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Tom & Judy's European Trip |
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March 2005 |
Paris
Page One
A change of plans
We arrived in Paris 9 hours after our original schedule due to the French transportation strike of Thursday. What went by the wayside was a scheduled lunch at our first Michelin 1 Star restaurant and a cello concert on the left bank. Too bad! We had high expectations for both activities.
Checked into the Hotel Langlois (loved this hotel-12 foot ceilings and huge bathroom) and then decided to head up the hill to Montmartre.
There we settled into a favorite cafe (Chez Eugene) on the very touristy Place du Tertre.
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On a previous visit to Chez Eugene Judy decided to talk the birdies down from the trees. |
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"Ouch!", you say. You Tom, of all people, a peddler of souvenirs in Virginia Beach frequenting a tourist trap like Place du Tertre. Well yes. In defense of Place du Tertre it is a traffic free environment (great for outdoor dining) with tons of character and attractive eye candy. There are a couple of reasonably priced cafes with decent food, great views of the city, "struggling artists" just trying to make a living and a lively street scene. All of that is said under the condition that you avoid it during the maximum tourist hours when the crowds and lines can be horrific. Otherwise we actually like this place, especially when compared to the pedestrian zone of the Latin Quarter on the Left Bank where the food is so-so, the prices are high and the atmosphere is definitely not Parisien.
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To Wish Upon A Bottle
We started back to the hotel via the steps at the Basilique of Sacre Coeur, there at the top, where the view is sublime and spectacular, I stopped her and asked her if she had ever made a wish upon a bottle. She had a puzzled expression and asked for a little more information.
What was called to mind was a conversation from a Christmas Eve a couple of years back. We and Edith, Judy's mother, had just completed unwrapping Christmas gifts (in the Danish tradition of which the Nielsen women certainly qualified). I inquired as to what gift young Judy gave to here mother many years ago. The answer usually revolved around the fact that Dad would lead Judy to the Woolworth's in downtown Troy, NY and they would make a selection there. As with millions of kids worldwide, she selected a perfume. The house brand. Remember what Woolworth's house brand of perfume was? In the dark blue bottle?
"Evening In Paris"
And at that time I had asked Judy what she remembered from years past. She said that as a little girl she would look at the bottle and she would wish to be an actress or a Princess waltzing under the lights of Paris and that the weather was always perfect, the music always grand, the company always her love, and that Paris was always The Dream for her.
And that evening in Paris, on the Sacre Coeur steps, I told her to close her eyes and cup her hands.
"Now open them."
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found it on E-Bay |
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Saturday morning began with a Metro run to the Carrefours store in Saint Denis to pick up some concert tickets for Sunday night. While there we revisited an impressive church. In fact it is the cradle of Gothic architecture.
Basilique de Saint-Denis
A most impressive edifice, big, light and airy, spanning all 3 generations of Gothic architecture, AND it is the Royal Necropolis for most all French Kings. In addition it is built over the crypt from the 6th century - a small admission required. PLUS, the choir is the very first structure designed and built in the "Gothic" style. (The term "Gothic" is a derisive term applied during the Renaissance to compare and contrast the two styles. In fact, during contemporary times the style was known as the "French style" and even "modern architecture". The term has no connection whatsoever with the Gothic tribes.) The top half of the choir was eventually rebuilt in 3rd generation style gothic while the bottom remains first generation. The visitor will be rewarded with other comparisons because the large Narthex (front porch) is Romanesque but with gothic portals and a rose addition. The remaining westwork tower is the result of a bungled job in the restoration of the other one. So poor was the work the tower had to be removed.
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Notre Dame de Paris |
When compared with Notre
Dame the contrast between the 2 churches is striking in 2 respects: the
amount of light, and the amount of visitors within each building. Both
buildings are similar in size, Notre Dame slightly larger, but the difference in
the sense of openness and luminosity is striking. St Denis is in the style
of the 3rd generation, and each generation tried to "open" the space
more than previously with light and color. The feeling of openness is
readily apparent, as is the sense of vertical space. St Denis accents the vertical
with tall columns soaring skyward in an unbroken line whereas Notre Dame's
line is broken in the Arcade level with the transition from circular column to
straight.
In terms of visitors, St Denis is a much more enjoyable experience. Notre Dame can be a very noisy and crowded place with Thousands of visitors within the building at any one time. At the most I have seen but 200 at once in St Denis. It is a quiet environment, good for reflection or study. It is a 5 minute walk from the Metro in a shopping area and on Sunday mornings there is a marche 1/2 block west of the entrance. |
Saint Denis |
| I enjoy viewing the stylistic changes within Gothic architecture as it matured. Notre Dame is a favored place for this for us, not withstanding its crowds. We like to visit between 7 and 8 in the morning before the day begins. It is a building that began in 1160 (1st Generation), was reworked (and modernized) in the 1220's (2nd Generation) and enlarged (transepts with |
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roses) in the 1250's (3rd Generation - Rayonette).It does not show any aspects of the Flamboyant (version 3.1 if you will). It was rehabbed in the 1870's. A curiosity concerning Notre Dame de Paris. The choir is not in a straight line vis a vis the nave. It is canted a degree or two to the north. See if you can spot this quirk. |
Laon
| A superb day trip is to visit and view one of the best and most unaltered 1st Generation cathedrals at Laon. Two hours by car northeast of Paris and just 30-40 minutes northwest of Reims. Situated on the top of a fortress hill, the town and the cathedral sit like a crown. (Google search Laon tourist for websites or visit here). |
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It is known for its luminosity because of the white/beige stone of the area, its extended choir and the open lantern tower at the crossing. Concerts are presented inside on many occasions. |
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A very "cute" feature of the cathedral is the placement of Oxen statuary high on the west towers. The builders wanted to celebrate the work of the oxen during the construction. One other version of the story has it that the oxen mysteriously appeared every morning, did their work, and left for the evening. |
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This is Paris page 1
