|
Post by bixaorellana on Jun 1, 2020 16:06:27 GMT
I remember scoffing about it before, but now suppose it is nice to have a good bit of the parvis opened in front of the cathedral. It was always a tourist hang-out spot, so I suppose it will again serve that purpose once more traveling is allowed and the crowds begin to return. In all those pictures of the parvis, it sure looks as though many of the people in the photos are tourists. True? Also, I was struck of how distancing was thrown out the window in those pictures of the gathering in front of the coffee shop. They're in real contrast to the people at the river's edge (3rd picture, #115), who seem to have used measuring tape to ensure safe distance between the small groups. The low income housing looks exactly like the lockers in schools or gyms. You take great pictures, Kerouac!
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Jun 1, 2020 16:24:05 GMT
I would say that at least 90% of the people are Parisians. Nobody from more than 100 kilometres away is allowed to travel to Paris until tomorrow.
Yes, the crowd was very dense around the mayor and also around the minister of Culture. There is just no way to avoid that when media figures appear.
The "low income housing" is what you find everywhere at major construction sites that last at least 6 months these days. These prefab pods are really a brilliant idea for having your workers available at all times, not to mention eliminating travel time and expenses for the workers. I imagine that the workers with families still prefer to live at home, though.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jun 1, 2020 17:18:53 GMT
Oh ~ that's interesting! I thought it was permanent.
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Jun 11, 2020 13:50:45 GMT
I was hoping to see the crane pull out a chunk of the melted scaffolding since they started doing that this week, but it is such delicate work that they probably only pull out a few pieces every day to prevent the whole thing from collapsing. Can you imagine the responsibility of the foreman on a site like this? I hope the person is paid well.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jun 11, 2020 15:47:37 GMT
Don't you know anyone who could get you up there on that platform in the second picture? The workman in that picture is wearing shorts. Has it gotten warm in Paris?
|
|
|
Post by lagatta on Jun 11, 2020 20:44:11 GMT
A relief. I've seen little recent social housing in Paris or nearby suburbs without balconies, unless it was a renovation/conversion of an older building with heritage features. If it is for the workers, it is like our jobsite housing (often in remote areas, working on hydroelectric projects) who basically sleep and shower in such dwellings. In earlier times, there were much rougher logging camps.
Here, shifts are long (but very well-paid) at such jobsites, and when they are in the "middle north" (which is very far north) the workers have time off to visit their immediate and extended families and friends back home.
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Jul 18, 2020 11:00:55 GMT
So, now it's the cathedral of Nantes. Arson.
|
|
|
Post by casimira on Jul 18, 2020 12:24:56 GMT
I just read about that early this a.m. Awful. I hope it didn't do extensive damage but, that video indicates otherwise. I'm not familiar with this particular cathedral. Had you featured it elsewhere on here (not in flames)?
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Jul 18, 2020 12:40:03 GMT
No, I might have mentioned it in my report about Nantes, but it was not a highlight of my trip. There was already a big fire in 1972 which destroyed the roof. So now the roof beams are concrete and suffered no damage -- otherwise the who place could have disappeared.
|
|
|
Post by lagatta on Jul 18, 2020 13:20:11 GMT
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Jul 18, 2020 17:05:36 GMT
It is extremely sad when precious irreplaceable buildings endure a fire and destruction of beautiful ancient things. Very sad indeed.
|
|
|
Post by lugg on Jul 18, 2020 19:29:45 GMT
I read about it earlier such a travesty.
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Jul 18, 2020 20:28:04 GMT
These buildings have seen it all over the years. The cathedral was bombed by the Americans in WW2, the roof was destroyed by a fire in 1972 and now this. Notre Dame de Paris was an anomaly for having survived without any such incident for 900 years. Apart from being vandalised a bit during the revolution, it didn't even suffer the disgrace of being turned into a barn or a warehouse like many other cathedrals. Instead, it because the "Temple of Reason," whatever that means. And then yes, for a few years it was a wine storage depot, but what could be more French?
|
|
|
Post by lagatta on Jul 19, 2020 1:21:01 GMT
After all, the Scriptures talk about Jesus having his apostles consuming wine and bread (staples of the Med diet). Why not?
A punk friend in Lyon with utterly no trace of Nazi sympathies, on the contrary, did say that the US airforce (as opposed to the RAF and company) were "very sloppy bombers". Why did they bomb that church?
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Jul 19, 2020 3:28:11 GMT
They were sloppy bombers.
|
|
|
Post by lagatta on Jul 19, 2020 4:08:19 GMT
That is a shame (and I'm not remotely religious, but think historical structures are precious). I thought perhaps Nazis and collaborators were using the church to store munitions or some such thing.
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Jul 19, 2020 14:32:01 GMT
That is a shame (and I'm not remotely religious, but think historical structures are precious). I'm with you on every point Lagatta. I often wonder why I am not religious but love these old religeous structures?
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Jul 19, 2020 15:25:20 GMT
Well, so far an altar boy (man) from Rwanda has been detained by the authorities, and he is very religious.
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Sept 17, 2020 18:45:07 GMT
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Sept 17, 2020 20:18:23 GMT
Okay, sure it looks a little bit like a high-rise parking garage, but that middle section of scaffolding is rather pretty.
Can you imagine the number of structural engineers, architects, etc. involved in this renovation?
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Sept 17, 2020 20:52:04 GMT
Just counting the flights of stairs on the scaffolding makes one understand how much taller some of these structures were than we thought.
|
|
|
Post by mossie on Sept 18, 2020 6:50:21 GMT
The scaffolding contractor must be a millionaire by now.
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Sept 18, 2020 11:44:50 GMT
I know its years away but my thoughts are already wanting to be in Paris when the first bell rings out the opening of a new Notre Dame Cathedral.
|
|
|
Post by lagatta on Sept 18, 2020 16:00:21 GMT
Well, the project has also boosted the economy and hired many highly-skilled specialised workers.
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Sept 18, 2020 16:04:33 GMT
It might have channeled them to Paris, but there are so many cultural renovation projects everywhere in France at all times that one can wonder which projects might be neglected right now due to culturual priorities. (But I agree that Notre Dame is an absolute top priority for both the city and the country.)
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Nov 24, 2020 18:31:55 GMT
The removal of the old saffolding on Notre Dame was completed today -- 40,000 tubes weighing 200 tonnes.
Of course, I am unable to go and see this for myself yet.
|
|
|
Post by patricklondon on Nov 24, 2020 18:48:01 GMT
That's fantastic news. The BBC showed the TF1 documentary about what happened the night of the fire, and it was jaw-dropping to hear just how close they were to losing the bell tower, but for the courage of the firefighters (and they went straight back to the station to clean and polish for the scheduled inspection the next morning!). And they followed that with a re-run of the documentary about all the repair and restoration work, including finding just the right stone and timber - and how to deal with that scaffolding was a major headache. My blog | My photos | My video clips | My Librivox recordings"too literate to be spam"
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Jan 3, 2021 13:27:52 GMT
Here is Notre Dame relieved of its melted scaffolding.
|
|
|
Post by htmb on Jan 3, 2021 16:10:04 GMT
I really like the view of your second photograph because you took it from a spot that used to be THE place to capture a great side view of the “before fire” cathedral. Now it shows the destruction and beginnings of repair. It would be interesting to see more photos taken from that spot over the next few months/years as the cathedral is put back together.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jan 3, 2021 17:18:43 GMT
The sequential photos are interesting as always. It's heartening to see this as we move from a really hellish year into a new one that tentatively promises some hope. Every time I open this thread I remember the horrified disbelief of the whole world when Notre Dame burned. But also, every time I open this thread I'm amazed at what has been saved and even made better.
|
|