Middle Ages to Napoleon

WOW  - I've made another post  (trying to catch up a little) so make sure you check the list so you do not miss anything. 

With Arras as our base for another night, we took off the next morning with a VERY busy agenda!  The first two stops took me way back in time to the Hundred Years war and the Medieval period.  The battle of Crecy was first on the list and the wind was howling cold and frigid.  The battlefield is literally on the outskirts of a very small isolated town but we found it!  There is a marker and a small medieval type wooden tower.    From here we headed north to the battle field of Agincourt also in a small town but here the locals play upon the tourism and so have cut-outs of knights decorating some of the road.  There is a a group of markers with a dated stelae fo the battle sight and a small map showing the layout of the battlefield.  Here the French nights bogged down in the deep mud and were defeated by the English archers -- a key moment in history.      

Now I drove north toward Belgium and key battle areas of World War I around the town of Ypres (Iepres).  In each little French or Belgium town along the way we saw WWI war memorials with the names of those lost from the town and usually on the opposite side had been added a plaque with the names from WWII.  As we drove north into what had been an area of very heavy fighting in WWI, the cemeteries multiplied.  My mind raced back in time as I tried to imagine the devestated landscape from the awful artillery bombardments and the trenches; today the land is all farms and wild poppies.  Yes, the fields of Flanders are filled with red poppies and it is gorgeous; the poppy is the symbol of the British remembrance of the war and on every WWI cemetery there have been left red poppies and plastic red poppy wreaths as commemorations.

The first site I knew we had to visit was the area that was fought over by the Canadians just north of Arras around the town  of Loos.  Here the Canadian government has established a national historic park and remembrance for all the young men who never returned home.  The park contains a reconstructed trench and the well preserved landscape still undulates from the destruction of the pounding artillery and much of the area is still off limits because of unexploded shells.   There are also extended tunnels running through the area.   This area is known as Vimy Ridge and here the Canadians scaled and held the high ground at great cost and here they have built their national memorial of WWI  It is a site to behold and no picture can really do it justice in terms of size.  You can see it for many miles as you approach as it peaks above the woods.  On it are inscribed the names of over 11,000 Canadians who were killed but whose remains were never identified.  The magnificent structure sits at the very top of the highest point.  On this day we would see 2 major memorials with thousands of names of those unidentified.  Keep in mind that at the end of these horrible battles the land would be strewn with destroyed bodies, many just in pieces and with no means to identify them.  The ground was chewed up and no living thing -- man or plant remained.  Today all of the forested areas grew AFTER the war. On most of the memorial/cemetery sites they have historical photos that show the level of destruction and it is a site to behold as your mind tries to wrap around what you are seeing today.   

  Keep in mind as you view the first picture here of Vimy Ridge that the flags are straight out -- good for a photo, not good for people!  The wind was blowing at probably around 40 mph and up on the memorial we felt like human kites; to see the front side of the memorial, you must walk up and over and then down the other side.  The last photo above is from the front side of the memorial and depicts all those who were lost.  We almost froze to death or blew away and tried to imagine how those young men must have felt living here for months.  And yet just a few hundred feet away we watched the sheep grazing in the cleared fields. 

Soon I was back driving north toward Ypres and along the way we detoured to find a most unusual British cemetery - one of only two of this type.  It is a crater cemetery.  The crater was created by a German mine under the British position.  In WWI during the trench stalemate, each side tried to gain advantages and the British first introduced the use of coal miners to dig shafts under the German positions to place explosives.  In this particular area, it was the Germans who were digging and they managed to explode an area under a British unit and killed over 40 men (this was actually a very small mine; one British mine instantly killed 5,000 Germans earlier in the war).  Because the bodies were so badly damaged and entangled, the men were simply covered with dirt where they lay to create a cemetery and the names of the men in the unit were inscribed on the front wall of the cemetery.  This cemetery simply sits on the side of a very small French farm road surrounded by fields of grain.  

As we continued our drive, we finally found a German WWI cemetery; it was very large and as usual quite subdued.  Also there were few signs to guide us to its location.  The site is very very large with around 40,000 graves.  Each cross contains two names on the front and two on the back.  What also stands out are the Jewish soldiers as they have gravestones instead of crosses; remember this was WWI and so not the persecution.  But it is noticeble throughout the cemetery.   The German cemeteries are maintained by a private non-profit group and German school children volunteer to go each year for a week to perform maintenance and upkeep -- there is no national governmental organization.

Our next location to find was the Czechoslovak memorial.  As we toodled down a small road at 90 kmp, we could see the flags flying on the next high spot in the road.  Actually the Polish memorial is on one side and the Czech on the other.  I pulled over and began to snap photos!  The Czech memorial commemorates both WWI and WWII and includes a small cemetery.  Again it is simply sits on the side of the road with a small pull-out and surrounded by farm fields.   The cemetery is currently maintained by the British Commonwealth Graves commission.    

Click here to watch a brief video of the Czech memorial

As we headed  across northern France toward the Belgium border, I drove through many a small French town and the lovely round-a-bouts when suddenly I turned a corner and there was a French memorial to their war in Algeria in the 1950s.  I swooped around and pulled onto the small side road to take photos. This was a very large memorial for such a small town and was built and maintained by the national government.  A great surprise find!    Again good wind for the flags in the pictures.

We soon crossed into lovely Belgium where we also encountered numerous large farm equipment being driven down the roads and not in any hurry.  In Europe because there really are no shoulders on many of the roads no one pulls over to let you pass so you just have to look for flat straight spots to get around them.  Belgium farmers were all apparently going somewhere this day.  Quickly we pulled into the small town of Ypres; today it is so quaint and beautiful but I knew from photos that the town had basically been completely destroyed in WWI as the British fought to hold this ground and suffered mightily.  This ground was fought over for almost the entire war 1914-18 and the casualties were extremely high.  At one point in 1916 the Germans introduced the use of poison gase at Passchendaele just on the northern outskirts.  As the British sought to commemorate and remember their fallen, this was one place they were determined to build a mighty memorial....and they did.    The Menin Gate was built at a key point of fighting in the town and on it are inscribed the names of over 54,000 British/Commonwealth soldiers who died but whose remains were never identified.  Keep in mind this is JUST those whose bodieswere  unaccounted for individually NOT the total of killed fighting here!  This number is just slightly less than ALL of the US troops lost in the ENTIRE Vietnam War!!  

 The gate is extremely impressive and again pictures cannot give a feel for the size and magnitude of it. Standing and peering up at all the names is just mind boggling after a short time; it seeps into you that these men were forever lost and yet they live on through this memorial and that with the flowers and such left behind they have not been forgotten. 

Click here to watch a brief video of the Menin Gate

The town also contains a beautiful little memorial chapel built by the British which contains memorial plaques or seat cushions for every unit that fought in the Ypres salient during the war.  It is a moving tribute.  

As we walked through the darling town of Ypres, we spotted a Belgium Finest Chocolate store and well of course we went in to buy some souvenoirs!  The staff were most kind and helpful. 

Our day was not over yet however.  Near town was located an Australian 1st Army memorial and we set out to find it.  Suzanne's mother is from Australia and this was particularly meaningful for her (like the Czech one was for me earlier in the day and goodness knows I had drug her to quite a few stops that day).  Now this memorial became a challenge because we did not have a street name or road number and after circling the area it should have been located a few times, we zoomed in the GPS system for individual streets and managed to actually find a street sign!  We turned down a one lane road and drove around hair pin turns; a few Belgiums out walking gave us strange looks but we continued our quest.  Soon we spotted an obelisk poking out through a large stand of trees and after a few more sharp turns, we found our pull out on the road (a very small one) and there was a British cemetery to the right and then to the left in the middle of the stand of tall trees was a mound upon which was this large 20 foot tall obelisk.  We walked through the mowed lane among the trees to the mound; we had found it!  The pictures and descriptions were really awe-inspiring as this had been a defensive position held by the Australian 1st Army with a series of trenches and the entire area had been pulverized during the fighting.  Now it is lush and green and the obelisk on the mound stands guard over a gorgeous cemetery containing many remains of the brave Australian troops.  Bright beautiful red roses bloomed on the graves. The site is breath-taking and moving.    

With this quest completed, we decided to head towards Waterloo before returning to Arras.  So off we went across parts of Belgium as we remembered that this was the anniversary of the battle!  We arrived near 9:30pm but with still plenty of light.  We walked along the path to look out over the landscape of one of the key moments in history!  And the mound with the lion on top which commemorates and symbolizes the victory of Wellington over the mighty Napoleon commands the field.  We gazed across time and history and imagined the soldiers and smoke from artillery as Europe was changed.      

Travelling from the Middle Ages to WWI to the 19th century had build up our appetites and so we stopped in Waterloo for a bite and found a lovely Italian restaurant.  The staff were all watching the World Cup games which dominate the evenings right now in Europe but we had good food and nice service.  We then headed back into France and our hotel in Arras.  We arrived to find that they had moved us to a different room and thus moved our stuff while we were gone.  We were NOT happy and chewed on the night desk clerk (it was about midnight) who pretended to know little English.  In our new room, we discovered all was fine but it was not what we had expected.  Our day had been full and we had seen so very much across two countries and many a small town and we had  been moved by it all. 

On to Arras

Wow - 2 posts in about 24 hours LOL -- if you missed the first part of Normandy please make sure you read that post.  We woke up refreshed and with good humor and found that our hotel was even cuter in the daylight!

We were determined to backtrack to finish the coverage of Normandy.  Now I must take a minute to also explain that I am taking pictures of many more memorials than you see on the blog as each little French town has one to both WWI and WWII and some to Algeria as well and I am often stopping suddenly and getting a photo.

In our little town of Ouisterham the French Forces landed on June 6 to help liberate their nation and they have constructed a quite beautiful memorial right on the beach which includes the graves of some of the brave French paratroopers who died here.

As we headed back toward the Omaha beach area I turned off the road to photograph a small British/Commonwealth cemetery in the area.  As usual, the grounds were immaculate and the cemetery was so restful.  British cemeteries just have a unique quality to them that creates a sense of peace and that you could stay unlike any of the other nationalities and the work involved is tremendous.  British cemeteries are scattered all across France, many just in farmer's fields and they are often small but all always appear freshly mowed and the flowers are gorgeous.   This one was no different.  You feel welcomed and as if you could stay and that is really the point, since the British are not brought home; they lay to rest with their fellow soldiers wherever they fall.

We pushed on to Colleyville-su-Mer and the large US military cemetery that overlooks Omaha beach.  The place is so regal and beautiful and just tugs at your heartstrings.  All that we would see today and the next few days just makes you stop and think about all the lives lost in 2 world wars -- lives stopped short and how that affected the future of the world.  This cemetery has the standard US requirements of the large memorial near the front with a garden and sculptured maps and dialogue explaining the local fighting that cost so many lives.  Then the rows and rows of crosses are laid out and in this location with the sea as the backdrop.  Again there were many flowers and flags left on grave sites and there were quite a few visitors as well.   And as always I easily find a grave site of a Texan; some other Texans had definitely been this way recently as many of them had these tiny Texas flags placed upon them -- and I had to have a photograph of it.  I have many photos of this site and just chose these two to try and convey the beauty.

Now I will also tell you that the weather had turned colder this day with many dark clouds and a chance of rain.  The backdrop this created for pictures reflected the solemnity of the place, however, the sprinkles began to fall and so we headed to the car to keep moving.  Rain would skirt around us all day but we managed to avoid it, although the winds would begin to pick up.

Click here to watch a short video of the US cemetery at Normandy I recorded

We next headed to 2 more Commonwealth cemeteries.  The first was very small with only about 20 graves but I wanted to find it because it also contained the burial site of a single Czechoslovak soldier.  We found the place on a small road and I pulled over into the small turnout (most of the sites along roads no matter how small do have a turnout and I just slam on the breaks and pull in - Suzanne became an expert at finding the handle in the car and hanging on.  We also both became familiar with the signs for monuments and the outlines of British cemeteries as after a while they become obvious.)     The second cemetery was just Canadians who had landed on June 6 and died in the fighting nearby.  I wanted the headstones with the Maple Leaf so we made a quick swing by this one as it was on our way.     

From here we headed into the town of Bayeux and the home of the famous Bayeux tapestry depicting the Norman invasion of England in 1066 -- a war memorial of a different type.  The town was packed with tourists but quite beautiful as was the enormous cathedral; finally managed to find a parking place and not in a parallel space.  I could not photograph the tapestry as it is in an enclosed case with subdued lighting.  You walk along with an audio guide that explains each scene in the tapestry.       Went into the cathedral as well for photos and then back on the road!  We were now headed for Arras via Amiens and we had a long drive ahead of us; longer because we did not yet realize our little GPS man liked the small back roads EVERYTIME! 

We tried to find some of the sites in Caen but most were in a museum area with almost no parking and the traffic was horrible and as we had managed to drive by the British beaches the night before we decided we need to start heading north.  We managed to pull into Amiens and photograph the famous cathedral although it was closed.  The town is quite quaint but the church is enormous although not as large as Reims which we would see in a few days.      As we were now quite hungry and it was getting later, we pulled into a touristy place to eat -- I actually had bbq ribs and they were pretty good LOL!  Only bad thing about stopping to eat is that the wait staff are horribly slow!  Finally made it back on the road to Arras and found our first toll road.  Always interesting trying to read the signs in French and figure out how to pay and stuff.  As we approached the toll booths, there was only one other car on the whole road!  And there were no attendants.  Had to get out of the car to reach the payment machine and then bravely stuck in my credit card and voila!  It worked and the gate opened.  So onward to Arras and our hotel.   We found the hotel about 11pm in the dark and it was located directly across from the train station.  Had to unload the bags, then go park in a nearby underground parking lot after a little difficulty figuring out the parking card electronic key - believe me there was no way you could have guessed it without the little attendant's help.  So finally made it to our room about 11:30.  Then had to change rooms as they had us in one that was not what I had requested and paid for.  New room was a suite -- very nice but very few plugins and all on the baseboards near floor!  So another long day but mission accomplished.

Driving to Normandy

Sorry I am so far behind on my posts here but just been TOO BUSY to get back to the computer and have seen so very much.  After our days in Paris, on Sunday morning we picked up our rental car; turned out instead of a Citroen 5 with four doors  was given the much snazzier and fun to drive VW Passat 4 door diesel pretty much fully loaded.  Man this car could handle and scoot and I would need both.  Also had a navigation system which proved to be both good and bad LOL.  Set it to an English man's voice which became funny; we discovered after much driving and several days that he preferred to always take the small backroads! 

We left Paris and that was actually some of the easiest driving of the day, of course it helped that it was Sunday morning early and few were out.  Headed to the coast to see the famous Mont St Michel.  It was a good 3-4 hour drive and I learned some things about French/European driving.  They love round-abouts!!  They are everywhere and the French make terrible maps and have horrible road signage.  Also learned why Formula 1 racing has these awful cement curbs called checannes - they have them jutting into the streets here so you have to bob and weave in the small towns so they grow up driving on the narrow, twisty streets with funny obstacles!.  After a bit, I seemed to find my comfort zone.  And then the great abbey loomed up ahead - you could see it for miles and miles and was quite a site to behold. After parking carefully because the high tide can swamp the parking lots, we headed up...and up...and up.  All the way to the top. The place sits so regally and commands the flat countryside completely.  Since the tide was low, many folks in tour groups were walking way out into the sand.  After our climb, we stopped for lunch on the hike back down - the mont also has a small town with many shops and restaurants.

Now we headed for the Normandy invasion beaches out toward Ste Mere Eglise (which the GPS unit did not like and could not find in list of city names no matter how we spelled).  Shortly after leaving Mont St Michel, I found the largest German burial site in the Normandy theater. It is very very unusual as it is actually an ossuary with over 11,000 German soldiers.  The ossuary sits in an oval shape and is inscribed with the names; the remains were actually culled together from several smaller German cemeteries spread throughout the area orginally.  The site was quite moving and so very very sad. 

As we drove to the Normandy beaches we saw signs everywhere welcoming British and American tourists who you could also see on the roads.  All the restaurants advertised for tourists.  As we arrived at the far end of Utah beach the day was beginning to near its end and so we wanted to see as much of the beaches as we could before nightfall, which here thankfully is not until 10 or 10:30pm.  So we found the turn to Utah Beach and boogied down the small road; most folks were already heading to their hotels for the night so we had the place almost to ourselves.  One thing I must mention about all of the memorials we saw here and later at WWI sites over the next days, is that we have timed this to see most of them shortly after their anniversaries and so they are covered with many flowers and mementos which makes them so moving -- just been lucky on this aspect.  Utah Beach, which was the US landing beach fartherest west and least defended by the British, was beautiful.  We parked and photographed the many unit and division memorials that are found all along the roads and beaches.  The sky was also gorgeous.  They have a museum and many displays including a memorial to the sailors who were part of the D-Day landings.    

The beach was so peaceful and beautiful but I tried to imagine in my mind how it must have been for those men landing and defending that beautiful beach that morning.   My skin tingled and I remembered all the stories and personal remembrances that I have had the opportunity to read from men who were there.   I walked on the sandy beach for a bit and was moved to see the sight of a single rose that had been placed on the sand -- obviously a remembrance.

From Utah Beach we headed down the coast road toward Pont du Hoc where the Rangers scaled the cliffs to take out what they thought were heavy German  coastal defense guns.  While the guns were not yet in place, the fight at the top of the cliffs was brutal.  We arrived after what should have been closing time but there were still a few cars so we parked and headed to the look out spot.  Now they are having to reinforce the cliff at the point as it is eroding away and has endangered the tall pointed stone marker placed their to honor the Rangers.  The marker has been temporarily removed for its safety as they work with heavy equipment and while I was disappointed about that, the site itself is breathtaking and the German defensive positions are still partially intact including the pill boxes.  There are also numerous craters where the US had shelled the position and where German defenses had been placed.  There is a observation deck right on top of the highest point of the German defenses and it looks over the cliff.  What a site!!

We now headed further down the coast to the famous Omaha Beach.  At the first entrance before the road turns to literally run along the beach, there are a number of US unit memorials (of course I took many pictures of those but could not include them all here) and a small restaurant.  The sun was beginning to set and the setting was serene and so very beautiful and believe me it set my heart and emotions whirling.  As the surf gently pounded the shore, I was transported back to a time that caused so much suffering for so many and ended so many lives early.   

We drove down the road along the beach to the large 1st Army Memorial overlooking the main section of the beach.  It is so moving and again with flowers. This is where the main fighting occurred and the main German division tried to stand its ground; here is the location of the famous tough fighting as depicted in Saving Private Ryan or The Longest Day.

And then we continued down the road until it ended at the 2nd Army memorial and the German defensive emplacement that was destroyed in the bombardment and then used by the US commander ashore as his headquarters.  We had to turn around here although we knew the US cemetery overlooking the last part of the beach was just beyond the hedge rows; there was no way in here and so we had to go back to the larger road inland. 

So as it was now after 10:00pm, we had had a long day and we were tired, but still had a good 45 minutes to our hotel.  I was disappointed that had not yet seen all that I had planned for the day but we vowed to arise in the morning and head back to this area to finish our quest.  We had a reservation at a Best Western La Poisson de Mere in the town of Ouisterham.  The town is depicted in The Longest Day as where the Free French Forces landed and in tough fighting took the casino on the beach and the French nuns came out briefly to cross the ground and offer help to the wounded.  The coastal road we had to take to the hotel was small, twisty and had many round-abouts!  In the small towns the road twisted back almost on itself and had speed humps as well.  We were also having to rely on the GPS to actually find the hotel in the town LOL.  So as it grew dark, we got silly.  We had not really had anything to eat since Mont-St-Michel and everything closes in France especially in small towns by 6 or 8pm.  So no separate supper tonight.  As the GPS voice led us down increasingly smaller streets once we entered our destination town, we began  to seriously doubt him. Also we really had no idea what to expect from the hotel since found on Expedia and Best Westerns vary widely in their quality AND the online pictures seemed to be computer generated.  But we made our last turn and there it was!  Actually quite new, modern, colorful and beautiful.  It was now about 11:15pm.  At the reception desk, we were greeted by the nicest young man who had been waiting for us.  He led us to our room and even offered to bring us coca colas and  coca cola light for me!  He arrived a few minutes later with both drinks and a small bucket of ice!  Yahoo!  I must say that outside of Paris, all of the folks we met asked us where we were from and were happy to meet us usually.  I of course found myself replying I was from Texas, in the US LOL!  They clearly were surprised that 2 females were there to see war memorials.  We then had a dinner comprised of the various snack foods that we had carefully brought with us from Paris.  The room was large, with plenty of plugins and mirrors key for women who need it for hair dryers and curling irons and as we continued to discover are valuable commodities in French hotels.   It had been a long and tiring day but we had seen and experienced so very much and it ended with a great laugh  - what an adventure.

Paris Days 2 and 3

If the first day in Paris was great the next two were simply fabulous!  It is such a cosmopolitan and diverse city and we also met and heard quite a few Americans.  This day we rode the Metro subway to an area near Notre Dame Cathedral.  We first stopped at the church of Saint Chappelle with its magnificent stained glass windows; part of the church windows are being restored but it was still really a stunning site.

Of course Notre Dame is legendary and again awe inspiring to see in person.  You just cannot really comprehend until you are standing there gazing upon this centuries' old structure; my mind wanders back to try and understand how such a church must have seemed to those who built it and lived around it.  And of course you imagine Quasimoto jumping around the top balustrades.

The Seine running through Paris is a gorgeous site from any view but especially the bridges.  Yes the lovers hand out along the banks especially on Friday and Saturday evenings, but lovers are all over the city and are both young and old; the seem inspired by the beauty of the city.   

This day we really walked! And we were determined to see so much. You need to know that my travel companion on this trip, Suzanne, had fractured her ankle and torn ligaments back in March so she is in some pain and this was a long hard day for her, but she hung in there! Throughout the day we continued to stumble upon great sites and some memorials. We headed north on the metro to Sacre Couer, the great church on the hill overlooking the city that was built to honor those who had sacrificed in war. The sites from here were fabulous and it was of course crowded with tourists. Next we grabbed metro line even farther north to the suburb of St. Denis and the fabulous cathedral where most of the French kings were crowned and then buried. The funerary statues are legendary and I took quite a few pictures of some of the art work which are quite extraordinary although I’m not sure they surpass those of the Austrian Habsburgs. Many French kings from Clovis to Louis XVIII are entombed here including Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette (not sure if the heads have separate box).  

From St Denis where there were few tourists we returned to the Arc de Triomphe so I could take the 284 steps to the top! Man another great view especially down the Champs Elysee and no I was not huffing at top.  Also the Eiffel Tower looked so inviting.  . I did want a treat however, so we ambled down the Elysee for some more wine and dessert of course.

We contined our walking and hopping on the red bus with a stop at the Louvre which is huge but of course draws the eye.    We had hoped to take the night bus tour on Friday but it was sold out so we headed for our room -- exhausted but having seen so very much.

For the last day in Paris, I had some key points to visit.  First off was Napoleon's tomb which is a the church of the Invalides.  The Invalides was built as a hospital/residence for injured soldiers by Louis XIV originally and the church with its golden dome can be seen all over the city.  The Invaldies sits adjoining the French Army Museum and just down from the French military academy the Ecole Militaire.  So the Invalides church became the final resting place for many of France's great military men, including Napoleon Bonaparte as well as Marshal Ferdinand Foch from World War I.  Napoleon's tomb is hard to see as it sits down in the floor and is not well lit but it is very grand. My recent trip to see Lincoln's tomb really seemed similar with entrance and vaults in some of the same fashion.  

The Army Museum was fantastic for this military historian! Much better than an art museum and loaded especially with artillery for which the French are known (although not much else militarily LOL). Napoleon dominates the courtyard but the French acknowledge their defeats as much of the museum chronicles the Franco-Prussian War ( lost), WWI, WWII (lost early), and Algeria (lost). Funny in the WWII section they managed to have a whole room on the small battle of Bir Hakeim in North Africa! One of the few French Free Army successes.  

Our next stop was Versailles! We boarded the suburban train to Versailles and off we went. As we have learned, however, French signage and directions leaves much to be desired and so we accidentally departed the train prematurely and had to wait 15 minutes to catch the next train, but we made it!  I have wanted to see Versailles for so long and as a modern European history major, this is a site that must be seen to be believed.  The walk up to the gates sets the mood as you look at the gilded gates and buildings.  The artwork in the apartments rivals those of any museum and then the Hall of Mirrors really does befit the wealth and power of Louis XIV in all his splendor. 

Now the next blogs will update you on our adventures since leaving the city of lights and venturing on the roads of France in our rental car.  Must say that my winning ways on the Formula 1 Atari game of my youth have served me well!  Really it has not been bad and only a few wrong turns and I'm driving a great car :) so stay tuned.

Paris and the beginning....

Sorry I have not blogged since I flew away to Europe but just been BUSY!   Oh my I have seen so much and done so much hard to know where to begin.  We arrived on our flight from DFW to Frankfurt and caught the fast train to Paris pretty quickly although we had to haul our bags all around the airport and outside!  Train was great and nice scenery - also served breakfast.  We arrived about 1:30 in Paris and took the taxi to the hotel.  We stayed at the Holiday Inn St Germain des Pres; now I must say the reception staff was NOT helpful.  Because we were there 15 minutes before 2:00pm check-in time we had to wait for our room and then they sent us to wrong room though beautiful room LOL.  So we moved.  The room was nice and very contemporary although the window from bathroom to sleeping area was a little odd. 

So after a brief break, we set out around the city with a bus pass on the red bus (on and off).  We went to the Arc de Triomphe where the French tomb of the unknown is placed.  We could not go to the top because they were having some  kind of ceremony with many French military veterans!  So took some pictures of the men and women which is perfect for my project.   

We then walked down the Champs Elysee and had lunch with some wine of course and a little French Onion Soup -- sooo good.  Couldn't believe I was sitting at a Parisian cafe with some good wine.  As we ambled off into the city, we ran across the French memorial to their war in Algeria so I was able to do some "work" that first day!  It was very stark and very modernistic at same time.

 Then we made our way to the Eiffel Tower and were able to go the top with very little wait; AWESOME!!  The tower is so impressive in person; really beyond what you imagine.  And very very tall!  Just close to sunset as arrived back on the ground and watched the sparkling lights that are set off at 10 and 11pm. 

From the tower we ambled back to the hotel after some sumptious chocolate cake at a nearby cafe.  Man what a first day in the city of lights!  Long, long day though LOL but so special.