On Sunday (Day Two), I walked around the Ile de la Cite - where Notre Dame is. I had wanted to go in to the church at 5:00 to hear the organ for Sunday mass, but the crowds were too much for me. Thousands of people were swarming around the front of the church - it was amazing! So, instead, I walked around to the back of the church to the Square du Jean XIII. A lovely courtyard-like place with lots of trees and benches (a kissing couple on every one!). The back of Notre Dame is a thousand times more elaborate and ornate than its impressive front; I can't even begin to imagine how this structure was erected - it's incredible! It is from here that you can see the famed flying buttresses - WOW!
I walked along the Seine, which appears to be running very high (no doubt from all the rain). In some places, I had to walk almost against the wall to avoid the waves coming up on to the walkway. The river is swift - I wouldn't want to fall in, that's for sure (though a raft or kayake would be great fun!). I understand that the water is very polluted and dangerous to humans - another good reason to avoid falling in!
I made my way to the tip of Ile de la Cite: The Square du Vert Galant (Henry IV's nickname). Apparently, there used to be a couple of massive century-old weeping willows in this place, but they had to be cut down in 2002 as the potential for them to collapse and cause injury was imminent.
I'm finding it difficult to walk and look around at the same time. There is so much activity on the streets and sidewalks and I have to be vigilant at all times. It's like a dance - moving in and out and around people, avoiding bikes, cars and scooters. The temptation to look around is great because everything is beautiful - just like a postcard - but in order to do this, I think it is necessary to sit somewhere in the fray to observe this incredible place.
I took a picture of Notre Dame and realized that it is impossible to capture the magnificence of Paris adequately. It's not likely that I'll take many photographs on my own - as my family comes to visit I'll want to take pictures of them, instead. Otherwise, the images of these structures will remain only in my mind.
After my tour of this little island, I came back to the apartment and slept for a long time. I've never been so tired! I don't know if it's jet-lag or just being so completely overwhelmed, but I was out like a light! I woke up at about 9:00 or 9:30 and decided to go back out so that I could see the Eiffel Tower lit up. It was raining pretty hard, but it wasn't too cold outside so off I went.
I made my way back to Pont Neuf and had to cross nearly to the other side just to see the top 2/3 of her (not possible to see all of her from this place). At first I could only see the spotlight swiveling around - its powerful beam bouncing off clouds that appeared to be only feet away from the structure. Then, as I kept walking north, I could see the fantastic glittering light display. Like champagne and diamonds spilling down from the tippy-top - so beautiful! I wasn't able to see this the last time I was in Paris, so I was giddy to finally see it - even if I could not see all of it.
This is how my second day ended. Not too bad, I think!
-Shannon
PS - I've been corresponding with several French friends through MySpace over the last nine months or so. In doing so, I've had to greatly modify the way I communicate so that we can understand one another. I find that being here, amongst all french-speaking people, that I have begun to think and write in this manner 100% of the time now. So, if my writing style has changed and my voice seems different, this is why. Sub-consciously, my 'voice' (thoughts, speech, writing, etc.) has been altered and I recognize this as I type these blogs. It's completely out of my control - isn't that strange?
I walked along the Seine, which appears to be running very high (no doubt from all the rain). In some places, I had to walk almost against the wall to avoid the waves coming up on to the walkway. The river is swift - I wouldn't want to fall in, that's for sure (though a raft or kayake would be great fun!). I understand that the water is very polluted and dangerous to humans - another good reason to avoid falling in!
I made my way to the tip of Ile de la Cite: The Square du Vert Galant (Henry IV's nickname). Apparently, there used to be a couple of massive century-old weeping willows in this place, but they had to be cut down in 2002 as the potential for them to collapse and cause injury was imminent.
I'm finding it difficult to walk and look around at the same time. There is so much activity on the streets and sidewalks and I have to be vigilant at all times. It's like a dance - moving in and out and around people, avoiding bikes, cars and scooters. The temptation to look around is great because everything is beautiful - just like a postcard - but in order to do this, I think it is necessary to sit somewhere in the fray to observe this incredible place.
I took a picture of Notre Dame and realized that it is impossible to capture the magnificence of Paris adequately. It's not likely that I'll take many photographs on my own - as my family comes to visit I'll want to take pictures of them, instead. Otherwise, the images of these structures will remain only in my mind.
After my tour of this little island, I came back to the apartment and slept for a long time. I've never been so tired! I don't know if it's jet-lag or just being so completely overwhelmed, but I was out like a light! I woke up at about 9:00 or 9:30 and decided to go back out so that I could see the Eiffel Tower lit up. It was raining pretty hard, but it wasn't too cold outside so off I went.
I made my way back to Pont Neuf and had to cross nearly to the other side just to see the top 2/3 of her (not possible to see all of her from this place). At first I could only see the spotlight swiveling around - its powerful beam bouncing off clouds that appeared to be only feet away from the structure. Then, as I kept walking north, I could see the fantastic glittering light display. Like champagne and diamonds spilling down from the tippy-top - so beautiful! I wasn't able to see this the last time I was in Paris, so I was giddy to finally see it - even if I could not see all of it.
This is how my second day ended. Not too bad, I think!
-Shannon
PS - I've been corresponding with several French friends through MySpace over the last nine months or so. In doing so, I've had to greatly modify the way I communicate so that we can understand one another. I find that being here, amongst all french-speaking people, that I have begun to think and write in this manner 100% of the time now. So, if my writing style has changed and my voice seems different, this is why. Sub-consciously, my 'voice' (thoughts, speech, writing, etc.) has been altered and I recognize this as I type these blogs. It's completely out of my control - isn't that strange?
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1 comments:
You're in Paris?! When did that happen? Je t'aime!
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