Paris

Viewing the Louvre from across the Seine at the Musee d'Orsay.

Paris is a city best seen in black and white. There is a feeling here that is very different from London. First, it is much smaller. London is just shy of 8 million, Paris is a bit over 2 million. Paris wan't bombed in the 20th century like London was. There are very few new buildings and essentially no buildings taller than about 4 storeys. It is a museum of a city. As if preserved in amber, there is little here that was't here by the mid-ninteenth century.

We began our visit at the Musee d'Orsay. Actually, we began by riding across town twice to get from the Gare du Nord to the hostel and then back to the museum. Once there, we entered to see the impressionists' work. Most impressive.

After a couple hours here, we moved on to the Louvre. It is truly an impressive place. I got lost several times armed with a floor plan and asking directions. I think it is made this way to confuse the tourists.

This palace is impressive by any measure. There is a staff of 2000, 30,000 objects and 60,000 square meters of space.

It is filled with pieces that aren't simply impressive, they are wonderful.

The statue of Cupid and Psyche by Antonio Canova is a real show stopper. So delicate and sensual. It conveys the tenderness of love in hard cold marble.

 The veiled lady, by Antonio Corradini, is a marvel. This piece of marble represents a woman draped casually in a veil. It is hard to imagine how one creates this subtly in stone. Not only does shed look alive, the veil ads a kind of realistic mystery that is captivating.

Just outside the Louvre is the famous foot bridge across the Seine covered in locks. These locks represent love. People buy a lock, inscribe it, lock it and toss the key in the river. It is filled with symbols of eternal love. What could be more appropriate for the city of love?

The river itself is a significant feature of the central city. the barges and pedestrian walkways along the shore create a place where people live and work together.

The buildings on either side of the river are a combination of museums (nowadays anyways)  and apartments. All of them beautiful. Even in the winter with the bare trees it is all good.

On Saturday morning we went to Notre Dame. Big? Yes. Impressive? Yes. Yet, it is not,in my humble opinion in the same category as Westminster Abby. I think this is partly because, Westminster was added to, modified and repaired more recently than Notre Dame and this have given it reacher feel. One curious thing about our visit. There was a service in progress so we were limited to walking around the perimeter quietly. You will see in the lower center of the photo above a screen with a Powerpoint presentation! Imagine a cathedral that has been here 850 years with a computer projected display for the faithful. It was so out of place and odd, that I felt jarred when I saw it. Perhaps in another 850 years, it will all seem normal.

After Notre Dame we walked over to Sainte Chapelle. According to Wikipedia:

Begun some time after 1239 and consecrated on 26 April 1248,^[1] the Sainte-Chapelle is considered among the highest achievements of the Rayonnant period of Gothic architecture. Its erection was commissioned by King Louis IX of France to house his collection of Passion Relics, including Christ's Crown of Thorns - one of the most important relics in medieval Christendom.

This place is amazing. All original stained glass. Exceptional.

Saturday afternoon, Elizabeth and I went to St. Etienne du Mond. It was built on the site of the Abby erected to Ste Genevieve in the 6th century. The spiral stairs on either side of the quire screen are most impressive. It is all nearly white inside giving it an airy and, well, holy feeling. Much more ornate that Notre Dame, it is smaller and many fewer people. What a pleasant place to step away from the street noise and enjoy a piece of history.

The vault of the church is wonderful to look at. The pulpit on the right has, where you can only see a tiny bit of it, has Atlas holding it up.

Nearby is the Pantheon, the place where France's hero are interred. Here you find the graves of Marie and Pierre Curie, Lagrange, Voltaire, Zola and many more. Much like Westminster, this is a (former) church where the great are laid to rest. Like Westminster, it is chill inducing to be in the presence of so many people you've read about and studied.

Upstairs from the crypt is a an enormous space will grand statuary and paintings to honor generals, the national conventions, the people, Ste Genevieve, and many more.

Paris is a city of many faces. The cost bar on the street corner, the gigantic cathedrals, the people on the street, and of course many, many people like us.

Sunday morning we took a hop on - hop off bus ride. It seemed that nearly every things we passed was a place built by Napoleon, built while he was in charge, or currently housed his remains. There is even the Napoleon himself interred in the Les Invalides.

And finally, no trip to Paris would be complete without a visit to the Eiffel Tower. It is an impressive piece of engineering. The crowds were modest but it was cold and windy so we didn't stay but 10-15 minutes. Some of the students paid to ride the elevator (you can also choose to climb!) and see the city at night. We, however, did not.

For my physics frieda, I can't resist a couple photos that show some places really do honor folks with brains. There is something amusing and unsettling about a parking garage named for Lagrange.

However, a street names for Decartes seems perfectly normal.

We left the way we came: through Gare du Nord.

It is cavernous place filled with activity and folks hurrying home like any other large train station in the world.