Thursday morning - The 24th of January 2013
Flying to Paris and staying for just a few days can be an adventure in itself, but the setbacks related to this particular two day trip were more than adventurous ... the cancellation of the initial flight because of snow constraints and its subsequent anticipation ... having to reorganise something which was planned to the smallest detail in just less than a few hours ... was too much of a strain, though it was finally done ...
I flew into Orly-Sud late on the 23rd and stayed at a small hotel just 12 kilometres north of the airport. The room was quite comfortable and the early morning breakfast rather copious. Two ladies I had met the previous evening and I got on a fairly early bus followed by a train which took us straight into Chatelet, from where I then walked to the Parisian Hotel I would be staying at.
It was freezing cold though the 30 minute morning walk kept me warm. As I was walking towards the Rivoli street I photographed the 1523 imposing Tour de Saint Jacques, which is all that is left of an ancient church used as an assembling point for pilgrims going on long journeys ... the surrounding greyish-like atmosphere didn't allow its beauty to shine through ...
The same didn't happen with the Hotel de Ville which projected its natural beauty as if untouched by the adverse weather ...
I dropped the backpack at the hotel and left soon after, this time in the direction of the Place des Vosges just five minutes away from there.
Snow could still be seen almost at every corner of this old Medieval tournament stage square ..., which is of an exquisite beauty ...
From there I walked into Victor Hugo's Museum House, an 1832 second floor, which houses a huge collection of drawings by the writer, photographs, manuscripts, editions of his works, items of furniture dating from before and after the exile and various mementos.
Oil portraits of Victor Hugo by Leon Bonnat and his grandchildren by Charles Voillemot (left)
Juliette Drouet's medieval drawing room in Guernesey displaying several objects created by Victor Hugo from second-hand furniture (left).
The Chinese drawing room taken from the second home of Juliette Drouet's second home in Guernesey.
Faithful recreation of Victor Hugo's bedroom in the Avenue d'Eylau town house in which he lived from 1878 until his death in 1885.
Quite an interesting morning which not only allowed me to get into the life of this outstanding man, but also kept me away from the cold.
(To be continued)
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