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A 25-day adventure by Olddustyboots.com Read more
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  • Olddustyboots.comBelgium, France and Holland
    Day 13

    The Eiffel tower at night

    April 15, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌙 10 °C

    In order to get our tickets for the Eiffel tower that let us use the elevator and would take us to the second floor and the summit, I had to book in February, and when I finally got through, there was only one time slot on April 15th left - at 10:30 pm. So we headed through security and entered the grounds where we found the lineup for the elevator easily. Thank goodness it's not the busy season yet because we would have been in a much longer line and would have waited much longer.
    The elevator to the second floor is a double decker model that can take about 50 people at a time up through the leg of the tower, past the first floor that bears the names of all the people who were part of creating the Eiffel tower except for the one woman mathematician who was not seen as important enough to include, to the second platform.
    We walked over to the elevator to the summit and spent about half an hour in the lineup for this lift. Night was settling in and the wind was increasing so we donned our touques, gloves and jackets in preparation for the weather at the top of Paris.
    The lights of the city spread out below us as we walked around the third level of the tower. We could see the Arc de Triumph, Les Invalides and even Sacre Coeur lit up below us. The Seine River glistened like a sinuous snake and we could just make out the lights of the boats traveling her length. Since there was WiFi on the tower, I WhatsApp called my Mom to share a bit of the view with her. But it was a short call because all too soon we had to return to our elevator and descend to the ground beneath the Eiffel tower's skirts again.
    What an experience! Who would have thought that the little farm girl from Manitoba would one day stand outside Gustave Eiffel's office on the third level of the tower?    Read more

  • Olddustyboots.comBelgium, France and Holland
    Day 14

    The Catacombs

    April 16, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    After our late night at the Eiffel tower yesterday, we were glad we could sleep in a bit this morning. Our tickets for the Catacombs had an entry time of 11:00 am, and we had instructions to get there by the M6 metro towards Nation. So I took advantage of our spare time and washed out some clothing in our bathroom sink. With wet clothes hanging throughout our hotel room, headed off to see the dead.
    Getting tickets to the Catacombs proved very challenging. Through the Catacombs internet site, tickets are only available to purchase a maximum of 7 days in advance due to a high fraudulent problem. So I waited until 7 days ahead and voila! No tickets were available for the day I wanted to attend. It was so frustrating! I ended up paying more money to buy tickets through a tour group but at least I got some!
    We weren't sure how busy the metro would be or how long it would take us to reach our destination, so we left early enough to be sure to reach our entry point for the Catacombs, even if we got lost, which was a very real possibility. As a result, we were about half an hour early and found a bench in a nearby park to wait for our turn to enter.
    Wearing our audio guides, we climbed down circular stone steps into the abandoned quarries of old and entered a narrow tunnel that led us even deeper into the earth. We learned that these quarries were made by mining limestone and those stones were used to build the palaces and the Cathedral of Paris.
    Unfortunately, the quarries started collapsing and simultaneously the cemeteries were literally overflowing and causing disease, so finally a plan was made to shore up the tunnels and create the Catacombs.
    It was both eerie and intriguing to walk among the bones of those who died centuries ago. Skulls stacked amongst the femurs seemed to gaze back at us as we strolled by. They probably share stories each night about the funny tourists that come to stare at them and how weirdly they dress now.    Read more

  • Olddustyboots.comBelgium, France and Holland
    Day 14

    The Arc de Triomphe

    April 16, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    When we first arrived in Paris, we stopped at the Arc de Triomphe for photos, but today we decided to go right up to the top of the arch. We took the M6 metro from the Catacombs stop to L'etoille station which is where the Arc de Triomphe is located. Here, the metro attached to the underpass that takes pedestrians under the huge and extremely busy traffic circle that surrounds the Arc. We popped up like groundhogs right beside the foot of the Arc and joined the lineup for the security check.
    While we waited in line, we took turns visiting the eternal flame underneath the Arc that burns for the soldiers list in wars. Wreaths surrounded the flames and people were very respectful here.
    There's a very small elevator at the Arc that is reserved for pregnant women and people with health issues so they don't have to climb the 284 steps to the rooftop. Doug was so thankful for this elevator after the stairs at the Catacombs.
    From the top of the Arc, the city of Paris spread out before us like the spokes of a wagon wheel. The Champs Elysees, lined with its expensive shops such as Luis Vuitton and Christian Dior, stretched all the way down to the Place de la Concorde.
    What a view!    Read more

  • Olddustyboots.comBelgium, France and Holland
    Day 14

    Montmartre, Sacre Coeur

    April 16, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Tonight we were driven to Montmartre where the Basilica Sacre Coeur is found. The area around the church is filled with artists and this was the place where impressionism was born. Monet, Gauguin and Van Gogh, to mention a few, were some of the artists who lived in this area and started changing the face of the art world in their day.
    But at the top of the hill, stood the gleaming white Sacre Coeur Basilica. This is the site of the defeat of the French in the Franco-Prussian war where Napoleon III was captured. The defeat was attributed to the moral decline of the people since the French Revolution so the solution was to build a church dedicated to the sacred heart of Jesus.
    This history also explains why the red light district is spread all around the feet of the Basilica.
    The Basilica is accessed by climbing 300 steps and there is no elevator here! But instead, we lined up for the funicular that would whisk us to the top of the hill in no time. While we waited in line for the funicular, I noticed a hat shop nearby. I think I raised Doug's anxiety levels a little, but I bought a cute black beret with a veil, and still caught my ride!
    At the hilltop, we wound our way around restaurants and artists drawing portraits until we came to the church itself. We lined up and were two of the few from our group who managed to get inside the church in the free time our guide allotted. A mass was underway, so we took some pictures and circled behind the altar looking at the art. The depiction of Jesus above the altar was white and gold set into a blue background and was absolutely beautiful! The church felt tranquil compared to the hustle and bustle outside and I would have liked to stay longer, but we rushed back to our group.    Read more

  • Olddustyboots.comBelgium, France and Holland
    Day 14

    Illuminations Tour with wine

    April 16, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We finished up our visit to Montmartre with a meal at La Bonne Franchette, a restaurant near the foot of the church. To start our dinner, we were served Kir, which is a blackcurrant liqueur mixed with white wine, and then we had a choice of escargots or onion soup. Both dishes were delicious and then we had a choice between beef, chicken or fish. Doug and I both selected the beef, which melted in our mouths like butter. It wasn't beef bourguignon, but it did have a wine sauce over the beef.
    Dessert was a whipped cream with fruit concoction and it was wonderful. I ate mine and then finished Doug's as well!
    On our way back to our bus, Doug and I chose to take the 300 steps to the bottom instead of the funicular. At the bottom, Doug posed as if he had fallen down all the steps from the top of Montmartre, just like Jon Wick did in his latest movie that we watched just before this trip. I'm sure people were probably wondering what he was doing as he lay on the ground at the base of the stairs!
    As we walked to the bus, we got one last view of Sacre Coeur wrapped in a velvety navy blue sky.    Read more

  • Olddustyboots.comBelgium, France and Holland
    Day 15

    Champagne

    April 17, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    This morning we said goodbye to Paris and headed east to the Champagne region. The soil, weather and growing season creates grapes and wine that makes champagne or sparkling wine. Champagne results because the grapes have to be picked before the frost and then it continues to ferment in the bottles creating carbon dioxide which causes the fizz. This can cause some bottles to blow their corks and the wine is wasted.
    We traveled through an area where battles raged in WWI and WWII, which now looks like farming fields except when we came to large graveyards for the fallen soldiers. These areas reminded us of the devastation that this area suffered, and when we entered Eparnay, we also saw bullet holes scarring the outside of the churches.
    We visited the Nicholas Fouette winery, a cooperative that produces award winning champagne. We learned how the wines are made and we finished up the tour with champagne tasting. Since I don't drink, Doug gets double samples.    Read more

  • Olddustyboots.comBelgium, France and Holland
    Day 15

    Dijon

    April 17, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    After a day of driving, we arrived at Dijon, home of the tasty mustard that I like to cook with. Here we took a walking tour around the historic city centre following our local guide and the metal owl plaques on the street as we passed through a stone gate that looked like a miniature Arc de Triomphe.
    Fountains and parks dotted the area and we saw a square with a vintage merry go round dedicated to Gustave Eiffel as he was born here. Many original buildings exist here and some sport the coloured Burgundy glazed tiles which look like quilt blocks to me.
    This area is also home to Kir, the black current liqueur, and to celebrate this heritage, the city has painted their buses, trains and rental bikes a deep pink like the juice of this berry.    Read more

  • Olddustyboots.comBelgium, France and Holland
    Day 15

    Dijon mustard tasting

    April 17, 2023 in France

    Once our guided tour was finished, Doug and I circled back to see some spots more closely. We touched the ancient stone owl on the cathedral with our left hand to get our wish, and then we went into a centuries old mustard shop. Here we were able to taste some of the Dijon mustards and we bought two flavours to bring home.
    We also stopped into a bread shop where the bread was in the shapes of fish and chickens. This bread is baked with seasonings in it specific to this area, but they didn't have any taste tests.
    Next we stopped in a medieval building selling macaroons and picked out 5 flavours. Chocolate, hazelnut, black current, pistachio and almond macaroons nestled in our package to be sampled later.
    On our way back to the hotel, we dropped into a bookshop and selected two Tintin books and two Asterix and Obelix books to take home to our grandchildren. I wanted to introduce these iconic French characters to our next generation of readers.    Read more

  • Olddustyboots.comBelgium, France and Holland
    Day 16

    Beaune

    April 18, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    We left our hotel in Dijon by 8:30 am and headed towards Lyon. In the late morning, we arrived at Beaune which is located deep within wine country. Our bus had been following the "Route de Grand Cru" which is talking about the best wines in the world and the fields around us were filled with grape vines just getting their spring start.
    We followed Simeon through this town as it was waking up for the day with croissants, fresh breads and pastries in the windows.    Read more

  • Olddustyboots.comBelgium, France and Holland
    Day 16

    Marche au Vins, Beaune

    April 18, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    At a private wine cellar named Marche au Vins, we received an explanation about this great wine area. Bottles of wine from here are sold as some of the most expensive wine in the world. Most of the wine are reds, but there are some plots producing white wine as well. Doug got to sample a white wine, a 2018 red wine ($35 euros per bottle) and a 2016 red wine ($79 euros per bottle).
    Doug and Margaret bought a:2018 bottle to share at lunch and we ate our sandwiches in the town square while basking in the sun.
    Unfortunately, by the time I checked the museum out, it was too late to go in before we had to meet our tour host again and we missed seeing the beautiful painted panels that are found inside Beaune's Hotel Dieu.    Read more

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