Your correspondent is a sore and sorry mess tonight. We walked so far today that my legs and feet are almost numb, my back hurts and even my neck is screaming. It started at 10.30am, early for the SaviBurke's but Paul was a man with a mission. Off to the local branch of Parisbas bank while I went in search of a mail box for a few odd postcards to the grandboys and a bit of cosmetics shopping. Back home by midday and then off to the open-air fruit and veg market, in the opposite direction. But alas! it was the wrong day. Wednesday not Tuesday, Paul!
But by good fortune we stumbled across one of the few big supermarkets in Paris. Three levels with a good deli. It was heaven - but no camera with me of course. Paul carried two full Woolworths green bags back to the apartment and I carried one. After a nice cuppa and a little rest, we set off for today's museums. We went to Napoleon's Tomb at Les Invalides (The Museum of the Armies) and then to the Pantheon - both mausoleums.
On the way home we walked all the way down the Boulevard Saint Michel (beautiful and busy) and across the Boulevard Saint Germain (also beautiful and just as busy), before crossing the Pont Neuf for the final 250m sprint home. I could hardly make it up our street my feet hurt so much. I reckon we walked about 15km. Paul says I'm exaggerating a bit, but it felt like 25km.
Once we got home at 6.45pm I was slaving over a hot stove to cook a rabbit. Yes - good planning, I know! Very slow cooked on low for 3 hours we finally sat down to eat at 9.45pm. It was delicious. Meanwhile Paul had popped out to get wine and just happened to pick up a nice slice of fresh apricot tart as well. I'm eating it now with my coffee, as I type. My feet feel much better!
At Les Invalides (the Museum of the Armies), this is the dome over Napoleon's tomb.
The tomb itself. It's huge. His last words were: "Lay my ashes near the Seine with the people I love". A bit presumptuous for an emperor, but I liked the guy.
The alter.
The tomb.
The outside of the building Les Invalides - which was originally a church for the king and his soldiers. That golden dome on the top, which can be seen from all over Paris, is the dome in the first photo.
Next is the Pantheon, also originally a church but converted into a tomb for famous French non-military persons.
These two sets of photos were taken within an hour or so of each other. The light in the Pantheon is much cooler than in Napoleon's Tomb and even the stone is cooler in tone and colour.
It is a huge space.
The crypt of the Pantheon houses the tombs of many famous French people including Marie and Pierre Curie, Voltaire, Victor Hugo (Les Miserables), Jean-Jacques Rousseau and many more whose names escape me at the moment.
This is the tomb of Victor Hugo
The tomb and statue of Voltaire.
And this is the external view of the Pantheon - it has a bit of the "Greek temple" look about I think.
As we dragged our way home along Boulevard Saint-Germain, I saw yet another macaron shop. They look fabulous and I'm sure they taste delicious.... but at more than 2 euros each ($2.89 AUD) I've decided I can do without the calories.
You may be pleased to know that our 4-day museum pass ended today. That means we won't be tearing around two or three monuments a day for a while ….. we'll be back to cruising the streets at a leisurely pace. Paul has flagged his first swim at the municipal pool tomorrow, and afterwards? Well, Montmartre sounds nice, don't you think?
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