Paris in July: Notre Dame -- Good News

None of us who love Paris will forget the tragic fire that took down much of the famed church, including its elegant spire.

When that fell, live on television, people standing, watching the television in the restaurant we were eating collectively gasped.

And even more wondered -- what happens next?

After the fall, there was much discussion. Could the church be saved? (Quite possibly, with much work and expense.)

Were most of the treasures removed? (Yes, including the remarkable Rose Window.)

Would the spire be rebuilt as it was or would a new, more contemporary design take its place?

That question was up for grabs until just recently.

 There is good reason to rejoice. Restoration work is underway and the spire will be replaced.

It will take a long while. But it will be done.

Thinking of Notre Dame

About ten years ago this spring I made my first visit to Paris. My friend Jerry then lived in the Marais, just a short walk from Notre Dame and it was one of the first things we visited.

We walked to the square outside the cathedral where we fed the birds on pain au raisin, the birds coming to take the bits of sweet bread from our fingertips.

Jerry had been to and by this site many times before but as I stood in that square in front of it, I felt so very small, in awe of the majesty and beauty of this glorious architecture, one of France's most identifiable structures. A symbol.

The inside was just as beautiful. We listened to the magnificent organ...

... and walked down the aisle, through the various side rooms.

We admired the art, the statuary.

It was glorious.

And equally glorious from the exterior with its flying buttresses...

...and early spring blooms.

It took my breath away.

And of course, we returned at night.

Seven years ago, I returned to Paris, this time with Rick. We went first to Notre Dame -- a cold, wet, rainy mid-April day. Perhaps this very day. It was a shelter from the weather.

And again, we wandered, noticing the magnificent stained glass...

The Crown of Thorns...

...the relief carvings...

...more statues...

...the candles.

All beautiful.

 And once again, we felt so small.

Even then, the cathedral was under renovation.

I never would have imagined that perhaps it was the renovation that this week destroyed a major portion of this architectural treasure.

Notre Dame may be a Roman Catholic church but it is more than that. It is the center of Paris, from which all points are measured. It is an icon for those of all faiths and even for those of little or no faith but who love beauty, history, strength. It has survived revolutions and wars and welcomed people for centuries.

Like many of you, my  heart broke a bit as I watched the television coverage of the fire that consumed Notre Dame, Paris' treasure. A group of us were at a restaurant and the television was on CNN -- a number of people simply stood in front of the television, shocked and saddned.

And like many of you, I remembered my earlier visits with gratitude.

To rebuild the damaged parts of Notre Dame will be at an astronomical cost. But somehow, I think there are people and organizations around the world who will contribute generously, whether they have visited or not. I hope so.

A garden grows outside Notre Dame. When I visited the first time the spring flowers were in bloom.

I hope they will bloom this year and bring some color to the charred structure built so long ago. As for the light of candles...

....well, we may all well want to light a candle for Notre Dame.

And trust that this venerable place of worship will be protected...

...and that the light will return.

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Saying Goodbye to Paris

(Jeanie is off-blog for a few days, so if I don't respond to your comments right away, that's why. Meanwhile, The Gypsy is home, missing his mum!)

It was hard to say goodbye to Paris. I didn't particularly want to leave.

Yes, I was homesick for Rick, because he was missing this experience, this place he would love. (And from what I saw, I wouldn't argue with anyone that Paris is the most romantic city in the world!)

And I hadn't held an orange furball for nearly two weeks. This is a cat who takes it personally if you don't hold him, pet him, feed him or love him whenever you and he are together.

But it was hard to leave.

I mentioned in a previous post about Jerry's button box. Jerry clearly understands the importance of buttons and ribbon. And he has the stash to prove it.

He knows how old it is (and some was pretty old!), where it came from, the story behind it.

In other words, it took us awhile to go through this stuff and I loved every minute of it!

Above you've been seeing the ribbon, stashed in a banana box. He had a box of buttons the same size, and just as full. I don't have a photo of the whole button box. But these are some of the treasures he gave me!

Well, you saw the photos of the Musee d'Orsay -- I did that on my last day, and as you may recall, I didn't go to the Louvre. Actually, that's not quite so. I didn't go inside the Louvre, but on my final evening, I got to enjoy it to the max. (All these photos are fuzzy. Bad light, no tripod.)

Our plans for the final evening's progressive picnic were delayed by yet another batch of repeated negotiations with Air France. This week I will mail my angry letter. It has taken me about a month to calm down -- and it wasn't just at the top of the trip, either. It was the little things -- like issuing two return-home tickets for different days, putting the wrong name on the ticket so it didn't match the passport, and a cancellation on the way home.

But I digress. The Louvre.
So, we took off on the 72 Red bus and arrived at the museum at twilight. We missed the sunset where you get to look through the Petit Trianon and see the Arch de Triomphe beyond. In what may be the fuzziest photo of the trip is my memory of that!

When you turned around, you saw this -- the famed pyramid...

We had our wine, cheese, bread, apricots and nuts by the reflecting pool...

And I loved the juxtaposition of the old and the new.

The plaza was filled with people, and it was fun to enjoy this sheltered nook of Paris, sharing it with others.

Then we walked over one of only two foot-traffic only bridges over the Seine. That, too, was packed with young people, a bit of which you can make out on the photo below.

I couldn't help but think of how much our art kid Greg would have loved all of this. Paris rocked! And oh, Paris at night IS beautiful.

We saw the Concergerie -- where Marie Antoinette and many others were imprisoned, which looked lovely by night.

Then it was back to the plaza outside Notre Dame, to continue the picnic! It was another hopping place!

The church with the evening lighting was truly something to behold.

The next morning I learned my flight was cancelled and I'd be catching a later one, but still opted to get to the airport early. We stopped at my favorite boulangerie for a final bit of bread and some cookies to bring home, went to the money changer and walked to the train. Fortunately Jerry came with me! Otherwise, I'd still be walking around Paris with too much luggage.

As we arrived at Air France's terminal, I saw this sign. Let's just say the airport did NOT live up to the promise of the brand.

Ultimately, I was ticketed, baggage checked and said farewell to Jerry. He was an amazing host and a good friend. I'm hopeful he'll find a new apartment in Paris so he can stay in this city. He belongs there.

My return ticket was business class, so waiting in the lounge wasn't bad at all! I left on the day Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson died. CNN was abuzz in multiple languages!

This lounge certainly beat waiting in the general terminal! Free wine, sandwiches, magazines, computer... you name it!

The flight home was grand -- business class does spoil a person! And it was mighty fine to be home once again.

A personal note -- I want to thank all of you for hanging with me during my Paris posts! For me, it was a fun way to revisit my trip. For others -- well, I remember when I was a kid and my aunt and uncle went to Europe. They showed us their slides. All of their slides. I think I grew two inches during that showing.

AND, I want to thank those of you who are new to The Marmelade Gypsy for stopping by and coming back! I've enjoyed visiting your blogs in return!

So, I appreciate all the wonderful comments and kind words and your coming back day after day!

Things I Learned:

Just one. Paris is wonderful in every way, from the attractions to the cafes, the boulangeries to the Seine, the people to the Metro and ever so much more. And Heather was right -- that bread is to die for! And yes, someday I will return.