After Dark

Cities change at night. Sometimes for the worse, but sometimes for the better. Often you have to search for the highlights. Paris comes alive at night with lights. The Eiffel Tower flashes with glittering golden lights each hour and some of the other wonders of Paris shine when the Sun goes down. We only made it out around the city once after dark to do some photography work. The other evenings fine cuisine and French wine made it impossible to think about anything except hailing a taxi without demonstrating how tasty that wine was after a third or fourth glass.

Obviously being safe when you’re traveling is of primary importance, but if you can, get out and explore your temporary home after dusk. Some of the wonders seen during the day are quite beautiful and very different after dark.

#TravelTuesday Notre Dame

Happy 850th birthday to “Our Lady of Paris”. Long ago in 1163 the first stones were laid for the construction of a gothic style cathedral in Paris. Work continued for over 150 years and since “completion” rebuilding and reconstructing has occurred on numerous occasions. For the full history you can check out the Cathedral of Notre Dame website, because this is not a history lesson.

Living in America our history is very short compared to Europe. The ages of our churches in the “new world”, even the old ones, span a century, or maybe two. Most of the original places of worship built here were small. They gave sanctuary to a few dozen people. There was no need for giant buildings. The importance of religion in early American settlements cannot be understated. For many people it was the entire reason for the arduous journey across the Atlantic. It seems obvious that the people coming here felt that the God they worshiped did not need giant edifices in which to dwell, he would be just as comfortable in a country church as a grand cathedral. I know many artists work “for the glory of God”, and it shows in their art, and maybe that’s what inspired the architects, builders, and craftsmen centuries ago. I have been inside the National Cathedral in Washington DC, Saint Peter and Paul’s Cathedral in Philadelphia, and several large churches in the United States and the feeling is daunting. There is a power and grandeur emanating from these holy structures. For example, I could shout from the rear of the church and wait long seconds for the echoes to return. They would sound like soft reverberations that have been delayed by a higher power and would envelop me in whispers. The size and scale of the room would seem impossible, and I would feel small and humbled. Maybe that’s what the planners had in mind.
Abroad, in Notre Dame Paris, St. Stephen's in Vienna, and Westminster Abbey in London, the same reverence exists, but deeper. There’s a sense of the ancient, the long forgotten, the blood sweat and tears of the laborers. There’s the odor of age, the coagulation of dust and condensation laying in hard to reach places. There are dates that bend the mind’s sense of time etched in the walls. And beneath it all lies the hallowed ground of graves and crypts of mighty men who changed the course of history. I can’t describe the wonder and feeling adequately; you’ll have to go.

Nikon D800 Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 @ ​28mm f/6.3 ISO 100, 3 image panorama

#Travel Tuesday The South Rose Window in Notre Dame Cathedral

Long ago, around 1260 AD ,the south rose window was installed in the Notre Dame Cathedral. It was designed by Jean de Chelles and Pierre de Montreuil and was donated by King St. Louis. The window’s themes are from the New Testament and focus on the Triumph of Christ. For the meaning of specific panes you can check out this informative website. The pictures on that site are not mine.

A few facts. The window is almost 13 meters in diameter and contains 84 pieces of glass. Some of the panes have been lost and replaced, including the center one. Many of them are now out of order. Beneath the rose window there are sixteen lancets (spear shaped windows) which were replaced in the 19th century. They depict sixteen prophets and the four evangelists.

Sometime in my early schooling I learned of the miraculous rose windows at Notre Dame. I remember a picture in a textbook in history class. I remember the time I made “stained glass” with my grandmother. We melted Crayons placed between wax paper, then pasted them behind cut out black construction paper. When we hung them in a window it gave the general effect of stained glass.

Beautiful as the window itself is, one of the main factors that contributes to its glory is its surroundings. Hearing the whispered echoes refract endlessly in this holy place, smelling the musty incense from almost a millennium of worship, tracing the steps of millions of believers through the recesses of the hallowed Notre Dame, gives a sense of religious awe. To look up and see the spectrum of colors glittering into the immense hall sends chills down your spine and is a delight to the eyes. My picture hardly does it justice. So you’ll have to go yourself.

Nikon D800 ​Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 56mm f/5.6 ISO 1600 1/200 sec