Sacre Coeur

I decided to go to Sacre Coeur today.  My friend Jacqui told me how much she loved it.  It is also in a different direction then I have been walking in the past, so I thought it would be kind of fun.  I wrote down Ternes, left on Courcelles turns into Batignolles, turns into Caulaincourt.  The streets here are super confusing!  I missed the first turn.  I ended up walking up Hoche.  It was okay because I ran into a random unicorn!  Haha!  It was just in a little nook that was outside someone’s door.  It was huge too!  Bigger than me! 

I kept walking up the street and found myself in a park.  There were kids coming in from recess.  It was fun watching them play and hearing them shouting to each other.  I also walked past this really cool cemetery.  I tried to figure out how to get in, but I couldn’t find an entrance.  I looked it up when I got back to the hotel and found out that it is opened to visitors.  Dang it!  I could have spent hours wandering around there!  The French aren’t big on personal space.  This cemetery was no exception!

Before I got to Sacre Coeur I walked through a place where there were many artists painting.  It was so cool!  They were so good.  One guy wanted to do a drawing of me.  What would I do with that?  If my kids were here, I would have loved to have drawings of them.  There were a couple of kids getting their portraits done.  These guys are good!  Finally I made it to the chapel.  We were allowed to go inside.  It was pretty and peaceful, but I would have to say my favorite part was walking here.

 Sacre Coeur

I decided to walk back toward the heart of Paris without any real plan.  I thought I would angle myself southeast and see where I came out.  I was guessing it would be around Notre Dame.  That would be okay.  Mike and I are planning on doing that later in the week, but I don’t think I would mind to do it twice.  I walked and walked and walked.  Pretty soon the area started getting quite scary.  I didn’t want to stop and look at my map for two reasons.  I didn’t want to look lost and I didn’t want to stop walking . . . I did not feel comfortable at all!  I went past a metro station where there were homeless people sleeping right by the entrance.  The streets were getting smaller.  Construction was everywhere.  Things were getting dirty.  All of a sudden I came to a giant freeway.  I thought there had to be some way to get over it or under it.  I took a side street and was going to take this narrow passage when I noticed I would be forced to walk by about ten scary looking dudes.  I changed my plans and went towards this gas station.  I still had to walk by scary dudes, but not in such a tight enclosed area.  I walked past the gas station and started walking back up when I realized there was no way across the freeway from this direction.  I decided to backtrack.  I walked back about ten minutes, past many scary people and places.  I finally found somewhere to sit out in the open where I thought I was relatively safe.  I pulled out the map and saw that the major freeway was Porte de La Chapelle.  What?  I started to worry that I ended up in the wrong direction!  There is a freeway that goes around Paris.  The top of my map says Porte de La Chapelle, but I think that is the name of the entire thing.  I’m not sure though.  I decided to walk back to the Metro station.  It was station 12.  I ended up walking in the complete wrong direction.  This was very frustrating because I walked just under two hours.  I guess I had been going in circles.  Scary, scary circles.

I decided to bite the bullet and buy a Metro pass back.  I was so tired of walking, I was a long way from where I needed to be and I didn’t want to get lost again.  I noticed if I got off in two exits I could take the number 4 Metro and end up at Notre Dame.  I got off and started making my way to the next Metro when I found a sign that said that this station and the next four stops were closed until November 11^th.  Dang it!  I decided to just go back to the hotel.  I couldn’t remember the exit though.  I got off at Champs Elysees and found myself in front of the Grand Palais.  Katie had told me how much she liked the Petit Palais.  I decided to hang out in there for awhile.  It was pretty cool.  I’m not sure what I was looking at since all the descriptions were in French.  I did see some frog and peacock things though!

 Weird snake platter with frogs on the side

The next three paintings reminded me of my Beehive Olivia.  Her dad always takes pictures of dead animals he finds on his bike ride and uses the hashtag notdeadsleeping.  These next three pictures are the 'Not Dead Sleeping' collection.

I was surprised to see this statue.  Look at the platter he is holding!

 Look familiar?  Weird snake with frogs on the side.

 For Jorja

 For Maysen

 For Dad

Once I left Petit Palais I knew I could find my way back.  It was a walk, but at least I knew where I was and I was out of the scary part of town!  All I needed to do was walk to the Arc de Triomphe.  It always seems to take forever to get there.  It is huge, so you think it isn’t that far away.  Nope.

Arc de Triomphe

I decided to cross on the other side of the street, wondering if it was shorter.  I usually have to cross four streets, this time I had to cross 8. The streets are laid out kind of like a wagon wheel.  There are about 12 roads coming out like spokes from the Arc de Triomphe.  It is crazy watching the cars drive around!  That is one thing that would never be on my bucket list!

Once I get to the Arc, I find Mac Mahon.  That is easy to remember because it reminds me of Jim McMahon.  I walk down Mac Mahon until I get to Ternes.  That is also easy to remember because I think of, “Stephanie, turn here”  I stopped at this pastry shop and picked up a little treat.  I felt I deserved it after a day like today!  I shared the strawberry parts with Mike.

Mike finished his classes around 6:15.  We went to dinner at a place his friend Becky recommended.  People start lining up outside and the doors open at 7:00.  We got there about 6:30.  We were not the first ones.  Once they opened the doors they pack you in like sardines!  I don’t think they could have fit another table in if they tried!

Mike thought the tiny car was hilarious.

 Weird picture of me

They also serve everyone the same menu.  Bread, salad, steak with green sauce and French fries.  They give you 2/3 of your steak.  Once you have finished that they give you the last 1/3 so it will be warm.  Also they give you more French fries.  I held up my hand to indicate that it was enough fries.  So she gave the rest of my fries to Mike.  I probably ate more fries tonight then I had in an entire year!

The last thing was dessert.  This is the only thing you can choose.  The couple next to us told me the meringue dessert was delicious.  That is what I ordered because I couldn’t really understand the menu.  Holy cow she was right!  So yummy!  Mike got these cream puff things and we were going to share.  Instead we didn’t.  I wanted it all!  Good thing Mike likes cream puffs!

That is about it for today!  Mike spent most of the time after we got back working on his presentation.  It will be nice when he is finished with that.  I’m sure he’ll do fantastic.  He always does.  My feet are pretty sore.  Hopefully I’ll be as good as new tomorrow!