Paris in July 2021 Part 2

21/07/2021

Diving bell design from
"Sketches of Ceylon"

Oil painting by Eugene Ransonnet-Villez 

based off his submersible sketches(1867)

Reconstruction of diving

bell (from Nhm-wien)

Eugene von Ransonnet-Villez used a diving bell (see picture above in centre and right) to allow him to breath underwater. He sketched what he observed during his travels in Ceylon (now called Sri Lanka). 

Picture on the far right: a a→ windows

                                     b b b b B B → weights

                                     c → air tube

                                     d → level of the water inside the bell

                                     e → boat

This diving bell was 3ft hight and 2 1/2 in width with a small window at the top to admit light and an 8 inch window at the front to observe. To move forwards the person would need to lift the B B weight with the boat and air pump following him.

The oil painting was completed in 1867, about the same time the book "20 000 Leagues under the Sea", by Jules Verne, was published leading to massive studies of the sea and its wonders. It was donated to the Vienna Natural History museum in 1892 along with over 5000 zoological artefacts that he had collected during his explorations. 

During my stay, Dad and I visited my three aunts, one of whom lived in the eleventh district. Her district is very different to my grandparents'. There are a lot more shops and restaurants and people are constantly bustling around. In my aunt’s apartment, there is a bathroom, a kitchen, and two bedrooms separated by a living room. From there, we walked to the "Place des Vosges", the "Place de la République" and the "Place de la Bastille". The Place des Vosges (pronounced as vo-ge, the s is silent) is the oldest square in Paris. It used to be called the "Place Royale" because Louis the 13th's statue stands in the middle of the square. If you are careful you can see a small inscription on the side of the statue that explains why the square changed name. 

In 1799, the Vosges was the first French department to pay taxes to fund the war and to send soldiers for the Revolutionary War, so the square was subsequently named after it. Place des Vosges has been home to many famous writers and politicians including Sully, King Henri the IV's minister, poet Théophile Gautier, writer Alphonse Daudet, Cardinal Richelieu and Victor Hugo (author of Les Misérables, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, etc..). The latter's apartment is now a museum with a free access year round.

Statue of Louis XIII

Place des Vosges
(picture from Wikipedia)

A few hundred meters from the Place des Vosges, you can admire the Place de la Bastille with at its centre, the July column. It commemorates the three days of revolution in 1830 leading to the abdication of King Charles X. The column is about 50m tall and is engraved in gold with the names of victims of the revolution. At the top of the column is a gilded figure: Augustin Dumont's "Génie de la Liberté" Opposite the column is the Banque de France, my dad explained to me that its vaults used to be the Bastille prison cells! The French national day is called the Bastille day. On the 14th July1789, the French people broke into the Bastille to free its four inmates, thus symbolising the revolt against the monarchy. Soon after, the French government adopted a constitution and beheaded the king Louis XVI and his family.

                                      

        

On the left: July Column (picture from Wikipedia)                                                 

On the right: Génie de la Liberté at the top of the column (picture from Wikipedia)  

No matter what your taste is you can find the best of everything, from a classic bistro to an Indian restaurant to an Italian Pizzeria. We usually ate a variety of meals mostly made by my grandmother and aunts including pintade with potatoes, andouillette, cold cod à l’aïoli , chicken with coconut and curry sauce and my favourite, ham and cheese crepe from Lillo.

A few days before leaving, we headed to Synlab on Laborde street in the first district to do a PCR-Covid test. I took the metro for the first time in years to get there, and it was fully packed. So much so that the people in front of me had to exit the metro to let others leave before climbing back in. The smell in the metro is that of wet pavements and sewers. If you don't need to take it, I discourage you to; take the bus instead.

Even though it was raining half the time, my short stay in Paris was fantastic and if you ever have the chance to visit, try to see as much as you can (the Sacré-coeur, the Panthéon, where Voltaire, Rousseau, Marie-Curie, Victor Hugo, etc...are buried, Notre-Dame, the Hôtel des Invalides, etc..).