The Inaccurate Tourist

30. Dad's View (Guest Writer: Dad)

I've just been working and touring with Mom and Dad during their vacation here, and I've gotten really far behind in the travel logs. To help me catch up, Dad covered a few weeks with some of their favorite sites and photos.

What does everyone come to Paris for?

Naturally! To see where Princess Di got killed.

Or, maybe

We climbed to the 11 floor (walked from the 6th to the 11th) of the La Samaritaine department store. Gold dome to the left is Les Invalides.

When we visited the Pantheon, we climbed 206 steps (ask Elaine) to a view point just below the dome.

The French Senate meets in the Palais du Luxembourg. The Palais is closed to the public, but the gardens are open. It is quite busy, but got a few photos.

In the late 50's Paris decided to build a modern business district. It got its name from a monument for the defence of Paris that stood there. President Francois Mitterand had commisioned a 'La Grand Arche' to affirm the French state as a patron of arts and sciences.

The arche is in alignment with the Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees, and obelisk.

The esplanade has many 20 century sculptures including:

Spent the whole day -- 8 hours -- at the Lourve. Still had to move quickly to see it all. There were antiquities from 3000BC, sculptures, French and Italian paintings, Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and more. It was too much to appreciate in a day, and will go back again.

Musee Carnavalet opened in 1880.

Musee Carnavalet records the history of Paris, from the diggings at Bercy uncovering relics 4000 years old:

through Kings Francois I, Louis XII, Louis XVI (the last French king), the revolution, Napoleon to WW1.

In 1671-76 Louis XIV built army quarters for 4000 men. In 1800 it became an army mausoleum.

1840 Napoleon interred and moved to the present tomb in 1861.

Invalides contains a military hospital, Musee de l'Armée and

Église du Dome (church).

In 1744 Louis XV vowed to to replace the semi-ruined church of the Abby of Ste-Genevieve. It was completed in 1789. In 1791 its function as a church was suspended to 'receive the bodies of great men who died during the period of French liberty'. It became the Pantheon.

The walls are covered with huge paintings, most about the life of Ste-Genevieve.

The crypt runs the full length of the building, included in it are Louis Braille, Victor Hugo, and Pierre and Marie Curie.

All the churches in Paris are very high, big, quite dark, and have lots of stained glass. Most do not have pews, but separate chairs. They all have alcoves with statues (some smaller ones are not filled) or paintings. There are many paintings on the walls as well.

Notre Dame Cathedral was the largest we saw in Paris(130m long, 48m wide and 35m high). By comparison St. Peter's Bascilica in Rome is 214m long and 136m high. Notre Dame is ringed with 37 chapels between the buttresses and seats between 6500 and 10000 (depending on which book you read) people. There are statues around the doors:

and a gallery of 28 kings of Judea above the door. During the french revolution the citizens, who thought the gallery were the kings of France, stormed the church and lopped off their heads. They were buried by a school teacher in his yard and accidentaly recovered in 1977. The heads on the statues are restorations and the plopped ones are in Cluny Musée.

Eglise de St-Sulpice was built as a church for the peasants by the abby of St-Germain-des-Pres.

Place St-Sulpice has a central fountain erected by Visconti in 1844 known as Fontaine des Quatre points Cardineaux after the sculpted portraits of Bosseut, Fenton, Massilion, Flechier as the cardinals who never were.

La Madeleine is a church dedicated to St. Mary Magdelene.

Sainte Chapelle was stated in 1239 and completed 33 months later. The lower story was intended for the palace commoners. the second story for the royalty. The second floor has 16 large stained glass windows telling the stories of the Bible including Genesis, Exodus -- the law of Moses, Christ's Passion.

St. Trinity is one of the smaller churches:

L'Opera Garnier's interior uses multi colored marble from different ares of France. The Grand staircase was the place to be. Parisians went to the opera to be seen as there were as many people in the lobby as watching the show. There were separate entrances for the Emperor, subscribers, and the common folk. During its heyday the 8 ton chandelier was lit by gas and had a chimney. During restoration the chimney was removed and the ceiling was replaced by a Chagall painting. There is a picture of the old ceiling in the archives.

In 1755 Paris aldermen wanting to find favour with Louis XV started a square. In 1792 the royal statues were toppled and in Jan. 1793 a guillotine was installed and used to lop 1343 heads including Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and the Girondins. In 1795 the heads quit rolling, and the square was renamed Place de la Concorde and completed using an imported neutral symbol - the Obelisk.

Took a picture of the obelisk from the steps of the Opera

Pont Alexander III was built for the World Fair along with Grand Palais and Petit Palais (both closed for restoration) and some famous tower. The bridge is steel structure and has ornate decorations.

Hotel de Ville (city hall) is in the center of Paris. The first stone was laid in 1533, but building continued till the 17th century. It's closed to the public except an exibition room. A portugese tile exibition was on.

au revoir et bonjour!

Everybody, thank my Dad. Excellent job, Mom is really going to have to work hard to beat that!

Posted by The Inaccurate Tourist at September 13, 2002 12:00 PM