Visit to Paris

Friday, August 25, was set apart for a visit to Paris by Mar Theodosius along with Rev. Feno M Thomas. Bro Patrick took us to the nearby railway Station from Taize, early morning by 7.30 am. It was about 30 minutes drive from where we stayed.

Ms. Rebecca Alexander (Divya), a member of the Mar Thoma Church and a Post-Doctoral Student in France, received us at the Paris Metro Station. Rev Sam T Koshy, a Doctoral Student of our church at Bern University, could not join us because of his Visa problem. After a cup of tea, the group decided to visit the places by catching Metro trains.

 

 

 

 

Though it was heavily raining, we reached the Effel Tower by 11.30am. On the way we could see some people collecting money in the trains by singing songs with musical instruments. At the foot of the Tower there were people collecting money for the Deaf and Dumb Association. Sale of umbrella was seen at the Station, to take advantage of the sudden ‘Thunder Shower ‘. The Effel tower is a historical monument and was the tallest in the world when it was built. Now the entire area is crowded with buildings and petty shops.

 

 

 

The second station for us was the Great Gate, a pivotal point where all roads in Paris meet. All historical occasions are celebrated on the royal road before the Gate with parades and other celebrations. In ancient times, when a war was declared, soldiers used to go from here to conquer the places. When a battle is won, the Victory is also celebrated here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Norter Dam Cathedral was our third place of visit.

 

 

From the metro Station we walked to the place, as the rains had stopped by that time. We could see cycle rickshaws there attracting the tourists. There were lots of tourists on the day. The Church is an ancient Church and a massive one. The Architectural beauty is seen on the walls and doors of the Church. The place was guarded by security guards.

By the afternoon we went to the Orly Airport in Paris to catch the flight to Geneva. We thanked Ms. Divya for taking us to the different places in Paris. Rev Sam T Koshy received us at the Geneva airport on arrival.