The City of Light

 Third Monday after Pentecost

Ordinary Time: Color--Green

Lectionary Texts:

2 Corinthians 5:6-15

Mark 4:1-20

Psalm 20

A young man goes to Paris
As every young man should
There's something in the Paris air
That does a young man good

An old man returns to Paris
As every old man must 

He feels the winter winds blow cold
His dreams have turned to dust.

 

These are some of the words to an old (1950's) song. One point in the quiz for the first person to identify the song and the folk group that sang it. No internet cheating, please.

 

Today is travelogue. I have been doing "center of the world" places and "end of the world" places. So far we have done Jerusalem (center) and Iona (end). Today we're back to center.

I first went to Paris as a young man, 23. I have been to Paris 5 more times since then (not nearly enough). . "The last time I saw Paris" I was an old man, 73. The words of the song in the first verse apply to me. Those of the last verse don't. Indeed my last trip to Paris (2017) was the best trip I ever had.

Paris is the center of the world. It is also the most beautiful city in the world. Those two facts make it the most visited city in the world, over 10 million visitors a year (pre-covid). That makes it crowded, especially in the more tourist oriented sites. 

What makes it beautiful? First, a river runs through it. The Seine (pronounced sinn, more or less), is just the right width, about 200 yds., big enough for tour boats and houseboats, not big enough for cargo ships and liners. It has lots of bridges, many of them beautiful in themselves. the right bank has more to see, but the left bank has the Eiffel Tower and fascinating neighborhoods. Second is the architecture, most of it is 18th and 19th century, some older. Then there are the cultural things, more art museums than any other city, beautiful churches, superb performance venues. Then there is the food. Thousands of restaurants of every type, but especially French. Try some of the basic dishes first: Canard a l'orange (duck in orange sauce) or Coq au vin (chicken in red wine sauce), then go for heavier fare, fois gras  and other pates, and of course, don't forget the escargots. 

 

There is so much more than I could ever write, but here are a few things. The Eiffel Tower: The regular lines can be hours long, so make reservations. With a  reservation you can get in 15 or 20 minutes. Hope its not a cloudy, foggy, rainy day. There are two vantage points. The first is at 250 feet. It's a spectacular view of the whole beautiful city. Then go to the top, 900 feet. You can see the whole city a little beyond. Alternatively, you can go to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, over 200 feet.  Paris has no skyscrapers (except one, the gawd-awful LaDefense, 50 stories solid black. Parisians complain about it constantly). 

There are two great churches, Notre Dame Cathedral and Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart). I'm grateful that I explored Notre Dame several times before the horrible 2019 fire. I'm sad than in our 2017 trip with son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren, the line was 4 hours long when we went. We decided not to wait. I don't know how it will look when restored and reopened. The other great church, Sacre Coeur, sits high atop Montmartre , a high hill in the middle of the city. The architecture looks more like something from India or Persia than Europe, but the church is beautiful both inside and outside. Montmartre (pronounced mo-mart) is village of its own, the place where all the great French artists hung out. There is an art square, where artists display their work and will do your portrait for a negotiated price. We have a portrait of April done there in 1988, when she was 13. It hangs in our guest room (her room when she's here). 

 

Next Monday I'll talk about the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay, the Champs Elysee, Shakespeare and Company, and Parisians. I'll try to keep Paris to three blogs. I'm already getting homesick for it.

God of all beauty,

We are thankful for the beauty of the countrysides and the beauty of many cities. Help us to see it, as Jesus saw the lilies of the field and the birds of the air. In his name. Amen.

Faithfully,

Christian