We visited Paris in late November 2025 for a
week, primarily to participate in a memorial symposium for
Berrie Giebels, a good friend and colleague who died two years
ago at an early age. Of course, we took the opportunity to renew
our acquaintance with Paris, having not visited since just
before the Pandemic.
The
Symposium was held at the Institut Pascal
in Orsay, with some 50 participants (
group photo). It was great to see folks
again and reminisce about Berrie; I’d known him since 2000.
On the tourist side, it was a chance to revisit many of the
sites we’d seen before and add a few new ones. And just be in
Paris.
We had not been since the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral (last
visit was in 2019), so we were able to see the repairs both
inside, and out and to find and stand on the Zero Km Marker in
front of the church - guarantees our return to Paris. They’ve
done quite the job restoring the church, removing centuries of
soot etc on the inside.
On the standards front, we took the boat ride on Canal St Martin
(see short relaxing Youtube
video
of upwelling leaves around the boat); went to the Pantheon to
see the tombs of some of the French greats and Foucault’s
pendulum (proof the world turns under us; short Youtube
video);
Arc de Triomphe; Eiffel Tower; Sacre Coeur Basilica. We also
took in an Escher exhibit (short Youtube video) at the Musee de
Monnaies.
New were the Invalides (including Napoleon’s Tomb; see
short Youtube
video inside the Dome) and the updated
Rodin Museum (short Youtube
video
of Burghers of Calais, as well as a collection of covered
passageways in the 2nd Arrondissement. Also visiting the
Montparnasse Cemetery and seeing the joint grave of Simone de
Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre.
We wrapped up the trip with a quick pass by the Tuileries
Gardens and their Christmas village - including singing reindeer
(short Youtube
video).
We stayed across the street from the Denfert-Rochereau RER
B station and around the corner from Metro Line 4 in
Arrondissement 14. Very handy for getting around, and our weekly
Navigo pass made using the system easy.
It was chilly, 0-10C, with some wind from time to time,
but we’d brought enough woolies and rain gear to be comfortable.
It seemed to us there were many more homeless on the
streets than we remembered, many sleeping on Metro heat vents.
In the line of travel logistics, we used physical Navigo cards,
as one can't put a weekly pass on a non-French phone. We were
happy to see that CDG appears to honour TSA Pre or United Gold,
allowing us to use their Priority No. 1 lanes. That really sped
things up. Both United nonstops to/from CDG were less than half
full.
We got what we wanted out of the trip: to see old friends
and colleagues and remember Berrie; and to spend time in one of
the great cities. We hope to return yet again.
My camera arsenal was an iPhone 14 Pro, Canon SX70.
