Potpourri

We started the morning with a boat ride down the Seine. We had just about decided not to do it: Melissa and Chuck went out last night to watch the boats, saw how crowded they were, and came back less than enthused. But this morning we decided to take a look. We walked down to the company that operates off the bridge by our house, the Vedettes de Pont Neuf, bought tickets for immediate departure, and found ourselves alone out on the bow of the boat for a lovely cruise.

We then walked over to the Île de la Cité and visited Notre Dame in some detail. Melissa says it's her favorite site in Paris. They were performing mass when we arrived, and that deepened the experience. Also the crowds weren't as large in the morning. It's hard to compare it to Chartres. They're both masterpieces of the high Gothic, but they each have a unique feel. Notre Dame de Paris has more of the sublime about it, more of the great and terrible aspect of God, while Chartres has a more inviting, more charitable kind of beauty. Yet it would be wrong not to ascribe sublimity to Chartres or charity to Notre Dame de Paris.

This afternoon we split up. Chuck and J.C. wanted to visit clothing stores and art galleries and had a great time exploring by themselves. Mom, Melissa, and Maggie wanted to see the Luxembourg Gardens, and I was happy to show them off before Versailles upstages everything tomorrow. Here are the ladies of our party, posing with Marie de Medici, the bold and determined woman who ruled France in the name of her son and built the palace and the gardens.

This evening Chuck, Melissa, J.C. and I assaulted the Louvre. Of course they loved it (Chuck liked the Greek and Roman sculpture the most, J.C. the medieval and early Renaissance painting),  but there's only so much one can take in in a single journey. There's a point when one's feet shut down one's head and heart. I'm sorry for those who have only one trip to see the Louvre.