The Day of a Thousand Steps

Mother called this day in Paris the "Day of a Thousand Steps."  My parents, James, Andrew and I set out in the morning with a picnic lunch to Les Buttes Chaumont.  This is a park that was created under the direction of Haussmann when he transformed Paris in the 19th century. 
We arrived at the park and James told us that the travel guide said to enter around the corner after walking through a little village that was swallowed up by Paris.  James had been here before and it is his favorite park in Paris so we trusted what he said.  But Mom and I were a bit worried as we kept walking gradually downhill.  We knew uphill must be coming next.  Little did we know it would come in one giant staircase that went up five stories!  In this picture, they are only halfway up.

Dad, Andrew and James Help Mom up the Stairs

On top there were houses built beginning in the 1920s, including several Art Deco ones.  Many writers lived in the area.

James and Andrew

Andrew and James at Art Deco Doors

We finally arrived at the park and found more heights to scale.   James was careful to choose paths where we couldn't see exactly how high we were climbing.  We made it to the top of a cliff to the Temple of Sibyl, which is a copy of one found near Rome.

James at the Temple of Sibyl

Andrew in the Temple of Sibyl

Andrew climbed out on the man-made cliff.

Andrew on the Cliff

Then we started our descent to the 206-foot bridge across the lake.

Andrew Overlooking the Bridge

Mom and James on the Bridge

Jeanene at the Bridge Entrance with the Temple in the Background

The entrance to the bridge is made of artificial rock.  We saw many runners in the park.  Andrew wants to take Kelly there for a run.


















Are you starting to see why Mom called this the Day of a Thousand Steps?  We walked around the lake and found a little playground for the children.  We told Andrew he was too old to ride on the fire engine.

We strolled down to the lake to find a bench where we could eat our lunch and lighten our load after all the walking up and down.  It was hard to believe the cliffs were all man made in the 1860s.

Jeanene by the Lake

James at the Lake

Dad Below the Temple on the Cliff

After our lunch we walked toward the man-made grotto where we were supposed to hear rushing water flowing over a hidden high waterfall.  It was a bad sign when we didn't hear water as we approached.  Sure enough, there was the grotto but the water was not flowing.  It must have been too early in the season.

Andrew in the Grotto below the Waterfall

We exited the park and found a lovely Art Nouveau Métro stop and headed for the Marais.

Andrew and James at the Métro

"Don't take my picture in the Métro, Mom"

We showed Andrew the fire station we had found in the Marais.

Andrew, le Pompier

Fire Alarm

We walked to the Jewish Quarter in the Marais.  The students tell me this is the best Falafel place on the rue des Rosiers.

Just down the street was our favorite Jewish bakery where we stopped to get a few loaves of challah bread.

 

The bakery reminded Andrew and James of their French class in 2009.  They went to the Jewish bakery as a class and sat in a nearby park to eat their loaves.  The pigeons wouldn't leave them alone and Karin and Ally both got hit by bird droppings.  Drew was a gentleman and gave Karin his coat and when they got to the apartment, everything went in the washing machine.  They laughed about how the pigeons targeted the girls but not the guys.


We walked from the Jewish Quarter to the church building and went up to the Institute to take a little break.

Front of the Church Building with the Pompidou in the Background

After resting our feet for a few minutes we went to the Hotel de Ville to stand in line for an hour to see the Doisneau photograph exhibit.

The photograph exhibit has pictures from the 1930s to the 1960s of the main central market in Paris before it was moved to the suburbs.  I had seen the exhibit earlier with Kelly but it was so crowded.  This time they had limited the number of people who could go inside at one time and it was a much better experience.
After the exhibit, it was time to get Mother home and off her feet after the Day of a Thousand Steps.  It may have been even more than 1,000!  That evening, Andrew and I still had enough energy to walk over to the Eiffel Tower.  It was another fantastic day in Paris.