Home again!

Thanks for the warm welcome home M,W,and M!

Signs That You Might Be England

Greetings from Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian!

We tubed over to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich for a brief visit.  We were off to find the 0 degree longitude line! We paid our admission and during our whirlwind tour of the museum picked up a few interesting facts.

In the courtyard was a queue for photo ops on the Prime Meridian. We started to wait in line but then realized we could get just as good a photo opposite the traditional photo spot.  But we really had a good chuckle upon exiting!  There in the back of the museum was a cobblestone line not at all centered with the door from whence it came but in alignment with that popular photo spot inside the museum premises!

The Meeting at St. Pancras

Crossed through the Chunnel today. Looked all over St. Pancreas station for the cart halfway in the wall on Platform 9 and 3/4 but we couldn't find a thing!  Instead we found the 30 foot bronze statue of the The Meeting. Along it's base was a series of detailed 3 dimensional friezes representing the history of the Tube. Incredible!!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Day_(sculptor)

Les Catacombes

John and I arose with the blacksmith again and in our daily tradition, set off to enjoy a cup of coffee at one of the many cafes before stopping by a patisserie for some yummy baked goods to bring home.  After breakfast we were treated to yet another sound from the barracks--a symphony filled the air!! For the horses??  This has been a unique apartment location!

We tried again to visit the catacombs today.  What a difference from yesterday when there wasn't a soul around. Today the line circled around the block and then some! We waited in line for a little over three hours, but it was worth it.

The catacombs are housed in old, abandoned quarries.  In 1785 the graveyards in Paris were posing a health risk so beginning with the Cemetery of Innocents, bones from over 150 graveyards were moved here until 1859. At first the bones were just dumped, but in 1810 the Inspector General of Quarries turned the ossuary into a proper funeral monument. The bones are elaborately displayed but only with the skulls and long bones.  The remaining bones are still in a jumble behind this facade.

Evening in Paris

This fountain was outside the Saint Michel Metro stop.  The main scene is of Saint Michael wrestling with the devil. These dragons flanked the fountain.

The area was bustling--filled with students and locals whizzing by and returning bikes. We had dinner at another open air restaurant. This has been so enjoyable.  Another pleasant walk home along the Seine. The banks were filled with small groups of people enjoying dinner or strumming their guitars.

Landscaping Day at the Palace of Versailles Garden

Mondays in France--ferme! We made all our Metro connections and got to our morning destination in good order, the Catacombs. Closed on Mondays. We changed the day's itinerary on the spot and took to RER train to Versailles. The Palace was...closed.  The gardens were open however, so we meandered through  seeing the landscapers hard at work. Who knew stencils were used for topiaries!  The gardens and the palace are definitely impressive and on a grand scale.

We spent the afternoon paddling on the lake. Many people were picnicking, bicycling, or walking. It seems the gardens are a destination in themselves and free, at least for this day.  The cafe in town was a welcome and refreshing stop after hours in the sun. Although we think of wine as the French beverage of choice, we have seen more people drinking beer (biere) at the cafes. The kids enjoyed their glace sundaes served with small, pastel cookies called macarons.