Stalactites, castles, and Paris

Normally, on an afternoon as lovely as this in Paris in May, we would all be out enjoying the sights and sounds of this great city.  Sadly, however, both Sierra and I have been struck by a rather nasty cold and here we sit, in our cozy apartment on our computers.  We did manage to rally this morning and climb up to the second level of the Eiffel Tower, then take the elevator to the top (and both of us were VERY thankful that the only way to the top is via that elevator), but an afternoon outing was a bit more than we could handle.  Believe it or not, it is actually quite hot here today, so Tom and Jonah headed out to the science museum and we're sure they'll survive without us for a little while.

Before arriving in Paris on Saturday afternoon, we had a couple of fascinating experiences that I would highly recommend to any family traveling to France.  The first one, last Thursday, was a visit to the Gouffre de Padirac, in Rocamadour.  In contrast to the Lascaux-style cave-drawing caves, this is a stalactite/stalagmite cave--one of epic proportions.  I have never been in a cave of this sort (the one we visited in the Sierras with our friends several years ago was nothing like this), and I must say it was breathtaking.  We made our descent on stairs through the massive hole in the ground, to a depth of 103 meters, and onto the path running through the cave.  After walking several hundred meters and enjoying the already amazing sights, we reached the spot where the cave river demands that visitors are ferried along, gondolier-style, to the other side.  We enjoyed this part very much, although even a non-French speaker such as myself was able to interpret that our French speaking guide made the exact same jokes on the way in and out.  Once on the shore at the other side, we followed our tour guide as we marveled at the vast open space, clear, beautiful river and ponds, water and lime-made natural dams and waterfalls, and stalactites of every shape and size.  The only disappointment about this visit is that they do not allow photographs to be taken inside the cave.  If they did, I imagine Sierra might still be in there.  We had to get some photos off the web just to show a glimpse of the experience we had (it's not actually us in that photo, but you get the idea).

Our other unusual and very interesting experience before arriving in Paris, was our visit to Guedelon, a medieval-style castle being built right now almost entirely using 13th century building techniques.  Begun in the late 90's by a dedicated team of enthusiasts, this castle will be completed over a 25-year time frame, providing jobs for 50 people, and an educational experience for thousands.  It is fascinating to see the work being done and to try to imagine what life was like hundreds of years ago when the considerations that go into the construction were matters of life and death, not simply issues of historical accuracy.  If you don't think you'll be able to make it there in person, I recommend checking out the website, which has lots of great photos and information:  www.guedelon.org.  Very cool place.

Despite our sickness, we have managed to hit the top three sites in Paris so far, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and Luxembourg Gardens.  We have strolled the streets and found our favorite local patisserie (very important).  We have lots more on our list--too much, in fact, to complete in the few days we have left--and we hope that the weather and our bodies will cooperate so that we can enjoy the many opportunities this city has to offer.