April in Paris

Today my plan was to spend the day in Paris. With prices of hostels running in the 35-40 Euro range it would be time to move on once the day was out. I decided to take my chances trying to get to Strasbourg so I can drop off the giant Chimay glass and all of the Disneyland Paris souvenirs I bought for myself…….nothing for my nieces and nephews; sorry. Well, I might have something for you, but you’ll have to say, “please” first.

First, I had to figure out my plan for after Paris. I needed to make sure that I could get a train to Strasbourg and, if not, get a train to start heading toward Spain with souvenirs in tow. We aren’t talking a lot here people…..just anything that lightens the pack is extremely helpful. Every little bit counts! So, I headed to the train station were I got the pleasure to stand in line for a half hour knowing that I am within a stones throw to the Eiffel Tower and such. I finally get to an attendant and try to get a train booked for later in the evening. As it turns out they only had one spot available for the entire evening left and the train would leave at 19:12 (7:12pm). “Hmm, I can make that work”.

Knowing that I had the entire afternoon in Paris, I headed to the island. Before I took in the sights of Paris I had a little business to take care of first. I took the train to the island and walked north toward Point Neuf. I follow the river all the way to the very tip. I see a statue of a man on a horse….I’m in the right place. I’ve been here before a long time ago. Behind the man on a horse lies a stairway. I walk down. The walls down the stairs are familiar and look warn. I turn right at the bottom. Looking a head I see steps leading down toward a small colorful park filled with pink, purple, yellow, and “white” flowers. I walk down a few steps, but not all the way to the bottom. I’m recalling these same movements from when I was a young lad almost like a movie was playing and I was watching my younger self. I turn around to look behind me. Something is there.

What was there was a plaque. It was much more worn than I remember, but still legible nonetheless.

The plaque reads:
A CET ENDROIT
JAQUES DE MOLAY
DERNIER GRAND MAITRE
DE L’ORDRE DU TEMPLE
A ETE BRULE LE 18 MARS 1314

It translates to:
THIS PLACE
JAQUES DE MOLAY
LAST GRAND MASTER
THE ORDER OF THE TEMPLE
WAS BURNED 18 OF MARCH 1314

This is the memorial for Jaques DeMolay, a French martyr who gave his life rather than betray his brethren of the Knights Templar. Phillip the Fair of France had him imprisoned and tortured for many years before eventually having him burned at the stake near this spot in 1314. The last time I was in Paris I visited this spot so I thought I’d pay the old guy a visit again. I reach up high and touch the plaque softly with my hand, “Hmm, still warm”. Sorry, DeMolay humor!

I walked around the little park and admired the view for a moment. I headed past Jaques, up the stairs, and past the man on a horse. My next stop was to the other end of the island for another treat. It was a long walk, but well worth it. I arrived at The Cathedral of Notre Dame.

Now, I really didn’t get a chance to see Notre Dame the last time I was in Paris. The outside was under renovation which is not uncommon for any old building in Europe….especially in winter off-season. Also, my mom and I had limited time on the island and we opted to see the DeMolay plaque over spending time in another church. Well, after seeing the plaque the first time my mom and I rushed back to Notre Dame to meet up with our group. We had just enough time to walk in, snap a couple of photos, say, “Oh, how pretty”, laugh at the fact that they had a gift shop inside the church, and then walk out. It was a very quick experience. So, this time I took the opportunity to take my time. I walked inside and admired the ambience of the place. The stained glass windows in this place are pretty cool. After, I headed outside and walked along the side of the building. I admired the cool looking gargoyles. Also, I remembered that I’m in Paris…..and it’s Spring! Wow, the tress, flowers, and everything is so beautiful. It was a great day too; clear, warm, and breezy!


Instead of taking the metro to the Eiffel Tower I decided to walk it. I enjoyed my long stroll through Paris along the park that paralleled the river. Along the way I was reminded that I was near the Louvre, so I decided to have a quick look into the main entrance. I walk up toward the glass pyramid. I look down inside…..”Nope, no Mary in there!” I turn around and walk toward the park.

The long parkway outside the Louvre was a delight! Colorful, peaceful (even with droves of tourists), and enjoyable. People were out sitting in chairs along the fountains enjoying the Spring weather. In the shady areas sat little outdoor cafés that were completely filled with people. I walk along the shady path enjoying the cool breeze. Off in a distance you can see the Arc de Triomphe. Now, the Eiffel Tower become more visible, but I still have a long walk. They say that if the Eiffel Tower was only thing that stood, you could see it from wherever you were in Paris. Pretty cool!

After a lot more walking, I reach the Eiffel Tower. Just as I remember it…..BIG! I walk under it and across the park to have a better look since the sun was in the rough spot. I stand and admire the structure and watch as people go up the sideways elevator to the first level. I take a couple of photos for Abby because she asked me too. I walk back under the tower and find a vendor selling French fries. After, I find a bench, sit, eat, and enjoy the view above me. Fantastic!

These are for you Abby:






I take the opportunity to call Deb and brag on her voicemail, “I’m in Paris sitting next to the Eiffel Tower eating French fries. Oh, by the way I’m staying the night at your house tonight. Hope that okay!” I hang up. After, I find my way back to the metro to go back to the hostel. At the hostel I pick-up my things, find a bakery selling sandwiches for dinner, and then head to the Paris Nord train station.

At the station I look for my train. It’s not up on the board. I look at my ticket fearing the worst. “Yep, I’m at the wrong station.” I needed to be at Paris East. I find a information office and ask how to get there. I double check my map. “Wow, I am in luck. Paris East is two blocks away.” The French train system is not crazy…..it’s stupid!

I make my way to the Paris East station. Thankfully, I’m still early so I don’t need to rush. When I arrive I look up at the departure board and notice something out of the ordinary. It’s blank with the exception of some flashing words. When I look around I noticed that everyone in the station was in a big rush. People are running from outside onto their trains. Now, this is not untypical. However, generally it’s in spurts and not continual. This was continuous! I head over to the trains and I see the same flashing message on the boards. I don’t see any indication of where one might go to find what platform any train is leaving from. I see numerous people on their cell phones who are all probably calling home to have someone check online I suppose. I don’t see any sign of the station personnel. I head to an information office and strangely enough there is only a couple people in line. I wait. Announcements are now coming on the intercom, but they are all in French. In the middle of the announcements I make out city names and one of them was Strasbourg. I wait to listen for an English translation, but it never comes. I look at my watch. I have 5-minutes before my train is scheduled to leave. The line hasn’t budged. My next plan is to go by each train and ask, “Is this the train to Strasbourg?” I head to a platform near the end of the station and spot a train employee just standing there without anyone around. I ask where the train to Strasbourg is departing from. He says, “Quatre” I count on my fingers. “Un, Deux, Trois, Quatre…..Four!!! I look up and I’m right under platform four. I board the train just as the whistle blows.

I’m guessing that had a power outage and they were running on back-up generators because there were some lights on, but they didn’t look like emergency back-up lights. In the information office all the lights were off, but their computers were working. It was odd. Well, on the train I find my seat and I sit next to a French woman who was sewing and she had her supplies spread out on her tray table. I pull out my laptop, my dinner, and get comfy. Moments later I get a tap on the shoulder. I turn to look. It is a lady and she is talking to me in French. Apparently, she thought I was in her seat. She also thought that the lady next to me was in her husband’s seat. Well, she was right. As it turns out the train company had double booked the seats. We laughed about it, they were very nice. Now, if you recall…..this is sold-out train to Strasbourg. I got the last ticket remember? Well, the lady next to me and I pack up our things and offer our seats to the husband and wife so that they may sit together. As I look around the train I notice an awful lot of empty seats. The train car is almost empty. This was not making sense. It didn’t make sense to begin with either. I mean, all the trains I tried to get from Strasbourg to Paris and back were booked for April 6th. Remember I bought that 6 Euro train ticket for April 20th since that was the only one I could get…..and even then the times sucked. Also, I can understand that train are booked up for Paris in the Spring…..but to Strasbourg? Tomorrow I’ll have to look into this more.

Well, the train was mostly empty the rest of the way to Strasbourg. I arrived after 11am and made my way to Deb’s. When I was walking down Grand Rue she was hanging out the window waiting for me. It was cute…..she’s such a mom!

Deb and I talked for a bit and I told her that I would be there just for the night……assuming that in the morning I could get my night train ticket to……..