Day 6 - Josephine & Napoleon; 14,000 Steps

This morning I ventured outside of Paris to the suburbs to visit Josephine's Chateau Malmaison. I took Metro line 1 up to La Defense - the end of the line.  Following signs for "BUS," I found my way to the stop for bus #258.  The Metro/train/bus station under the Grande Arche is huge with lots of shops and kiosks and lots of people. The bus ride out to Malmaison was quite long, and then there was a little walk (300 meters) to the chateau. The ride out there was interesting as it went gave a glimpse into suburban Paris, which is quite different than Central Paris.  Modern office buildings, high rise apartment blocks, plus what one would expect to find in the suburbs.

Josephine bought Malmaison while Napoleon was off fighting his many wars.  He actually spent very little time there himself as he was headquartered in Paris when he wasn't taking over the rest of Europe. Josephine lived in at Malmaison after she and Napoleon were divorced, and she lived there until her death in 1814.  According to a recent novel I read "Destiny," they were divorced because Napoleon needed an heir and while Josephine had two children from a prior marriage, she wasn't able to have a child with Napoleon.

The chateau isn't very large and it takes only about 30 to 40 minutes to go through it - takes much longer to get out there.  The rooms are beautifully furnished, but I don't know how much of the furnishings are original.  There is a very beautiful tapestry of Josephine that was woven in Paris. There are also some lovely gardens - mostly dahlias in bloom right now.

While waiting for the bus to go back to La Defense, it started to rain.  I had planned to go to the roof top of the Grande Arche, but decided not to since it was raining; however, by the time we got back to La Defense, the sun had come out, so I went up.  It was 15 euros to take an elevator up to the top floor, then a long flight of stairs to the roof.  The Grande Arche is huge.  In fact, Notre Dame could fit under it.  When I first got to the roof, it was still sunny, but a few minutes later the wind came up (cold!) and it started to rain, so I went back to the next level down and had a coffee.  Thinking of the 15 euros spent to get up there, I went back up when it stopped raining, so I feel like I got my money's worth.  The view was fabulous, but would have been even more so if it had been a clear day.  The main landmarks that can easily be identified from there are the Eiffel Tower and the Arc du Triomphe.  The Grande Arche is positioned so that a straight line can be drawn from it, through the Arc du Triomphe, to the Carrousel Arch at the Louvre.

I took the Metro back into Paris, getting off at La Concorde, thinking I would go to the Petit Palais after I had some lunch.  Wandering around looking for someplace to have lunch - I really just wanted a sandwich today - I found myself at the Laduree Tea Room.  I have had their macarons, but had never been to the tea room.  It was late, so I easy got a table and ordered a club sandwich; however, as typical in Paris, it wasn't exactly what I expected.  It had chicken, lettuce, tomato, hard-boiled egg, and mayo, and was served with pommes frites (fries).  It was really good.  For dessert I ordered macarons.  The waiter asked me what flavors I wanted, and I asked him to choose.  He brought me a lemon, a raspberry, pistachio, and caramel.  He asked if I wanted to switch any out, but I said "no, these are perfect."

Ultimately, I decided not to go to the Petit Palais.  I was tired, so back to the Marais on the Metro.

Contrary to what a lot of people think, Parisians are not rude.  In fact, the ones I have been in contact with are quite nice.  If a bus or Metro is full, I have always been offered a seat, but there is a strange quirk.  If there is a bunch of people standing in the middle of the sidewalk talking (sometimes teenagers), you have to either barge through the group or skirt around it - they never step aside.  If someone is walking toward you on a collision course, be prepared to step aside because the other person won't, and this is especially true when two or three people abreast are walking toward you.  And, if you should be in someone's way, chances are they will plow right into you.  It just seems quite odd that a people who are so intent on politeness - all encounters must start with "bonjour" and end with "merci" and "au revoir" - act like steamrollers on the sidewalk.  Oh, well, "c'est la vie."