We were so excited to be staying next door to Cafe Procope (originally founded in 1686) and it was a disappointment to find it is closed for renovations. We now know there was a fire there in October and it is not known when they wll re-open. Since there hasn't been any activity in there since we've arrived, we have a feeling we won't be having a coffee there this trip.
Today I went off to have a wander around Montmartre and to marvel at the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur. I pretended I was looking for John Wick (from the movie/s of the same name) but it was really all about the church. The place was packed with visitors and worshippers. I went in and sat down and 12 o'clock 'mass' started soon after with some nuns singing and another accompanying them on a cithara, an older style player with lots of strings. It was magical (you know I want to say 'heavenly'). The dome of the Basilique is stunning, the stained-glass windows the same.
Confession is held at Sacre-Coeur several times a day and when someone approached the confessional just after 12pm and saw the morning session ran from 10am to noon, they were visibly disappointed,
Sacre-Coeur is at the top of some very steep stairs - the same stairs that John Wick battled to reach the top of in John Wick 4. I didn't attempt them - I took the funicular even though it actually isn't one. Who knew a funicular has cars operated in a counterbalanced, interconnected pair, always moving in opposite directions in concert? Well, Wikipedia does - and that it originally opened in 1900 and was entirely rebuilt in 1935 and again in 1991. Oops - and that there was a malfunction in 2006 which saw a cabin crash down the slope, putting both carriages out of action - one coming back on line in June 2007, the other August 2008. I think I'm glad I didn't know that until I was back at the Hotel. There may be a lot of steps going up but there are just as many coming down.
It surprised me that there were armed (with assault rifles or machine guns) gendarmes outside Sacre-Coeur. I'm wondering now if they will be at any of the other monuments around Paris. They certainly weren't at the Zoo (or evident). I'm just trying to remember if there was a notice on the Smart Traveller app saying that France was at heightened security levels.
There were no guards (armed or otherwise) at the laundromat this afternoon. Yes, our washing is done again and we're hoping that will hold us until we get home next week. I am always grateful for the assistance of strangers and I certainly needed help working out how to do my washing. The detergent dispenser, washer and dryer are all controlled from a central point (using cash or card). I had thought there would be a combined washer/dryer - I have read about them - but these were separate, like at home (or in Budapest - is it only three weeks since we were there?) It was so good of the concierge at our hotel to tell us about the laundromat (literally three minutes away) when we were asking him about the in-house laundry rates. Who knew there would be somewhere more expensive than on the boat for doing laundry? The good news is that it's done now - the bad news is that I may have washed our clothes with 'softener' rather than 'soap' but at least they've been washed.
One of the FaceBook groups I've been following in the lead-up to the trip has been Les Frenchies - a husband and wife team who also do YouTube videos on things to do and getting around in Paris. They've very informative - and fun. One of their recommendations for a meal was Le Jacobine and we finally ate there tonight. It was wonderful. I had escargot and lamb shank - and Mille Feuille to take home (I can't pronounce it but I did eat it). Sooz had the onion soup (full of cheese and bread) and Coq au Vin. We'd definitely go there again. And not just to ask if they take video of people eating escargot for the first time and working out how to get them out of their shells (it wasn't pretty!).
