WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2014 - WE RETURN TO USA - EUROSTAR TO LONDON & FLIGHT HEATHROW TO DFW

During the few days that we have been in Paris, our apartment owner, Boyd, has sent me text messages periodically to make certain that we weren't experiencing any problems.  Initially he inquired about our transportation plans as we departed and I outlined those plans of both couples.  Tom & Virginia were flying home from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport and Sylvia and I were traveling from Paris to London via Eurostar (train under the English Channel) and then flying home from London Heathrow airport.  I had initially thought both couples could travel together on to the Metro to the Paris train station, Gare Du Nord and then Tom & Virginia could continue on to the Charles de Gaulle airport using the RER.  However, once we had vowed to use taxis when we had to handle luggage, those plans were scrapped.  When I told Boyd of our flights, his immediate response was that we needed the services of his favorite Vietnamese cab driver, Jacky.  So, with our departure times noted, Boyd arranged for Jacky to pick us up, first Sylvia and Jim, then return and get Tom and Virginia.

As planned, at 5:45 a.m. Jacky was waiting for us when we arrived at the street.  What a gentleman he was; so very calm and helpful!  We arrived at Gare du Nord with plenty of time to complete the necessary paperwork required for our arrival in London and then pass through security prior to boarding the train.  Once on the train, we relaxed and enjoyed the 1.5 hour ride with about half of it inside the tunnel.  Our arrival station in England was St. Pancras International train station in London. When we left the train at St. Pancras we followed the signs to the Kings Cross Underground Station and boarded the London Tube (subway) using our Oyster cards for payment.  (These were the same cards we had used for payment when we traveled the Tube from London Heathrow to London City Airport at the beginning of this adventure).

The Oyster car was one of the two items I worried about after loosing my wallet.  When I expressed that to Sylvia she said she had BOTH of the Oyster cards, so I could relax about that.  The other item involved the phone number and location of the hotel parking lot where our car was parked near the Dallas Ft. Worth airport.  In my lost wallet was a business card for that establishment.  While in the Paris apartment that had wifi service, I located in a email folder the location and phone number of the car park.

Back to our journey.  We stayed on the Tube approximately 12 minutes, from Kings Cross station to Paddington station.  There we walked to the Paddington Rail Station (about 5 minutes) to board the Heathrow Express.   I had prepaid the 15 minute Heathrow Express ride to London Heathrow, Terminal 3 and printed out the pass so we just swiped our pass and located a seat.  At Heathrow,  we used the elevator to get to the level of the counters  for American Airlines, then proceeded to check in and pass off our luggage that we didn't have to handle again until we arrived in Texas.  What a relief!  But wait, there was security!  And security it was!  It was the most invasive security I had ever passed through.  At my yearly physical examination,  my doctor doesn't go over my body as much as was done for this flight.  But, I survived it and we were soon looking over the restaurants where we could have lunch and spend some extra time at the table.  We chose one where we had eaten on another occasion and then ordered our lunch according to the British money we were carrying, 50 British pounds.  Sylvia ordered a chicken sandwich with fries and I got a cheeseburger with fries.  We both had Coca Cola and then stayed so long we got a refill of the drinks, so we were charged for four drinks.  The check was about 40 pounds (about $65).  Nothing else of significance took place until we landed in Texas and decided to cancel our hotel reservation in Irving and drive home that night.  We arrived home in Gilmer at about 11 p.m.  When we drove into the carport, our cat immediately came out to greet us.  And, the next morning we departed from the house at about 8:00 a.m. to drive to the kennel in Tyler where Isabella (our cocker spaniel) waited for us.  Picking her up was complete joy!  She was a very happy dog!  And we were very happy humans!  

TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 2014 - VERSAILLES PALACE & PACKING SUITCASES

Tuesday, April 29, 2014 was an "early" morning for us.  We had located a nearby RER (regional train) gate that was within a easy "10 minute walk" from the apartment.  So, we walked there shortly after 7 a.m. to board the RER train for Versailles Palace.  We had pre-purchased the tickets for the transportation to Versailles as well as the entrance.  And, Sylvia had located and purchased the tickets for the English guided tour of Versailles so we just needed to arrive early enough that we could get there "before the crowds". 

The Palace of Versailles is a royal chateau in Versailles in a Paris suburb.  When the château was built, Versailles was a country village; today, however, it is a wealthy suburb of Paris,  some 12 miles southwest of the French capital. The court of Versailles was the center of political power in France from 1682, when Louis XIV moved from Paris, until the royal family was forced to return to the capital in October 1789 after the beginning of the French Revolution.  Versailles is therefore famous not only as a building, but as a symbol of the system of  absolute monarchy.

First view of Versailles.

The Equestrian statue of Louis XVI welcomes us.

 

All that gold....

 

Tom & Virginia and the outer golden gates.

Information about the Academie Equestre de Versailles - The originality of this equestrian choreographic school-company is, that it combines both transmission of equestrian knowledge and practice of other disciplines such as fencing, dance, singing and Kyudo (traditional Japanese archery). Equerries therefore gain a true artistic sensibility, enabling them to develop their own repertoire.

Through the dressage lessons performed by the Academy’s riders with their mounts, demonstrating precision, rigor and gentleness of training, the public is invited to enter the intimacy of the Academy. Open to the public every Saturday and Sunday.

 

 

 

 Plus with the gardens and grounds, its virtually impossible to see everything in one or two visits.

 

 

 

 

 

Below, portions of the main building

 

In the garden by the pond, King Neptune

and Queen Salacia

main building

Line for the English speaking tour.

Looking toward the structure front, main entrance.

 

Inside, this outstanding desk.

And the chapel

The beautiful ceiling of the chapel.

 

And the pipes of the organ.

Note these lovely fluted columns

And paintings

Virginia, Sylvia and I did a walk-through" tour of the Hall of Mirrors.  The crowd was elbow to elbow, wall to wall.  It wasn't pleasant.  Tom sat on a bench and waited.  When we got out we spent a good 30-45 minutes looking for him and texting before we finally got together again.

 

We returned to the city of lights on the RER train and walked back to the apartment from our stop.  There were places on our list that we had not visited and we considered going out again.  But, just couldn't get the energy to leave and get in the crowds once more.  So, we packed and relaxed for the next day's flights that were to take us home. 

MONDAY, APRIL 28, 2014 - NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL, LES INVALIDES MUSEUM, & EIFFEL TOWER

Our first activity of the day on Monday, April 28, was to use the Metro and travel to Notre Dame Cathedral.  On the way, we passed this lovely café that reminded me of a place we ate when we were last in Paris in 2012.

And, then looking across the Seine we spotted the cathedral.

With large lines waiting to enter.  We had "museum passes" that we had pre-purchased and didn't need to obtain any other ticket to enter.

The group (minus the picture taker) pauses for a photo.

We passed this statue of Charlemagne as we walked toward the cathedral.

 

 Entry to Notre Dame Cathedral.

Beautiful windows in the front of church.

 

One more photo inside of church.

 

When we exited the cathedral we found it had begun to rain.

We passed this beautiful statue as we made our way back to the Metro station.

Here is another of those wonderful art deco Metro station entrances; partially preserved.  Isn't the fencing beautiful?

We traveled back toward our apartment on the Metro.  Once we had exited from the Metro we walked past a neighborhood bar/restaurant that I had been "eyeing" since we arrived.  Today, it was open for lunch and that is where we ate.  The special of the day had in the name the word "chili". We recognized that as something we might want so  Sylvia and I both ordered the chili and both ordered a Coca Cola.  It was very tasty!  The cost:  for the two of us, about 38 Euros (approximately $50)!  We returned to the apartment for a little R&R before going out again.

 

In the afternoon we used the Metro to get near the Les Invalides Museum. Here we see Pont Alexandre III the most beautiful bridge in Paris golden details by the day - Arch bridge over the river Seine gift of Russian Tsar Alexandre III to France

 Below, Four gilt-bronze statues of Fames watch over the bridge, supported on massive 56 ft masonry socles, that provide stabilizing counterweight for the arch, without interfering with monumental views. The socles are crowned by Fames restraining Pegasus.

 

From our first morning in the apartment when we could look out the kitchen window and see the Eiffel Tower, Virginia had wondered what the building with the gold dome was in the area of the Eiffel Tower.  Now, she found out.  It was the Les Invalides Museum, a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for  war veterans, the building's original purpose. The buildings house various museums as well as the burial site for some of France's war heroes, notably Napoleon Bonaparte.   

The rain was still coming down.

 

 Here, a close up of the lovely dome.  Louis XIV initiated the project by an order dated 24 November 1670, as a home and hospital for aged and unwell soldiers.

The court of honor

 

The chapel with all the flags.

The pipes of the organ in the chapel.

The altar.

The sarcophagus of Napoleon Bonaparte

 

 

A window inside the dome where Napoleon Bonaparte is located.

The horse (stuffed) that Napoleon Bonaparte rode,

and his saddle, blanket, & bridle. 

 

After more than 2 hours here (possibly could easily spent 2 days) we walked out of the area and found ourselves in a neighborhood where we could board bus #69 (a scenic one hour bus ride that travels through the city past the top sights of Paris).  Bus #69 took us to the Eiffel Tower.

Tom  & Virginia pose by the Eiffel Tower.

One of the beautiful buildings in the area.

 

The ride on bus #69 on which we arrived at the Eiffel Tower terminated there.  When we were ready to leave the area, we had to walk a couple of blocks to the beginning of another bus #69 tour.  Once on the bus we realized that we had chosen the wrong time of the day to make this trip.  It was late afternoon and the crowds and the traffic were so heavy that the bus was traveling about a block every 15-20 minutes.  We continued on it for a half hour or so as it got worse.  Finally Sylvia and I started watching for a Metro entrance and as soon as we saw one and could get off the bus within a block or so of it, we exited the bus and walked back to the Metro entrance and used the Metro to return to the apartment.  That evening we stayed in.