The terrorist attack on September 11 cast a pall over the last four days of our barge canal trip.  We arrived in the lock above Auxerre just as the Pentagon was hit. The lockmaster came running down the hill and managed to convey the message with sign language depicting an airplane crashing and the word Pentagon. An hour later we were in Auxerre searching for news.

The French people were full of kindness and concern. The hotel across the river opened a small conference room that had a local Cable TV feed. We were able to watch and listen to the reports on the French News channel. One of the hotel guests was bilingual and offered a running translation of the unfolding action.

We were all shocked and stunned by the events. We did everything to get news reports of what was happening in the US. Some even resorted to making long distance calls home to get the news.  In Auxerre  the broadcast TV was in French and there were very few newspapers in English. There is however, an international edition of the Times Herald, and we managed to buy up all of the copies and shared them amongst the six boats in port. It was not until we got to Paris that we could get CNN coverage and a broad range of British and US newspapers.
 

The train left Migennes for Paris around noon. Once the Canal trip was over the TMCA crowd broke up into smaller groups. Some were headed for Normandy and then to Switzerland. Others planned to just do Paris for a few days before heading home. We were in the later group.  All of the Paris group stayed at the Hotel Keppler. It's a modest priced hotel about four blocks from the Arch de Triumph. After ten days of water saving, and sometimes cold showers on the boat, we luxuriated in a hot tub bath at the hotel.

Versailles
 

Our First full day nine of us spent the day visiting the Palace of Versailles. It was built by Louis XIV so he and Marie Antoinette could escape from Paris. They liked it so much that they moved the government out to the palace. Famous features are the Hall of Mirrors, the Royal apartments, and the Chapel. The gardens are spectacular and feature several hideaway villas. The Trianon and the Petite Trianon are my favorites.

Once we hit Versailles the party pretty much scattered. Philip Kropf toured with Marion and me for the day's excursion. We worked up a grand appetite with all of the walking and decided on a late lunch before we took the train back to Paris. What should we find but a place right by the station called the Tex-Mex Cafe'?  I had the beef and chicken fajitas, Marion had enchaladas. It was really quite good but the dishes were missing that special taste you only find in Texas.  Who else but Hank and Sue Knippa should discover us as they passed by the window where we were seated?
 

Notre Dame The day was still young so we decided to see Notre Dame next. We arrived at 17h10 just in time for the Sunday afternoon Auditions d'orgue. This is quite a prestigeous series of eleven performances by some of the top Organists of France.  We heard invited organist Gaby Hardmeyer of Switzerland. Her final performance was Bells of Westminster by Louis Vierne. The piece is a variation on the simple theme of the Westminster bells striking the hours of the day. The last variation played with stops full open, fairly well shook the cathedral... It was awesome.

The photo below captures the afternoon sun on the northeast wall. At the right the rose window.
 

Eiffel Tower
 

After Notre Dame there was still time to do the Eiffel Tower before sunset. "I don't think I can go all the way to the top," said Marion, "Perhaps just to level two." "Of course you can," I exhorted, "How will you explain coming 2,000 miles and not going up 1000 feet?" "OK, get me a ticket to the top," she said. "I will try to be brave." This is a lady that has volunteered to ride the bosun chair to the top of a 50 foot sailboat mast swaying in the wind. How can she put on a believable anxiety attact about riding an elevator?

The wind was howling at the top... there is an enclosed all weather observation deck and a second open air platform a short stair climb up.  We visited both. If you go to Paris go to the top for Sunset... you will see the city by day and by night. It's a must do item. The morning of our second day in Paris we found out that our flight home was cancelled. We would not be able to fly out until two days later than planned. With two extra days on our hands we were able to see a lot more of the city and its attractions.

Touring Paris

After getting our Airlines Reservations firmed up we bought a two day Tour Bus ticket. There are three routes covering the principal sights of Paris. You can get off and on at any of the stops and transfer between routes all day long. You get a set of earphones and can plug in to a comentary in English that is synchronized to the tour bus location. It's a great way to see all the sights and get around the city.
 

Most of the sights we just drove by. At Montmartre we stopped for lunch at a bistro across from the Moulin Rouge. We climbed to the foot of the hill below Sacre'-Cour Cathedral where I took the picture below.  This is the newest church we visited. It was funded largely by the French government as the National Cathedral. It was completed in 1885. The view of Paris from the entrance of Sacre'-Cour  is matched only by the view from the Eiffel Tower.

On the steps of the Cathedral we witnessed a pickpocket scene right out of an American Express TV commercial. A tourist had apparently set an expensive camera down beside the steps.  A minute later when he went to pick it up, it was gone.

"Someone has taken my camera," he shouted, "please help!"

We had not seen anyone take it. We had not seen the pickpocket, even though we were standing there admiring the scenery most of the time.
 

There are signs all over the area warning of pickpockets, but it does not seem to deter the pickpockets at all.  After a tough day on the Paris Tour one needs a little snack with cocktails. Grapes or Bananas?  On to Musee d'Orsay