From the Archives: A Couple of Days in Paris

Once awhile (well, rather often now), your airline schedule gets confused or abruptly changes. "You will be flying to Charles DeGaulle and your next flight out will be three days later. You said what? Well, OK, I can handle a few days in Paris. Who couldn't? But, um, who will pay for my hotel and food?

Regardless of the logistics, I had a pleasant if short sojourn in Paris in summer of 2009. Being an American in Paris is great fun, but I did not run into Gigi, Ernest Hemingway, or Ninotchka.  

The tourist office in the airport found an inexpensive hotel for me on the commuter rail line part way between the airport and the city center. 

Room with a view

Loo with a curtain

Not a bad room for a reasonable price (on Paris standards). The rooms looked like prefab modular units inserted into a building built for the purpose. The breakfast was basic, but the coffee and croissants et confiture put the vile offal at any American chain hotel to shame. 

The Seine River of history and literature. In preparation for the Olympics, it is clean enough to swim in again!

The Seine in 2001 (Kodachrome 64 film)

This photograph is from a previous trip to France. It is a medium format Kodachrome 64 transparency that I took with a Rolleiflex. Kodak made the 120 size film from 1986-1996. These slides were spectacular when projected. As I recall, Kodak announced that they would do one last processing of the 120 Kodachrome at their UK laboratory in Luton, so I used all my remaining stock that summer. Photographers from around the world sent their 120 Kodachrome to Luton, similar to the way that 35mm Kodachrome users sent their film to Dwayne's in Parsons, Kansas, in 2010 for the final processing.

On the left bank

Oh oh, another digression into the past. Once upon a time, we were young, energetic, healthy, and dressed reasonably well. And Notre Dame was still intact.

From the roof of the Musée d'Orsay

Lunch behind the clock at the Musée d'Orsay

Former rail platforms

The Orsay Museum, once a railroad station, contains the world's largest collections of Impressionist paintings and Art Noveau rooms, decorations, and furnishings. It is spectacular. Spend a day there.  

The famous independent book store, Shakespeare and Company, opened in 1951 in this spot in the Left Bank. (The side of a river is denoted when you are looking downriver, meaning towards the sea.)

Quiet afternoon in the left bank

This covers our short sojourn to Paris. All too soon, I had to return to the airport and board my flight to Atlanta. What a culture shock to return to the USA after a month in Europe.

Charles de Gaulle airport

Even CDG has some interesting architecture. I have always found it to be a confusing airport, partly because it is always crowded and the signage is difficult to interpret. 

Regardless, Paris is a gem. Book a small hotel on the Left Bank and spend a week exploring. Better yet, rent a flat for the autumn or spring. Get immersed in art, culture, and music. Eat a family-owned bistros, toss back a glass of wine. Live life.