A Simple Twist of Fate . . .

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As a result of a simple twist of fate, I found myself in Paris the other day admiring a fountain, and upon closer inspection, realized there was a small detail sculpted there of one of my favorite characters in literature : Mr Toad himself, of the Wind In the Willows. If any of you numerous Paris-philes out there can identify with accurate precision the whereabouts of this fountain, I will be happy to buy you a beer or glass of wine or other libation of your choosing the next time we meet up in the City of Light . . . Happy hunting !
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The music which could go with this little ramble might be the eponymous "Simple Twist of Fate" from Bob Dylan. I couldn't find any versions of it on YouTube actually done by Mr Dylan himself, so perhaps next best is this version from the soundtrack of the film "I'm Not There", as sung by Jeff Tweedy . . . Although Jerry Garcia also did some pretty fine versions of it also, not to mention Joan Baez on her timeless album Diamonds and Rust.
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There was also a turtle decorating the same fountain, if that may help any of you to figure out where it is . . .
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But what I really meant to do a post about today is well outside of Paris, to the north, in the small city of Beauvais. I also found myself there in Beauvais the other day, again purely due to another simple twist of fate. I'm not sure that Beauvais actually figures very high on many tourists' lists of places to visit on their trips to France, as it apparently is not all that well known. Many travellers prefer to spend their time in Paris, or if venturing out of Paris, destinations such as Versailles or Chartres are far more popular. But Beauvais is well worth a detour, as the cathedral there is one of the wonders of European religious architecture.
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Now, just as this is not a blog about flower photos, it is also definintely not a blog about religion. I try to avoid the subject of religion the same way some people avoid the bubonic plague, but the fact of the matter is, one cannot escape it. And I have to give it to religion, that it served as the vehicle for the creation of some of the finest architectural structures in the world, those cathedrals which sprang up around medieval Europe, reaching up toward the mysterious heavens above.
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My old Art History textbook, Helen Gardner's Art Through the Ages, has this to say about Beauvais Cathedral :
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"The choir of the unfinished cathedral of Beauvais is an example of the Gothic "rush" into the skies. That skyward impulse, seen first in the height of the nave at Paris, became an obsession with Gothic builders. With their new skeletal frames of stone, they attempted goals almost beyond limit, pushing with ever slenderer supports to new heights, aiming always at effects of insubstantial visions floating far beyond the reach of man. The nave vaults at Laon had risen to a height of about 80 feet; at Paris to 107 feet; at Chartres to 118 feet; and at Amiens to 144 feet. In 1272 the builders of the choir of Beauvais planned a height of 157 feet. Only the choir and the transepts were built, the building remains without a nave. In 1284 the vaults collapsed; the cause of the failure is still a matter of scholarly debate."
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But what remains standing today, over 700 years later is well worth the detour, without further ado, here are a few photos from Beauvais Cathedral to whet your appetite.
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Approaching the entrance I felt like I was being watched, and with good reason . . .
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It is a miracle that the ancient sculpted wood doors have survived in such fine condition :
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Will let you decide if you prefer the floor in color or black and white . . .
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Just a glimpse up to the highest reaches . . .
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Stained light from stained glass in a side chapel . . .
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And just outside the cathedral, another remarkable building from hundreds of years ago still stands, today serving as a museum . . .
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