Wait…is this STILL Paris??

Yes, it is, and it's amazing to look back and see how much we managed to pack in even though Cindy was dealing with Covid. But here goes: Day (full) two of that city on the Seine.

First, le petit dejeuner at a cafe a block from our place.

Personally I think I'm looking a bit bleary-eyed, probably because I was up late writing one of these blogs.

We were off to St. Sulpice to hear the Sunday morning organ concert between services. What a glorious way to start a day! But before we got there, there were the usual dozens of beautiful streets that just seem to beg to be photographed. So we photographed.

St. Sulpice is yet another huge, beautiful, amazing cathedral with another beautiful organ--but what sound this organist draws from his instrument.

And then ... another serendipitous experience. Apparently this particular Sunday mass would begin with confirmation for dozens of youth. Proud and anxious parents flitted around their daughters and sons, making sure they looked their best and taking photographs. A couple of authoritative types ordered the children into lines, people took their places, and they were on their way. These Parisians are so Catholic.

I'm not a religious person, but we just can't not go to these huge temples of religious art. What would our world be like if the religions hadn't wanted to materially demonstrate their beliefs? But if I start this conversation in my own head, I'll never get through Paris. So I'll just keep looking at the incredible art in the churches and museums and marveling at the talent that exists in so many people from the beginning of time to today.

One of the more interesting objects in St. Sulpice is this:

Notice that line in the floor. It runs all the way over to here (all the way across the church):

This is the Gnomon of Saint Sulpice, an astronomical measurement device designed to cast a shadow on the ground in order to determine the position of the sun in the sky. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnomon_of_Saint-Sulpice My question is: How does this cast a shadow when it's inside the church? It must be a question that only some more godly person than I can answer.

And so we leave St. Sulpice...

Our next stop that day was the Musee de Cluny. If you want to delve into Medieval and Remaissance art, this is the place. Actually, the Cluny starts with the Romans, and in this case it doesn't go back beyond that time.

So here we are in the Roman remains:

As I recall, this was also a bath. I'll speed through the rooms and rooms of architectural pieces and busts with just a couple of images that interested me.

And this, for our doctor friends:

We went through many rooms and fascinating periods, but of course we were ultimately looking for the grand prize: the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries. How beautiful they are, and what a privilege to see them up close in personl. My photos don't do them justice, but here is the one depicting the sense of hearing:

They were simply gorgeous.

By now, Cindy and I were well into early afternoon, with only hours left in Paris. So we headed for the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees. At the metro station, we found this beautiful wall:

The Arc de Triomphe was everything I'd ever imagined. We were running out of time, so satisfied ourselves with taking some photos from the edge of the circle.

Along the Champs Elysees, we found a great place for lunch. I can't now remember the name, but it's a small chain of restaurants that employ all developmentally challenged people who can through their work earn a living and develop skills for life. Very cool--and the food was good.

We were now striking out for the Eiffel Tower for our last act in Paris. We walked, which was great fun, past the high-end stores that make you wait outside until another customer is finished spending a fortune. We encountered a set of four fountains (one at each corner of a huge plaza) at Avenue Franklin D. Roosevelt:

And a lovely sculpture of two women representing France and Belgium, I believe, after WWI:

We especially liked the pigeons perched on the women--but even more, we appreciated seeing a public statue celebrating women, even if they were only generic stand-ins for nations.

But not too much further on, we encountered another woman:

Also only a representative, this time of

"La Seine."

And with one last stand-out image...

(Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church)

...I leave you hanging, with one last Paris experience to come. I'm actually quite anxious to move on, because we've had such adventures since then!