Holy and inspirational spaces, functional places, and fascinating bookcases encompass the visit I had today to the Notre Dame Cathedral, Le Saint Chapelle, Shakespeare Book Co., and Gertrude Stein's Apartment. Today, was truly a journey that inspired me and touched my soul as I walked in the footsteps of literary geniuses of the 20th Century and under the roofs of one of the oldest places in Paris.
Our first stop today was the gothic church of Notre Dame, the original cathedral of old medieval Paris. When Paris used to be just the ile or island in the center of the Seine, the Cathedral was built as the center of the town: a place of education, religion, and politics as the church was the state. And through it's lifetime of continuous birth, death, and rebirth, the cathedral has gone through continuous renovation and alteration to reflect the monarchs and others who prayed under its roof. As soon as I stepped foot in the sacred space, I froze. I was in awe at how the power of mankind when faith is so strong and something so revered and feared can make us do incredible things, such as build a cathedral that is 35 meters high and home to some of the most ornate stone work in all of France. I sat, marveling in the church's beauty, functionality, and splendor almost in tears until I had to wrench myself from my seat in the center isle of the church, under high vaulted ceiling that come to an arched point (a distinguishing feature of gothic architecture), to catch up with the group waiting for me outside.
After this experience, I couldn't imagine my day getting any better and more inspirational, but I was sorely mistaken as I entered the Saint Chapelle. Unlike it;'s sister church on the central island of Paris, this church had not been altered and contained all of the original coloring and decor of when Louis IX built it to house relics of the holy times. The first floor, contained beautifully painted walls adorned with hundreds of fleurs-de-lis (coat of arms of France). However, this Chapelle Basse was no comparison to the Chapelle Haut. A little tired and dizzy after walking up a spiral staircase about 10 stairs high we entered what looked like a jewel box. The Chapelle haut contained some of the most ornate and beautifully colored stain glass windows I had ever seen. And being someone who belongs to a gothic Roman Catholic church I knew how both expensive and difficult it was to make each pane by hand. The glass needs to be melted at almost 1,2oo Celsius among precious metals such as cobalt, copper, chromium, and others to oxidize and solidify the colors before being melted again and shaped. I was beyond impressed and amazed by the beauty and intricacies of Saint Chapelle and I left with my jaw dropped and a shaken soul only to be shaken more by Shakespeare Co.
This quant bookstore across le Saint Michelle bridge from Notre Dame was where Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, among others, wrote and imagined some of their most esteemed works. This was probably one of my favorite non-monarchal (meaning non-churches and palaces) location in Paris. I ended up buying two books that I knew I wanted read: The Life of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde and Waves by Virginia Woolf, both of which have to do with the philosophy, wonder, and mystery that is the human existence: both aging and youthfulness. I just can't wait to read this in Versailles tomorrow.
After seeing these three marvels we had the opportunity to see Le Jardin de Luxembourg which contained a large and green garden caressing an hybrid Italian and French designed Palace for Marie de Medici and then upon standing in front of Gertrude Stein's apartment, I could not help, but feel humbled by the opportunity to stand in the place where some of the greatest writers, artist, and thinkers of the 20th Century entered into this open-minded, grounded, and intelligent woman's Salon.
We finished the day at Le Bon Marche, the Mother of all thing Department Store and beyond. I didn't end up buying anything, but to go in and see the similarities of iconic stores in the US such as the Orignal Marshall fields in Chicago or Sak's Fifth Avenue in New York City was super fascinating.
Overall I was pretty overwhelmed today, but in the best way possible. And seeing the power of the human sparked by faith, literature, nationalism, and pure imagination I am reminded that we are infinite beings and really can do anything.
Bonsoir pour le moment et je vais regarder vous demain en Versailles!
