Cami Brite's Blog

Saint Chappelle

On the Île de la Cité in Paris, tucked away to the side of the Palais de Justice sits a medieval building, very tall and thin, with thick walls and gargoyles watching from high above.

The entrance is rather mundane, open to a large room with cement floors, fleur-de-lis decorated pillars, and a statue of an ancient French king.

Along one side of the room is a kind of marketplace, with various books and trinkets for sale.

When I walked in, I thought that was it. There didn’t seem to be anywhere else to go, and I wandered around the room wondering why everyone raved about this place. I told myself not to be disappointed because Saint Chappelle dates back to the 13th century.

There was a statue, and the architecture of the ceiling was in great shape, so I made the most of it.

Then I noticed that every once in a while, someone made their way to a cramped little stairway off to one side of the entrance. Its steep stairs were just as treacherous as those found in the Tower of London, curving round and round to the upper level.

When I stepped out of that claustrophobic space, I beheld the true marvel of Saint Chappelle. My visit corresponded with repairs to all the windows on one side of the room, so I didn’t get the full effect, but still…it was pretty breathtaking.

The windows start at a high level on the walls. I didn’t pay much attention to exactly how high, because OMG look at all those beautiful stained glass windows!

After visiting many Gothic cathedrals, I would guess that these are pretty standard for size and placement.

The thing is, though, that there are so very many windows. They go all around the entire room.

I stood there, dumbstruck, with a room full of strangers.

We milled around, craning our necks to look up, oohing and ahhing at all of the pretty colored windows, and the lovely filtered light coming in. We murmured. The room had a hushed quality, like a museum. I wished for a pew or something to sit on, but there was no furniture. Maybe they can’t get anything up those stairs.

The windows are so breathtaking from the inside that I wondered how I didn’t notice them from the outside. And so I took a few pictures of the exterior when I left. Ah, that explains it.

National Readathon Day

This coming Saturday, I’m going to join in National Readathon Day from noon to 4pm. Not that I need an excuse to read!

To learn more about the event or the National Book Foundation, click here.

Goodreads is also participating by providing a way for readers to tag the books they will read on this page. So if you’ve been looking for a good reason to pick up a book, this could be your ticket!

NaNotThisYear

Well, that didn’t turn out quite how I’d planned. I don’t think I’m cut out for Nanowrimo. At least not in November….I love the concept of it. An entire month focused on making writing the priority? Perfect. But maybe not in November. Maybe I need to try Camp Nanowrimo in April or July. Or maybe I need to just not go nuts in one month, and concentrate instead on keeping my daily appointment with Scrivener.

This month started well. I was making progress on my book…but other things kept interfering. I did manage to write every day, so I achieved my primary goal. I didn’t get anywhere near 50,000 words this month. (I’m sitting somewhere around half that.) But I have no doubt that I’m going to finish that book.

Meanwhile, I got a short story idea. And I said to myself, “Self, maybe you should finish something besides blog posts. Can you manage to finish a short story?” So I switched my focus. It feels right. I will finish and polish my short story by the end of the year. Then I’m jumping right back into my novel, which is still in my thoughts every day.

Nanowrimo, Two Days In

Well, it’s begun. It’s just as crazy as it was last year. I can’t say this is my favorite way to write. It feels too much like cramming for a big final, and I’ve never been that type when it comes to studying.

As I woke up on Saturday morning, I reminded myself to take this day by day and think of it in small steps. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by looking at the whole. So far, it’s working. I just have to let the words continue to come. One word at a time…

I made a pact–pinkie swear!–that I wouldn’t share my words this month, to instead keep forging ahead with single-minded focus.

So instead of more words about writing…I’m going back to writing!

Nanowrimo, Here We Go

Last year, I attempted Nanowrimo. If you’ve never heard of it before, it’s a rather crazy challenge to write at least 50,000 words in 30 days. That’s 1,667 words per day, so if you’ve read 2K to 10k by Rachel Aaron, maybe it’s not so crazy. For me, it’s crazy. I’m lucky to hit 1,000 words in a day.

People do Nanowrimo worldwide every year. There are even two other challenges during the year (April and July), so some people do it three times a year.

I didn’t finish last year. I would have, but Thanksgiving finished me off instead. That last week was a huge zero for me. To echo what I’ve heard several times, “Who schedules a writing challenge over Thanksgiving holidays, really?”

I learned some things about my novel writing process from that attempt, though. I really do need to outline, at least the basics, in order to write with any sort of speed. (And relevant content. I recently weeded out a few tangents on the topic of airport lounges.)

I can always write when I sit in the chair and stay focused. So why don’t I sit in the chair every day? That’s a really good question. If I could answer that question, I wouldn’t have a problem. I could blame my busy life, or my day job, but let’s face it…there’s always a way to carve out an hour. Or half an hour.

It’s easier to pick up the thread of a story the next day as opposed to a few days or a week later. Writing every day is crucial. I already knew this one from screenwriting, but with novels I think it’s even more important because there are so many words…!

Finally, even when everything I write for the day is absolute dreck, it will usually lead me to something better. That’s comforting.

So for the next month, I’ll be over at Nanowrimo every day. Join me if you like!

On this site, I’m anticipating very short blogs about my progress. With a focus on progress! If at first you don’t succeed…try, try again!

 

Conciergerie: Palace to Prison

Just a few blocks’ short walk from Notre Dame Cathedral on the Ile-de-la-Cité stands a rather grand building behind a gold leaf gate. The main building is the Palais de Justice. On either side of this building are two places I highly recommend for visitors to Paris: Saint Chappelle (left), and Conciergerie (right). We’ll get to Saint Chappelle another time, but today I want to focus on the place I didn’t even plan to visit. The one that took my breath away.

The entrance is an innocuous little door leading into a basement. There are several stairs down, and a small foyer where a reasonable entry fee is collected, then visitors are free to wander and roam as they like.

Just off the foyer is a huge stone hall with tall medieval arched ceilings. As soon as I walked in, I looked around in silence along with the other visitors. My jaw may have been on the floor.

It’s stunning and starkly beautiful. The lofty Gothic ceilings lack adornment, but the lighting is worthy of a high-quality feature film. Good lighting never hurts a first impression. You can quote me.

Saint Louis IX envisioned and began the construction of what was to be a sizable palace, and the construction was completed by his grandson, Philippe IV the Fair in the 14th century.

The great hall that still stands was once used to house the palace’s men-at-arms. Nothing much is left of the palace now. The Hall of the Men-at-Arms has no furniture, aside from a chair that really helps to show off the enormous fireplace. Across from the fireplace, there’s a circular stone staircase tucked among pillars.

Maybe I was bowled over so much because I didn’t know much about it. I only knew the building had been used during the French Revolution to hold those headed to the guillotine, including Marie Antoinette. Hence, the reason I added it to my list of places to visit.

The prison section is dark and dreary, and I didn’t spend much time there. The holding cell for Marie Antoinette was very posh compared to the rest of the cells. She spent the last months of her life there before she was found guilty of treason, theft, and incest with her son. She was guillotined 221 years ago on October 16, 1793.

This was the one day on my trip when both of my cameras and my phone were very low on battery life, and I used up every bit of juice to try and get at least one good image of the hall. I think I came close.

Rediscovering Columbus Day

It amazes me that after all the truths we have learned about Christopher Columbus, we still have a holiday called Columbus Day.

The ideas of discovery and learning are wonderful concepts for a holiday. We should understand the significance of exploration and progress in world history. It’s just unfortunate that Columbus was chosen as the icon for this concept.

Everyone knows Christopher Columbus didn’t discover America. Other people were already living here, so that’s out. He wasn’t even the first to land here from Europe, because it’s pretty clear that Leif Ericson got here much earlier than he did, around 1000 A.D. (So Leif Ericson Day would make more sense, right? Not so fast! Accounts say he rescued men who were shipwrecked here…so even he wasn’t the first European to land here.) So maybe Columbus was not really the best option to put forward as the focus for a holiday about discovery and exploration.

The Greeks established much earlier than 1492 that the world was not flat, so Columbus might have been brave to set out across the ocean in a ship, but he knew very well he would not fall off the edge of the world. We also know his visits brought sickness, death, and slavery to the native people living here.

I’m proud of Seattle and other places in the country that have taken steps to re-brand the holiday to focus on something worthy of remembrance. are the latest to rename Columbus Day. They have chosen to call it Indigenous Peoples’ Day, honoring the Native American traditions and peoples that lived here first. Hawaii celebrates Discovery Day, which also seems very appropriate.

I also ran across this great post suggesting Bartolomé Day instead of Columbus Day, honoring an explorer from the same era who focused on human rights instead of exploitation. Sounds like a step in the right direction to me.

 

The Louvre, Part Deux

Found on Samothrace in the Aegean Sea, Winged Victory dates back to the 2nd or 3rd century B.C. It arrived at the Louvre in 118 pieces. I didn’t notice the cracks. All I saw was a beautiful headless figure with wings on the deck of a sailing ship in a huge gallery.

Set at the very top of a grand staircase, the statue is bathed in beautiful natural light shining down through high circular skylight windows.

The gallery seems to be crowded all the time, but it’s worth it to find a spot and just look at the statue for a while.

As I was moving between exhibits, I got this glimpse of a room being set up for more works of art. It made me wonder how many works are just sitting somewhere in storage, waiting to be seen.

When visiting the Louvre, don’t forget to look up. The ceilings are stunning, with intricate embellishments and paintings.

Finally, I made it to the Egyptian Antiquities area.

Like the British Museum, many exhibits at the Louvre are kept safely behind glass. I liked this kneeling woman who seems to be playing peek-a-boo with a mischievous smile.

In another room, I saw a trio of cat mummies. As a cat lover, I was both fascinated and horrified. I don’t think I would want to mummify my cat. Would you?

One of the “can’t miss” exhibits highlighted on the visitor’s guide is the Seated Scribe, a statue discovered in Saqqara by French archaeologist Auguste Mariette on November 19, 1850. It’s been dated to the Fourth Dynasty, created sometime between 2613 and 2494 BC.

The most striking thing about the statue, aside from the colorful pigmentation, is its eyes. Made of red-veined white magnesite and rock crystal, they are eerily life-like.

Looking at the statue on the left, I couldn’t help but think of Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg. I fleetingly wondered if that’s where they got the inspiration.

There’s so much more to see at the Louvre. I feel like I barely scratched the surface in the six or so hours I managed to spend there. C’est la vie, there’s always next time!

The Louvre

Eidos Interactive released a Tomb Raider game called Angel of Darkness in 2003. I played it on my PS2, and my favorite thing about it was the use of the Louvre as a location for three levels. (Controls were a little klunky, which were totally improved in Tomb Raider Legend.)

When I decided to go to France, the Louvre was the first item on my list. But not just because of the video game.

I wanted to see the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo, and I knew there were many other paintings, sculptures, and Egyptian treasures–enough to keep most people coming back for at least two days.

I was on a schedule, so I did it all in one day. My pedometer clocked 18,418 steps (that’s 8.13 miles), and my recovering sprained ankle felt every last one of them. Didn’t matter. The place was awesome!

In the 12th century, Philip II built a fortress where the Louvre sits. They have been excavating what’s left, which isn’t much.

Once the royal palace of France, the Louvre became more of a treasure storage when Louis XIV moved the family residence to Versailles in the late 17th century. It’s been a museum since 1793.

There are remnants of Louis XIV (known as the Sun King) like this balcony railing decorated liberally with gold. (I thought this was pretty excessive until I went to Versailles.)

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Next week, I’ll share a bit more from my quick visit. There are many things that I didn’t see, though, and I can’t wait to go back on my next trip to Paris.

My Favorite Book?!

There’s another list thing going around facebook, asking people to list the 10 most influential books on their lives. I’m not much into those lists on facebook, but it got me thinking. Then I saw this post on fellow LARA member Mia Hopkins’ blog, and thought: blog post! So here we are.

It would be absolutely impossible to pick just one book as my all time, perfect, favorite book. I’ve been a reader all my life. See for yourself: here I am at age 5, casually reading next to a palm tree with a fancy hairdo.

When I was growing up, our family went to the library at least once a week. I would leave with a hefty stack of books…about 10 or 20. I’m a fast reader. I thank my lucky stars for my kindle every day.

My preference has always been fiction. It takes me about five times longer to read non-fiction, no matter how “riveting” it may seem. I just can’t get into it. I also don’t care much for the “classics.” I read them for school, as we all do, but…they get enough attention, don’t they? And so, I give you the books that I most loved growing up. (We’ll save grown up books for another time, otherwise this would become a very lengthy post.)

One of the first books that really took me to another land was Shadow Castle by Marian Cockrell. It was her only book for children. A little girl follows her dog through a tunnel in the mountain to an enchanted fairy land. She meets a nice man near a castle who seems to be waiting for something. He takes her to the castle and shows her a wall with images of people moving about. He tells her stories about the shadow people to pass the time before sending her back through the tunnel to her grandmother’s house. It was magical.

C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, love them. Enough said.

I read Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder many times. The descriptions of life during the colonization of the United States were fascinating to me. It also made me appreciate things like modern heating and plumbing.

My favorite author growing up was, hands down, Anne McCaffrey. I think Dragonsinger was the first book I read by her, and I was Hooked (with a capital H). I could taste bubbly pies. I wanted my very own fire lizard. It didn’t happen, but I kept reading. Dragonflight, Dragonquest, The White Dragon, The Ship Who Sang, Crystal Singer, Restoree (possibly my first romance book)…the list goes on and on. Her stories were immersive and addictive. Needless to say, I own just about every book she ever wrote.

A Wizard of Earthsea (the Earthsea Cycle) by Ursula K. Le Guin was magical. It was the first series I read that really made me think about language and word origins. We follow Ged, a young man destined to become a powerful mage, as he grows up. Sound familiar? This was before Harry Potter, but the similarities end there. This is a completely different world, and Ged is actually brown-skinned in the books. (How disappointed was I when that miniseries came out? Very. Can you say mangled? I’m still hoping someone will see the beauty and magic of those books and get it right.)

I have a well-worn copy of Daughter of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts, set in a companion world to Feist’s Magician series. I loved the heroine, a brave teenaged girl from a ruling family who is about to finalize her oath as a lifelong devotee to the Goddess of Wisdom of the Upper Heaven when her family’s warriors arrive seeking the “Lady of the Acoma.” In that instant, she knows that her family is dead and she is the only one left to rule House Acoma. What follows in this trilogy is a beautifully played game of political chess, nuanced with past customs of Japan and China. Love it.

I can never decide if I love Piers Anthony‘s Incarnations of Immortality series (On a Pale Horse) or  the Apprentice Adept series (Split Infinity) more, so I’ll list both. I liked Xanth, but these were definitely higher on my list.