30 Things #5: French Fri Fortresses

So, last Friday I sat down to blog about France and got totally overwhelmed. I was going to blog about "Fortresses" (since obviously all of these French Fri days are going to have start with "F,"once again making my life more complicated than it needs to be) which is really just a way to talk about all the enormous buildings and palaces and churches that self-important people built hundreds of years ago and continue to be breath-taking today.

But in France, especially Paris, that is everywhere you look. Like, everywhere. So, I got overwhelmed. And when that happens, I avoid. I also have a problem with making rules for myself and then feeling bad if I break them, even if I made the rule! When will I learn?

Honorable mention: famous old hospital turned government things

I have to break it down. Maybe at this point I'll be posting about France every week until I'm 50. Ok, maybe 40. Anyway. For now, Paris had enough grandeur in it's buildings to last a lifetime. I'm pretty sure I could have walked around and taken pictures of every apartment building in the city without seeing the "real" stuff and been happy. It was sometimes hard to tell what was special and what was a normal building, especially for this camera trigger happy girl. These are my highlights.

So, first thing you think of when someone says Paris?? 

Eiffel Tower better be somewhere in your brain, if not the first thing. 

I don't know what I expected seeing the Eiffel Tower in person would be like, but besides surreal, the only word that fits for me is magical. It was just...bigger than I thought? More beautiful? More elegant? I don't know but it filled my heart with delight the moment we met. I just did not expect something that I've probably already seen a hundred times in books and photos and movies to hold such power in experiencing it myself. 

Not giving you all the history that goes with this tower might be killing a small part of Marie and Mia's souls. I tend to be the one taking the pictures so from me, that's what you're gonna get. 

Next you might think Arc d'Triumph. Not exactly a fortress people live in, but absolutely a landmark that we made time to see on our one rainy night. Our museum pass included entry to the top so we found ourselves climbing more stairs than we were *quite* prepared for...

But what made this a highlight for me was seeing Paris from this view + arriving at the top just in time to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle!

Next your brain might jump to Notre Dame. Just the name of that cathedral alone brings back visions of Dr. Stratford in art history class at Asbury with her big hair and whimsical observations of this flying buttress or that stained glass window. 

All I know about Notre Dame is that once again, it was surreal to see it in person, I could have stood there gazing at the detail both inside and outside for hours, SO many people with selfie sticks, and it is just. so. HUGE. inside. You don't expect it in the front. But dang, no wonder everyone wants to study and admire it. And no wonder lots of people died trying to make it happen.

Notre Dame is such a big deal in art history class that I don't remember studying St. Chapelle at all. But this little jewel looks like just that--a small little chapel that is covered in jewels. The stained glass windows of that place are just unreal. No pictures can do it justice.

You just have to stand there and take it in. AND every single square in the panel is telling the story of the Bible from beginning to end. It is incredible. 

I am going to leave you on today's journey with a few snapshots of the Louvre. Never have I seen such an enormous magnificent building that was supposed to be one little king's house (well, until Versailles). Of course now it is the biggest collection of art in the world and easily the most impressive. They say that if you spent 60 seconds looking at each of the objects at the Louvre, going steadily for 8 hours a day, it would take you 75 days to see it all. 

It is just enormous. I will share my favorite piece of art on another day. But for now, the most impressive part to me was Napoleon's apartments. Extravagant doesn't even begin to do it justice. 

And really France?? Of course your art museum would be in a palace where the walls and ceilings are already covered in art work, just so you can show off. Yeah. 

Whew, we survived. If you even made it this far. AND we didn't even scratch the surface of what I COULD have posted. See why I was freaking out?

That's French Fri Fortresses in Paris for today. I'm out.