Homer’s Paris (Alexandros/Alexander) is pinched by contradiction. The Illiad presents him as deeply flawed, hung somewhere between magnificence and a train-wreck. The man blamed for launching a thousand ships by kidnapping Helen is, at his core, feckless. His brother Hector even curses him for it:
“They thought you the bravest champion we could field.
and just because of the handsome luster on your limbs.
but you have no pith, no fighting strength inside you” (The Illiad 3.40-45).
Paris is smitten by the terrible beauty of Helen. Image from here: https://www.historytoday.com/miscellanies/helen-whore-and-curse-beauty (accessed 9/27/2022).
The Big Bus
I pondered the differences between appearance and reality as I rode the Big Bus. It was a dim morning in the City of Lights. Mist hung in the air. For a moment it turned to rain and wet my skin. From our perch on the top deck of the Big Bus there was just enough windshield to keep us dry if the bus kept rolling. Vicki was well wrapped. Her hood was on her head; her umbrella was in her hand. It was her first time in Paris and we hoped that the Big Bus would give us a fair introduction. We dialed the headsets to 2: English. The narrative was witty and informative and timed to the pace of the bus.
I was weathered on the occasion of my last visit. I was alone, had just finished a Spanish Camino, and was brittle brown from the Spanish sun. Now we were together, soggy and jetlagged, but together and determined.
A Gothic Monument in Shadows
The Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris was not as I remembered. Three years after the devastating fire that collapsed its oak trusses and nave, the cathedral remains engulfed in a spiderweb of scaffolding. Tourists stood outside the barricades, shooting selfies in the rain while the work of restoration continued behind them.
The Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris was not as I remembered.
The Clock for an Obelisk
As we crossed the bottom of the Champs-Élysées, we reached the Place de la Concorde. From our perch, we had a full view of the Luxor Obelisk. Legend has it King Louis Philippe secured this ancient piece of granite from the Pasha in exchange for a French clock. I suppose the Pasha had obelisks to spare but simply didn’t have the time.
Of course, the square marks other notable losses—like Marie Antoinette’s head. I tried not to dwell on that, focusing instead on the glory of Ramses II (saving the rest of the Egyptian treasures for our upcoming Louvre day).
The Luxor Obilisk stands at the lower end of the Champs-Élysées.
Surprises at the Axe Historique
The civic crews were hard at work at the Concorde, erecting a massive platform that obscured the famous axe historique—the grand line of sight stretching across Paris. With Emmanuel Macron in a bit of trouble lately, I joked about scheduled public executions, but we hopped off at the top of the Champs to hunt for something more palatable: French crêpes.
We squeezed into a sidewalk café for two. Vicki went for chocolate, I chose jam, and we both chased them with caffè americanos. At 30 Euros, it wasn't the most nutritious breakfast, but we savored every bite. After all, one doesn't dine on the Champs-Élysées every day.
View down the upper end of the Champs-Élysées.
The Tower and the Glass
No Big Bus experience is complete without the Eiffel Tower. We hopped off at the Trocadéro just as the rain drifted away and the sun broke through. We elbowed our way to the wall for the obligatory shot, unable to see the three-meter-high bulletproof glass that now protects the tower from modern threats. It’s a necessary shield against the world, though I suspect stepping on one of those little metal souvenir towers in the dark would be worse than a Lego landmine.
Paris remains a city of surprises and deep contradictions. But for these two damp tourists, it was a very good time.
The obligatory shot.
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