Parisian weekend part II

Tour Montparnasse stands some 210 metres above the Parisian streets, shattering the otherwise low-rise landscape of the city centre.  Controversial since construction began in 1969, the tower obviously enjoys a love-hate relationship with city dwellers, and two years after its completion, a blanket ban was imposed on all buildings more than seven stories high in the city centre.  In effect, this has only highlighted the tower even more so, standing out as it does in apparent jet-black, visible from all over town.  In 2008 it was voted the second-ugliest building in the world (they've obviously never seen Newton Abbot's multi-storey) and locals quip that the view from the top of the tower is the most beautiful in Paris - if only for the fact that it is the only place from which the tower cannot be seen.

We ascend the top of Montparnasse Tower is super-quick time, and are soon admiring a view that, on as clear and sunny a morning as you could wish, stretches out infinitely over the city.  From here, you begin to understand the size of greater Paris, 95% of which we will never visit.  The best view, of course, is of the Eiffel Tower itself, with a clear line of sight straight down the Champ du Mars, whilst in other directions is Parc des Princes, home of the famous Paris St Germain Football Club, Montmartre, and La Defence, the business district with its own cubed arch.  Directly below the tower lies Montparnasse cemetery, one of the largest cemeteries in Paris, amongst whose tiny tombs lie the graves of Parisians Charles Baudelaire and Jean-Paul Sartre.  The importance of the Jardin du Luxembourg as a green space is also apparent from up high, cutting a crater of trees and space in a sea of concrete and tarmac.  The view is fantastic, but besides it, there isn't much to do on the 59th floor of the building (the souvenir shop is pretty unremarkable, save for a couple of lovely books) and so we descend once again, satisfied that the views over Paris will live long in the memory.

Metro line 6 links Montpartnasse to Bir-Hakeim station, near both the riverside and Eiffel Tower, and is one of the best stretches of line on the network.  Rising from below the ground to above the roads and pavements, the passenger is offered a lovely view of the streets of the Grenelle district in the 15th arrondissement, with street scenes and buildings that I would describe as typically Parisian.  The line actually continues over the river, affording the best possible views of the Eiffel Tower en route to Etoile, but we alight at Bir-Hakeim for a spot of lunch and a riverside walk, which ultimately takes us to Pont de l'Alma, and the famous Bateaux-Mouches, which ply the Seine with their fabulous cruises.  Yes, it's packed with tourists, but there really is no better way to see the city than from the river, wind racing through our hair, scarves tucked firmly inside our coats.  Even our travel mascot, Diefenbacker, got in on the action!

Returning from our exhilarating ride, we spend the remainder of the afternoon at Musee Quai Branly, an ethnographic museum with a fine collection of artefacts from Oceania, Africa, Asia, and the Americas.  It's a well-presented little museum, in which the gardens command their own fee during the summer months, the perfect antidote to an otherwise very busy day.  In particular, we enjoyed the Polynesian masks and Mayan artefacts, but the whole collection is a reminder of the role that Paris and France have played in world history.  A new museum for both of us, it's right up my street, and well worth an hour or two.

A final evening, one final stroll up to Montmartre (with the added benefit, given our tired legs, of taking the Montmartre funicular,) where the Saturday night crowds are slowly filling the restaurants and bars, and there's a smattering of artists in the Place du Tertre.  The souvenir shops are fun for a quick browse, but beyond a few postcards, there isn't much we're looking for, and so we retire to a good looking (and great smelling) creperie for a classic cheese and tomato crepe, which is a total mess to eat, but is a very tasty farewell after a wonderful, packed-out, beautiful long weekend in the French Capital.  As always at this point, it's farewell Paris - and see you again soon.