This week we were in Paris! This is significant for two reasons: 1) It is the only city that Sarah has toured that I have not (I did pass through the train station a few months ago); 2) It is the location of the last Travel Christmas Tree Ornament we need to “collect” – The Eiffel Tower. I mentioned this a long time ago, but one of our seven Christmas Trees is our world travel tree and at its base are four big brass figures: 1) Empire State Building; 2) Elizabeth Clock Tower/ “Big Ben” 3) Roman Colosseum; 4) The Eiffel Tower. We began this Grand Tour in NYC with a trip to the Empire State Building before we boarded the Queen Mary 2, then headed to London to see “Big Ben”, next we were Rome at the Colosseum, and finally this week we climbed the Eiffel Tower. What a crazy trip, and just so you know, we did not intend this “Christmas Connection” but once we realized it would happen, it became a “thing” and now I suspect that Christmas tree will now be known as our “Grand Tour” tree!
Anyway, we are in Paris, and we love it. I took French in high school, and college, and then took private French lessons for a few years. Nevertheless, I was terrified of coming to Paris because I thought I would be met with rude people who treated me poorly because of my French. However, it turns out that everyone was super kind. As a couple of examples, my suitcase broke, and I was able to go to a hardware store and purchase all I needed to fix it while using only my French. The same was true at all the places we ate. Even the sidewalk café where I wrote in my journal and did my schoolwork had staff who were very willing to accommodate my French and seemed genuinely friendly. It is true that we just did our best to speak their language and use all the polite words of gratitude. I was also pleased to learn that there is a rising beer culture in Paris and the cafes were quick to offer their new local micro brews!
I think this is really the lesson of the entire trip. I spent time learning basic German and that made a difference and the same is true with French. Spanish and Italian we could fake, and really the only place that was rough was Turkey and if we realized how much time we would spend with locals, we would have learned some Turkish.
In addition to doing concerts, professional development, and music clinics, I am also collecting materials for my Honors Courses on Art, Music, & Humanities, as well as my music history classes. So of course, we had to hit the major cultural sites like Notre Dame and the Louvre. I could not believe I was seeing Notre Dame after watching the news back in 2019 and seeing the terrible fire began to race through the roof. Today the restoration work is well under way, and in fact the building looks like new given that part of the work has involved steam-cleaning all the stone. And although seeing all the scaffolding was not as picturesque, it did allow for a glimpse into how they were rebuilding, re-carving and replacing destroyed sculptures, and you can see how dirty the building had become over the centuries.
As for music, Notre Dame has played a huge role in musical development, and just as Sarah and I had a dorky conversation at the Vatican about Palestrina, at Notre Dame we discussed the Organum and Rhythmic Modes of Leonin and Perotin! And we had to mention Machaut who likely trained in Paris before his major career in Rheims.
Another interesting thing I have been following on this journey has been churches (even more conservative Catholic), that have reached out to non- white European followers. One example is this chapel in Notre Dame with an Asian Madonna!
Of course, the Louvre was a critical stop and one that almost did not happen because we forgot to check which days Paris museums were closed! But we caught our mistake and quickly adjusted our schedule. I was able to see almost everything I wanted and to get pics for several of my classes. And again, Tommy was a sponge and could have stayed for ever and read every document. I was especially excited to see another of my favorite Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun paintings (you may remember I wrote about her self-portrait in Florence) as well as several of the Jacques-Louis David works I studied as a student. And Tommy needed to see the Mona Lisa (not a fun experience given the huge crowds).
One of the main things I wanted to see was The Winged Victory of Samothrace (AKA The Winged Nike). I am not sure why, but ever since my first art history classes there was something about this sculpture. Similarly, I had the same feelings about the Venus de Milo. And in the Louvre, I could see both! I might also mention one of the best “horrible” books I have ever read: Jeremy Dole’s 1966 “classic” Venus Disarmed. It is the story of a bumbling Southern Congressman named Wilbur Fonts who thinks that he can be elected president if he can find the missing arms of the Venus de Milo and bring them back to America. I suspect the book might not be that funny now given that actual Southern U.S. Congress Members are more of a joke than the pretend one in this book!
Speaking of books, so many of the books we have read that take place in Paris center around Montmartre and the area around it. I mean who doesn’t know about the Moulin Rouge! And in all our French textbooks we had to learn about Sacre Coeur and the steps out front that look out over Paris! Thus, one late afternoon we walked up to Montmartre (it is only ten minutes from our hotel), and we spent the evening watching the sun set, having a great dinner, and then looking at the Eiffel Tower all in lights!
Finally, yes, we climbed the Eiffel Tower! And Tommy did his Nathaniel Morton Elementary School News Story on it. We did not pay for the full elevator ride and instead chose to use the stairs for as much as they allow and then take the elevator the last distance up to the top. The views were amazing and well worth the long hike up the stairs.
It was especially cool to see the little apartment that Eiffel and his daughter used to host parties and greet dignitaries. Tommy and I had just read an adventure book that has a scene where two kids save the day by finding an evil device hidden in Eiffel’s mannequin in the apartment exhibit (Spy School: British Invasion by Stuart Gibbs).
After making our way back down we visited a Crepe Shop and sat in the park and ate! Oh, and did I mention that even the dogs the in Paris are chic!
And the thing you all want: Tommy’s News Story!
All three of us love Paris and can’t wait to return; however, we must keep this adventure moving as we head to Southern Spain!