November 7, 1917
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Being called at 6 we breakfasted at 7, and caught the Metro tube at the Palais Royale station to Pont Maillot, that being the station at the Boisde Boulogne. We then engaged an open taxi and entered the Bois by the Allee de Longchamp. The driver was determined to show us the place very thoroughly for he twisted and turned in all directions, passing lakes, cascades beyond number, the Hippodrome de Longcham, Polo and Lawn Tennis grounds, the Jardin Zoologique d’Acclimatation, the leading racecourse of Paris and various buildings.
The place was almost deserted the weather being cold and inclined to rain, but the woods with their autumn tints had a beauty all their own. A number of deer were seen just before we left by the Avenue du Bois de Boulogne, a beautiful avenue which led to the Arc de Triomphe d’Etoile, built at a cost of £360 in 1806. Various panels and sculpture depict the departure and return of the French armies and on the ceiling of the Arch are panels bearing the names of the principal victories under the Republic and the Empire. At the four feet are four large sculpture groups. It is very massive, being 150 feet high, 146 feet wide and 90 feet under the Arch.
Driving on down the Avenue des Champs Elysees a broad magnificent avenue to the Place de la Concorde, we reached the Hotel well nigh frozen, but pleased with trip, cost 21 francs. Obtaining our waterproofs as it had commenced to rain, we set out both to view the shops and see further places of interest. By way of Rue de Rivoli we turned left into the Boulevarde de Sebastopol until we came to the Conservatoirs des Arts-et-Metiers, but found it closed.
Returning on the opposite side of the street we reached Tour St.Jacques, all that remains of the Church of Saint Jacques-la-Boucherie. It is 170 feet high and was built in 1508. By way of the Avenue Victoria we came to the Hotel-de-ville and passing through we reached the Church of St. Gervais et St. Protais built in the 13th and 14th Centuries. The Chapel inside contains many fine paintings. Crossing the Seine behind the Notre Dame we came to the Church of St. Nicolas-du-Chardonnet, built in 1656, the most notable features being the beautiful organ.
Just about here an old lady stopped us and asked us when the war was going to end, and after yarning I complimented her on her English, a sure way to please. It turned out that she was a governess and taught English regularly. Inside of 5 minutes we were again stopped by a benevolent female who asked if she could direct us anywhere.This may suggest that we were lost or appeared so but it was really because these people like to practice their English and find out who we were, Australians being rather uncommon.
We then went to the Church of Saint-Etienne-du-Mont, one of the oldest and most original churches in Paris. Built in 1517 it contains much of interest. The stained glass windows date from the 16th Century and are very beautiful, especially 22 magnificent windows in the Chapelle de St. Genevieve. A marble slab at the entrance to the nave indicates the spot where Libour, the Archbishop of Paris, was assassinated in 1857. The Pantheon being close by we proceeded to visit it but found it closed.
It is a magnificent building, surmounted by a dome 270 feet high and the Peristyle in the front is supported by 22 fluted columns with the inscription: “Aus grands hommes la Patrie reconnaissante.” (The State’s tribute to its great men). In the crypt are buried such well known men as Victor Hugo, J.J.Rousseau, Voltaire, Soufflot, Emile Zola and many others. Lunch hour being nigh we visited a restaurant in the Boulevarde St. Germain.
After lunch we walked by way of the boulevard to the Hotel des Invalides in order to see Napoleon’s tomb which we missed on our previous visit, but found it closed, so than taking a cab we drove to the Caserne in Place St. Augustin to report, having orders to catch the 11.40 train that night. Before proceeding to do some shopping we had another look at the Saint Augustin Church, a splendid building indeed, and although not quite modern has quite fine stained glass windows.
For our shopping we then walked along the Boulevard to the Rue Royale calling in for a few minutes at the Madelaine which we had seen the first day imperfectly owing to a service being on. Our many visits to these churches convinced us of the control the church has over the people and the great comfort the people get from the church.
All day and every day the people enter for worship or prayers, it matters not if they understand the service or not. At the service the people take no part as we know it, the priest performing his office in the dim distance assisted by a boy and a bell rings at intervals which apparently tells the people when to stand up and sit down and so on. The collections are taken up by men preceded by gaudily dressed persons incocked hats like budding admirals. The Opera was our next port of call,a vast building built in 1864. On the summit of the building is the figure of Apollo holding his Golden Lyre, the interior we could not see it being closed.
Returning to the Hotel for a brush up I next caught a taxi in order to go to say good-bye to my friends at Passy. Here I had tea and met a Russian who before the revolution was an anarchist and had lost a hand with a bomb, he was now almost a conservative to such an extreme has the revolution gone. I was really sorry to say goodbye as they had treated me so well, and on leaving they gave me two books, Notre Dame and Tartarin of Tarascon, Daudet.
It was very interesting to be in the home of these Russians. Habits and customs they have different to ours, altho’ having lived in England they tried to treat me in that fashion. The old lady was a heavy smoker and rolled cigarettes for me as well as for herself. Wine they do not drink to any extent, tea being their drink as it is ours, but the men in Russia always drink it out of a glass, the women only using cups.
A taxi (to save time) took me to the Boulant Restaurant in the Boulevarde Capucines where I met my pal and his aunt, and we had dinner together. We then adjourned to the Nicka Bocka bar for light refreshment, took leave of my pal’s Aunt, then taxied to the Folies Bergere, a Music Hall of doubtful reputation, a visit to which is necessary before one knows Paris.
The show itself was poor, but the Parisian life there pictured was at least interesting. Prior to this we had decided not to return by the night train so wended our way to the Hotel and turned in after a yarn and smoke with two Australian officers, during which we exchanged our respective experiences and adventures in Paris. Believe me they were some yarns.