Paris: Day Two

Yesterday evening I returned from a six-day trip to Paris. Ihad hoped to post some blog entries while there, but when I did haveInternet access, I opted for sleep—which my roomie in a tiny space probablyappreciated.

The rose window at Sainte Chapelle is flanked by entire walls of stained glass. Here the viewer can see one panel on each side— two of a total of twelve that tell the entire Bible story.

We had a booked schedule—and a wonderful time. Six of usshared a flat rather than get hotel rooms. Each group of two took a nightof dinner preparation, so we lived inParis rather than merely visiting. We grocery-shopped daily, took the metro toand from our work and touring, and lived without the services of a concierge.That setup also allowed for great fellowship around the table each evening aswe debriefed about our days.

We left Monday evening and arrived Tuesday ("day two"). That afternoon,we took a walking tour of part of the city. I loved seeing La Sainte-Chapelle (“The Holy Chapel”), a royal medieval Gothicchapel in the heart of Paris that broke ground around AD 1239 and was consecrated nine years later. King Louis IX had it built to house his collection of PassionRelics, including what some believe to be Christ’s crown of thorns.

The first floor waslovely. And I thought that was it. Then I ascended stairs to the chapel—whichtook away my breath. Although a large partof the church is being restored (we ran into that a lot as we visited during the “off”season), the room still provided a dazzling display of light and color. Rebels damaged the place during the French revolution, but the chapel was restored twocenturies ago. It has one of the world’s most extensive in-situ collectionsof 13th-century stained glass. 

Chimeras watch people and Paris from atop Notre Dame Cathedral.

We also went to Saint Severin's, which has lots of gargoyles. Next, three of us ascended the bell-tower stairs at NotreDame (“Our Lady”) Cathedral. I’d been reading The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which I finished on the flight home.(I also got to see the exterior of the home of the book’s author, VictorHugo—also famous for writing Les Mis).Though the author bogs down early with entire chapters devoted to facts thathave nothing to do with the plot, he crafts a riveting second-half-of-the-book,which beautifully captures the political history, the danger of religiouscorruption, and the heart of our God for humility, compassion, and justice.

Atop the tower, I learned the difference between gargoyles(drain pipes with grotesque figures) and

chimeras (animal and human figures, half-humand and half-beast). Whereas the Milan and Florencecathedrals had angels and crosses on top, this one had bizarre, fantastic, sometimes horrific mythicalcreatures. One was gnawing on what looked like a human leg. These decorations look down on the people and the city and remind viewers that all creatures are God's work. I agree with the premise, but I'm glad they felt no need to include roaches and spiders.

The bells started ringing while we stood up there—something theydo on the quarter-hour. Inside we heard singing.

Across the street, we browsed Shakespeare and Companybookstore. While I was sitting outside munching on a granola bar and bemoaningthe fact that we had gloomy weather, the sun suddenly lit up the cathedral.

That evening my second cousin, who lives with her husband in Paris, hosted me for a lovely mini-bus-tour of the city followed by dinner and fellowship in their flat. A glorious day!