I went rogue soon after the group's arrival in Paris.
My first stop: Palais de Justice. A former royal palace, it's now a functioning judicial court. Also on the premises are the church Sainte-Chapelle and the prison La Conciergerie, both of which are open to the public and part of the Paris Museum Pass roster.
One look at the line in front of Sainte-Chapelle had me walking away, hoping that I'd fare better at the Conciergerie on the other side of the courtyard.
The place was empty save a couple of school groups, which was surprising since I found it to be pretty interesting and very worthy of a visit. The Conciergerie was used as a prison during the Revolution; Marie Antoinette herself was imprisoned there.
On this trip, I was determined to use as much French as I could remember (which was not much) from those years of elementary and high school classes. The ticket agent was polite enough to tolerate my horrendous French. We even managed to have a short conversation about Canada. Thanks for the confidence booster, mademoiselle!
The vast and echoey Hall of Mens-at-Arm.
Dining hall for the guards and palace staff. Walking under the vaulted ceiling was quite the experience.
Left: One of the four giant fireplace used to heat the great hall.
Right: These staircases used to lead to the upper level, now gone.
The Register's Office where prisoners' names were entered into the prison ledger.
Depending on the prisoner's situation, there are three types of cells. Those who cannot afford to pay were crammed together into cells lined with some hay and a disposal bucket. Often, those cells were so crowded that there were no room to lie down. Those who can afford it received a bed in a shared room.
And the VIPs had their own rooms complete with a lamp and a writing desk. Nice to know that even during the French Revolution, the pyramidal hierarchy still existed in the prisons.
Various locks and keys.
A little chapel dedicated to Marie Antoinette, built long after the revolution.
The Women's Courtyard
Marie Antoinette perhaps ate at this very table during her imprisonment.
The tragic queen's cell had been recreated onsite. The room, while far more spacious than the other cells, offered no privacy and was a far departure from her luxurious apartments at Versailles. Her every move was monitored by guards behind a screen.
After the Conciergerie, I decided to head to the Basilica of St. Denis, the resting place of French kings. It seemed fitting. Plus, it was a Tuesday so my options were limited.
I think you should rename this blog (or have a section/tag called) "Emy Goes Rogue".
ReplyDeleteGood for you for trying to use your French (which I'm sure is not as bad as you think it is!). Maybe it's time to start looking into some bilingual jobs here? Heh heh....
Wow, there is lighting and then there is UPlighting! Do you know if the walls of the Hall of Men-at-Arms were ever painted?
It's strange reading about peole who could and could not afford to ... go to jail(?!). You're being taken to jail and to add insult to injury to have to pay them if you want to be able to lie down?
Why are your options limited on a Tuesday?
Since many of the museums still operate on the weekends, they typically close on a weekday and just so happened the ones I wanted to see within a reasonable distance from the restaurant (L'Orangerie, Musee du Moyen-Age, Cite de l'Architecture) all had Tuesday closures.
DeleteDon't think the Hall of Men-at-Arms were ever painted. Restored maybe, but other than that, it looked like regular limestone(?)/chiseled rock surface. Why do you ask?
I know a lot (probably all) of the old buildings and statues were painted. (Have you ever seen the Notre Dame with the original colours? Yikes.) So I just wondered if the Hall was as well :).
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