Paris!

The trip to Paris went without a hitch. Lurana took me to the airport early on Sunday morning. I managed to pack everything in a suitcase and a backpack. I hadn’t weighed the suitcase until I got to the airport. It was just over the 23 kg limit but the attendant said it was close enough (phew!). The best part was when she said it was ticketed all the way to Paris. I thought I would have to pick it up in Vancouver and take it through some type of customs. Nope – right through.

The flight to Vancouver was very quick. Before I knew it we were descending from the clouds.

I had the day to spend at the airport. I brought an exercise book to work on my French. I was surprised at how much I had remembered. (What - did I think I was going to lose everything I learned in four months?)

I also explored the international section of the Vancouver airport. I had no idea all this was there.

 

 

 

 

I flew from Vancouver to Frankfurt in this little beauty.

Very comfortable - I managed to get an aisle seat which made the 8 plus hour flight more enjoyable. They also served two hot meals – supper and breakfast. I think I got about two hours sleep but felt fine. The airport had lots of shops, including this bakery. The fella is making pretzels.

I had left quite a bit of time to make the connecting flight – good thing. We landed on time (10:30 a.m.) but I hadn’t anticipated two more security checkpoints and long line ups at both. I didn’t get to the gate until 12:00. I would have missed the plane if I had booked the next available flight. As it was I was in good time for my 1:35 flight.

Then on to Paris!

Hazel picked me up at the airport. We took the subway to her apartment (ground floor). She and the members of her community (Ursulines of Jesus) live in the 6^th arrondissement in Paris, near the Luxembourg Gardens (Jardin du Luxembourg). I am staying with them until Sunday when I travel to Rouen.

Over the course of a few days I visited: Le Jardin du Luxembourg:

 One thing I noticed was the number of statues that are all entwined. The more action in an image, the better.

Notre Dame de Paris:

 

When you look close you can see all manner of images carved in the church. I wondered by there was a lobster carved in the doorway - one person on the internet said it represented the astrological sign for Cancer (June). There is no doubt that all the images are very symbolic.

I noticed this little creature chirping away - and there was a bird flying around inside the church as well. A home for all God's creatures.

Hazel and I came here to celebrate the Feast of the Ascension (May 29 in France). It was a very interesting experience. I wanted to come to this liturgy because it celebrated sung morning prayer (Lauds) beforehand and the music for the Mass was Gregorian Chant. The readings and prayers were all in French and it was the current liturgy. I found the Gregorian Chant very beautiful, but more of a performance than prayer. A sign of that for me was when the male cantor just watched from his place while the rest of us sang because it wasn't his turn yet. The people around us sang the chants well so it might make a difference if I was more familiar with them.

One of the interesting experiences was being in the centre of the church celebrating together and at the same time being aware of the constant movement of people walking around the periphery of the church taking pictures. We were in a church and they were in a museum or an archeological site observing past history in current time.

La Sainte-Chappell: At first I thought it was this section - I couldn't find the doorway to the upper level.

 
Then I found a small staircase going up - and this is what was at the top:

 

 

Le Musée d’Orsay:

This was a former train station turned into an museum. It has a great number of paintings from the impressionists - Monet, Manet, Cezzane.. and other works by Renoir, Degas, Rodin.... An incredible place. There was a special exhibit of the works by Van Gogh. The place was packed, but I took my time and saw everything I wanted to. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed. 

Le Musée de l’Orangerie :

This is the museum containing the large canvases of Monet's water lilies. Oh my, they are incredibly beautiful. Again no pictures allowed. I found a couple of pictures on the internet.

Along the way, I walked along the Seine :

 

 If you look up at the top of the bridge there are all kinds of faces looking down at you...

 

I'll bet the artist had great enjoyment turning faces of people they knew into gargoyles!

There is also a tradition of putting a lock on one the bridges - they are called "love locks" inscribed with the name of lovers. One internet site said there are over 700,000 locks on the bridges in Paris and the weight alone has made the municipality consider whether they should be banned. Other cities are faced with the same thing.

I past by the Louvre on the way to the L'Orangerie. I did not go into the Louvre yet. I think you need a game plan to tackle the immensity of the place.

 

No matter where I turned, there were no end of the street markets and vendors I saw:

 

 

 

It is a beautiful city – very walkable. I was here once before with Karen and Jenna. There are still a lot of places I would like to visit. The weather has been fine – a few showers but I’m still able to go out.

The Sisters have been very welcoming. They are members of the General Council for the Usulines. Hazel and I worked together in Prince George for several years. She left PG for the General Council over four years ago. Sister Hillary is also here. She is from Scotland and worked in the Diocese of Prince for a couple of years. It was good to see her again. The other Sisters on the Council come from France, Spain and Chile. Their working language is French. 

Hazel lent me her book of maps for Paris. Good thing. I would have been lost several times trying to find my way about.

So how’s my French? I’m surprised at how much I can do to get around. I have had to ask for directions, ask whether France has a hockey team (amateur status, not professional), and ask to have a train ticket printed. I start the conversation with “I do not speak French well, but… “ and the people have been great. I am not kidding myself by thinking I know a lot - far from it. I still don’t understand conversations but I catch simple phrases, and my vocabulary is very minimal in comparison to where I would like to be. I found the grammar book I was looking for in Québec so I’m ready to begin the next phase of my studies.