14 July, 2007 (Saturday) Paris, France
The language barrier
It´s not merely an issue of language, but also one of pronunciation. Between by own pig ignorance and accent (yes, I admit it - I suffer from an accent) I feel like I have a mouth full of marbles whenever I attempt a poor excuse for pidgeon-FrenchÑ
"Parlais voius Anglais, sie vous plais?"
"Pardon!?!?"
"Umm... just another ignorant Westerner expecting that you´ll be able to speak English. Will it help if I just point at things and grunt?"
"Sui."
"Ok. Thank god!" Raise hands in religious salutation.
So right now all I can do is laugh at the inanity of each encounter and try to work on my pronunciation from what I hear back.
... It´s quiet on the metro.
Bastille Day
The 14th of July is France´s national day ' Bastille Day. To celebrate the occasion street parades march down the Champs d Elysees, military aircraft fly overhead and uniformed men with machine guns wander around looking vigilant.
Josh and I arrived in Notre Dame before 10. The streets of the Latin Quarter were quiet, although the Church grounds were already swarming with tourists. Charlemagne rode to the South and visitors eddied by.
Its huge Gothic edifice open, Catedral de Notre-Dame is another monument to the passion, artistry and vision of another age. Still an active place of worship, exquisite carvings look down, watching all those who enter.
Inside it is dark, the hordes of tourists providing a steady murmur of voices. Notre Dame does not charge entry and the results seems to be an excess of tourists, digital cameras flashing steadily. Much of the magnificence of the church is therefore subsumed by this flow. Indeed, walking through there is a feeling of desecration as the church becomes just another tick box on the tourist checklist.
And in some ways, that was the problem with Notre Dame. The cathedral, a place of such majesty and history, is reduced to just another cheap attraction for the masses. The presence of a gift shop and vending machines impinge on the sanctity of the site. In some ways I think I´d prefer it if they did charge for entry - perhaps then visitors would show more respect.
By contrast, yesterday we walked into the Greek-columned Magdalene. Even with people sitting on the steps lunching the grounds were lovely. An appropriate level of hush accompanied entry, and this complemented the architecture and display within.
It´s not merely an issue of language, but also one of pronunciation. Between by own pig ignorance and accent (yes, I admit it - I suffer from an accent) I feel like I have a mouth full of marbles whenever I attempt a poor excuse for pidgeon-FrenchÑ
"Parlais voius Anglais, sie vous plais?"
"Pardon!?!?"
"Umm... just another ignorant Westerner expecting that you´ll be able to speak English. Will it help if I just point at things and grunt?"
"Sui."
"Ok. Thank god!" Raise hands in religious salutation.
So right now all I can do is laugh at the inanity of each encounter and try to work on my pronunciation from what I hear back.
... It´s quiet on the metro.
Bastille Day
The 14th of July is France´s national day ' Bastille Day. To celebrate the occasion street parades march down the Champs d Elysees, military aircraft fly overhead and uniformed men with machine guns wander around looking vigilant.
Josh and I arrived in Notre Dame before 10. The streets of the Latin Quarter were quiet, although the Church grounds were already swarming with tourists. Charlemagne rode to the South and visitors eddied by.
Its huge Gothic edifice open, Catedral de Notre-Dame is another monument to the passion, artistry and vision of another age. Still an active place of worship, exquisite carvings look down, watching all those who enter.
Inside it is dark, the hordes of tourists providing a steady murmur of voices. Notre Dame does not charge entry and the results seems to be an excess of tourists, digital cameras flashing steadily. Much of the magnificence of the church is therefore subsumed by this flow. Indeed, walking through there is a feeling of desecration as the church becomes just another tick box on the tourist checklist.
And in some ways, that was the problem with Notre Dame. The cathedral, a place of such majesty and history, is reduced to just another cheap attraction for the masses. The presence of a gift shop and vending machines impinge on the sanctity of the site. In some ways I think I´d prefer it if they did charge for entry - perhaps then visitors would show more respect.
By contrast, yesterday we walked into the Greek-columned Magdalene. Even with people sitting on the steps lunching the grounds were lovely. An appropriate level of hush accompanied entry, and this complemented the architecture and display within.
posted by the wastrel @ 1:39 AM
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