I have finally been able to start doing some exploring...I am still a little under the weather, but I am trying to not let that stop me this weekend. It has been helpful that my Art and Architecture of France class has us go on a lot of different trips throughout Paris. Today I was able to see Notre Dame and several other famous sites in Paris, but before I discuss those backtracking a bit! Between classes the last few days Adrian and I have tried to get out in the sun...I am trying to burn the sickness out of me! hahah. On Tuesday we went to park about ten blocks away from campus. There were lots of people laying out on the green grass, sunbathing and picnicking. Adrian and I plopped down next to a little fountain and people watched for awhile...soaking in the sun and sights. I actually fell asleep for about an hour and was awoken to my alarm warning me it was almost time for class.
The last two days in between classes Adrian and I went to a different smaller park closer to campus. Once again, everyone was out picnicking and sunbathing. This morning I went there on my own for about two hours to do homework and Adrian met up with me after. I love just being able to escape to these little parks in Paris. Its the dream life.
For Art and Architecture class today my Professor took us to see Notre Dame which I was very excited about. We got both an outside and inside tour of Notre Dame where she explained the various aspects of the Church. We started our tour though at Jardin de l'hotel de Sens which is now home to one of the nicest libraries in Paris. We went to see it because of the Gothic and Romanesque architecture it possesses with rectangular windows and pointed arches. It is located right in the heart of Gothic/Urban Paris. It has been restored several times and is one of the oldest surviving pieces of architecture in Paris. France had a tendency to restore completely their ancient architecture to the point of it almost being entirely different. This was one structure they only half restored so it still has a lot of the Gothic Architecture France is notorious for.
In the front is located beautiful French gardens. The reminded me of the gardens in front of the Palace in Madrid. Our teacher gave us a lot of information at once about all of the architecture and it was almost hard for me to keep up. I will just basically do an overview of each place I suppose!
After Hotel de Sens we made our way across the bridge towards Notre Dame. Across from the bridge is located the Mayor of Paris' offices...if you look closely to the picture you can tell.
The bridge itself had a unique atmosphere. It reminded me of what all the movies about Paris portray Paris as. There were people eating ice cream, couples holding hands, live music and boats floating on the river. I really enjoyed the brief people watching.
We then made it to Notre Dame!!! We started on the East side of Notre Dame which was probably my favorite view of the Church. There was a garden with beautiful flowers and trees, a park where children were swinging on the swings and benches everywhere. It was a beautiful sight. Our teacher actually told us though that when Notre Dame was first built it was considered to be ugly by the French people. It was not about what it looked like on the outside, but the inside instead. I guess I am biased, but I would beg to differ.
After the east side of Notre Dame we made our way to the north entrance. On the way to the north entrance there was a lot more parks. Flowers in bloom, more benches and beautiful trees. It was also very lively with people everywhere.
The north entrance to Notre Dame is the entrance for Bishops and the higher up in the church. Our teacher talked a lot about why specific arches were used in specific places, the style of construction used and the building of Notre Dame as a whole. I never realized that literally every last detail on a Church like Notre Dame has a purpose whether it is something to be funny (yes, artists did that), religious meaning, symbolic meaning or for aesthetics.
After the north entrance we made our way through the crowds of people to the front entrance or main entrance of Notre Dame. It was packed. It is referred to as the gallery of Kings. There are three different entrances on the main entrance side. Our Professor explained that is because three is a Holy number in the church. In this case it could be interpreted as standing for the Trinity. It also is sometimes interpreted as representing the three Kings from the old testament. Their three statues were originally out in front of Notre Dame and during revolts the heads of the statues of the three kings were all chopped off and hidden. The statues were rebuilt and not until the 1970's were the heads found underground very close to Notre Dame.
Notre Dame has so much to it on the outside. Our Professor pointed out so many religious and historical figures throughout the exterior of the church. Adam and Eve, St. Ann, Jesus Christ, St. Joseph, various Martyr's, scenes of Heaven, Hell and Biblical figures. She also pointed out the various gargoyles. She explained gargoyles were used in churches like Notre Dame for many reasons. One reason was superstition. To scare off evil spirits from entering into the church. Another reason was because prior to the Renaissance religious people needed religion to be not only a spiritual thing, but a magical experience as well. Things like lavish paintings, gargoyles, demons and such got people excited about religion and the Catholic Church acted upon that. It gave the people a magical experience they so craved. I literally could have spent days picking out all of the details that our Professor pointed out. She is so intelligent when it comes to art history. She knows the purpose of every last detail of art and architecture.
Its truly amazing a structure like Notre Dame has been around for 850 years. I can remember watching the Hunch Back of Notre Dame as a little girl. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would see such a thing up close. This weekend Adrian and I are going to try and climb to the top. I wonder if I will run into the Hunch Back then!?
It usually costs five Euro to go inside Notre Dame, but our Professor brought us in without charge. The inside of Notre Dame was amazing, but I have to admit...I liked the outside even more. It reminded me a little bit of the Vatican and a little bit of Sevilla's Cathedral. Once again, every church is unique in its own way. That is the beauty of traveling.
There was amazing stain glass windows throughout Notre Dame. They were stunning. I literally do not think I have ever seen stain glass quite like it before. My pictures really could not capture the stain glass adequately.
Our last stop was to the Latin Quarter a famous part of Paris. Originally it was geared towards college students because the oldest University in Paris is just ten minutes away from it. Latin was the primary language spoken at the time this area was created, hence the name. The area is now much more affluent and expensive...though rumor has it that it is still the cheapest place for souvenirs! A lot of the SJU students hang out in the Latin Quarter because of the night life. Our Professor showed us some of the little shops and restaurants. She also shared some stories about riots that took place here during the 70's. She said the "sex revolution" had a great influence on the college students in Paris and caused them to constantly be revolting and rebelling. The very streets we were walking on once were home to some of the most famous college protests in French history.
The reason our Professor took us to the Latin Quarter in the first place was to see another Church so we could compare the art and architecture with that of Notre Dame. The church is located right next to the Latin Quarter and is called Rue Saint Severin. It has some similar characteristics to Notre Dame, but through our Professor talking and showing us it is easier to pick out the differences as well. It is obviously much smaller than Notre Dame too.
We were also able to go inside this Church. It was beautiful. Much different than Notre Dame on the inside and a lot less crowded. It had more of an intimate feel. The alter was breathtaking.
Our class basically ended after the tour of Saint Severin. We were able to get a quick peek at one of the oldest cemeteries in Paris located right next to Saint Severin. There are not many cemeteries in Paris at all because during the Renaissance they were moved outside of the city and continue to stay there. It did not really look like a cemetery anyway and more like a garden.
We parted our Professor from here... and the weekend was officially underway! It took about twenty minutes to walk back from the Latin Quarter to campus...the semester kids of Paris lead the way. After a very busy day of class, tours and sightseeing I was exhausted. Adrian has community service at a local soup kitchen until late tonight. I had a very nice dinner with Eduardo and Ricardo reminiscing about Freshman year of College. Those two guys have been my best friends from day one of college and I really enjoyed their company.
I am not sure what exactly Adrian and I are going to do tonight after he gets back from service. I don't want to push my health too far and I assume he will be exhausted too. We are in Paris though...so nothing is ever really planned... if we feel like it the Eiffel Tower is just a few block away :) Gosh...I love being able to say that.
I am also happy to report... I got my Spanish grade today. After a lot of hard-work, some tears and the best tutor in the world...I pulled off an A-! Now just waiting for my Ethics grade and module two will officially be in my past. I cannot believe a week from TODAY I will be leaving for Ireland. A dream come true... at this point these last 10 weeks have really just been one huge dream come true. I am a lucky girl, that is for sure.
Thank you for reading :) keep checking up on my Blog...I will most likely have another one soon...tomorrow we are going to Versaille with St. John's! Have a nice weekend everyone... lots of love to my family. I miss you all so much.
XOXO
Shann
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