After our brief rest at the hotel, Bill departed for the evening EuroCloud Summit dinner, so Tina and I had a night in front of us. We decided there was enough light in the day to visit Notre Dame first and then head over to the Sorbonne to enjoy a delicious French dinner. We wanted to make the most of the evening after our Big Red Bus tour.
Tina and I remembered visiting Notre-Dame de Paris in 1973 with Mom. This was before the restoration effort had begun (1991), and I remember well the grayish-blackish tint that covered much of the front edifice. At the time, the grime of the centuries somewhat hid the grandeur of the amazing entrances, carvings and gargoyles but the totality of the entire church still was impressive, to say the least.
During our mid-March 2011 trip, the entire presentation was vastly different. The Western façade of Notre Dame Cathedral was clean with a beautiful gray incandescence. All the carvings were visible and bright. To remember the contrast made you feel the carved entrances could now be appreciated to their fullest. We felt lucky to know the difference.
The surrounding square sets off the church magnificently, giving it space to balance the immensity of the structure. Construction of the cathedral began in 1160 and was largely complete by 1260, although substantial updates have occurred over the years. It is considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture, with innovative use of the rib vault and flying buttresses.
We know from her letters home that Mom had been to Mass here many times, both in 1937-8 and also during the war. I am sure Dad also was here as he was in Paris on V-E Day and he would have taken the time to visit Notre Dame. The whole affect was calming, with the beautiful stained glass rose window shedding ethereal light on the interior.
As Notre Dame is on the Ile De la Cite, we were very close to the left bank, St. Germain des Pres, and our ultimate destination, the Universite de Paris-Sorbonne, where our mother and aunt had studied in the late 1930’s. This area of Paris is one of my favorites as it also is where Bill and I spent part of our honeymoon.
As Tina and I walked up Rue des Ecoles, we came upon the Sorbonne. We were taken with the elegant and huge front doors, with the French flag hanging over the center. (The immense front doors were not in use.) The Sorbonne was one of the first universities in the world, dating from the 13th century with the main buildings sited on the foundations of the earliest Sorbonne structures.
As we walked around the corner and up the hill on the Rue de la Sorbonne, we found an entrance to the school, right on Sorbonne Square. Students were streaming in for class. It was a busy time and the guard was checking the ID cards very carefully. Sadly, we were not allowed inside. Tant pis! Just being there helped us better understand why Mom loved it so much.
As I did a bit of research on the Sorbonne for this post, I found a program run through “Study Abroad with AIFS” which is the same as the course my mother took back in the 1930’s: Cours de Civilasation Francaise de la Sorbonne. This is the French Language and Civilisation Courses of study. There is also the option of “home stay” which sounds similar to what my mother and aunt did for their year in Paris, living with French families.
Meanwhile, Tina and I rewarded ourselves with dinner right on Sorbonne Square. To our delight, at a nearby table, four American college girls were enjoying dinner as well. No doubt, they were exchange students. They looked very young! And to be overseas, so independent and outward looking made an impression on me. Our mother and aunt, back in the 1930’s, would have been having the same experience, except it was a completely different world. Or was it? Just as back then, there is a lot of talk about wars and tyrannical rulers. Maybe it’s not so different today after all – although spending your junior year abroad was quite rare back then.
After dinner, as Tina and I walked to our hotel, we saw the Eiffel Tower and all the lights of Paris dancing on the vista before us. The elegant bridges over the Seine, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe and so much more echoed Victor Hugo’s famous quote: Breathe Paris in. It nourishes the soul. As Mom said in one of her 1938 letters home, “Tout va bien ici.” All is well here.
Nota Bene: Notre Dame holds a special place in our hearts, so when it caught fire on April 15, 2019, I was, like so many people worldwide, bereft at the thought of this treasure being altered in any significant way. I even took a screenshot of our television showing the Gothic spire engulfed in flames with smoke pouring into the sky. I believe Tina texted me that day also, upset that this beautiful treasure was in trouble. We hope that all will be well with Notre Dame as time goes by. The good news is that the work to rebuild and restore this masterpiece is strongly underway just a year later.