Notre Dame Cathedral On Fire

[JasonJ]

Yes, but the Japanese rarely go outside London. OK, we occasionally see Chinese and Japanese tourists out here in the Styx who make the effort to break the M25 barrier. But its very rare. Westerners are probably the same with Japan and China of course.

 

Same with Americans, they go to London and think they saw England. There is a lot more to it than that.

Some Japanese are heading to Garelochhead. I bet PRCians don't go there.

Edited October 1, 2019 by JasonJ

[Stuart Galbraith]

Well, they invariably go to places that are well known. For example Stratford on Avon, that was a huge tourist hotspot last time I went. But the places in between never get touched, which is a shame because there are some remarkable places out here, particularly in the North Cotswolds, that nobody ever sets eyes on.

 

I imagine they got to Garelochhead because its on the West Highland Line. And EVERYONE knows the West Highland Line because of Harry Potter.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Highland_Line

[Harold Jones]

Well, they invariably go to places that are well known. For example Stratford on Avon, that was a huge tourist hotspot last time I went. But the places in between never get touched, which is a shame because there are some remarkable places out here, particularly in the North Cotswolds, that nobody ever sets eyes on.

 

I imagine they got to Garelochhead because its on the West Highland Line. And EVERYONE knows the West Highland Line because of Harry Potter.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Highland_Line

 

Given that it is a once in a lifetime trip for a large majority of tourists, it's no surprise that they end up getting shuttled from famous place to famous place while skipping the bits in between that may or may not be more interesting/true exemplars of the place. Given my own somewhat esoteric interests my extremely accommodating wife has had to explain countless times about why we have skipped numerous well known sites in several countries but have somehow managed to visit many museums that no one outside of TN has ever heard of. Oddly, when we took our cruise on the Danube this year she admitted that while it was fun and different from our normal trips, she would have much preferred a tanknet trip. She doesn't much care about the tank stuff, but she really appreciates having locals involved.

[DB]

Even us? Good grief.

[Martin M]

 

Well, they invariably go to places that are well known. For example Stratford on Avon, that was a huge tourist hotspot last time I went. But the places in between never get touched, which is a shame because there are some remarkable places out here, particularly in the North Cotswolds, that nobody ever sets eyes on.

 

I imagine they got to Garelochhead because its on the West Highland Line. And EVERYONE knows the West Highland Line because of Harry Potter.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Highland_Line

 

Given that it is a once in a lifetime trip for a large majority of tourists, it's no surprise that they end up getting shuttled from famous place to famous place while skipping the bits in between that may or may not be more interesting/true exemplars of the place. Given my own somewhat esoteric interests my extremely accommodating wife has had to explain countless times about why we have skipped numerous well known sites in several countries but have somehow managed to visit many museums that no one outside of TN has ever heard of. Oddly, when we took our cruise on the Danube this year she admitted that while it was fun and different from our normal trips, she would have much preferred a tanknet trip. She doesn't much care about the tank stuff, but she really appreciates having locals involved.

 

 

 

I will explain more later about the old stones as I see it now - perhaps, but I would like to - once again - suggest to the viewers here - if interested in "Europe travel as it once was" to goto utube and watch the movie "

If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969

 

Very entertaining, and lot´s of famous actors.

Edited October 1, 2019 by Martin M

[Nobu]

Yes, but the Japanese rarely go outside London. OK, we occasionally see Chinese and Japanese tourists out here in the Styx who make the effort to break the M25 barrier. But its very rare. Westerners are probably the same with Japan and China of course.

 

Same with Americans, they go to London and think they saw England. There is a lot more to it than that.

 

Uncomfortable but true, at least relative to my participation in the Japanese tour group experience over the years, starting from childhood.

 

i have a picture I took in Rothenburg Germany of a Japanese tourist taking a picture of me* taking a picture of him. It was around 1985 and the Japanese tourist furiously snapping pictures was a well established stereotype.

 

It was a fairly well-deserved one in various ways, as many of the reasons for Japanese disillusionment with the realities of travel to Europe were and are self-inflicted.

[BansheeOne]

Date 30.10.2019

 

Elderly Frenchman charged over Bayonne mosque attack

 

The 84-year-old is accused of trying to set fire to a mosque and shooting two men who came to investigate. Authorities say he was seeking revenge based on a conspiracy theory about the burning of Notre Dame cathedral.

 

Authorities in the southwestern French town of Bayonne charged an 84-year-man with attempted murder, arson and related gun charges on Wednesday. The charges stem from a Monday incident in which a man attempted to set a local mosque on fire, then shot two men — aged 74 and 78 — who came to investigate the scene. Both victims are currently in a stable condition in a Bayonne hospital.

 

The suspect, who also stood as a regional candidate for the far-right National Front party in 2015 —which has since been renamed National Rally — is known to locals for his "verbal excesses." The man admitted to the crime, saying it was in retribution for the blaze that damaged Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in April, investigators said. Though authorities have said all along that the fire was an accident, some, including the suspect in Bayonne, believe a conspiracy theory pointing the finger at Muslims.

 

[...]

 

Possible life sentence

 

If convicted, the 84-year-old suspect, who told police that he had not intended to kill anyone, may spend the rest of his life behind bars. First, however, he will continue to undergo psychological examinations to determine whether he understands his actions.

 

Bayonne City Prosecutor Marc Mariee said authorities in Paris will not be taking over the investigation, indicating that it is not currently being considered a terrorist attack. Speaking of the psychological exam, Mariee said initial reports found the man suffers, "a partial impairment of his judgment and/or control of his actions." The impairment would not keep him from standing trial, but could lead to a more lenient sentence.

 

[...]

 

https://www.dw.com/en/elderly-frenchman-charged-over-bayonne-mosque-attack/a-51058964

[Stuart Galbraith]

Sounds like a sound premise for a Dan Brown Novel. Im glad nobody was killed, and maybe for the best the crazy bastard is out of circulation.

[BansheeOne]

Notre Dame cathedral 'not saved yet' warns restoration chief

 

By Euronews with AP 05/01/2020 - 16:31

 

Notre Dame de Paris is not yet saved, the military general overseeing the restoration of the landmark after April's devastating fire warned on Sunday.

 

There is still a risk that the cathedral's vaulted ceilings might collapse.

 

General Jean-Louis Georgelin said Notre Dame is "still in a state of peril" after the fire that destroyed its roof and its spire on April 15.

 

"Notre Dame is not saved", he said on French television. "There is an extremely important step ahead, which is to remove the scaffolding that had been built around the spire", he said.

 

The scaffolding had been in place before the fire, as the cathedral was undergoing renovations.

 

Georgelin is not the only one to worry. Notre Dame's rector, Monsignor Patrick Chauvet, told the Associated Press last month that the landmark building is still so fragile there's "a 50% chance" that the scaffolding may fall on the vaulted ceilings, which would threaten the structure.

 

Georgelin, a former chief of staff for the French army, said that the current condition of the vaults is not fully known, which means he could not guarantee that "it won't fall apart".

 

``"To make sure, we need to inspect them, to remove the rubble that is still on them, it's a very difficult work that we have started,'' he said.

 

On top of that, the fire released tons of lead dust into the air and the cathedral's surroundings. The lead dust needs cleaning up, which will slow down the reconstruction work.

 

But "reassuring" observations have been made on the cathedral, Georgelin said, adding he feels "quite confident" in the path to restoration.

 

The scaffolding on Notre Dame should be removed by mid-2020 and the restoration work should start next year, he said.

 

French president Emmanuel Macron has said he wants cathedral rebuilt by 2024, for the Paris Summer Olympics. Experts say that time frame is not realistic.

 

Moreover, according to Georgelin, no decision has been made yet about how the spire and roof should be rebuilt and the material used for it - wood, metal, concrete - has yet to be chosen.

 

[...]

https://www.euronews.com/2020/01/05/notre-dame-cathedral-not-saved-yet-warns-restoration-chief

[Stuart Galbraith]

In glad the restorers have Macron the finger. You could take 10 years and it would still be ambitious.

Edited January 5, 2020 by Stuart Galbraith

[BansheeOne]

Quote

France's Notre Dame cathedral restoration finally ready to start

2h ago

President Macron's goal remains to reopen the cathedral to worshippers in 2024, when France hosts the Olympic Games. The cathedral will be restored to its previous design.

The reconstruction of Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral is finally ready to begin following two years of efforts to save the remaining parts of the iconic structure after it was damaged in a 2019 fire.

The state reconstruction agency leading the work announced on Saturday that rebuilding will be able to start this winter, adding the goal to reopen the medieval cathedral for worshippers is still set for 2024  — the year France hosts the Summer Olympic Games.

The cathedral will be restored to its previous design, including the 96-meter (315-feet) spire, for which 1,000 oak trees have already been felled.

Before restoration work begins, a cleaning operation of the building's interior walls and floor will start this month. 

The experts assigned with restoring the cathedral's dismantled organ have also already been selected, the construction company said.

[...] 

https://m.dw.com/en/frances-notre-dame-cathedral-restoration-finally-ready-to-start/a-59222972

[BansheeOne]

Saw Jean-Jacque Annaud's "Notre-Dame On Fire" last night. I hope that's just a really bad disaster movie, because it emphasizes all the wrong parts of the rescue effort - firefighters getting stuck in notorious Paris traffic, making sketches of the fire, holding strategy meetings, briefing the president, and debating proper etiquette between officers and NCOs (Paris FD is of course a unit of the French armed forces).

Plus the guy holding the key to the key to the key to the safe with the reliquies making a slapstick journey from Versailles full of missed trains and flat bike tires, then approaching the cops on the perimeter with "this is the key to the Crown of Christ!" (obviously they think he's some random nutter), and when he finally arrives on the scene has forgotten the code. Probably all real, but I can only assume Annaud wanted to make the movie about the rescue of the cathedral being a divine act enabled by singing crowds and little girls lighting candles for the Virgin Mary, at the expense of the actual responders. Because as depicted, I would hate to depend on that borderline clown outfit.