Day Sixty-six and Seven: Homeward and on to Paris

Today we wanted to go to the Istanbul Military Museum. We had to check out of our apartment by 11AM and didn’t have to head back to the airport until about 5PM (our flight back to Amsterdam wasn’t until 8:30PM). We were excited to spend our last day in Turkey checking out this awesome museum. From what we read, it holds striking historical treasures such as the chain that the Byzantines stretched across the mouth of the Golden Horn to keep out the Sultan's navy in 1453. You can also see/hear the Mehter, the world's oldest military band, playing traditional marching songs that would be played through the streets of cities that had just been over thrown, to symbolize the cultural take-over.


So we walked to the museum, and then realized that it was closed… bummer. We spent the rest of the day wandering through the streets stopping at Starbucks for bathroom breaks and ate doner kebab at a fast food place. Oh well. Finally, our car came to pick us up and traffic was absolutely hideous! Rob was super stressed out that we would miss our flight. We had picked up another family of people on the way, as well, and when the driver stopped at a truck stop to get coffee and some bottles of water, it felt like everyone in the van wanted to throw something at the man. It didn’t help that he was in such a jovial mood the entire time…

Anyway, we ended up making the flight just fine, and got back to Rijswijk without any major problems (we missed the last train, however and had to take a cab from Den Haag). We gave Anne her Turkish vase and she liked it, we chatted a bit and then went to bed; the next day was Paris, after all.

The next day we headed to Rotterdam, and jumped on the Thalys train to Paris. It only took a couple of hours and we arrived in Paris, the City of Love. And dog poop sidewalks, apparently. From the train station, Gare du Nord, we took the metro to Gare Montparnasse, where we were steps away from Le Meridien, the hotel we were staying at. I was rather impressed by the metro lines in Paris; there are so many lines that you can literally get anywhere from underground. Which was nice because Paris was really cold while we were there. Anyway, we signed into our hotel, and this was the view out our window. We could check out Montparnasse Cemetery where Jim Morrison from the Doors is buried, as well as Frédéric Bartholdi (the guy would did the Statue of Liberty), Man Ray (A peer of Salvador Dali and Marcel Duchamp), and Bernard Lacoste (president of Lacoste apparel company), among many other noted politicians, artists, musicians, scientists, etc.

After settling into our room, we decided to go for walk about. We strolled down the streets of Paris and I admired the quiet, classic beauty of the architecture around me. There is a real sense about Parisan streets, the way the buildings seem so much a part of a feeling rather than a structure of purpose. The crisp yet gentle breeze moving through the tree-lined boulevards that keep the downtown core feeling green and park-like rather than slick and urban. The statues and sculptures from all sizes, descriptions and periods that dot public spaces and hidden places. It’s the kind of place where you want to hold hands and walk without knowing what direction you’re headed, because around the next corner could be anything.

Like Palais du Luxembourg, for example. We found the outer gardens and were charmed by the pear trees and dog walkers and teenagers in love. Following the path toward the palace, Rob and I stopped at the huge, round water fountain/pond and watched the children playing with toy sailboats, running around to meet their boat on the other side of the pond and guide it back out to open water with their push pole. It was absolutely delightful to watch and I was very tempted to rent a toy boat from a pond-side vendor. However, we decided to move on.


We walked toward Notre Dame, which was absolutely beautiful in the waning sunlight. It shone bright brick orange against the sky, and we stood for a while, leaning up against the stone wall on the sidewalk overlooking the Seine, marveling at the intricate, wonderfully gothic details that make this church so magnificent. Venturing inside, and quite thankful for a break from the chilly breeze outside, we wandered around the church in quiet wonder. There was a service going on and we took seats in the congregation, listening to the choir sing their liturgical choruses. I let my eyes wander, following the lines of the inner architecture and resting my gaze on the great, circular stained glass window. It truly is a beautiful church… not sure if it’s my favourite church, but it’s definitely beautiful.



Later, as we walked back outside, Rob and I commented that we liked the outside better than the inside. The outside has much more interesting spires and columns and windows and arches and gargoyles… the inside was a little dark and too crowded. From here we made the trek back toward our hotel and stopped for sushi nearby. Although the place was very busy, the sushi was sub par (but the presentation was lovely! Yay sushi boat!) and I wouldn’t recommend the place to anyone.



Tomorrow we are heading to the Eiffel Tower and the Musee D’orsay. Stay tuned! by the way, all the photography today was brought to you by Rob's Iphone because we didn't feel like carrying the camera around with us. Vive la technology!