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Semana Santa in Paris & Barcelona!
My spring break adventure to Paris & Barcelona, and celebrating the end of Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Granada.
From Notre Dame Cathedral.
The University of Puget Sound’s three musketeers of traveling (myself, Alex, also of the Granada program, and Kirsten, abroad in Edinburgh), reunited in Paris, France for 5 days of seeing the city. I admit to being more impressed with the city than I expected. It’s one thing to see photos of the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame from postcards or a textbook, and quite another to be standing in front of the structures appreciating the intricacy of their designs and the grandeur of their sizes. I also noted how different Paris is from Rome, London, Madrid, and many other large cities I have visited. People often ask what city in Europe has been my favorite, and I find it difficult to choose just one. Rome, for example, is prime for older historic sites, whereas Paris is a city with structures and artwork of a more recent era. In short, I believe that declaring a favorite city requires the preference of a specific period of time in which the city of choice was at its best.
Here are some Parisian sites that stand out in my mind:
The Catacombs (les carriéres) of Paris: a network of subterranean tunnels and rooms, which, in its entirety, spans more than 300km (186 miles) in length. These abandoned quarries are full of the skeletal remains of people from different eras of French history. Being down there was quite creepy…not recommended for the claustrophobic.
The Palace (Château) of Versailles: an absolutely stunning palace and obvious symbol of Louis XIV’s system of absolute monarchy. Almost as impressive were the extensive grounds of Versailles, containing one of the largest formal gardens ever created, several other palaces, and the Hamlet (le Hameau) of Marie Antoinette.
Basilica of the Sacré Cœur (Sacred Heart): my new favorite basilica after St. Peter’s in Rome; the Sacré Cœur is located at the summit of the Montmartre, the highest point of Paris.
The Louvre: absolutely stunning collection of artwork, including Winged Victory, the Vénus de Milo, the Mona Lisa, and tons of other noteable works of art, including the lesser known but equally splendid apartments of Napoleon Bonaparte (the Louvre was once the royal palace of France before Versailles was constructed). It is also amusing to note that the audio version of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code was available to rent as a type of audio guide.
The Orsay Museum (Musée d’Orsay): located in a former railway station, this museum hosts many sculptures and furniture pieces, but is best known for its impressionist masterpieces by Monet, Renoir, and Van Gogh. For this reason, I found this museum almost as interesting as the Louvre.
The Kiss by Auguste Rodin.
Musée Rodin: a museum with the artwork of Auguste Rodin featured partially inside of the Hôtel Biron, and partially in an outdoor garden. Famous works include the Gates of Hell, The Thinker, and the Burghers of Caliph. Also one of my favorite museums.
The second half of Semana Santa was spent in Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia and second largest city in Spain. The region of Catalonia is not the land of bullfighting and flamenco, and in fact has its own culture, history and language. Catalan, a mix of French and Spanish, is the language of Catalonia and is more commonly spoken than Spanish in this part of Spain. Example:
ENGLISH: Please.
SPANISH: Por favor.
FRENCH: S'il vous plaît.
CATALAN: Si us plau.
Some noteworthy sights in Barcelona include:
The dragon by Antoni Gaudí.
Park Güell: a garden complex with architectural elements designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, whose mosaic works decorate benches, walls, and every surface imaginable.
The Holy Family (La Sagrada Família) : a large Roman Catholic basilica designed by Antoni Gaudí; the building is still unfinished, but is expected to be completed in the next 20 years.
La Boquería: a large outdoor public market full of fresh fruits, vegetables, and seafood. Like a HUGER and livelier version of Pike Place Market in Seattle.
The last part of break was spent here in Granada, Spain, to experience the cultural events related to Semana Santa (Holy Week), the last week of Lent. Spain, especially in Sevilla and Granada, is renowned for its Holy Week traditions, which feature processions of penitents (nazarenos) dressed in robes similar to those of the American Ku Klux Klan (the purpose is to demonstrate penance while masking their identities), while carrying processional candles or religious icons. It was quite an elaborate event and interesting way to wrap up spring break and celebrate Easter.
Nazarenos, not the KKK.
Nazarenos carrying an icon of the Virgin Mary with Jesus on a Saturday processional.
I suppose that is enough to summarize the events of spring break. In the weeks to come, I will comment more on the details of that week. Until then, cheers!
The Eiffel Tower (La Tour Eiffel) sparkles for 10 minutes every night every half hour. It’s a sight not to be missed!
