The 4th of August – on a plane. It was a red and white Boeing 737-800 from Norwegian. My excitement rose as high as the plane took off. I spent two expectant hours in the air between Stockholm and Paris. The landing at Charles de Gaulle Airport was calm and soft. My feet touched the ground in France for the 5th time. I have visited Languedoc, Provence-Alpes-CĂŽte d’Azur twice. I also visited Normandy before. This time, the day before my 50th birthday, I was in the City of Love. A week to remember!
Who loves me? Of course, the city loves me ”Paris Vous Aime”? The train station is near the airport. This is akin to Stockholm Arlanda Airport. You reach the airport from Central station by Arlanda Express. The 50 minute-trip had to come. Already at the airport, I could smell the scent of Paris. It was the scent of love and flavors from French cuisine. Exactly what I’ve expected and I was ready for more.
From 30 000 feet in the air to the underground, the train stopped at one of the metro stations. We was lucky that the train could stop on one of metro’s stations close to where we would be staying.
Time to ascend to ground level again. With heavy bags and by easy steps up to the street. And… look what I’ve found. A well-recognized cathedral. I dropped the bag and with a hunchback and a slanting gaze, I saw it straight away – Notre Dame1. Unfortunately, the cathedral was not open for visits, as it is still being renovated after the fire in 2019.
From having studied the cathedral’s architecture through university literature, it was an uplifting moment to see it in real life. I remember the difficult exam I was given on what characterizes different styles of architecture. I now experienced and felt my love for architecture, art, and everything French. This experience showed its impact for the rest of the week.
Maybe somewhere up in the tower, he stands – the one who will ring the bells. Quasimodo, where are you? The character from ”The Hunchback of Notre-Dame,” you know. Maybe he wasn’t there that time. Couldn’t hear any sounds from the bells. An inner voice instead shouted ”Esmeralda! Esmeralda, where are you!” Better to seek out the author behind the story. He must be somewhere in the city?
We ate pizza at an Italian restaurant on Rue de Pontoise before we landed at the hotel. We were two out-of-town tourists in one of the world’s most beautiful cities. It was good food, and both the staff and service were very nice! Near the restaurant, on Bd Saint-Germain, we found our hotel – ready for new adventures in the City of Love.
Yes, I was ready to hunt for art, architecture, and many cultural experiences. The first day seemed to be a walk in the footsteps of the churches and cathedrals. He who wrote The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, as I mentioned earlier – we found him. In the PanthĂ©on, we found him and many other famous people.
The Panthéon2 with its neoclassical architecture is easy to see. Columns, a dome, and classical Corinthian capitals with an ancient look. Among all the buried writers in the Panthéon, Rousseau himself stands as a statue outside the building.
The journey continued on foot. Further cathedrals and churches were in focus, but mainly in the tracks of the authors. This time, a contemporary writer – Dan Brown. In 1646, the Roman Catholic Church of Saint-Sulpice was founded. The church is perhaps best known from the book The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. Robert Langdon was there, and now so am I.
My research areas from university are in the same field as the character Professor Robert Langdon. My master’s thesis is an in-depth study of heraldry and club badges. Likewise, my bachelor’s thesis is on church architecture and religious symbols.
On this particular day, there was a service, so we had to sneak in and look around in silence. I hope the beggar was happy. He was sitting on the steps of the church. He got a few euros from us.
A long first day in the city of love gave me many impressions. I felt as if I were walking through the world of books and felt close to the authors. In the next episode of the journey in the City of Love, the architecture will continue to be important. This is mainly from a historical perspective and also for birthday celebrations.
Finally, a walk to the hotel on Bd Saint-Germain – same street and close to CafĂ© de Flore…
To be continuedâŠ
© Björn Blomqvist 2023-10-28
- Built between 1163 and 1345 and designed by Maurice de Sully. A magnificent example of French Gothic architecture (1140-1500) â©ïž
- The PanthĂ©on was built in 1758 according to Jacques-Germain Soufflotâs designs. It was originally a church dedicated to Saint Genevieve of Paris. Since the French Revolution, it has been used as a mausoleum. Many prominent French citizens, including Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile Zola, Victor Hugo, Jean Moulin, and Marie Curie, are buried there â©ïž
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