The next morning, we started with a visit to the Père Lachaise cemetery. I had never been but had heard a lot about the many celebrities buried there. It is like a walk in beautiful park and at the same time a treasure hunt, trying to locate specific tomb stones. We chose a few targets such as Jim Morrison, Victor Hugo, Chopin and Balzac and found them all. To help us along we would define what would a typical visitor to each monument should look like and once we spotted some we would follow them…it worked…a little…. then a nice canadian tourist. offered us a map…it was easy sailing after that…
We spent the rest of the day driving and walking around. The buildings are so beautiful , the small streets so quaint, the doors so imposing, the store signs so amusing, everything is beautiful…
We went to Beaubourg. I just had to stop at the fountain. I always get a kick out of the contrast of the colourful sculptures against the dark church.
We drove around la Tour Eiffel, although it is at night that it is really striking as it is lit in such a way that it sparkles.
We walked along the Seine and watched a rotating bridge that allows boats to get through the locks on Canal St Martin.
Shop windows are something else in Paris, but the pastry shops win the prize as far as I am concerned!
As far as restaurants go, this one had bunches of copper pots hanging outside.
One thing that I found intriguing are these small mosaics on building walls here and there. They often resemble pacmans. It seems they are the work of one man who has taken upon himself to dot the world (or at least parts of Europe) with these creations…
We stopped in several cafés throughout the day, and ended it with a couple of bars. The last one we stopped at (La Closerie des Lilacs) is rather well known (especially to Americans) as it was one of Hemingway’s favourite haunts. There is even a plaque with his name at the bar.
There was full moon, or very close to it…a nice way to end a too short visit to the city of lights.
