Paris (Day 4)

Tuesday was our last day in Paris, and it was a hard one to plan for because most of the Parisian museums are closed on Tuesdays. I had planned on going to Versailles, but the same hostel-roommate who had called the Mona Lisa a mosh pit pointed out that when all the other museums are closed, Versailles is horribly crowded. And while Versailles is certainly grand, a certain number of tourists can take the fun out of it. So instead we headed for the Pantheon. On the way, we stopped at Rue Mouffetard, which is just a street in Paris, but it’s almost entirely lined with small restaurants and take-away French food. I really wanted a panini, and we found a small counter which was selling tomato mozzarella paninis for 2.5 euro each, which is really cheap. I ordered for myself and Kelsey in French, but then added that even though I was ordering for both, we were paying separately. He asked why, and I said that we were friends, not girlfriends. He laughed about that the whole time the paninis were cooking.

We took our paninis to the Arenes de Lutece. Not too long ago, they were digging to put in a new metro stop when they discovered the buried ruins of a Roman Arena. How cool would it be to live in a place where you could dig into the ground and find Roman ruins? Paris is really amazing! Unfortunately, the Arena doesn’t have a roof, and instead of letting up, the rain started coming down hard. We were pretty wet when I finally decided we’d better head for the shelter of the Pantheon. I should have found an overhang and stood under it for a while, but instead we kept walking. I don’t know what I was thinking, but by the time we made it to the Pantheon, we were both drenched through. My jacket and t-shirt were both saturated, and Kelsey’s top was dry, but all the rain had been pouring off her jacket right onto her butt, so she looked like she’d sat in a puddle. Our shoes squelched with every step. People with umbrellas kept looking at us like we were nuts. In my defense, I really did think the rain was about to let up. It really didn’t.

So then we saw the Pantheon, which is really amazing. The murals on the walls are pretty cool. Many of them depict the life of Saint Genevieve. A long, long time ago, Atilla the Hun was on his way to Paris, sacking and pillaging as he went. The Parisian people despaired, but Saint Genevieve led them in prayer, and the Huns turned away and spared Paris. Saint Genevieve got all the credit. This is a really cool story, but it’s probably in the same vein as Saint Patrick ridding Ireland of snakes. (There were never any snakes in Ireland). Still, even if you don’t believe it was Saint Genevieve’s prayers which turned Atilla aside, it’s still pretty impressive that a woman got the whole city to pray in the first place, back in the days when woman didn’t have much power or influence. There are also some murals about another woman who beat the odds to become influential leaders: Jeanne d’Arc (Joan of Arc). She may have been crazy, but still, the woman led armies and won! Marie Curie is buried in the crypt at the Pantheon, as are Alexandre Dumas and Victor Hugo, who gave us The Count de Monte Cristo and Les Miserables.

After the Pantheon, we checked out the church of Etienne du Mont. I can’t remember if I’d ever been inside before. It’s right next to the Pantheon. Paris is so saturated with churches that most of the good spots have a couple of them. There is an older church right next to Sacre Coeur. Etienne du Mont is right next to the Pantheon. Sainte Chapelle and Notre Dame are on the same island.

Then we went to one of my favorite restaurants in Paris: Breakfast in America. On a short visit, it’s slightly silly to eat American food in Paris, but when I was studying abroad, the nachos and milkshakes from Breakfast in America were a little bit of home in Paris.

Then we went to the main event of the day, a concert of Gregorian chants in Notre Dame. It was spectacular! I’m not a musician, but I can still appreciate the sound of really powerful voices echoing in Notre Dame! And the tickets only cost 18 euro each! To hear a concert in one of the most famous churches in the world! People would kill for that, and I only had to pay 18 euro. I can’t believe there were seats available. The vocalists were women, which was interesting. I’d only ever heard Gregorian chants performed by men. At one point, they spread out through the church and then walked down the aisles through the audience. That was really cool since it allowed us to hear the individual voices as they combine to make beautiful music. It was the perfect end to a perfect visit to Paris! Life is good!

Marie Curie's Grave

Joan of Arc hears voices

She leads armies

But is burned in the end.

The St. Genevieve pose

Foucault's Pendulum

Gregorian Chants in Notre Dame