Seine River – A Traveling Fool

I know I have said this before, but I love water. Looking at it, gliding along on it, swimming (or just bobbing around) in it. So whenever I get the chance to take a river cruise or get out on a lake in a location where I am traveling, I do it. Every time I go to London, I take a ride on a boat there. The same with Paris.

After our morning visit to the Musée d’Orsay, we originally planned to visit L’Orangerie, with many more impressionist paintings, especially Monet’s Waterlilies. But we revised our plans and chose to take the boat cruise on the Seine instead of doing that the following day. This was a one hour trip from the Eiffel Tower down and around both the Ile de la Cité and Ile Saint Louis and back to the Eiffel Tower.

We jumped back onto the Big Bus at the stop across the street from the Musée d’Orsay and rode it around until we got to the Eiffel Tower. En route we passed the Place de la Concorde, rode along the Champs-Elysées, circled the Arc de Triomphe, and went back down the Champs-Elysées to the Grand and Petit Palais. Then we crossed the beautiful Pont Alexandre III to the other side of the Seine for a while before crossing back over the river again to go by the Shangri-La and the Palais de Chaillot. We crossed the river one more time to stop in front of the Eiffel Tower.

We had a bit of a walk to where the Bateux Parisien boats were docked. Then we stood for a while in the snaking line to get on board. It was a bit chilly so we opted to stay inside on the lower part of the boat instead of going upstairs, with the majority of people, out in the open air. Once the tour began, several people changed their minds and came downstairs. We had settled into a booth for four right next to a window.

Here and there I took some photos. But I mostly just watched the scenery roll by. Those who remained on the upper deck were encouraged to whoop and holler and wave at anyone we passed along the way. Many people responded in a friendly manner, but some not so much. My accompanying photos include both some from the Big Bus before and after the river cruise and some from the cruise itself. The photo taken under the Pont Neuf was the only one not taken by me.

I enjoyed seeing the bridges from underneath. A couple of the really old ones were lined with bricks. The Pont Neuf, despite its name, is the oldest of the bridges (it was begun in 1578 and was the first to be built without houses on it). It has several carved heads on its sides. They are all different from one another.

I also really liked the Statue de Sainte Geneviève. This was on the Pont de la Tournelle which crosses from the Left Bank (the Latin Quarter) onto the Ile Saint Louis. Instead of facing Notre Dame de Paris, she is facing the opposite direction. Why?

Geneviève was born in Nanterre in 423 and moved to Paris when she was 20. She was then ordered by the Bishop of Paris as a “Consecrated Virgin”. When, in 451, Attila and the Huns crossed the Rhine to invade Gaul, they plundered Metz and Reims along the way and were heading to Paris, most Parisians chose to flee. Geneviève urged Paris to fight and began to pray for the city. Attila decided to head to Troyes instead on his way to besiege Orleans.

Paris was miraculously saved and Geneviève became one of the patron saints of Paris. The other is Saint Denis. He’s the fella who was beheaded for his faith on Montmartre sometime between 250 and 270 and walked several miles afterwards carrying his head and preaching. The spot where he finally fell dead is the present day location of the Basilica of Saint-Denis, where many of the kings and queens of France are buried (as well as Denis himself).

Sainte Geneviève’s statue faces in the direction from which the Huns would have come – away from Paris rather than towards it. The statue’s sculptor, Paul Landowski, was not at all happy about that. Her position does make it rather difficult to see the details. Landowski would go on a few years later to create one of the most famous statues in the world, Christ the Redeemer, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Once we disembarked from the boat and got back on the Big Bus, we stayed on until we would be deposited at the Big Bus office along the Avenue de l’Opera. That was the closest stop to our hotel. Unfortunately, about the time we reached La Madelaine, the traffic began to crawl and then stop, and crawl and stop and sit. It took us a very long time to actually reach the Opera Garnier, which was the last stop of the Big Bus before we could get to the office.

Turned out that the stop lights at the Place de l’Opera were not working. This created a huge traffic jam. Although most people were relatively patient, there were some whose tempers were on their last nerve. Some of these folks just yelled a lot, while others began to do some things that could have made things much worse by causing an accident. At one point it seemed that our bus was surrounded by other vehicles all facing us and demanding we get out of their way. Fortunately the calmer folks, which included our driver, prevailed and we eventually got to move around in a circle behind the opera house, where the stop there was located. By that time, there was a motorcycle next to us with a doggie riding with its daddy. I took a photo. The very calm and quiet dog was wearing a jacket and some goggles.

When we finally got to where we could get off the bus and walk back to our hotel, it had been over an hour and a half since we had finished the river cruise. About an hour of that time was spent in the traffic jam.

Along the Rue Saint Honoré we came across a small grocers. We stopped in to see what they had. I bought a large bottle of Orangina plus a couple of small bottles of wine. Back at the hotel, we went for dinner at the their restaurant again. We had really liked the food the night before, plus the restaurant was cozy and intimate. This time we didn’t dress up as much. Really didn’t need to do so.

Next time –Napoleon’s Tomb and the Musée de l’Armée

The symbolic figure of Rouen, Joan of Arc, is present everywhere in the streets, squares and monuments in the former capital of Normandy. I have always been fascinated by Joan – her visions, her courage, her faith. Other locations associated with Joan – Paris, Orleans, and Reims – had drawn my interest in past trips.

Jeanne d’Arc (“The Maid of Orleans”) was born roughly 1412 in Domremy. She came from a peasant family. She began to have visions of the archangel Michael, Saint Margaret of Antioch, and Saint Catherine of Alexandria telling her to help Charles VII to recover the throne of France from English domination. She gained prominence after her quick victory at Orleans. Several more swift victories later led to Charles’ consecration as King of France at Reims.

She was captured in May of 1430 at Compiegne by some French nobles who were allied with the English. She was handed over to the English and put on trial for heresy. She was convicted and burned at the stake in May of 1431. Her imprisonment, trial and execution all took place in Rouen. She was only nineteen when she died.

The main charge in her conviction seemed to be her dressing as a man. Women’s clothing would have been terribly impractical for leading an army. She also found that it was much more difficult for men to try to sexually assault her when she was dressed as a man. Women’s clothing offered no such protection. While imprisoned, it is said that she was repeatedly raped by her captures until she put men’s clothing back on. That was the final evidence (the donning of men’s clothing while imprisoned) that was used to convict her.

The only remaining part of Rouen Castle is the keep or donjon, which is now known as the Tour Jeanne d’Arc. This was where a portion of her trial took place and where she was threatened with torture. Some people believe this was where she was imprisoned, but she was actually held in the Tour de la Pucelle, which no longer exists. There is a building at 102 Rue Jeanne d’Arc where the foundations of that tower may be seen.

It was the Archbishop’s Palace, just behind the Cathedral, where Joan was condemned. A retrial also took place there in 1456, which nullified the first trial. A little too late for Joan. The Historical Jeanne d’Arc (Joan of Arc Museum) is now housed in the Archbishop’s palace. They use multimedia to present the story. I really like it when the actual locations of history are used to tell history.

The cathedral has a small chapel dedicated to Joan near the choir and a more modern statue in the choir area. When I was sitting and listening to the local guide tell us about the cathedral, I could see the modern statue and was wondering if it was Joan. When we had our own time, I walked straight to it.

At the main market square (the Place du Vieux Marche), I was feeling a little impatient while we were led through the market itself and told about its history. I wanted to get over to the garden area by the modern church of Joan of Arc (L’eglise Sainte-Jeanne-d’Arc). This time, fruits, vegetables, pastries, and other edibles weren’t interesting to me.

When we got to the garden, I was looking for the little sign that used to be there, but couldn’t find it. Then the local guide (Evangeline) said that the tall, modern cross now marked the spot where Joan had been burned at the stake. A statue of Joan being executed stands near the entrance to the church, facing the cross.

We finished our tour inside of the church dedicated to Joan. It was built in 1979 with sweeping curves to represent the flames as well as an overturned longship. Many early churches, especially those of wood, were designed to represent an overturned boat.

The stained glass windows came from a 16^th century church whose ruins are a short distance away. The windows had been removed from the church during World War II. When the church was destroyed by bombs, the decision was made to incorporate them into the new church to Saint Joan.

Also inside the church is a bust that may or may not accurately portray Joan. I don’t think she was ever drawn, painted or sculpted in her lifetime. The signature etched beneath the bust is believed to have been her actual signature.

When the fire was still smoldering, Joan’s ashes were collected. Her enemies didn’t want anyone collecting any potential relics.

It is said that her heart did not burn. Her heart and the collected ashes were thrown into the Seine near the cathedral. This would have been roughly where our ship was docked. When the ship pulled out from this location, I took the included photo of that area of the Seine.

Next time –Josephine’s Malmaison

Tag: Seine River

April in Paris: Cruising Along the Seine

Grand France River Cruise – Joan of Arc & Rouen