Labyrinth
The labyrinth garden you encounter when you walk into the courtyard foreshadows what you will experience in the building.
While our trip home from Paris was rather uneventful, the trip to Paris was not so easy going. Our flight from Albuquerque to Chicago was an hour and half late arriving to Albuquerque, then it was almost another hour before we were in the air on our way to Chicago. There was a two and a half hour layover in Chicago, which had been pretty much eaten up with delays by the time we were airborne. Not long after we took off, the pilot announced that he had figured out a shortcut to Chicago, which might get us there in time to catch the flight to Paris. Our plane arrived at the gate at the time the flight to Paris was scheduled to take off, but since several passengers on our flight were going to Paris, they held the plane, and a group of us had to make the long run under the runway to the next terminal to board the plane to Paris. Our flight to Paris finally got off only 45 minutes late.
We arrived in Paris pretty close to the scheduled arrival time about 9:45 am. We got through immigration, collected our bags and started trying to figure out where to find our prepaid shuttle. As soon as I got off the plane, my phone buzzed with a message that I was on the Orange network and under the T-Mobile agreement I had unlimited data and texting and 20¢ a minute for voice. I expected Laurie's phone to get the same message, but we never got her phone to connect to a carrier so she had no service unless she was connected to WIFI. Once I got both phones connected to WIFI I found an email with instructions for the shuttle, which were not very clear. It said to be on the sidewalk with our luggage outside door 45. We were standing in front of door 45, but it was locked and we saw no way to get outside. Then I got some more instruction that said to be by door 32. We were directed to go downstairs and outside to get to door 32. Once we were outside at door 32, another person said no you have to be inside by door 45. We tried to get back inside but the doors would not open. A group of pilots were standing outside one door, and I asked them how to get inside. They said the airport was locked down for a security check. While we had been running around trying to figure things out, there had been several announcements asking the owner of a black suitcase to pick it up. They apparently locked down the airport because of that abandoned suitcase.
They finally reopened the airport, and the shuttle driver found us. We were the second of three couples he was picking up. After we got in the van, he headed over to another terminal to pick up the last two passengers. On the way, one of the gates would not open, blocking his access to the terminal. He drove off through the exit lane for cars not allowed to pass through the gates, made another lap, got up to the gates and they still would not open. Several taxi drivers behind us were honking and yelling, and finally four other drivers came up and they were all yelling into the microphone in the control box for someone to open the gate. Finally a tech came out, opened the control box and the gate opened and our driver and the taxis were able to get through.
We were dropped off at the hospital that our hotel is in about 1:30 pm. We went inside and the hospital's security guard gave us vague instructions about how to find the hotel (thinking about it later, he probably only had a vague idea about where the hotel is in that giant building). We started looking for the hotel. The signs for the hotel were very small and not easy to see. We soon discovered that the stairs in each wing did not go the all the floors. When we found the wing with the elevator that would take us up to the hotel, the elevator was out of service. There were vague instructions to go to the last wing and use the elevator on the right, go to the 5th floor and walk back through the hospital wing to the hotel. We did that and got to several dead ends. We went back to the 3rd wing and I carried my bags up the stairs and got to a level that stopped with doors that lead to the balcony outside, two areas that we clearly marked hospital wards, and another set of doors to a hallway that had another staircase in it. I walked up the staircase two more floors to the top of the stairs, through another door and found the hotel. The young man at the desk said we had to go to the 6th floor in the elevator in the last wing and walk back through the hospital. I ran back down the stairs, to where Laurie was waiting, we went up to the 6th floor on the elvator in the last wing, and back through the hospital wing to the hotel. Other than being very difficult to find when their elevator doesn't work, the hotel is wonderful.
The hospital was rebuilt in 1380 and then remodeled in 1801 to remove the church-like façade. The building takes up around 4 normal-sized city blocks. The skylight by the chimney on end of the third wing on the right side of the photo is the room we stayed in. I took this photo from the tower at Notre Dame.
How the building appeared to us as we walked around jet-lagged trying to find the hotel.
Another view of the labyrinth garden.
The corridor that leads to each of the wings.
Looking through the hand blown, imperfect glass and the west side of the building.
Looking back at the doors where we entered the corridor.
In the entrance to the wing with the stairs and elevators.
Each wing had a set of stairs like these, but the stairs went to different floors in each wing.
Looking up.
Out on the balcony looking south.
A jet-lagged view of the west side of the building.
On the balcony looking north.
Normal view of the west side of the building.
Looking down the stairs.
The top of the stairs at the fourth floor landing.
Laurie in front of a third floor window.
The next set of stairs that were through a set of doors on the fourth floor.
Had to go up another two floors to get to the hotel.
View down from the sixth to the fourth floor.
The room was small, but it has air-conditioning, a real luxury in Paris, and a small, modern bathroom in the room. It was very reasonably priced as well.
If you come in after 8:00 pm, a given in Paris in July, the hospital guard has to buzz you in through another set of doors east of the hospital's main entrance. Once you are in the building, you have to find your way through dimly light corridors and dark stairwells to get up to the hotel. Several times when we came in after 10:00 pm, a group of heavily armed solders suddenly appeared and came in right behind us. We never figured out if they just happened to be making their rounds when we came in or that they thought we looked suspicious and they were making sure we were not up to no good.
Contraband from Notre Dame
The rather explosive words on the votive candle from Notre Dame roughly translate to "Here I am Lord before you."
We got up at 4:30 am Paris time on Monday morning to get ready before the shuttle picked us up at 5:20 to take us to the airport for our 9:00 am flight to San Francisco. When we went through security at the airport, they pulled Laurie's carry-on aside because they x-ray showed something suspicious. The French TSA officer went through her suitcase and found the votive candle she had from Notre Dame, held it up and told the officer at the x-ray "this is it", as they recognized it was a votive candle from Notre Dame. Eleven hours later, TSA in San Francisco pulled off Laurie's carry-on for further inspection, but the officer was very suspicious of what seemed to be contraband from Notre Dame. She looked very puzzled. Not only did it have some type of foreign writing and symbols on it, the thing also had what looked like a fuse. She asked Laurie if it was hand-made. Laurie told her it was a votive candle from Notre Dame, and the officer looked more puzzled, but finally decided it wasn't an explosive, even if it did have a fuse. I told Laurie the officer probably didn't know what Notre Dame is, and now that I think about it, she might not have known what a candle is either. Other than TSA's confusion over the candle, we had no other issues and the flights were on time. We walked in the door to find our kitties waiting for us at 9:30 pm Corrales time, exactly 25 hours after we got up that morning.
Blasted thing has a fuse.
It does somewhat resemble a plus-size stick of dynamite.
Gone With The Gargoyles
The famous gargoyle
We are leaving to the airport in a few hours, so we my be gone with the gargoyles when you see this post. We got up early Sunday morning and went out to Notre Dame when it opened. No lines, but a steady stream of people came in for mass. After walking around inside for a while after mass, we went out and I attempted to make a reservation to go up in the towers. We've been having a lot of trouble with phones, computers and applications this trip and making a reservation for the towers at Notre Dame was no exception. The mobile app kept giving me errors, so I had to use the reservation kiosk on the sidewalk, and after two attempts I got a confirmation on the screen, but I never received the confirmation text on my phone, which has been pretty standard all week with various apps for museums.
I had made a reservation for 11:40, so we went over to the entrance for the towers at 11:20 and told one of the attendants that I had made reservations, but never got a text. He directed us to another attendant who was staging people, and we explained to him the best we could that I had registered for 11:40, but never received a text, and asked what we should do. He put us in line and told us to wait. When he got all the 11:40 people together, he had us go into the staging area, and we continued on from there.
There was another couple there who apparently were having similar problems with reservations. A man came up and asked me if I spoke English, and if I had a confirmation that looked like what he had on his phone. I told him I had not received a text message. Although, I noticed whatever he had on his phone did not look like what other people had on their phones. He walked up to the attendant who had put us in line, showed him his phone, and appeared to be demanding that the attendant do something. The attendant shooed him out onto the edge of the sidewalk, told him to go away, and then went back to staging people. The man and his wife walked off grumbling.
Another famous gargoyle.
Did you know there is an elephant gargoyle?
There's even a gargoyle to deal with cranky tourists.
Fashion Wheels
A family waiting at a crosswalk on their wheels. They rolled across the street with the pedestrians and turned into the garden at the Medieval Museum. Having a set of wheels for each family member is a really good solution to getting the family around Paris without driving and parking a car.
Tonight's sunset.
A Long Walk Into The Past
The Holy Chapel
We walked fives miles east to Château of Vincennes, which is outside of Paris proper. With all the photo distractions along the way, walking all the way around the site on the outside of the walls, and exploring the chapel and castle, our Fitbits recorded 33,000 steps, 15 miles, and 37 floors. We left the hotel around 12:30 pm and got back at 9:00 pm.
Château of Vincennes is built on the site of a 12th century hunting lodge that was in the Vincennes forest. At the beginning of the 100 years war, John II started Château of Vincennes in 1350 and worked on it until the end of his reign in 1364. Charles V completed it around 1370. Château of Vincennes has played a major role in French history. Monarchs took refuge in it during the 16th and 17th centuries and there was construction on it until 1682 when Louis XIV moved to Versailles. After that Château of Vincennes was no longer a royal residence, however, beginning with the revolution it was used as an arsenal. On March 16, 1808, Napoleon consolidated his military, and, by decree, leveled the wall towers to adapt the site for modern artillery.
Castle
The stormy weather helped create a medieval atmosphere at the château.
Courtyard on the left. Moat on the right.
castle entrance.
Inside the castle walls.
The first clock tower.
Gargoyle in a Bubble
After the conference let out yesterday afternoon, we stopped by a boulangerie patisserie and got a bocadillo, quiche and chocolate cake to go, and took our dinner to the park behind Notre Dame. While we ate our dinner, we watched rats run between our feet to get to the garden, and got buzzed by large wood pigeons trying to decide which trees they wanted to roost in for the night. Laurie was trying to go over her paper she presented today, but then we got ran out of the park at 9:15 pm by the security guard closing the park. On the way to the west side of Notre Dame, I got a photo of the sunset with Notre Dame before we walked up to the front of the Cathedral where Laurie finished going over her paper, and I photographed the various happenings.
The rats are fast, so I couldn't get a shot of them running to the garden. This one paused for a moment, which allowed me to get a photo before it scurried off under the cover of garden plants.
Wood Pigeons goose stepping
Love hurts. Love locks.
Dinner on the Seine.
Oblivious
The Twelve
Apostles on the SW corner.
There is an effort going on the clean up and restore the exterior of Norte Dame. The twelve Apostles look nice and clean.
There most of the people in the photo are waiting in a very long line to get into Notre Dame. The line has three bends in it across the plaza.
Apostles on the SE corner.
Notre Dame at golden hour.
Apostles on the NE corner.
View from the south bank on the Seine.
Apostles on the NW corner. I did not have a photo of these Apostles because it's impossible to get a shot of them from the street. Since there was no one in the room across from our room in the hotel, the porter let me in the room so I could get this shot through the skylight.
World Cup Madness
Watching the game at one of many bars.
If, by chance, you don't know the outcome of the World Cup Soccer final, France beat Croatia 4-2. The streets of Paris close to Notre Dame were filled with fans celebrating the win until the early hours this morning.
Fans overflowed into the streets to watch the game from outside bars.
Fans celebrating in the street after France scores the first point of the game.
Goal!
Fans poured into the streets yelling, screaming and singing at the end of the game.
Fans dance, scream, splash and sing in a fountain.
The lion looks like it's cheering with the fans.
Fireworks filled the air with colored smoke. Red and blue smoke covered up the white smoke.
Fly, Fly Away
We are flying off to Paris tomorrow. I most likely will not post a blog tomorrow, and it depends on what's going on Sunday after we get to Paris whether I post a blog or not. Sunday is the World Cup final with France playing Croatia for the World Cup Title.
View From The Parking Lot
Monsoon season is underway. I had to stop by the pharmacy on the way home. The afternoon thunderheads were building up over the Sandias.
Cat Trap
We are off to Paris, France on Saturday, and the cats are going to be shut in with the catio being their only connection to the outside world for 10 days while we are gone. They will go crazy being shut inside now that they have been able to go outside and come back inside as they please during the day for the past several months. Therefore, I'm sure they will rush the front door and try to slip outside when Laurie's parents come over to feed them.
Since Loki, Silver and Marble are afraid of everyone but us, and they freak out, run and hide whenever other people come in the house, if they got out while we are gone, Laurie's parents would have a really difficult time getting them back in. If we left the kitty door to the outside open while we are gone, we would come home to a house full of bunnies, lizards and birds, since we have been taking away two or three lizards a day from the kitties that they bring into the house, a couple of birds a week, and Silver has brought three baby bunnies and a gopher into the house over the past six weeks.
While thinking about how to minimize the risk of the kitties getting out while we are gone, I got the bright idea to wire-in the porch at the front door, so it's like a vestibule or "cat trap". That way if the kitties rush the door and slip out, they will be trapped in the wired-in porch, making it easier to get them back inside.
Using scrap wood, an old door, and wire from the infinite shed of doom, I got most of the cat trap built last night, so this morning Spunk and Silver were checking out my work from the outside looking in. Since it's new, they were quite excited about it, and Laurie said they made a big deal out of coming in and going out through the door on the cat trap all day. I finished the cat trap tonight, and let silver slip out the front door to test it. He started to make a break for the great outdoors, but he was stopped the the cat trap's closed door. He then walked the perimeter of the cat trap, look up and saw wire covered the top, decided there was no way out, and came back inside. Success!
Najar @ 6400
Close ups of Najar illuminated by the lights over the counter — 200mm, ƒ/5.6, 1/80, ISO 6400.
A Portrait of the Hummer as a Young Bird
Once upon a time, and a very good time it was, there was a hummer sitting on a branch outside the window and this hummer that was outside the window looked with a sideways glance at the lens named Canon spying on it from the other side of the window through the foliage of the sweet trumpet vine that mostly covered the window. And so it sat there looking lovely.
