Paris - Aug 20

The weather has certainly cooled off.  The high today was 70 (21C).  The two days of off and on rain has brought a nice bit of cool temps.

Today was a visit to the Pantheon.  As the enscription above the building says:  Aux Grande Homme la Patrie Reconnaissante.  To great men the homeland is grateful...

It started as a cathedral but through the turbulent years of French history it has been transformed into the resting place of the great and noble citizens of France.

It is a impressive building covered in paintings and murals dedicated to those that sacrificed for France.

Some of the famous that have been laid to rest in the crypts of the institution...

Voltaire, Emile Zola, Rousseau, Louis Braille, Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, Pierre Curie and Marie Curie to name a few.  Those that are put to rest here as of late have had elaborate funerals almost to the level of heads of state.

Madame Curie's crypt where people have left flowers and commemorative notes.  She was the first woman professor at the University of Paris and the first woman interred at the Pantheon on her own merits.

There was a very moving display for those who lost their lives in WWI.  More than 1.35 million French died in the war.  The organizer of the exhibit set out on a five year campaign to document the WWI war memorials in the towns and villages throughout France.  He captured over 15,000 and said that was but a third of those in the country.  His purpose in doing this...

"Its purpose is to illustrate the scale of devastation by putting together the greatest number of monuments ever attempted and to restore a sense of gravity to these monuments that might simply pass today as urban landmarks... to remember the horrors of war, lest we forget."

This is but one example of the monuments that he captured on film.  In this one it lists the names of those from this village that died in the war.  From just this panel of names alone shows the devastation to the families.  The names of Michel Coste, Jean Coste, Omer Coste, Sebastien Coste, Jacques Coste and Joseph Coste are listed.  The majority of men from one family wiped out.  It was a very moving display.  One that made you stop and think...  There are so many monuments in this city let alone in other cities and in our cities that have as he said, "...simply pass today as urban landmarks."  Yet they were erected to remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, remember events that should they be forgotten doom us to repeat...  It was a good moment to stop and think.

After those somber moments I needed something a bit brighter and airy.  The Pantheon is just up the street from the Jardin du Luxembourg.  What a beautiful green oasis in the middle of the city.  It is the playground for Paris West Bank.

The gardens/park is anchored in the center by a pond and fountain that children were playing with small sailboats.  The sun was bright with puffy white clouds dabbled about as if on one of the masters canvasses.

The gardens had open lawn areas where people were picnicking and sunbathing.

The grand Luxembourg Palace with its beautiful flower gardens.

And everywhere there were statutes as this commemorating women of Paris.

What a gorgeous day it was...

One last humorous occurrence...  I went into a little sandwich shop for lunch.  When the girl understood I only spoke English she did her best to communicate.  After I had ordered she asked me...  do I want to stay still or go away?  I was quite puzzled and she was at the end of her English ability until I finally figured out that she was asking me if it was to go or eat in.  What a cute way to ask if it's take out (or takeaway to my other than US friends).  😊