Ooh lah lah!

At half past nine on a rainy Sunday morning, two travellers landed at Charles de Gaulle airport at Paris.

After reading accounts of the 'sweltering' heat in Paris in summer, we were not really prepared for the strong drizzle and the accompanying chilly gusts of wind that marked the day. Determined not to let the rains dampen our first day in the most romantic city in the world, we set out from our hotel, reinforced by croissants (heavenly!) and cafe au lait, armed with nothing more than a flimsy umbrella and metro passes.

Our first stop was Sacre Coeur, a beautiful church atop Montmarte, featuring a splendid apse of Christ in Majesty, supported by twelve pillars with paintings of the twelve apostles. The view from the dome was touted as exceptional, but the misty day put paid to that; we didn't venture the steep climb. Sacre Coeur or the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to which the church was dedicated,  was built by a a 'penitent, fervent and grateful' France after their defeat in the war with Prussia. The organ of the cathedral is undergoing restoration now.

From there, we headed out to another famous church, the one immortalized by Victor Hugo in the classic, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. The church of Our Lady (Notre Dame) is dedicated to Virgin Mary, and features vividly painted tapestries representing the life of the Virgin, including familiar themes such  Annunciation and Assumption. Apart from these, 13 paintings in wooden stalls are presented around the perimeter; these were part of 76 paintings presented to the Church by the goldsmith guilds every year from 1630 to 1707. The soaring spire, the majestic portals on the west facade topped by 'the Gallery of Kings' and the unique flying buttresses make Notre Dame quite unlike any other church I've seen. We were not in time climb up to see the Great bell, Emmanuel. Among the relics not on permanent display is the Holy Crown, believed to be the wreath of thorns placed on Christ's head before crucifixion.

A trip to the Eiffel Tower was top of the agenda on Day 2. Booking tickets in advance did pay off, and we spent the better part of the morning enjoying the sweeping views from the second and top floors of the Tower.

The magnitude of green cover is fascinating for a bustling cosmopolitan city, and the uniform slate-grey roofs combined with the verdant landscape, and we viewed Paris laid out in the form of a beautiful green-grey carpet. 

We followed this up with lunch and a visit to the Arc de Triomphe. The brass plaques on the floor commemorating important events in France's recent history were particularly interesting,  as were the long list of names of illustrious Frenchpeople inscribed on the walls of the Arch. We walked along the famed store-lined Champs Élysées avenue. While this may be the Mecca of high fashion, I didn't find this as lively or interesting as London's Oxford Street. Perhaps, the comparison isn't fair; should I be comparing Oxford Street with the more down-to-earth shopping arcades in Paris?

We headed next to the very beautiful Eglise de la Madeline, a church dedicated to Mary Magdalene. The facade did not fail to impress, with its long row of soaring pillars, evoking memories of Greek temples of a different era. The interior kept to the theme as well, being replete with marble sculptures as opposed to paintings and tapestries. The high altar carries a beautiful marble sculpture of Mary Magdalene.

The next stop was Eglise St. Eustache, built in Gothic style, in contrast to the one described above. Biblical themes painted in gothic style- staid and two-dimensional, with prominent personages depicted with golden halos- lined the walls. The organ in this church is said to be the biggest in France. New additions to the church, including the altar piece and a bas relief by an English sculptor, made the interior a hotch- potch of various styles.

Having had our fill of churches, we set out for the most famous of Paris' open squares, the Place de la Concorde. The site of ghastly guillotining in the Reign of Terror has been converted into a large public square, its name a symbol of the hope for peace.

The obelisk at Place de la Concorde was a gift from the ruler of Egypt to France. Looking at the majestic monument, I was reminded of snatches of poetry: of how the obelisk at Paris weeps tears of granite as it stays exiled from its homeland, planted in the middle of a foreign square, far away from the beautiful Nile.  

From the place de la Concorde, one finds two other elements of the axe historique, the Arc de Triomphe and the Eglise de la Madeline, in a straight line on either side. The towering mass of steel that is the symbol of the city is easily seen too.

The next day was devoted to rest, rejuvenation and Musee Rodin. A dekko at the sculptures, including the two very famous ones, The Kiss and The Thinker, and the stroll around the pretty gardens of the palatial museum building were all we did that morning. Unlike the marble-dominated Italian sculptures, the ones at Musee Rodin were dominated by bronze, and unusually, onyx. The latter was reportedly preferred by Rodin protégée Claudel.

On the radar next... Spain! So long, Paris!