We've now had time to settle into living in the Marina in Paris, and start exploring. We love living in Paris. Every time we leave the boat (and even when we don't) we feel like we are in Paris. Of course we are in Paris, but what I mean is that it looks and feels like Paris, even if we are on a unknown suburban street. And we've found it much easier than we expected. Here many people (especially in hospitality and touristy jobs) speak some English and many museums will lend you a wheelchair which makes it much easier for me to see a lot more given that my feet are still quite sore. We have loved catching up with friends. I caught up a couple more times with my friend from Stanford, Jan. Once for lunch at a restaurant on the Place des Vosges, and once for lunch with our husbands, followed by a trip to a local Top 14 rugby game, which was fun. The rugby was held at Jean Boudin stadium in the 16th Arrondissement (about 12 kms away) and was a rainy day, so it was a bit of a treck on our bikes, but a lovely view of the Eiffel Tower (and Statue of Liberty) on the way home. We also had William visit with us. He is the brother of our good friend Jean-Marie, and was staying in the port for a while. It was great to meet him. We also had our friends Geoff and Margaret visit us for a coffee. We hadn't seen them in person since before COVID, and they were the ones who warned us that we might have to wait a few years to get the mooring at Port de l'Arsenal. We also had my good friend from Stanford, Rachel, and her husband Shawn visit us. Luckily they had booked a few days in a hotel at the start of their trip, as I had a terrible cold, but we were able to do some fun things with them later in their visit incuding a lovely meal at Brasserie Lipp followed by a Choral Christmas Concert in the Church at St Germaine des Pres. On their last night with us, we headed to the Ritz on the Place Vendome for a drink. It was a lovely walk through Saint Honoré past many exclusive and luxury shops. However the bars were full so we missed out on the drink. We then went to Le Train Blue, an iconic and beautiful Belle Epoque restaurant at the Gare du Lyon. The food was delicious and the restaurant magnificent. We've also gotten to know a Canadian couple, Jonathan and Jeannie, DBA members, who are also living on their boat in the port. As well as going out for meals together we had them over for dinner to try out the raclette grill that I got Howard for his birthday. We have also had my friend Louis visit us on the boat a couple of times, and have met up with Jean-Phillipe for dinner a couple of times too. We have tried to make the most of living in Paris, going for bike rides, and small walks, and seeing different shows, exhibitions and museums. We have decided to make use of a wheelchair whenever one is available. We have joined Les Amis du Louvre, which allows us to go to the Louvre without queueing whenever we like, and we have already been a couple of times. It is a huge museum and there is so much to see. I really liked this lift which goes up on the inside of a spiral staircase, providing an easy exit for people who cannot walk far etc (like me). We have also been to the Carnivalet Museum twice, which is about the history of Paris. We still have more to see. I loved the signs showing the type of shop or residence. As well as visiting the Musée D'Orsay with Rachel and Shawn, we also went to Philamonie after they had gone, to see a display about Zinedine Zidane, a famous French soccer player. During a game in 2005, they set up 17 cameras to track his every movement, and these are played back on 17 screens with the vision syncronised and with an interesting sound track, incluiding crowd noise, music and sounds of the player himself. The building itself is modern and quite magnificent. We have seen Notre Dame du Paris, a French musical of the story of the Hunchback of Notre Dame. The musical is very famous in France and is celebrating 25 years. We did some homework before going so that we could follow the story as it was all in French. We loved it. We also saw Dirty Dancing (in English) which was at the Folies Bergère, and went to a candleight concert of Pink Floyd songs performed on piano and cello. We have tried to join in on activities organised by the port residents, including a BBQ, a movie night and a christmas lunch. We are often the only non-native french speakers at the event, but people have been nice to speak slowly and help out with english when required. Here are a few photos taken during our exploring. My foot has improved a little and I am seeing a physiotherapist, an accupuncture practitier and a traditional chinese medicine person, all of whom are trying to help with my foot. This all takes up a bit of my time - not just the appointments, but also the excercises, herb preparation, soaking and massaging of feet etc. I am now trying to walk at least a little bit each day, without doing too much and setting me back. It does mean that we can go to a market or walk to a restaurant or just do a little local walk which has been nice.
With the help of the physio, I've also seen great improvement with my shoulder and have been able to return to swimming.
4 Comments
Becky
18/12/2023 06:27:20 pm
Wow, you have explored a lot of Paris in just a couple of months, especially with a bad foot. Hoping your foot heals soon! I enjoyed reading and seeing the photos. Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and all the best in 2024.
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Johanna Hersey
18/12/2023 09:30:54 pm
Fabulous!
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Margaret Keir
18/12/2023 10:26:50 pm
Such an amazing group of pictures and story of Paris of your time there. We have loved seeing them. So glad that your foot is improving -. Happy Christmas and New Year. Love from Neil and Margaret
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Suzanne Jessup
18/12/2023 11:42:31 pm
Happy Christmas Deb and Howard!
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