Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2286474&id=11832732&l=f57064c993
Today we visited the Vatican, which although is close to Rome, is technically a separate nation. We joined a tour group which allowed us 'priority' access to the lines (didn't have to wait as long, and we got in sooner than we otherwise would have). We started off in the Vatican museum, which is the second largest museum in the world; only the Louvre is larger (so on this trip I have been inside the two largest museums in the world).
One of the first things we saw in the museum was a replica of a marble carving by Michelangelo (we saw the original later, but it was behind bullet proof glass due to an 'incident' years prior, more on that after the story); the only one which has his name explicitly carved into it. It is a funny story about how this came to be. Originally, artists were discouraged from signing works meant for the church; it was a "sin of vanity" to do so. Michelangelo did not originally sign the sculpture; he was present at the unveiling in the Vatican, and he hid behind a column to hear what people thought of his work. He was infuriated, since the people were impressed by the sculpture, but were saying that it must have been carved by someone else, since people from Florence lacked the skill it would have taken to carve such a masterpiece. Michelangelo was mad enough that he broke into the Vatican that night (a crime punishable by death) and carved his name into the sculpture, something along the lines of "this sculpture was carved by michelangelo the florentine". However, since he was rushing and nervous due to the penalty if he was caught, he accidentally misspelled his name and had to go back and add in some letters, cramming them into the small spaces where he could fit them. In the morning, people were furious about what he had done; the only reason he was not executed was that the Pope pardoned him, saying it would be a sin to kill the creator of such a work of art.
Anyway, the reason it is a replica is that several years ago the actual version was on display when a mad man burst into the room where it was displayed. He yelled something to the degree that he was Jesus, and that "that woman was not his mother". He then took a hammer and starting striking the statue, getting in 5 or 6 hits before being restrained. The statue was damaged, with pieces going everywhere. Eventually, it was successfully reassembled, and put on display again in St. Peter's bascilica, but it was displayed behind bullet-proof glass so no one else could damage it again.
Further along in the museum, we saw an influential sculpture which was the first to convey emotions of the subjects in it; agony is clearly visible in the face of the man being attacked by snakes. It is considered important because it is the first work to have done so; presumably, it was copied by others and led to more realistic sculptures.
We also saw Nero's bathtub, which is a giant bathtub made out of Imperial marble. It is a red colored marble, and only one source was ever discovered; hence the emperors claiming it for themselves. It is priceless as a result; since all that was available has been consumed and used (although there are rumors of a second vein possibly being discovered). The tub is thus one of, if not the most expensive objects in the museum.
We then hurried to the Sistine Chapel, because of preparations for Easter, the basilica at the end of the tour would be closing early and our guide wanted us to get there in time to see it. The Sistine Chapel was amazing - the pictures you see of it can't possibly capture the true beauty of the images in the ceiling and walls. The chapel had been 'fogged up' by centuries of candles and fires accumulating soot on the ceiling. A firm offered to finance the refurbishing of the ceiling (a 'mistake' you could say due to the eventual cost being in the millions). As compensation for their money/effort, they were granted exclusive rights to the images, which is why I have no pictures of the inside (although I probably could have taken some if I wanted to; I didn't feel like risking getting caught).
We then finished the tour and went inside St. Peter's bascilica. It was a very impressive building, although I really wish I could have been there for Easter and had a mass there. The building is very ornate, and decorated with great skill, a true testament of the skills given by God to the artists who worked on it.
After leaving the Bascilica, we walked out into St. Peter's square (which is actually a circle if you look at it from above), and I took the chance to take a picture of the Papal apartments, where the pope lives and speaks on Weds. (we decided to do the Vatican today instead of yesterday because of that; a lot of people would have been here yesterday to see the Pope and it would have been even more crowded). I would have liked to have seen the Pope in person, but it was not that big of an issue to risk the extra crowding and risk not seeing the other things we wanted to see due to crowds.
We then walked to Castel Sant'Angelo, a castle connected to the Vatican by a wall with a secret passage in it; if the Vatican was ever sieged, the Pope and his court could escape to the fortified castle nearby. Originally, it was a mausoleam for Emperor Hadrian, however, it was adapted to be a papal fortress, and a few Popes used it as their private residences. It was a very impressive castle.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
"A funny thing happened on the way to the forum..."
Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2286474&id=11832732&l=f57064c993
Today we visited ancient Rome. We started off at the Colosseum, or the Flavian amphitheater as it was originally known, because it was build by three of the Flavian dynasty emperors. It again was an engineering marvel of the time; holding thousands of people who were seated by their social class; yet at the same time due to the 'requirements' of class, there were dozens of stairways and entrances so that every class had its own means of access to the building without having to cross the path of someone of higher or lower standing than yourself. An additonal benefit of this is that the building could be filled and emptied very quickly, unlike a modern american football arena or hockey arena, which can take a while to empty out after a game.
The floor of the Colosseum was originally a wooden floor, covered by sand, with trapdoors and elevators leading to a basement where wild animals were kept for 'hunts' to be shown to the public for sport. As the story goes, on the opening day of the arena (before the whole building was completed, but enough for the 'games' to begin), 9000 animals were killed over the course of a year of celebrations. The arena was also used for gladiatoral fights as well, although these ceased in the 400's, with the arena continuing to be used for animal hunts until the 500's.
The only people who got their names on their seats were the senators, who sat at the front, closest to the action. Some of the ruins of their seats are still present; the writing still visible of the name of the senator who sat in that spot. As senators died/were 'replaced', the old names were chiseled off and new ones added. Everyone else had an assigned seat in their designated section, along with instructions of how to get to their seat (the social class issues mentioned above). The instructions directed people to pass through a specific entrance, marked with roman numerals, some of which can still be seen today. Additionally, the seats were marked with numbers as well, so everyone had a specific location to sit in.
After the Colosseum, we had lunch and then visited the forum (the oldest part of Rome). We started on Palentine hill, one of the 7 hills of Rome. The story goes that Aeneas and the other trojan survivers who ecsape the greek attack eventually settled in the area. One of their desecendants became a king who had a prophacy against him that his grandchildren would overthrow him. Enraged, he locked up his daughter and ordered that she and her twin children be killed. The daughter was killed, but the man assigned to kill the children was unwilling to do so; he abandoned Romulus and Remus in the wilderness where they were raised by a 'she-wolf' (our guide mentioned that the word for she-wolf actually could mean 3 things: a female wolf, a priestess in a female-wolf worshiping cult, or a prostitute; it is possible that the story actually happened to a certain degree in the later cases). Eventually the boys were found and raised by a local man. They eventually discovered the truth about their grandfather, and they did de-throne him.
At this point, the brothers differed on where they should build their city. Remus favored the Palantine hill, while Romulus fancied a place a little farther off. They chose to let the 'gods' decide the matter, and each spent the day at their site counting the number of Eagles they saw. Romulus won, and started construction of walls around his site. As our guide put it, Remus was a sore loser, and hopped over the walls and trenches his brother was working on, to demonstrate that they were insufficient. Angered, Romulus killed Remus and continued building his city.
There was a 'problem' in the fact that Romulus just had men to work with him on building the city - there were no women/children. To solve this problem, Romulus raided a local tribe in the area (living near the Palantine hill), and took their women, and married them. By the time the tribe had recovered enough to counter attack, the women had begun to have children. The battle took place on the hill; the women rushing into the battle to stop it - on one side were their husbands/fathers of their children and on the other side was their families. Both sides stopped fighting upon the women's actions; an agreement was reached with Romulus and the tribe leader ruling side by side, as two kings of Rome. After the years, when the tribal king died with no heirs, Romulus assumed the powers over both groups, who at that time were at peace and for all intents and purposes the same (Romans).
Anyways, we got to see a lot of the important places at the time, including what was left of the palace of Emperor Dominus, who was a sadistic guy. Our guide mentioned that he was fond of inviting common people to a state dinner in his palace, letting them think they were important and known to him, then the next day rounding them up and executing them all. Also on the Palentine hill was the house of Caesar Augustus ("And in those days a decree went out from Ceasar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed...", the Christmas story and the reason Jesus' family went to bethlehem). I found it pretty cool to be that close to the house of someone that important to history.
We then went into the forum, lots of interesting things there including the place where Julius Caesar was cremated; surprising to me was that people still honor his memory today; there were fresh flowers on the spot where he was cremated, which became a temple to him. Also, there is an arch which commemorates the sacking of Jerusalem in 70 AD, the source of funding for most of the buildings of Rome at the time, including the Colosseum.
After this, we went back to the room; it was a long day, with a lot of walking, but it was definitely worth it.
Today we visited ancient Rome. We started off at the Colosseum, or the Flavian amphitheater as it was originally known, because it was build by three of the Flavian dynasty emperors. It again was an engineering marvel of the time; holding thousands of people who were seated by their social class; yet at the same time due to the 'requirements' of class, there were dozens of stairways and entrances so that every class had its own means of access to the building without having to cross the path of someone of higher or lower standing than yourself. An additonal benefit of this is that the building could be filled and emptied very quickly, unlike a modern american football arena or hockey arena, which can take a while to empty out after a game.
The floor of the Colosseum was originally a wooden floor, covered by sand, with trapdoors and elevators leading to a basement where wild animals were kept for 'hunts' to be shown to the public for sport. As the story goes, on the opening day of the arena (before the whole building was completed, but enough for the 'games' to begin), 9000 animals were killed over the course of a year of celebrations. The arena was also used for gladiatoral fights as well, although these ceased in the 400's, with the arena continuing to be used for animal hunts until the 500's.
The only people who got their names on their seats were the senators, who sat at the front, closest to the action. Some of the ruins of their seats are still present; the writing still visible of the name of the senator who sat in that spot. As senators died/were 'replaced', the old names were chiseled off and new ones added. Everyone else had an assigned seat in their designated section, along with instructions of how to get to their seat (the social class issues mentioned above). The instructions directed people to pass through a specific entrance, marked with roman numerals, some of which can still be seen today. Additionally, the seats were marked with numbers as well, so everyone had a specific location to sit in.
After the Colosseum, we had lunch and then visited the forum (the oldest part of Rome). We started on Palentine hill, one of the 7 hills of Rome. The story goes that Aeneas and the other trojan survivers who ecsape the greek attack eventually settled in the area. One of their desecendants became a king who had a prophacy against him that his grandchildren would overthrow him. Enraged, he locked up his daughter and ordered that she and her twin children be killed. The daughter was killed, but the man assigned to kill the children was unwilling to do so; he abandoned Romulus and Remus in the wilderness where they were raised by a 'she-wolf' (our guide mentioned that the word for she-wolf actually could mean 3 things: a female wolf, a priestess in a female-wolf worshiping cult, or a prostitute; it is possible that the story actually happened to a certain degree in the later cases). Eventually the boys were found and raised by a local man. They eventually discovered the truth about their grandfather, and they did de-throne him.
At this point, the brothers differed on where they should build their city. Remus favored the Palantine hill, while Romulus fancied a place a little farther off. They chose to let the 'gods' decide the matter, and each spent the day at their site counting the number of Eagles they saw. Romulus won, and started construction of walls around his site. As our guide put it, Remus was a sore loser, and hopped over the walls and trenches his brother was working on, to demonstrate that they were insufficient. Angered, Romulus killed Remus and continued building his city.
There was a 'problem' in the fact that Romulus just had men to work with him on building the city - there were no women/children. To solve this problem, Romulus raided a local tribe in the area (living near the Palantine hill), and took their women, and married them. By the time the tribe had recovered enough to counter attack, the women had begun to have children. The battle took place on the hill; the women rushing into the battle to stop it - on one side were their husbands/fathers of their children and on the other side was their families. Both sides stopped fighting upon the women's actions; an agreement was reached with Romulus and the tribe leader ruling side by side, as two kings of Rome. After the years, when the tribal king died with no heirs, Romulus assumed the powers over both groups, who at that time were at peace and for all intents and purposes the same (Romans).
Anyways, we got to see a lot of the important places at the time, including what was left of the palace of Emperor Dominus, who was a sadistic guy. Our guide mentioned that he was fond of inviting common people to a state dinner in his palace, letting them think they were important and known to him, then the next day rounding them up and executing them all. Also on the Palentine hill was the house of Caesar Augustus ("And in those days a decree went out from Ceasar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed...", the Christmas story and the reason Jesus' family went to bethlehem). I found it pretty cool to be that close to the house of someone that important to history.
We then went into the forum, lots of interesting things there including the place where Julius Caesar was cremated; surprising to me was that people still honor his memory today; there were fresh flowers on the spot where he was cremated, which became a temple to him. Also, there is an arch which commemorates the sacking of Jerusalem in 70 AD, the source of funding for most of the buildings of Rome at the time, including the Colosseum.
After this, we went back to the room; it was a long day, with a lot of walking, but it was definitely worth it.
When in Rome...
Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2286474&id=11832732&l=f57064c993
Today we left Paris (early in the morning) to fly to Rome. I thought it was pretty cool when we crossed the alps (I think it was the alps; big mountains anyways), the mountains stuck up beyond a cloud layer looking almost like islands.
After arriving safely, we rode a bus into Rome. After depositing our suitcases in our room, we went walking around the city. Our first stop was the "Spanish Steps" - a large number (138) of steps built where the Spanish embassy used to be. I am not that familiar on the details, but the steps are used as a meeting point or socializing point - a lot of people sit around with their friends there. We arrived at the top, and walked down the steps.
After the Spanish Steps, the next closest 'tourist location' was the Trevi fountain. I was impressed by it; it is large and has a lot of water flowing through it. There is not really a good way to get a photo of the whole thing due to the number of people standing around it. I did 'brave the crowd' and tossed a coin into the fountain. According to the legend/myth, I will return to Rome at some point.
Leaving the Trevi Fountain, we went to the Pantheon. It is a very old building, built almost 2000 years ago as a pagan temple to all the gods (put them all into one place rather than lots of shrines/temples all over the city). It is very impressive in the fact that the roof is a concrete dome which has not been replaced since originally being built. It is an engineering marval that the dome is there at all; I would not have pegged ancient Romans capable of such a feat, and performing such a high quality job that it lasts 2000 years. The only light in the room comes from a hole in the ceiling; the occulus (which surprisingly enough, does admit a great deal of light, more than enough to see by). The building was eventually converted into a church and blessed by the Pope; it is still used as a church today. Additionally, two kings of Italy are intured there, along with Raphael (the artist).
After the pantheon, we briefly visited Piazza Navona, which in the days of the Roman Empire was used as an arena for races; chariot, horses, and runners. It was large (seems to be a common theme for the older piazzas; possibly a socialization point for the people of the time). Then we went back to our hotel to get ready for a very busy next day.
Today we left Paris (early in the morning) to fly to Rome. I thought it was pretty cool when we crossed the alps (I think it was the alps; big mountains anyways), the mountains stuck up beyond a cloud layer looking almost like islands.
After arriving safely, we rode a bus into Rome. After depositing our suitcases in our room, we went walking around the city. Our first stop was the "Spanish Steps" - a large number (138) of steps built where the Spanish embassy used to be. I am not that familiar on the details, but the steps are used as a meeting point or socializing point - a lot of people sit around with their friends there. We arrived at the top, and walked down the steps.
After the Spanish Steps, the next closest 'tourist location' was the Trevi fountain. I was impressed by it; it is large and has a lot of water flowing through it. There is not really a good way to get a photo of the whole thing due to the number of people standing around it. I did 'brave the crowd' and tossed a coin into the fountain. According to the legend/myth, I will return to Rome at some point.
Leaving the Trevi Fountain, we went to the Pantheon. It is a very old building, built almost 2000 years ago as a pagan temple to all the gods (put them all into one place rather than lots of shrines/temples all over the city). It is very impressive in the fact that the roof is a concrete dome which has not been replaced since originally being built. It is an engineering marval that the dome is there at all; I would not have pegged ancient Romans capable of such a feat, and performing such a high quality job that it lasts 2000 years. The only light in the room comes from a hole in the ceiling; the occulus (which surprisingly enough, does admit a great deal of light, more than enough to see by). The building was eventually converted into a church and blessed by the Pope; it is still used as a church today. Additionally, two kings of Italy are intured there, along with Raphael (the artist).
After the pantheon, we briefly visited Piazza Navona, which in the days of the Roman Empire was used as an arena for races; chariot, horses, and runners. It was large (seems to be a common theme for the older piazzas; possibly a socialization point for the people of the time). Then we went back to our hotel to get ready for a very busy next day.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
"We'll always have Paris"
Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2284671&id=11832732&l=86f040cb2a
Photos: 98-149
Today was a museum day - we started off by visiting the Louvre. Interestingly, we came via the subway, and so didn't go in via the giant pyramid, but right beside the "Pyramide Inversée", the inverted pyramid. I found this amusing because it completely contradicts the Da Vinci Code, which implies that the body of Mary Magdalene is buried underneath a 'right-side up' pyramind underneath it. In actuality, the right-side up pyramid is pretty small, so unless the body was forced into a fetal position, it wouldn't fit (and even then, it might not). Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures until later, and I was unable to get close again or else I would have had to re-go through security to get in the building, which would have meant waiting a long time to get through all the school groups in the line. I did take as good a picture as I could, which is shown later in the series.
The first thing we saw was the Mona Lisa, since we expected there would be a crowd later wanting to see it. I saw it, and it was impressive - virtually everyone knows the Mona Lisa, and I saw it in person. It actually looks a little different than what people expect it to be - there is less contrast in the actual image than the various reproductions seen of it, and it is darker (not a lot, but noticibaly so). After admiring the fampus work of art, we turned to leave and just as we were, a hoard of people came in (they were not actually a barbarian hoard, but they seemed like it and in such a large mass as well. We looked at a few more paintings in this section, including a few more by Da Vinci, then proceeded to look at some Roman statues of Emperors. After proceeding through the museum, I got to see the crown worn by Napolean at his coronation, as well as his apartments when he lived at the Lourve.
After Napolean's rooms, I was very impressed to see the "Code of Hammurabi." For those of you who are not as familiar with world history, the code of Hammurabi is one of the first set of written laws known to exist, from almost 2000 BC. The laws are quite harsh (if you accuse someone of a capital crime and they are found innocent, you are put to death instead), but it was significant in the fact that they were written down/recorded. That is it still visible almost 4000 years later impresses me.
After wandering through a bit more of the Lourve, we went to the "Musée de l' Orangerie", an art museum whose primary function is to house the "Nympheas" by Monet, the 'waterlillies' paintings. These are a series of paintings Monet made of a pond from different times of the day. I greatly enjoyed this place - I like impressionist artwork because it is just that - the artist's impression of what they see. There is not as much emphasis on "hidden meanings reflecting the trouble and angst of the human condition", etc... rather, it is a painting to look at. After spending some time looking at these 8 paintings, we walked through the rest of the museum; which was interesting, but not as inspiring for me as the Nympheas.
We then walked up the Champ-Elysees again, although this time towards the arch on the portion we had not walked before, then rode the subway back - not a bad day for a last day in Paris.
One thing I want to mention is the creativity of (presumably) French disobedient teens in law breaking. Where most teens do graffiti in convenient locations, the French take this challenge to a whole new level, grafitting the inside of subway tubes (meaning that they have to walk inside the tube making sure not to touch the electric rails or else they die from electric shock. I found this hightly amusing.
Photos: 98-149
Today was a museum day - we started off by visiting the Louvre. Interestingly, we came via the subway, and so didn't go in via the giant pyramid, but right beside the "Pyramide Inversée", the inverted pyramid. I found this amusing because it completely contradicts the Da Vinci Code, which implies that the body of Mary Magdalene is buried underneath a 'right-side up' pyramind underneath it. In actuality, the right-side up pyramid is pretty small, so unless the body was forced into a fetal position, it wouldn't fit (and even then, it might not). Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures until later, and I was unable to get close again or else I would have had to re-go through security to get in the building, which would have meant waiting a long time to get through all the school groups in the line. I did take as good a picture as I could, which is shown later in the series.
The first thing we saw was the Mona Lisa, since we expected there would be a crowd later wanting to see it. I saw it, and it was impressive - virtually everyone knows the Mona Lisa, and I saw it in person. It actually looks a little different than what people expect it to be - there is less contrast in the actual image than the various reproductions seen of it, and it is darker (not a lot, but noticibaly so). After admiring the fampus work of art, we turned to leave and just as we were, a hoard of people came in (they were not actually a barbarian hoard, but they seemed like it and in such a large mass as well. We looked at a few more paintings in this section, including a few more by Da Vinci, then proceeded to look at some Roman statues of Emperors. After proceeding through the museum, I got to see the crown worn by Napolean at his coronation, as well as his apartments when he lived at the Lourve.
After Napolean's rooms, I was very impressed to see the "Code of Hammurabi." For those of you who are not as familiar with world history, the code of Hammurabi is one of the first set of written laws known to exist, from almost 2000 BC. The laws are quite harsh (if you accuse someone of a capital crime and they are found innocent, you are put to death instead), but it was significant in the fact that they were written down/recorded. That is it still visible almost 4000 years later impresses me.
After wandering through a bit more of the Lourve, we went to the "Musée de l' Orangerie", an art museum whose primary function is to house the "Nympheas" by Monet, the 'waterlillies' paintings. These are a series of paintings Monet made of a pond from different times of the day. I greatly enjoyed this place - I like impressionist artwork because it is just that - the artist's impression of what they see. There is not as much emphasis on "hidden meanings reflecting the trouble and angst of the human condition", etc... rather, it is a painting to look at. After spending some time looking at these 8 paintings, we walked through the rest of the museum; which was interesting, but not as inspiring for me as the Nympheas.
We then walked up the Champ-Elysees again, although this time towards the arch on the portion we had not walked before, then rode the subway back - not a bad day for a last day in Paris.
One thing I want to mention is the creativity of (presumably) French disobedient teens in law breaking. Where most teens do graffiti in convenient locations, the French take this challenge to a whole new level, grafitting the inside of subway tubes (meaning that they have to walk inside the tube making sure not to touch the electric rails or else they die from electric shock. I found this hightly amusing.
"The Bells of Notre Dame"
Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2284671&id=11832732&l=86f040cb2a
Photos 8-97
Today (Sunday the 29th of March) was the first full day in Paris. We had breakfast at our hotel, then made a visit to the Eiffel Tower. It is a lot more impressive 'in person' than I had thought, although it does look a little 'mis-proportioned' in the sense that it looks fatter at the base than the images of it seem to suggest (although this is probably just a trick of perspective). We rode to the top, and looked out over Paris. I saw the "Laboulaye Lady" from the back which was featured in National Treasure 2 (aka the French version of the Statue of Liberty). I also saw the tomb where Napolean was buried (he was cremated, then placed inside several coffins which were placed inside of each other). I find it interesting that I have seen the tombs of leaders of both sides of the war between France/England - Nelson from Trafalgar and Napolean from France. The Arch de Triumph was also visble off in the distance (more on that later this entry), and barely visible, off in the distance, was Notre Dame.
We left the Eiffel Tower, and proceeded through the subway to Notre Dame. It is a very beautiful building from the outside, very inspiring to look at. We grabbed a quick lunch, then attended the 12:45 mass. Although it was in French, it was still a moving service; though different than what I am used to since I am not Catholic. After the service, we admired the beautiful stained glass windows (the 'rose windows'). However, our next stop was the best stained glass experience anyone could have hoped for.
Sainte-Chapelle is a chapel with gorgeous stained glass windows. The whole second floor of the chapel (the portion used by the royals) is virtually all stained glass - what little wall there is is just used to support the windows and the roof. Scenes from throughout the bible were represented, and I must say it was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen (my pictures can't do it justice; if you ever happen to be in Paris, I would recomend seeing it - it is not to be missed).
We had a chocolate crepe again as an afternoon snack (they really are very good), and went back to Notre Dame, where we went up in the towers. One of the things I read here explained the difference between a Gargoyle and a Chimera (the term I didn't know before and had incorrectly assigned the term "gargoyle" to both of them). A gargoyle is a statue which acts as the drain to the roof and 'spits out water' in some fashion, removing it from the building. A chimera on the other hand, is a statue designed to 'protect' the spirit of the church. It has been a while since I saw the movie, but I believe the talking statues in the Disney movie "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" were technically chimeras and not gargoyles. This actually leads into my next 'item of interest' from the towers - I saw where Esmerelda was fictionally housed (her cell), from the Victor Hugo novel - it is actually clearly described which places it in the North tower. Frome there we proceeded up onto the roof, where I saw more Chimeras and gargoyles up close. I also went into the south bell tower and saw the one remaining bell there (it is a big bell, but is only rung on important Catholic hollidays.
From Notre Dame, we proceeded to the Arch de Triumph. It is an arch (obviously), which is used to commemorate French millitary victories. It was commissioned by Napolean, so his troops would be able to see it and walk through it on their victorious homecoming from battle.
Finally, we had supper and walked a little ways down the "Avenue de Champs-Elysees." I have been informed this is the equivalent of Madison Avenue in NYC; the street which is found in all major capitals where the fashion stores of the highest quality reside and where everything is expensive.
It was a busy day today; my feet hurt a little from all the walking we did today, but it was worth it.
Photos 8-97
Today (Sunday the 29th of March) was the first full day in Paris. We had breakfast at our hotel, then made a visit to the Eiffel Tower. It is a lot more impressive 'in person' than I had thought, although it does look a little 'mis-proportioned' in the sense that it looks fatter at the base than the images of it seem to suggest (although this is probably just a trick of perspective). We rode to the top, and looked out over Paris. I saw the "Laboulaye Lady" from the back which was featured in National Treasure 2 (aka the French version of the Statue of Liberty). I also saw the tomb where Napolean was buried (he was cremated, then placed inside several coffins which were placed inside of each other). I find it interesting that I have seen the tombs of leaders of both sides of the war between France/England - Nelson from Trafalgar and Napolean from France. The Arch de Triumph was also visble off in the distance (more on that later this entry), and barely visible, off in the distance, was Notre Dame.
We left the Eiffel Tower, and proceeded through the subway to Notre Dame. It is a very beautiful building from the outside, very inspiring to look at. We grabbed a quick lunch, then attended the 12:45 mass. Although it was in French, it was still a moving service; though different than what I am used to since I am not Catholic. After the service, we admired the beautiful stained glass windows (the 'rose windows'). However, our next stop was the best stained glass experience anyone could have hoped for.
Sainte-Chapelle is a chapel with gorgeous stained glass windows. The whole second floor of the chapel (the portion used by the royals) is virtually all stained glass - what little wall there is is just used to support the windows and the roof. Scenes from throughout the bible were represented, and I must say it was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen (my pictures can't do it justice; if you ever happen to be in Paris, I would recomend seeing it - it is not to be missed).
We had a chocolate crepe again as an afternoon snack (they really are very good), and went back to Notre Dame, where we went up in the towers. One of the things I read here explained the difference between a Gargoyle and a Chimera (the term I didn't know before and had incorrectly assigned the term "gargoyle" to both of them). A gargoyle is a statue which acts as the drain to the roof and 'spits out water' in some fashion, removing it from the building. A chimera on the other hand, is a statue designed to 'protect' the spirit of the church. It has been a while since I saw the movie, but I believe the talking statues in the Disney movie "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" were technically chimeras and not gargoyles. This actually leads into my next 'item of interest' from the towers - I saw where Esmerelda was fictionally housed (her cell), from the Victor Hugo novel - it is actually clearly described which places it in the North tower. Frome there we proceeded up onto the roof, where I saw more Chimeras and gargoyles up close. I also went into the south bell tower and saw the one remaining bell there (it is a big bell, but is only rung on important Catholic hollidays.
From Notre Dame, we proceeded to the Arch de Triumph. It is an arch (obviously), which is used to commemorate French millitary victories. It was commissioned by Napolean, so his troops would be able to see it and walk through it on their victorious homecoming from battle.
Finally, we had supper and walked a little ways down the "Avenue de Champs-Elysees." I have been informed this is the equivalent of Madison Avenue in NYC; the street which is found in all major capitals where the fashion stores of the highest quality reside and where everything is expensive.
It was a busy day today; my feet hurt a little from all the walking we did today, but it was worth it.
"I see London, I see France..."
Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2284671&id=11832732&l=86f040cb2a
Photos 1-7
Today (Saturday the 28th of March), I left Swansea with my Dad on the beginning of a 10 day excursion to explore Europe (since I am here now, I might as well see some of it). We started off by taking a train from Swansea to London, and then catching a train from Swansea to Paris.
No, you did not misread that - a train from London to Paris, France (hence the title of today's post). It was pretty cool, since we got to pass through the Chunnel (the tunnel under the English channel). The train was very fast; my Dad and I estimated it to be traveling at normally ~140 mph (we assumed the cars we saw were going 70-80 mph on the highway, and we were at least going twice as fast), although we possibly slowed down under the channel - I couldn't tell since we were in a dark tunnel for a very long time and couldn't see anything out the window (couldn't even see the walls of the tunnel, which shows how dark it was).
So we got to Paris, where we realized that Paris is in a different timezone than the UK (another hour ahead). We were glad to learn this, because this evening was daylight savings time (although it is called Summer Time here), so we knew we needed to skip 2 hours ahead rather than 1.
After arriving in Paris, my Dad took me to a store and bought me a chocolate crepe. For those of you unfamiliar with crepes, they are sort of like extra thin pancakes typically containing some sort of flavoring. I greatly enjoyed mine (the exact name of the stuffing was Nutella, which is technically different than chocolate, but tasted great to me).
After the crepes, we went to the Paris subway (very different from the British one in the fact that some cars have rubber wheels and ride on a road-like surface, whle others are two-story cars) and arrived at our hotel. I must admit I was feeling nervous, since I was in a completely foreign country where I did not know the native language, and would have to rely on others being able to speak English to understand me (turned out not to be a big problem, but it was a worrysome factor for me on my first day/evening).
Photos 1-7
Today (Saturday the 28th of March), I left Swansea with my Dad on the beginning of a 10 day excursion to explore Europe (since I am here now, I might as well see some of it). We started off by taking a train from Swansea to London, and then catching a train from Swansea to Paris.
No, you did not misread that - a train from London to Paris, France (hence the title of today's post). It was pretty cool, since we got to pass through the Chunnel (the tunnel under the English channel). The train was very fast; my Dad and I estimated it to be traveling at normally ~140 mph (we assumed the cars we saw were going 70-80 mph on the highway, and we were at least going twice as fast), although we possibly slowed down under the channel - I couldn't tell since we were in a dark tunnel for a very long time and couldn't see anything out the window (couldn't even see the walls of the tunnel, which shows how dark it was).
So we got to Paris, where we realized that Paris is in a different timezone than the UK (another hour ahead). We were glad to learn this, because this evening was daylight savings time (although it is called Summer Time here), so we knew we needed to skip 2 hours ahead rather than 1.
After arriving in Paris, my Dad took me to a store and bought me a chocolate crepe. For those of you unfamiliar with crepes, they are sort of like extra thin pancakes typically containing some sort of flavoring. I greatly enjoyed mine (the exact name of the stuffing was Nutella, which is technically different than chocolate, but tasted great to me).
After the crepes, we went to the Paris subway (very different from the British one in the fact that some cars have rubber wheels and ride on a road-like surface, whle others are two-story cars) and arrived at our hotel. I must admit I was feeling nervous, since I was in a completely foreign country where I did not know the native language, and would have to rely on others being able to speak English to understand me (turned out not to be a big problem, but it was a worrysome factor for me on my first day/evening).
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