Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Strolling along the Coulée verte René-Dumont

The Coulée verte René-Dumont is an elevated walkway built in 1988 on a former railway line through Paris (similar to the High Line in New York).  The path begins behind the Bastille Opera House and stretches 4.5 km (2.8 miles) to the Bois de Vincennes.  We walk down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, through the Tuileries and the courtyard of the Louvre and, then, along the Seine for a while, cutting over to Place de la Bastille after we pass Ile Saint-Louis.


 Gardens along the Champs-Élysées



 Jardin des Tuileries



 Along the Seine

Near the beginning of the Coulée verte, at the Gare de Lyon train station, there is an outdoor exhibition of photographs by Luigi Ghirri sponsored by the SNCF (French railway) and the Jeau de Paume museum.


 Coulée verte René-Dumont



 Luigi Gherri exhibition

We walk along the elevated walkway, an urban oasis above the streets, surrounded by the buildings of Paris, and enjoy the quiet and beauty of our stroll



 Along the Coulée verte René-Dumont

 At the end of the path, we descend to street and reenter city life.






Friday, March 27, 2020

Arriving in Paris

We take the TGV fast train back to Paris and stop for a few days.  After checking into our hotel near L'Etoile and the Arc de Triomphe, we stroll along the Seine to Place Saint-Michel, passing by the Grand Palais, Petit Palais, the Louvre, and Musée d'Orsay and ending up across from Notre Dame (now with signs that politely say, "temporarily closed").  The sun is setting and the city lights up as we stroll along the river.



 Along the Seine

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris

Arriving at Place Saint-Michel, we wander through the narrow streets across from Notre Dame and pick a favorite fondue restaurant for dinner, sharing an escargot starter and two fondues:  savoyard (cheese, served with meats and potatoes) and mixed (duck and beef cooked at the table in a pot of boiling oil).

 Street near Place Saint-Michel

 Escargot, fondues

After dinner, we walk back along the Seine.  Night has fallen and the city is lit up on a beautiful, crisp evening in Paris.



 Lights of the city

It's great to be back!

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Covid-19



Dear Reader,

The Covid-19 virus is affecting the entire world and has delayed or cancelled many travel plans and we hope that, through this blog, we bring you travel experiences as a distraction from the continuous stream of difficult news and the isolation of the quarantines and stay-at-home orders.  We hope to inspire thoughts of future adventures and dreams of new sojourns yet to come.  We also hope you and your loved ones stay safe and healthy through these trying times!

And, here are a few of our favorite places, places that we plan to return to soon and often.

The Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA

Montpellier, France

London,England

Shanghai, China

New York (at Christmas), USA

Cinque Terre, Italy

Singapore

Paris, France

Tahiti, French Polynesia