Above and Below

Today was really about opposites: up vs. down, light vs. dark, new vs. old. I started below the city in a dark, medieval sewer, and only an hour after I emerged from the stink I found myself on top of Paris in Sacre Coeur's bright aura.

No need to gasp or even fret for my safety--I did (somehow) volunteer to descend into the sewers. La Visite des Egouts de Paris is a sewer tour that takes you back through the sludge of time.
I was interested when my friend, Amy, pitched the idea. I thought it would be amusing, funny, and exciting. I imagined myself in some tour group laughing at the toilet-humor-loving tour guide and his comedic renditions of Paris's history of Poo.

I was disappointed.

The tour wasn't really a tour so much as each of us reading the informational panels as we wondered our way through the sewer-halls. At first it was just plain boring. Then it became smelly and uninteresting. At the end I did enjoy some reading on the evolution of the sewers. One panel explained how Napoleon asked one of his flunkies (my word, not theirs) what he could do for France. He said he wanted to do something big and important, and his "advisor" said "give them water". Having just come from China where drinking tap water is a big no-no, even for the natives, I can really appreciate how big a step that is. Isn't the treatment of sewage and the process of water distribution one of the markers for a healthy, civilized society? When the "Old World" poked its head into the "New World"'s business around the time of the Renaissance we had God to give, but the "savages" weren't the ones dying from their own poo flooding the streets, were they?


Advanced or not, the state of the sewers is described in Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. I've heard several people say (and I've now read several sewer panels that agree) that Victor Hugo wasn't just a fantastic writer that spun timeless stories. He was also a man that preserved time by describing Paris--before it was given a face lift by Mr. Haussmann in the second half of the 19th century--for pages and pages in vivid detail.
(Left: depiction of Jean Val jean in the sewers of Paris)

So, while I can't deny that the tour gave me some things to write about (at a very reasonable 3.50 euro ticket price with student ID), I wouldn't recommend it to anyone but a sewer enthusiast.

I do highly recommend Sacre Coeur, though. The church is situated atop Montmartre, which is a bustling hill full of tourists and, of course, the people who make money off of them. Naturally, one method of sucking in a tourist is food. I managed to free myself from the magnetic stare of the monster-sized Nutella, but it was difficult.

Another way of sucking in tourists is by giving them a show. I rarely give money to people. I'm a frugal saver who enjoys parting with neither cash nor coins (particularly when they're mine). That said, I'd like to think that I'm reasonable (in the end) and that I'll (possibly) spend the money if the cause is (really) worth it. This show was great. It attracted a big crowd, and I don't think anyone was let down. I laughed at their jokes and imitations of straggling tourists, and I was entranced and amazed by their moves. After the show I walked straight up to one of the performers and thanked him as I added gold to his hat. (It was totally worth the 1-2 euros of loose change I had on me at the time.) See for yourself:

(I know, it would be better if they pictures moved, but you get what you get.)

When the dance was done it was time for the main act! She never fails to disappoint and she only gets more beautiful in the spotlight of the setting sun. Here she is...drum roll...

Sacre Coeur!