Gay Paree

So apparently ‘paree’ is actually a word, according to MS Word, because I didn’t get the red squiggly when I typed it out. Bet there’s a story behind that.

Anyways.

Paris! Another really important city! Big place, lots of people. But first, Colmar in the Alsace region, home of the Isenheim Altar. We visited an old monastery that had been converted into a museum for medieval artwork. The centerpiece, the Isenheim Altar, is – you guessed it – a famous altarpiece from the early 1500’s. It’s a massive piece, and features some really impressive artwork. In particular, the crucifixion depicts Jesus as covered in sores, demonstrating His understanding of the suffering of His worshippers, who were in the middle of yet another bout of the Plague. I also really liked the Resurrection scene. It’s much more colorful than you’d really expect, with a lot of really bright whites and reds. It’s a lot more supernatural-looking than most paintings, which just sort of show Jesus casually walking out of the tomb like it ain’t no thang, while this one has him floating several feet off the ground and throwing out this huge aura of light. I like it.

Then, on to Paris! … Right after Beaune, in Burgundy. There, we got to sample some fine Burgundian wine (spoilers: I still don’t like alcohol) and visit the Hostel Dieu, a famous hospital of the region. It was very interesting to learn about the history of the place, and how hospitals used to be run.

Then, finally, we were on our way to Paris. We went up the Eiffel Tower and looked across most of the city. We visited the Palace of Versailles and had a picnic in the Royal Gardens. We visited the Louvre, and saw all sorts of famous pictures, including, yes, the Mona Lisa. My biggest regret is much the same as it was in London in Rome – I just wish I’d had more time to really look at everything, you know? I could’ve spent a week just in the Louvre trying to see and read everything. I think that’s why I enjoyed the quieter moments more, like the picnic, or eating at the creperie. I didn’t feel like I was wasting my time, that I had to go and cram as much as possible in, because otherwise I was never going to see any of it. I liked just relaxing and hanging out in France because even that was just fantastic.

I also really enjoyed visiting the Louis Pasteur museum. It was really interesting learning about how and why he developed things like pasteurization and the rabies vaccine. I also like hearing about some of the other stuff he worked on. For example, did you know that he studied molecular asymmetry? It’s some really cool stuff.

A very interesting trip, if one that felt a bit frustrating at times. Another item for the list of ‘places I need to come back to and spend a whole lot more time at.’

Dapper Dueling – Max ‘Imbrog’ Wright