Paris 2001

December 19th, 2001 by alephnaught

Arrival in Paris

The first leg was Chicago to Detroit. We arrived on the ground on time but taxied for a long time, so we just made our flight to France. Our flight was long – we were in a DC-10, which is really small and tight. But, we made it. Our room is on the fourth floor […]

December 20th, 2001 by alephnaught

Paris, day 1

Our first full day started by purchasing a subway pass for three days – the one week pass runs Monday thru Sunday, so that wouldn’t do. It took a few minutes to work it all out – the cashier didn’t speak English. The subways are all numbered, and you pick direction by the end of […]

December 21st, 2001 by alephnaught

The Louvre

We got a late start friday – Aviva went to a Sennelier store (they make and sell excellent pastels – I bought a box of them when I went to Cannes) while I went to a local cybercafe to email Gary Silverman, one of my colleagues at work. We took the subway, with a transfer, […]

December 22nd, 2001 by alephnaught

Musée National du Moyen Age

I finished Tulipomania : The Story of the World’s Most Coveted Flower & the Extraordinary Passions It Aroused this morning – it was a fun read, especially the parts about the history of the tulip and the anecdotes surounding the start of the tulip craze in the United Provinces. I think I’ll work on South: […]

December 23rd, 2001 by alephnaught

Montmartre

We took the subway to Montmartre, which is an old village that is now part of Paris. We did a walking tour – Iris was our guide; I would suggest this tour – you can go here to learn about it. he showed us where Van Gogh lived with his brother Theo for two years, […]

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December 24th, 2001 by alephnaught

Christmas eve

We decided to shop today as the museums close early – its hard to believe its Christmas eve today. We started at a glass shop recommended to us here – it opens at 2 today. The store that sells St. Maria Novella perfumes and soaps has closed or moved. We ate lunch at Boul’ Mich’ […]

December 25th, 2001 by alephnaught

Christmas in Paris: The Jewish quarter, of course!

“And so this is Christmas.” We got a late start on purpose – we figure the Jewish quarter may be open, so we're heading there. I finished South and started Brunelleshi's Dome by Ross King. We walked by the old synagogue – we didn't go in because the doors were closed and people were going […]

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December 26th, 2001 by alephnaught

Day 7

We stopped at a bank and bought 2 Euro starter kits – I gave some of the coins to people I work with. The front of the coins are the same in all 12 member countries, but the back is unique for each country. The Euro goes into effect as currency January 1, 2002 (it […]

December 27th, 2001 by alephnaught

Gustave Moreau Museum and, of course, churches

This is our last day in Paris. We cabbed to the Gustave Moreau Museum. You can take the subway out there, but its pretty much on its own in a general shopping district. Gustave Moreau was a famous symbolist painter. The space is magnificent, covering three floors of his home. The first floor is his […]

December 28th, 2001 by alephnaught

Day 9 – Departure for home

We gave our change to the cleaning crew (who did quite well) and tips to the desk staff (they were always friendly and helpful). Then, off to the airport. The Charles D' Gaulle airport is interesting – first, we had to go to customs 3 times and a ticket agent twice to finally get the […]