2004 Europe

Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris



June 10 – This morning started off with a city tour of Paris, first stop Notre Dame (above). Notre Dame is on an island in the Seine River. When Paris was a young city this is where the inhabitants would flee when attacked. The island provided a refuge from the invaders. The largest archeological crypt in Europe is under the cathedral. The interior was very dark but I did get some good video. The north rose window is spectacular. The center subject is the Madonna and Child. The 16 inner windows are prophets. In the second circle are 32 kings and ancestors of Christ. In the outer, and narrower, ring are 32 patriarchs and high priests of Israel. The Cathedral is awesome in its detail and design. The gargoyles, figures and other details of the outside façades overwhelmed me. They overload your sense of sight. The use of flying buttresses to eliminate the need for internal columns was a new idea that has stood the test of time. Pun intended.



From there we drove to the Hotel des Invalides. Louis XIV was moved by the sight of his wounded soldiers begging on the streets and in 1671 started building this structure as a hospital for the war wounded. Today it’s probably the best military museum in Europe. The Sun King expanded the small soldier’s church in the complex, dedicated to St. Louis, and the Church of the Dome (below) as it now stands was completed in 1708. In 1840 Prince de Joinville brought Napoleon the First’s ashes from St. Helena and they are interred here. He rests in the inner of 6 coffins all contained in a sarcophagus of red marble from Finland.



Our next stop was the Opera House (below). After an attempt on his life, Napoleon III decided to build a new Opera House and held a competition for the design. Charles Garnier’s design was selected from the 171 entries submitted and construction began in 1861. The design includes some fine sculptures; my favorites are ‘Harmony’ by Charles-Alphonse Gumery and ‘la Danse’ by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux. Harmony is on the top of the building on the right and la Danse is on the first floor façade below Harmony.



Our stop at the Opera included time for lunch so Diana and I went into the Lafayette Gallery to see what we could find. The department store was beautifully decorated. The ceiling and dome look like they should be in a church. We wound up eating at McDonald’s. Lunch in cafes takes so long and we didn’t feel like wasting time waiting for food and the bill. The McDonald’s was right inside this fancy store and in Paris of all places. Who would have known?



After lunch it was back on the bus and out to Versailles. After seeing the copies Peter and Catherine the Great built in St. Petersburg, I wanted to see the original. To be honest, I think Pete and Cathy did a much better job than Louis XIV. Peterhoff was much more impressive to me and the fountains, while not covering as much area, were much more spectacular in Russia. Catherine’s Palace did not have the fountains, but the building itself was more impressive than Versailles. Of course, that’s just one man’s opinion. I’m sure many people would say I was crazy. Versailles started out as a hunting lodge and consisted of only the central building (below). Over the years it was expanded and today it’s huge. Lots of wonderful art and beautifully executed furniture.



In the Mercury Drawing Room there’s a tall clock that is spectacular (below). Antoine Morland made it in 1706. It’s as tall as a grandfather clock but looks more like a table with a clock built into the top. The unique thing is that when it strikes the hour figures of Louis XIV and Fame descend together from a cloud. Is it any wonder Louis had a big head. In general, however, I think the German inlaid wooden furniture in the Russian palaces was superior to what I saw here. To be fair, lots of the original furniture in the Palace at Versailles was lost during the French revolution.



After that it was back to the bus and into Paris for our dinner and evening off.

(c) 2004 Rod Longenberger