October 26
Our last full day in Paris. Two objectives: take a ride on the Seine and try to find the place where a group of Carmelite nuns was guillotined and buried during the French Revolution. We arrived at the Eiffel Tower Metro station around 9:30 and walked along the Seine taking pictures of the Eiffel Tower highlighted against the pristine blue fall sky.
By 10:00 we had boarded the Bateaux Parisiene boat tour which Rick Steves had recommended.
Close to first in line, we beat a few bus loads of German junior high school age students to the back of the boat for an unobstructed view. The morning sun glistened on stately buildings and gold leaf monuments. Autumn leaves glowed like an Impressionist’s painting.
Fall colors abounded in front of the Louvre.
The spires of Notre Dame were sharply highlighted against the blue sky.
We passed barges and yachts moored on both sides of the river. As we turned back towards our pier I volunteered to take a picture of a couple from Iran. They reciprocated. More stately buildings and bright leaves lined the banks. When the Eiffel Tower came back into view, a few clouds marred the blue sky at the top, still a spectacular sight.
After we disembarked, we guessed our way back to the Metro station where we caught Metro #6 to the Nation Station. Wikipedia promised that a monument marking the spot where the nuns and many others were guillotined was near the station. Sure enough, it was in the middle of a traffic circle across the street from the station.
Before starting our next adventure, we needed some sustenance. Thinking of Fr. Tom Timmins, we found an Irish Pub, ordered two Corona beers some lasagna and some pizza. How multicultural can you get?
After lunch, we took a few pictures then checked my notes to locate the cemetery where the nuns were buried. We found it at 35 Picpus St. with several signs posted on the door. I used my translating device to decipher the French. It said that during the winter months it would be open daily from 2:00pm to 6:00pm except on Sundays and Mondays. Even though this was a Monday, I was undeterred. Fr. Tom got in somehow under similar circumstances. Surely, we could too. I noticed a security device next door with a door bell and speaker labeled Sisters of the Infant Jesus (in French).
I had a feeling that St. Therese might go to bat for us. I rang the door bell. When someone answered, I said bon jour and something about an American from California and Carmelites. A buzzer went off letting us in, and we were met by a nun. St. Therese had come through for us and is probably still laughing. The nun and I quickly gave up on French and I requested to see the cemetery in a blend of broken Spanish and Italian. She got the idea and probably had a good laugh too. She let us through a gate and pointed to the other end of a long green lawn. We were disappointed that if the nuns were buried here, there were no markers.
At the far end of the field we opened another gate and entered a cemetery full of old gravestones, plaques, and mausoleums. Near the far wall we found several plaques with the names of all the Carmelite martyrs. We knelt and said a few Hail Mary’s then took lots of pictures.
Another unexpected blessing. After a few minutes we retraced our steps. When we reached the convent, I rang the bell to the service entrance. We gave the nun some euros and she thanked us profusely giving us a few French leaflets about the Carmelite martyrs. Mission accomplished.
Now it was time to return to the hotel to prepare for our Tuesday flight back to California. By now it was nearly 3:00, but the room was not ready. When I mentioned this to the desk clerk, he curtly told me that the rooms for those checking in today were being prepared first. It was a spectacular fall day, so we went for a walk a few blocks away and celebrated the end of the European part of our Oktoberfest with a pint of German beer. Sante! (cheers). Then we picked up a baguette and some camembert cheese for a simple dinner later on. Back to our hotel, our room still was not ready. We went for another walk, this time to the RER station to check on the subway schedule for our trip to Charles De Gaulle airport on Tuesday morning. Back to our hotel a second time, our room still was not ready. I asked the clerk when it might be ready. He called the maid in a rather upset voice then assured me that the room would soon we ready. I told him that we would wait in the lobby and requested the complimentary coffee promised in the Guest Directory. He went downstairs in a huff and brought back a tray with a plug-in coffee pot, tea bags, and instant coffee. I put it on a side table until our room was ready. Meanwhile, I worked on the daily journal. About ten minutes later he announced that our room was ready. I thanked him and continued writing for a few more minutes. I think he was steaming as we went up to our room.
Back in our room we watched CNN and BBC while our coffee pot worked up a boil. After savoring Nescafe Selection arome corse & intense, lousy French instant coffee, we are awake enough to finish our journals, catch up on our e-mail, pack our bags, and enjoy our bread and cheese dinner. We are anxious for the long Delta flight home. See ya all soon Stateside.
