JOURNAL ENTRY 23--PARIS Day Three--Notre Dame and Left Bank--TRANSITIONAL (Between Tours)--Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014
The Luxembourg Palace--where the French senate meets (with Paul at the corner)
Mums came bursting from these planters!
I had no wake-up call this morning, but I rose early out of habit and dressed for the day. Still unsure of my plans, I went down to breakfast, and who should be there but Paul and Johanna Schuller!
We had the breakfast room to ourselves. They said they were staying over for two days and were going to walk to Notre Dame and the Ste. Chapelle this morning and over to the Left Bank for the afternoon and that I WOULD BE WELCOME TO JOIN THEM.
I vaguely remembered that Johanna mentioned earlier in the tour that they had booked some extra days in Paris, but it had not really registered at the time, and I had not talked to them yesterday, so I was delightfully surprised.
If I had people who were friends and who knew their way around town and were happy to have me tag along, I was going to take advantage of it, so I accepted. This was a wonderful surprise! After a short time back in our rooms, we met in the lobby and were on our way.
They wanted to WALK to the Ile de la Cité, the weather was good, and it was a fine way to learn my way around. For most of the day, we would be walking southwest. We went over to the Rue de La Turenne, past Eglise St. Denys, walked several blocks and turned right on Rue St. Antoine. Then we headed west to the center of Paris. This street name rang a bell, because my next hotel was on it, in the opposite direction.
Eglise St. Denys
(This is where we started our walk and returned on the bus.)
The Schullers were indefatigable walkers, but I kept up. We chatted pleasantly and headed to the Hotel de Ville. In the distance was a tall tower which Johanna identified as the Tour St. Jacques. It was the tower left from a church which had been damaged during the Revolution. It was where Blaise Pascal had conducted experiments. I shot picture as we came closer.
Back of the Hotel de Ville
Tour St. Jacques
When we reached the front of the City Hall (Hotel de Ville), we turned left and headed toward the Ile de la Cité. At this point, we also paused for a few pictures in front of that building and of Notre Dame in the distance. It was nice not to have to rush and to be no particular schedule. Taking pictures would be one of my main activities today, and there are over 200 of them, but they do not always speak for themselves, so as usual, text will be part of this.
Front of the City Hall
Banners supporting the handicapped
Paul and Johanna
One of Victor Hugo's main reasons for writing Notre Dame de Paris (The Hunchback...) was to motivate the French to preserve and restore the cathedral after it had been damaged in the Revolution.
His efforts succeeded, so this masterpiece, built between 1163 and 1345, was restored in 1845.
We were almost there!
As we crossed the bridge over the Seine, I shot some pictures of barges passing underneath and of the Conciergerie over to our right. That tall building with its round towers held the imprisoned Marie Antoinette as she awaited the guillotine. Naturally, I had to photograph it, too, as I passed.
Barge traffic along the Rive Droite
The Conciergerie (where Marie Antoinette spent her last days)
Suffice it to say that I would take some pictures of every noteworthy place we visited today. Being able to visit these famous locations at our own pace was important to all three of us. Experienced travelers like the Schullers thoroughly appreciated the cool, clear weather in Paris today and the wonderful opportunity unfolding before us.
After we crossed the bridge, we neared the bus stop between the Ste. Chapelle and the Gendarmerie. It was the very one that served us well going to the concert on Tuesday night. I pointed it out for future reference.
At this point, I will do something different. Some of my own pictures did not turn out well, and Notre Dame is one of the most important and photographed buildings in the world. So, I am going to post a few good Google images of the place and follow them with some of my pics. That way, I can attempt do this cathedral justice.
Notre Dame from the Left Bank of the Seine (We had approached it from the opposite direction.)
Among the finest rose windows in the world
The Pieta de Notre Dame de Paris was carved by Nicolas Cousteau.
And at night
Flying buttresses from rear of the Cathedral
Exterior stone supports (here touching the wall both high and low) allowed room for large, stained glass windows in the walls, i.e., since the walls do not have the entire weight of the roof on them, they can accommodate the windows. (In 2012, Ben and I picnicked in the little park behind the Cathedral and marveled at the flying buttresses.)
Pigeon's view
Then we walked to the front of Notre Dame. Even this early, a large crowd was waiting along the left side of the building, just as it had been two years ago. That line was waiting to go into the bell tower. Today, the doors on the right side of the building were quite accessible, and there was no line. The middle doors were locked, and the doors to the left were for exiting.
Now, we simply walked inside, stopped and kneeled briefly to pray, and slowly went through Notre Dame de Paris. Pictures without flash were allowed. Here follow most of my pics of the interior.
For the first time in my life, I was INSIDE Notre Dame de Paris!
View of the choir from the transept
I was surprised to see a modern stone altar, but this infusion of the new with the old was evident in several cathedrals that we saw.
tomorrow afternoon.
La Couronne d'Epines--Housed at Notre Dame
Saint Louis's most prized religious relic is kept at Notre Dame, not the Sainte Chapelle.
Please note the papal coat of arms on the pillow under the Crown. For Catholics, that carries at least as much weight as the Good Housekeeping Seal of approval.
Johanna had picked up a bulletin and read that the ceremony for displaying the Crown would take place here at 15:00 (3:00 pm) tomorrow. Apparently, this is done on the first Friday of every month. We certainly considered attending, but that decision could wait till later. I'll comment more on the Crown of Thorns when we're over at the Ste. Chapelle.
Column commemorating the one million British who died in WW I
The interior and exterior were once painted.
One of the things that interested me near the exit aisle was a beautiful gold reliquary (box for bones or ashes) on display as we passed. Johanna said it (had) held the remains of Ste. Genviève, the Patron Saint of Paris. She was venerated here especially because back in the 5th century her prayer vigil is credited with causing Attila the Hun to decide not to attack Paris.
Reliquary of Ste. Genviève
Once outside the cathedral, we paused to photograph the front and then look around the courtyard before going around the building. One interesting thing was the French "Point Zero" metal star marker which designated the official, if not geographic, center of France. All distances in France are measured from this point.
I walked far out front, turned, and took this picture. More than any other, it captures the scene that morning. For Notre Dame de Paris, there is no "off season," and this sunny but cool November day really brought out the people--foreign and French alike. We were very happy to have come early.
Saint Denis--Patron of France
Saint Denis and two helpers were beheaded by the Romans on Monmartre for preaching the faith. We would later visit the spot where the execution took place. The name Monmartre is said to be derived from the term "mount of the martyrs." The Abbey of Cluny and the Basilica of St. Denis were the places where the gothic arch was invented and used for the first time.
Point Zero--from which all distances in France are measured
A few more shots of the front of the building:
Now we walked around the side of the building and then down to a sidewalk between the Cathedral and the Seine. I loved the Gothic elements, and I tried to capture them.
Crowd going through the towers
It takes an artistic soul to create small masterpieces for water drain pipes!
Moving farther from the walls, we went to the sidewalk closer to the river and shot the exterior and the grounds from slightly farther away. Something new to me that Ben and I had not seen was the garden established by Pope John Paul II when he visited here and the statue of Saint John Paul II erected after his death. Johanna knew about the garden and pointed it out affectionately.
Statue of Saint John Paul II in the garden which he dedicated during his visit to Notre Dame
Suddenly, my mind went back to 1987 and the outdoor mass we attended in San Antonio which Pope John Paul II conducted. It had been like witnessing a scene from the Bible, only we were in it!
In the garden initiated by Pope John Paul II, fall planting was still going on.
Again, there's the shadow of that phantom photographer!
Now, that's a flying buttress!
We came by this raised bed bordered by woven sticks on our way back to the front.
Notre Dame de Paris has long been one of my favorite buildings. The two front towers seem in harmony with each other, the rest of the building, and the setting itself. It is a huge building that is so well balanced it does not seem that way. It shows the lasting power of proportion and restraint.
The first time I was here, Ben and I were in a hurry and mistook the Tower line over to the left for people waiting to enter the church. We had wanted to attend mass, but we gave up on that idea and went to the park behind the Cathedral, found a table and bench, and picnicked while we admired the back of the building. Now I had finally seen the inside and hoped to attend high, Gregorian mass here on Sunday.
Next, we reached the front courtyard, took advantage of the subterranean "toilettes," and headed over to the Sainte Chapelle, which was only two blocks away. I was ready to see those tall stained glass windows with today's good sunlight shining through them, most of the windows had survived from the 13th century.
Statue of Charlemagne
Pigeons were swarming the yard and the wall overlooking the Seine.
French dissent from a sign warning against feeding the birds
("If you like the birds, do not feed them" with the "not" marked out)
The Sainte Chapelle is in a French law courts complex just across the street from the main Paris police station. We could see it clearly as it towered over the surrounding buildings and faced away from the street where the gate was. It has been a French national museum since the late 19th century.
Sainte Chapelle
( Showing its ELEVATED location and west wall)
We bought our tickets, went through the courtyard, and headed up to the entrance to the Lower Chapel. Again, Louis IX had the Lower Chapel for staff and servants, but the Upper Chapel was his private place of worship and also housed the Crown of Thorns, a piece of the True Cross, and other relics.
Regardless of one's religious affiliation, the Ste. Chapelle stands on its own as a marvelous piece of architecture, engineering, and stained-glass magnificence. The ingenious stone work and ribbing which allow the roof to "float" on walls of glass is a marvel to behold!
Having made that safe statement, I now venture onto more perilous ground. Here we were about to enter a chapel built to house a Christian religious relic purchased at great expense by the French from the Turks. Some question its authenticity, the power of relics generally, and the judgement that went into this famous acquisition.
As 21st-century Catholics, the Schullers and I take such things seriously. Certainly, medieval Catholics took all of this very seriously. It's easy for moderns to make light of the beliefs and practices of their ancestors; that's far easier than using a little imagination and journeying back into their minds to appreciate their world. Maybe it's even a bigger stretch to consider many aspects of their world, and ours, continuous and unending--stretching in an unbroken line from the past, through the present, and into the future, but I do.
Like St. Thomas More, I am stating WHAT I BELIEVE, and I DO believe in the communion of saints, in the sainthood of Louix IX, and in the probable authenticity of the Crown of Thorns. I am no expert on the subject, and belief and definitive knowledge are not the same thing, but I take issue with those who make light of this. Much evidence attests to the authenticity, few can offer proof to the contrary, and most would concede that the Crown MAY BE AUTHENTIC.
Here are my photographs that Thursday of the interior of the Ste. Chapelle.
Statue of Saint Louis in Lower Chapel
Daytime and sunlight made this look different from its nighttime appearance.
The morning sunlight streaming through the east windows made this an incredible experience!
Some of these tall windows depict entire books of the Bible.
I loved seeing these windows with the sunlight shining through!
To the left, restoration work is shielded from view. These are the west windows with the morning sunlight shining upon them.
Even the floor tiles were beautiful.
Exiting the Upper Chapel, we returned to the ground floor and purchased souvenirs in the shop. I liked the stained-glass paper weights and some small window replicas and bought some to bring home for gifts.
Then we walked back around to the street from whence we came, right in front of that familiar bus stop, and crossed the bridge over the Seine. Now we were on the Left Bank! The Schullers wanted to walk up Boulevard Saint-Michel toward the Sorbonne. We passed tempting creperies, and several blocks later, we found a small café called Le Saint André and settled in for lunch.
Crêpes cooking on the pan
For almost the first time on the tour, we had a waitress who spoke absolutely NO ENGLISH. Fortunately, for Johanna and me, that did not present a problem. She and I ordered some French fare for ourselves, and Paul did, too, in a sense. He ordered "un hamburger." When his order came, it was the best-looking hamburger and fries I had ever seen, and he said it was wonderful.
Lunchtime on the Rive Gauche
Rental bikes were plentiful beside our café. They were free for the first twenty minutes.
Something I noticed outside the window as we ate were numerous rental bikes. These heavy-duty bicycles were common in Paris, and many people took advantage of them. Having lunch in the restaurant were smartly dressed young professionals. Probably the "starving artists" were gentrified out of the Left Bank long ago. Those wearing wool scarves, common for men and women, had them expertly tied; I rarely observed a scarf that was not neat around the neck and tied with style!
Next, we resumed our walk on Rue St. Michel and passed the chapel of the Sorbonne which marked an entrance to this most prominent and oldest Parisian university. I was very happy finally to be at the very place where my high school French teacher, Martha Liddell, had taken classes during the summer of '61. She had received a National Science Foundation fellowship to study French at the Sorbonne.
The Sorbonne
A few blocks farther, and we caught sight of the Paris Pantheon, the "Westminster Abbey of France," over to our left. This we all wanted to visit, but we were saving it for later. Right now, we headed to the Luxembourg Garden to walk around it to our heart's content.
Paris Pantheon (under restoration)
Soon we found the Garden. It was "bloody wonderful" to be here on a beautiful, sunny, fall afternoon. Ben and I came here in 2012 and loved seeing the place. I took his picture with gendarmes, and he took mine next to a compost bin, but we were on a tour and could not stay anywhere for very long.
I hoped to see children famously pushing boats on the pond with sticks, but this was a school day with chilly weather, so no boats were out, and that was not to be. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this moment immensely, and Johanna knew so much about the garden and the statuary, etc., that having her at hand was a Godsend!
For now, the pictures can speak for themselves. Again, I was much impressed by the large bins of composting leaves and even more so by their use in flower beds that workers were busy planting right before our very eyes.
Pan cavorts over chryanthemums.
Gordon holds on to those souvenirs.
Their compost bins are taller than mine.
Looking from Palace across pond/fountain to the Montparnasse Tower in the distance
The Montparnasse Tower, finished in 1973, was about the last Parisian experiment with skyscrapers. This one example stands alone because most of the citizens did not like it, thought it was a mistake, and did not want it repeated, so the City called a halt, and except for the La Defense area, which is technically outside the City of Paris, no more skyscrapers have been built. Throughout the city, seven stories is the limit, because that height leaves the sky open to view and allows sunlight to come down to the surface. Basically, they're still adhering to Baron Von Haussmann's old rule of thumb. He limited the height of buildings to one and one-half times the width of the street in front of them. The view from the observation areas atop the Montparnasse Tower is therefore about the best one in Paris. Nothing gets in its way.
Two workers were on a raised, rolling platform planting pansies as fast as they could!
Empress Mathilda--wife of William the Conqueror
Monument to the university students who died in the Resistance
I was captivated by this large fountain flowing into a duck pond.
J'adore les canards, surtout les canards français!
(I love ducks, especially French ducks!)
Au revoir au Jardin du Luxembourg
Now that we had been to the Luxembourg Garden, we headed for the Pantheon. As we walked across side streets, Johanna pointed to the distinctive, green observatory dome of the Sorbonne and said it was a landmark of the place. I shot a pic and again thought of Miss Liddell and the number of times she must have walked down these very streets!
Soon, we were at the crosswalk to the Pantheon and facing a large circle radiating out to many streets. Johanna pointed out St. Etienne Church in the distance, and I took a photo of it, too. Little did we realize then that Owen Wilson was sitting on its side steps when the Peugeot picked him up in Midnight in Paris. Fortunately, Jenny Burdon would help make up for that next week!
Something which fascinated me was an old Citroën with a for-sale sign. This was the model that many tours use now, and I would have loved to ride around Paris in such a thing. Of course, this was cause for more photographs.
Observatory tower of the Sorbonne
At this point, we were also close to the Sorbonne's Ecole de Droit (Law School).
Eglise Saint-Etienne-du-Mont
(Jean Racine and Blaise Pascal are buried inside.)
Citroën for sale--across from Pantheon
Pantheon--with dome being restored
The Fatherland Recognizing the Great Men
(Not to mention Marie Curie)
The dome of the Pantheon was undergoing repairs and had a cover over it. This had not been the case two years ago when Ben and I rode by. My main interest in this building was the writers, scientists, and other French luminaries who were entombed here. The Schullers were more interested in the art work and the building itself.
We purchased our tickets and entered the building which was vast and high with art on the walls and on the interior of the dome. Although this structure predated the French Revolution, it had been reworked to glorify the Revolution, and the statuary was especially impressive.
Ceiling being painted above canopy
The Avenger
At this point, I asked about "needed facilities," and went down a steep, turning stairway to the between-floors landing where they were located. When I finished, I headed farther down into the basement, and that's where I found the tombs.
Knowing the Schullers were waiting for me, I scurried back up the stairs to the main floor. They also wanted to know where the restrooms were, so as I pointed the way, I mentioned the tombs and asked if we had time for me to go back and shoot some pictures.
Like the troopers they are, they agreed, and soon all three of us were in the basement touring the burial places of some of history's most accomplished people. I especially wanted to see the tombs of Victor Hugo, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and the Curies.
Voltaire
Rousseau
Victor Hugo
Emile Zola
Pierre and Marie Curie
Tombs of the Curies
Alexandre Dumas
Louis Braille
When we went back upstairs, Joanna explained some huge paintings as we walked by them, and we looked briefly at things in the gift shop across from the entrance.
After we exited the building, she wanted to go inside St. Etienne, so Paul and I waited as she did. While I stood on the steps of the Pantheon, I had a really good view of the Eiffel tower and of the local Mairie (localized city hall) of the 5th Arrondissement, so I shot a few more pictures.
View from the porch of the Pantheon
Memory fuzzes over at this point, but Johanna emerged from the church and joined us. She and Paul needed to shop somewhere on their own, but we all wanted to have coffee in a crêperie we passed earlier on Rue Sufflot. So I agreed to walk back to that place and secure us a table before the growing crowd took all of them.
Coffee, crêpes, and respite before heading home--we ate inside.
Now, I simply went back the way we came to La Crêperie, saved us a table by a window, and people-watched through it until the Schullers joined me. After coffee and crepes, we returned to Rue St. Michel, turned right, and went north--back across town. Foot and automobile traffic was becoming very heavy.
Crossing the Seine, I suggested we go to my trusty bus stop across from Ste. Chapelle. They readily agreed, and when the right bus arrived, we boarded, bought our tickets, and headed back to Rue de la Turenne. Thank God we did not have to walk; I'd had enough of that for today!
After a while, we stopped in front of Eglise St. Denys and exited. We walked up to Rue St. Cloud and turned right. At Arquebusiers, we made another right, and in no time we were through the door of the Villa Beaumarchais! Oh, what a relief it was!
Discussing plans for tomorrow, we went up the elevator, agreed when to meet for breakfast, and said our good-byes. They wanted to go to Les Invalides on the Métro in the morning and over to Monmartre for the afternoon. That sounded good to me. I wanted to be here when the Robinsons arrived, but that might not be possible, and both Monmartre and Les Invalides were high on my list.
So ended my first day "on my own." I was quite satisfied with what we'd seen and where we'd gone, and cleaning up and resting here in my room was what the doctor ordered for tonight. Words can hardly describe how tired I was!
Fin
Hors d'Oeuvres:
1. When I started today's entry, I had no intention of creating another "monster blog post" like #21. Well, I am happy to report that this one does have fewer pictures--10 fewer!
2. I am a little surprised that there is so much in an entry about a day not on the tour when the Schullers I were on our own. This is due in part to their know-how about getting around Paris and knowledge of so much detail about the places we visited.
3. The later posts have more pictures and more text because my photographic ability increased all through the tour of France. Also, my know-how about putting blog entries together has grown during this past year as I worked on this all-too-lengthy but satisfying project.
4. I was starting to lose my fear of Paris and really learn my way around. Soon I would go a few places on my own and even eventually visit a local laundromat.
*5. Today and tomorrow would turn out to be among the best surprises of the trip because I saw so much of Paris that I truly wanted to see, and the Schullers made it possible. Their patience, knowledge, and friendship were invaluable!
6. Paul and Johanna had incredible stamina and enthusiasm, and I loved that! As for walking, they were more than the measure of me!
7. Chaucer never finished The Canterbury Tales, Coleridge never did go back and complete "Kubla Kahn," and sometimes I fear I may not finish this blog. Even with it almost 3/4 complete, the pressure of other responsibilities and the complexity of each entry will make concluding it a challenge till the very end.
8. So far, these Paris entries are lengthy. That's partly because there were so many different places to go and things to do. I am very pleased with the decision to stay à Paris almost two weeks, but there are still many places I never did see. One of the most widely traveled women on Survey of France said, "So much to see in Paris, more than any place I have been."
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.