Puces De St. Ouen And Basilica St. Denis

The next day, May 31st, we took P to see the Puces de St. Ouen, aka, the Puces de Clignancourt, and further, the Basilica of St. Denis. St. Ouen/Clignancourt is perhaps Paris' best known market for brocante, collectibles, antiques, and such. Much high-end stuff, once you get past the blanket and awning retailers. In particular, we were thinking P might enjoy the jewelry, since she is now herself an apprentice jewelry artisan. We were right, and we never got beyond the jewelry stands and shooting a few curiosities. Previous visits to St. Ouen are here and here. We have visited St. Denis and its basilica three or four times. St. Denis itself has one of the largest markets in France, and the Basilica is the original Gothic church; and also contains the tombs of nearly all France's kings and queens. P knows enough French history to appreciate the latter bit, although it was a challenge to get her to go into the (creepy) crypt. Among previous posts on St. Denis are this, that, and thisandthat.

At the Ash Trays And Stuff shoppe

At the Antique Insulators And Stuff shoppe

Interesting ceiling presentation, whatever it is

Coffee grinders, etc.

We were always members of the Camping and Caravanning Club
(the friendly one) (UK)

In the Metro; note royal necropolis signage

A little urban futbol on the forecourt of the hotel de ville and the cathedral

The scaffolding suggests they're still intent on rebuilding the
north tower 

That's abbot Suger, inventor of Gothic, supplicating
in the archivolt

Nave view

Helpful model of what it looked prior to the Revolution

Now in the creepy crypt

Nicer part of the crypt; Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

If you want to see any Romanesque funny faces, you
have to go to the crypt

P recovering, actually in a little warming hut for guards in cold weather

Chancel, the oldest bit, the Sugerian bit

Altar, Jesse Tree window on the right

Now back in the nave, looking at some of the larger royal
monuments

"Ping pong, anyone?"

And now, the exciting conclusion...some French artiste has thought up
this clever little golden hut, out on the main floor, whereby the visitor can retire,
recline, and reflect on the experience of being interred in the great basilica...

Seriously; I am not making this up; no one could make this up
[click to enlarge and read (in English too)]; this is more French
than a baguette; and not the first time we have encountered such a thing;
nor the first time I have accepted the challenge...

Of course I had to try it, resting, reclining, reflecting; 

the pose is not quite right; but then I am not royalty, nor much

of a believer; somehow, the grand-daughter was not horrified; 

as far as I know...a great sport, and a great sense of humor...

Napoleon's Tomb And Parc Monceau

While Rebecca and Jeremy enjoyed a week in Madrid, Penelope stayed with us for more Parisian explorations. May 30th we visited the Invalides, Napoleon's Tomb, then walked a bit of the 8th to Parc Monceau. It was a warm day, and all that was enough.

Dome of the great church of St. Louis of the Invalides; Louis XIV
vintage but famous for other things

Interior

N's tomb from the main floor

Other military biggies interred there: Vauban, Louis XIV's
military architect

In one of the chapels

Marshal Foch, of WWI fame

Now in the crypt

My sternest Napoleonic pose

Looking into the nave of the great church itself

Moving right along, having crossed a river, we are in the 8th, and I
have noticed two buildings by the famed art nouveau architect, Jules Lavirotte,
on Avenue Messina and rue de Messina respectively

A lack of symmetry was among his trademarks

Not as famous and wide-ranging as Guimard, but Lavirotte's
29 Avenue Rapp, in the 8th, is nonetheless perhaps Paris' most
photographed art nouveau residence

And now we are at Parc Monceau, not as huge as some of Paris'
other parks, but hugely popular on this warm sunny day

Former tax collecting building, now toilettes

Beautifully landscaped

Very big old tree

The pond

Nice park, which we also visited in 2014; cosmic coincidence:
the Hotel Ceramique pictured in the 2014 post is also by Jules
Lavirotte...!

Return To Notre Dame de Paris, 2025

So while we were sniffing away at the Fragonard Museum, Jeremy arrived at CDG and made his way to the hotel near us that would be the family's base for a few days in Paris. Next day, May 28th, we all together visited the cathedral, open to the public since Christmas or so, but still a long way from being completely restored from the fire of April, 2019. 

Nave view; spiffed-up enough for visitors; the cleaning and
restoration work was nothing short of monumental; Vicki and I
do not like the 800 year-old "like-new" look; not one of our
favorite cathedrals, anyway, nonetheless...

Elevation

HVAC

Glazed triforium

Very recent abstract windows...nice blue though

North rose and lancets; most of the glass in Notre Dame's
three rose windows dates from the 13th century and, thankfully,
survived the fire

North-side polychome choir carvings...

Does the fire marshal know about this?! Most cathedrals
in our experience have now gone to flick-a-switch electric...

St. George/Michael/whoever about to bonk the dragon

Nice window, more HVAC

St. Eustace beholding the Christian Bambi

The Nazgul just don't look right all cleaned up and white

Nearly all the chapels were thus minimalized; as if
the whole place had been "staged" for an open-house

South-side choir carvings

And in Latin too

North side rose window

Priest re-enactor hawking indulgences and commemorative coins

Organ; totally obscuring the west rose window

Exiting through the now seriously enlarged gift shoppe

Porch ornament...funny faces occur mostly on the Romanesque churches

South facade archivolt

Only part of the exterior without cranes, scaffolding, other ongoing
construction  

Much yet to be done