Day 7 -  September 15 - St. Denis, Musee Nissim de Camondo, Concert; 16,400 Steps

I have planned this trip a little more thoroughly than I planned my last two trips to Paris.  I listed what I wanted to do and grouped two or three things together than could easily be done on a single day.  I wrote everything on note cards, including directions for Metro and/or buses (I used my bus and Metro maps to figure out routes), and attached copies of any pertinent information from guidebooks. Except for a few things that I booked in advance, nothing was scheduled for a particular day.  I simply pick out a card for the day and set out.  So far, this system as worked very well, and I have three or four extra days to be spontaneous.

So, Friday, I once again headed to the Paris suburbs.  This time north to St. Denis to visit the Basilica of St. Denis.  St. Denis was the first bishop of Lutetia, which was the Roman name of the settlement on what is now the Ile de la Cite in the middle of the Seine.  St. Denis was beheaded in Montmartre in 250 AD and according to legend, he picked up his head and carried it to where the basilica is now, which is where he was buried.  The basilica is the mausoleum for the Kings of France.  Of course, one can visit the church itself for free, but there is a charge (15 euros, included in Museum Pass) to visit the crypt.  I got the audio tour, which made the visit much more interesting.  The tombs have recumbent sculptures of the deceased. Catherine de Medici, her husband Henri II, Marie Antoinette, and the various Louis are all represented, among others.

It was market day in St. Denis, and this is a huge market.  I'd say it is about one-third clothing and housewares.  I walked through, but didn't buy anything.  If you've ever wondered where the average French person buys their clothing (not everyone can afford haute couture), it is at these markets.  This is where you can buy underwear for 1 euro, a bra for 2 euros, or a man's shirt for 5.  It was a very busy market with people filling their trolleys with purchases.

It took two Metro lines to get to St. Denis, and two to get back to Central Paris.  I rode to the 8th arrondissement and got off at Parc Monceau.  I stopped at a cafe for lunch, and for the first time, had a hamburger in Paris.  It was very good, but huge -- I had to eat it with a knife and fork, which made it easy to skip the bun - it was even toasted.  You know, they really know how to make "French Fries" in France - pommes frites are crispy and good.

After lunch, I went to the Musee Nissim de Camondo.  This is a mansion filled with the lifetime collection of a wealthy banker.  His plan was to leave it all to his son, but he was killed in World War I, so everything was left as it was as a museum.  When Kathy Larison and I were here in 2015, we tried to visit, but the upstairs was closed until 1pm.  We went to get some lunch, but the timing was such that we decided not to go back.  I'm glad I took the time yesterday to visit as it was really impressive.

I rode the bus back to the apartment and rested for a couple of hours.  My apartment has a washer/dryer combination - all in one unit.  A quick wash takes 30 minutes, but it takes up to 3 hours to dry.  I washed a load before leaving in the morning and did a 1-hour dry cycle when I got home. Things were still damp, so I laid everything out on the bed to finish drying.

My friend Marilyn Butler put me in touch with a friend of hers who is in Paris while I am here.  We arranged to go to a concert at Ste. Chapelle together, and decided to meet at 6 for an early dinner.  Sandy Kube lives in Stevenson, WA and her friend Susan lives in Ohio.  Very nice ladies.  We had dinner at a brasserie across the street from Ste. Chapelle.

Ste. Chapelle was built by King Louis IX (St. Louis) to house the "Crown of Thorns," which he had bought during the Crusades.  The chapel is like a little jewel box with brilliant stained glass windows, arguably the most beautiful chapel in Europe.  It is no longer a consecrated church and the "Crown of Thorns" is now located in the Treasury of Notre Dame.  When we arrived in the chapel, it was still light enough to see the windows.  They are breath-taking.

The concert was the Four Seasons by Vivaldi, as well as a piece by Pachelbel and one by Handel.  It was a string quintet and the lead violinist was quite a performer.  The program was fairly short, lasting only an hour.  The music was wonderful and the venue magnifique!

I rode the bus over to the Ile de la Cite to meet Sandy and Susan, and there was a lot going on - apparently, there was a big celebration in front of the Hotel de Ville because Paris got the 2024 Olympics.  There were police all over the place and traffic was practically at a stand still, and the bus had to reroute.  I figured I could take the same bus home, but that line wasn't running due to the celebration.  So, I walked over to the Right Bank and waited for another line for more than 20 minutes. While waiting, I struck up a conversation with a very friendly French woman who had lived in New York and speaks very good English.  She made the wait very pleasant.  We could hear the celebration going on at the Hotel de Ville and there was a light show as well. Of course, once the bus came, it was also rerouted, so by-passed my stop, going all the way down to La Bastille.  I ended up walking from there to the apartment, which I had done before.  It was about 10:00, but the streets were very busy, cafes were open and even the crepe stands a couple of fruit stands were still open.  I felt very safe walking. And, when I got home, my clothes were dry!