Saturday Walk - Saint Sulpice

Our weekends here are much like anyone else's weekends.  We have tasks and errands to do, and when we're done, we get to play.  Playing here usually involves going for a walk to the part of the city we haven't been, or to a part of the city we wanted to explore more.  And sometimes, like this weekend, we didn't have much of a plan.  So after doing a bunch of tasks at home (usually the dreaded expense report!) and our Saturday shopping (it's wise to shop on Saturday because except for the street market, the shops are closed on Sunday), we decided to go for a walk.  We had no particular destination in mind as we headed out the door, but I did notice Ron jammed some stuff in his pockets as we were leaving.

We walked up Rue de Vaugirard towards the center of Paris.  We figured we'd figure it out as we went.  Lots of things catch my eye as we're wandering, like how hard it is to park in Paris.  It never ceases to amaze me that somehow, someway, people manage to park their cars, bumper to bumper.  Big cars here are a rarity, and in fact, the occasional Range Rover or big sedan look oddly out of place and are exceptionally noticeable.  Smart cars like this one and other very small cars are the norm. 

Smart cars are also like fun house mirrors!  The sidewalk isn't nearly that wide nor are we that short!

I have also noticed that graffiti is an international language.  I've seen graffiti in every city I have traveled to, from Beijing to Budapest.  Even here in Paris, if you stand still too long, you might get tagged.

Poire!  (translates to pear - a name?  Slang for something?)

We walked past the police station:

Good to know where that is!

 Sometimes we see odd things:

To be fair, it was very cold that day. Very.  Like barely 40F with a windchill, very.

And a walk wouldn't be right without a flower shop or ten along the way:

How about some roses?  They are 1€ each, no matter how many you buy, unless you're buying red roses.

We were so busy talking while walking that we were suddenly at a crossroads:

The Montparnasse tower at Rue de Vaugirard and Boulevard du Montparnasse

Have I mentioned the Tour Montparnasse before?  I don't think so.  It is a landmark for sure, but not a pretty one.  It was built from 1969 -1972, and post-construction, the powers that be decided skyscrapers in Paris were out-of-place (read ugly), so skyscrapers within the city center were banned.  There is a kind of joke that the best views of Paris are from atop this tower because you can't see it from there.

We continued on Rue de Vaugirard, and when I turned back, there was another little slice of Americana.  It's funny because in some ways this scene reminds me of home and makes me just a tiny bit homesick and in other ways it reminds me of how small the world really is.

Headquartered in the U.S., but now an international corporation

We crossed to the other side of Rue de Vaugirard and had to choose:

We chose left

Rue de Vaugirard changes flavors along its length.  Near our apartment it is a bustling street lined with apartments (naturally!) shops and restaurants.  Between Volontaires and Montparnasse it is sort of a hospital section, and beyond Montparnasse and before Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the street narrows and is mostly apartments, schools and a few shops.  

Me again!  You can see the narrower Rue de Vaugirard, and the quintessential woman with baguette in the background!

We did pass by a small hotel with a Guimard-style awning:

Art Nouveau awning - love the iron and glass!

We had been out for about an hour, and when we reached the intersection of Rue de Vaugirard, Rue de Rennes and Boulevard Raspail, a whole new world opened up.  The streets were wider, there were a LOT more people and shops and restaurants and boulangeries with their enticing aromas:

I don't remember what these were; something Viennese and with Chocolat!

I wanted a photograph of my wonderful husband and the fabulous treats we were eating.  He wanted a photograph of the endless beautiful apartments that all look alike and yet do not look alike:

The many apartments along Rue de Rennes

As we noshed on our wonderfully warm and chocolatey Viennese treat, we decided to continue on Rue de Rennes as we knew it would lead us further into Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Down a side-street and in the distance we saw a big church and quickly changed directions to check it out.

Saint-Sulpice - ficitonally featured in The DaVinci Code

Ha!  It was Saint-Sulpice!  We had been here before, but it was nighttime, and we approached from the Seine and so didn't realize we were in the same neighborhood.  I did mention how cold it was right?  Taking photographs was getting increasingly difficult because even though my camera battery was fully charged, my camera didn't think that the very cold nickel-metal  hydride had any juice left in it.  I had to keep turning the camera off and keep it close to my body to warm it up enough to take a few photos before it started beeping at me again.  And, I wasn't keen on taking my gloves off for more than a few minutes as my fingers kept going numb!

The fountain - I love how the water flows in sheets and tears at the corners!

Fountain of Place Saint-Sulpice

We rested on the bench awhile, and snuggled to stay warm while we people watched.  We almost continued on, but at the last minute decided to go into the church.  It was at this point that I discovered what Ron had jammed into his pockets as we were leaving the apartment; portions of Rick Steves' book on Paris!  How convenient!  According to Rick Steves, we must go inside and see the wonderful Delacroix paintings inside the church.  Did I mention it was cold?  Delacroix or no, I was happy to go inside the church!

This is where I confess.  Not to a priest because I'm not even sure they were holding confessions while we were there.  No, I have to confess that once inside, I was awed by the beauty of the church and I completely forgot about Rick Steves and Delacroix and the short, guided tour.  Okay, okay.  I sort of forgot about Ron too, for a few minutes.  I was lost in my own little world of f/stops and ISOs and focal lengths and why-didn't-I-bring-that-lens and oh-my-look-over-here.  I reconnected with Ron after a few minutes; I found him in this lovely scene of dark church and late afternoon light streaming through a high window:

Ron reading Rick beneath a Delacroix

It was getting late and the sun was setting behind the buildings, light was in short supply inside the dark church (no flash either - not sure if it was allowed or not, but I wouldn't have used it inside a church or cathedral anyway).  I was limited to timed exposures when I could find a suitable makeshift tripod or where there was enough light.  Despite being awed by the church, I didn't get many photos. 

View from the nave

The altar

Detail of a chair - no pews, just rows and rows of chairs

Rows and rows of chairs

There are beautiful chandeliers throughout the church

In Catholic churches candles are placed near the side chapels and other locations.  Parishioners light them and say a prayer in memory of an ill or deceased loved one. The candles are almost always red and white, so I looked around for the symbolism.  White symbolizes eternal life, light and enlightenment.  Red symbolizes sacrifice, love and passion.

I am always drawn to the beauty of the candles

Often, I find that I want to return to a place to photograph it more, or better or in different light.  Saint-Sulpice is definitely one of those places.  It is the second largest church in Paris (Notre Dame is larger), and there are other beautiful aspects to this church that I couldn't capture in the waning evening light.  So, I must return on a day with more sunlight left in it.

We left Saint-Sulpice and continued towards the Seine. It didn't take long before my camera thought the battery was dead again and I was getting a touch of the brain freeze.  I saw Starbucks and wanted to get a coffee for while we walked.  It's not that I love their coffee, it 's that I love the warmth of a hot cup in my hands and warm fluid entering my body.  It sounded good!  I crossed the bus lane, snapped a photo of another slice of Americana:

Starbucks - one of the few places you can get a coffee to go!

 and then turned around and looked for Ron.  Huh.  He didn't follow me across the street.

This was a grab-the-moment photograph and I wasn't at all sure how it would turn out and I was again disappointed that my lens for the day didn't have enough reach.  I knew Ron would be small in the picture.  But after I saw it on the big screen, I think it instantly became one of my all-time favorites, despite or maybe because it breaks all the rules!  It's way too busy, there's no clear subject, except there is and he is perfectly in the center!  It's a little sloppy and not tack-sharp, you can see me in the reflection of the bus and there's a blurry someone entering the frame from the right.  What a mess!  But I love the cut-off ad on the bus and the bus number in the foreground, and the blurry someone entering the scene - maybe rushing to catch the bus?  I like the man on the bus, gazing out the window, and the color change of viewing the other side of the world through the tinted glass.  And on the other side of the world there's chaos - people on the street, some rushing, some not, and shops and cars and noise and advertisements coming at you from all directions.  Paris is on the other side of that bus.  And in the middle of it all is Ron, looking back and smiling at me.  I love it!

I can't decide if I love it more in color or black and white:

It's a lot quieter in black and white.  What do you think?

We continued on through Saint-Germain-des-Prés, with a camera that thought it had a dead battery.  Not that it mattered because I was so cold that I kept my gloved  hands in my pockets.  When we reached the Seine, I coaxed a few images of Notre Dame out of my camera:

Last light of the evening - Notre Dame and the Seine

I love the pink light at sunset!

We had been walking and sightseeing for 3 hours and we were getting hungry again and it was COLD!  After admiring Notre Dame Cathedral in the last light of day, we headed to the metro and went home.