The boat trip en Seine

The Seine (pronounced /sɛn/ in French) is a major river of north-western France, and one of its commercial waterways. It is also a tourist attraction, particularly within the city of Paris.

The name "Seine" comes from the Latin Sequana, which itself comes from Gaulish (Celtic) Sicauna. The name Sicauna is made up of Celtic sakw, which means "sacred" and comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *sak- (which also gave Latin sacer and sanctus, which in turn gave English sacred and saint), and from a Celtic (or more probably Pre-Indo-European) suffix -onna which means "source, river", and which can be found in the name of many rivers of western Europe (such as the Garonne or the Dordogne). The name "Sakw -onna" ("sacred source", "sacred river"), is also the name of several other western European rivers, such as the Saône River, and possibly also the River Shannon.

Another proposed etymology posits that Sequana is the Latin version of Gaulish Isicauna. Is-Icauna would be the diminutive of Icauna, which was the Gaulish name of the Yonne River. The ancient Gauls considered the Seine to be a tributary of the Yonne, which indeed presents a greater average discharge than the Seine (the river flowing through Paris should be called Yonne if the standard rules of geography were applied). Icauna comes from the Pre-Indo-European roots inka -onna. Further research will be needed to decide between both etymologies.
The Seine starts near Dijon in northern France, flows through Paris and into the English Channel.Further downstream in what is now Normandy, the Seine was known as Rodo, or Roto, which is a traditional Celtic name for rivers, and is also the original name of the Rhône River (see Rhône article for further explanations). This is proved by the name of Rouen, which was Rotomagos in Gaulish, meaning "field, plain (magos in Gaulish, whose meaning evolved into "market") of the Roto".

Notre Dame de Paris

THE ORGAN
Though several organs were installed in the cathedral over time, the earliest ones were inadequate to the building. The first noteworthy organ was finished in the early 1700s by the noted builder Cliquot. Some of Clicquot's original pipework in the pedal division continues to sound from the organ today, almost 270 years after being installed. The organ was almost completely rebuilt and expanded in the nineteenth century by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. The position of titular organist at Notre-Dame is considered as one of the most prestigious organist posts in France, along with the titulaire post of Saint Sulpice in Paris, Cavaillé-Coll's largest instrument. The organ has 7800 pipes with 900 classified as historical. The organ has 109 stops, five 56-key manuals and a 32-key pedalboard. In December of 1992 work was completed on the organ that fully computerized the organ under 3 LANs (Local Area Networks). Among the best-known organists at Notre Dame was Louis Vierne, who held this position from 1900 to 1937. Under his tenure, the Cavaillé-Coll organ was modified in its tonal character, notably in 1902 and 1932. Pierre Cochereau initiated further alterations (many of which were already planned by Louis Vierne), including the electrification of the action between 1959 and 1963 (the original Cavaillé-Coll console, which can still be seen at the organ loft as a tribute to Louis Vierne, was replaced by a new console in Anglo-American style) and the addition of further stops between 1965 and 1972, notably in the pedal division, the recomposition of the mixture stops, and finally the adding of three horizontal reed stops "en chamade". After Cochereau's sudden death in 1984, four new titular organists were appointed at Notre Dame in 1985: Jean-Pierre Leguay, Olivier Latry, Yves Devernay (who died in 1990), and Philippe Lefévre. This was reminiscent of the eighteenth century practice of the cathedral having four titular organists, each one playing for three months of the year. Beginning in 1989, another restoration to the instrument was undertaken, which was completed in 1992.

Notre Dame de Paris

CONSTRACTIONS:
In 1160, having become the "parish church of the kings of Europe", Bishop Maurice de Sully deemed the current Parisian cathedral unworthy of its lofty role, and had it demolished shortly after he assumed the title of Bishop of Paris. According to legend, de Sully had a vision of a glorious new cathedral for Paris, and sketched it in the dirt outside of the original church. To begin the construction, the bishop had several houses demolished and had a new road built in order to transport materials for the new church.

Construction began in 1163, during the reign of Louis VII, and opinion differs as to whether Bishop Maurice de Sully or Pope Alexander III laid the foundation stone of the cathedral. However, both were at the ceremony in question. Bishop de Sully went on to devote most of his life and wealth to the cathedral's construction.

Construction of the west front, with its distinctive two towers, began circa 1200, before the nave had been completed. Over the construction period, numerous architects worked on the site, as is evidenced by the differing styles at different heights of the west front and towers. Between 1210 and 1220, the fourth architect oversaw the construction of the level with the rose window and the great halls beneath the towers. The towers were completed around 1245, and the cathedral was completed around 1345.


[edit] Timeline of construction
1160 Maurice de Sully (named Bishop of Paris), orders the original cathedral to be demolished.
1163 Cornerstone laid for Notre Dame de Paris - construction begins
1182 Apse and choir completed.
1196 Nave completed. Bishop de Sully dies.
1200 Work begins on western façade.
1225 Western façade completed.
1250 Western towers and north rose window completed
1250 – 1345 Remaining elements completed
During the Paris Commune in 1871, the cathedral was nearly burned by the Communards - some accounts suggest that indeed a huge mound of chairs was set on fire in its interior. Whatever happened, the Notre Dame survived the Commune essentially unscathed.
Significant events at Notre Dame\
1185 - Heraclius of Caesarea calls for the Third Crusade from the still-incomplete cathedral.
1239 - The Crown of Thorns placed in the cathedral by St. Louis during the construction of Sainte-Chapelle.
1302 - Philip the Fair opens the first States-General.
December 16, 1431 - Henry VI of England is crowned King of France.
November 7, 1455 - Isabelle Romée, the mother of Joan of Arc, petitions a papal delegation to overturn her daughter's conviction for heresy.
April 24, 1588 - Mary I of Scotland is married to the Dauphin François (later François II of France), son of Henry II of France.
August 18, 1572 - Henry of Navarre (later Henry IV of France) marries Marguerite de Valois.
December 2, 1804 - After the anointing by Pope Pius VII, Napoléon seizes the crown from the pontiff and crowns himself emperor, then Joséphine.
1900 - Louis Vierne is chosen the official Notre Dame organist after a heavy competition against the 500 most talented organ players of the era. He dies at the cathedral organ (as was his life-long wish) on June 2, 1937.
1909 - Joan of Arc is beatified.
May 16, 1920 - Joan of arc is canonized.
August 26, 1944 - The Te Deum Mass takes place in the cathedral to celebrate the liberation of Paris. (According to some accounts the Mass was interrupted by sniping from both the internal and external galleries.)
November 12, 1970 - The Requiem Mass of General Charles de Gaulle is held.
May 31, 1980 - After the Magnificat of this day, Pope John Paul II celebrates Mass on the parvis in front of the cathedral.
Generally, French Catholic religious events of national significance take place in Notre Dame.
The cathedral is renowned for its Lent sermons founded by the famous Dominican Jean-Baptiste Henri Lacordaire in the 1840s. In recent years however an increasing number have been given by leading public figures and state-employed academics.

Notre Dame de Paris

FEATURES:
The western façade of the cathedral is the single most well-known feature. It is divided into three distinct levels, a holdover from Romanesque architecture. The image to the right indicates some of the west front's most significant features. - Preceded by a Gallo-Roman temple to Jupiter, a Christian basilica, and a Romanesque church, construction of Notre Dame de Paris began in 1163 during the reign of Louis VII. Pope Alexander III laid the foundation stone. The idea to replace the Romanesque church occupying the site - the Cathedral of St. Etienne (founded by Childebert I in 528) - was that of Bishop Maurice de Sully (who died in 1196). (Some accounts claim that there were two churches existing on the site, one to the Virgin Mary, the other to Saint Stephen.) Construction was completed roughly 200 years later in about 1345. The choir was completed in 1182; the nave in 1208, and the west façade and towers circa 1225-1250 (even though the towers are considered "massive", they are still incomplete). A series of chapels were added to the nave during the period 1235-50, and during 1296-1330 to the apse (Pierre de Chelles and Jean Ravhoey). The transept crossings were built in 1250-67 by Jean de Chelles and Pierre de Montreuil (also the architect of the Sainte-Chapelle). It was essentially completed according to the original plans.
SITE HISTORY:
The Notre Dame de Paris stands on the site of Paris' first Christian church, Saint-Étiennene Basilica, which was itself built on the site of a Gallo-Roman temple to Jupiter. Notre Dame's first version was a "magnificent church" built by Childebert I, the king of the Franks in 528, and was already the cathedral of the city of Paris in the 10th century.Notre Dame de Paris is 130 m (427 ft) long.

Notre Dame de Paris, France

Notre Dame de Paris, often known simply as Notre Dame in English, is a Gothic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in Paris, France, with its main entrance to the west. It is still used as a Roman Catholic cathedral and is the seat of the Archbishop of Paris. Notre Dame de Paris is widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. It was restored and saved from destruction by Viollet-le-Duc, one of France's most famous architects. Notre Dame translates as "Our Lady" from French.
INNIVATION: Notre Dame de Paris was one of the first Gothic cathedrals, and its construction spanned the Gothic period. Its sculptures and stained glass show the heavy influence of naturalism, giving them a more secular look that was lacking from earlier Romanesque architecture.

Notre Dame de Paris was among the first buildings in the world to use the flying buttress. The building was not originally designed to include the flying buttresses around the choir and nave after the construction began and the thinner walls (popularized in the Gothic) grew ever higher, stress fractures began to occur as the walls pushed outward. The buttresses were added to prevent further deterioration. For many years, the buttresses were reviled as it was said they looked "like scaffolding" someone had forgotten to remove and gave the cathedral an "unfinished" look.

Boulevard Saint Michel, Paris

The Boulevard Saint-Michel is one of the two major streets in the Quartier Latin of Paris (the other being the Boulevard Saint-Germain). It is a tree-lined boulevard which runs south from the pont Saint-Michel on the Seine river and the Place Saint-Michel, crosses the boulevard Saint-Germain and continues alongside the Sorbonne and the Luxembourg gardens, ending at the Place Camille Jullian just before the Port-Royal train station and the avenue de l'Observatoire. It was created by Baron Haussmann to run parallel to the rue Saint-Jacques which marks the historical North-South axis of Paris.

It serves as a boundary between the 5th arrondissement and the 6th arrondissement (odd-numbered buildings on the eastern side being in the 5th arrondissement and even numbers on the western side in the 6th). It has a length of 1380 m, an average width of 30 m and derives its name from the pont Saint-Michel (or "Saint Michael" bridge). In slang, the boulevard is sometimes referred to as the Boul'Mich.

As the central axis of the Quartier Latin, it was (and still is) a hotbed of student life and activism, but tourism is also a major commercial focus of the street and designer shops have gradually evicted many small bookshops. The northern part of the boulevard is nowadays the most frequented, due to its bookstores (such as the major bookstores Gibert Joseph and the Gibert Jeune), cafés, cinema and clothes shops.

The main buildings of the boulevard are the Musée de Cluny, the lycée Saint-Louis, the École des Mines, and the cité universitaire, the university area of the Sorbonne.

...and another France!

Paris, the nexr day after elections...

Riot police in Paris fired tear gas into crowds which gathered after Nicolas Sarkozy's presidential election victory.The disturbances happened at the Place de la Bastille, a popular hub for demonstrations and strikes.Thousands of police have been deployed in the capital and its suburbs.Railway stations were also under high surveillance in case gangs of youths travel to disrupt victory festivities.The trouble followed news that Sarkozy - a right-wing Conservative - is thought to have beaten socialist Segolene Royal by six points to replace Jacques Chirac.
Sarkozy - who in his victory speech vowed to represent all of France - said: "The French people have chosen change.They have decided to break with the ideas and habits of the past. I will rehabilitate work, authority, morality, respect, merit. I will restore honour to the nation and national identity - I will bring French pride back to the French people."

In a second speech to massed crowds, he said: "France has given me everything and the time has come for me to give back everything it has given." Sarkozy, who has promised 100 days of action when he takes control, added that America could "count on our friendship" but that it must take the lead on climate change. Initial exit polls revealed the reform-minded victor won 53% of the vote. Although unofficial, the exit polls are usually accurate.

After learning that Sarkozy had won with 53 percent of the vote, some protesters clashed with police, throwing rocks and bottles. Monday morning, 5,000 people gathered at Paris' Place de Bastille and about 300 attacked police, who dispersed the crowd with water cannon and tear gas, Deutsche Welle reported.

Protests were reported in several cities and suburbs, including Argenteuil, northwest of Paris, where rioters set fire to a parked bus and three other vehicles.

Argenteuil was one of the sites of 2005 youth rioting that occurred after then-Interior Minister Sarkozy called young residents of projects as "rabble and "scum."

More than 1,000 people protested in Nantes and two officers were slightly injured by thrown acid, police said. Two-thousand people protested and several police officers were injured in Bordeaux, Deutsche Welle said.

This is the new France...

Irina