Notre Dame, Mon Vertige

November 2: Notre Dame would've been far more impressive, if it hadn't been the umpteenth church that we've visited in France. True, graceful flying buttresses propped up the walls, the interior vaulting rose ten stories from the ground, stone saints hugged the walls and pillars, and stained glass windows added color to an interior darkened by a cloudy day. But it followed the same basilica plan of any French cathedral. A choir practice added a few minutes of atmospheric music although stanchions prevented heathens like us from entering the center aisle and approaching the altar.

At least the church is free, so it should be on the agenda of anyone visiting Paris.

The gargoyles kept things interesting with their monstrous grins and contorted poses. They served three purposes:

• Show worshipers what happens to souls trapped between heaven or hell. (I'm not quite sure how this fits into Catholic theology where the afterlife consists of Heaven, Hell or Purgatory and not some wimpy in-between zone.)
• Ward off evil spirits, which I'm sure they do because of their profusion, if nothing else.
• Drain water from the roof. Watch out for vomiting monsters when you walk by the church on a rainy day!

Visiting the Tower

The tower climb costs but our Museum Pass let us in for free after a twenty-minute wait: only a few people are allowed inside at the same time. We climbed a circular staircase with over 400 steps, broken only by a mid-level gift shop.

The top greeted us with panoramic views of the city and close-up views of the stone monsters guarding the facade.

I then realized we were hundreds of feet in the air, standing on a one-foot wide stone walkway that could collapse any time. The surrounding chain-link wire couldn't protect you then. Or what if a terrorist bomb went off below. The fall would take at least a minute before the impact flattened you into a painful pancake.

Dizziness plus exhaustion plus mon vertige (my vertigo) overwhelmed me.

I waited an eternity for Anthony to reach my perch, where I cowered behind a stone pillar and tried not to look toward the ground. He was happily and slowly taking pictures. When he finally arrived, I thrust my camcorder at him with instructions to take videos of the bell, which hid up some rickety wooden stairs. Then I pushed through the masses of people to find the exit and rushed down.

Please Check October Posts

Be sure to occasionally check the October postings listed under the "Blog Archive" category on the right. I've been slowly filling that month in with postings of previous vacation days.

Comments Fixed

If you couldn't put in comments before because of problems, try again. It should work now. However, make sure your popups are enabled, because the comment form appears in a separate window.  If you're still having problems, email me and we'll try to figure out a solution.

Monet at the Grand Palais

October 30: If the Monet paintings are missing from your favorite museum, they're probably at the Monet exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris, which is on until January 24, 2011. This is the first major exposition for the artist in 20 years and pulls together works from museums around the world such as the Heritage in St. Petersburg, Russia; the National Gallery in London; the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; the Orsay in Paris; and even the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Check out the crowds at the entrance.

The half-circle to the right of the black vertical sign on the left have no advanced tickets and are hoping to snag one. The half-circle to the left of the sign are those with advanced tickets for the upcoming half-hour.

The exhibit proved to be stunning for both Anthony, an artist himself, and me, who doesn't think that highly of the splotches known as Impressionist style. Paintings that you could not normally compare  because they were on opposite sides of the world, now hung side-by-side. These included the haystacks, London, Gare San Lazare, Venice, the Japanese bridge at Giverney, and Argenteuil among others. For the first time in decades, you could see how a scene was painted at different times of the day or during different seasons.  Check the link to see the paintings.

Impressions of Paris

October 30: My first glimpse of Paris happened a few days ago when we just arrived from London on Eurostar at Gare du Nord and took the Metro to Gare San Lazare for the train to Bayeux. ("Gare" means train station.) It was like wandering into a film noir set -- everything was dark, dingy and theatrical. London seemed worn but bright and lively. However, the French fetish for saving energy kept many of the station lights turned off, so the 18th-century European architecture and 60s modern details merged into the darkness.

And when we wandered into the cool, cloudy outside, the smell of cigarette smoke assaulted our noses. (France as well as England no longer allows smoking in many buildings.) Many of the smokers seemed barely old enough to have pubic hair but maybe they look so young because I'm so old.

Since this is the first time I'm getting regular Internet access, the entries may seem to come from different dates at first, since I'm trying to catch up on my blog entries.

Paris Apartment

October 30: Our apartment sits in a building that's I'm guessing is from the early 1800s, reachable on the second American floor from a private courtyard up circular wooden stairs.  It measures about 13 by 15 feet, though the 15-foot ceilings and efficient use of space make it feel much larger. The space contains such amenities as a kitchen with dishwasher, microwave, grill and washer/dryer; phone with answering machine and free calls to the U.S. and Europe; computer with Internet access and printer; sleeping loft; small closet; and one bathroom with a shower, wc, sink and heated towel rack. Two electronic security doors keep the residence safe.

Helen, a charming madamoiselle and an agent of the owner, welcomed us and gave us all the details. We even received a plate of fruit with pineapples, kiwi fruits, apples and grapes, and a bottle of 2008 Chateau Cazeau bordeaux.

Aside from the excellent location in the heart of the Marais, a major Jewish, gay, shopping and entertainment district, the apartment excels with a rate of only $100/day for the low season. This is already cheap by American standards, but by Parisian standards, it's a steal.

Check out more pictures and a Google Street View stroll down our street at this link.

Versailles

October 30: Like Disneyland in California, the Versailles palace is over-hyped and overcrowded, but a necessary stop on any visit to Paris. The rooms were carved with intricate details, painted with grand family portraits, and festooned with large chandeliers. But after awhile each of the rooms merged into the other, since all used the same 18th-century decoration. How much gold can you look at before it seems as monotonous as Formica?  (At least Formica comes in different colors.) And after hours of shuffling through crowds of tourists, with nary a seat in site, my reaction to the interior tended toward this:

Eventually, the most memorable parts of the interior became the anime-like creations of Murakami, a Japanese sculptor with a temporary exhibit:

 After an expensive lunch (about $12 for a ham sandwich and a can of Coke Light), we escaped the masses of humanity by exploring the exterior. The landscaping became the more manageable and comprehensible part of the sight. Though Louis 14th created most of the gardens, Marie Antoinette added her own touches, such as a small Norman village where, dressed as a peasant, she could supervise the inhabitants as they grew crops and raised animals. Think an 18th-century version of Disneyland. She even had her own peasant house, complete with billiard room, covered gallery and two living areas:

What's especially refreshing about the gardens is that few of the tourists ventured out to the far corners. We both felt like royalty, strolling by ourselves among the manicured lawns and strategically placed ponds. Though we both took advantage of the respite, Anthony felt more relaxed: