Travels With Martina Day 9 - Lost in the Louvre

The Louvre in Paris is the grande dame of all museums -- perhaps the most famous and well known of them all.  Unfortunately, that fame also means it might also be the most congested.

In 2019, more than 9.6 million visitors streamed through its doors.  That sounds crazy crowded
but we were part of that horde.

Two months before we arrived in Paris, the security and reception staff at the Louvre had gone on strike, protesting the growing number of visitors they had to contend with on a daily basis. 

The strike lasted for a day or two -- it seemed more of a symbolic protest than a real work stoppage  but it still had me worried.  Should we even chance a visit?  

However, it was Martina and Tsirol's first time in Paris so a visit to the Louvre was a must!

By the time we arrived in Paris in  July, tickets were no longer being sold for "walk-ins".  We had to book and buy our tickets for a specific time slot a month ahead. When we arrived at the museum, we had to brave the long queues due to the strict security controls and very few security equipment and security personnel -- they all looked so harried and stressed,  I could understand why they went on strike!

It was a madhouse inside  -- dutifully, we tried to see the top attractions but everyone had the 

same idea.   Martina did get a quick glimpse of the Venus de Milo, albeit from afar.  

"She has no arms, Lola!" 

Despite the crowds, Martina did try to entertain herself.  "Why aren't they wearing clothes, Lola"?

Hmmm, because they're angels and angels don't wear clothes!

Next up, the Winged Victory.  Martina was no longer amused at the crowds jostling her as
I made her stand still for a photo. 

We had hoped to see the Mona Lisa but the lines were unbelievable! The escalators going up to the salon where the painting was had been stopped just so that people could  stand in line.  We took one look at the line reaching up to 3 floors and decided to pass -- 

Je sui desole Madame Mona, mais a la prochaine fois!

It was a pity that Martina's first visit to the Louvre did not fare so well.  I was happy though that she was impressed by the architecture and the overall  grandness of the place.  She definitely appreciated the benches conveniently placed for tired and bedraggled tourists to rest on.

Thank goodness for the nearly empty Department of Egyptian Antiquities!  No crowds here and

the many different examples of Egyptian art and artefacts proved to be fascinating for an 8 year old. She finally enjoyed this one experience at the Louvre!

The Louvre is so vast  --  end to end, the galleries and rooms are over 13 kilometres in length.

You could walk through it without stopping to look at anything and it would still take you several hours to do so.  We stayed four hours but it seemed as if we spent most of the time dodging and finding our way through the crowds.  

After the claustrophobic atmosphere inside the museum, it was a relief to be outdoors, amidst the spacious green gardens of the Tuileries.  Our old friend the ferris wheel beckoned enticingly, 

care for another spin?

But no, Martina was more interested in le hamburger americaine than riding the ferris wheel.  Hamburger plus nuggets de poulet and frites!  Walking through an overcrowded museum is hungry work.

Most of Martina's frites went to feed the pigeons. I think this was the real reason why she wanted 

to eat here -- she wanted to see her "friends" and share her lunch.  

Traveling with Kids, Tip #9

While I had forewarned Martina about the crowds at the Louvre, we were still unprepared for the sheer volume of visitors -- most of them jostling, rushing, taking selfies, pushing and shoving.  

In that kind of situation, it's good to find quiet spaces where the child can sit and relax and take a deep breath.  We deliberately looked for empty galleries where she could still see art pieces without feeling hemmed in by the crowds.  

An 8 year old may not fully  appreciate the Mona Lisa but mummies, statues of strange beasts and frolicking cherubs can be a lot more interesting. 

Travels with Martina Day 8 Part 2 - An evening cruise down the Seine on Bateaux Mouches

While the Seine is famous as the river that winds its way across Paris, in reality it is,
at 777  kilometres long, the second longest river in France and one of the major waterways
of Europe.   While it may take some difficulty to sail down the entire length of the river, 
a short cruise down the Seine is one of Paris' more worthwhile "tourist traps". 
You have to do it at least once.
   

Since it was Martina and Tsirol's first visit -- we did the Seine River Cruise of Bateaux Mouches.

There are different cruises to choose from ... lunch, cocktail, dinner and and dancing cruises.  

Most are expensive and except for the usual overpriced tourist meal, you see the same
views anyway. 
We opted for the no-frills 70 minute cruise and chose an 8:30 p.m. sailing time. 
In summer, the sun sets past 9 p.m. and we wanted to see the Eiffel Tower lit up against a dark sky.

The boats are parked at the Bateaux Mouches'  dock by the Pont de l' Alma.  It turns around and heads the other direction, going towards Notre Dame and passing through seven bridges along the Seine.  

It was a gorgeous summer evening -- the heat had dissipated and it was nice and breezy on the open deck.  While there were many tourists taking the cruise, the boats are big enough that you can claim your own little corner where you can  watch Paris go by.

I felt a slight pang of regret as we passed by the Musee d'Orsay.  It was not on our itinerary for 

this trip as we thought  Martina may not enjoy spending too much time inside museums.  

For me though, this a must see when you go to Paris -- I find it much more manageable 

than the Louvre.

Speaking of which -- across the Musee d'Orsay on the right bank is the venerable Louvre, perhaps 

the most well known museum in the world.  The Pont du Carrousel which spans the Seine links the two great museums to each other. 

Our boat glides slowly towards Pont au Change, in the distance you can catch a glimpse of 

the  Notre Dame.  Look, my initials are carved on the bridge! 

Sunset softened the outlines of the Cathedral -- even with the damage from the fire, it stood 

majestic and graceful in the fading light.  Just beyond Notre Dame, the boat would make a 

u-turn back towards the Bateaux Mouches dock.

As the boat headed towards Pont de l'Alma I looked back at Place Louis Aragon, 

the northern tip of Ile Saint-Louis, one of two natural islands on the Seine (the other 

one is the slightly larger Ile de la Cite on which the Notre Dame stands).    

Place Louis Aragon was crammed with tourists.   Many were  picnicking - wine glasses 

were raised to us in various toasts.  

Jay and I usually walked here during our previous visits -- in the winter,  it's very cold and 

no one is hardly ever around.  It's a good place to sit and enjoy a view of the Seine.

We would have wanted to take a photo with the pilot but he was too busy steering!

So many riverboats of all sizes line the banks of the Seine.  Some are restaurants or cafe/bars  and there are even  houseboats for rent.  Imagine spending your vacation on a boat and waking up 

on this lovely river every morning! 

We spied the Eiffel Tower in the distance and oh no! It was still unlit and it was almost 10 p.m.  

Would Martina get a chance to see the lights of the Eiffel Tower?  

Perhaps we should have opted for a later sailing time, but then we would not have seen the 

landmarks on the right and left banks.

The boat passed the Tower before it turned around again to park.  

And yes, finally just as we passed it, the lights turned on! Merci boucoup, M. Eiffel!

We disembarked and walked back towards the Alma Marceau metro stop that would whisk us back 

to the apartment.  It had been a most pleasant evening with Bateaux Mouches -- 

after all, what better way to spend a summer evening than to take a boat down the Seine?

Oops, one last stop before we headed home.  The crepe kiosk was doing  brisk business selling sweet crepes -- butter, sugar and chocolate.  It made a tasty and quintessentially French midnight snack!

Traveling with Kids Tip #8A

When bringing kids to a place for the first time, let them try the  iconic experiences.  

What may be a "tourist trap" for you, as a frequent traveler,  may very well be exciting and 

unique for the child who is seeing it and enjoying it for the very first time. 

Travels with Martina Day 8 Part 1 - Paris for Kids at the Parc Zoologique and the Aquarium Tropical

A trip to the zoo may not be on a tourist's "must visit" list but if you have an 8 year old in tow, it is definitely part of the agenda.  Martina loves animals and insists on visiting a zoo or an aquarium when she travels.  In this case, we were lucky have done  both and on the same day too. 

There are many ways to get to the Paris Zoo but via subway to Porte Doree station in the 

12th arrondissement was the most convenient for us.  From our apartment in the 3rd, it took
us 12 minutes to get to Porte Doree.  And even better, from the subway exit, the Zoo was
just a 600 meter walk away.

We walked alongside the broad Avenue Daumesnil.  The area seemed both commercial and residential with a lot of apartments and small neighbourhood cafes and grocery stores.  

The photo above is of the Square Des Anciens Combattants d'Indochine -- which pays 

tribute to  the French who died during the Indochina War.  

There are fountains of different levels which are barely visible in this photo and the square is 

bordered by palm trees -- because you know, Southeast Asia, right?

We walk a little further on and saw this statue which Martina wanted to have a photo of as she said it 

"looked important". 
Upon further inspection, this is a monument to the controversial expedition up the Nile and into Sudan led by Captain Jean Baptiste Marchand, a French explorer from the late 1800s. 

Two symbols of France's questionable colonial past -- within a few hundred meters of each other!

The way to the Zoo takes us by the edges of Bois de Vincennes -- also known as one of Paris'
"green lungs".  The word bois means woods in English. 

Bois de Vincennes used to be part of a forest and now encompasses over 950 hectares of trees, shrubbery and greenery with lakes for boating, beautiful gardens including the Parc Floral de Paris, an original 14th century chateau, an aquarium, a Museum, Asian gardens, bike and running paths  and of course the Zoo. 

We're finally here! The 600 meter walk from the station took quite a while as we enjoyed seeing 

the sights along the way.  The Parc Zoologique de Paris is set on 15 hectares within the Bois de 

Vincennes. 

No advanced ticket purchase needed and there was just a short line at the ticket office.

Opened in 1934, the Zoo was a much loved and well visited fixture in Paris.  

A giant boulder rising in the middle was its recognisable symbol.  After the 1990s, not much 

was done by way of  maintenance and the Zoo was closed in 2008 for a major renovation.  

It re-opened in 2014 and is one of the most impressive zoos I have ever visited. 

The overall objective of the Parc Zoologique de Paris is not merely to display the various animals 

but to have them live in recreations of their natural habitat.  The Zoo is divided into 5 bio-zones:  Patagonia, Africa,  Amazon-Guyana, Madagascar and Europe. 

We start off at Patagonia as it is nearest the entrance.

It turns out that Patagonia is an ideal introduction to the Zoo as it includes a giant pool where the penguin colony lives and where they swim, splash and generally show off for the adoring crowds.
Today the pool area was crowded with children who were there on a field trip.

We waited on the concrete steps for the crowd to disperse.   Martina couldn't help but laugh at
all of the seals' antics.  

Finally, we got up close enough and made some new friends!

From Patagonia, we crossed a boardwalk into Africa where the terrain is mostly sand, scrub and trees.   With the ongoing canicule or heat wave,  the weather seemed to have been transported from Africa as well. 

When you visit the Zoo,  do look for the white rhinoceros  -- it is the largest of the extant 

rhinoceros species and is extremely endangered.  We managed to catch a glimpse of one -- heartbreaking that there are very few of these animals left.  

Whatever you say about zoos,  they do their share in saving and protecting threatened species.

Feeding time at the Zoo!  Just beside the Africa bio-zone is a park with picnic tables and kiosks selling sandwiches,  snacks, beverages and even ice cream.  We managed to find a well shaded bench where we ate our lunch -- jambon-fromage for the adults and le hotdog for Martina. 

The antelopes are sunbathing  -- I guess the canicule does not affect them so much.

Behind the zebra enclosure the huge boulder,  the longtime symbol of the zoo can be seen -- this
has been  renovated and rebuilt from the original  dating back to 1934. 

We headed off to the Great Aviary, located in the Africa bio-zone where we dodge flying birds and

marvel at the real life pink flamingoes.

We decided to skip the Birds of Prey Aviary -- perhaps the animals had not yet had their lunch and
we did not want to take any chances.  Instead we headed over to the giant Tropical Greenhouse in the  Amazon- French Guyana bio-zone.   

We enjoyed seeing the lizards, the snakes, the strange insects, the monkeys,  the colourful birds 

and yes this gorgeous iguana that seemed to glisten and glow under the heat lamps. 

What a ham!  This South American manatee swam up to us and stayed for a long time -- posing for his photo.  This species lives in the rivers and swamps of the Amazon.  Ola cara! Boa tarde!

The people who run the Zoo are so clever -- to exit, you have to pass through the attractive and irresistible Gift Shop.  There was no avoiding it -- au revoir euros ...  it was nice to have 

known you!

Jay and Martina can never pass up an ice cream stand!  They had soft serve ice cream cones at
Akita Cafe --  a small snack shop lying in wait outside the Zoo.   It sits at the edge of the Bois de
Vincennes and has a seating area in the back that looks out into the park. 

Halfway between the Zoo and the subway station is the Palais de la Porte Doree. 
If you like art deco, you should definitely visit this astonishing example of this architectural style.
The incredible bas relief fresco that adorns the facade showcases the vast riches of France's colonies, a tribute to the powerful French Empire.  

Opened in 1931 for the International Exposition, the Palais was the home of the Museum of the Colonies.  In addition, it included a Tropical Aquarium, which still is in existence today and which was the reason for our visit.

The Museum of the Colonies has been renamed as the  more politically correct Musee National 
de L' Histoire de L' Immigration.  To enter either the Museum or the Aquarium (or both)
tickets are sold in the imposing lobby.  From the looks of the beautiful floor tiles, I presume they
were part of the original design.

The Tropical Aquarium occupies several levels and large tanks are recessed into the walls.  

Each tank contains organisms - fish, mollusks, corals, etc that have common characteristics and thus are able to share an environment.  I am fascinated by the amazing  plants and corals -- more than 

I am with the fish. 

The Aquarium is as old as the Palais.  After an overdue major renovation in 1984, there are now 

90 spacious tanks with over 15,000 different organisms.  

The habitats mimic those from the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean as well 

as  environments from rivers, lakes, swamps, brackish water and mangroves.  It is an amazing display of richness and diversity. 

The living, breathing corals are amazing.  There are fluorescent, glow-in-the-dark species.

I am awe struck at the displays -- but also realise that many of these environments are under threat of destruction.

The Tropical Aquarium is very different from the other aquariums that Martina and I have been to -- where the focus was more on the fish and not so much on the habitat.  

Beside each tank is a plaque that explains the habitat, lists down the organisms you are seeing -- in both French and English. 

There are over 270 species of fish  but I am more enthralled by the corals and the vegetation.  

What an extraordinary world there is underwater -- and yet we are perilously close to losing it all.

The Tropical Aquarium is built on two levels in the middle of which is a fresh water enclosure

where there are three species of alligators.  They can be viewed from above and iron bars are in 

place so that no one falls in.

The pair of albino alligators seemed very peaceful -- sleeping side by side.  They did not even 

twitch the whole time we were observing them. 

The Aquarium closes at 5:30 and as we hurried out,  we said our au revoirs to this huge catfish 

who gazed calmly at everyone who passed by his tank. 

A bientot  M. Catfish!  See you at the next dive!

Traveling with Kids Tip #8

When planning for kid friendly activities, the easy choices are arcades and theme parks.  

But they weren't always around -- in simpler times, a zoo was an obvious first choice.  

And it still should be today.  

Introduce children to nature and conservation in ways that will both educate and entertain.

There are state-of-the-art, preservation and conservation minded zoos and aquariums in many 

cities around the world. 

Please stay out of the arcade  -- after all, there are so many of those back home.