April 30th

Today's adventures began on the Route 69 bus - the city bus which hits a lot of the Paris highlights.  Frank got off at the Louvre, and I continued on to Pere Lachaise Cemetary.  We decided to go our own ways and meet up again for dinner.  Frank loved the Louvre, took a 1.5 hour guided tour and wandered about.  Yes, we'll go there together too on another day.  There's 12 miles (yes, miles) of art gallery, so there's plenty to see.  I had the camera, so you're going to share my day.

My sister-in-law Nancy told me about this cemetery, and it is highlighted in the Paris tour books as well.  It's a bit off the beaten path, but full of wonderful sculpture and history.  I spent a few hours there.

It is hauntingly beautiful.  Thousands of vaults and tombstones and sculptures.  It opened in 1804 - the oldest inscription that I noticed was 1836.  Many grave sites were old and neglected, but there is still an elegance and beauty to it all.

The 100 acre cemetery is crammed full of all sorts and shapes of markers.  It's confusingly wonderful.

This was taken looking into a tomb through the grate.  Many of the tombs had sculptures or stained glass windows inside.  Sadly, many of the windows were broken.  Peeking in here and there was like a treasure hunt.

The pigtails on this sweet girl caught my eye.

This is one of the *many* memorials to the victims of Nazi Germany.  Many had moving words depicting who was lost.  It was sobering.

What amazing tributes.

This woman with her book was one of my favorites.  The sash on the flower bouquet says, "A Notre Suzy Bien Aimee."  (For our Suzy, well loved)

Amazing that so much emotion can be sculpted into stone.

A more modern stained glass inside a tomb.

It's hard to transition from such a sacred and sobering place, but I left after a few hours and headed back into the center of Paris.

Since I was on my own, I knew it was Angelina day.  Frank had enough frill and fancy at Laduree, so I decided to sip chocolate at Angelina's on my own.  (he was grateful)  My friend Sue told me it's a MUST stop for the world's best hot chocolate.  It was time for lunch, so I decided to make a meal of it.  What an absolute delight.

There's the bus!

I got off on Rue de Rivoli, and knew I had arrived when I saw this mosaic on the sidewalk.  The famous Tuileries Gardens and the Louvre are right across the street.

There I am!  I liked the grand piano in the entrance...

I entered the dining room and asked for a table for one.  I ordered, and then wandered back to simply *look* at the bakery.  (Patisserie) So far on this blog I've spared you from seeing the French food displays which are EVERYWHERE, but this time you get to see it all. It was too marvelous not to share. Plus, photos have no calories or carbs.

Plus des macaroons.

Le chocolat.

Du pain.

Des tartes.

Meringues.

Des eclairs.

Mont Blanc.  These have creamy white centers that ooze out when you break into them.  (the woman next to me ordered one!)

Bottles of the infamous chocolate to take home and heat.

Tea.

Preserves.

This is the most inviting and artistic food display I have ever seen.  Incredible.  Meticulous.  I quickly returned to my table!

In my absence the waiter had laid out my "carafe d'eau," (we order this tap water everywhere...tis always served in a glass pitcher with a wine glass), my lovely napkin and mais oui (of course) la baguette.

And then my Croque Madame arrived.  A Croque Monsieur is a grilled ham and cheese.  A Croque Madame is the same, with an egg added.  I didn't know the egg would be on top!  Quite the concoction. I leisurely sipped my water and ate about half the sandwich.  "Rich" does not begin to describe it.  A smooth creamy cheese covered the whole top.  Unbelievable.  I took my time, savoring each bite and the surroundings, and writing in my travel journal.  A brief respite in a busy week.

And then...I ordered Le Chocolat.

It arrives in a small pitcher, along with a small mountain of freshly whipped cream.  When I poured it into the cup I noticed the consistency - almost like a cream soup.  And yes, indeed, it was like drinking melted fudge.  I'm not sure how else to describe it.  I spent an hour reading, writing and sipping chocolate.  If I've every tasted decadence, this was it.  And every detail of service and presentation was impeccable.  Such a delight.

Yes, I eventually left.   The Tuilaries Gardens were calling my name.  Although it was drizzly and gray when we first boarded the bus in the morning, by the time I left Angelinas it was sunny and perfect - about 60 degrees.

It's almost 1 am, so I must close here. The Tuileries, Musee de L'Orangerie, Monet's famous water lillies and a night time cruise on the River Seine are all awaiting the blog - it was a full and fabulous day. I took 250 photos. Yes really.

Tomorrow is Premiere du Mai - May 1st - a national holiday in France. We've been told that most shops and museums are closed, and the city shuts down. So...perhaps I'll have more time to blog.  It will be nice to have a low key day.   We're hoping the city busses are running so we can enjoy some of the parks.

Tonight we saw the dancing lights from the boat - here's the Eiffel Tower shot of the day.

Bon nuit mes amis.