There are two reasons why Paris is called the City of lights. One refers to the literal lights that adorn the French capital and the other most significant reason is metaphorical. Paris was indeed the city that ushered in the era of enlightenment and brought forth the light of knowledge and cognisance to the dark world of the middle ages and hence given birth to the modern world as we know it today. Thereby Paris is the only city in the world that could be called The city of Light or La Ville-Lumiere as the French call it.
Paris was the one city more than any other i was looking forward to visiting on this trip. It was the one city whose ideals and principals were similar to mine.I had waited with bated breath for the day i would go to Paris in the same way a pilgrim waits for his pilgrimage. And finally after much anxiety and wait the day finally came.
November 21, 2009, Saturday
Day 1 : The Tower and the Church
The ascent of the plane over the blanket of clouds brought the view of the rising sun. It shone bright orange as if it had never been obscured at all. The plane soared through the early morning sky and finally made it to the Charles de Gaulle airport at Paris. As i got down the air was filled with the scent of autumn and expectations.
The first impression one got of Paris was that of a very cosmopolitan city. Of course there were tourists armed with maps from virtually every corner of the world but there was also a sizable African population in the city. The French had ruled over a major part of Africa and unlike the English and other powers had a very close relationship with their colonized people as the French believed in not just 'ruling' their colonies but assimilating them into the French way of life.The colonized people not only inherited the French language and laws but also French culture and sensibilities. This synthesis was very strong and led to the creation of an extensive Francophone commonwealth and as a result you see a lot of African people from the former colonies in the French capital with African appearance but distinctly French sensibility.This cross-synthesis was just fascinating to watch.
As I got ready to explore the city the first stop was the monument that symbolized the city for many.
The Eiffel Tower they say was more despised than loved during its early days. The famous French writer Guy de Maupassant even went onto say when asked if he would visit the tower that he would certainly visit it as it was the only place in Paris where this hideous tower wont be visible to him! As I walk up the steps of the Palace Chaillot i see why it faced so much resistance. Paris is a very flat city with great neo-classical buildings all around with a pattern of beige exterior and blue roof tops. The pattern is broken only by Gustave Eiffel's tower. This thin ,wiry almost skeletal thing pokes into the sky almost mocking at the buildings around. However Parisians soon saw the beauty of this metal monster and soon took a liking to it and now it is the emblem of Paris if not France. As one French minister at the time exclaimed, the spiralling tower symbolises the facts that 'humanity gravitates towards ascension'. What a beautiful thought indeed.
Its an open secret in Paris that the best view of the Eiffel tower is from the palace Chaillot balcony. Since its built on top of a natural hill it gives a unique vantage point for viewing the tower. Even Hitler knew about this vantage point as he headed straight to it when his German army had conquered the city during WWII. Alas thats where his tryst with the tower ended as the lifts were down the day he visited and the little man could not summon his energy to try the stairs and all he got to do was pose in front of the tower from the Palais chaillot balcony. I wanted to go a notch higher than Hitler and try going to the top of the tower.
As i got down from the Palais Chillot balcony the splendid fountains of the 'Jardin de Trocadero' came into view. The waters gleaming from the fountains provided a soothing music to the ears. As i advanced down the garden the tower seemed to be growing bigger with each step and finally as i crossed the Pont d'Iena the tower came into full view. You actually have to stand underneath the tower to comprehend how big it actually is. It almost occupies the size of a small football field! As with any weekend morning it was full with tourists. As all tourists i did the most touristy thing to do in Paris - go to the top of the tower.
However it was not as easy. The line for the top had snaked several times around the foot of the tower and reminded me of the queues we are used to back in India with cricket matches. Indeed it took me a good two hours to finally get to the lift at the base of one of the foots. As i stood in the queue a bunch of American teenage girls had come to stand behind me and were constantly blabbering about their love life. I was having a hard time deciding which was more annoying - the queue or the blabbering of these girls. Anyway the couple of hours easily sped by as i took in the splendid view of the surrounding area on offer.
As the lift pulled us to the top of the tower, the city seemed to spread all around us. At first it was area surrounding the tower and then a bit further and finally when we reached the top we could see almost the whole of the city. The view from the top was simply exhilarating. You can almost see all of Paris' attractions from there. The tower also had a restaurant inside interestingly called 'Jules Verne' which people say is one of the most sought after restaurants in the world and need a prior appointment sometimes months in advance. The tower also has some souvenir shops. While the view from the top is great i focused on the area immediately surrounding the tower.
People generally appreciate the tower and forget its immediate surrounding which is equally stunning. At one end of the tower there is the beautiful Palais Chaillot and the Trocedero Gardens as described earlier and on the opposite side the beautiful Champs des Mars garden is laid out. The Champs des Mars garden has a peace memorial at its entrance which is ironic as the garden in fact is named after the roman God of war - Mars! The naming of the garden is due to the formidable Ecole Millitaire building in front of it. Ecole Millitaire is one of the oldest military schools in the world boasting of alumnus such as Napoleon who by the way completed his two year course at the school in just one year - a sure sign of his future greatness i guess.
Talking about Napoleon he is buried quite close to the Ecole Millitaire, in the resplendent ambiance of the Les Invalides. The Invalides is basically a place for injured soldiers and also serves as a war museum. What better place to bury a man who lived all his life fighting wars. His tomb like the man himself is a bit different. He is laid inside the gold plated dome of the main building with successive layers of the rarest of wooden caskets. What do they say about little men with huge egos!
As i navigated through the heart of Paris i reached what is the real historic centre- the island in between the curving Siene river called Ile de la Cite. This island is where everything started and the city of paris was founded as a Roman outpost in the first century BC. The island has some magnificent buildings but the real attraction is the Notre Dame Cathedral. This Cathedral which took 200 years in the making is a curious mixture of Gothic and French architectural styles. While the towering spire owes itself to the Gothic style, the unique and revolutionary flying buttresses on the sides is typically french - very creative and very aesthetic. This cathedral created quite a stir during its times and was revolutionary too as it became a sort of template for churches around the world which were mostly Gothic in nature up until then. Hence it is sometimes called the mother of all modern cathedrals.
The inside of the cathedral is filled with beautifully carved statues and chapels and the real highlight are the rose tinted glasses adorning the upper echelons. Sadly since the sun was not shining i could not see the real splendor of these glasses. They were awesome nevertheless. As i looked into the alter it reminded me once again of Napoleon who was crowned here , in fact he crowned himself as legend goes that he deemed even the pope - the usual 'crowner' of kings - not worthy enough to crown him and did the honor himself!
As evening engulfed the city i had just enough time to go across the street from Notre Dame and visit the Palais de Justice which was in medieval times was used to dispense justice to the citizens of the city. The building was typical of medieval French architecture with a prominent blue colored dome. What was most impressive were the gates which were huge and gold plated. The gates of justice indeed i thought.
November 22, 2009, Sunday
Day 2 : Tracing the Axe Historique
Every European city they say has a historic axis, a line that cuts through the heart of the city around which history , architecture and culture revolve. Some are prominent while others are not. Paris of all European cities has a very prominent historic axis or as they say in French Axe Historique. It was this Axe Historique that i was about to explore on the second day of the trip. And this axis starts at the greatest museum in the world.
The Louvre is by far the greatest art museum in the world. It is the kind of place every lover of art dreams of. As i sat in the metro heading for the museum the rumbling of the metro wheels seemed to echo the rumbling in my heart. It almost seemed surreal as i got off and started to enter the premises of the Louvre. The waking sun was beaming down on the magnificent Louvre. As i entered its glorious courtyard - the Cour Napoleon or the Napoleon court - the entire setting just got me hooked. The gigantic glass pyramid in the center was gleaning in the early morning sunlight. The glass pyramid like the Eiffel tower a century ago has come under a lot of criticism. But after 20 years of existence it has become an integral part of the Parisian landscape.
The real beauty of the glass pyramid is not above but below ground. As i entered through the spiralled steps inside the pyramid the entire lobby of the museum came into view. For a 800 year old former palace the lobby looked very modern. As the architect of the pyramid IM Pei explained nothing above ground could match the palace hence he decided to elaborate below the ground. The lobby had three distinct entrances for each of the three wings. I headed straight for the Denon wing as i knew that was were all the show stoppers were present.
The Denon wing started with a slew of Greece sculptures and led the way to the magnificent stair case of Winged victory. This must be one of the most sensational entrances to any building anywhere. As i stood at the foot of the staircase the view was awe inspiring. Beautifully crafted stairs climbed up to the headless statue of the winged Greek Goddess Victory. It was a hair raising experience as i could feel the goose bumps on my skin. The statue was created in the 2nd century BC and is a great example of Greek art. Winged Victory as the statue is famously known is in fact the first of the famed three great ladies of Louvre, the other two being Mona Lisa and the statue of Venus de Milo.
The Louvre can be quite intimidating for a first time visitor so it was important for me to get my positional bearings right. Once i reached the staircase of Winged victory i knew i had the map of the Denon wing covered as before coming i had studied the map of the Louvre and the staircase was an important guidance point for me. I swiftly moved across the corridor and entered the famed Grand gallery. The gallery almost seemed to vanish into infinity like one of the paintings of the many renaissance Italian masters it adorns. It was a truly awesome sight. The walls on either side were dedicated to Italian masters chiefly Leonardo da vinci mainly of the renaissance period. The theme of all the paintings was religious and specifically dealt with Mary and Jesus at various stages of the New testament. It was simply unbelievable for me to be striding along this famed gallery and looking at all these pieces of art.
At about midway through the Grand gallery there are couple of small entrances that led me to the most precious possession of the Louvre - the Mona Lisa. The room that housed the Mona Lisa seemed to be an odd place for me to house the famed painting. The walls of the room were filled with huge paintings and the Mona Lisa seemed rather small in comparision. In fact the painting right opposite to the Mona Lisa is the famous 'Wedding feast at Cana' painting which is probably the largest painting in the museum covering the entire area of the wall. Still the Mona Lisa looked as beautiful as ever and kept me guessing whether she was smiling or not.
From the room of the Mona Lisa i navigated to few more rooms which were adorned with the paintings of French artists chiefly Jacques Louis David and housed some really famous paintings. As i did not have enough time i was quickly rushing past most of these beautiful paintings and felt a pang of guilt as i felt i was insulting these great works of art by not giving them a proper audience.
As i finished touring the Denon wing it was time to go to the Sully wing to catch the last of the great ladies of Louvre - the statue of Venus de Milo. As i headed down, the area had already got very crowded in front of the famed statue. The statue was from 2nd century BC and was devoid of any hands or ornaments. Still it looked so magnificent that one just kept staring at her in amazement. It might be true that the Greek Gods were more powerful than the Godesses but the Godesses it seemed had got all the statues!
I then moved onto the Richelieu wing and was instantly smitten by the slew of Greek statues present there. As i had great fascination for Greek antiquity seeing all these great pieces of art was making my day. Each statue demanded instant attention from me and i had to persuade myself to part company after a glance or two. Then i went into the famed Napoleon apartments which is the only part of the museum that still seemed 'royal' as it housed the apartment of Napoleon and is a testament to the luxury and opulence of that time. I quickly breezed through the Egyptian and Mesopotamian sections of the Louvre and finally convinced myself that i had seen enough and prepared to leave.
As i exited the Louvre i was onto the Axe Historique again. The next stop on the axis was the Arc des Carousel built by Napoleon to commemorate his military victories. From the Carousal the axis opened into the beautiful Jardin des Tuileries or the Tuileries gardens. It was not the best time for gardens in Paris but the Tuileries with their unique arrangement and famed statues was instantly likable. The fountain in the middle was surrounded by hundreds of pigeons which gave the place a very serene feel. Moving on from the gardens the axis led me to the historic, famous and infamous square of the Place de la Concorde.
Before the revolution the Place de la Concorde had the statue of the Equestrian king Louis XV. However with all other things in Paris it completely changed after the revolution. During the revolution the people became judge , jury and executioner and the square became the epicenter of the revolution and had the infamous Guillotine placed instead of the statue and thousands of people were executed here. The foundations of the revolution were indeed soaked in blood - lots of it. Legend has it that the square became so much soaked in blood that cattle refused to pass over its surface. Both the King and Queen were Guillotined here , also even some revolutionaries such as Danton, Charlotte Cordey and Robespierre were executed here. The revolutionaries wanted equality both in life as well as death too. Just remembering those times sent a chill though my bones. However after the revolution the Guillotine has been replaced by an ancient Obelisk from Egypt by Napoleon.
The fascinating Obelisk at the Place de la Concorde is the oldest monument in paris - its about 3000 years old and formerly stood at the banks of Nile in Thebes in Egypt. The story of its arrival is equally fascinating. Before Napoleon embarked on his conquest of Egypt, his wife Josephine in one of those utterances that should go down in the all time list of naive statements seemed to have asked Napoleon to bring her a little obelisk if he ever went to Thebes. So when a queen wants an obelisk she will get an obelisk. As a result the magnificent obelisk sits atop the Place de la Concorde overlooking the Axe Historique.
To the north of the Place de la Concorde there is the famed Crillon Hotel which is one of those ultra expensive hotels where you probably cannot afford to stay if you have to ask how much. The hotel has a bit of history too. The last queen of France Marie Antoinette it seems played cards there during her leisure and the Nazis set up their head quarters there when they occupied Paris during WWII.
The Place de la Concorde opens into the famous avenue , Champs Elysees . Named after the mythical Greek heaven where the immortal stayed it extends the Axe Historique. The Avenue is filled with various shops and is a delightful place if you are quite into shopping. It is adorned by some of the biggest brands in the fashion industry. Strolling through the avenue i remembered that Paris was also the fashion capital of the world.
Strolling through the Champs Elysees i came across various intersecting roads that were named after various French presidents, war heroes and even US Presidents and British Prime ministers. Interestingly not even one was named after any French King or queen or any religious leader. This was a pleasant discovery for me and made me realize that France unlike most other European countries i had toured was a republic. Indeed it can claim to be the mother of all republics and this republican tradition is reflected in the naming of its streets and avenues. The French revolution was basically fought on the slogan of Liberty , Equality and Fraternity. This was not a mere slogan for the French, it was their guiding principle. Hence in the age of enlightenment ushered in by the revolution only people who achieved on their own accord and hardwork deserved to be recognized. The monarchy that thrived on archaic principles and lottery of birth was done away with and reason replaced tradition and religion. The French completely cut off their relationship with the past and started afresh and in this new world of theirs Kings and Queens had no place. Irrespective of nationality people who were real achievers were honored above Kings and Popes. This i mulled is reflected in the names of Parisian streets.
The Champs Elysees finally ends at the foot of the Arc de Troimphe. This magnificent arc partly inspired by the arcs of the romans was commissioned by Napoleon and was completed only after his death. The people of France love Napoleon too much. This is another instance of that love and the fact that they completed the monument even after his death shows their affection for the man. The Arc is a tribute to the military history of France. Coming from India i felt odd as in India war is despised, even our epics deplore war. However here in France its as if people celebrated the wars that they fought. This monument indeed shows what a culture of war the French had. The French like their great European rivals England and Germany prided themselves on having a real war culture. No wonder the French refer to their country as the Fatherland instead of the Feminine Motherland. You just have to look around and see that the heroes are all really war heroes from Napoleon to Charles de Gaulle. The Arc therefore symbolizes the War culture of France and it was just fascinating to experience that. The Arc also concludes the famed Axe Historique of Paris and i was both happy and amazed that i was able to track this famed Axe Historique of Paris. It was a dream come true.
No city in the world is tied irrevocably to a particular date than Paris is with the year 1789. It was the year of the revolution. Everything in Paris changed after that date. The King was not God anymore, palaces became public museums and libraries, churches turned from places of worship of God to the sanctuary of esteemed citizens, God was relagated to history. If the revolution was the clataclysmic fire then the spark was the fall of the Bastille on 14th July 1789. As i got off at the Bastille metro station, the walls of the station were painted with the stirring events of that day - Parisian mobs demolishing the Bastille walls. It showed how strongly Parisians still feel about that day of their history. The Bastille ofcourse is not there anymore. Instead the Place de la Bastille is adorned by a magnificent July column which reminds everyone of that historic july day. Behind the column is the Bastille opera which unlike the main opera of Paris - the oppulant Opera Garnier - is very much a people's opera with shops and a mall inside it representing its republican orientation.
It takes just a crossing of the Siene river from the Place de la Bastille to get into the famed Latin Quarter of Paris. If the bastille represented the spark of the revolutionary Cannon then surely the ammunation was prepared in the bylanes and Cafes of the Latin Quarter. The Latin Quarter is filled with colleges and universities and is very much a place for students and intellectuals. It was in the cafes and streets of this area that enlightened thinkers began envisaging a new world order. Thinkers such as Voltaire, Jean Jacques Rousseau and Jean Paul Satre debated endlessly about the futility of the existing feudal order and the need to usher in the rule of the people. Though many of them did'nt live to see the revolution they had done their bit to inspire a whole nation and in the process move the wheels of history.
Walking in the Latin quarter is a real joy. Everywhere you go you find avenues teeming with students and beautiful scholastic buildings. Interestingly its called the Latin quarter because the students in the good old times used to communicate with each other in Latin up until , you guessed it right the revolution when like all other things it too changed and French became the language of communication much to the relief of the students i imagine.
The Latin quarter has some important monuments like the Pantheon which started out as a church but along came the revolution and religion shall we say fell down in the popularity ratings and it was turned into a place for the burial of France's greatest citizens a la its namesake in Rome. Hence noted frenchmen and woman like Voltaire,Rousseau and Madam Curie are buried here. The heading at the entrance 'To great men the grateful nation' sums up the purpose of the monument.
A short walk from the Pantheon is the beautifully laid out Luxemborg Gardens. However since it was late in the day the entry was barred. Moving along the streets of the Latin quarter i came to the Saint Sulpice church. It is the second biggest church in Paris however has come into prominence recently due to its figuring in the controversial Da vinci code book and movie. The hoards of tourists present there had come because of this connection. Hence everybody ignored the main alter and rushed to a corner of the church that has a marking of Roseline - Paris's version of the Prime meridian. Since the French dint like the English they did not agree to their Prime meridian at Grenwich hence they decided to have their own Prime meridian and hence the Roseline which cuts across Paris from north to south. The Roseline's path is marked by 135 bronze medallions placed in the ground all along the Roseline. In fact i managed to see one in the Louvre also! A few paces from the Saint Sulpice is the oldest church in Paris, older than Notre Dame - the Saint Germain de Pres. The church is about 1500 years old and is one of the oldest in the whole of Europe.
With this the second and most hectic day of the trip came to an end and as usual i was overcome with a mixture of emotions - happy, contented and very tired.
November 23, 2009, Monday
Day3 : The Farewell
Within the bat of an eyelid two days had passed and I had'nt even realised it. The last day i started by covering some minor Parisian attractions. Minor here is a relative term, each of these monuments can be a centerpiece attraction in any other city in the world.
The day started by the visit to the Madeline church just north of the Place de la Concorde. On the face of it its a church dedicated to Mary Magdalene (Madeline is french for Magdaline) however it looked more of a Greek alter with huge beautifully crafted collonades on either side. It provided a superb view of the Place de la concord and the Crillion hotel.
Moving up the street from the Madeline i came to the main opera of Paris officially known as the National Opera however know popularly as the Opera Garnier after its designer Charles Garnier. One look at its oppulance was enough to convince that it was a good thing that it was built after the revolution. For if it had stood there during 1789 it would have been the first building to be torn down. There was nothing remotely republican about it and looked a very snobbish place frequented by wealthy aristocrats. Luckily if it, it was built after the revolution and it has survived. The opera looked absolutely regal with gold plated statues at its four ends and oozed luxury and opulence from very pore. Just a short walk from the opera is the Place de la Vendome. One of the most upmarket areas of paris housing the whos who of the fashion and hospitallity industry. The most famous establishment there is the Hotel Ritz , a very high end hotel frequented by many celebreties and state dignitaries. Interestingly it was also the hotel from which the ill fated lady Diana left amid the paparazzis before her unfortunate car crash.
The last stop on the trip was to the famous Monmarte area of Paris. This area is very different to the rest of Paris and almost feels like an outback area. Monmarte is famous for its artists and the famous Sacre Coeur church. The church is located on top of a hill and offers a delightful view of the city. The church was unlike any other Parisian churches and since it is relatively new had a very different architecture with magnificent domes.
As the trip finally came to an end i was filled with mixed emotions. I was filled with immense happiness that a long held dream had come true and also departing such a beautiful place made me very sad.With this mixed bag of emotions i bid farewell to Paris as i silently muttered Au Revoir under my breath.
Paris was the one city more than any other i was looking forward to visiting on this trip. It was the one city whose ideals and principals were similar to mine.I had waited with bated breath for the day i would go to Paris in the same way a pilgrim waits for his pilgrimage. And finally after much anxiety and wait the day finally came.
November 21, 2009, Saturday
Day 1 : The Tower and the Church
The ascent of the plane over the blanket of clouds brought the view of the rising sun. It shone bright orange as if it had never been obscured at all. The plane soared through the early morning sky and finally made it to the Charles de Gaulle airport at Paris. As i got down the air was filled with the scent of autumn and expectations.
The first impression one got of Paris was that of a very cosmopolitan city. Of course there were tourists armed with maps from virtually every corner of the world but there was also a sizable African population in the city. The French had ruled over a major part of Africa and unlike the English and other powers had a very close relationship with their colonized people as the French believed in not just 'ruling' their colonies but assimilating them into the French way of life.The colonized people not only inherited the French language and laws but also French culture and sensibilities. This synthesis was very strong and led to the creation of an extensive Francophone commonwealth and as a result you see a lot of African people from the former colonies in the French capital with African appearance but distinctly French sensibility.This cross-synthesis was just fascinating to watch.
As I got ready to explore the city the first stop was the monument that symbolized the city for many.
The Eiffel Tower they say was more despised than loved during its early days. The famous French writer Guy de Maupassant even went onto say when asked if he would visit the tower that he would certainly visit it as it was the only place in Paris where this hideous tower wont be visible to him! As I walk up the steps of the Palace Chaillot i see why it faced so much resistance. Paris is a very flat city with great neo-classical buildings all around with a pattern of beige exterior and blue roof tops. The pattern is broken only by Gustave Eiffel's tower. This thin ,wiry almost skeletal thing pokes into the sky almost mocking at the buildings around. However Parisians soon saw the beauty of this metal monster and soon took a liking to it and now it is the emblem of Paris if not France. As one French minister at the time exclaimed, the spiralling tower symbolises the facts that 'humanity gravitates towards ascension'. What a beautiful thought indeed.
Its an open secret in Paris that the best view of the Eiffel tower is from the palace Chaillot balcony. Since its built on top of a natural hill it gives a unique vantage point for viewing the tower. Even Hitler knew about this vantage point as he headed straight to it when his German army had conquered the city during WWII. Alas thats where his tryst with the tower ended as the lifts were down the day he visited and the little man could not summon his energy to try the stairs and all he got to do was pose in front of the tower from the Palais chaillot balcony. I wanted to go a notch higher than Hitler and try going to the top of the tower.
As i got down from the Palais Chillot balcony the splendid fountains of the 'Jardin de Trocadero' came into view. The waters gleaming from the fountains provided a soothing music to the ears. As i advanced down the garden the tower seemed to be growing bigger with each step and finally as i crossed the Pont d'Iena the tower came into full view. You actually have to stand underneath the tower to comprehend how big it actually is. It almost occupies the size of a small football field! As with any weekend morning it was full with tourists. As all tourists i did the most touristy thing to do in Paris - go to the top of the tower.
However it was not as easy. The line for the top had snaked several times around the foot of the tower and reminded me of the queues we are used to back in India with cricket matches. Indeed it took me a good two hours to finally get to the lift at the base of one of the foots. As i stood in the queue a bunch of American teenage girls had come to stand behind me and were constantly blabbering about their love life. I was having a hard time deciding which was more annoying - the queue or the blabbering of these girls. Anyway the couple of hours easily sped by as i took in the splendid view of the surrounding area on offer.
As the lift pulled us to the top of the tower, the city seemed to spread all around us. At first it was area surrounding the tower and then a bit further and finally when we reached the top we could see almost the whole of the city. The view from the top was simply exhilarating. You can almost see all of Paris' attractions from there. The tower also had a restaurant inside interestingly called 'Jules Verne' which people say is one of the most sought after restaurants in the world and need a prior appointment sometimes months in advance. The tower also has some souvenir shops. While the view from the top is great i focused on the area immediately surrounding the tower.
People generally appreciate the tower and forget its immediate surrounding which is equally stunning. At one end of the tower there is the beautiful Palais Chaillot and the Trocedero Gardens as described earlier and on the opposite side the beautiful Champs des Mars garden is laid out. The Champs des Mars garden has a peace memorial at its entrance which is ironic as the garden in fact is named after the roman God of war - Mars! The naming of the garden is due to the formidable Ecole Millitaire building in front of it. Ecole Millitaire is one of the oldest military schools in the world boasting of alumnus such as Napoleon who by the way completed his two year course at the school in just one year - a sure sign of his future greatness i guess.
Talking about Napoleon he is buried quite close to the Ecole Millitaire, in the resplendent ambiance of the Les Invalides. The Invalides is basically a place for injured soldiers and also serves as a war museum. What better place to bury a man who lived all his life fighting wars. His tomb like the man himself is a bit different. He is laid inside the gold plated dome of the main building with successive layers of the rarest of wooden caskets. What do they say about little men with huge egos!
As i navigated through the heart of Paris i reached what is the real historic centre- the island in between the curving Siene river called Ile de la Cite. This island is where everything started and the city of paris was founded as a Roman outpost in the first century BC. The island has some magnificent buildings but the real attraction is the Notre Dame Cathedral. This Cathedral which took 200 years in the making is a curious mixture of Gothic and French architectural styles. While the towering spire owes itself to the Gothic style, the unique and revolutionary flying buttresses on the sides is typically french - very creative and very aesthetic. This cathedral created quite a stir during its times and was revolutionary too as it became a sort of template for churches around the world which were mostly Gothic in nature up until then. Hence it is sometimes called the mother of all modern cathedrals.
The inside of the cathedral is filled with beautifully carved statues and chapels and the real highlight are the rose tinted glasses adorning the upper echelons. Sadly since the sun was not shining i could not see the real splendor of these glasses. They were awesome nevertheless. As i looked into the alter it reminded me once again of Napoleon who was crowned here , in fact he crowned himself as legend goes that he deemed even the pope - the usual 'crowner' of kings - not worthy enough to crown him and did the honor himself!
As evening engulfed the city i had just enough time to go across the street from Notre Dame and visit the Palais de Justice which was in medieval times was used to dispense justice to the citizens of the city. The building was typical of medieval French architecture with a prominent blue colored dome. What was most impressive were the gates which were huge and gold plated. The gates of justice indeed i thought.
November 22, 2009, Sunday
Day 2 : Tracing the Axe Historique
Every European city they say has a historic axis, a line that cuts through the heart of the city around which history , architecture and culture revolve. Some are prominent while others are not. Paris of all European cities has a very prominent historic axis or as they say in French Axe Historique. It was this Axe Historique that i was about to explore on the second day of the trip. And this axis starts at the greatest museum in the world.
The Louvre is by far the greatest art museum in the world. It is the kind of place every lover of art dreams of. As i sat in the metro heading for the museum the rumbling of the metro wheels seemed to echo the rumbling in my heart. It almost seemed surreal as i got off and started to enter the premises of the Louvre. The waking sun was beaming down on the magnificent Louvre. As i entered its glorious courtyard - the Cour Napoleon or the Napoleon court - the entire setting just got me hooked. The gigantic glass pyramid in the center was gleaning in the early morning sunlight. The glass pyramid like the Eiffel tower a century ago has come under a lot of criticism. But after 20 years of existence it has become an integral part of the Parisian landscape.
The real beauty of the glass pyramid is not above but below ground. As i entered through the spiralled steps inside the pyramid the entire lobby of the museum came into view. For a 800 year old former palace the lobby looked very modern. As the architect of the pyramid IM Pei explained nothing above ground could match the palace hence he decided to elaborate below the ground. The lobby had three distinct entrances for each of the three wings. I headed straight for the Denon wing as i knew that was were all the show stoppers were present.
The Denon wing started with a slew of Greece sculptures and led the way to the magnificent stair case of Winged victory. This must be one of the most sensational entrances to any building anywhere. As i stood at the foot of the staircase the view was awe inspiring. Beautifully crafted stairs climbed up to the headless statue of the winged Greek Goddess Victory. It was a hair raising experience as i could feel the goose bumps on my skin. The statue was created in the 2nd century BC and is a great example of Greek art. Winged Victory as the statue is famously known is in fact the first of the famed three great ladies of Louvre, the other two being Mona Lisa and the statue of Venus de Milo.
The Louvre can be quite intimidating for a first time visitor so it was important for me to get my positional bearings right. Once i reached the staircase of Winged victory i knew i had the map of the Denon wing covered as before coming i had studied the map of the Louvre and the staircase was an important guidance point for me. I swiftly moved across the corridor and entered the famed Grand gallery. The gallery almost seemed to vanish into infinity like one of the paintings of the many renaissance Italian masters it adorns. It was a truly awesome sight. The walls on either side were dedicated to Italian masters chiefly Leonardo da vinci mainly of the renaissance period. The theme of all the paintings was religious and specifically dealt with Mary and Jesus at various stages of the New testament. It was simply unbelievable for me to be striding along this famed gallery and looking at all these pieces of art.
At about midway through the Grand gallery there are couple of small entrances that led me to the most precious possession of the Louvre - the Mona Lisa. The room that housed the Mona Lisa seemed to be an odd place for me to house the famed painting. The walls of the room were filled with huge paintings and the Mona Lisa seemed rather small in comparision. In fact the painting right opposite to the Mona Lisa is the famous 'Wedding feast at Cana' painting which is probably the largest painting in the museum covering the entire area of the wall. Still the Mona Lisa looked as beautiful as ever and kept me guessing whether she was smiling or not.
From the room of the Mona Lisa i navigated to few more rooms which were adorned with the paintings of French artists chiefly Jacques Louis David and housed some really famous paintings. As i did not have enough time i was quickly rushing past most of these beautiful paintings and felt a pang of guilt as i felt i was insulting these great works of art by not giving them a proper audience.
As i finished touring the Denon wing it was time to go to the Sully wing to catch the last of the great ladies of Louvre - the statue of Venus de Milo. As i headed down, the area had already got very crowded in front of the famed statue. The statue was from 2nd century BC and was devoid of any hands or ornaments. Still it looked so magnificent that one just kept staring at her in amazement. It might be true that the Greek Gods were more powerful than the Godesses but the Godesses it seemed had got all the statues!
I then moved onto the Richelieu wing and was instantly smitten by the slew of Greek statues present there. As i had great fascination for Greek antiquity seeing all these great pieces of art was making my day. Each statue demanded instant attention from me and i had to persuade myself to part company after a glance or two. Then i went into the famed Napoleon apartments which is the only part of the museum that still seemed 'royal' as it housed the apartment of Napoleon and is a testament to the luxury and opulence of that time. I quickly breezed through the Egyptian and Mesopotamian sections of the Louvre and finally convinced myself that i had seen enough and prepared to leave.
As i exited the Louvre i was onto the Axe Historique again. The next stop on the axis was the Arc des Carousel built by Napoleon to commemorate his military victories. From the Carousal the axis opened into the beautiful Jardin des Tuileries or the Tuileries gardens. It was not the best time for gardens in Paris but the Tuileries with their unique arrangement and famed statues was instantly likable. The fountain in the middle was surrounded by hundreds of pigeons which gave the place a very serene feel. Moving on from the gardens the axis led me to the historic, famous and infamous square of the Place de la Concorde.
Before the revolution the Place de la Concorde had the statue of the Equestrian king Louis XV. However with all other things in Paris it completely changed after the revolution. During the revolution the people became judge , jury and executioner and the square became the epicenter of the revolution and had the infamous Guillotine placed instead of the statue and thousands of people were executed here. The foundations of the revolution were indeed soaked in blood - lots of it. Legend has it that the square became so much soaked in blood that cattle refused to pass over its surface. Both the King and Queen were Guillotined here , also even some revolutionaries such as Danton, Charlotte Cordey and Robespierre were executed here. The revolutionaries wanted equality both in life as well as death too. Just remembering those times sent a chill though my bones. However after the revolution the Guillotine has been replaced by an ancient Obelisk from Egypt by Napoleon.
The fascinating Obelisk at the Place de la Concorde is the oldest monument in paris - its about 3000 years old and formerly stood at the banks of Nile in Thebes in Egypt. The story of its arrival is equally fascinating. Before Napoleon embarked on his conquest of Egypt, his wife Josephine in one of those utterances that should go down in the all time list of naive statements seemed to have asked Napoleon to bring her a little obelisk if he ever went to Thebes. So when a queen wants an obelisk she will get an obelisk. As a result the magnificent obelisk sits atop the Place de la Concorde overlooking the Axe Historique.
To the north of the Place de la Concorde there is the famed Crillon Hotel which is one of those ultra expensive hotels where you probably cannot afford to stay if you have to ask how much. The hotel has a bit of history too. The last queen of France Marie Antoinette it seems played cards there during her leisure and the Nazis set up their head quarters there when they occupied Paris during WWII.
The Place de la Concorde opens into the famous avenue , Champs Elysees . Named after the mythical Greek heaven where the immortal stayed it extends the Axe Historique. The Avenue is filled with various shops and is a delightful place if you are quite into shopping. It is adorned by some of the biggest brands in the fashion industry. Strolling through the avenue i remembered that Paris was also the fashion capital of the world.
Strolling through the Champs Elysees i came across various intersecting roads that were named after various French presidents, war heroes and even US Presidents and British Prime ministers. Interestingly not even one was named after any French King or queen or any religious leader. This was a pleasant discovery for me and made me realize that France unlike most other European countries i had toured was a republic. Indeed it can claim to be the mother of all republics and this republican tradition is reflected in the naming of its streets and avenues. The French revolution was basically fought on the slogan of Liberty , Equality and Fraternity. This was not a mere slogan for the French, it was their guiding principle. Hence in the age of enlightenment ushered in by the revolution only people who achieved on their own accord and hardwork deserved to be recognized. The monarchy that thrived on archaic principles and lottery of birth was done away with and reason replaced tradition and religion. The French completely cut off their relationship with the past and started afresh and in this new world of theirs Kings and Queens had no place. Irrespective of nationality people who were real achievers were honored above Kings and Popes. This i mulled is reflected in the names of Parisian streets.
The Champs Elysees finally ends at the foot of the Arc de Troimphe. This magnificent arc partly inspired by the arcs of the romans was commissioned by Napoleon and was completed only after his death. The people of France love Napoleon too much. This is another instance of that love and the fact that they completed the monument even after his death shows their affection for the man. The Arc is a tribute to the military history of France. Coming from India i felt odd as in India war is despised, even our epics deplore war. However here in France its as if people celebrated the wars that they fought. This monument indeed shows what a culture of war the French had. The French like their great European rivals England and Germany prided themselves on having a real war culture. No wonder the French refer to their country as the Fatherland instead of the Feminine Motherland. You just have to look around and see that the heroes are all really war heroes from Napoleon to Charles de Gaulle. The Arc therefore symbolizes the War culture of France and it was just fascinating to experience that. The Arc also concludes the famed Axe Historique of Paris and i was both happy and amazed that i was able to track this famed Axe Historique of Paris. It was a dream come true.
No city in the world is tied irrevocably to a particular date than Paris is with the year 1789. It was the year of the revolution. Everything in Paris changed after that date. The King was not God anymore, palaces became public museums and libraries, churches turned from places of worship of God to the sanctuary of esteemed citizens, God was relagated to history. If the revolution was the clataclysmic fire then the spark was the fall of the Bastille on 14th July 1789. As i got off at the Bastille metro station, the walls of the station were painted with the stirring events of that day - Parisian mobs demolishing the Bastille walls. It showed how strongly Parisians still feel about that day of their history. The Bastille ofcourse is not there anymore. Instead the Place de la Bastille is adorned by a magnificent July column which reminds everyone of that historic july day. Behind the column is the Bastille opera which unlike the main opera of Paris - the oppulant Opera Garnier - is very much a people's opera with shops and a mall inside it representing its republican orientation.
It takes just a crossing of the Siene river from the Place de la Bastille to get into the famed Latin Quarter of Paris. If the bastille represented the spark of the revolutionary Cannon then surely the ammunation was prepared in the bylanes and Cafes of the Latin Quarter. The Latin Quarter is filled with colleges and universities and is very much a place for students and intellectuals. It was in the cafes and streets of this area that enlightened thinkers began envisaging a new world order. Thinkers such as Voltaire, Jean Jacques Rousseau and Jean Paul Satre debated endlessly about the futility of the existing feudal order and the need to usher in the rule of the people. Though many of them did'nt live to see the revolution they had done their bit to inspire a whole nation and in the process move the wheels of history.
Walking in the Latin quarter is a real joy. Everywhere you go you find avenues teeming with students and beautiful scholastic buildings. Interestingly its called the Latin quarter because the students in the good old times used to communicate with each other in Latin up until , you guessed it right the revolution when like all other things it too changed and French became the language of communication much to the relief of the students i imagine.
The Latin quarter has some important monuments like the Pantheon which started out as a church but along came the revolution and religion shall we say fell down in the popularity ratings and it was turned into a place for the burial of France's greatest citizens a la its namesake in Rome. Hence noted frenchmen and woman like Voltaire,Rousseau and Madam Curie are buried here. The heading at the entrance 'To great men the grateful nation' sums up the purpose of the monument.
A short walk from the Pantheon is the beautifully laid out Luxemborg Gardens. However since it was late in the day the entry was barred. Moving along the streets of the Latin quarter i came to the Saint Sulpice church. It is the second biggest church in Paris however has come into prominence recently due to its figuring in the controversial Da vinci code book and movie. The hoards of tourists present there had come because of this connection. Hence everybody ignored the main alter and rushed to a corner of the church that has a marking of Roseline - Paris's version of the Prime meridian. Since the French dint like the English they did not agree to their Prime meridian at Grenwich hence they decided to have their own Prime meridian and hence the Roseline which cuts across Paris from north to south. The Roseline's path is marked by 135 bronze medallions placed in the ground all along the Roseline. In fact i managed to see one in the Louvre also! A few paces from the Saint Sulpice is the oldest church in Paris, older than Notre Dame - the Saint Germain de Pres. The church is about 1500 years old and is one of the oldest in the whole of Europe.
With this the second and most hectic day of the trip came to an end and as usual i was overcome with a mixture of emotions - happy, contented and very tired.
November 23, 2009, Monday
Day3 : The Farewell
Within the bat of an eyelid two days had passed and I had'nt even realised it. The last day i started by covering some minor Parisian attractions. Minor here is a relative term, each of these monuments can be a centerpiece attraction in any other city in the world.
The day started by the visit to the Madeline church just north of the Place de la Concorde. On the face of it its a church dedicated to Mary Magdalene (Madeline is french for Magdaline) however it looked more of a Greek alter with huge beautifully crafted collonades on either side. It provided a superb view of the Place de la concord and the Crillion hotel.
Moving up the street from the Madeline i came to the main opera of Paris officially known as the National Opera however know popularly as the Opera Garnier after its designer Charles Garnier. One look at its oppulance was enough to convince that it was a good thing that it was built after the revolution. For if it had stood there during 1789 it would have been the first building to be torn down. There was nothing remotely republican about it and looked a very snobbish place frequented by wealthy aristocrats. Luckily if it, it was built after the revolution and it has survived. The opera looked absolutely regal with gold plated statues at its four ends and oozed luxury and opulence from very pore. Just a short walk from the opera is the Place de la Vendome. One of the most upmarket areas of paris housing the whos who of the fashion and hospitallity industry. The most famous establishment there is the Hotel Ritz , a very high end hotel frequented by many celebreties and state dignitaries. Interestingly it was also the hotel from which the ill fated lady Diana left amid the paparazzis before her unfortunate car crash.
The last stop on the trip was to the famous Monmarte area of Paris. This area is very different to the rest of Paris and almost feels like an outback area. Monmarte is famous for its artists and the famous Sacre Coeur church. The church is located on top of a hill and offers a delightful view of the city. The church was unlike any other Parisian churches and since it is relatively new had a very different architecture with magnificent domes.
As the trip finally came to an end i was filled with mixed emotions. I was filled with immense happiness that a long held dream had come true and also departing such a beautiful place made me very sad.With this mixed bag of emotions i bid farewell to Paris as i silently muttered Au Revoir under my breath.
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