And now we want to go where??

1) Place Saint Michel fountain in Paris;
2) Chateau/Museum in Saint-Germain-en-Laye;
3, 4 & 5) Paleolithic cave carvings of horses!

Allo! Allo!

Now I know what it feels like to be a SARDINE! Boy, the Number 1 line of the metro during rush hour is really something! One of the benefits of being on holiday is the ability to travel outside of normal rush hours! Well…something to keep in mind, let me tell you!

Our goal for Monday was a return trip to the National Archeology Museum at Chateau du Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in the Parisien suburbs, further along the bus route 258 from Malmaison, Josephine Bonaparte’s home. We had been there several years ago, and R wanted a refresher. Certainly glad we did – the museum is absolutely superb, and a “must see” for anyone who is interested in old things. But first, getting there…

We needed to go to Chatelet and change trains to the Metro line 1 (could also have taken the RER A all the way, but our Carte Orange cards only work in zones 1 and 2, and for some reason, the RER A Station La Defense is outside zone 2, while the bus station La Defense (same place) is INSIDE zone 2…) So…metro it was – and wow, what a popular route we have chosen! Could have used one of those people we hear about in Tokyo, who apparently actually shove people in the doors so they can close! At first neither of us could reach a bar to hold on to, but as R said, who was going to fall over? How right he was!! We actually had to wait for a second train at Chatelet, the first was so full – of course, that was only so we could edge closer to the platform; where do all these people come from? And go? Well, at each stop we hoped that more people would get off than would get on – and FINALLY, after what felt like ages, a seat near me opened up, for which I was profoundly thankful! (This metro line travels from along one of the main business routes – the Champs Elysses in the city.) And minutes later, one opened up near R so that he could sit down. This riding standing up (more sardines in the can!) can be tedious! Fortunately, by the time we reach La Defense (last stop…) the car was quite comfortable…and then we had to get off.

Now that we know where the bus station is at La Defense, it is quite easy to find. (Our first time out here, several years ago, we wandered ALL over the place, trying to find the right bus – any bus, actually! Until we finally figured out that all buses go out from a central underground station that is separate from the RER and Metro stations…who knew?) They were actually boarding our 258 and once again, sardine time – we were jammed onto the bus. Fortunately, it didn’t take but 10 minutes or so for seats to clear, as it is really more a transit line to places at or near La Defense; there were very few people on the bus when we finally got to Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

Saint-Germain is a suburb of Paris, and probably 45 minutes bus ride from La Defense. It is a BEAUTIFUL place; elegant, lovely homes and apartments, on a big bluff overlooking Paris itself. Additionally, the bus ride traverses the Seine for several miles just prior to reaching Saint-German, and it is lovely to follow it along; there are more lovely homes, locks on the Seine, and beautiful trees and flowers. R says he would very much like to come back here and stay sometime in Saint-Germain, which would be fine with me!

The bus line ends just a block from the Museum, right near the center of town. It was much warmer than it has been lately, which was nice. Still needed winter jackets, but it wasn’t nearly as sharp. Also, the sun was shining; always a plus!

And, when we got to the museum, we found that for some reason, for the months of January through April, the museum is gratuit! FREE! Wow! How nice! The museum itself is a truly beautiful building (although we find that most chateaux are…) It has been used as a royal residence (Francois I, who I call the salamander king, as that was his crest, which is all over the place); a prison, a hospital, and finally, a museum. And it is superbly done! All in French, mind you, but a basic working knowledge makes things fairly easy to translate, and even without any French, the exhibits are pretty self explanatory.

It starts at the Paleolithic period and moves forward. There are finds primarily from all over France, but occasionally, there are things from other places, including one comparative hall which contains objects from all over the world. The Paleolithic and Neolithic areas are definitely our favorite – and now that I’ve seen yet another cave painting and more cave sculpture, I’m once again overtaken by the desire to see more! (In fact, I have a trip planned for next spring, which will encompass some major “cave art” areas in the Pyrenees and northern Spain…question is, can we wait that long???)

The Chateau has lovely (and extensive) grounds, and we walked through some of them – including to the bluff overlooking the city. Wish it would have been a really clear day, because then I’m sure lots of things would be recognizable, but as it was fairly hazy, we just enjoyed the vista and moved on.

We decided to walk through the town center on our way back to the bus stop. Found some sandwiches to munch along the way; nothing special except they were convenient! The town center is very attractive, although not as many trees as I would have liked! And, like a smaller town, many things were closed for the lunch period, re-opening later in the afternoon.

Much less sardine-like on the bus ride back to La Defense; YEA! Caught the Metro back but only for 2 stops, as we wanted to bus into town and stop at Brentano’s, to look for a book on European history. (I am SO thankful R likes to read!) Caught the bus at the Pont Neuilly stop (beautiful views of La Defense from there!). New route for us; passed some beautiful buildings along the way into town.

Got off at Opera and walked down the Blvd. de l’Opera to the bookstore. (And BOY, the golden chariots on each corner of the Opera Garnier just GLOWED in the sunshine! That is an AMAZING building!) R found a comprehensive history book (must weigh two pounds…) and is now working his way through it … As we were very close to our favorite Monoprix (which is WAY overheated in the winter, let me say…) we also stopped for butter and olives. Bussed back to the flat; whew! Full day, after 4 p.m.

Dinner was first a braseola salad (I know R has checked the spelling on that, but I still think it looks funny…) with rocket lettuce and parmesan cheese, followed by pasta and R’s spaghetti sauce…YUM! (Although we have so much sauce that we may be eating it steadily until it’s time to come home…)

And so ends another lovely day!! Tomorrow night we have the Gregorian chant concert at Notre Dame; will see what else we’ll get up to!

Take care; much love!
m