FairieMoon

Catacombes de Paris or l'Ossuaire Municipal...

The Catacombs of Paris are a large underground ossuary (meaning basically, a place where human bones are kept -- a building, well, chest, site).

The Catacombs the remains of about 6 million people and fills a renovated section of caverns and tunnels that are the remains of Paris' stone mines. Opened in the late 18th century, the underground cemetery became a tourist attraction on a small scale from the early 19th century, and has been open to the public on a regular basis from 1874. (Wikipedia)

It was on our must-see list.

Lunch in the Latin Quarter.

We took the Metro to get there...I thought I would include a shot inside the Metro because what is a trip to Paris without a few Metro rides.

Once we were there, we had to stand in a long line waiting to get in, but it was worth it.

Most of the signage was in French so I couldn't read it, but it did add to the ambiance.

What I liked about the Catacombs was that it was self-guided. They pretty much took our money and sent us on our way, which meant that it could be as creepy or clinical as you might want, depending on who you were with, no weird gimmicks.

These were NOT the stairs we descended to get to the bones. I believe these stairs led to a well, but they looked kind of neat.

Ah-ha! The bones!

You can see someone added a little Harry Potter graffitti to one of the skulls (actually, the lightning bolt is going in the wrong direction to be Harry Potter...not that you don't know that).

 

 

 

At one point on our trek through the ossuary, I found myself alone, surrounded by bones. Punch had forged ahead and Mr. MacGyver and Judy had paused to take some photos. The crypt was quiet and I paused to see if a cold chill would creep down my back, but other than it just being cold in the chamber, I felt nothing. I think that the sheer number of bones rendered it almost incomprehensible. It felt more otherworldly than creepy. There were so many bones that they kind of stopped feeling human.

To get to the Catacombs, you have to climb down a stone spiral staircase containing 103 steps and hike through several long cave-like corridors. At the end, you climb another spiral staircase containing 83 steps to leave. But by the time we went to the Catacombs, we'd been walking so much, the steps were a piece of cake. Not so for everyone in our group however, on the way back up the stairs, people kept stopping, and in that confined space, hemmed in behind and before with bodies, I could see where someone might panic.

After ascending all 83 steps, we were ready for some refreshment.

Next up: Romantic Dinner at Laperouse.

The Louvre: Our Third and Final Museum...

It is funny. When I go to museums, I sometimes take photos of the art, but I usually concentrate on the spaces. I think this is because you can find fabulous photos of artwork in art books and on google, but you don't often see shots of the spaces.

Museum spaces are often atmospheric because they are open, and the architecture and lighting dramatic, intentionally designed, in fact, to compliment everything at which you are looking. The Louvre, quite possibly, has some of the most imposing and dramatic spaces in the world both inside and out.

By the time we got to the Louvre, we were exhausted, we're talking walking zombies here, and I must admit, we really didn't even begin to do it justice. Our goals were to see the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory of Samothrace and Charlemagne's Sword.

 

 

I wish I knew this couple so I could send them this photo.

Papa and GJ.

 

 

The Louvre is huge. It is like a giant, elongated U. It emcompasses not only the big building in the center with the glass pyramid at its entrance, but the wings on either side that are at least the length of a long block. Visitors cannot visit all of these spaces, so imagine what one would find in the auxilliary spaces. It is the stuff of Dan Brown novels, wouldn't you say?

 

I sure hope these figures aren't planning to jump.

 

 

The photos above and below are very similar. I like the one above the best, though blurry (I mean...it was pretty dark in there and I was trying to keep up with my family), because you can see Mr. MacGyver, Punch and my Mother in Law walking through the space. The one below is more in focus and you can see the amazing masonry.

 

 

 

There is some controversy about the pyramid. Some people don't like it and I understand why because it is so modern and it doesn't seem to fit the context of the ancient building by which it is surrounded. However, I find it to be quite beautiful end enjoy the juxtaposition of antiquity and modernity. Not to mention that light, at all times of the day, catches the glass and supporting structure in very appealing ways. We visited at sunset and dusk, so the lighting was very dramatic indeed for our visit.

That is for the museums. It was a long haul, wasn't it, but sadly, we are nearing the end of the Paris portion of our trip.

Our next installment: the catacombs...not for the faint of heart.

Actually, I didn't find them to be creepy or chilling at all, just awe-inspiring.

 

The Gardens...

Our next stop was the Luxembourg Gardens...

 

 

...which we whirled through on our way to the Rodin Sculpture Gardens.

Mr. MacGyver kept tapping his watch to keep us moving forward.

Going to the Rodin Sculpture Gardens is a nice break from museum hopping because it is a combination of gardens and art, which may seem obvious considering the name, but I assure you it offers so much more than just those two things.

 

 

 

A wee hitchhiker...

 

"Yo, yo, yo..."

Wildlife abounds...

The Gates of Hell (photo by Judy)...

 

Inside the museum, I seemed to be as interested in the light coming in through the windows as I was by the artwork, if my photos indicate anything.

 

 

But what is art if it isn't the play of light and shadow.

 

This art lover seems to be having a very personal encounter with the art.

You've got to watch these old houses in Paris...they harbor ghosts everywhere. Beware or they will follow you home.

Our next installment: the Louvre...of course, you might have too look at as much structure and form as you do art.

 

Notre Dame...

Wednesday morning dawned, and we knew we were running out of time in Paris, so we woke early and hit the road for our first destination -- Notre Dame Cathedral. We'd seen the outside on Easter Sunday, but not wanting to disturb those wanting to celebrate Easter, we waited to go inside.

Before we visited Notre Dame, however, we took a brief detour and took a spin through the wee garden on our street -- rue de Bievre.

 

The Seine was just down the street from our apartment, past this little park, and across the river, was Notre Dame.

We saw this view almost every time we left our apartment to go anywhere in Paris.

It was a beautiful day, so we decided to walk down beside the river.

There were flowers in bloom all over Paris...

...and interesting things at which (or through which, as the case may be) to gaze.

I took some photos from beneath the bridge -- Pont au Double.

 

 

Mr. MacGyver crawled up inside of the bridge to take photos of its structure...I stayed on the ground and took photos of Judy.

Here is the family in front of Notre Dame.

 

 

 

Let's go inside, shall we?

 

 

 

 

Joan of Arc.

 

 

 

 

This woman's face, lit by the windows as she whispered her prayers, was just beautiful.

Some of the hand-painted panels.

All in all, I thought the photos inside the cathedral (no flash or tri-pod allowed) turned out pretty well. Some were a little grainier than I would have preferred...but not bad.

After we finished looking around inside, we strolled through the adjacent gardens.

Above you can see Mr. MacGyver taking photographs.

 

Punch and Judy enjoyed the playground...maybe a little too much.

 

 

 

 

 

One last glimpse.

From Notre Dame, we went back to pick up GJ and Papa before proceeding on to our next destination.

In one day we managed to see Notre Dame, St. Sulpice, Luxembourg Gardens, the Rodin Sculpture Garden, L'Orangerie and the Louvre, but you will have to wait until tomorrow for the next installment.