Thursday, February 1, 2018

Our Paris hotel and views of the river Seine

This is the very first photo I took in Paris. It was about 8am and we'd dropped our bags at the hotel (too early to check into our room) and were headed out to walk, an attempt to adjust to the local time.

The building is gorgeous, but the boxwood balls — in between the arching windows — are what really caught my eye. At the time I assumed they were fake, but studying the photo up close I think maybe not. They're all just a little different in shape and color variation.

This fountain, Fontaine Saint Michel, was just across the street from our hotel. The water in all the fountains, city wide, was turned off during our visit (why? I have no idea), normally the winged dragons at the base would be spouting water. There was an empty sort of public square in front of the fountain and performance artists would take over the space at night. We could hear their music in our room.

The folks in the foreground (below) are standing in the "performance" space. The building on the left is the one in the first photo above. The white sign that reads ALBE HOTEL is where we stayed. The rooms were small but well appointed and the staff was wonderful. I highly recommend it.

Plus they have great plants in the lobby! I never managed to take a photo indoors, this is outside looking in. Note the reflection of the pizza signs in in the glass. Not necessarily what you think of when you think of France, right? (Nutella was also everywhere...at times I felt like I was back in Italy)...

This is the view from the window on the staircase of our floor (the 6th, the top!). I couldn't help but think of the Tin Man when I saw those shiny pipes (although of course they're not tin).

And the view from our room, looking straight...

Looking to the left...

I took a close up that glassed in area on a cloudy day, hoping to see plants inside. Oh well, at least there were lots outside.

And looking to the right...

Yep, that's the Seine, not too shabby eh?

We were only treated to beautiful blue skies on day one of our visit. There were a few blue sky moments sprinkled throughout the time we spent in Paris, but no other full-on sunny days. Instead there were grey skies and rain, which of course upped the flooding. See that walkway on the far right below? We walked it on day one, a few days later it was underwater.

Another first-day photo...

Interesting planters with netting for the plants to climb up. I'd love to see this again in a couple of years.

This photo was taken five days later. We'd walked right next to those boats earlier.

Seven days later the walkway we'd previously used was now completely underwater.

Here's a little information I found online (source): The river rose to 5.82 metres on Sunday (1/28), more than four metres above its normal level, causing continued headaches for commuters as well as people living near its overflowing banks. Around 1,500 people have been evacuated from their homes in the greater Paris region, according to police, while a similar number of homes remain without electricity.

Tourists also suffered with the capital's famous Bateaux Mouches rivercraft out of service, and only emergency services authorised to navigate the waterway. The Vigicrues flooding watchdog expects the river to peak at between 5.85 and 5.95 metres before dawn on Monday, not quite reaching the 2016 high of 6.1 metres, when priceless artworks had to be evacuated from the Louvre.

The December-January period is now the third wettest on record since data collection began in 1900, according to France's meteorological service. A main commuter line, the RER C, has halted service at Paris stops until at least February 5, and some expressways that run alongside the Seine have been closed."

We ran into issues with the RER C line closures as well as a flooded (ankle deep is all) train station and road closures on our way to the airport.

Andrew tugged on those metal circles when we first strolled along the river walkway, we were comparing them to our Portland horse rings, which are much (much) smaller.

Our last evening found us on the oldest river crossing, Pont Neuf. I'd spotted the so called "love locks" on other bridges but here they definitely hit maximum density.

They went on like this all around the side of the bridge.

Looking over the edge there was evidence of a removal effort in the past.

Looking out beyond the mass of locks was this, Square du Vert-Galant, under water.

Here's an image from wikimedia showing what the square (triangle?) normally looks like. Quite a difference!

Mahonia as a pond plant, wonder what it thinks about that?

We followed the steps down from the bridge to the lower level.

Must be lovely when you can actually walk out there...

Weather Diary, Jan 31: Hi 48, Low 39/ Precip trace

All material © 2009-2018 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

25 comments:

  1. Wow, you were right in the heart of the city, weren't you? You captured it so well.

    Did you ever figure out how those boxwood balls between the arched windows of your hotel get watered? Are they too high up for hand-watering?

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    1. We were! It was wonderful, if a little touristy. The boxwood were actually on another building, not our hotel...but no, I did not solve the mystery. They're definitely too high for hand watering.

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  2. Yikes, these are amazing and scary images of the flooding. Too bad you didn't get to walk out to that square that is underwater. I'm sure the Mahonia will be fine, they survive all winter with our rain. Those love locks are so ugly and such a stupid thing to do (IMHO).

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    1. I couldn't agree more about the locks...

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  3. How wonderful - the travel, not the flooding. I'm glad you had a good trip (it seems so!) despite the water issues. The hotel and your orientation to the river, amazing! That underwater island, that was shocking. I have a photo of myself and a friend sitting on the tip of that island from many years ago.

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    1. I do wish we had been able to walk out there, but I guess the flood does provide it's own memories. And yes, a great trip!

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  4. Off to the left from your hotel window... that "penthouse" on the roof... I felt a little envious (maybe a lot) of the lucky person living there. The "evidence of a removal effort" of locks indicates Love Lost? Maybe it's what happens after the divorce papers are signed.

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    1. My too! (jealous) I think the removal effort was from the authorities going through and cleaning up the bridge. Although the idea of the locks spontaneously bursting open when the divorce papers are signed is pretty fabulous.

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  5. The weather will place this trip clearly in your memory. It may have curtailed some things you wanted to do, but you were there at a historic moment. We got married in 1988, the year of a major drought. The weather all summer before the wedding is so clear in my mind. It really makes that year so much more memorable than just the one day.

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    1. So true! Although I would have loved to take one of the many river cruises.

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  6. Was it you who said, "Après moi le déluge?" Water, water everywhere... Looks like you had a great time dispite that flooding. I hope the waters recede soon and that the damage isn't too great. Cool pictures!

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  7. Even with the danger of flooding, Paris is one gorgeous place to visit .. I am sorry we didn't have more time there ourselves, but any time is truly magical and seeing all these great pictures was such a treat .. brings back memories !
    Thanks !

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    1. You're so welcome, and yes...such a gorgeous city!

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  8. I didn't realize you were there during the flooding - it's a real mess, I gather.
    I loved the buildings in Paris, all those lofts tucked under the roofs. And the cafes, oui!

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    1. A mess indeed, so many people whose lives are seriously effected. All those boats setting there still, unable to make money for their owners. And the people whose homes are flooded. Ugh.

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  9. A good bit of extra drama added to the natural drama of a trip to Paris. Love the rooftop views from your room. Please don't forget to tell us about the food.

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    1. Cheese cheese cheese. With some bread. Oh and a few buttery, garlicy, snails. That about covers it!

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  10. I had no idea Mahonia could be grown as an aquatic. I imagine the plant had no idea, either. At least the weather made it a memorable trip. Hopefully you made a few memories besides flood waters, though.

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    1. Indeed I did. Poor Mahonia, I hope it dries out soon.

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  11. Yikes! When you mentioned that you'd just returned from Paris, I guessed you must have been there during their flood. I hope it didn't interfere too much with your ability to get around. Were you able to visit the Louvre?

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    1. We did walk around the Louvre, I wanted to see the courtyard and the pyramid. Andrew went inside one afternoon, while I went to the Luxembourg Gardens. I really had no desire to go inside (crazy right?).

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  12. What a wonderful trip, except for the flooding. I can see what you mean about the tin man. Tee hee. My daughter did the locks-on-the-bridge thing when she went to Paris, and then she brought back two key sets--to us and to her grandparents (nice, romantic gift, right?). Thanks for sharing highlights of your trip.

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    1. Well yes, your daughter's gift was very sweet! Glad you see the Tin Man reference too.

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  13. Oh, we love Paris! We are dying to go back. The flooding is a little scary. Don't even hint that they have plastic plants in Paris, the very idea! Looks like you had a great hotel.

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