Day 5 Monday August 30th
We
do windows
The good news is, Paris is seeing to it that the
stunning historical stained glass windows of Ste-Chapelle are being
restored.
So………. we did not have that same
take-your-breath-away moment when we came out into the upper level chapel as we
did the last time we visited. This
because the altar and apse were hidden behind large drapes while the workers
did their thing. But it was still a
wonderful visit, and we are very grateful that the stunning historical stained
glass windows are being restored. There
was a large string of billboards erected along the walk into the cathedral
explaining the meticulous and exacting work involved with the restoration. Very interesting to read.
Here is a link to history and pictures of
Ste-Chapelle for your reading and viewing enjoyment. If you ever visit Paris, Ste-Chapelle should
be on your ‘must see’ list.
Really
old stuff
The good Lord must have followed us out of
Ste-Chapelle, because we had one of our several wrong-turn-becomes-good-thing
events happen after that. We were
headed, don’t recall where, but discovered we had made a wrong turn. As we made an about face to retrace our
steps, Jane noticed that we were right beside the little cathedral garden with
the beautiful ceramic tiled wall that we discovered during our last trip. The tile work is simply beautiful! When we found it on our last trip, we
couldn’t remember where it was, so finding it this time was serendipitous.
Below are some pictures of the garden's beautiful tiled wall.
During our last visit we did not take the time to
visit the cathedral associated with this little tiled garden, but we remedied
it this time by strolling around inside what turned out to be St- Germain des
Pres, one of the oldest existing cathedrals in Paris, with initial construction
beginning in 555 a.d. I mean geez,
anything over 100 years is considered old in America, right? And here we’re seeing something that’s been
around since the 6th century.
Chris never seems to get used to that.
Below are pictures we took inside and outside St-Germain des Pres.
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| The candle in the center back is one Jane lit in honor of her friend Mary's mom. |
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| As I look at a building this old, I can't but wonder what the street scene was like across the centuries. If I could see them, I think I'd find myself glad to be visiting during the 21st century..... |
Moyen
Aged – sounds so much better, n’est pas?
After our visit to
St-Germain, we decided to visit Musee de Cluny, Paris’s Musee des Moyen Ages,
or National Museum of the Middle Ages (From now on, Chris is just going to tell
folks she’s moyen aged. It has a certain je ne ce qui, non?).
Here are some pictures of the courtyard. There is a very cool whatzit on top of the well behind Jane. Not sure what it is, but it's very cool.
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| Another angle of the whatzit. |
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| This is a large (maybe 5 ft. tall at center) wooden tryptich with masterfully painted hinged doors on either side. |
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| A detail from the tryptich above. |
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| Wooden painted carving of Christ - remember these things are many centuries old. |
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| More wooden life sized carvings |
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| I wish I could have captured these in better detail. Note the singing angels above Christ. |
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| This is a detail from another tryptich that shows Christ's circumcision - not a scene I've seen depicted before that I can remember. |
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| I just thought she was beautiful. Again, this is painted wood. |
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| This whole scene was very large and ornate, guilded and amazingly well preserved. |
Another highlight of the musee is the set of six
tapestries of The Lady and the Unicorn.
Stunning even for those who are not particularly into the textile
arts.
Among the items in the section devoted to warfare,
hunting and tournaments are pieces of ancient armor as well as a book for
knights on fighting techniques. Since
most people were illiterate back then, the book uses hand-drawn colored
pictures of the moves, rather than words, to train the would-be knights.
The musee’s building was also once home to a Roman
bath. We didn’t get much chance to visit
that part because it was under renovation.
But again – Roman! Older ‘n the
hills, in other words. Amazing.
Chris, for one, puts Musee de Cluny on the
‘do-not-miss’ list for any Parisian visit.
En Fraincais:
En Anglais:
Can
I have your autograph?
After so much history, we decided it was high time
for wine and had a drink at Les Deux Magots which was made famous back in the
day by being a favorite watering hole for such folks as Hemmingway and his
ilk.
On our way back home via the always hoppin’
St-Michele fountain, we were approached by two handsome and smiling young men
who asked if we’d please use their green magic marker to sign our names on
their bare skin. Well hey, that being
the best offer either of us had received all day, we of course replied with a
resounding, ‘Porquis pas?’ Jane went
first, signing her Jane Henry on their necks.
Chris, not to be outdone, got the bellies. : - )
We can only imagine it was a fun contest to see who
could entice the most ladies to sign up – or sign on.
I leave day 5 with a couple of pictures of the iconic art nouveau styled Paris Metro entrance gates. I want one for my yard!
