those that were with me had to endure my tour guide speeches about different works. A third of my undergrad major was art history, so I know a lot about this stuff.

We saw Manet’s Déjeuner sur l’herbe, considered the first Impressionist painting. Beth considered it creepy, since it features a picnic with two clothed men and one nude woman. We saw seven of Monet’s Rouen Cathedral paintings. (Randy: “Why’d he paint the same thing over and over?”)

I particularly enjoyed Monet’s painting of a street scene of a patriotic celebration. You see the flags flying and the people crowded in the street. But when you look closely, the people are just a smear of black paint and a dab of white. The flags are swirls of blue, white and red. But it all comes together three paces back.

I really like Cézanne. His paintings really are ‘impressions.’ Beth and Kaitlin didn’t care for him so much. “His perspectives are weird. His work looks like it was done fast and half way,” Beth said. Indeed, Cézanne worked very quickly, often completing a work in as little as an hour.

To see all of these works that I studied so diligently in person really affected me. It made me understand why I studied them in such detail. And I really understood why they had such an impact on the French in particular and the world in general. There is really no way to describe the feeling it gives you. Suffice it to say that you are a different person in some way after you have experienced these works.

We had two and a half hours there, so there was time to also see the post-impressionists. These include Van Gogh, Gaughin and Rodin. We got to see the most famous self-portrait of all time. And even though we did not see the famous starry night painting, we saw a couple of works that pictured the stars in that way. And only Van Gogh could turn a red chair into an image so striking as to never be forgotten.

I love Rodin’s full-length marble portrayal of Balzac. Balzac famously loved to stay up late drinking and cavorting with women. Rodin started his work early in the morning. The only way Balzac agreed to be portrayed was if he could wear his dressing gown and drink a lot of coffee. He is in the gown, but we see no coffee. And it is truly an impression. We see the heavy brow and mustache, the prominent nose and the pointy chin, but they are all just hinted at. Our eyes put in the rest.

After the Orsay, we ventured to the Marais district for a walking tour while our California compatriots (now dubbed the ‘Santa Barbarians’) headed to Les Halles – to shop. Stella assured us we could last through our tour and then have lunch. We did, but barely.

We started in Place de la Bastille (named after some prison that used to be there), and proceeded along a path followed by Louis XIV to his coronation and ended in Places des Voges which features a queen’s residence at one end and a king’s at the other and a unique style of architecture. It was also Victor Hugo’s last home.

The Marais is also the Jewish quarter of Paris. The delis are all kosher and you see little boys wearing yamakis and men wearing long black cassocks and sporting long curls in front. Stella finished our tour in front of a former Jewish boys’ school. In 1941, 36 boys were taken from the school by the Nazis and sent to a concentration camp. The inscription N’oubliez pas (don’t forget) is written above the doors.

Abby and Hayley struck out on their own. Stella had to meet her director briefly and the rest of us looked for a place to eat. After a few block walk, Carrie said, “I see chairs. Let’s go.” It was a great choice. Chris has his croque monsieur as did Randy. The rest of us had quiches of various sorts (mine was salmon) with salad and a wonderful vegetable soup. Beth even had real French cheesecake. Afterwards, Carrie and Reid headed for a Monoprix and I headed for a bookstore. Stella had this amazing guidebook that has maps of Paris by arrondissment and lists sites, Métro stops, places to eat, things to do and most anything else one might want. I found one. I bought it.

We met back at Place des Voges, in front of the statue of Louis XIII. We decided to go to the Sainte Chapelle. It is a chapel that the king had built while the Notre Dame was under construction. It is now contained within the walls of the Palais de Justice. It features some of the most impressive stained glass windows ever created. Unfortunately, when we arrived, we found that there was a civil servant strike and it was closed. That seemed OK when you realized that in former times, Parisians made their grievances know by erecting burning barricades in the streets.

Stella lead us to Ile Ste. Louis for an ice cream to make up for the strike. It seemed like the perfect choice. After a relaxing ice cream in the warm Parisian sun, we made our way to the area around the Centre Pompidou, where we were to have dinner. On the way, Carrie took a spill outside the Notre Dame. With her sprained wrist and her outfit covered in Paris dust, she decided to go to the hotel to change. She promised to meet us at the restaurant.

Chris and I wanted to visit the collections, but decided 13€ was a bit much, since we only had about 40 minutes. Reid bought bread crumbs and terrorized the pigeons until a bum chased him and chastised him for teasing his babies. I wasn’t there, but some say Reid ran like a little girl.

Dinner was at a Moroccan restaurant. The food was very different. We learned the joys of hot and mild sausage over couscous covered in vegetable sauce and veggies. Carrie did join us and permitted herself to be plied with Moroccan wine. We enjoyed strange desserts. Stella stood and recited a poem she wrote for us all – quite a challenge since our two groups never actually melded.

At that point we parted. The Santa Barbarians ostensibly to the hotel because of their early flight, and our group to a special ending. We went to a Monoprix by the restaurant and got drinks and snacks. We headed for the park that is at the tip of Ile de la Cité. The custom there is to sit on the sidewalks and have a picnic/party at night. We had our own going-away party. I did photos of the group and of my students and we toasted Paris – and Stella. We love Stella.

As this part of the trip comes to a close, I reflect on the experiences of all of us and the effects it has had on us. I really appreciate the parents who came along. Carrie, the experienced traveler, lead when we needed her and soaked up Paris and French culture the whole time. Randy and Beth were open to any experience and never complained – no matter how many times Randy was told he couldn’t sit somewhere. Thank you so much for being such great traveling companions.

Kaitlin was really a trooper. She stuck with the program and tried to open her mind, if not her palette, to all things French. So what if she couldn’t make it a week without a hamburger. Chris realized that he remembered much more of his French than he thought he would. His calm, analytical demeanor was a very positive vibe throughout the trip. Reid did some real growing-up during this trip. I’m not sure he learned a lot of tolerance, but he learned that there a lot of people who view the world very differently than we do. The tolerance will come with age.

And I am so very proud of Paige. I think she learned a lot of self-confidence.  She is really starting to become more of her own person. She lets her personality come out and she shares it with us. And she learned that people really do communicate in another completely different way, and she is learning to do it. She’ll be great to have along next year.

Hayley, Abby and I are about to start another chapter with our foray to Nice. But at this point, I know that in another life, Abby was British and Hayley was a post-impressionist painter. More will be known soon.

In the thick of it

Monday was a day we got to construct for ourselves. At my urging, we started with the Orangerie. This is a museum in the Tuilleries Gardens that began life as part of the Tuilleries Palace. It was constructed with glass ceilings to permit the growing of orange trees, hence the name. When I was here in the 1970s, it was cut into two floors. The upper housed traveling exhibits, and Henry Moore sculptures were in the surrounding gardens.

But the real stars of the Orangerie are Monet’s famous water lily paintings. These are the most amazing works of the Impressionist era. Painted at Monet’s home at Giverny, these pieces measure some 12’ high and vary in length from 20-35’. To see them is overwhelming. We all sat struck silent by the power and movement of these brush strokes come to life. We moved slowly among the two rooms to take it all in. The quite striking silence was broken by several groups of preschool age children who were brought in. They just couldn’t contain themselves. Why their teachers at the école maternelle thought it was important for three-five year old to experience Matisse, I’m not quite sure.

So we moved to explore the exhibit below. I should point out that the Orangerie has been redesigned since the 70s. The upper floor has been removed to allow the natural light to illuminate the Monets, and a lower floor has been added below. (As the stories go, the Water Lilies had to stay in place during reconstruction, so they were covered. During their breaks, the workers uncovered them to admire their beauty – only in France.)

Below, was the collection of a man who began collecting art in the shortly after WWI. He began as a garage mechanic, displaying art in the window of his garage. On his death some sixty years later, he had the largest personal collection of Impressionist art in the world, and could count numerous Impressionists as friends. We saw works by virtually each one of the other significant painters of that day. We even saw a Kandinsky and a Meunch. There were even the Americans Marie Cassat and Winslow Homer.

It makes me wonder what we will see when we visit the Musée d’Orsay on Thursday. Who’s left?

Each of us wanted to see the Arc de Triomphe up close. Stella said, “It’s just a 20 minute walk,” so we walked along the Seine. It was an absolutely glorious sunny morning, and the walk was delightful. But we have come to learn that Stella’s “20 minute” walks are usually 45 minutes long.

Nonetheless, we arrived at the Arc in due course. Several of us decided to brave the 289 steps to the top of the Arc. Abby, Hayley, Chris, Reid, Kaitlin and I huffed and puffed our way to the top. Our reward was an unusual view of Paris and Parisians. Most of us recorded it on video. Of course, Reid had to “Tebow” at the top. I think he would “Tebow” at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Stella lead us then to a carry out lunch from an amazing bakery on the Champs-Elysées. We ate on the sidewalk, where a tourist from Kokomo, Indiana spied Chris’s IU hoodie and struck up a conversation with Randy.

We then headed for the famous cemetery Père Lachaise. I had to take a small detour back to the hotel because I loaded my camera with a dead battery and didn’t want to miss a day’s photos. While the others were visiting the graves of Baudelaire, Beaumarchais, Chopin and other famous French luminaries, I got a good tour of the Métro.

Paige took a map of the cemetery and lead Reid, Hayley, Carrie and Abby through the twists and turns of this quiet corner of Paris. I arrived in time to have an abbreviated tour while the others pris un verre (had a drink) at the corner café. I got to see the graves of Georges Seurat, Beaumarchais and Jim Morrison.

After the hustle and bustle of the Champs Elysées, it was a welcome respite to amble among the graves of the elite of Paris.

We then took the Métro to Montmartre, at the base of the Sacré Coeur. We walked up the steps to take in the breathtaking views of Paris. This is the highest point in the city and is rather windy on any given day, thus the presence of windmills in former times. Today, there are only two left in existence.

A few of us stepped in the knave of the basicilla to see the ornate designs of the church. We then wandered through the streets of Montmartre and the Place Terte. Many of us purchased gifts there. There were people from all around the world crowded into the narrow streets of this former village.

We met at a wonderful restaurant in the center of the Place Terte, La Cremaillère. We had another delightful salad followed by a beef burgundy with sliced potatoes. Dessert was a sort of raspberry cake with a tart sauce over it. Not all of our students like the heavy red sauces that the Parisians favor (Kaitlin and Paige), so a later stop for ice cream was in order.

Before that, Stella gave us a walking tour of Montmartre. We saw the small winding streets, the café where the impressionist painters let the owner’s donkey paint a masterpiece with a brush on his tail, and the last vineyard in Paris. We saw where St. Denis stopped to wash his head after he was beheaded, on his way to a church. We saw the Moulin de la Galette and the man who walked through walls. We ended in Place Pigalle and a view of the Moulin Rouge.

Nineteen Métro stops later, we were back safely at the trusty Amiral.

Tuesday was our trip to Versailles, the traditional home of the French kings starting with Louis XIV. It began as a hunting lodge of his father, and Louis turned it into the most elaborate castle in history. On the way, Stella divided us into groups for our role playing game, Seize the Chateau! We were divided into the rural poor, the Parisian peasants, the bourgeoisie, the nobility, the clergy and the royalty. Stella interviewed each of us as to our issues in face of revolutionary foment.

We got there early so as to beat the crowds, but it was fairly densely packed nonetheless. NETC supplied us with audio guided tours based on our positions in Seize the Chateau! As we walked through the rooms of Louis’ palace, we were guided by people in our respective conditions. It was a very interesting way to experience the tour. It was guided and great amounts of information were presented, each from a particular point of view. I think we all really enjoyed it.

The crowd pushed us along at times and hindered us at others. But all in all, it was a very exciting experience, in spite of the pressure of the crowd. Later I discovered the crowds multiplied exponentially, so we had done well.

After a brief opportunity to view the formal gardens, we went to lunch in a local restaurant. It was in a narrow street just three blocks from the palais. The restaurant dated from nearly the time of Louis himself. The salad was a spectacular blend of sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, crisp lettuce and an olive oil vinaigrette. The main course was long-roasted veal in a beef sauce with potatoes and green beans. Dessert was a chocolate fondue.

I actually left my dessert to Randy, because I had to walk back to the palais. I had been asked to check my monopod (the stand I use for my camera in low light situations). I suppose it does look like blunt instrument. In any event, I didn’t want to leave my $70 accessory, so I walked back to retrieve it. I was amazed to discover a line of people wanting to enter that snaked through the courtyard and out past the main gate. Our wait of five minutes to enter had turned into what looked to be hours. Thank God for Stella’s plan for us.

Gilles, our coach driver took us back to Paris and let us off on the Champs-Elysées, right by Place de la Concorde. Our California friends had a date for a Galleries Lafayettes demonstration of Louis Vitton products. We opted for a more traditional visit to Les Invalides.

We walked across the Pont Alexandre III, built for the World’s Fair of 1900, and into the grounds of Les Invalides. We all toured the Eglise du Dôme, the site of Napoleon’s tomb. From there, we split up. Les Invalides contains three distinct museums. One is a museum of the French army and its armaments, another a museum of the world wars, and still another of relief models of the cities of France. Many went to the museum of the world wars. Paige, Abby, Hayley and I chose the museum of the army. We saw the armour of the early kings of France and of the nobility.

Stella called us to say that the Musée Rodin, just next door would only be open another hour and a half. We decided to forsake the armor in favor of the sculpture of Rodin. The main house is closed for renovation, but the gardens are open and feature the large, principal works of Rodin.

Hayley has just studied Rodin and I did graduate course work on Rodin some years ago, so we were able to help explain the significance of The Thinker, The Burghers of Calais, The Three Shadows and The Gates of Hell. We spent quite a bit of time studying the pieces and feeling their presence. The others joined us in the cool, restful gardens and everyone relaxed.

Eventually, we walked to Rue Cler, a market street near the Eiffel Tower. We shopped in a real French grocery store (to buy lunch for the next day). I helped Hayley change money in a Banque Postal. The lady who waited on us wasn’t happy and felt that the post office should have remained a place to mail things and should never have involved itself with banking and money. She freely expressed these ideas to us. Chris and Randy decided they didn’t need to change money quite at that time.

Kaitlin, Paige and Reid were fairly desperate for familiar food, so they chose an American style café. Paige and Reid had pasta, and Kaitlin had a burger and fries. Carrie, Hayley and I decided we wanted something lighter. After I bought some amazing cheese at a fromagerie, we had a deli plate at a corner café. Carrie and I indulged in a glass of wine and some serious people watching.

It came time to go and meet the others for our date with the Iron Lady. We had reservations to ascend to the top of the Eiffel Tower. We were quickly dispatched to the elevators and whisked to the second floor. A quick change took us to the top. A few of us were quite nervous about being 1,000 ft. above Paris. There are actually two levels at the top, the first enclosed in case of bad weather, and the second above, open save for the safety cage.

We were quite proud of Katilin and Paige for making it all the way around and actually looking out across the city before they went back to the second level. Reid managed to both “Tebow” and “Bernie” in the face of the most luxurious view in the world.

The sun began to set while we were at the top. The lights of la ville lumière began to come on. Randy and Beth stayed for longer than Beth thought they would. Hayley was in search of the Arc de Triomphe and Abby assisted. We descended before it was completely dark. We were on the second level when the lady began her twinkling display. It was amazing to see it up close. I had the opportunity to view it among French elementary children who found it absolutely delightful.

We met up again under the southeast leg of the tower and headed for the Métro. A nineteen stop trip took us to Place d’Italie and a ten minute walk got us back to the Amiral.

*****

Wednesday morning’s wakeup call came at six in the morning. We had a long bus trip as we headed for the Loire Valley. We first visited the Cathedral of Chartres. It is an amazing example of Gothic architecture. One tower is so old it is Romanesque. But the bulk of the church was built between 1194 and 1206. The stories of the bible are told through the stained glass windows, some 60 of them. The stone arches and window frames soar to heaven. Unlike many churches, Chartres Cathedral was not bombed during World War II, so the windows remain intact.

From Chartres, an hour and a half drive lead us to the 15^th century Chateau of Chenenceau. Chenenceau is called le château des dames, the women’s chateau. A married couple bought the old manor house and mill that stood on the site in the early 1400’s and built  the great chateau of Chenenceau. The wife had a very public affair with King Charles II. When her husband died, he not only wore her colors onto the jousting field, but her mourning colors as well. Later, Catherine de Medici was in residence, as well as a Diane I can no longer recall.

We were hit with a lot of history today, and I do not have it all straight in my mind. Abby is working a project to track the French royalty. I’m hoping she can help.

We ate our picnic lunch next to a creek in the company of friendly, but hungry ducks. I think each of us was pleased with his choice from the grocery yesterday, and most especially with the prices. A group of French school children in red caps caused Carrie to comment on the difference between the American “red hats” and the French.

In any event, this amazing building is built out over the river Cher. However, It really doesn’t look as if any threat might come from the river side, but it could be easily defended against such an attack. Louis XIV visited for a day, and they named a room in his honor. It reminds me of a “Lincoln slept here” kind of thing.

All of the fresh flowers which decorate the rooms of the chateau are grown on the grounds of a 16^th century farm on the grounds. There are also beautiful sculpted gardens named after the various ladies. They even burn actual wood fires in the fireplaces of the chateau, both for atmosphere and for actual heat.

A couple modern points of interest are that 1) the owner of the chateau during World War I turned it into a hospital for wounded soldiers, filling virtually every room with war wounded: and 2) in World War II, the river Cher formed the border between Vichy France and German-controlled France. Large numbers of French resistance fighters escaped German hands via the river chateau of Chenenceau.

Our next stop was the much older fortress chateau of Amboises. This was the home of and Louis XII. It sits on the bank of the Loire and the town exists right around it. It is high on a hill and served as a fortress since the 8^th century. It is beautiful, majestic and bold in its preserved old age.

François I conducted several military campaigns of varying success in Italy. He brought majorica tiles and Italian Renaissance design back to France. And one Italian, Leonardo daVinci, accepted an invitation to come live in Amboises. daVinci died there in 1519 and is buried in a chapel on the grounds. His home can be seen beyond the ramparts.

We then went just outside Amboises to visit a vineyard that has been in the same family, passed from father to son, since 1509 – some 20+ generations. We got a tour of the wine caves conducted by the current leading son. And these caves were not a cool brick building like they are in Madison. These are actual caves in the bedrock of the hillside behind. They have some 300 acres of vines and produce over 100,000 bottles of wine each year.

We had the opportunity to taste, and the wine is really exceptional. They have received several silver awards – hard to come by in France. Our Madison students really liked the estate bottled grape juice. They even bought two bottles.

We then embarked on our cooking adventure. In the city of Amboises, there is a technical high school for training future chefs. Their staff worked with our students to produce a three-course meal. We started with a vichyssoises – a potato based soup with seafood. The plat principal was a baked and steamed guinea fowl (like a Cornish game hen, without all the bones) with pea pods and carrots, and a root vegetable I didn’t recognize. Dessert was prepared by our kids. It was brioche dipped in beaten egg, vanilla and sugar. (Sounds like French toast, huh?) That was accompanied by sautéed pineapple flambé and pineapple sorbet. Yes, our kids dealt with food and fire with no casualties.

Each group served the adults and the school staff each course and explained it. The dinner was one of the best we have had in France. And it was wonderful to talk with the French staff and learn the intricacies of technical education in France.

The long bus ride home afforded most of us a well-deserved nap and a chance to embrace tomorrow freshly. We owe a big thanks to our drivers, Gilles and Franca, and the amazing, delightful Stella.

What adventure will tomorrow bring us? The schedule says Musée d’Orsay and a tour of the Marais. But it is always so much more than the schedule states.

In France!

All went well with getting us to the airport on time. A big thank you to Mr. Yancey and the transportation department with getting us a bus and a driver. Michael Edelstein from NETC (our tour company) even came to see us off.

Our flight was packed, but everyone managed well. We negotiated Charles deGaulle Airport and got through passport control with no hitch, just a long line. Stella, our wonderful tour director welcomed us just at the exit to baggage claim, got us on our comfortable bus and whisked us to our hotel.

The Hotel Amiral is on Avenue d’Italie, in the 15^th Arrondissment of Paris. It is not far from the Latin Quarter. Even though we felt as if it was well after check-in time, it was only 10:30 in the morning in Paris. We stowed our bags in a locked room and went out to begin to see Paris.

We took the Métro to the Place Monge and walked through the Latin Quarter. When we entered Place Panthéon, we saw a promotional demonstration from Orangina and got free raspberry Orangina. We searched out a charcuterie and a sandwich shop for a picnic lunch in the Jardin du Luxembourg. These gardens are behind the Palais du Luxembourg, which is the home of the French Senate. We sat in the sun, ate and relaxed.

After, we split up. Reid and Carrie went to the Jardin des Plantes to see the zoo. Abby, Hayler and Stella did a walking tour of the quarter and visited the Pompidou Center. Beth, Randy, Kaitlin, Chris, Paige and I opted for the catacombs.

The catacombs are underground passages that go all over under Paris. It is where the stone for Notre Dame and some of the other major buildings of Paris was quarried over the centuries. The tunnels are not all mapped and snake all over the city. In the early 19^th century a portion of them became ossuaries. Cemeteries after centuries of bodies were polluting the ground water of Paris. So the bones of several cemeteries were dug up and housed in these tunnels. Complete skeletons could not be kept intact, so leg bones are stacked together, arm bones, skull, etc. It is consecrated ground, but one can pass through the narrow passageways.

We waited in line for over an hour, but the sun was warm, the conversation pleasant and we had no schedule. The tour was interesting. The 139 steps down and the 83 up were challenging. We took the Métro to Place d’Italie, and walked back to the hotel.

Juliette, our French exchange student from last year met us at the hotel, and she, Katilin, Chris and I had a drink at the neighborhood café together. We caught up with each other, and we were delighted to learn she is coming back to Madison this summer!

The group from California we are traveling with arrived at 7pm, and we all walked to dinner together at 8. The food was wonderful, a chicken and mushroom dish in a light brown sauce, and the most amazing baked, sliced potatoes! The dessert was a tangy lemon meringue pie most of us could not finish.

The walk home finished us off for the night.

Sunday began for me with a walk down the Avenue d’Italie and the Sunday market was being set up. Too bad we were off to other places, it looked to be amazing.

After a wonderful breakfast, we awaited our bus for a rolling tour of Paris. Imagine my surprise when who should come into the lobby but Caroline, my lovely tour director from Nice! After hugs and kisses, she explained she was conducting our morning bus tour. It was such a delight to see her and spend some time with her. Her style with the tour and the kids is engaging and amusing. She has such a great rapport and knows her material so well, it is amazing.

Caroline left us in the capable hands of Stella. We went to see Notre Dame Cathedral. The stunning gothic cathedral that took over 200 years is incredibly impressive. It being Sunday, mass was in session. Sundays they run masses back to back all day long. Reid and Carrie availed themselves of the opportunity. The rest of us quietly viewed the displays and the amazing rose windows. From the exterior, the flying buttresses make for dynamic architecture.

Paige, Chris, Kaitlin, Beth, Randy and I opted for lunch on the Ile St. Louis, at a sidewalk café. Kaitlin, Paige and Chris all got their first taste of curry in the curried chicken and rice dish they ordered. We underestimated the time required for a three-course Sunday lunch, and had to take crepes à porter (to go). Still, we were 15 minutes late meeting our group. Reid made sure we were aware.

A walk along the Seine with our California comrades brought us to the Louvre. We walked down Rue de Rivoli so that we could enter directly under the famous glass pyramid. Stella took us to see the Victoire de Samothrace (Winged Victory), Delacroix’ Coronation of Napoleon and Liberty leading the people. We then entered the room to see the beautiful Mona Lisa (La Jaconde). The painting is small and protected behind UV and bullet-proof glass. There was quite a bit of jostling to get up close. People from all over the world wanted a close up view, and many of them do not stand politely in line. But seeing the lovely lady in person is an experience not to be missed.

We divided up at that point. Paige and I wandered around a bit through the Renaissance Italian masters until we bumped into Hayley and Abby. Together, we went on a quest for the Flemish Renaissance masters. We walked through rooms and rooms of ancient Greek and Etruscan artifacts, took a few wrong turns, spoke with a lovely French museum guide, and Finally found Rembrandt, Van Dyke and their cronies.

The power of seeing these works in person, viewing the brush strokes, witnessing the use of color and light is at times overwhelming. I cannot overstate the significance to me personally, much less to my students who have so recently studied these very things in the classroom. This is learning made real beyond any textbook, lecture or demonstration.

We then did a walking tour of the 2^nd Arrondissment. This is the wealthiest part of Paris. We passed the Comédie Française, walked through the courtyards of Cardinal Richlieu, and toured Place Vendôme, the home of the famous Ritz Hotel.

While Reid “Tebowed” in front of a Ferrerai parked in front of the hotel and Chris took photos, Carrie entered the famous lobby. She said her shoes sunk three inches into the carpet before no less than three doormen greeted her with a terse, “Bonjour,” signaling her retreat. We walked past the Opéra and the Madeleine Church on the way to La Dorée, the home of the most famous macaroon in the world. Several of us bought some and they agreed that it was heaven in a cookie.

From there, a long walk brought us to “La Grande B” our restaurant for the evening (“We must cook, but we were born to rotisserie”). We had a wonderful salad of red lettuce and endive with a garlic vinaigrette. The main course was a roast pork and sliced potatoes. Dessert was crème brulée, a huge favorite.

The hit of the evening was Kaitlin discovering that she is anything but a wine connoisseur. Her mother said she could have a glass. She barely made it beyond a sip. The look on her face was priceless!

We then proceeded to the Pont Neuf (meaning New Bridge, even though it is the oldest bridge in Paris) and our boat ride on the Seine. We sat on top and were treated to a nighttime ride along the river, seeing the sights we had come to know from an entirely different perspective. We got to see the Eiffel Tower light up and glitter in her own special fashion. We passed the French Parliament, the Grand Palais, the Louvre, Notre Dame and the famous Ile Ste Louis. It was a cool, brisk evening, but one full of great image

At last the Métro took us to the Amiral and our beds.