APRIL IN PARIS

So here's the thing about April in Paris. It can be exquisite, or it can be cold. Damp, rainy and depressing. Luckily, we walked into the former. The entire city was in full bloom. Tulips, wisteria, daffodils and other colorful flowers, it was perfect. Strolling with good weather, and we made the most of it. 

We were a little groggy the first day because we had a night flight from Heathrow to Charles de Gaulle, and somehow, strangely they managed to misplace one of our bags in a less than one hour, direct flight. Finding the baggage took so long that the gentlemen who were helping us went off duty, and we were left to fend for ourselves. So, by the time we got to the hotel, (which is another story) we were a little exhausted. Usually when we use Gate 1 we get great hotels, centrally located. Not so much this time. Our hotel is located in what had to be a suburb of Paris with transportation connections so complicated and widespread that we could not figure out how to get to Central Paris on the Metro or a bus, or the Metro and a bus or two buses and the Metro. You get the idea. So at the cost of €27 each way, we got an Uber and hit the town.

Our first stop was Notre Dame. We arrived in the mid morning to find a crowd of easily 2,000 people milling about in front of the Cathedral. We did not regard this as a good sign. We had not pre-registered fort tickets, but took advantage of the sign up that was offered online. So the first available viewing was at 3:30 and, to maximize our time, we decided to take a stroll through Luxembourg Gardens. If Central Park, in general, was looking gorgeous in its spring time outfit, Luxembourg Gardens was almost beyond description. It appeared that every office worker in Paris has left work early for lunch and was now basking in the Gardens, and they were magnificent. The photos are really the best way to understand what we were looking at.

The flowers,...

the people strolling through the Luxembourg Gardens or sitting,...

more strollers and flowers,...

and finally the children sailing the rental boats in the artificial pond made this a special day for everyone to enjoy.

The boats can be rented and are solely powered by the wind and when it reaches the edge are launched again by a stick (as seen in the photo above).

Each sailboat has the flag and colors of a different country (a great way to teach the children about the different country's flags).

This woman appeared to be an "influencer", who was standing on the stone bench posing for someone taking her picture (or just someone posing for her boyfriend). Note the incongruity of the shoes versus the rest of her outfit.

Finally more beautiful flowers in a colrhul arrangement as we left the Garden.

We had lunch in a charming little Café in the Gardens. I don't know how the French do it. Usually if you go to a park or street side vendor in the states, the food you get is marginal at best. The food at this tiny little Café was absolutely superb. I finally got French onion soup that tasted like French onion soup should taste, and quiche that was at least 3 inches high and also was very tasty. It was a very satisfying afternoon from our eyeballs to our taste buds.

After a stroll we wandered back to Notre Dame and got in line. They must move at least 500 people through the Cathedral every 20 to 30 minutes. It is so huge that you were aware of being in crowds, but not so crowded that you couldn't observe all of the beautiful artwork and architecture. We've been to Notre Dame several times before the fire, and it is remarkable. Truly remarkable. How did they manage to resurrect the Cathedral in about five years. Not only did they restore it but, just by dint of their refurbishment, the whole Cathedral is now so much brighter, so much lighter than it was in the past, and that makes the stained glass look even more luminescent. It was crowded enough that, with my diminished eyesight, I felt the need to hold on to the back of Michael's down vest, fearing that separation would be a permanent separation rather than a momentary event.

A close up of the exterior of the rose window,...

and the upper facade of Notre Dame.

You can see the scaffolding behind these columns where work is still continuing on the restoration.

A stone statue of Joan of Arc on the exterior facade.

Another photo which shows there is still a lot of scaffolding and work to complete the restoration.

These musicians were performing near the entrance to the Cathedral "parvis".

This statue of Charlemagne is to the left in front of the Cathedral.

This photo gives you a slight idea of the height and length as you enter Notre Dame, but cannot do justice to the actual experience. The walls are 147 feet tall, while the narrowness of the Cathedral gives the effect of being even taller.

The stained glass windows were spectacular, with some dating to the 13th century.

Four carved angels look down on the congregants from above.

Wooden panels on either side depict scenes from the life of Christ,...

and are on either side of the Cathedral.

The ceiling, paintings and stained glass of the side altars are in contrast to the walls of the Cathedral, particularly at the narthex.

More wooden panels depicting scenes from the life of Christ.

Anyone from Mexico will recognize this immediately as Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The magnificent rose window at the west end of the Cathedral,..

and a close up of the window.

Another example of the colorful side altars in the Cathedral. There are 29 side chapels in Notre Dame Cathedral.

 

Another view of the four angels framed by the columns and arch.

Several saints are honored in the side chapel, among them St. Eligius, the patron saint of goldsmiths, blacksmiths, metal workers, horses, taxi drivers and mechanics. Quite a bit for one saint.

This side chapel honors the Catholic Church in China.

An example of one of the colorful paintings in one of the side chapels.

An external shot of the Cathedral with the crowds milling around.

This monument to Jean Baptiste de Belloy was erected by Napoleon to honor this Cardinal of the Church.

This reliquary was created to hold the crown of thorns of Jesus. Louis IX (St. Louis) purchased the crown of thorns from an emperor of the East (Baldwin II of Courtenay). This was one of the many important relics rescued during the fire.

This is a sculpture of Joseph of Arimathea placing Christ in the sepulcher.

Ornate wood carvings in the foreground are part of the choir stalls from the 18th century with the pipes of the organ in the background. There are 8,000 pipes in all spread across five keyboards. The acoustics of Notre Dame are particularly suited to both organ and choral music.

For the first week and a half of our trip the temperatures were really unseasonably warm for early April. We would start out with a light jacket, but by mid-afternoon it would be in the 70's and totally beautiful.

Our next stop will be Belgium.