The day started with our first group métro ride to the Sainte Chappelle cathedral near Notre Dame. As you may have imagined, most of the cathedrals and churches in France were pretty packed today- but all the more reason to go see cathedrals on this day!
USAC takes le métro
That electricity in the air that I mentioned yesterday? Yeah that was in full force today. Stepping out into the crisp early morning air and the clear sunshine in PARIS sets all of your senses on fire. Just walking down the street I felt myself smiling at every building and finding charm in every person or tree that we passed. Leaving the métro station we walked by Notre Dame- what a sight for sore eyes! It was hard to simply pass by it without stopping to stare; but we were going to Notre Dame afterwards. The Sainte Chappelle was just a block down from Notre Dame but I don't think I ever saw it when I was here in '07. Part of the Sainte Chappelle's draw is that it boasts an impossible "floating ceiling" (given the height of the walls, the weight ceiling, and the fact that the walls are almost entirely made of glass, there is no reason it should be able to hold itself up). The other part of its draw is that it used to house the Holy Relics... you know like the Crown of Thorns and whatnot? Yeah... perfect place to start out Easter Sunday.
Arriving at the Sainte Chappelle
Happy happy happy
Stepping inside- gorgeous no? This ground level chapel was just for the "commoners." They saved all of the really amazing décor and stained glass for the royal/wealthy floor upstairs...
The details here are beautifully preserved
"Hallelujah!" This is the top floor and the floating ceiling- joking aside, there was an almost otherworldly atmosphere in this room
A shot of the stunning windows
The altar where the Holy Relics used to sit
This is the outside doorway for those privileged enough to come worship on this floor
I was feeling so buoyant and joyful leaving this place- exactly how you should feel on Easter! Next, we went through a passageway and found ourselves just next door (still able to look up and see the top of the cathedral) in front of the Palais de Justice (Palace of Justice) of Paris. This was kind of a meet up point for all of the stragglers to make their way out of the cathedral. After standing in line for days for the bathroom here, Aleca and I found ourselves waiting for the rest of the ladies in our group who were just joining us. Wonderful. We killed time by posing in front of the iconic building.
The engravings say "Liberty. Equality. Brotherhood"
As we were walking out of the gate (which is directly behind the photographer in this picture) a guard said to me, "bonnes photos" (nice pictures). Ew!
Onward and upward! Next we headed back the way we came from to... NOTRE DAME! This was the last of our guided walking until after lunch so we talked itinerary and meeting point in front of the cathedral and then we were let loose. I hung with Aleca again and the two of us did our best to push up to where we could get a good look at the face of it. Obviously, it was Easter Sunday- we were able to push up to the front but there was no way we were getting inside today. You should have seen that line!
Ah... there she is
The details... the details...
This is where my high really started to escalate. After a few pictures of the front we sort of naturally drifted over to the left side and strolled casually all the way around the massive building. Walking along the side, we suddenly heard bells. Easter bells. Cathedral bells! (The song from Disney's 'Hunchback' suddenly popped into my head.) I whipped out my trusty Flip camera to capture the moment. We couldn't tell if they were actually the Bells of Notre Dame or of the Sainte Chappelle but it really didn't matter- you should have seen our faces when we heard them.
And it just continued like that: two young girls, walking around sunny, flowery Paris slightly awestruck. Here are a few pics from our walk around Notre Dame~
With the purple flowers behind the cathedral
The back is almost as impressive as the front!
I could thank Aleca a million times for this picture- I think it really captures my pure joy!
I've never seen these before, but apparently there are all kinds of figures walking out of the turret of the cathedral. Pretty neat huh?
And the Seine runs just alongside <3
Notre Dame + flowers = perfection
From the grounds in front of Notre Dame we headed over to the famous Pont Neuf (New Bridge)- the oldest bridge in Paris- to find lunch.
Walking over the Seine on the Pont Neuf.
Now there's a familiar sight! It's Henri IV- the King who gave Pau a place on the map! Amazing to go from strolling past his château in Pau nearly every day to passing a statue of him on Pont Neuf overlooking the Seine in Paris.
Well Aleca and I did find lunch; the perfect lunch, as a matter of fact. Oh yes oh yes... we had crêpes! We found a little hole in the wall place where we bought our crêpes downstair and ate them nearly entirely alone upstairs. Aleca had the classic ham and cheese crêpe and I tried a cheese and grilled vegetables crêpe. We split a Nutella crêpe for dessert. :)
The infamous Parisian crêpe
Our lunch, and our view
After lunch the day only continued to get better. We all met back up under the statue of our good friend Henri IV on Pont Neuf and then took the métro to... the Opéra Garnier!! For those of you who don't know about the famous opera house, this is the same one that inspired the story of the Phantom of the Opera. The plot is based on actual events that happened in and around this opera house. For instance, there are actual catacombs under the city (though not directly under Garnier) where the Phantom supposedly resided; construction was difficult at first because there was a subterranean lake directly beneath the ground of the construction sight; a fire did break out and destroyed a main room of the theatre; the famous chandelier really did fall on the audience during a show and killed at least one person; and a stagehand did fall to his death when his neck got caught in a rope and he lost his footing, thereby hanging himself right there at the opera. Rumors began to circulate that there must be an "opera ghost" at the Garnier as a way to explain these horrible events. And bam- suddenly one of the greatest and darkest love stories in musical theatre was born. I am a huge fan of the Phantom of the Opera musical, film, and the story, and I only got to take a few pictures of the outside of the building in 2007. But today we had tickets to walk around inside- ahh!!
Meeting back at Pont Neuf
Me and the Seine River before heading to the opera house
There it is! Isn't it just gorgeous? This building actually won in an architectural competition when it was first built in 1861
To get into the opera we had to go underground to the "basement." As we were waiting to be let inside, some extraordinary news: the famous theatre room that is typically closed to the public just happened to be open... RIGHT THEN AND THERE. And WE were GOING INSIDE! Hahahaha!!
Waiting in the basement to be let upstairs! We just got the news that we were allowed to see the theatre room- see that smile?
We waited for what seemed like forever and then we were finally marched up ramps and stairs to the ground floor. And as I turned the last corner, my breath caught...
First look as we rounded the corner into the grand entrance hall
This is where people would have hung around showing off their elegance and their money before taking the staircase to find their seats.
I thought I was going to hyperventilate! This place went far beyond my wildest expectations in terms of luxury, exquisite detail, and timelessness. It was like it hadn't aged a bit in over 100 years. I hadn't been moved to tears yet since I said goodbye to Christine, but suddenly I felt my eyes mist over. I felt kind of lame in a way that I would get so worked up over seeing this but something about it just truly captured my spirit. I could have lived in this time.... easily~
And yet, that was nothing compared to the fit I had as we climbed the stairs to find the theatre room. I thought I might have actually been shaking with anticipation as I came across the final door blocking my view of the place. Pulling it out of the way with a trembling hand and a gasp, I almost fell over backwards~
Of course it isn't the original (the original probably shattered to pieces when it fell all those years ago), but it is a rather remarkable replica
Uh uh uh uh uh uh uh
The stage
Wealth beyond imagining
I can't believe this...
I think I spent almost 20 minutes in here trying to find different doors so I could see the room from all angles. It was just so breathtaking and so eerily quiet- a dream come true. I took a video of it because my camera couldn't capture big enough portions of the space given how close I was standing. I made sure to dedicate that video to my sister; the other big Phantom fan in the family. Before leaving I made my way to the front to put my hands on the stage floor and sit in one of those velvet chairs. Bliss.
Randomly a worker came in and announced with an echo that we were not allowed to be in here and had to leave. Whatever- they originally said we could go in and I got to see it good and long before having to leave. This was a rare opportunity we had today; I'm kind of thinking it was meant to be. How could this have been a coincidence?
Thankfully we were still running well on schedule, so we had plenty of time to wander around the grand entrance hall and all the little side rooms. Sitting on the Grand Staircase was the only time I truly got choked up: looking at the staircase and the lobby floor I suddenly saw people twirling around in their suits and ball gowns as "Masquerade" played all around. This is unreal!
Back out in the entrance hall
This would be a little side room off the main hall. Nearly puts Versailles to shame doesn't it? FYI: Opéra Garnier used to be known as Palais Garnier (Garnier Palace), so that explains some of this over-the-top extravagance.
Stepping out of that last hall to the breezeway that runs along the face of the building
Looking over the balcony, Aleca and I found a street band performing on the steps of the opera. It doesn't get much better
Back inside: the Grand Staircase
Phew. What an experience! I felt like I was flying at this point; didn't I tell you this was one of the happiest days of my life? We could have packed up and got on a plane home right then and there and I might not have cared much. I was perfectly satisfied. But the glory of this whole 4-month long experience is that there is always more. :)
Next we headed to Place Vendôme- an octagonal square that was originally built as a monument to the glories of the armies of Louis XIV. It's main influence has changed a few times since the early 18th century and it now features a larger-than-life bronze column and statue of Napoleon I, the original Paris Ritz Hotel, and the original Chanel including Coco's apartments. This was all very neat to see, but true to Paris form it started sprinkling while we were here. At least this time I had my umbrella.
The massive bronze column with Napoleon on top
Lastly (can you believe we aren't done yet?), we all got back on the métro to head to the famous Arc de Triomphe (Triumphal Arch). The arc was built in 1806 to honor those who fought and died in the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. It stands in the center of an étoile (star) with 12 streets meeting at the arc and a 13th street circling it in a huge roundabout. The arc is so big that Charles Godfrey famously flew his biplane THROUGH it in celebration of the end of the hostilities of WWI. Walking out of the métro at the stop for the Arc de Triomphe is fun- you come up the stairs and bam- it's right there in your face! I think I actually laughed out loud when I saw it~
Stepping up out of the métro.... like I am literally at the top of the staircase in this picture
To get to the top of the arc you have to walk a short distance to another underground entrance; this one taking you on a long, claustrophobic walk under the city to the ticket counter. Once you swipe your ticket you are free to climb the 284 spiraling steps to the top. If you do this hike in the summer, the key is to stay calm- while it does seem that you can't breathe and if you were to suddenly have a panic attack there is no way you can push everyone out of your way fast enough in order to get out, there really is air in the stone stairwell. =)
The arc from the other side
Finally we made it to the top and feasted our eyes on some of the very best views in all of Paris: from the top of the Arc de Triomphe one can see nearly every major monument in the city except for the Arc de Triomphe. It's a glorious place to spend some time~
Looking down on the étoile. See that crowd on the Champs-Élysées (the righthand street)? They turned into some sort of military precession while we were up there and marched flags and flowers over to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier that sights right at the base of the arc. We never found out what happened to provoke this show of patriotism.
Oh yes =)
The Sacré Coeur basilica way over in Montmartre
Happy happy happy! (The massive spikes are there to prevent suicides. This was once the hotspot for that activity and it was getting rather out of hand. Now people just use the métro....) =(
Aleca and I sat up there for some time looking out at wonderful Paris in the evening sunshine while other USACers headed back to the hotel. When we finally climed back down there wasn't too much of a crowd. We were able to stop and see the Tomb before the whole area around the base of the arc was closed off by the police. More military ceremony?
The large French flag waving proudly in the center of the arc
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The engraving says, "Here lies a French soldier Dead for the Fatherland. 1914-1918"
Next we meandered along the very crowded Champs-Élysées to head back to the hotel for some kickback time. It was Easter and I had been given an awful lot of Easter chocolate this past week- time to get eatin'! Us roommates celebrated our fabulous day (which was not even close to being over) by cracking open a bottle of fruity hotel-refrigerator-chilled white wine and munching on my Easter chocolates. I forgot to mention that the morning I left Pau, Lionel sent me off with a small baggy of two slices of his sweet bread. I shared those with Aleca as well. Basically, it was the most perfect snack two 20-year old American girls could ever think up on Easter in Paris.
Snack time! Lionel's bread, white wine, Easter chocolates from my family, and my egg from Françoise. =D
And I was very happy about it haha
It was nice to put our feet up and facebook/e-mail for a little while. Randomly, Aleca broke the calm silence with an excited shout. "Oh my gosh!" "What?!" I said. Looking over at her computer I saw a picture of a group of men on a boat, one in military garb. Aleca has told me a little bit about her family, and what I know most about her dad is that he has been deployed out in the open sea for some time now. He hasn't been able to tell his family where he is and while Aleca is one of the toughest young women I've ever met, I can't imagine the strain it must put on someone to know that her father could be floating just off enemy shores day and night. The man in military garb was Aleca's dad, and he was standing with country singer Toby Keith. Her dad is the one who actually sent the picture to Aleca and he sent it with a message saying that Toby dedicated a song in his honor. I wish you could have been there for the few moments after Aleca processed this, I can't really describe it. My take is that she was struck all at once with a mixture of joy, pride, longing, relief, and maybe some other emotions. She said, "that's my dad! He's okay, and he's happy, and Toby dedicated a song to him. We love Toby Keith in my family." She started laughing and from the look on her face and the sound in her voice I stupidly asked her, "are you going to cry?" She didn't answer me but naturally she did. I just remember saying, "oh Aleca!" and leaning in to hug her and be happy with her. Then I went to get her some tissue. I found the whole thing awfully touching, and I don't think there is anything more I could have asked for my friend to receive on this glorious Easter than the news that her dad is doing extraordinarily well. It honestly was a really awesome moment.
Some time later we were feeling hungry for dinner. Neither one of us really wanted to pay for a big, sit-down meal so we walked around and eventually bought sandwiches from a Subway. I know I know, not very original. But at least the menu was pretty unique with flavors and sizes compared to an American subway. I bought the smallest size sandwich being that my stomach was hungry but was also recently filled with wine and chocolate- I didn't have a huge appetite. I expected the sandwich to be reminiscent of a MEAL but I literally ate the thing in four bites... so much for knowing the difference between American and French servings! Apparently I forgot what health-conscious country I was in... The best part about getting Subway for dinner was that the guy who prepared our sandwiches was from the States! I don't remember exactly what area he was from, but he was a born and bred American like the two of us. I got the sense that he had missed speaking english with real Americans; it was just one question after another with him!
We took our food back to our hotel room to eat and get ready for what is honestly the COOLEST THING I'VE EVER DONE. Through random texts sent out to nearly every USACer in Paris, Aleca and I had been invited to meet up with a small group of our friends in front of the Eiffel Tower! It seems that the park between the Tower and Napoleon's military school is more popular at night than it is during the day. After walking to the nearest métro stop, hiking around in the chilly night air to find where we were headed (which really isn't that hard- just look up and follow the Tower!), Aleca and I made it to the base of the now lit-up Eiffel Tower. The park beyond that was covered with couples, families, drunk friends, hippies with guitars, cheesy men trying to sell tourists cheap wine, and American students who came to live the dream. I kid you not: this is one evening out of the past four amazing months that I will remember forever.
We finally made it!
It is something other when it's lit up against the black sky
After finding our group, we sat down and took a load off. Aleca and I brought our bottle of white wine from the hotel and split that between the two of us while kicking back on the damp grass and waiting for the Tower to sparkle every hour. It was kind of the end all be all of this magnificent experience.
Behind us: this gives a better sense of how popular this spot is at night in Paris~
I think the group of us (maybe 15 students) sat, laid, talked, laughed, sang for almost 4 hours. Aleca, Tyler, and I spent maybe an hour of that walking through the little parks that frame the length of this long stretch of grass. They are very beautiful and well-groomed.... but are also used as bathrooms for these late-night crowds. At least everyone made the effort to go out of sight first.
When the Eiffel Tower had sparkled its last 5-minute light show, a few of us walked under the base of the Tower to the main street to find a taxi (the métro closes at 2am and it was about 3a). Once back at the hotel I logged onto Skype to finally wish my family a Happy Easter before going to bed. Now, I think it is only fair to admit that the combination of a half-bottle of wine and staying up until 3a had me a little loopy. Aleca tried futilely to convince me not to talk to my family tonight (for my sake) but I just wouldn't listen to her. It was Easter and I had to wish them a happy one! It turns out she was right: I found out later that I wasn't fooling my parents or Spencer one bit... they knew the state I was in, but they fortunately thought it was hilarious. (Update, months later I am still hearing about this). The kicker to this whole event? When our skype session loaded I noticed that there were 9 people on the screen instead of 4. Our good friends the Davis family just happened to be over right then! Oh shoot me.....
I hope everyone's Easter was as truly glorious and blissful as mine was this year! <3
2 comments:
The opera house is my fav! Happy to read about it
Merci James! This was the best day ever =)
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