BADA Reunion, Skulls and Bones, Gargoyles, Gold Galore, and 1171 Steps

First I must apologize. I so so wanted to get my Paris post up before the end of November. But, alas, here we are a month after I was actually in Paris, and I am only now getting to the post. I have since completed three research papers, two week-long European trips, and one crazy hectic final, so I hope I can still justly convey my memories of the "city of lights". Let's see, shall we!

On November 14th I departed for a three day weekend in Paris. The lovely Cecily Swason, who had been in my BADA group at Oxford over the summer, had been studying in Paris for the semester and invited me for a long weekend. Way back in July we had started planning our Paris reunion and vowing to climb the Eiffel Tower together. (Funny side note: every time we talked about our Paris goal over the summer I kept calling the Eiffel Tower the Empire State Building, like multiple times Cecily had to correct me. I'll never live it down). Now, I had been to Paris before when I was 13. We spent one day with a private guide touring the city's most famous attractions, and although I loved what we saw and the history we learned, I really didn't like Paris. The vibe was all wrong. I didn't feel comfortable. I felt that I was being stared at and judged and was an unwanted tourist. But, because that was 7 years ago and I was just a kid, I knew I had to give the city another chance.

Cecily met me at the train station when I arrived and took me back to her flat. It was so so great to see her again!! We had really hit it off over the summer at Oxford, and it was like we were simply picking up where we had left off! That evening we went to dinner at an extreme popular steak place for her friend's birthday and then ventured to get the best crepes for dessert. We then stood right outside Notre Dame staring at the magnificent facade while savoring our delicious French treats. I don't know what it was, but the cathedral really took my breath away. I had visited it before and, of course, I found it beautiful then, but this time was different. I felt a bizarre connection to it that I couldn't identify. Maybe it was because I new Mary, Queen of Scots, had been married there at age 15... That was the only reason I could really think of! Now that I had this more personal attachment to it, I felt more strongly about visiting it. It was no longer just another check-marked box on my must-see list of Paris, a "get in, take your pics, and get out" stop on the itinerary. It was a place where I actually wanted to spend a decent amount of time and enjoy the experience. We planned to return the following day to actually go inside. That night, we began watching The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the most seriously underrated Disney movie ever! It's SO GOOD!!

The next morning we set off across the city to our first sightseeing destination. We descended deep beneath the city into a dark, creepy network of tunnels which ultimately lead to the entrance to the "World's Largest Grave Site": the Catacombs of Paris. In the late 18th century, the cemeteries of Paris were overcrowded and the abundance of remains were actually causing illnesses to spread in the areas of the graves. It was decided to transport the bones beneath the city, creating catacombs similar to those found in Rome dating to the second century AD. Because this period was marked by Romanticism, a fascination with the morbid and with death was at its height. Thus, the transported bones were arranged into large, haunting piles and skulls were strategically placed to form shapes such as stripes, crosses, and hearts. Throughout the catacombs are poetic inscriptions in French about death or about those whose bones rest there. I was so excited to go to the catacombs. I've always been fascinated by creepy things like graveyards and dungeons and supposedly haunted old buildings. But with the catacombs, I didn't really get what I expected. I expected to be walking around down there thinking, "this is so eerie and cool!" Instead, I walked around thinking, "this is actually really sad..."  I'm not religious, but I do think people's remains should be left in peace and if they must be moved for health reasons like this, then they should be respected. The remains of each individual should be kept together and, if they have one, their identities should be indicated with a sign or something. The remains should not be used to create "romantic" bone mosaics. I don't know...I mean, I am definitely glad I went!! It's an astounding thing to see, the remains of some 6-7 million people lined over hundreds of miles of underground tunnels (of course you only get to see a teeny tiny portion of those tunnels but what you do get to see feels like a LOT, so that makes the fact that there are so many more miles of the same stuff running all under the city simply unbelievable) . But, it was definitely a sobering experience that I did not expect and that I am glad I got the opportunity to have. You know how I am; the more a place makes me really feel something, the stronger emotions the place installed in me, the more worth the visit.

 Tunnels to the catacombs

 Entrance to the catacombs

hundreds of miles of this…. crazy

After we reascended onto the streets of Paris (83 steps back to street level), it was lunch time. And yes, it was time for crepe #2! This time with cheese rather than sugar (the beginnings of an obsession, ladies and gentlemen). We ate our crepes sitting outside of the famous Shakespeare and Company bookshop situated across the street from Notre Dame. After finishing, we explored the very, very busy tiny but super adorable bookshop. I ended up buying a small collectors addition of Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Cecily and I then contemplated what it would be like if Disney tried to adapt Victor Hugo's other famous novel, Les Miserables.... They made Hunchback work (even though it's still-lingering disturbing elements from the novel probably led to it's less popular reception), but I really don't think even Disney magic could make Les Mis into a children's movie.

       

Cecily in front of Shakespeare and Company 

We then headed over to the stunning cathedral itself. As we did, the cloudy sky broke up and sun emitted from the cracks illuminating the giant building with its rows of religious statues, haunting gargoyles, and magnificent twin bell towers. 

It didn't take us long to make it inside. I really had no memory of the interior from the last time I was there. Perhaps that is because I didn't feel any sort of passionate attachment to it then. You know me, if I am passionate about a particular place, the visual and emotional experience I have there will stick with me. It was just a beautiful building seven years ago. This time, it was the most stunning, majestic, but also warm and comforting of all the cathedrals, churches, abbeys etc that I had been to. Dispute the tourists milling around the columns, clicking away with their cameras, I found a spiritual serenity in the place. Not religious but spiritual. Sort of like how I felt at Linlithgow Palace when I first visited months ago. Gray stone dominated the Gothic interior, soaring up to its mountainous ceiling dotted with picturesque arches; it was simple yet magnificent. It didn't need various colored marble or everything gilded with gold to make a statement (like some of the other churches I've recently been to in Central Europe). Sunlight shown through the large circular stained glass windows at the center of the cathedral's long axis providing the otherwise relatively dark space with light (the windows I know so well from the "God Help the Outcasts" song sequence in Hunchback). It was just so remarkable. I could have stayed in there for hours! Before leaving, I stopped at the entrance to gaze down the long central passage of the cathedral leading to the altar. I had nearly forgotten. This was where Mary was married at age 15. This is where Mary became the future Queen of France. She actually got married outside the cathedral doors on the square but directly afterwards she and her husband, the French Prince, entered the cathedral and walked down the very passage I was standing in to attend mass. What was going through her mind? The sources say she was thrilled! That she felt like the luckiest girl in the world. Was she at all scared? Intimidated? Anxious about the fact that the fate of the longed-for French Empire (which was to encompass France, Scotland, and English once Mary and her husband became King and Queen of all three) rested on her teenage shoulders? I could picture her walking through the large double doors at the center of the cathedral, a nearly six-foot-tall vision draped in a white gown (a risk at the time since white in France was a symbol mourning), head held high, just so happy following her marriage vows. Little did she know how short-lived her happiness would be. In the following 31 years of her life, she probably never experienced such happiness again. Her life was truly all downhill from there. 

Believe it or not, my time spent at Notre Dame got even better after we left the inside. You know why? Because it was time to climb to the top! Cecily and I waited about a half hour in line outside the cathedral. And then it was our turn. Cecily hadn't climbed it yet so this was something special we got to do together. It was over 200 steps (on a narrow spiral staircase) up to the first landing which sits right below the two towers. When we reached that landed, the gargoyles were waiting there to show us their beautiful city of Paris over which they have watched for around 600 years. There I was, gazing over this city that I had really disliked for 7 years, ironically falling in love with it! The whole time I was up there, I was singing "Out There" from Hunchback (seriously one of the best Disney songs EVER) in my head because where I was standing was where Quasimodo sings the song in the movie. Also up there, I realized that, even though Disney has taken A TON of liberties with their movies as far as historical accuracy goes, their portrayal of the details of Notre Dame is spot on! Next, we climbed around 100 steps to the very top of the one tower (387 steps total) giving us a stunning 360 view of Paris, and a particularly great view from the backside of the cathedral (and of more spots on the cathedral where Quasimodo unrealistically climbs and swings from in the movie). On the 300-step trek back down to the spiral steps, Cecily and I actually sang "Out There". Not sure if the other visitors in front or behind us were entertained or annoyed by our Hunchback sing-along, but we certainly enjoyed ourselves! Haha :)

 View from the first landing

 Gotta love all the gargoyles 

 Quasimodo totally swung from column to column here 

 view from the top of the tower

 view from the back of the cathedral

That evening, we went to dinner at one of Cecily's favorite cafés before heading to the Christmas Market along the famous Champ Elysees. It was my first European Christmas market (6 more would follow in other countries), and I could not have been more pumped! It was huge! So many stands! Annnnnd guess what I got! That's right! Crepe #3! Another sugar one. I was a happy camper walking around the market. Cecily also took me to see the very expensive, very decked-out shops along the Champs Elysees on the way to see the Arc De Triomphe. That night, we were exhausted and watched a little more of Hunchback before heading to bed.

 Cec at the Christmas Market

 The Arc De Triomphe

In the morning, we were off to the Palace of Versailles, the ridiculously massive palace and grounds constructed under the Sun King, Louis XIV.  I was adamant that I had to visit Versailles! I think more than the palace, I wanted to see the beautiful gardens. But, I wasn't too bright when it came to my expectations. It was November. The statues in the garden were covered by protective sheets, the fountains were all under renovation, and the flowers were nonexistent. Yeah… my bad. Haha but we still got to tour the palace. The famous Hall of Mirrors was truly magnificent! With the sunlight streaming through the many windows on the one side of the room and bouncing off the parallel mirrors and off the gold and crystal on the chandeliers, the long hall quite literally sparkled. However, the rest of the palace, smothered in gold, I found rather tacky and pompous. Unlike the powerful gothic stones of Notre Dame, Louis had install gold everywhere in his palace as if to say, "Hey! Look how filthy rich and powerful I am!" I really didn't like it. Some of the ceilings did have paintings on them that I found quite impressive and beautiful, but it was hard to see past the massive ego of the Sun King present in ever inch of his palace.

 one hell of a pano to fit not even the entire palace into one picture

 The gold begins at the gate

 a beautiful ceiling

 The Hall of Mirrors

After the tour, Cecily and I took a really nice walk through the gardens. They may have not been as magnificent as I expected but they still provided a really nice place to walk and spend an hour or two with a great friend.

 At the back of the palace

 The Gardens

 Cecily mimicking the tree haha :)

Finally, it was time to climb the Empire State Building!

Damn it! You see! I meant the Eiffel Tower of course :P It was time to do what we had set out to do all the way back in July. We had our unattractive sneakers laced up and our purses tightly strapped across our bodies. And with a quick selfie at the start of the steps, we were off! It was 328 steps to the first level where we took a break to walk around a gift shop. It was then another 373 steps to the top of the second level, which was as far as you are allowed to walk. So we did it! We walked up the Eiffel Tower (as far as possible anyway)! What a view! We then waited for a while to catch one of the four elevators that takes you to the very top level. It takes 90 seconds on the elevator to reach the top. That's a long time on an elevator! But it was so worth it. We finally reached the tippy tippy top. We were giddy children and Paris, our miniature play set.

 I'm down there in the corner!

 classic jumping pic

 The pic before we began climbing

 And so it begins

 passing the elevator tracks as we climb the steps

 Those are the stairs we took back down

 we reached the second level!! Mission complete!

 view from the second level

 We reached the top!

 view from the top of the Eiffel Tower

 our play set :)

That night, we met up with Cecily's friend Heather whom Cecily had met on her solo travels around Europe. Heather was one of those people who I so greatly envied. She is traveling around Europe for 4 months on her own and mostly staying on peoples couches. Like, where do you get that kind of courage to be in a foreign country day after day on your own and not know where you are going next? How do you develop such a free spirit? And the trust that you will find your way around, that you will have a bed (or couch) to sleep in, that you will be safe on your own as a young woman? The willingness? The optimism? I truly wish I possessed more of those qualities. I could never be as trusting as she (and never will I think couch surfing in Europe is a good idea) but I admire her.

We met up with Heather at the Christmas Market and walked around for a while before ultimately stopping to do one of my favorite things.

ICE SKATING!!! I got to ice skate on an awesome rink along the Champ Elysees at the Paris Christmas Market with two great girls. It was pretty cool :)

Afterwards, we went to dinner at another of Cecily's favorite places and then went for #4! That's right! My fourth crepe in two and half days. #noshame

And then, per my request, on my last night in Paris, we ate our crepes while walking all the way around and admiring my favorite Parisian place: Notre Dame. 

That night, I showered and packed up, knowing I'd only have about 2 to 3 hours of sleep since an airport shuttle was picking me up at 4:15AM. But before commencing with what could only be called a nap, we finally finished watching The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It had been a wonderful weekend!! I am so so grateful to Cecily for taking me in and being my tour guide for a few days. It was really special getting to reunite with her in her favorite city. And you know what? I loved Paris! Honestly! The most shocking thing was how nice the people were. They were so nice! Even to us often annoying, usually ignorant Americans. I was shocked and so pleasantly surprised. 

Well thank you for being patient with me and my very delayed post. I should be posting probably four more over the holiday break in order to cover everything that has happened over the past month (Balmoral Ball/Thanksgiving, Central Europe trip with Mum, my solo Italian adventure), and then I will wrap the entire blog up with a post that is likely to be very mushy, very emotional, very… well, ME! haha until then Happy Holidays everyone!!