Meeting at the intersection of faith and history.
A Moveable Feast
Paris - October, 2024
There is no more apt way for describing life in Paris than the American author, Ernest Hemingway. In his his semi-autobiographical work, ‘A Moveable Feast’ Hemingway captures the magic this city holds. It is one reason that Sarah and I return to the City of Light over and over again.
Our most recent stay came at the end of a busy time abroad. We had just led a 10 day tour of France with our travel company - Cathedral Travel. This was followed by a week of walking the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain. This 80 mile trek left us exhilarated and looking for some down time. Paris was calling.
This year we were extremely fortunate to secure an apartment on the Ile de France. This is the island that sits at the center of the city of Paris. It is the place where the Cathedral of Notre Dame towers above the skyline. Each morning we would walk out of our flat and look left. A stone’s throw away was the Cathedral.
You may recall that in April, 2019 a fire broke out in the roof area of Notre Dame. Now, only 5 years later, the final touches of restoration are nearing completion. A dedication ceremony is scheduled for next month, December, 2024. It was a moving experience to stay under the shadow of this exalted edifice. Like a phoenix rising form the ashes, countless visitors came to pause at its base and look skyward at its towers and scaffolding. There was a collective reverence as this iconic building was being restored to its former glory.
We also had an assignment with Paris. Back in February of this year I purchased three sets of locks and keys while visiting our grandchildren in Los Angeles. There is a whimsical tradition in Paris to attach a lock to one of the numerous a bridges that span the Seine River. It turns out that two of our sons had plans to visit Paris this year. Our oldest, Christian, was taking his family there for spring break in March. Our youngest, Stephan, was taking his bride there in June for their honeymoon. And Sarah and I were to conclude our tour and trek there in October.
When we arrived in Paris this fall two ‘Quie locks’ had already been attached to the bridge on the Rue D’Arcole. Easy to find, this bridge connects the Hotel D’Ville and Notre Dame. By the time we placed our lock on this bridge there were hundreds of others adorning the span as well. Although we were not able to locate the two other ‘Quie Locks’ we had fun adding ours to the collection.
The phrase ‘moveable feast’ captures the essence of Paris in so many ways. Most notably in the culinary fashion. It seems as if every three store fronts in Paris is a restaurant. Parisians love to eat out. One of our favorite activities we call, ‘Red, White and Blue’. In one way it is a nod to the tricolor of the French flag. It also signifies our favorite staples of French fare; red wine, white baguette, and blue cheese. There is a wonderful market in the Latin corner that features a wine shop, a bakery and a cheese shop. Purchasing our provisions we walk a few blocks to the Seine and descend the steps to a series of benches that face the shoreline. There we have a picnic and walk the river traffic, the glow of lights and enjoy our simple food.
Recently, Paris has embraced its Jewish legacy, both creative and tragic. There is a powerful holocaust museum in the Marais neighborhood that we have visited in the past. This year we visited the Jewish Art and History Museum also in the Marais district. Its permanent collection powerfully displays the long and rich contributions of Jewish lives in and around Paris. We were fortunate to visit when a new exhibit was on display called, The Dybbuk; Ghost of the Vanished World. Originally written in 1915, it is a story loosely based on Romeo and Juliet that was performed in Yiddish theaters in Russia and Poland. A surprising collection of Marc Chagall paintings complemented the exhibition.
An unknown extension to our moveable feast awaited us on the day of our departure. Waking early to check our flight time, I read a text message that our Delta flight had been canceled. Checking in with the airlines we secured a flight home 24 hours later. Bottom line, we had an extra day in Paris! Its not hard to make lemonade out of a lemon in the City of Light.
With legs still used to walking up to 12 miles a day from the Camino we set off to view more of Paris on foot. We walked to the Louvre, the Tuillery Gardens adn the Orangerie. We were surprised by the long lines to enter and kept walking. We decided to stop at the D’Orsay Museum and see what was on exhibit. I was aware that an amazing exhibit on impressionism had just concluded and had moved on to the National Gallery in Washington DC. We had a mother surprise awaiting for us however. Large posters announced ‘Harriet Backer, every cell has color’. We wandered into the exhibit and had our socks knocked off. It turns out Harriet Backer was a Norwegian artist from the late 19th and early 20th century. She painted in oil as movingly as Monet, Renoir or Cezzane. Room after room were filled with her glorious and luminous oils. There were landscapes, portraits and still life's. It was a tour de force that took our breath away.
Afterwards we found a brasserie with chairs facing out. We ordered lunch and had an avenue meal; sitting street side watching the world go by. We discussed the paintings we saw and enjoyed yet another amazing meal.
We slowly ambled our way back to our hotel room and enjoyed window shopping along the way. We feasted our eyes on all the creative presentations that shown through the windows. Paris truly feeds ones heart, soul and body. A stop for a coffee creme and croissant was fuel for our journey. The next day we flew home sated with all that Paris has to offer, yet hungry to return.