A Van Gogh–themed day

*This appears to be the most "boring" of my four days in Paris—no shenanigans today.  ;)

I didn’t buy an advance ticket for the Musée d'Orsay, because this was something I was going to shift around to different days if needed.  To beat the long line, I set an alarm so I could walk there before it opened at 9:30am.  It worked out great—I got in right away and spent a solid two hours walking around, looking at some spectacular artwork.

Van Gogh's self portrait had quite the crowd!

I tried not book too much today, since my feet are really sore (I’ve walked an average of 8 miles per day, which is a lot for someone who sits in a cubicle five days a week) and the temperature continues to rise in Paris.  The heat index was 92 before noon—the air is so thick that your clothes instantly stick to you.  I decided to head back to the hotel (which has air conditioning) and grabbed some lunch along the way.

Hibiscus frappe and salmon avocado toast

My next activity wasn’t until 4:30pm, so I relaxed for an hour, then headed out around 3:00pm to give the Metro system a try.  All of the signs in the stations were very clear, and I found my way easily—even after transferring trains. 

A colleague from PATH highly recommended L'Atelier des Lumières, which is showing a Van Gogh feature this year.  L'Atelier des Lumières is an old factory that has been converted to a light-show display that animates artist’s paintings and has accompanying music.  It’s hard to describe, so here is a video.

(I'm having technical difficulties getting the other video up.)

The show was one hour: 30 minutes of Van Gogh, 15 minutes of art from Japan, and a 5-minute original animation of the universe.  I stayed to two Van Gogh showings.  :)

Afterwards, I debated taking the Metro back to the hotel, but since it’s my last night here, I decided for one final walk through Paris.  I’ll will definitely be coming back (when there’s no chance for a record heat wave). 

Paris Day 3: Stomach ache and heat exhaustion

My tour at the Louvre wasn’t until 11:30am, so I finally got my leisurely morning (and 10 hours of sleep!).  I had a very nice breakfast and mapped out my route for the day.  I got to the Louvre about 30 minutes early . . . and that’s when my bubble gut started.  (*Bubble gut as defined by the Urban Dictionary: The noises made in your stomach when your ass is about to burst due to a case of explosive diarrhea.)  Could it have been all the rich, fatty French cuisine I’ve been eating?  Seems likely.  Could it have been the bottle of daily greens juice that I downed before bed?  Maybe.  Or was it the three cups of espresso I had with breakfast?  Most definitely.  Needless to say, my Louvre experience involved being hyper-aware of the bathroom locations.

But I also some art.  I chose to have a guided tour since the Louvre is massive, and the guide whittles it down to the big, prominent pieces.  I was also fascinated with the history of the building and its expansion and development over the past few centuries—that was a nice intro to the tour.

The crowd around the Mona Lisa is ridiculous.

I grabbed some lunch at the Louvre café and headed out to the Hop On/Hop Off Seine River Boat.  At this point, it’s close to 89°F and sweltering in the sun.  I had hoped that being on the water would cool me down, but there was no shade, so I just kept sweating.  By the time I got to the Eiffel Tower, I was feeling weak—my feet were swollen and starting to get sunburned.  I took a few photos but didn’t have the energy to walk about the Champ de Mars or go up the tower.  I got back on the river boat as a wave of nausea hit me and drank my second bottle of water on the ride back to try and cool down.  I didn’t expect Paris to have a record-breaking heat wave during my visit.

I got off at the Notre Dame stop near my hotel, and since it’s closed for repair, this will probably be the only photo I get.

To settle my still-reeling stomach, I opted for something familiar for dinner—a veggie sandwich from Subway.  I’ve had Subway sandwiches ‘round the world: US, Tanzania, UK, Ireland, and now France. 

Paris Day 2: Giverny and Versailles

Today, I had scheduled a tour outside of Paris, since it’s a Sunday and I figured a lot of places would be closed.  The bus departure time was 8:15am, which meant setting an alarm.  Maybe it was the wine from last night or the lack of sleep from the past few days, but my alarm went off at 6:00am and then I promptly fell back asleep . . . and woke up an hour later.  Now those of you that know me, know that I like to plan extra time and have a leisurely morning.  So, waking up an hour late meant that I could still make it the bus, if I showered in five minutes, skipped breakfast, and ran like hell to the meeting point.  I made it just in time, but I was a hot mess with a slight hangover. The first stop on the bus tour was Giverny to visit Monet’s home and gardens.  When I was 14 or 15, I went to see the Monet exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago, and it’s had lasting impression on me (pun intended).  I remember so clearly looking at the series of haystacks and water lilies and learning about Monet’s technique.  I also found out that he had the same birthday as me which, as a kid, was another fascinating connection.  (Ha ha.)  So, visiting his gardens and seeing the inspiration for the water lilies and bridge over a pond was very special for me. 

Now, I’ve been on quite a few bus tours in several countries and lunch is usually fairly simple and a quick break . . . but not in France.  We had a lovely three-course meal (think white table linens and full place settings) of more delicious French cuisine with endless bottles of wine.  I’m so in love with French food that I considered cancelling all of my other activities to just do food tours and fine dining.  Maybe next time.
After lunch, we ventured on to the Palace of Versailles.  What can I say, other than the palace and the gardens are the epitome of opulence.  By this point, the temperature was up to 87°F, and I was roasting.

We headed back to Paris around 5:30pm, and I managed to catch a few zzz’s on the bus.  I woke up just in time to pass the Arc de Triomphe.  I didn’t get any pictures, but I can say I saw it.

Paris Day 1: Sleeping and eating

Last week, I was in Senegal learning about typhoid vaccine introduction with my new project team at PATH.  It was a busy, exhausting week but totally worth it.  I met nearly all of the project staff from Vietnam, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Liberia, Burkina Faso, and Senegal.  What an amazing group!

I flew from Dakar to Paris overnight (11pm-6:30am) and unfortunately, only slept for about an hour.  So, I was dead tired when I arrived.  Fortunately, I was able to check in early at my hotel, and rather than push myself to see Paris right away, I opted for a nap.  I got moving around 1:30pm and went for a walk to explore the area.  The only activity I had booked for the day was a food tour at 5:00pm.  While I was out walking around, killing time until the food tour, I started getting fatigued and sleepy again.  And then I saw it—a park full of people just laying around and snoozing.  PERFECT.  It was exactly what I needed.

The Marais food tour was absolutely amazing.  We went to nine different shops for samples and tastings.  We started off with red wine and variety of cheeses; then smoked salmon; then puff pastries; then a chocolatier; then olive oils, flavored vinegars, and nut butters; then macaroons; then ice cream; and finally, bruschetta and white wine.  Every bite was exquisite—what a way to get introduced to Paris!