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Published: August 9th 2015
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Pantheon
Like many famous buildings this one is getting a make-over. Friday 7 August 2015
After missing Notre Dame yesterday because of the long queue, we decided to strike earlier today. So did everyone else. The queue when we arrived was at least twice as long as yesterday. No problem, we adjusted our plan and headed off up Rue Saint Jacques to the Pantheon. As soon as we left the immediate vicinity of Notre Dame the crowds thinned and the traffic calmed. Within a short time we were almost alone with only a few vehicles passing on the street. This is the contrast in parts of Paris in August, when many of the inhabitants leave the city to the tourists and take their own holidays.
Rounding the corner to the Pantheon we were stopped in our tracks by the sight of the imposing facade. Definitely worth a photo or two. A very short queue here encouraged us in. This historic site had a Christian Basilica built on it as early as the 6th century. The present building was completed in 1790 and dedicated to Sainte Geneviève, patron saint of France. One year later it became the national Pantheon. It seems that revolution followed by separation of church and state influenced
Pantheon
Inside the Pantheon looking at some of the paintings. decisions over many years about the use of this grand edifice.
Inside, the symmetrical design with its central dome is highly decorated with huge wall paintings, many showing the life of Sainte Geneviève. There is much to see here, then there is the crypt which is the final resting place of many famous people. Voltaire and Rousseau, Victor Hugo and Èmile Zola.... the list goes on and on. After a leisurely visit we found time had flown by and hunger pangs sent us out to track down lunch.
The time had come for attempt number two at Notre Dame. A layer of fine high cloud slightly reduced the early afternoon heat, the queue was shorter and moving quickly, so it was time for action. One stood in the queue while the other recorded the process from a shady spot. In we went, part of a slowly moving crowd. We chose to sit quietly in the nave to again take in the grandeur of this place, before joining the anticlockwise flow of visitors. Stops were possible, but avoiding the tour groups became important too. Guides speaking French, German, English, Italian and Spanish passionately aired their knowledge as the groups
Pantheon
Interior view. surged, then stopped, then surged again. We tried to do justice to the magnificent rose windows with our cameras. As we remembered, the rose window above the great west portals is still hidden behind the organ. No chance of photography there. We enjoyed this return visit to Notre Dame de Paris. She has been a focal point for Parisians, the French and visitors down through the centuries.
Icecream time. While we ate we watched an expert pouring and spreading pancake mixture, then turning, filling and folding these works of art, delivering them into the ready hands of customers. We would love to buy but we had an appointment to keep in another part of Paris.
Friends from home have some extended family living in Paris and today we set off to meet them in their "quartier" of the city. All went smoothly, from catching the right Metro trains to following directions to our meeting place. We soon met up and spent a most enjoyable time with these two interesting Parisians, exploring a little of their part of this captivating city, as well as practising our French.
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