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May 10, 2001 - Focus goes to Paris• The Suffolk Times • May 10, 2001 Focus Suffolk Times photo by Barbara Stoutenburgh Focus to Paris OUR KIDS AND FRIENDS GAVE us a 50th wedding anniversary gift in the form of a trip to Paris, and what a trip it was! We took off on the 23rd of April and with a little delay as far as jet lag went, we proceeded to explore Paris in all its glory. What a wonderful city it is. A city of fast - moving little cars. I imagine their gas prices dictate these small and F OC efficient cars. They zoom ON here and there with motorcy- cles and mopeds dipping in NATURE and out of traffic, taking by Paul advantage of every opening. $toutenburgh It's amazing that no one gets hurt. At least in the 10 days we were there we saw no accidents and heard very little blowing of 'horns. It's a clean city with its shops and cafes and strolling people. In the parks and along the avenue, their trees are manicured like hedges. Our visit just happened to coincide with friends vaca- tioning at the same time and so we had to get together where we were staying. We had a delicious luncheon, one that only the French could prepare and serve. On our way in from the Charles de Gaulle Airport I spotted two kestrels (small hawks) much like the ones we have here. I also saw the common rook, which is like our crow but bigger. Later, on the lawns, we'd see their blackbird, a member of the thrush fam- ily. We'd see terns and gulls when we cruised on the river Seine later, seeing a different view of the city. Then there were the old familiar house sparrows and the always aggressive starlings. Remember, they are the same rene- gades we have here. Ours were imported from the Old tJ$ World and released here. Then in the garden behind the home where we were staying we saw the common wood pigeon, a pigeon much larger than the ones we see here but with a white collar and white patch on its wings. When they flew they made a great flapping sound with their wings. We'd see smaller birds that I couldn't identify even with the help of our Birds of Europe field guide. They were prob- ably warblers passing through, as they were tiny olive -drab birds flitting about the trees as our warblers do here in the spring. Then there was the magpie, that big bird with the longish tail, a little bigger than our bluejay but with a black- and -white coat of feathers. We'd see it occasionally in the parks and in the open country areas. You can't misE this bird. The horse chestnut seemed to be the predominant tree in Paris. It comes flowers, the white one tnat we are most familiar with here on the North Fork and then there was a pink variety that was blossoming in the courtyard where we stayed. After lunch with our friends we drove around Paris seeing the sights we'd later explore, such as the Eiffel Tower, which dominates Paris. Any time you look around you can find it somewhere along the skyline. Later we'd travel up that great structure and have a panoramic view of the whole city as it lay before us. Paris has its tall buildings but they seem to be off in a separate section by themselves while Paris itself keeps its old charm of tree - lined streets, caf6s and shops. We want to share a little joke with you that happened while we were up in the tower. Barbara was taking pictures with her new panoramic camera that would give her sweeping views of the city. As she walked around the tower clicking away here and there, she came back and met me and said, "Where is the Eiffel Tower? I can't find it any- where." We looked at each other and burst out laughing, realizing we were standing right in the tower itself. I guess she kind of forgot where she was for the moment. This structure, built [rape hen we f in 1889 for a univer- sal exposition, was ris, the ' supposed to be a shows temporary one but it eat patC1 became such an at- traction that it is now llow in a probably the most sought -after attrac- tion for people touring France. Every- one has to go and see and climb or take the lift to the top of the Eiffel Tower. It was the tallest structure in the world until 1931, when the Empire State Building captured that title. It rises 1,051 feet into the blue sky of Paris. After that we visited the world - renowned Notre Dame Cathedral, which is breathtaking with its flying but- tresses, huge towering walls and gar- goyles overlooking the city. Words can't express it. It takes your breath away just to walk into it with its mammoth stained -glass windows and its huge cir- cular rose window. Then there are the great paintings on the walls and ceilings. It has to be seen to be appreciated. We drove around the Concorde Square, one of Europe's most magnifi- cent squares. It covers over 20 acres and is notably remembered as where Louis XVI was beheaded, followed by 1,343 other victims,• including Marie Antoinette and a host of others that the revolutionaries despised. Then, decades later, a 3,200- year -old obelisk was presented to Charles X as gift from the Viceroy of Egypt. It's quite impressive with its hieroglyphics as it stands in the square, a sign of ancient wonder. As we traveled around we drove up the Champs Elys €es leading to the Arch of Triumph, which Napoleon promised his men would be erected in their mem- ory, but which took 20 -some years to complete, seeing Napoleon's popularity waned and the projeqhad to be carried on by others. Later they would put the tomb of the unknown soldier of World War I beneath this great arch. It is one of the great attractions of Paris and many an army with its entourage has marched through this great arch. And from this famous square. 12 broad avenues lead out into the city of Paris, siriilar to our Was ington, D.C., with its radiating streets. w Out of Of course, no trip eldS Of to Paris would be complete without 1 up like going to the Louvre, ,s of to and we surely took that in. I was partic- reen quilt. ularly impressed ith the Egyptian isplay they have there as I am a great follower of the kings and pharaohs of Egypt. We did get to see Leonardo de Vinci's "Mona Lisa," but I was a bit disappointed in it being so dark. I had thought it would have had more radiance. Perhaps, as someone said, it has darkened over time. This huge museum runs for blocks and blocks and dominates the area with its vastness. It is the largest museum in the world. One can easily get lost in it. We drove past Trocadero Square, where the fountains had just come on and music played in the background as a wedding was takine place. Gaietv wac everywhere. It seemed there was no end to sight- seeing. We had to take the Normandy roadway to Giverny to see Monet's Gardens, which everyone had told us about. On the way there, some 60 miles out of the city, we drove through farmland that was saturated with the rains. we saw beautiful, bright - yellow fields of rape, an old -world plant of the mustard family whose seeds yield an oil and whose leaves are used for fodder. You could see these great fields of bright yellow in every direc- tion. Later, when we flew out of Paris, these fields showed up like great patches of bright yellow in a green quilt. We walked through the beautiful gardens of the famous painter Claude Monet, the father of Impressionism. We took pictures of his water lily gar- dens, weeping willows and the clema- tis that draped the archways. Most impressive, the place dripped with nostalgia and color. We were told we should visit Chartres outside of Paris and so we took a trip there and were greatly rewarded by seeing this magnificent cathedral. It was begun in 1020 but was later destroyed by fire. Lords and peas- ants alike rebuilt it over the next 25 years. The part that is so unique about this cathedral is that the Bible is told in stone. In other words, there are stone carvings around the inside of the cathe- dral that tell the story in relief. Unbelievable. The glass windows are known throughout the world. They over 26,900 square feet of the area. As a matter of fact, they are so precious that duri ng World War I and World War II they were removed so they would not be damaged. Some of them are so high it seems you need binocu- lars to see them. You feel so small in these cathedrals. Chartres is a master- piece of gothic art. The one place I want to end up our story of Paris is in Versailles. Versailles was the government seat before it moved to Paris. It rivals the Russian Hermitage in its splendor. It outshines all that I've seen in its manicured gar- dens. They go for hundreds of acres all around it with ponds, fountains and canals. Inside there is a Hallway of Mirrors (578 mirrors) 246 feet long, where the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919. We walked past the bedrooms of great kings and queens. Everything was gold and glitter with huge tapestries on the walls and paint- ings on the ceilings. Just breathtaking. Versailles is something you want to make sure you see. It goes on and on. There are ponds with Neptune in gold, squirting water into the air. I can't de- scribe the beauty of these places. It's beyond me. You have to be there to see it.