So I went to the top of a tall tower on September 11th... I didn't think about it at the time. I tend to lose track of what day it is. In any case, this is a very touristy thing to do, but it does give you a great view, since the Tour Montparnasse is the second-tallest building within the Peripherique, and it's a view without the Tour Montparnasse in it! It has gotten pricey, though: 15 euro.
On my way to the tower, I took a nice walk through the Jardin du Luxembourg (such walks are almost always nice) and saw some more very interesting birds:
I immediately thought of the feral parrot populations that can be found around the Bay Area in California. These were non-native birds that had escaped from some sort of captivity, generally, and adapted well to the climate and habitat. It turns out that the story is pretty much the same here.
The distinctive chin band (on the male), red beak, and long tail identified these birds as rose-ringed parakeets (perruche a collier), according to my "Birds of Europe" app. They are cavity nesters, and they seemed very interested in this bird box, but it isn't breeding season, according to the app. Perhaps they are just planning ahead... or maybe there is a second group of chicks inside? I didn't hear anything, though.
A nice middle-aged gentleman came up and talked to me about the birds after he saw me photographing them. He caught on quickly that I wasn't a native speaker, and he added some English to his comments, but we did pretty well mostly in French. He said the birds had appeared in France very recently and were from South America. That didn't jibe with the information I later found in my bird book (origin Asia and sub-saharan Africa; feral populations in many European cities), but no matter. It was nice to have a chat.
After our talk, I also saw a brown creeper (Grimpereau des jardins) ("grimper" in French is to climb)
on one of these big trees, doing its spiral up the trunk, just like in the US.
Closer to the Tour Montparnasse, I was waiting for a pedestrian crossing signal (a LOT of people don't wait, by the way-- right out into traffic!), and two women asked me for directions. This happens a lot. Perhaps because I am by myself, so they aren't interrupting anything, and maybe being by myself implies that I know where I am going? And most women would probably rather ask a woman for directions, if one is available. I had to get out my map, and I was not speaking perfect French, but they were smiling and nodding and seemed appreciative, both for the directions and for my effort.
The visitors' entrance to the Tour is around the back on the right side (Rue de l'Arrivee), assuming you start out in front of the station, facing south. It's pretty easy to spot once you get close. There was a pretty big crowd, since it was a Friday and a pretty sunny day, so I waited about 20 minutes to go up.
[Update:] One thing was very odd about the entrance process: Almost immediately after leaving the elevator, each party is led in front of a camera, with a large kelly-green backdrop behind you. [Update: I now know what a green screen backdrop is. But to continue: ] I considered asking if this was required (I don't see how it could be), but rather than hold things up I just stood there stone-faced and then moved on. I was then handed some kind of receipt that said purchase wasn't necessary...! I hope not! But then I saw some people posing as if it were for a souvenir. Who would want that ugly green backdrop, though? I found out later that a fake backdrop (probably of the Tour Eiffel) would be pasted in behind you. I guess they must sell some of them, or people would not bother to pose.
Once you are on top you can stay as long as you like, and the crowds spread out so that the views were not really obstructed. It was clear, but pretty hazy, but some of the pictures turned out okay after I cleaned them up in Photoshop.
Here are a couple of views of the Palais and Jardin du Luxembourg, with Notre-Dame in the background. (You can also see, in the top photo, the Hotel de Ville (City Hall) to the left and behind Notre-Dame, a bit of the Pompidou Centre on the far left, and that is probably Pere Lachaise on the far upper right.)
Here we have St Sulpice in the foreground, the Pompidou (easy to spot) in the background, and Ste Chapelle, surrounded by the Conciergerie and the Palais de Justice buildings, in between. That is the Tour St Jacques right in front of the Pompidou.
Sacre-Coeur is off in the distance. The Opera Garnier, with its green roof, is over to the left, with the Louvre and the Tuileries (partial) in the foreground, and that must be part of the D'Orsay in the near foreground.
Another easy I.D.: the gilded dome of the Invalides. The Arc de Triomphe is in the background. (The green spire of the American Church is in between. I went to a great piano/bass concert there two weeks ago; they have concerts on Sunday nights. The pianist (a young woman) killed it on de Falla's "Fire Dance".)
Finally, the Tour Eiffel with La Defense in the background... looks like a lot of smog there, sad to say. Well, it is a very densely populated area, so air quality is a problem despite the high use of public transit. I have read that the mayor (Anne Hidalgo) has proposed phasing out the use of diesel fuel, and that some will oppose this because diesel fuel is cheaper than gasoline here.
I stopped at the Cimitiere du Montparnasse afterwards. I had already found Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone Beauvoir on a previous visit; they are near the border of a path, so are easy to find. However, I finally gave up on Camille Saint-Saens, and didn't try to find Guy de Maupassant. When they are in the middle of a large cluster and all you have is a dot on a map, it can be a matter of luck finding them.
I walked along the southern edge of the cemetery towards the Place Denfert-Rochereau. There are some nice buildings around there:
And at the Place Denfert Rochereau, I passed another impressive lion. He was not far from a long line of people waiting to get in to see the catacombs.... I'll pass on that. [Update: This is the Lion de Belfort, a reproduction of a huge sandstone sculpture near a castle in Belfort, France. It was built as a tribute to those who defended the castle, led by Colonel Denfert-Rochereau, during the Siege of Belfort in the Franco-Prussian War.]
And then, on the grounds of the Observatory, his smaller cousin, this handsome black cat! Who seems to have keen powers of observation. S/he posed nicely but, alas, wasn't interested in coming over.
Thank you for these wonderful panoramic views!
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