Ah ... April in Paris

The scent of freshly baked croissants gently accents the morning's fresh air while songbirds announce the dawn of a new day. At night, in this city of light, young couples stroll hand in hand past cozy cafés, the sound of a distant accordion drips and echoes through the narrow cobblestone streets.

Ah ... April in Paris.

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Well, maybe that's a bit dreamy, but let's go with it anyway!

Grab your best bottle of French bubbly, pop the cork, and get ready for an intimate journey. Presented in the always engaging picture-n-caption format ...

It's time to visit Paris!

Relax in your chaise lounge and raise your glass to Paris! The City of Luuuuuv!

Let's begin, shall we?

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Paris is very statue-y, fountain-y, and garden-y!

Exact numbers are hard to come by, but Paris is home to ~1,500 statues, ~1,300 fountains, and ~ 500 gardens/parks. That's a lot of green space with water splashing on sculptures!

Above, La Fontaine de l'Observatoire is one such installation. At the top, four women—representing Europe, Africa, Asia, and America—hold up the world because Atlas apparently got tired. Of note, the African woman's ankle is shackled, but the chain attached is broken; a reminder of the (then) recent abolition of slavery. The eight seahorses below the women are being completely drenched by what can only be described as projectile vomiting courtesy of eight turtles.

It seems like it's tough to a member of this statue. Still, it's super cool.

Biking with our hosts

How could we resist a trip to Paris when an invitation from longtime friend, John Morgan, and his wife, Claire Beckman, was on the table? With a family apartment available, just blocks from the Seine, a week in Paris was a no-brainer. More importantly, we had time for a long awaited catch-up.

John and I go way back to our early teens. Our gang (you know who you are) managed to get through the Moscow, Idaho, school system and the University of Idaho without getting caught. That's all I'm going to say. I now invoke the 5th Amendment rights afforded to me by the Constitution of the United States of America.

Seriously, we had a good time back then, and we did here too! Above, the intrepid urban explorers pose for a photo while crossing the Seine during our Fat Tire Bike Secrets of Paris tour. The tour was a blast and, led by a very knowledgeable guide, we did see some off-the-beaten path sights.

The next day Natalie and I rented bikes for our own Paris biking tour, and that's when we learned that having a guide to follow on the busy city streets is a real bonus. Navigating which street bike path goes where and in what direction on our own was a bit tricky at times; we survived.
 

Oopsies!

Have you ever had one of those dreams where you're in a public place and you forgot to wear any clothes? And you're frozen in place? Well, that's what this gal endures every day at Le Petit Palais.

Le Petit Palais is, appropriately, located next to Le Grand Palais and was built as a temporary exhibition space for the 1900 Universal Exposition. Soon after, it became the city's museum of fine arts.

Unlike the bigger museums of Paris, Le Petit Palais is a fun stop. There's no entrance fee, it's not crazy crowded, and it's small enough to see in a couple of hours, thereby avoiding rubbery legs. Being fully dressed is mandatory, however, so claiming you just woke up from a nightmare and found yourself naked in the middle of the museum probably won't pass muster.
 

Paris is museum-y too!

The king of Paris' 130+ museums is, of course, Le Louvre. This massive complex has a long history—beginning in the 12th century—that I'm going to skip for your reading pleasure. Each year nine million tourists wander through its massive halls for hours until their legs turn into rubbery appendages ... and then they realize they saw a fraction of the artwork.

Having experienced rubbery Louvre legs ourselves in 2014, we elected to bypass reliving the sensation (and save the $32 per person entrance fee). Still, we took time to walk through the ginormous plazas to say "hi" to fellow tourists. As the world's most visited destination city, Paris plays host to ~50 million out-of-towners each year, and as you can see, many of them converged at the Louvre on this fine April afternoon.

Ha! Ha!

I take pictures of other people as they take selfies, ussies, and poser shots for their Instagram and TikTok feeds. The image above, at the Louvre, features a young woman who posed for many shots in order to get an Instagram keeper; it must be exhausting. But I had the last laugh as I caught the unassuming girl running right across their shot.

Be sure to see the Paris photo album linked here and at the end of this post where I've included other funny—and even alluring—poser shots.

Calm before the storm

Not that long ago, you could be fairly certain to dodge big crowds by visiting Europe during the spring or fall shoulder seasons. Sadly, it seems those days are mostly gone—at least in places like Paris. The city center was awash with mobs of tourists, and the most popular attractions regularly had lines at entrances.

But there's at least one way to see the city in a different light: Get up early and have a walkabout!

As some of you may know, my picture does not appear next to the definition of early bird in the dictionary. But I was the early bird at least one day, and it paid off. Streets and sidewalks were nearly vacant of cars or people. Cafés were busy preparing for the day, and places that are normally overrun—like the Louvre—had just a handful of fellow early birds who were also taking pictures of the calm before the storm. In fact, when I strolled through the smaller of the two Louvre courtyards, I was the only person there. Truly remarkable.

Above, the view along the Pont (bridge) du Carrousel looks toward one of the Louvre's main entrances. There just wasn't much going on at 7:30 in the morning. As I crossed the bridge, I noticed that the River Seine was also calm; there wasn't a single boat in motion.

The one thing you will find open are the bakeries. And ooh la la! (That's French for OMG!), Parisian bakeries are as good as everyone says they are.

At early morning, museums won't be open, and river boat rides won't be operating. But if you ask me, that's the time to see Paris ... and to enjoy a warm, fresh croissant along the way.
  

A poster too far?

You can't avoid the bouquinistes (booksellers) of Paris along the banks of the Seine. Working out of their iconic green stands, sellers have sold books here since the 16th century! Most of the novels and romantasy books from that era have been well picked over, but one never knows when a first edition Gutenberg might pop up!

Then again, you might run into a more contemporary find. Above, there are Beatles and Daft Punk concert posters for sale. Both are theoretically authentic. But there's also an undeniable find—the Taylor Swift Swifties Jesus Christ poster. And nope! I did NOT make that title up.

I don't know what I was thinking: I took the photo but didn't buy it! Silly me. Thankfully, all is not lost. I'll soon have a print of this fine art ... and you can too! Just go to ArtPal and get your copy today!

Café culture and "steak frites"

The café culture is alive and well in Paris. Cafés tend to serve the same assortment of food and drinks, and in the heart of the city, they're everywhere. This means you can find a favorite café and enjoy, knowing you're probably not missing out; you can relax.

Selecting a restaurant can be quite another thing. Every ethnicity under the sun is available. What to do? Well, you can take a chance (because it's probably good), or ... you can have a very authentic French dinner of steak frites—or steak and fries—at one of three Relais de l'Entrecôte locations in the city.

Relais de l'Entrecôte makes dining easy: The only decision you have to make is how you'd like your steak: rare or medium.* Within minutes, a fresh green salad (dressed with walnuts and a mustard vinaigrette) and baguette slices are delivered to get you started.

After that, a small portion of steak arrives (cooked to perfection, sliced, and generously dressed in an herb pepper sauce) along with a large portion of hot french fries. So good! It's easy to finish the plate.

And THEN your waitperson comes back with the second half of your portion of steak and fries! It's genius ... Your steak and fries are always hot.

Relais de l'Entrecôte is popular. We arrived at 6:00 and waited in line for their 6:30 opening. But the wait was just fine because we met fellow travelers Loyd and Anita Bondoc and ended up having dinner together sitting at side-by-side outdoor tables.

Find your comfort café but make sure to go to Relais. You'll love the steak frites ... and you just might meet some fun people!

*You do make other choices at Relais, like what you want to drink and have for dessert, if any. We added two beverages, coffee, and shared a dessert. The cost? $80 for two, and no tipping! The same quality food and service at the price is tough to match on this side of the pond.

Arrrgh matey! We be the creepy pirate clowns!

On the Right Bank of the Seine, running aside the Jardin de Tuileries is the Tuileries Tunnel, an 800-meter-long biking/pedestrian-only tunnel. Inside, the tunnel's walls are lined with amazing street art, such as that depicted above.

Here, the creepy pirate clowns threaten to come to life, jumping from their home on the wall to chase unsuspecting pedestrians to the tunnel's end. Then they return and lie in wait for their next victim.

It may not be the Louvre with the Mona Lisa, but if you go to Paris, the Tuileries Tunnel is a pretty cool "must see." Besides, if it's a hot day or rainy day, the tunnel is a nice respite ... well, until you come upon the creepy pirate clowns. Then you'd better RUUUUN!

The bored family

The stone carvings adorning so many buildings of Paris can be lost in plain sight. From gargoyles to grotesques, pedimental sculptures to friezes ... and don't forget the chimeras ... a lot of the best artwork is on the outside of whatever historic building you're in, just waiting to be seen.

Sometimes the stonework scenes are creepy. Wait! No, actually, they're often creepy, featuring demons, odd humans, and frightening monkeys, but other times they're kind of funny.

Pictured here is a family alongside the steps leading into Le Petit Palais. Wow! They exude excitement. Maybe they weren't carved from stone. Rather, maybe they turned to stone through the sheer boredom during another ancient Greek holiday to an average Mediterranean island awash in sunshine. 

Guess what this is?

Is it my hand holding funky marshmallows on sticks? No, it's not. It's actually the 41-foot-tall Bouquet of Tulips metal sculpture by American pop artist Jeff Koons, commissioned to create a work to honor the 130 victims of the 2015 Paris attacks. It's an amazing work; the detail of the skin is remarkably lifelike.

The tulips? OK ... maybe? But my-oh-my, based on some of the critiques I found online, opinions run deep ... really deep. This BBC article from 2019 paints the picture of Paris' relationship with new art pretty well: Is Bouquet of Tulips the year’s most controversial artwork? The article opens with "Years before it first dominated the Paris skyline in 1889, the Eiffel Tower was described as “a hole-riddled suppository” and “a truly tragic street lamp” by prominent French intellectuals."

Ouch! I think some intellectuals missed their morning café and croissant.

Oh well, I liked Bouquet of Tulips. But if it were up to me, I'd use real giant marshmallows that disintegrate into a sweet sticky mess every time it rains. Paris intellects would luuuuuv me and my art.

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And there you have it!

There's no doubt that Paris is a big city. Honestly, it was smelly at times, and definitely overrun with tourists, but we had a blast all the same. Thanks so much to John and Claire for hosting us ... it was a real treat!

This trip's final chapter is coming soon: Biking in France's Loire Valley!

Until then ... Ciao!

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BUT WAIT!  ... The photo album!

The blog tells one part of the story ... the photo album fills in the rest. They go together ... like young Parisien couples strolling hand in hand past cozy cafés. You'll luuuuuv it! ... even when you're running for your life from the creepy pirate clowns!

Seriously, the photo album shows so much more.

Here's how to view it:

1. Click this link to access the album.
2. When the album displays, click the Play slideshow icon in the upper right corner.
3. As soon as the slideshow begins to play, click the Pause slideshow icon at the lower center.
4. Now you can advance the slideshow at your own pace using the right or left arrows at the bottom center of the screen.

Enjoy!

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