PARIS, FRANCE
We arrived after our 9 hr flight from LAX to Paris at our hotel in Central Paris. Since our friends were not arriving until the next day we decided to take an afternoon tour of the Louvre,
LOUVRE
When we arrived at the plaza of the Louvre we saw dozens of police vehicles and officers on the street. They were present because there was a planned demonstration in the plaza area, protesting the raising of the age for retirement from 62 to 64 and other changes to the retirement system. The protest was short lived because it began raining just as it was starting and it was over in 20 minutes however it did delay the start of our tour.
Formerly a royal palace, the Louvre embraces eight centuries of French history. Intended as a universal museum since its creation in 1793. Walking through the halls where Louis XIV once strolled (he lived here before moving to Versailles), surrounded by the most famous art on earth, is an overwhelming experience. It is the perfect example of French Baroque architecture.
The Louvre is rightfully famous for masterpieces like the Venus de Milo, the Mona Lisa, and the Winged Victory of Samothrace, and stunning collections of prized paintings and Greek and Roman statues.
The Louvre Fortress was built by King Phillipe August II in 1190 and then destroyed during the Renaissance when King Francois I leveled it to begin creating the Louvre that we know today. The tricky thing about destroying fortresses is that they are built to withstand destruction, thus making them very difficult to erase. Fortunately for us, the foundation of the walls still exists and when you enter this part of the museum, you are actual walking in what used to be the moat.
Simply put, when the fortress was demolished, the walls were taken down and the moat filled in. No one bothered to take down the walls below the ground level. So this area, which today is found under the Cour Carré was just rebuilt upon with what we see today as the Louvre palace.
I’ve got a little archaeology lesson for y’all today, something that I like to think of as my favorite Secret Louvre Historical Detail. There are hearts, like modern day cartoony Valentine’s Day hearts, carved on the stone blocks! My jaw dropped. I had never really thought about it, but I would have assumed the classic heart shape to be a relatively modern concept.
It isn’t even the shape of a REAL heart after all. You would think something more appropriate for a 13th century shape would be more geometrical wouldn’t you? So what were they doing on 800+ year old fortress foundations? Medieval stonemasons carved these hearts, and other shapes (marque de tâcheron) directly on their “canvas” for the same reason an artist signs their finished paintings. Each stonemason had a corresponding shape original to them so they couldn’t confuse the work (and bill for payment) of one to another. Another reason was to create old fashioned publicity (I think this particular Stonemason would be very proud to see his work still admired in 2023).
Besides the famous paintings and the general architecture, there are amazing murals painted and carved masterpieces on the walls and ceilings of some of the walls showing the opulence of the royal palace.
On our short visit we found a mixture of Architecture from Gothic (remains preserved underground), French Renaissance, Louis XIII style, French Baroque, Neoclassical, Neo-Baroque and Napoleon III style, and Modernism (Pyramid) along with all the great art treasures of the masters and sculptures from around the world. It is the most amazing museum we have ever visited.
We met up with our friends Willy and Joan the next morning at our hotel. They had just arrived a day later than us. Since we knew they would be tired we decided to take the metro to see the Eiffel Tower and gardens.
it started to rain on our way to the tower but it was still magnificent. Equally grand from whatever angle you look at it,whether just walking past or watching from a distance, day or night, and even in the afternoon rain, the Eiffel Tower lives up to its iconic status with ease. The entire wrought-iron structure is totally see-through, so you can literally see all of it from one end to the other. Paris tall buildings and skyscrapers are in rather short supply so the tower stand out that much more dramatically.
We walked around the tower and through the gardens and then went to the seine walkway where there was a small group of pop-up trinket and food vendors.
We walked along the river for a couple of blocks. Wanting to rest and get in from the weather, we found a street cafe for a meal and some wine. Cafe de L'Alma looked really quaint and inviting. The beautiful Café de l'Alma has a décor that mixes classicism and modernity. Marbles and mosaics rub shoulders with the large stripes of the blinds that unfold to shade the terrace.
After entering the cafe we could see that it was not a simple cafe, because the food was French dining fare more in line with a fine dining restaurant with white tablecloths. We had a glass of wine and a lite meal. I had the Crocque Monsieur a la truffle appetizer and Mary Kay had the Artichoke Soup. The food was very good but a bit pricey for the light snack. It relaxing to be warm an out of the rain. After the meal we returned to our hotel.
Pour ta sante Tour Eiffel
WALKING THE STREETS OF PARIS
The next morning we met Willy's cousin Chantel in the lobby. She was kind enough to take the day to give us a personalized tour of Paris through the areas that are not part of the tourist hangouts. We went down the street to a cafe near our hotel to get more aquainted and to discuss the plan for the day.
Our first stop was to visit Bastille Harbour where we walked along the water and enjoyed viewing the boats that were moored there.
As we were first walking along the harbor a comical scene unfolded to our right. It seems one of the Harbor Police divers got stuck going into the water from the boat and his compatriots were there to harass and eventually assist him in his struggle to ge free of the boat. We joined in and noted the wonderful display of professionalism and technique used by their divers.
The boats in the habor access the Seine via a small canal with a lock.
Chantel shared lunch with us at one of her favorite restaurants Cafe Francais. The interior of the restaurant was elegant with a hint of art deco and comfortable and the food was incredible. Willy took the opportunity to introduce us to our new favorite beverage for those thirsty times, the "Penache". The Penache is a 50/50 mix of French carbonated lemonade and beer. It is quite refreshing.
RUES IN THE BASTILE AREA
Cafe Francais faces on to Place De Bastille. The Place de la Bastille is a square in Paris where the Bastille prison once stood, until the storming of the Bastille and its subsequent physical destruction between 14 July 1789 and 14 July 1790 during the French Revolution. No vestige of the prison remains. July 14th coincidentally is my Birthday. It is nice know that the French also celebrate my Birthday. The July Column in the center of the square commemorates the revolution.
The Hôtel de Sully is a Louis XIII style hôtel particulier, or private mansion, located at 62 rue Saint-Antoine in the Marais, IV arrondissement, Paris, France. Built at the beginning of the 17th century, it is nowadays the seat of the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, the French national organization responsible for national heritage sites. It has been listed since 1862 as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.
The Place des Vosges is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful squares in Paris. As soon we arrived at the square, we could see the unity of the composition of the buildings and their uniform height with arched colonnades. It reminded me of the Georgian buildings in the Circus in Bath England. There is a majestic calm in the square.
The Village of Saint Paul is a labryrinth of paved courtyards shaded and silent passages with antiques art galleries, restaurants and shops. It is a place of strolls and timeless discoveries steeped in the historic courtyards.
Saint Paul
Saint Paul is one of the older parts of Paris. Nestled in the heart of the Marais, a place steeped in history is revealed at the bend of the small narrow streets, typical of this Parisian district.
RUE CHARLEMAGNE
The Bibliotheque Forney specialises in fine arts, decorative arts, graphic arts, crafts and their techniques as well as fashion, advertising and design
There is a rare Art Nouveau synagogue Embedded between two buildings, and set back from the street, the synagogue on Rue Pavée goes almost unnoticed.
It is the last religious building built in the Marais, and the only Art Nouveau monument in this district. This synagogue is therefore a curiosity.
RUE PAVEE SYNAGOGUE
The Rue des Rosiers, which means "street of the rosebushes," ies at the center of the Jewish quarter unofficially called "the Pletzl" (Yiddish for "little place")
EGLISE SAINT EUSTACHE
Located in the historic Les Halles district, Saint-Eustache is one of the most visited churches in Paris. It is distinguished in particular by its dimensions, the great richness of the works of art it houses, and its large organ. Faithful to its musical tradition, the church hosts year-round philharmonic formations, choirs, and prestigious festivals. Every Sunday at 5pm, titular organists or guests, offer on one of the most beautiful organs of France an audition.
MONTMATRE
We said avoir to Chantel and with her directions we set off to go to Montmatre. Unfortunately, we must have confused the directions she gave us as the bus we took veered of in the wrong direction. So we got off at the next stop and decided to walk there since we were close to the Funicular. What we didn't anticipate was that the directions on google maps was taking us to the top of the Funicular. Needless to say we ultimately climbed several flights of stairs, (like in the photo) of Montmartre to the top where the village and church were located.
It was well worth the climb once we arrived, because it is a little village inside Paris with typical cafes and shops and a square filled with local artists sketching portraits of the tourist. We were tired and thirsty after our trek so we found an outside table in the square for a drink where we could watch the people and the artisits.
After our drink we walked up to the Sacre-Coeur Eglise that sits atop Montmartre hill. We were taken by the spactacular view of Paris.
It was getting toward dusk so I was able to take the same picture of the view overlooking the Eiffel Tower before and after dusk.
Willy & Joan
Sacre-Couer
The magnificent Sacre-Coeur Eglise surveys all of Paris. Mary Kay and I took a few minutes to look inside. When we came back out night had fallen so we could see the exterior in all ita splender lit by lights to shine atop Paris,.
