For the past few weeks it hasn't really been that cold in comparative terms. After a certain amount of time you reach a point where you just don't notice it anymore. Day after day of the same weather has the capacity to lull one into a sort of catatonic state of regularity. Seeing the day's forecast was a shot of espresso. It broke 60! A true wake up to the reality of my situation: I am in Paris.
Morgane and I got active early. We were on our way to the Delacroix Museum by 10:30. The museum has three separate areas--the house filled with works and personal belongings, the walled garden, and a studio that also houses works. I've always liked Delacroix so I was glad to have had the opportunity to visit but, unless you are a rabid fan I'd be hesitant to recommend it. However, the museum is situated on one of the most amazingly quiet and serene streets I've experienced here despite being only two blocks from the busy Boulevard St. Germain
After the museum we made our way down rue de Four toward Le Bon Marche. Conveniently located across the street was a church that I wanted to see. This afforded us the opportunity to see the renowned department store and a little time to browse.
Walking out of the store on to rue du Bac I started looking for the church. My expectation was a stand alone church and not one tucked within a slim corridor between apartment buildings. The church, Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-la-Medaille-Miraculeuse, is the resting place of Saint Catherine Labouré who, at the request of the Virgin Mary, created the Miraculous Medal. The chapel (and Catherine's glass encased body) is situated at one of the spots the Virgin Mary appeared to her. Catherine was exhumed in 1933 and canonized in 1947.
I should have been tipped off by the clusters of people around the building and inside the courtyard but I was surprised at the number of people inside the chapel. Initially I assumed we had come during a mass before realizing the chapel was full of pilgrims praying to Saint Catherine.
To my knowledge, I've never seen an embalmed person before much less a saint. It was a very strange experience. Walking up to the altar to see the encased body I felt almost as if I was intruding upon something. I couldn't muster the strength to do anything more than glance at the face. Eerie experience.
Shaking off our dismay we headed next door to the Grand Epicerie of Paris to get lunch. The store is owned by the same company as Le Bon Marche and reminded me a lot of Whole Foods. This impression was aided by the groups of Americans I kept noticing (apparently the "American area" of Paris is nearby). After getting some sandwiches and fruit, we walked down rue de Babylone towards Les Invalides to enjoy the weather and have lunch in the large park in front of the former hospital.
Though Invalides still houses a veterans hospital, it has also become a war museum with materials from 1875-1945. In addition to this, the remains of French war heroes are interred in the domed chapel. Most famous among those interred is Napoleon. This past summer I attempted to visit the tomb with Morgane but happened to come on an afternoon when the state was honoring a recently deceased hero of the Resistance. We were able to stroll the grounds and witness part of the ceremony but were unable to see the church, tombs, or the war museum (which turned out to be very interesting).
Discounting Jesus, I don't think I've ever seen the worship of a person reach such (divine) proportions. Though I don't know the exact measurements, the tomb is huge. Sitting in the middle of the lower floor of the chapel, the tomb lies directly below the dome. In a circle surrounding it are bas-reliefs depictions of Napoleon and his achievements. The thing that pushes this on from homage and towards worship are the depictions themselves. Each one shows Napoleon in the garb of a Roman Caesar with the unconcerned gaze of the divine. Adding to this is the fact that the other figures in the reliefs are generally shown in some state of genuflection or adoration.
As I write, the windows are open and the weather is perfect. Unfortunately the coming week is supposed to bring colder weather and the gift will prove to be brief. Brevity doesn't revoke its status as a gift, if anything it heightens it. This could be seen on any avenue in town as people spilled out of the cafes and onto sidewalks. Today the ephemeral happened to fall into my lap.
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