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France 2010
Day 1 - 3rd October - Paris: Sainte-Chapelle, Castrati Aria Concert (Part 3)
Earlier, by the banks of the Seine, I saw a kid on a unicycle behind 2-3 adults on skate scooters. And behind them was a woman on roller skates (she turned in another direction, so she wasn't part of the same group). I had thought that it was a tourist thing. Then after I exited the museum of the Middle Ages, a 20+ year old boy rode a unicycle by me on the road (not the pavement). Looks like "j'y vais en roller" is not a joke. I'm going to j'y vais en monocycle next time.
"Vogue: 90 ans d'excès" (90 years of excess - and covering breasts)
Crêpes
I headed to Sainte-Chapelle - the only ticketed place I wanted to revisit.
Here is how I described the place in 2006:
"Pictures truly cannot do Sainte Chapelle justice. It must be the most elaborately decorated place of worship I've ever seen, with gold gilt everywhere, thanks to its use as a royal chapel. The stained glass is beautiful (and the sunlight that day didn't hurt)."
Roast chickens
Wallace fountain opposite Sainte-Chapelle
Wikipedia: "Wallace fountains are public drinking fountains designed by Charles-Auguste Lebourg that appear in the form of small cast-iron sculptures scattered throughout the city of Paris, France, mainly along the most-frequented sidewalks. They are named after the Englishman Richard Wallace, who financed their construction. A great aesthetic success, they are recognized worldwide as one of the symbols of Paris."
"CAFE AMERICAIN. AMERICAN COFFEE"
Quite why the owner thought this would attract customers is beyond me.
Evidently there is something very wrong with the Spanish and Italians - the warnings not to bring sharp objects into the Sainte-Chapelle complex are only in Spanish and Italian. This is not because they are the most spoken by tourists - English and Spanish seem to fit this bill.
Sainte-Chapelle facade
This Japanese guy was wearing an eccentric hat made by his friend, a Japanese artist - one of 50 here for an event.
The event
The Lower Chapel, for commoners
Side of Lower Chapel
Saint Louis (reproduction), aka King Louis IX of France - sponsor of the building.
Above and beside St Louis
Side of Lower Chapel again
Next was the Upper Chapel, for the nobility.
Sainte-Chapelle panorama
Sainte-Chapelle panorama 2
HDR didn't work for the stained glass
Back of Upper Chapel
More stained glass
Roof of Chapel
What Sainte-Chapelle is supposed to look like when it's not under renovation. Renovation notwithstanding it was still amazing.
I took the longest time to figure out what this was for. At first I thought it was an ambulance bed, then a coffin. In the end I figured out that it was a harpsichord for the concerts held in Sainte-Chapelle.
Side of Upper Chapel
Rose window and back of Upper Chapel
Rose Window
I then had fun annoying the people in the gift shop.
"Reproductions des Vitraux de La Sainte Chapelle, Paris. Traitée comme un vitrail traditionnel elle a été entourée de plombe et soudée à la main. Peintes à la main."
("Reproductions of the Stained Glass of Sainte Chapelle, Paris. Handled like traditional stained glass, it has been lined with lead and soldered by hand. Handpainted")
"Vitrail Fleur de Lys. Chaque pièce est réalisée dans l'atelier d'un maître verrier du Val d'Oise, France."
("Stained Glass: Fleur de Lys. Each piece is made in a workshop of a master glassmaker in Val d'Oise, in France")
The natural question about the former, which I asked: "C'est construit (sic) en France ?" ("Is it made in France?) The counter staff said no. I then asked if it was made in China. She checked - and it was made in Scotland. Evidently being hand-made in the EU doesn't warrant a mention - unless it's made in France.
Justice Ministry. I was tempted to strike a pose at the top of the steps, but the gendarmes were nearby and would've caught me.
One staff member (who looked like a member of the security staff) was bisous-ing and au revoir-ing a girl. Maybe he'd sneaked her in for free.
More French heroics: "Ici fut reçu le 24 août 1944 d'un avion léger de la 29 division blindée. Le message du Général Leclerc aux Parisiens combattants 'Tenez Bon Nous Arrivons' lance par le Capitaine Jean Caller et par le Lieutenant Etienne Mantoux mort au champ d'honneur"
("Here, on 24th August 1944, a light aircraft of the 29th armoured division was received. The message of General Leclerc to the fighters of Paris was: 'Hold on, we're coming' - delivered by Captain Jean Caller and Lieutenant Etienne Mantoux, who died in the Fields of Flanders")
Notre Dame
Apparently there's a way to erase tourists with multiple shots
Charlemagne and his pigeons
I'm trying to figure out why I took this picture. Something I scribbed around this time elaborates as: "first time I've seen a motor wheelchair - on the road", but this doesn't look like one. So maybe it's just her leopard prints.
Next I went for my first (and only, for this trip) concert - a Castrati aria concert by Nguyen Duy-Thông. Tickets were selling for €18, and "first class" tickets for €23. Turns out most seats were "first class", and the €18 tickets were restricted view tickets. Frankly €18 was already quite expensive, but considering St-Julien-le-Pauvre was the self-proclaimed oldest church in Paris (which has been an Eastern Church for the last century), they probably needed to replenish the roof replacement fund. In any case, after the intermission everyone in the cheap seats ran to occupy the "first class" seats.
Broschi - Idaspe - Ombra fedele anch'io - Air De Dario (Nguyen Duy-Thông)
He was not bad, but for the lower notes he sneakily dipped into the Tenor voice. For one piece he blasted in his tenor voice for 2 seconds. Ugh. The singing was very dramatic - but he was performing opera arias after all. Oh well - novelty value (most of the other concerts I saw advertised would've been of relatively common pieces).
Castrati aria by Nguyen Duy-Thông
Despite the concert flyer, there were instrumental pieces also: the pianist played a Beethoven sonata and a Chopin piece (probably a nocturne).
Concert end
Rue Galande
Since I had breakfast on the plane, the only nourishment I'd had the whole day was a Fanta Orange. This is what the pain and joy of travel does to [my] hunger.