Day 5—February 28, 2023 Frankfurt, Germany / Paris, France
On the morning of the fifth day, we boarded a Lufthansa flight in Warsaw bound for Frankfurt. We were scheduled to get on a train to Paris where we would stay a few days before heading back to Frankfurt for a couple of days to close our hour Europe trip.
Our flight was uneventful. When we arrived in Frankfurt, we headed to the Frankfurt Süd train station to catch the Deutche Bahn (DB) to Mannheim, then transferred to the ICE 9550 train to Paris. It is 643 kilometers (399 miles). It took 3 hours and 12 minutes. That is an average of 200 kph. We spent close to 20 minutes of that barely moving as we were coming into the station in Paris. At one point, we were going 345km/h (almost 215 mph). I captured the screen at 310km/h.
We arrived in Paris Est a little later than expected at a few minutes after 11:00 p.m. We caught an Uber from the train station to our hotel. We stayed at the Hotel Camille Paris Gare de Lyon Tapestry Collection by Hilton. It was a very old building, but well maintained. The elevator was quite antiquated. The clerk who checked us in was very gracious to us. She upgraded us to a suite. We had three rooms in this suite, so we were able to relax and enjoy ourselves after a long day of travel. It had been a three-country day.
Day 6—March 1, 2023 Paris, France
This was a busy day for us. We had breakfast at our hotel. It was a modest buffet with French style breakfast. After that, we were off to see this iconic city. First stop was a tour of the Musée National Picasso Paris. We saw many artists that were inspired by Pablo Picasso such as Pierre Moignard and Faith Ringgold. The museum was preparing for a Picasso display that was starting the following week. I was hoping that my charm would allow us to get a sneak peek, but I failed to charm the attendant. We did see a drawing that is claimed to be the last drawing of Pablo Picasso, so it wasn’t a total bust. The art that was displayed was very interesting. It was definitely Picasso-isque.
After this museum, we hopped on the Metro and headed towards the Louvre for our afternoon appointment. We grabbed some lunch at Café de la Régence.
The big event this day was The Louvre. We had a wonderful guide. He was an art historian who had spent years studying the art in the Louvre. He had so much knowledge (too much, actually) about each piece. We wanted to see as much as we could, but in reality, there is one piece that you go to the Louvre for. The Mona Lisa! We saw so many historic sculptures and paintings, jewelry, armour, crowns, and the iconic Mona Lisa.
The Louvre is 220,000 square feet. There is over 35,000 pieces on display at any given time. Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa has the most space of any other piece in the museum. It is the most viewed piece of art in the world. It is in the center of the room and there is always a long line of visitors waiting to see this magnificent masterpiece. When it is your turn to step in front of the painting, you will probably be shocked at how small the painting actually is. The painting is 30 inches by 21 inches. It is oil on poplar and is estimated to be valued at over $800M, according to Artst.org.
Day 7—March 2, 2023 Paris, France
Day 2 in Paris started early. We ate breakfast at the hotel then hit the streets. I did some street photography (that’s just a given, lol) on the way to our destinations. Today, we were going to the Catacombs. Yes, we are dark tourist! If there is a haunted tour or sightseeing location where tragedy hit, we are probably going to be there. (Maybe I will do a post on justour dark tours.)
The Notre Dame was still under construction from the 2019 fire that caused massive damage. We walked to the location. It was surrounded by scaffolding. The next stop was the Sainte-Chapelle. This “Holy Chapel” is a 13th Century Gothic building commissioned by King Louis IX. The main chapel is lined with stained-glass windows that are 50 feet high. They are one of the most beautiful chapels we have ever seen.
After Sainte-Chapelle, we went to the Catacombs. This was one of the wildest tours we have ever been on. This is not for the squeamish. The catacombs are the final resting place for over 6 million people. Only about one mile of tunnels is open for visitors. You start the tour by going down 131 steps to the tunnel. The tunnels are stone walls with concrete floors and ceiling with dim light every 15 feet or so. This really sets the creepy mood for what you are going to see very soon. It takes a little bit to get to the bones, but once you do, it is a bone-chilling sight (no pun intended).
There were several people in our little group. We were free to walk at our own pace, but most everyone stayed within the group, loosely. There was one couple that was over the top in their dress. This was early March in Paris, so it was quite chilly, so a light coat was needed. One couple in our group was dressed very warm. I privately nicknamed him Krull, the Warrior King (the nickname of Ben’s junk on “How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days.”). He and his lady were adorned in a heavy blue faux fur coat that was full-length and a Russian Ushanka-type hat.
After the Catacombs, we went the Palais Garnier, the national opera of Paris. The opera house opened on (my birthday) January 5th, 1875. It is filled with beautiful mosaics, painting and statues.
After Palais Garnier, we went to Arc de Triomphe. It is 164 high and is an observation deck that gives a 360o view of Paris. The Arc de Triomphe was commissioned 1806 by Napoleon as a memorial to fallen soldiers in the French Revolution and wars lead by him. There is also a vault that houses the remains of a soldier from World War I. It is their Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The body was placed in the tomb on January 28, 1921. We were fortunate enough to be present for the daily service in honor of the unknown soldier. It was a very moving ceremony.
Dinner was at L’Européen. Great seafood!