Paris in Chains

Enjoying the City of Lights Through The Pain

I love Paris. Full stop. Exit stage.

My love of this city is manifest in a strong desire to return over and over. Although parts of Paris never change, it seems to be different (usually more wonderful) each time.  This year I returned the last week of September in the company of long time friends who were also first time visitors.

As we arrived it occurred to me that I was there the very same week last year. So comparisons between the Paris of last year and the Paris of this year were jarring.

This year Paris was edgy. We noticed it from our first interaction with a nasty rideshare driver. And, while although it is an American obsession to slam "rude" Parisians, my overall experience is quite the contrary. I am always stunned how professional and gracious most Parisians are in sharing their very crowded and treasured city. Last year, traveling with a friend using a cane, people always scrambled to provide him a seat on every crowded Metro train we boarded. It is amazing how far a smile and a heartfelt "bonjour" and "merci" goes here.

This years Paris felt decidedly sad and gloomy. From the burned out hulk of Notre Dame looming at the very heart of the city, to the police presence seemingly everywhere. Paris in its response to the ongoing yellow jacket protests, now displays open class warfare. 

In department stores on the Boulevard Haussmann affluent shoppers queued behind ropes to await turns to enter its high dollar boutiques for a chance to buy $10,000 handbags. Yet, just a few blocks away, protesters about to lose their promised pensions are being hauled off to jail.

The "us vs. them" discrepancy is impossible to miss.

As our Uber approached our right bank hotel it became apparent how troubled Paris is. Many blocks from our hotel we found each street fully barricaded and guarded by 3-4 police officers in full riot gear. 

Whole Sections of Paris Were Barricaded

We quickly grew tired of our surly Uber driver who grunted, grumbled and circling aimlessly. We demanded he just drop us at the nearest Metro stop. And there we learned that many Metro lines serving the right bank near our hotel were all shut down.

Translation, we walked a lot. 

When we finally arrived at the street our hotel was on, we entered into negotiations with a trio of armor clad, AK 47 carrying, gendarmes who were not inclined to let a bunch of AARP members with rolling suitcases walk to our hotel.

After we each produced passports and proof of hotel reservations, we were accompanied by another officer all the way to our hotel. He stayed to observe our full check-in and departed with an adieu only after the desk clerk took our credit cards.

During this visit evenings were punctuated by the "wee-ah wee-ah" of police transports moving officers one direction and paddy wagons hauling protestors the other.

 Seemingly Thousands of Police Were Everywhere

As a result we added extra travel time and never left the hotel without our ID, hotel room keys and multiple plans how we were going to get from one destination to the next.

No Visits to the Place de la Concorde today

Once we had determined the portions of the city under lockdown, we began touring the city elsewhere. We took a rainy, but wonderful foodie tour in the San Germain des Pres and went on to visit the Musee d'Orsay to see the Van Gogh's we'd learned about in San Remy.

Wine and Cheese Tasting With Nick on the Foodie Tour

Positively Radiant Produce in a Local Market

Full of wine, cheese and chocolate, we decided to visit the Musee d'Orsay where the rain successfully reduced the number of visitors willing to wait in line for tickets. 

The Musee d'Orsay

Inside we sought the Van Gogh's our guide Mathilde in San Remy had described to us a few days earlier.

Starry Night Over the Rhone 1888

Van Gogh's Asylum in San Remy (1889)

Van Gogh's 1890 Painting of Doctor Paul Gachet

As I wandered through the the description of another painting brought home how far back the history of class warfare goes in Paris.

The Floor Scrapers

Gustave Caillebotte 1875

Submitted to the Paris Salon in 1875, Caillebotte's masterpiece "The Floor Scrapers" was rejected and condemned for its realism by the jury who felt its focus on ordinary workmen was "vulger".  

 A Rainy Day View of Sacre Coeur From the d'Orsay Clock

The next morning we awakened to glorious sunshine and decided to make our way to the dome of Sacre Coeur in Montmarte.

The Dome of Sacre Coeur

After touring the basilica we made our way to the stairs leading to the dome. And after 300+ steps up we were rewarded with the best view in Paris. 

360° of Amazing Views

Gargoyles and the Eiffel Tower 

After the same 300+ steps down we were pretty hungry and followed our nose to a deli where they cut big rounds of brie in half and then heated them to the point the cheese is soupy. It is then ladled onto fresh baguettes filled with ham and this American began to swoon.

An Amazing Cheese Sandwich 

Grenouilles in Montmarte

Montmarte Windmill

The rest of our day was just spent strolling Montmarte's streets and alleys, where the street art changes daily.

Words to Live By

The day ended with another stop at the Food Hall at Galleries Lafayette. In Paris food is art and art is food.

Sadly, it was now time to transfer to our airport hotels to enable easy departures in the morning. As it turned out the decision to transfer the evening before was especially good with the announcement that a one day rail strike would take place the next day. Another protest of yet another of Macron's efforts to strip earned pensions.

So there you have it. I still say go. Lean into any fears. Paris is always worth the effort. But know before you go. Until the things settle down I'd avoid selecting a hotel anywhere near Elysee Palace.  

Plan on touring Montmarte, the Marais, the Bastille, San Germain des Pres and rive gauche sites. Head out to Versailles. Just plan to avoid the Champs Elysee. Which, incidentally, is my least favorite part of the Paris anyway.

Raodboy's Travels © 2019