Paris!

After the day of travel I just slept in this morning and it was almost 9 when I woke up. I headed down toward the center of Paris and Notre Dame, stopping by a medieval church that used to be a stop for early Pilgrims on the way to Santiago - St Eustache. I was wondering why they had lots of lights on and lighting candles, as there was no Mass scheduled. Then the great organ began playing Pacabel's Canon, (what a treat!) and then they brought in a casket and began a funeral Mass. I didn't stay.
St.Eustache: very tall archade, small triforium, wide double aisles, decorated chapels. This seems like a huge Gothic church, but just a small parish church.
I headed toward Saint Chapelle, stopping by the tower of St. James, another monument marking the ancient Way of St James. Then the tourists began in earnest!  There was a long line to get into Saint Chapelle, for which one paid 12 dollars to then go through security, and into the lower Chapel - which was mainly a souvenir stand. Finally to the upper Chapel and it's  magnificent medieval stained glass windows. They really are something to see! Or maybe it's more the placement - the vast expanse of so much stained glass, in such tall windows. Built by our St. Louis.
I then headed a couple of blocks over to Notre Dame de Paris. It is certainly a fine example of Gothic architecture. It stands so proud and imposing, making quite an impression when one enters the square. The entry line stretched all around the plaza, but moved quickly. Just as I got inside, Mass was starting, so I say down and joined in as I could. What a blessing to be able to receive Communion. It was certainly interesting being at Mass, with all the tourists there also. It seemed to work as designed!? With the Mass participants in the nave, and the 'visitors' walking the aisles. Notre Dame has a lot of everything that makes Gothic so wonderful - beautiful stained glass windows (the north and south rose windows are both outstanding), sculpture (the west portals are the first things one sees), and a grand and stately  architecture. It really draws one to lift their spirit up to the heights of God! I did pay the 6$ to see the treasury, some nice monstrances, chalices and the like, plus it was housed in what was the original chapter house. I was willing to pay the 9$ entry fee to climb the towers except that the line was too long and slow. Oh well, maybe next time.
After the crowds there I went looking for a quieter place. There are lots of smaller but great churches all around Paris. Not too far south of Notre Dame, was St Sulpice - another great church but with lots of Boroque elements. But it was peaceful.
On the way back to my hotel I happened to find a church named St Merry (or Meri), just another fine church under renovations.
A great day. I wonder how many miles I actually walked?

My first Gothic Cathedral

I thought St. Denis was great, so I'm going to try and put some impressions down before they get lost or mingled with others I'll be seeing. The abbot of St Denis abbey wanted to bring in some 'modern' design to his new Abbey church; he wanted light which would express the light of God's creation. He also wanted it to soar to the heavens lifting man's spirit.
To do this he needed to make the walls taller and with great expanses of stationed glass. Previously, Romanesque  architecture needed massive walls to hold up the weight of the vaulted ceilings, but with the new style, walls would be supported by flying buttresses, allowing the walls to open up into window space. He succeeded wonderfully. Three main innovations made this work: the flying buttress, the pointed arch, and the vaulted ceiling. We see all three at St Denis.

Some impressions: the clorestory windows (the very highest level) go completely around the basilica, except for the west end where there's a great organ. He also has the triforium (the middle) level full of stained glass! The nave aisles seem very wide, but then this is my first. The apse has double aisles. The inner columns of the pillars go from floor to ceiling, lifting ones eyes to God .
And of course, this basilica is famous as a Royal Necropolis - a burial place for Kings and their families. There are a lot of tombs there, and fancy carved monuments. Quite interesting.

At St. Denis

Outside St. Denis. Obviously there is restoration going on. Too bad.

I'm off

Really!

My pack weighed 18.5 lbs when I checked it at the airport! 

On the way

6:30pm, Well, I'm on the plane to Paris! While I had been thinking of the Camino, and that it would be nice to do someday, I think it was Fr. Paul who actually said let's do it for our 60th year on earth. Well if I was going to do it, I wanted to do it, and so I asked for sabbatical time from my Bishop, and was given this opportunity. Unfortunately, Fr Paul was not able to get as much time, so I decided to stay without him, and we would meet on the trail and finish together. Now I am on the way. That was almost a year and a half ago, and I was so excited I was ready to go back then. But I realized that it was more than a year awayy, so I had better put it on the back burner for awhile. Sometimes it seemed as if today would never get here, but here it is. Thanks to everyone for your support, I know it means I'll be away for awhile, and life will go on for all of you, especially for Morrison and Chamois, but you will all be in my heart and prayers. I trust that God will take care of all of you as he will me. Next stop Paris!
12:30 am (my time; 7:30 am Paris time) the night has past and the sun is up on this first day of my adventure. Ah, jetlag! And of course as I went to pray the Office of Readings, in the first line,  St Peter greets us Pilgrims (1 Peter 2; 11). An uneventful flight, we should be landing within the hour.
10:30 am, on the train to Paris, landed safely an hour ago, got through passport control, got my backpack, found the station, bought a ticket and here I am. Alleluia

2:30pm I'm sitting at an outside Cafe on the Plaza outside of the basilica of St Dennis having a Kabab. It's really happening! 

My last training walk

I walked with MapMyWalk+! Distance: 7.68mi, time: 02:15:36, pace: 17:40min/mi, speed: 3.40mi/h.
After a funeral service this Holy Saturday morning, I figured I didn't have anything else to do, the evening liturgy was all planned and I had already packed and repacked my backpack several times, so that I could get in a walk out to mom and dad's place and back for a little training. This is more than likely my last training walk before I hit the Camino. It felt pretty good, or I made it fine with a full backpack, unfortunately, some days will probably require doing that much in the morning, and repeating it in the afternoon, and then repeating it again the next day. But I am happy that I can do that much, I hope to start off easy on the Camino, and work up to those longer days. And the first part of my adventure will be by train.
A Most blessed Easter to everyone.
Christ is risen indeed!

Preparations

When I bought my plane tickets several months ago, I knew that my passport would expire at the end of the summer after my trip. I made sure to check if that would be a problem or not, and was assured that as long as the passport was good, and not expired before the end of the trip, it was fine. But that is not true. France for one demands that your passport be good for at least 6 months beyond your trip date. I realized this at the beginning of March, almost exactly 6 weeks before my departure. I knew I had to get a new passport. Onto the website, download an application, take a photo of myself, print it out (darn, my printer's out of ink, run to Hermann to have it printed) send it all off to the passport center. They promise to have your new passport in 4 to 6 weeks. I was leaving in exactly five weeks six days. Of course for an extra $60 they can process your application in three weeks. Should I not risk it and just pay the extra $60 or trust that they would have it back to me in time. Two people told me they do have it back as promised, so I decided to just send the fee for normal processing and trust The Lord to take care of me. I did send the extra $14.50 for overnight return delivery.
Well, imagine my surprise when I had a new passport in my hands in just ten days! ! Wow no worrying about whether it'll arrive or not, I'm set to go! Of course I was delighted, but even more it was a sign to me that God was watching out for me, and thus a sign that He would continue to do so. I need not fear. I could enjoy my trip and God would be with me. So I am leaving with that attitude, ready for the adventure ahead of me. Pray that I remain faithful.