Le premier jour... en France!

     Whew! What a long day! What began as a simple enough bus ride has become a fulfilling, exhausting marathon day. We began our day with a bus ride to Chicago O'Hare airport. We were accompanied by other groups of Luther students - one going to France and the other to Ghana. Our trip was pretty low-key, punctuated by an occasional outburst of childlike excitement from John. When we arrived at O'Hare we promptly got in line for our tickets and, after that was complete, made our way through security. Following the obligatory okay from the body scanners, we were allowed into the airport and could contemplate our trip. Most of us went on to fetch something to eat before the flight; at which time it was decided that Dr. Peterson must now be referred to as GP (pronounced in French as Geh-peh) to accommodate for our pending French immersion.
     Once we boarded the plane and made our way to the runway, it was discovered that there was some sort of "minor mechanical issue" with the plane and we had to return to the terminal to fix it. At this point, they decided it was also necessary to replace the spent fuel in the taxing process and delayed us further. All said and done, we were airborne 90 minutes later than was intended, but as the French say, "C'est la vie." Our economy accommodations were sufficient, albeit not the extravagant luxury we saw in first class. Dinner was satisfactory and after that, yours truly had a couple glasses of cognac and Benedryl and took a 3 hour respite. (The others will have to fill you in on their flight experiences).
     Arrival in Paris was met with a certain degree of awe that we had *finally* made it there. We collected our bags without issue and made our way to the train. Sadly, we had a mishap with tickets for the train, but nonetheless, we made our way to Rue Mouffetard in the 5th district, our place of residence. We quickly ditched our bags and forwent lunch to make our appointment at the church of St-Sulpice and the very lovely Sophie-Veronique Cauchefer-Choplin, sub-titular organist. After meeting her near the door to the organ gallery, she gave us a quick run down of the history and technical aspects of the organ. She then proceeded to the organ balcony with John and offered a dazzling display of the range of timbres of the stops through her magnificent improvisational skills as John called our the stops in question. After a breathtaking crescendo to full organ, the rest of us trekked our way up the sixty odd steps, worn with use, to the gallery. Sophie-Veronique demonstrated further and explained the workings of the complex console and it's ingenious mechanical implements. After that, we were all invited to, ever so briefly, tickle the ivories of the famous instrument.
    Because of an afternoon service, our time was cut short, but Mme. Cauchefer-Choplin, ever gracious, arranged for our troupe to visit the crypts and see the resting place of St-Sulpice's most famous organist, Charles-Marie Widor. A wiry man named Didier, who spoke no English, led us down the stairs to the crypt. After seeing the crypt, we were led around to see the rest of the remains underneath St-Sulpice. We saw the remnants of the church that had once stood on that very spot and had sunk down under neath - the new church had been built on top of it. We also saw the statues of one of the towers in the church facade that had been removed and replaced during renovation. It was truly a remarkable visit, one I daresay none of us will ever forget and an appetite whetting first day to say the least!
     After a humble dinner in a local bistro of delicious Parisian fare, we get ready for a short night on the town before we all collapse from exhaustion. A fine first day indeed!

John and Sophie-Veronique looking at Dupre's Cortege et Litanie

Statuary from the original towers, now located in the crypt along with Widor's remains.