Saint-Germain-en-Laye (7/4/2016)

Monday, July 4, 2016
Happy Independence Day! Merçi to the French for the assistance!
We were up early and had breakfast on the Aquavit Terrace. We decided to take a walk in St-Germain-en-Laye, the suburb of Paris above Le Pecq where the Viking Rolf was docked. We had missed the guided walk yesterday, where the passengers were bussed up the hill. For us it was only a 15-minute climb.

Rue de Paris/Paris Street

Garbage day

Calvaire de la Croix-Boissière/Calvary Cross shrine

13 Rue Thiers, the house made of igneous rock

13 Rue Thiers detail

Paris on the horizon

Pavillon Henry IV, the only remaining building from the 1556
 Château Neuf/"New" Castle is behind this hotel entrance,
and is where King Louis XIV was born and lived until 1660

Entrance to Les Parterres/ornamental gardens (1669-1673),
designed by André Le Nôtre; there is a terrace that extends for
1.5 miles along the bluff overlooking the River Seine 

[Vieux/Old] Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1348) where
King Louis XIV lived from 1661-1681 before moving to Versailles

Louis XIV allowed King James II of England/James VII of Scotland after his exile from Britain in 1688.

The gardens with the statue of l'Amour at la Folie/
Love and Madness (late 19C) by Paul Darbefeuille

Festival des Douze Vents/Festival of Twelve Winds
(2016) sculptures by Toshiaki Tsukui

The castle's façade is covered by scaffolding,
which is covered to look like a castle

Église paroissiale/Parish church de St-Germain (1765-1827),
designed by Nicolas Marie Potain, and later Jean Aimé Moutier,
in Neoclassical style

In 1824, three lead boxes marked James VII/II were found in the church, and assumed to be the remains of King James II of England/James VII of Scotland, his wife, and daughter.

Elevation marker on the church, stating it is 66 m above the level
of the Tournelle Bridge in Paris which is 26 m above sea level

Another marker on the church showed where Madame Eugénie Neuilly was killed, a victim of Nazi barbarity, shot while coming out after Mass.

Statue of French composer Claude Debussy
1987) by Mico Kaufman

Bust of the parish priest Pierre de Porcaro,
who died for France at Dachau

Impasse/Cul-de-sac des Louviers

Musée Claude Debussy (in 1680 house
where Claude Debussy was born in 1862
and lived until 1867 before moving to Paris)

Trompe de l'oeil next to Musée Claude Debussy

28 Rue André Bonnenfant with interesting treatment of stucco

Lonicera periclymenum/Honeysuckle

This truck literally inched (centimetered?) along
to squeeze between parked cars on the narrow street

Parents bringing children to school

Golf clubs? There are several golf
courses in the area

Heading back down to Le Pecq

Some removable stanchions

We returned to the Viking Rolf in plenty of time for the 9:30 departure of the bus tour of Paris.

View from our cabin (i.e., never a good view!)