1. France again
On the 12th day of our Spain-France tour (Sep 7), we crossed the
French border past Perpignan and the Alpes Mediterranean, with a
lunch stop-over at Montpelier, driving thru scenic Provencal
landscapes of Impressionists Cezanne, Van Gogh and Gaugain,
enroute to Nice on the French Riviera. We arrived in the tiny
principality of Monaco at 5pm
to visit its exciting casinos. I
took photos of the Grimaldi
Palace, the Hotel de Paris
(see right photo) and the old
casino in Montecarlo. Then I
entered the new casino with Caryle and watched one of our tour
members win his hands at a black jack table. We left Monaco past
7pm, arriving in Nice in time for dinner.
Nice, famous for its belleépoque architecture, beachfront
promenades, and landmark hotels.
After dinner, I took the
Australians (Caryle and
co.) to a leisurely walk by
the harbor. The next
morning, while my group
went on an excursion to
the hilltop town of St.
Paul de Vence and visited
a perfumery, I strolled
from the hotel to the
promenade by the sea
(Yahoo! Photos -
emeritamanansala's
Photos - Nice - beach),
passing by the flower
market, the opera house, the Franciscan Church, the war memorial, and
the Victory Monument (Yahoo! Photos - emeritamanansala's Photos -
Nice - foot of the Victory monument) Next day, I walked around the town, passing by the Grand Railway
Station, the Municipal Public Library, and the Museum of Contemporary/Modern Art with its ultramodern
library, and took pictures of the Basilica of Notre Dame (Yahoo! Photos - emeritamanansala's Photos -
Nice - Notre Dame Cathedral) . After a 45-minute walk, I found my way to its impressive Russian
Orthodox Cathedral, took photos on the grounds outside, and visited its beautiful interiors
(http://asia.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/emeritamanansala/detail?.dir=34f0&.dnm=7f7e.jpg).
I traced my steps back to the Kyriad hotel passing by the
Garibaldi plaza and getting a big pizza for 8 euros (my dinner) at
a pizzeria along Rue Bonaparte (Yahoo! Photos -
emeritamanansala's Photos - Nice- Garibaldi monument at plaza).
By sunset, I was back at the promenade, sat in one of the chairs
facing the sea, watching the beach people (one old man took off all
his clothes, and completely naked, walked gingerly on the stony
waters---no beach sand, no waves at all).

2. Day 14, we travelled
through Provence to
Avignon, where we
stopped for photos of the
gothic Papal Palace, the
jardin, and St. Benezet
Bridge of 'Sur le Pont'
fame (Yahoo! Photos -
emeritamanansala's
Photos - Avignon - St. Benezet Bridge in) with its 4
remaining arches. From here it's on to Lyon, former
capital of France and of the French Resistance Movement,
known for gastronomic specialties, award-winning
restaurants, big plazas, the finest art collection outside of the Louvre, and center of ballet. We stayed
overnight at Hotel Campanille near Place Belle Coeur, the theatre and Place des Jacobins.
http://asia.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/emeritamanansala/detail?.dir=34f0&.dnm=373b.jpg
http://asia.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/emeritamanansala/detail?.dir=34f0&.dnm=4426.jpg.
DAY 15, from Lyon – Paris, we drove along the Rhône Valley to visit the
charming medieval town of Beaune, which
was also part of my 2003 France tour. I
offered two candles at the beautiful Notre
Dame cathedral here for Nanay and Daddy,
and had lunch at one of the sidewalk cafes.
Then we continued through the famous
Burgundy wine region on the Autoroute du
Soleil as we made our way back towards
Paris, where we spent the next two nights at Timhotel near Place d’Italie.
Paris sightseeing is never the same since there are so many places to see.
As soon as we arrived at 4:30 pm, we took the nearest metro station at
Corvisart to climb the Eiffel Tower to the top and have a drink at the bar
on the second level. (Yahoo! Photos - emeritamanansala's Photos - Eiffel
tower restaurant) This time, it
was still daylight so I had
several photo views of the city.
We took a long walk, passing
by Alexander III and
Concorde bridges and had
dinner at a bar-café near
Louvre at Rue de Rivoli and
Palais Royale metro station.
(http://asia.pg.photos.yaho
o.com/ph/emeritamanansal
a/detail?.dir=1967&.dnm=9
6e5.jpg). The next morning,
I took a long walk to Champs Elysées, and had my
picture taken right in the middle of the avenue with the Arc de
Triomphe in the background
(http://asia.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/emeritamanansala/detail?.dir=1967&.dnm=5bf0.jpg).

3. After taking photos of Madeleine Church and
the Louvre grounds I decided to visit this time
the Musee d’Orsay for 7 euros, since I have
toured the Louvre last year. I was awed by the
sight of hundreds of French Impressionist arts –
Claude Monet, Edoard Manet, Renoir, Toulouse-
Madeleine Church
Lautrec, Degas, and Rodin’s sculptures at the
terrace. After lunch at a fast service restaurant
along the road fronting the Tuilerie Gardens, the
rest of the day was spent walking around the Ile
Saint-Louis in the heart of the city.
This is one of the quietest parts of Paris, the
haunt of lawyers, policemen, and sight-seers, on
the way to Notre Dame Cathedral. The Ile Saint-
Louis has also been called the Enchanted Isle. Whether seen
from the right or from the left bank of the Seine, hidden behind
tall trees, it looks in summer like the inaccessible abode of some
distinguished recluse. Walking to the Notre Dame Cathedral, I
passed by the Palace of Justice and the Prison House. The name
"Palais de Justice" is in itself ironic since it is no longer a palace,
and as we know, during the French revolution of 1789, it had
nothing to do with justice The most noteworthy monarch who
lived in the Palace is Saint Louis, and built the adjacent "Saint
Chapelle", an intimate two-tier masterpiece of stained glass and
light gothic style, to house what was believed to be the relics of
the Crucifixion. It was later abandoned as a royal residence,
and then used to house government offices.
The evening was capped with dinner at Montmarte after a stroll
around the magnificent Basilica of Sacre Coeur. Montmartre, high
on the only hill overlooking Paris, has long been famous for its
artists, and its Sacre Coeur. Close by is the Place du Tertre,
usually completely covered with tables and bright umbrellas, and
`artists.''

4. This is the place to have your pastel portrait
Sacre Coeur done. It’s also lined with cafes.
The last morning in Paris was a quick photo stop at the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, and Place de la
Concorde, which is the largest square in Paris,
situated along the Seine and separates the
Tuileries Gardens from the beginning of the
Champs Elysées. We were on the way to the
Opera House to catch our bus that will take us to
the airport. This place where a giant obelisk now
stands, is where King Louis XVI and Marie
Antoinette, along with Danton, Robespierre, and
thousands others were guillotined between 1793-
5. It’s been said that the smell of blood was so
strong that a herd of cattle refused to cross the
place. Two hours later, I was at Charles de Gaulle
waiting for my long flight by Air France back to
Manille.
Place de la Concorde
View of the city from Eiffel Tower
Opera House