American Tourist Robbed By BNP Paribus; All's Well...*

In broad daylight, Thursday afternoon, July 30th, on the Boulevard Voltaire. I thought it would be wise to have a few euros as we departed France and Europe the next day. The cash machine at the BNP Paribus bank there, near the intersection with Rue Charonne, cheerfully spit out a receipt saying it had given me 30 euros, but--cash machine nightmare!--no money appeared. None. Nothing. At the machine next to me a young woman, bilingual, fortunately, saw the whole thing and agreed to accompany me into the bank branch to seek restitution. The receptionist was unsympathetic--apparently the receipt and a witness meant nothing--said I must check with my US bank to see whether the funds actually had been withdrawn, and come back the next day. When I told her, through my translator, that I would be out of France and en route to the US the next day, she was even less sympathetic, but finally agreed, under my threatening demeanor (don't laugh), to write a note, en francaise, apparently recounting what I'd claimed to her. We checked with our bank, Cap One, promptly, and eventually received a note saying they were investigating the matter and that it would be 45-90 days before we'd hear anything more. So, fellow American tourists, my advice would be to avoid BNP Paribus, France's largest bank. They had just been socked with one of the largest fines in banking history--9 BILLION bucks--by the US, in a criminal case, for laundering monies from Iran, Sudan, and other places black-listed by the US. Perhaps they figure to get it back from us via their cash machines. Stay tuned. I'm hoping for a just if not timely resolution. See http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/06/30/bnp-paribas-pleads-guilty-in-sanctions-case/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=1 for some interesting reading on the matter. In six years of world-wide travel, this is the only time I know of that I have been dealt with dishonestly. Anywhere. It's only 40 bucks, I know, but if you can't rely on a cash machine and the bank on the other side of the wall, you can't travel.

*Update: In early August Cap One credited the 35 euros to our account, pending an investigation. In late September, they wrote to say that the matter had been resolved in our favor. All's well that ends well, I suppose, although I'd rather things begin, continue, and end well.

Exhibits A and B

Final Out-takes de Paris, 2

Art Nouveau La Chaise de l'amour, from the Paris, 1900 exhibition; said to be 
that of the Prince of Wales, soon to become Edward VII

I swear I am not making this up

Thus

More from the naughty room of Paris, 1900

Jules Leblanc Stewart's Redemption, 1905

Lady Asterbie's pet monkey (family joke)

Random Roman arch, up near the Strasbourg-St. Denis Metro; actually, the
Porte St. Denis, celebrating some of the Sun King's military exploits, 1672
[just a few years later, we had another longer-term apartment, on Rue St. Denis,
just a block or so from this arch, and got to know it well

In the fashion district...what you'll be wearing next year

Look out, Colonel Sanders

Scribe, impresario of the Paris opera, Wagner's sworn enemy...

Maybe best not to do your cash withdrawal here...

Rain forest and restaurant

Love their humor

Final out-takes de Paris, 1

Subway poetry--nothing unique--just nice to see it here too

So there we were, on the Tuileries, Vicki, Penelope, and me, Bastille Night,
so to speak, awaiting the fireworks extravaganza from the Tour Eiffel and 
the Trocadero; as the sun sets, the resident rat population comes out, 
scrounging for the morsels that a quarter million humans have dropped, 
walking by during the day on one of the world's busier concourses; and 
Penelope exclaims, "It's Ratatouille! It's Ratatouille! It really is! He is real!
He is!" A similar response had occurred at Disneyland Paris when she saw 
an animatronic Buzz Light-Year; although she later conceded that all the rest 
of the ride was only "pretend"; these rats were not "pretend," and the city 
had a major PR problem in the following days

Advert for the Paris Plages; note the topless
babe

In the storied Bois de Boulogne, a ho-mobile, open for
business

And another; we never did figure out whether the red sash
meant "open for business" or "busy"

"The Frenc..." ran out of spray paint

School of Dentistry

Friend Dave Rott has a sense of humor that's ahead of the rest of us

La mort d'un pigeon, episode 5 (running gag)

At Pere Lachaise: it really is a living cemetery

Father Guido Sarducci at the Paris, 1900 exhibition

Parc Floral de Paris

Our last touristic stop was the Parc Floral de Paris, one of Paris' four botantical gardens (read: major plant collections, thousands of species), pretty much adjacent to the Chateau de Vincennes and (so it said) in the heart of the Bois de Vincennes. We pique-niqued and walked around a good bit, although mindful of the need to get back to our apartment, pack and clean for the next morning's departure. Oh yes, after the Parc Floral, we walked back to the Decathlon near Rue Avron--last minute provisioning for some of our next travels--and then Metro'd back to our home Alexander Dumas station. Vicki figured her feet could recover in Menlo Park and DC.

Map of the great park

Floral sculpture

Even as the dog days approach, blooms everywhere

One of many, many pavilions

Pique-nique'ing by the lily pond

Thus

And marveling at the lotus pond

Approaching the giant bonsai center

Beautiful specimens

Thus

And thus

Hydrangeas

Superb signage throughout the 70 acres; we nevertheless
got temporarily lost...but getting lost here is a good thing

Astilbes

More sculpture

Fuchiae

Unidentified but interesting flowering plant

The Guignol was not in session

But the butterfly pavilion was...all in all, a beautiful and
intriguing place, the Parc Floral, that will be near the top
of our list of things to return to...next time

Saint-Chapelle de Vincennes

The royal chapel at Vincennes stands just a hundred meters across the yard from the chateau. It began during the later Gothic era--its architect was Pierre Montereau, of Saint-Chapelle fame in both Paris and St. Germain-en-Laye--but was not completed until the mid-16th century. It certainly bears close resemblance to the other two royal chapels, although larger and on a single floor.

View from the chateau

Side view

Nave view

Nave view from choir

Chancel windows; the originals were
destroyed in the Revolution

Other windows

Nice, if modern

Ceiling

Rose window above choir

Apart from the aesthetic and architectural
interest, what's notable about the Saint-
Chapelle at Vincennes is this, the tomb/
monument of Louis Antoine, Duke of
Enghien, aka by some as Louis XVIII; he
was captured in the Rhineland, tried on
trumped-up charges, executed by firing
squad in the chateau moat, and buried in
a plain grave in the moat; all at Napoleon's
behest; all the monarchs of Europe had been
willing to cut Napoleon some slack--he was
certainly better in their eyes than the
Revolution; but with this execution of the
last of the Bourbon/Conde line, their hearts
hardened, so to speak; in 1815, Louis XVIII's
remains were restored to the Saint-Chapelle