Last night we ventured out to see Notre-Dame and Sainte Chapelle at around 4:30 - taking the Metro from Place Monge to Chatale. Being Paris and December, it was already quite dark by the time we arrive to the Ile de France. The overcast skies made the appreciation of stained glass less than ideal and we decided to pass on Sainte Chapelle.
Walking around the corner to Notre-Dame, we saw the plaza was still full of people (always seems to be the case) and the big Christmas tree was lit up and sparkling. Violet (in the Ergo) insisted on "walk around" so we let her down, but requiring that she "hold hands" (these are her go-to phrases when we are out and about). She ran right over the brass marker in front of the church, the spiritual center point of France where all distances are measured from (or so the book says) - she didn't even slow down. The interior of the church is as amazing as the exterior - the high vaults, the stone pillars, the second-story arcade, the expectation of Quasimodo. Even though most visitors are "tourists" and not people on a "pilgrimage", Notre-Dame is still the center of action - still draws people from around the world. I'm not Catholic, but I wanted to go there (again) and am glad I did. Permanence and change within history, architecture, the built work 0f man, time - Notre-Dame is a lot of things.
Dinner was at a Greek gyro place (Left Bank has many food options) - lamb, lettuce, tomato, and french fries...? We sat downstairs, below street level and Violet got to poke at the old stone walls. Even small food shops have amazing basements here.
We made it home, and Violet was in bed by 8:00pm, but that was just the beginning of her evening. She was up at 10pm (but stayed in bed) then started calling for "Mama" at 12:30. In and out of our bed once, back in the snuggle bed, I thought she was finally asleep.... no. She has started waking up calling out "blanket!" even though she has both in her bed with her (believe me, I packed them here). What she wants is me or Rachel to come straighten them - lying on one as a pillow, one on top pulled up to her chin. Only then does she settle down. We zip her back in and go back to our bed, only to have her roll around, get the blankets all bunched up, and call out again "blanket!" 10-20 minutes later. She did that 8 times last night over the course of 2 hours. She finally went to sleep at 2:30am, until we woke her at 8am. Ok, time for the day now. Time change is not easy.
But today we decided to tackle the Louvre - and it was well worth it. We had our breakfast of baguette with jam and nutella (plus two croissants because we're here) and yogurt and hit the Metro. By 9am (opening time) there was a 45 mintute line to get in - winding from Pei's glass pyramid all the way back to the Coure Carree. But Violet loved the time to run around unrestrained ("run, run, run!") - darting around the fountains and statues while one of us chased and the other protected our place in line.
Finally in, the central space is fabulous - the glass pyramid frames the surrounding Second Empire buildings with a geometric regularity. While certainly glass, the main aesthetic of the pyramid is actually the aluminum and cable supports behind the glass - a clean, ordered web of lines and angles that divides the ornate detailing of the buildings beyond. Nice work. As impressive as the art is the building complex of the Louvre itself - and this was more our focus, rather than drooling over endless Italian and french sculpture (which I could have done too). Walking the halls of Napoleon's apartments, admiring the ceilings, enjoying the views of Rue Rivoli - often with glass ceilings overhead, the modern touch. Oh yeah, we saw the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, Venus de Milo, and many others too.
Now back at our "Paris Home" - only a few Metro stops away - and Violet is sleeping with her blankets. I hope they stay in good order for her.
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