a bit of mixed bag, this one, but then, what lady isn't? actually i'm speaking of the post being a mixed bag, but the lady in question is of course our lady; that is, Notre Dame de Paris. our day to explore this most famous of cathedrals also took us to many other sights of note around the French capital, including the following, a very important one in the Republic's history:
the Colonne de Juillet (July Column) as a roundabout in the middle of the Place de la Bastille, so named because it was the site of the Bastille prison.
on the 14th of July, 1789, French commoners stormed the Bastille prison that once stood on this spot and subsequently razed it in anger at the ruling regime. this was considered the beginning of the French revolution (a surprisingly affective act then, considering there were only seven inmates at the time) and the date is still celebrated in France as Fête Nationale (literally National Holiday, though it is known as Bastille Day in English); it is thus similar to America's July 4th "Independence Day" holiday. today nothing remains of the prison whatsoever, and the Colonne de Juillet that now stands in its place can't really compete with the many other attractions Paris boasts. it was worth seeing, of course, but there's not much to hang around the area for.
so we didn't, walking the few blocks (in unseasonable heat) to the Beaubourg area, location of the quirky Centre Georges Pompidou (Pompidou Center). housing a library and a museum, and built essentially with its guts on the outside, the center is named for a former president of France and has grown greatly in popularity from an originally cool reception when it opened in 1977. the building sits on a large square that hosts entertainers of all sorts--on the day we were there a very slapstick comedian was getting a lot of laughs for his schtick and several mimes and "statue" people were busking to healthy crowds. we didn't go in the building, but all the good stuff, such as pipes color-coded to their function, is on the outside anyway:
the Centre Georges Pompidou, an inside-out building in Paris's Beaubourg area. the colors of the pipes and gratings correspond roughly to their functions.
nearby the Pompidou Center is the lady we've been talking about, Our Lady, as it were. Notre Dame, as we say, means just that and is a common way of referring to the Virgin Mary in French. What we're really talking about however, is Notre Dame de Paris, the amazing cathedral that has served as the backdrop for so many literary and cinematic works. built in the Gothic style, Notre Dame is an imposing structure and has has stood in approximately its present form for over 700 years. primary construction was started in 1163 and took almost 90 years to complete, although the whole building wasn't considered finished for about another hundred.
some views of the in- and outside of Notre Dame de Paris, including the famous gargoyles and one of the "rose" stained-glass windows. it was fairly dark inside and very busy when we were there, with some sort of mass going on, which provided some pomp and ceremony to enhance our visit; below, a view of the River Seine from the Île de la Cité, the island on which Notre Dame stands.
the cathedral sits on the south-eastern corner of the Île de la Cité, one of the two islands in the Seine river that constitute the center of Paris (the other is Île Saint-Louis). though the flow of the river has since changed the shape of these islands, they were there and also served as the basis of the Roman settlements over two thousand years ago, so Notre Dame is really at the city's heart in many ways. Île de la Cité is also home to the Préfecture de Police and the Palais de Justice, among other notable buildings, but perhaps the second-best-known structure connected with the island is the Pont Neuf. meaning "new bridge", it is actually the oldest surviving one in Paris and rests gently on the western tip of the isle as it spans a wide Seine. just like Notre Dame, the Pont Neuf is a bit of a celebrity, as are some of it's nearby structures, particularly in one of my favorite movies. The Bourne Identity's title character wakes up in Paris after an overnight drive just across the river from Notre Dame, and later orders his former spymaster, Conklin, to come to Paris and walk to the middle of Pont Neuf and remove his jacket. all this while Bourne is watching him from the La Samaritaine building, a luxury department store that sits on the left bank at the north end of the bridge.
La Samaritaine and me, on Pont Neuf. I'm standing right about where Conklin would have taken off his jacket, with Jason Bourne watching from just behind those letters on the building's roof. La Samaritaine does in fact have a rooftop cafe, but this has been closed to the public, along with the rest of the building, since 2005 while renovations are being made to bring the structure up to fire code.
so there's even more to the appeal of Paris than just finally seeing all the things you learned about in French class. i've heard the bells of Notre Dame and roamed where Quasimodo did, and even though Jill thought the pictures of La Samaritaine were a bit much, i've stood pretty much in Jason Bourne's shoes. which practically makes me famous, i reckon, and that's another thing to love about Paris: she doesn't keep all the glory to herself, she loves you back.
the Colonne de Juillet (July Column) as a roundabout in the middle of the Place de la Bastille, so named because it was the site of the Bastille prison.
on the 14th of July, 1789, French commoners stormed the Bastille prison that once stood on this spot and subsequently razed it in anger at the ruling regime. this was considered the beginning of the French revolution (a surprisingly affective act then, considering there were only seven inmates at the time) and the date is still celebrated in France as Fête Nationale (literally National Holiday, though it is known as Bastille Day in English); it is thus similar to America's July 4th "Independence Day" holiday. today nothing remains of the prison whatsoever, and the Colonne de Juillet that now stands in its place can't really compete with the many other attractions Paris boasts. it was worth seeing, of course, but there's not much to hang around the area for.
so we didn't, walking the few blocks (in unseasonable heat) to the Beaubourg area, location of the quirky Centre Georges Pompidou (Pompidou Center). housing a library and a museum, and built essentially with its guts on the outside, the center is named for a former president of France and has grown greatly in popularity from an originally cool reception when it opened in 1977. the building sits on a large square that hosts entertainers of all sorts--on the day we were there a very slapstick comedian was getting a lot of laughs for his schtick and several mimes and "statue" people were busking to healthy crowds. we didn't go in the building, but all the good stuff, such as pipes color-coded to their function, is on the outside anyway:
the Centre Georges Pompidou, an inside-out building in Paris's Beaubourg area. the colors of the pipes and gratings correspond roughly to their functions.
nearby the Pompidou Center is the lady we've been talking about, Our Lady, as it were. Notre Dame, as we say, means just that and is a common way of referring to the Virgin Mary in French. What we're really talking about however, is Notre Dame de Paris, the amazing cathedral that has served as the backdrop for so many literary and cinematic works. built in the Gothic style, Notre Dame is an imposing structure and has has stood in approximately its present form for over 700 years. primary construction was started in 1163 and took almost 90 years to complete, although the whole building wasn't considered finished for about another hundred.
some views of the in- and outside of Notre Dame de Paris, including the famous gargoyles and one of the "rose" stained-glass windows. it was fairly dark inside and very busy when we were there, with some sort of mass going on, which provided some pomp and ceremony to enhance our visit; below, a view of the River Seine from the Île de la Cité, the island on which Notre Dame stands.
the cathedral sits on the south-eastern corner of the Île de la Cité, one of the two islands in the Seine river that constitute the center of Paris (the other is Île Saint-Louis). though the flow of the river has since changed the shape of these islands, they were there and also served as the basis of the Roman settlements over two thousand years ago, so Notre Dame is really at the city's heart in many ways. Île de la Cité is also home to the Préfecture de Police and the Palais de Justice, among other notable buildings, but perhaps the second-best-known structure connected with the island is the Pont Neuf. meaning "new bridge", it is actually the oldest surviving one in Paris and rests gently on the western tip of the isle as it spans a wide Seine. just like Notre Dame, the Pont Neuf is a bit of a celebrity, as are some of it's nearby structures, particularly in one of my favorite movies. The Bourne Identity's title character wakes up in Paris after an overnight drive just across the river from Notre Dame, and later orders his former spymaster, Conklin, to come to Paris and walk to the middle of Pont Neuf and remove his jacket. all this while Bourne is watching him from the La Samaritaine building, a luxury department store that sits on the left bank at the north end of the bridge.
La Samaritaine and me, on Pont Neuf. I'm standing right about where Conklin would have taken off his jacket, with Jason Bourne watching from just behind those letters on the building's roof. La Samaritaine does in fact have a rooftop cafe, but this has been closed to the public, along with the rest of the building, since 2005 while renovations are being made to bring the structure up to fire code.
so there's even more to the appeal of Paris than just finally seeing all the things you learned about in French class. i've heard the bells of Notre Dame and roamed where Quasimodo did, and even though Jill thought the pictures of La Samaritaine were a bit much, i've stood pretty much in Jason Bourne's shoes. which practically makes me famous, i reckon, and that's another thing to love about Paris: she doesn't keep all the glory to herself, she loves you back.
1 comment:
thanks for the thoughts! We are very excited to be able to hang with cool peeps like you all again! Love the travelogue of your European tour... how's life treating you?
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