Paris—A Beautiful Blur
[Editor's Note: Sometimes life, instead
of writing, happens. Hence, today is my
"rerun
day" for March. What follows is a
write-up of my trip to Paris with Michelle just
before September 11, 2001, originally posted
9/3/01.]
SEPT. 3 - PARIS - The last few days have been
such a blur that any attempt to write about them
must surely come out blurry as well. But since I
promised to write about my travels, I am obligated
to at least make the attempt. But where to begin?
This city has history, art, architecture, beauty,
elegance…. I could fill pages on any of those
themes.
Take, for example, the Cathedral of Notre
Dame. Construction upon this great Gothic
masterpiece began back in 1163, making it a fine
example of the city’s history. In fact, the
site upon which it stands was originally home to a
Roman temple (and even further back, to a
settlement of Celts known as the Parisii). We were
only two of several hundred tourists inside the
cathedral during our visit, but we might as well
have been alone. The cathedral’s majesty
commanded a reverent silence from its awe-struck
visitors, and we were no different (photos,
interior). Michelle and I could only wander
around slack-jawed, dwarfed by the lofty arches and
bejeweled rose windows.
We had similar reactions to the wondrous
Musée d’Orsay (photo),
home to many of France’s (and the
world’s) great art masterpieces. It is here
where you will find the most well-known works of
the Impressionists. We walked through room after
room chock-full of Monets, Renoirs, Van Goghs,
Degas and more. At one point, I stopped in the
middle of a gallery, suddenly awed by the fact that
I could see a famous masterpiece at literally any
angle from where I stood.
While the former railroad station which houses
the Musée d’Orsay is an impressive
building, no structure better symbolizes Paris'
architecture (except, perhaps, the Eiffel Tower)
than the Arc de Triomphe. Though he had been
defeated at Waterloo long before the arch was
completed, Napoleon commissioned the structure as a
celebration of his armies’ victorious battles.
Tourists swarmed over this site as well, but as
with most other locations, the splendor of the
monument pushed such mundane concerns as crowds and
noise from your head. This is the largest triumphal
arch in the world, and when you stand beneath it,
you have no doubt. It is truly a
“monumental” sight to behold.
For outright beauty, however, the lovely little
church of Sainte-Chapelle was a top
contender. As the former “warehouse” for
such relics as the Crown of Thorns and a sliver of
the True Cross, its historical and religious
background is legendary. But what truly dazzled us
was the aesthetic beauty of the 50-foot-high
stained glass windows running down both sides,
telling the story of the Bible from Genesis to
Revelations (photo).
And elegance? Paris has it in spades. We found a
great example of it not far from the flat where
we’re staying: a beautiful plaza called
Place des Vosges (photo).
We had heard of it, but stumbled upon it quite by
accident. While Michelle stopped in a boulangerie
to buy a baguette, I crossed the street to peek
into a stone courtyard marked by a sign that read
“Hotel de Sully.” It looked interesting,
so we continued on in. We entered an old
passageway, passed through a beautiful little
courtyard, and suddenly came out into the Place des
Vosges. The arcade all around the plaza was full of
musicians and merchants, and Parisians of all ages
relaxed in the park. We intend to go back with a
picnic basket and do the same.
We’ve seen a lot more, and still have a
long list of other sights we want to see, but we
already feel like we’ve seen the best of what
Paris has to offer. It’s like a smorgasbord
where everything is delectable and you can never
overeat. (Well, okay, maybe you can get a little
full. After all, I’ve got time to write this
because we came home exhausted from walking all
over the city. But I’m still hungry!)
Find photos and other
travelogues from this trip at Distant
Travels to
[Strick]Lands.
Development note: I've
noticed that this site doesn't look like it should
in Netscape Navigator. Rather than waste time
jury-rigging it to look right in a
soon-to-be-obsolete browser, I'll just add the
cliché "This site best viewed with Internet
Explorer."
©2003 Michael
Strickland ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED
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Previously...
3/18:
Ignorant
Idiot Man
3/17:
The
Pirate Queen
3/16:
To
War or Not to War
3/15:
So
Long, Seau
3/14:
Telemarketing
Pays
3/13:
Free,
For Now
3/12:
Chicken
Little Gets Respect
3/11:
Axis
of Evil
3/10:
Writing
Kept Me From Writing
3/9:
King
Arthur
3/8:
The
Women are Smarter
3/7:
Salt
on Old Wounds
3/6:
3/3/03,
3:33 p.m.
3/5:
Beer
Day
3/4:
Pulling
the Trigger
3/3:
Make
'Em Laugh
3/2:
Whither
Iraq?
3/1:
Strickland
Cellars
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