,
It’s been a
whirlwind 12 days in the City of Lights with the kid and her Auntie Nora (that
would be me!!) and even though our pink-sneakered feet rarely tired of
traipsing up and down the cobblestoned laneways, our sojourn in this magical
metropolis was drawing to a close. From
hanging out with the Mona Lisa at the Louvre to pretending that the Batobus was
our own private yacht and fantasizing what it would have been like to have been
ladies in waiting in Marie-Antoinette’s regal court, our Parisian escapades were
nothing short of splendiferous. Yes, cliché,
but nonetheless true.
We had
accomplished quite a bit in our adopted city and it was now time to wrap up,
scamper around town, and immerse ourselves in as much French culture as a 24
hour window of opportunity would allow.
From having discovered the Liberty Flame at the foot of the Pont d’Alma
tunnel, frolicking in the man-made beach fronts that littered the expressway
thoroughfares of the Seine and encountering gypsy gold ring scammers along the
way, our last day in Paris was an action packed exhilarating adventure, to say
the least. So, here you go…a snippet of a glimpse of some of our memorable
highlights.
Meandering
along the tree-lined Seine on a hot and humid mid-August day, the
pink-sneakered kid and I happened to inadvertently stumble across palm trees,
chaise lounges and sandcastles playfully scattered along the banks of the
river. Say what? Who knew that Paris had beaches? Paris Plages (Paris Beaches) is a month long
event celebrating sand, water, beach and the lazy, hazy days of summer. Initially conceptualized in 2002 as an
experimental venue, it quickly morphed into a much beloved yearly event, held
from mid July to mid August. More than
3,000 tons of sand is trucked in, palm trees planted, volleyball nets set up,
miraculously transforming the riverbanks of the Seine into a French Riviera
Mediterranean resort where boardwalk bistros seductively invite you to lounge
around and indulge in a cool and refreshing beverage. Spanning over 2 miles of boardwalk, Paris
Plages is accessible at 3 separate locations along the Seine, each offering
quite the assortment of “fun in the sun”
activities. Whether your passion is
kayaking, row boating, rollerblading or even attempting to scale the walls of
the river bank, you will not be disappointed, as there is something to be found
for everyone.
If,
perchance, frolicking in the sun and building sandcastles is not your thing,
you can dance the night away, swaying to the beat of rhythmic guitar strumming
hip and cool musicians crooning into the wee hours of the night (that is, at
least until midnight, when Paris Plages shuts down for the evening for a bit of
shut-eye, re-opening at 8:00am the following day).
Sifting the
white sand out of our pink sneakers, the kid and I reluctantly sauntered away
from the banks of the river, anxious to cram in as much activity as possible
into the remainder of our last day in the city.
Weaving along the café strewn avenues, we somehow ended up by Pont d’Alma,
overlooking the tunnel where Princess Diana tragically lost her life. Standing guard a few feet away, a massive
bronze flame torch towered over the top of the underpass, a visual marker of
what appeared to be a monument dedicated to the memory of the late royal.
Erected in 1989, the Liberty Flame (La Flamme
de la Liberté) is a replica of the flame that lights the Statue of Liberty’s
torch. Originally designed as a
commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the publication of an
English language daily newspaper in Paris, financed largely by donations, la
Flamme de la Liberté was presented to the city of Paris by the International
Herald Tribune. It seemed quite fitting
that the Statue of Liberty, being of French descent herself and also marking a
centenary of her own, was the model for the bronze flame replica that
eventually found its’ way back home across the ocean, taking up residence at
Place de l’Alma. The proximity of the
bronze marbled torch to the now infamous tunnel has led many to mistakenly
believe that the monument is a tribute to the late princess, drawing hordes of
tourists, gawkers and curiosity seekers alike.
Covered in graffiti, love notes and flowers, the once largely ignored pristine
torch has instead been transformed into a makeshift shrine, a memorial to the
people’s princess.
Having spent
the morning playing in sand dunes and the afternoon milling about Place de l’Alma,
the kid and I reluctantly wandered away and headed towards the vicinity of Pont
Neuf. Lost in our thoughts, we paid
scant attention to a youngish woman who ran up to us, inquiring whether or not
we had accidentally lost a “gold”
ring. We should have clued in right
away, as she approached us not from behind, as one would expect, but from the opposite
direction from which we were coming.
When the kid piped in and yelled “this
is a scam!” she succeeded not only in startling her clueless ol’ Auntie but
the gypsy scammer girl as well. Having
read in her guide books to be suspicious of these types of unscrupulous cons, my
fearless 12 year old niece promptly threw the ring back, where it bounced off
of scammer girl’s body, rolling and ricocheting along the pavement, temporarily
stunning Mademoiselle con artiste. Screaming “run Auntie Nora, run!”, we bolted across Pont Neuf, huffing and
puffing, not daring to glance back at the tirade screeching vagabond who was
now on the receiving end of a totally unexpected reaction, halted in her tracks
by a “wise beyond her years” 18th
century obsessed Canadian youngster. Way
to go, kid!!
Safely
reaching the far end of the bridge, standing confidently on safe territory, the
photographer in me desperately longed to snap a few photos of “le scammer girl”, but the rational
Auntie in me thought it best to err on the side of caution and not take
any digital imprints. That would most definitely
not be cool on the off chance that any digital documentation could further
infuriate Mademoiselle scammer, causing her to become even more belligerent and
perhaps chase us all the way back to our digs in Le Marais.
Would we have
envisioned any other way in which to spend our last day in Paris? Mais, non!!
After all, this is the stuff that memories are made of…n’est-ce pas??
Come build
sandcastles and imagine the possibilities….come adventure with us….
Next week –
What new adventures await? Stay tuned!
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