24 hours in Paris (Paris, part 1)

Tuesday, 13 August

J'adore Paris.  

I arrived at Gare St. Lazare from Rouen around 4:30 Tuesday evening.  This station is not a big or busy as Gare Du Nord, or as opulent as many of the others, but St. Lazare has a really good vibe going for it.  Architecturally, this is a station that has not changed too much since Monet painted it in the late 1880's*, however it probably has a hell of a lot more ambiance and attitude now than it did back then.  

*check outWikipedia for more on his works at St Lazare:  

 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Claude_Monet_-_The_Gare_Saint-Lazare,_Arrival_of_a_Train.jpg 

One of the very cool things about the station is not only the open beam, glass ceiling (which lets in beautiful, streaming rays of sunshine), but that there is a piano on the top floor available for anyone to play... I was meeting a friend here and I was able to watch/ listen for a while while I was waiting for her.  I loved seeing people from all different walks of life, age, income, etc sit down and play together, coax each other on, or offer a helping hand (literally jumping in and sharing the keys for a few songs).  

In St. Lazare I met up with an old co-worker and her family.  We meandered to their apartment, got their kids settled and then, Jean, her hubby and I went walking about Paris.  I intentionally didn't take my big camera because I really wanted to just walk around and take it all in... again, did not want to be a slave to my camera.... having said that, there were a few things I had to bust out my iPhone for: 

Seriously.. this is the same one as in the BioWare office in Austin- how'd this comic shop on Rue St. Germaine get one!? 

After dinner crepe... mmmmmmmm Nutella and banana...  

There is a movie (no idea which one.. anyone?) where a couple secures a lock on a bridge in Paris and then throws away the key.. it has inspired hundreds of thousands of people to do the same on bridges all across Paris. 

The western view of the Isle de la City as we were walking west, towards the Oblisque and the sunset.

Meandering through the Louvre towards the Tuileries we heard someone singing opera- I swear I thought it was some outdoor summer concert- the sound was breathtaking- not only his voice, but the acoustics were perfect.  I was shocked to find that it was actually a couple people set up with a bit of background music and their raw voices in an alcove.  

yeah, the sunset did not suck :) 

it was such a fantastic evening croque-monsieur and pome frites for dinner, crepe for dessert, a surprise concert in an alcove, sunset behind the Louvre  and snagging glimpses of Parisians have late dinners and drinks in cafes as we walked down Rue St. Germaine to pick up my stuff.  I realized it had been a while since my last visit to Paris and I was kicking myself for only allowing 24 hours in the city.  I decided that I needed to pop off to bed so I could make the most of the next day before grabbing an 8:00 pm flight back to London...