It just struck me recently that it has been 10 years since I first ventured outside of this continent. I'd been to various destinations in Canada and the U.S., but never further than that.
I'd always wanted to visit European cities, and, perhaps it's a cliche, but Paris was always first in mind. Like New York, it was a place that was in lots of movies (like "Paris, Je T'Aime," "Amelie" and "Midnight In Paris"), so I guess that was what made me so eager. So, after both of our parents passed away and left myself and my surviving siblings equal parts of a modest inheritance, I could only think, "If not now, when?" Of course, I didn't blow all of the money! Half went into an RRSP, and the other half to this and future trips that I hoped to take (and did).
I did a bit of research, and found out that August was considered the best time to visit Paris, or France in general; apparently, many workers have a nice month-long vacation!
The timing turned out to be good, too. Since 2011, some terrible things have happened in Paris: the Bataclan nightclub killings, shootings, bombings, and of course, the heart-wrenching fire at Notre Dame cathedral. Having visited this impossibly beautiful building twice (I returned in 2012), my heart sank like a stone at the sight of that raging inferno on the cathedral's roof. It didn't cause irreparable damage, thankfully, but, in spite of President Macron's wish that it be repaired in time for the 2024 Olympics, it will no doubt take years, perhaps decades, to be fully restored.
Well, on to the trip! There were many places I wanted to visit, and these were the "top-of-mind" destinations for this occasion.
I recall telling friends as far back as high school that I wanted to visit a Gothic cathedral before I died. They quickly teased me with a scenario where I'd be carried to one on my deathbed, before expiring on the spot! Well, the joke was on them, because one of the first things I saw just after arriving at my hotel (about a 20-minute walk south) was, yep, Notre Dame:
It was only a quick snapshot at that point, though, because another spot that I was eager to see was one that had been featured in at least one of the movies mentioned above, Shakespeare and Company.
It was a fascinating, multi-level place, with many rare books, including founder Sylvia Beach's own collection!
I lingered there for some time, even making a purchase, before moving on, in search of the
original location, further south and west in the Rive Gauche area.
On the way, I saw this place, and had to explore it. It's the cathedral of St. Severin, built between 1300 and 1600. It would turn out to be the first actual Gothic cathedral I would go into.
Here's the breathtaking nave of St. Severin, with the incredible vaulted ceilings and arches that I'd only ever read about or seen on TV. And this is a relatively modest example!
And here, on Rue de l'Odeon, is the original location of Shakespeare and Company. All that's left is the small commemorative plaque between the two windows on the right middle level. It's in French, but it reads, "In 1922, in this building, Miss Sylvia Beach published James Joyce's "Ulysses." I'd read "Ulysses" for a second time a few years before that, so this was a real piece of history.
Perhaps I'll get to Dublin one day, and see the actual places in the book! One day...
The next day, the morning was taken up exploring Notre Dame itself. Here's the nave, which you can see is even more spectacular than the one at St. Severin.
There was much to see in this part of the church, what with the stunning stained glass windows, the altar and choir areas, and even the original statue of Mary, a/k/a "Notre Dame de Paris."
Also, that same night, there was a concert of mostly baroque music here, and it was certainly a wonder to hear the Grand Orgue, choir and musicians in this space!
It still makes my heart ache to think of the condition of this nave right now, but I'm confident that every effort will be made to restore it properly.
Even in the lineup to get into the north tower, there is still much to see. These incredibly detailed carvings of different characters doing various activities is a feature of many doorways here. There are also saints, kings and popes represented in different ones.
A highlight of the visit to the north tower is the Chimera Gallery, an imaginative collection of monsters that runs along the outside of the building at the first level of the tower. This is only a few of them. Some pretty weird creatures!
That afternoon, another Gothic cathedral, Sainte Chapelle, was on the schedule. It's famous for its amazing 40+-foot high stained glass windows. This is what they look like from the outside.
There was a lineup to get inside, and airport-level security before you could enter, but the windows, including the stunning rose window seen here, made it worth the wait.
And, here are just three of the couple of dozen brilliant stained glass windows at Sainte Chapelle. Each one tells a pictorial story of each of the books of the Bible, from Adam and Eve to Revelation. The colours are absolutely incredible, and are maintained on a regular basis so nothing is lost.
Next day, it was off to another location I'd been wanting to see: the most famous landmark in the whole city, and its worldwide symbol. It has its own unique colour, "Eiffel Tower brown," and is repainted about every seven years.
The first level is open to the air, and has this awesome view of the Champ de Mars, and beyond it the Ecole Militaire. The views from higher up are even better, but those levels are all enclosed in glass. And, they make sure you don't linger, so we couldn't stay at the top for very long.
Since I didn't spend as much time at the tower as I'd thought, I went over to the Champs-Elysses, and got some pics. At one end is the Arc de Triomphe, originally built in tribute to Napoleon Bonaparte, but more recently serving as more of a war memorial.
It's also one of the locations on the last leg of the Tour de France bicycle race.
At the other end of the Champs-Elysses is the Place de la Concorde (also part of the Tour de France), with its beautiful obelisk, replete with hieroglyphics!
The entire next day was spent here, in the beautiful Louvre museum. This is the lineup before opening, about 9:00 am or so. The entrance is through the striking (or controversial, depending on your point of view) I.M. Pei-designed pyramid.
There are so many works here that it was impossible to see them all in one day. I picked which ones I wanted to see most, and was still there until about 7:00 pm!
By 7:00 pm, I was tired and ready to go, and got this evening shot of all the pyramids in the Cours Napoleon. Inability to see the whole place motivated me to come back again, and the next year, I did. But that's for another entry!
The final museum on this trip was the striking-looking Centre Pompidou, a modern art museum, with this unusual exterior. The ventilation, water, and other pipes, as well as the escalators, are all on the outside of the building, which leaves lots of room inside for the exhibits.
That evening, I made my last crossing over the Pont Neuf bridge on my way back to my hotel, which was a short metro ride from the station here, to near the Gare de l'Est. Each of the faces you see running along the length of the bridge is different. Amazing workmanship.
As I said, I knew I had to come back to Paris, and did, pretty much to the day, a year later.
Well, that was a jaunt down memory lane! These trips have proved to me that you can watch all the movies or documentaries you like about a place, but it just doesn't compare to the full sensual experience; the sounds, atmosphere, and smells of the real thing.
It's crazy to think that it's been 10 years, but as I said above, much has happened, in Paris and all over the world, since then *coughCOVIDcough*.
I've traveled since then, mostly with the TWMVC, and we were scheduled to go back to England & Wales again last summer, but that obviously didn't happen. We can only hope things get better.
