Looking across the street from our apartment on La Motte Picquet
Can you see the Eiffel Tower through the tree?
This car might be just a little too small for me.
Window of a Patisserie
Artificial flowers and pink macaroons
Another cold day. The past few days have reached highs of 31 or 32 F. Today it
was supposed to be a balmy 40 degrees. We really could not tell if it was warmer.
Latin Quarter
Tiny city truck. City workers were replacing underground pipes.
Lunch at our favorite creperie just a few blocks from the apartment
Notre Dame on a cold day with almost no sightseers
Notre Dame Christmas Display
Virgin Mary and Christ Child
I could find photographs of this statue for sale on the internet, but I could not
find any written information to tell me who this represents. Could it be Lazarus?
Buried in the church are Rene Descartes and a king of Poland, John Casimir, who later dedicated
his life to the church and became the abbot of St Germain des Pres.
These panels appear to be from the life of Jesus.
I do not remember seeing these tapestries before when visiting the cathedral. They are
incredible vibrant and beautiful. For closer look see the Ode a la Creation online.
Tapestries of the creation of the world
Almost all the information I could find about the 20th century artist, Dom Robert, is in French.
This quote is from one of the few I found in English.
- Dom Robert is a well-known tapestry artist of the 20th century. The key theme of his work is Nature as it emerged from the hands of the Creator of the world. There are frequent representations of vegetation and flowers in his work.
John the Baptist
While the Professor dropped some papers off at the Sciences Po, I visited the church Saint Germain des Pres. According to the information about this building parts of it date back to the 5th century.
As so many religious buildings do, the church began its live as a monastery. Another
guide lists it as being a Benedictine Abbey.
Lady of Consolation
Mary, the mother of Jesus
I have searched for a name to go with this art work without success. He looks as
if he is a cavalier, but that doesn't mean he is not one of the popes or
even apostles.
Christmas tree in the Place de Saint Germain
des Pres
If you look closely at these figures there is a date inscribed.
It is 1658
The handout at the church states that in this church we venerate Christ's Cross
and two martyrs. Symphorien was beheaded in 179. The other martyr, Vincent died in 304.
My guess is that this patriarchal looking gentlemen with one glowing foot is one of the martyrs.
But I am no at all sure. You can certainly tell that generations of visitors have
rubbed his right foot hoping for blessings or good luck.
Modern altar and pulpit
Nativity
St Germain des Pres organ pipes
Lunch in the Latin Quarter close to St Severs Church.
The onion soup was delicious but the steak poivre was really tough.
The chocolate mousse was worth eating.
The Professor had quiche and a chicken thigh with fried potatoes, frites, and
a chocolate crepe for dessert.
My taste of the quiche was pretty good.
The soup was so hot I had to blow on it. We should have had the Professor warm
his very cold hands of the tiny tureen full of soup.
