Here, we've decided to give our luggage the limelight -- see the standee we brought along? (that horizontal thingy on ge's bag)...interesting story about the standees is that when we left SG and checked them in, they slapped on half a dozen "FRAGILE" stickers all over it, and the airport baggage belt in Frankfurt spat them out with dents and bumps!!!! Imagine if there wasn't any sticker at all!!! hahaha...
Anyway, Thank God for a good friend on the Frankfurt trip that was willing to help us bring back the other two since they were heading back SG direct. Really saved us our arms (literally!)
So continuing the story...finding the metro was no issue, but there were very very long queues to buy tickets so we picked one...=) now...as we approached the machine, two things were happening (1) internally hoping that there's a choice in English, (2) constant peering over shoulders to see how they operated the machines, what button they pressed etc. should the previous option fail..hahaha...This is what you do when you travel man...figuring things out!! hahaha...but thank god we pulled through...Frankly we may have been paying wrongly, but i think we're right. And really, all we needed was two tickets that would let us through the barrier and get us there!
Next Stop: St-Michel -- it has multiple exits, snaking routes and just as many staircases up and down (just imagine tanjong pagar mrt station-- without the escalators)..we're very thankful to the two people who helped us with our luggage.
You see, because i really wanted to help ge with her luggage (some stairs were really long) we had to do it in phases. Thus at times, having to leave behind one luggage/ having ge 'jagar' while i grab the other one...The Parisians saw our predicament and just automatically grabbed the luggage and helped us carry it up or down the stairs..One gentlemen did it with his other hand on the phone, and one lady with the help of her other female friend...=) and these were the so-called immigrants lor...=)
Once out, the trek to the hotel felt like forever! Hahaha...really it was just two blocks but it was UPHILL, and the challenges of road crossing AND some Cobblestone sections. The only thing ringing in my mind was "Keep walking, keep walking...and God i hope the hotel is on this side of the street!"...I could only imagine what ge was going through which I found out later was accomplished by (quote): "Sheer WILL POWER!"Nonetheless, location of the hotel was good! coz you can almost walk anywhere from there and it's very central! *pats back for self* (for those who heard me 'wailing' on msn during my hotel search...it was hard to find one man!)
You can see my illustration above to have a better idea..hahaha...=) This pic was taken after we dropped off our bags at the hotel, as we could only 'check-in' our room at 1.30pm and it was only 11am. So we decided to explore Notre Dame Cathedral (we crossed the bridge on the right side to get there.)
Front of Notre Dame! see the pigeons? -- something i noticed about the pigeons -- in Frankfurt and Paris, they are an obese bunch man..hahaha...but they look the same as the one's in SG. heehee...in Frankfurt, to keep the pigeons from roosting and pooping on the buidlings/ signboards, you'll find many needles sticking out of every ledge and signage! hahaha...it was so funny to see!! (Imagine MacDonalds the big yellow 'M' with needles!!)The cathedral has well preserved intricate carvings at all over. The carvings are very detailed and each is unique. The middle archway in the front of the cathedral was so nice ge and me just had to try to squeeze oursleves in for the pic..ahhaha..=)
You see the rounded arches, I noticed they are ANGELS! and each one had a different expression or body pose! The angels are on seats and on many tiers (like a council)! I presume God's in the middle and the angels surrounded and looked on...truly a multitude of angels and saints..=)
I'm sure all the carvings have their meanings, of which some are weird, e.g. a man stepping on another/ on an animal of sorts... but the detail is amazing..
Entrance is free, but it's teeming with tourists, so it's a long Q in, but enough room inside to still be able to roam freely. Just do not expect the extreme silence you'd expect in most cathedrals.
Look up 1/2 the time to appreciate....this...
and this....
(these coloured windows are called rose windows...I'm sorry you need to tilt your head coz blogger just won't let me load it horizontally lor!...grrr....)
The cross in the center really looked like gold....and it possibly was eh?...
Bit of history: It took 200 years to complete and generations of masons! It is the size of one american football field. It is located on 'Ile de la Cite' which is like a mini island in the middle of the River Seine (whihc runs through paris). Ile de la Cite was the original start point where the first settlers 'lived', before the city grew outwards...=)
As you walk through, there is much to take in...and you can take the time to see the beauty of the windows......and even design has been put in the drainage grills, as ge aptly highlights in her photo below...=) ...shoes included..hehehe...=P
The candles were really nice and tempting to bring back..(best to contribute then take..haha..) ...But being just practical me..(space and weight)...I bought a 2Euro tourist Notre Dame coin here with the year stamped on it..hee...can add to my collection (got one in NZ toos!)
Heading out, we walked along the side and saw more GARGOYLES...now i really don't undestand why churches build gargoyles on their exterior...=S so scary lor...supposed to act like a scarecrow ah?
Anyway, just checked online and here's what i got!
The word "Gargoyle" shares a common root with the word "Gargle"; which comes from "gargouille", an French word for "Throat". A true gargoyle is a waterspout. The word “gargoyle” is also a derivative from the Latin word, “gurgulio”, which had a double meaning, “throat”, and the “gurgling” sound water makes as it passes through a gargoyle. A carved creature that does not serve the purpose of a drain pipe is frequently referred to as a "Grotesque".
Legend has it, that a fierce dragon named La Gargouille described as having a long, reptilian neck, a slender snout and membranous wings lived in a cave near the river Seine, Paris. The dragon caused much fear and destruction with its fiery breath, spouting water and the devouring of ships and men. Each year, the residents of Rouen would placate Gargouille with an offering of a victim, usually a criminal, though it was said the dragon preferred maidens. Around AD600, the village was saved by St. Romanis, who promised to deal with the dragon if the townspeople agreed to be baptized and to build a church. Romanus subdued the dragon by making the sign of the cross and then led the now docile beast back to town on a leash made from his priest's robe. La Gargouille was then burned at the stake, it is said that his head and neck were so well tempered by the heat of his fiery breath, that they would not burn. These remnants were then mounted on the town wall and became the model for gargoyles for centuries to come.
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