Paris 17.07

Versailles

Laupäev algas varajase äratuse ja hommikusöögiga. Tavaliselt käin hommikuti jalutamas ja tühjasid tänavaid nautimas. Meie tunnine ajavahe oleks ka sellele kaasa aidanud. Aga selle aastaga olen hakanud kauem magama. Lisaks uue koha esimesed poolmagamata ööd.

Mainisin juba, et jäin Les Jardins d'Eiffel'i asukohaga väga rahule. Lisaks Eiffelile asub väga lähedal bussi- ja paarisaja meetri kaugusel metroopeatus. Laupäeval aktiviseerisimegi esimest korda oma viiepäevase ühistranspordi piletid ning suundusime esmalt metroo ja seejärel bussiga ca tunniajase sõidu kaugusel asuvasse Versailles lossi.

Versailles juurde jõudes oli järjekord juba moodustunud 😁 Igasuguste külastuste piletid tasub kindlasti eelmüügist osta. Olenevalt kohast ja kellaajast võib muidu juhtuda, et ooteaeg kulgeb paaritunniseks. 

Kuldne Versailles loss oli 17. sajandist kuni prantsuse revolutsioonini 1789a prantsuse kuningliku pere residents. Tänapäeval on see UNESCO maailmapärandi hallata. Alates väravatest, katuseharjade, seinte, lagede ja milleni veel domineeris kuld. 

Palee uksed avati kell 9 ning pärast koti kontrolli saime uudistama asuda. Nii nagu kindlustes/lossides ikka, kõike tuleb vaadata piirde tagant. Lossi tubadel on väga põnev ülesehitus, kus ühes tiivas on kõik toad omavahel koridoriga ühendatud. Kõikide ruumide seinad olid erinevat värvi, üldjuhul vältides kirjut või mustreid. Seintel loomulikult tervete kollektsioonide viisi maale. Nagu juba mainitud, ka seinad ja laed on kaunistatud, rohkemal või vähemal määral kuldsetes toonides. 

Versailles' ripub juba Louvres nähtud David'd "Napoleoni kroonimine / The Coronation of Napoleon" repro. Louvres istusime ja vaatlesime maali ning sellel paiknevate isikute ilmeid päris pikalt. Versailles märkas Aili ühe saatedaami roosat kleiti, mis originaalil on hall. 

Edasi kulgesime tohutus aias, kaasas kaart soovitusliku marsruudiga. Soovitusliku marsruudi pikkuseks on märgitud ca 2 tundi. Kusjuures läbisime poole aiast umbes tunniga, nii et aega kulub. Meil kiiret ei olnud, jalutasime ning imetlesime ümbrust. Laupäeviti ja pühapäeviti toimub aias purskkaevude show, lisaks taustal mängitavale barokkmuusikale.

Lõunapausi tegime La Flottille's. Seekord pitsa. Enne Napoli reisi õppisin Duolingo abiga itaalia keelt. Sellest on küll juba natuke aega aga üllatavalt on piisavalt palju meeles. Kusjuures itaalia ja prantsuse keeles on osad toidud sarnaste nimedega. Avastasin, et inglise keelset menüüd enamasti vaja ei läinudki. Ja lisaks, minu jaoks oli automaatne itaaliakeelne "tänan", või "tere", seega pidin iga kord hetke mõtlema, enne kui prantsuse keeles vastasin. 

Grand Trianon

Versailles' saab lisaks peapaleele külastada Louis XIV tellimusel enda privaatsuse tagamiseks ehitatud Suur Trianon'i ning eelkõige Marie Antoniette'ga seostatud Väike Trianon'i. 

Petit Trianon

Grand Trianon on nagu koopia suurest paleest. Kandsin sellel päeval kollast kleiti ning sattusin kollasesse tuppa. Kusjuures kohe järgmine oli roosa tuba, mis sobib suurepäraselt Ailile. Petit Trianon meenutab väga inglise mõisaid. Mõlemat hoonet ümbritsesid võrratud aiad. 

Sellega me suurema osa oma päevast sisustasimegi. Tagasiteel peaaeda tegime jäätisepausi, vahepeal oli soojaks läinud. Logisin ühe virtuaalse aarde ning suundusime vaikselt tagasi bussi ootama. Tagasitee bussiga oli kuum. Aknad olid lahti aga see oli ikka mega kuum. Arvestades, et pühapäeval saabus kuumalaine, siis edaspidi valisime võimalusel alati metroo. 

Õhtul tegime jalutuskäigu Seine kallastel. Imetlesime ekstravagantset, juugendstiilis laternatega Pont Aleksander III, mille olid valinud oma pulmapiltide tegemiseks vähemalt kaks noorpaari. Sild ehitati 19.sajandi lõpus Tsaar Aleksander III auks. 

Õhtusöögiks valisime I Pupi itaalia restorani, mul mereanni pasta ja jäätisega täidetud profitroolid. 

Versailles

17th July Saturday begun with an early wake-up and breakfast. I usually walk in the morning and enjoy the empty streets. Our time difference would have helped. But this year I've started sleeping longer due to my medications.  

I have already mentioned that I was very pleased with the location of Les Jardins d'Eiffel. In addition to the Eiffel, there is a bus stop very close by, and a few hundred meters away there is a metro stop. On Saturday, we finally activated our five-day public transport tickets for the first time and headed to the Palace of Versailles, which is about an hour's drive away, by metro and then by bus.

When we arrived in Versailles, the queue had already been formed 😁 Tickets for all kinds of visits are definitely worth buying in advance. Otherwise, depending on the place and time, the waiting time may be a few hours.

The golden Palace of Versailles was the residence of the French royal family from the 17th century until the French Revolution in 1789. Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From the gates, the roof ridges, the walls, the ceilings and anything imaginable was decorated by gold. 

The doors of the palace were opened at 9 am and after having our bags checked we could start exploring. As usually in fortresses/castles, everything has to be seen from behind the border. The rooms of the palace have a very exciting structure, where in one wing of the palace, all the rooms are connected by a corridor. The walls of all the rooms had different colours, generally avoiding patterns. The walls were covered with collections of painting. As already mentioned, the walls and ceilings are also decorated in golden tones and are a sight on them own.

In Versailles, there is a replica of David's "The Coronation of Napoleon" that we had already seen in the Louvre. We had sat in the Louvre and looked at the painting and the expressions of the people on it for quite some time. In Versailles, Aili noticed the pink dress of one of the escorts, which is gray in the original.

We continued our exploration in the huge garden. I also took a map with a suggested route to guide us. The length of the recommended route is set to approx. 2 hours. And we went through half the garden in about an hour, so it takes time. We were not in a hurry, we walked and admired the surroundings. On Saturdays and Sundays, there is a fountain show in the garden, in addition to background Baroque music. 

We had a lunch break in La Flottille. Pizza this time. Before travelling to Naples, I learned Italian with the help of Duolingo. It's been a while, but surprisingly, I remember enough. In Italian and French, some foods have similar names. I discovered that most of the time there was no need for an English menu. For me, I automatically wanted to say "thank you," or "hello," in Italian, so I had to think for a moment every time I could answer in French.

Grand Trianon

In addition to the main palace, you can visit the GrandTrianon, commissioned by Louis XIV to ensure his privacy. And there is also the Petit Trianon associated with Marie Antoniette. 

The Grand Trianon is like a copy of the Grand Palace. I wore a yellow dress that day and ended up in a yellow room. The next room was pink, which was perfectly suited for Aili. Petit Trianon remind me of English mansions. Both buildings were surrounded by magnificent gardens.

Petit Trianon

And that's how we spent most of our day. On the way back to the main garden we took an ice cream break, it had become warm in the meanwhile. I logged a virtual cache and we headed back to wait for the bus. The drive back was hot. The windows were open but it was still extermely hot. Considering that a heat wave arrived on Sunday, from then on, we chose the subway whenever possible.

Pont Alexander III

In the evening we took a walk on the banks of the Seine. We admired the extravagant, Art Nouveau Pont Alexander III chosen by at least two young couples for their wedding photos. The bridge was built at the end of the 19th century in honor of Tsar Alexander III. 

For dinner, we chose I Pupi's Italian restaurant. I had seafood pasta and ice-cream filled  profiteroles.

Paris 16.07

16.07 Reedel ootas meid ees Orangerie impressionistide muuseum. Külastuse aeg pidi jälle olema eelnevalt broneeritud, meid oodati kell 10. 

Jalutuskäik majutusest kattus eelmise päeva omaga. Musée Orangerie koosneb põhimõtteliselt kolmest korrusest, millest kaks madalamal tasemel. Korrus maapinnast all on kohustuslik suveniiripood ning alumisel tasemel paiknevad ajutised ning püsinäitused. Maapinnal on kaks ruumi pühendatud Monet vesiroosidele.

Üldjuhul ma reisil olles muuseume eriti ei külasta. Pariisis leidsin aga päris mitu, mille vastu huvi tekkis. Jällegi, üldjuhul meeldib mulle realistlik kunst, kuid millegipärast on Monet ja mõned impressionistid lisaks suutnud hinge pugeda. Eesmärk on veel Van Gogh loomingut oma silmaga uudistada. Aga Musèe d'Orsay jääb järgmiseks korraks.

Hommik oli tegelikult päris jahe ja tuuline. Jõudsin juba mõelda, kas oleksin pidanud jaki kaasa võtma. Muuseumist väljudes ületasime Pariisi suurima, Concorde väljaku, imetlesime seal asuvat purskkaevu ning suundusime *minu puhul* hammaste plaginaga Jeff Koons'i hiigelsuuri tulpe pildistama. Kodus neid eelnevalt nähes tundusid lilled väga tuttavad. Selgus, et nägime Jeff Koonsi lõbusaid skluptuure The Broad muuseumis Los Angeles'es. 

Edasi viis rahulik jalutuskäik *mõne aarde logimise vahepõikega* mööda Champs-Élysées avenüüd Triumfikaareni. Kuna alles kaks päeva tagasi toimus mööda Champs-Élysées avenüüd pidulik paraad, siis sellega piirnevad jalakäijate tänavad olid osaliselt veel suletud. Uudistasime Galeries Lafayette Champs-Élysées kaubanduskeskuse hindu, kus kleitide hinnad algasid paarist tuhandest eurost.

Lõunasöögiks ostsime kõigepealt prantsuse pagari Pierre Hermé poest valiku makroone. Seejärel võtsime Pauli tänavakohvikust täidetud baugette ning kohvi ja nautisime seda tänaval inimeste möödumist jälgides. 

Teele jäid veel uhked Louis Vuittoni ja Diori keskused, kuhu sissepääsemine tähendas järjekorras seismist. Seejärel pärast Eiffeli torni ilmselt Pariisi kuulsuselt teine maamärk, 19. sajandist pärit Arc de Triomphe. Triumfikaar on temast ringselt lähtuvate tänavate keskuseks.

Louis Vuittoni sihtasutus

Edasi pikem jalutuskäik Louis Vuitton sihtasutuse juurde, mis küll hetkel on ajutiselt suletud aga hoonena on väga huvitav. Niipea kui olime Triumfikaarest möödas sai läbi ka Pariisi kesklinna melu. Kõigepealt sattusime pikale "meeste" tänavale. Loomulikult võivad naised samaväärselt mootoritest, motikatest ning tehnikast huviatud olla. Väga huvitav, kuidas sama teema poed on ühele tänavale koondunud.

Tagasiteel peatusime Trocadero väljakul, kust avaneb võimas vaade.. ikka Eiffeli tornile😁 Väljak oli täis nännimüüjaid. Mõni andis nõu poseerimiseks, mis siis, et kõigi pildid samasusugused tulevad. Aga minu oli küll nendelt poseerimist õppida. Minul on sellel sügisel kooli minevalt Martalt ka poseerimise kohapealt palju õppida.

Istusime ning nautisime hetkes olemist. Päike tuli lõpuks pilve tagant välja. Vormistasime kaks virtuaalset aaret. 

Õhtusööki nautisime Le Bosquet'is. Mina sõin confit pardi ja Aili lõhe. Magustoiduks *minul üleküpsetatud, Ailil ideaalne* molten lava kook. Le Bosquet oligi minu jaoks kokkuvõttes üks parimaid toidukohti Pariisis.

Inspired by Navotrolla? 

16th July On Friday, we began our day at Orangerie Impressionist Museum. The time of the visit had to be booked in advance again, we were expected at 10 am. 

The walk from the accommodation coincided with the previous day. The Musée Orangerie consists of three floors, two of which are below the ground. On the -1 floor is a mandatory souvenir shop. On the -2 level, there are temporary and permanent exhibitions of impressionist artists. On the ground, there are two rooms dedicated to Monet's water lilies. Rooms for meditation.

I usually don't visit museums when I'm travelling. In Paris, however, I found quite a few that piqued my interest. Again, I generally like realistic art, but for some reason I adore Monet. I would also like to see Van Gogh's work with my own eyes. But the Musèe d'Orsay will remain for next time.

The morning was actually rather chilly and windy. I had already wondered if I should have brought a jacket with me. Leaving the museum, we crossed the largest square in Paris, the Concorde Square, admired the grand fountain and headed *in my case shivering* to take pictures of Jeff Koons' huge Bouquet of Tulips. Looking at the photos at home before, the flowers seemed very familiar. It turned out we had actually seen Jeff Koons' fun sculptures at The Broad Museum in Los Angeles.

A peaceful walk *with a couple of caches in between* along the Champs-Élysées towards the Arc de Triomphe. As the Bastille's festive parade had taken place along the Champs-Élysées just two days prior, the pedestrian lanes were still partially closed. We stared at the prices of the Galeries Lafayette Champs-Élysées shopping centre, where the prices of dresses began from a few thousand euros.

For lunch, we bought a selection of macarons from the bakery of the French baker Pierre Hermé. We then bought a stuffed baguette and coffee from Paul's Street Cafe.

On our way, we saw the posh Louis Vuitton and Dior centres, both had queues behind the entrance. Then, after the Eiffel Tower, probably the second most famous landmark in Paris, the 19th century Arc de Triomphe.

Then we took a longer walk towards the Louis Vuitton Foundation, which is temporarily closed at the moment, but as a building, it is fascinating. As we passed the Arc de Triomphe, we entered a quieter part of Paris. First, we walked along "men's" street. Of course, women may be equally uninterested in engines, motorbikes and technology. 

Louis Vuitton Foundation

On the way back, we stopped at Trocadero Square, which offers a powerful view .. of the Eiffel Tower. The square was full of street vendors. Some even gave advice on posing. No matter that all the photos looked the same. However, I could have learned posing from them. I would also have a lot to learn about posing from Marta, who will begin school this autumn 😁

We sat and enjoyed being in the moment. The sun finally came out. And we logged two virtual caches.

We enjoyed dinner at Le Bosquet. I ate duck confit and Aili took the salmon. For dessert *I received an overcooked, but Ailil got an ideal * molten lava cake. Le Bosquet was one of the best places we ate at in Paris.

Paris 15.07

15.07 Esimene hommik Pariisis tervitas meid pilvisuse aga õnneks mitte vihmaga. Kodus eelnevalt ilmateadet jälgides sadas kahel eelneval nädalal praktiliselt iga päev. Hommikusöök Les Jardins d'Eiffelis oli minu jaoks täiesti piisav, kuigi valik püsis terve nädala muutumatu. Pakuti munaputru, peekonit, sooje vorste, juustu, sinki, kolme erinevat jogurtit, valik saiakesi ning röstsai, või ja moos. Lisaks küsis teenindaja igal hommikul kohvi/tee eelistuse ning toanumbri. Esimene kord küsides jäi mulle arusaamatuks, miks hommikusöögi juurde rummi pakutakse😁. 

Seejärel suundusime 2.5km jalutuskäigule, suunaks Louvre, mida olin eelnevalt ainult filmides näinud. Tee viis meid üle Les Invalides esplanaadi ning jälgis Seine jõe kallast. Mõne aja möödudes paistiski tuttav püramiid. Esialgu olin üllatunud, et eelmüügist pileti ostjate rivi oli pikkkk, samas kui käsimüügi järjekorras oli vaevalt paar inimest. Kas tõesti pääsevad mõlemad järjekorrad korraga sisse? Aga jah, piletiostjad pääsesid sisse alles siis, kui eelmüügi omad olid sisenenud. Kõigi muuseumide külastamiseks tuli valida poole tunni kaupa kindel sisenemisaeg. 

Kell 9 läks meie järjekord liikvele. Sisenedes kontrolliti meie kotte nagu lennujaamas. Veepudelitele oli keelumärk, samas keegi seda kotist välja ei palunud võtta. 

Esimesena suundusime Liisat vaatama😁Mona Lisa, tõenäoliselt tuntuim maal maailmas, asub Louvre teisel korrusel, itaalia kunsti tiivas, sektsioonis 711. Maali eraldab inimestest klaas ning selleni jõudmiseks on piirdega ääristatud järjekord. Olen lugenud, et Mona Lisa on väiksem, kui arvatakse. Minu jaoks täiesti normaalsete mõõtudega. Nüüd siis ise ka ära nähtud. 

Edasi jätkasime samal korrusel itaalia, prantsuse ja hispaania kunstnike töid imetledes. Nii tore oli maale ära tunda. Pigem ütleksin, et mõni maal on tunduvalt suurem, kui arvasin. Mona Lisa suurus mind üllatama ei pannud.

Järgnesid veel maale, kroonijuveelid, kaunid laed ja seinad. Richelieu tiiba jõudmine oli huvitav, sest vahepealne tiib oli suletud. Vaatasime lühikest filmi Louvre rajamisest ning ajaloost. 16.-17. sajandil oli see kuningate residents ning sellest sai muuseum, kui kuningas Louis XVI kolis Versailles lossi. Nagu mujalgi kirjas, kõiki korraga jälgida ei jõua. Meie olime muuseumis ca 3 tundi. 

Kuna mul oli plaanis osta 5-päevane ühistranspordi pilet, siis mõtlesin kõigepealt sellega tegeleda. Tuli välja, et turismiinfo punkt on kolinud 31-29 Rue de Rivoli tänavale, kuigi Google Mapsi järgi asuvad nad alles eelmisel aadressil. Nüüd jäi pileti ostmise koht natuke eemale ning vaatasime esimesena Joan of Arc'ile püstitatud kuju ning suundusime lõunapausile Angelina kohvikusse. 

Tripadvisori järgi pakutakse Angelinas Pariisi parimat kuuma šokolaadi. Mitte kakaod vaid just kuuma šokolaadi. Kahepeale jagamiseks tellisime Millefeuille ja Mont Blanci. Lisaks toodi meile pudel vett. Mina alustasin Millefeuille'st. Tõesti maitsev, mitte liiga magus. Samas, šokolaad oli täpselt nii magus, kui oodata võib. Selle lahjendamiseks serveeriti kusjuures maitsestamata vahukoort 😁Ailile maitses Mont Blanci kate, mina jätsin selle söömata. Tundub, et nii suur magusasõber ma ikkagi ei ole, kui arvanud olen. Angelina interjöör on omaette vaatamisväärsus. Soovitaksin just kohvikus käia, mitte letist kaasa osta.

Hotel de Ville

Ületasime Pont des Arts'i. Pont tähistab prantsuse keeles silda. Pont des Arts on praegusel kujul ehitatud eelmise sajandi lõpus, kuid algupäraselt, ehitatud 1802-1804, oli see esimene metallist sild Pariisis. Tagasi üle Pont Neufi, vanima algupärase silla üle Seine jõe Pariisis. Notre Dame on hetkel veel suletud, Ailil oli oma esimese Pariisi reisi ajal võimalus katedraali seestpoolt uudistada. 

Pompidou keskus

Seejärel Pont d'Arcole ning infopunkt, kust ostsin ühistranspordi piletid. Infopunkt asub samas kaunis hoones Hotel de Ville'ga. Jälgisime selle ees oleval platsil inimesi ning aja kulgemist. Ilm oli lõunaks juba soojemaks läinud. Pont Notre-Dame. 

Tagasiteel majutusse vaatasime üle Pantheoni ja kulgesime läbi 17. sajandist pärit Luxembourgi aia. Palees tegutseb tänapäeval senat. Tagasi majutuses tegime väikese hingetõmbepausi ning õhtusöögiks suundusime lähedal asuvasse Sushi Shop'i. Erm. Eestis pakutavad makid maitsevad mulle rohkem 😊 

Et lõunane magusapomm ikka korralikult ära kulutada, ületasime veelkord Seine. No kui juba Pariisis, siis Eiffelit on vaja iga nurga pealt ning iga valgusega pildistada. Nägime Vabadusesamba leegi replikat, mis on ühtlasi printsess Diana hukkumiskoha lähedal olev mitteametlik mälestusmärk. 

Õhtu viimane osa kulges Eiffeli ümber olevate aarete jahile. Peitmisviisid olid üllatavalt lihtsad, võrreldes meie omadega. Kõige põnevam oli kleidiga puu otsa ronida. "Beer? Wine?" oli pakkumine, mida õhtuti Eiffeli juures kõige sagedamini kuulsime. Lõpmatult nännimüüjaid, helendav Eiffel ja esimene päev oligi läbi saanud. 

15th July The first morning in Paris greeted us with overcast skies but fortunately not rain. At home, following the weather forecast, it seemed to rain almost daily for the previous two weeks. Breakfast at Les Jardins d'Eiffel was perfectly adequate for me, although the choice remained the same throughout the week. Scrambled eggs, bacon, hot sausages, cheese, ham, three different yoghurts, a selection of pastries and toast, butter and jam. In addition, the waiter asked for our coffee/tea preference and room number every morning. The first time she asked for our room number, I didn't understand why she offered us rum for breakfast.

The first destination of the day was the Louvre, which I had only seen in movies. The 2.5km walk took us across the Esplanade of Les Invalides. After a while, the familiar pyramid came into view. Initially, I was surprised that the line of pre-sold tickets was long, whereas there were hardly any people in the counter-ticket line. I was wondering if both queues got in at the same time? But of course, the ticket buyers only got in once the pre-sold ticket line had entered. We had to choose a fixed entry time for all of the museums we visited. 

At 9 o'clock our queue began to move. Upon entering, our bags were checked at the airport. Liquid bottles were prohibited, however, no one asked us to remove the water from our bags.  

We first went to see Liisa😁. Mona Lisa, probably the most famous painting in the world, is located on the first floor of the Louvre, in the wing of Italian painters, section 711. The painting is separated from people by glass and you have to queue to actually see it behind a border. I have read that the Mona Lisa is smaller than expected. For me, it was just the right size. And I have seen it for myself now.  

We then continued on the same floor, admiring the works of Italian, French and Spanish artists. It was so nice to recognize some of the paintings. I would rather say that some paintings are much larger than I thought. The size of the Mona Lisa didn't surprise me in the slightest. 

We admired the paintings, crown jewels, beautiful ceilings and walls. Reaching Richelieu's wing was interesting because the intermediate wing was closed. We watched a short film about the construction and history of the Louvre. In the 16.-17. century, it was the residence of the kings, becoming a museum when King Louis XVI moved the royal residence to the Castle of Versailles. As written elsewhere, you can't devour all the paintings and sculptures at once. Visiting Louvre took us about 3 hours.

Since I was planning to buy a 5-day public transport ticket, I thought about dealing with it first. It turned out that the tourist information point has moved to 31-29 Rue de Rivoli, although according to Google Maps, they are still located at the previous address. As the tourist info was farther than I had expected, we found a statue of Joan of Arc and headed to the café Angelina for lunch. 

According to Tripadvisor, Angelina offers the best hot chocolate in Paris. Not cocoa, but hot chocolate. We ordered Millefeuille and Mont Blanc to share. In addition, thankfully, we were brought a bottle of water. I started with Millefeuille. Really delicious, and not too sweet. However, the chocolate was just as sweet as one might expect. To dilute it, we were served unflavoured whipped cream 😁Aili enjoyed the Mont Blanc coating, but I did not manage to eat it. Looks like I don't have as big a sweet tooth as I had thought. Angelina's interior is a sight in itself. I would definitely recommend going to the cafe instead of buying from the counter.

We crossed the Pont des Arts. In French, pont stands for bridge. The Pont des Arts is in its current form built at the end of the last century, but originally, built in 1802-1804. It was the first metal bridge in Paris. Pont Neuf is the oldest original bridge over the Seine in Paris. Notre Dame is still closed at the moment. During her first trip to Paris, Aili had the opportunity to explore the inside of the cathedral. 

Then the Pont d'Arcole and the tourist information centre where I bought public transport tickets. The information centre is located in the same beautiful building as the Hotel de Ville. 

We watched the people in the square in front of it and enjoyed the passing of time. The weather had warmed up by noon. Pont Notre-Dame. On the way back to our accommodation, we saw the Pantheon and walked through the 17th-century Luxembourg Gardens. The palace now houses the Senate. Back at the accommodation we took a short breath and headed to a nearby Sushi Shop for dinner. Erm. The makis I have had in Estonia have been way better 😊

In order to burn the lunch sweet bomb properly, we crossed the Seine again. Actually, if you are already in Paris, you need to take pictures of the Eiffel from every possible angle and with every possible light of the day. We saw a replica of the Flame of Liberty, which is also an unofficial memorial of Princess Diana, who died in a tunnel nearby.

We spent the last part of the day Geocaching near the Eiffel. The ways of hiding caches were surprisingly simple compared to ours. The most exciting thing was climbing a tree and wearing a dress. "Beer? Wine?" was an offer we heard most often at the Eiffel in the evenings. Endless street vendors, the luminous Eiffel and the first day was over. 

Paris 14.07

Seekordne reisisihtkoht oli viimase hetke otsus. Pidime Ailiga eelmisel suvel alustama Norra ja lõpetama Iirimaaga. Maailm otsustas aga teisiti ning broneerisin Iirimaa majutuse sellesse aastasse. Üks majutus tühistas paar kuud tagasi, põhjuseks omaniku terviseprobleemid. Juuni alguses tühistati üks paadireis. Umbes kolm nädalat enne reisi algust kirjutas üks majutus ning uuris, kas me ikka tuleme, kui peame enne kaks nädalat eneseisolatsioonis viibima. Mitte üldse kergelt tühistasin ka seekordse mineku. 

Võtsin ette kaardi ning uurisin riike, mis võtavad turiste ilma eneseisolatsioonita vastu. Prantsusmaal autoga ringi kulgemine oleks nii vähese ette broneerimisega liialt kulukas läinud ning ausalt öeldes ei kuulu minu eelistuste hulka. Samas kui reisimine on raskendatud aga valikuid napib, siis Pariisi kohvikute peale olin küll enne mõelnud. Aili oli nõus minuga ühinema ning tegin tavapärase reisiplaneerimise kolme nädalaga. Lihtsalt mainin, et mul on tavaliselt marsruut valmis vähemalt aasta enne väljalendu. 

Ei ütleks, et lennujaamas rohkem oleks rohkem aega läinud kui tavaliselt. Enamik inimesi olid maskides, kuigi mitte kõik. Enne pardale pääsemist kontrolliti meie vaktsineerimispasse. Kuna lendasime käsipagasiga, siis lennukilt mahatulek kulges kiiresti. Bookingu kaudu taksojuhiga kokkusaamine võttis natuke aega kuid peagi olime sõidukis ning liikusime Pariisi kesklinna suunas. Ööbisime nädala Les Jardins d'Eiffel'is. Väga mugav asukoht, ca 1km Eiffelist. Majutusega jäin tegelikult väga rahule. Tagantjärgi uurides selgub, et saime super hinnaga.

Saabusime Pariisi 14ndal juulil, Bastille vallutamise aastapäeval, mil riik pidutseb. Jõusdime kohale õhtul, registreerisime hotelli, otsisime süüa ning suundusime Eiffeli suunas, mis mattus rahvusvärvidesse ning mille ümbert lendas taevasse ilutulestik. Sobiva koha valik oli natuke keeruline, inimesi oli tänavatel palju. Ikka maskides. Võib-olla oleks ilutulestikku olnud parem jälgida Sacré-Cœur esiselt väljakult. 

14th July This time the travel destination was a last minute decision. Aili and I were supposed to visit Norway and Ireland last summer. However, the world had other plans, and I re-booked our accommodations for this summer. One accommodation had to cancel a few months ago, due to the owner's health problems. At the beginning of June, a boat trip was cancelled. About three weeks before the trip, a b&b's owner wrote and asked if we would still visit them if we had to stay in self-isolation for two weeks. Cancelling the rest of the trip was not an easy decision. 

I looked at an interactive travel map and researched countries that receive tourists without self-isolation. Travelling in France with a car would have been too expensive, considering the late booking. And to be frank, France is not one of my first preferences. I don't know why I have felt a longing for Ireland and the Great Britain for as long as I can remember myself. While traveling is difficult at the moment, and the options are scarce, I had thought about Parisian cafes before. Aili agreed to join me and I had to do the usual travel planning in three weeks. Just to mention, I usually have a route planned at least a year before departure.

We didn't spend more time at the airpor than usual. Most people wore masks, though not everyone. Our vaccination passports were checked before boarding. Since we were flying with carry-on luggage, we got off the plane fast. It took a while to meet the taxi driver that I had booked through Booking. But soon we were in a car, moving towards the center of Paris. We stayed at Les Jardins d'Eiffel for a week. Very convenient location, about 1km from the Eiffel. I was actually very satisfied with the accommodation. 

We arrived in Paris on the 14th of July, the anniversary of the conquest of Bastille. France's birthday. We arrived in the evening, checked-in at the hotel, bought food, and headed for the Eiffel, which was either blinking or decorated in national colors. We watched the fireworks. The choice of a suitable place was a bit difficult, there were a lot of people on the streets. Most wearing masks. Maybe it would have been better to watch the fireworks from the front square of Sacré-Cœur.