Paris Highlights

The big recap of tour... here it comes!!! (In other news, I'm in the midst of trying to figure out my future. All good-wishes, job advice/tips, prayers, etc are accepted!)

A glance of the famous streets, as redone by Hausmann. I've got a text book that tells more about why these are significant.... But if you really want more about the rebuilding of Paris, let me know. One thing that came out on tour is my vast amount of random knowledge. 

View from the top of the staircase in our Paris hotel. This is the seventh floor, where my room was at. Yes, I did have to carry suitcases up and down these stairs, more than once. 

Auguste Rodin: The Kiss. Absolutely beautiful workmanship and expressiveness. As I was downloading pictures, this one came up and I got little thrills from seeing it again and remembering what it was like to see it in person. Lovely.

Auguste Rodin: The Thinker. One of his most famous sculptures. Amy and I talked a little about him, wondering if he was meant to be viewed from a height or not. (He's on a pedestal, so his feet are about at my head-height.) At this moment, I think that perhaps putting him on a pedestal keeps the viewer from feeling that his pondering stance excludes others; rather, his elevated position illustrates the nobility (?) of thinking and pondering. 

Basilica Sacre Couer, in Montmartre

Notre Dame Cathedral

Interior stained glass window, Notre Dame Cathedral

Organ and Rose Window, Notre Dame Cathedral

Gotta prove that I was there!! Do you see the flying buttresses and pointed arches? You can probably see some gargoyles too, if you look closely. And the rose window there on the transcept. Gothic architecture through and through!

East altar area, Saint Chapelle. They call this small church the jewel-box. Pictures don't do the experience justice, because the whole main level is filled with these panels of beautiful stained glass. It was absolutely amazingly beautiful, a must-see for anyone going to Paris. 

Eiffel Tower! I was lame and poor and didn't pay to go up in it. I didn't want to pay for the elevator ticket, and  my feet couldn't stand the thought of walking up the stairs on the cheaper pass. Paris isn't necessarily the most attractive city, in my opinion, so I don't feel like I missed out. If I go back to Paris again, though, I'll add that to my to-do list. 

Classic illusion pictures with the tower. Pretty good job, photographer! 

So happy to be in Paris at the Eiffel Tower!! I may have been dog -tired from walking, but there's always energy for a jumping picture! (There are many more to come throughout tour.) 

Arc de Triomphe. I really want to process some of these pictures in Photoshop and see if I can get some more attractive results, but I like the general look of this one. Anyways, we walked to the Arc and then along the Champs Elysses to cap off our evening in Paris. Well, this evening, at least. We had a few nights there, and we used them all to the fullest extent.

Louvre, with Pyramids and ferris wheel in the Tuileries gardens

One entrance to the Louvre. Once you snap your picture of the most popular entrance, aka the pyramids, walk across the street and over here. There is no line, even on days when the main entrance has an hour + wait!

Da Vinci, Madonna of the Rocks. I thought the painting would be brighter, but apparently it dulls down over time, so it probably just needs some archival care. Beautiful piece. 

When at the Louvre, you can not skip seeing the most famous painting in the world. I did not get any closer than this, mostly because the crowd wasn't worth it. That museum is full of amazing artwork, so I can handle seeing this one from a distance. It's actually relatively small, too. You would need time and peace to contemplate Da Vinci's rendering here, and the viewing experience obviously doesn't lend itself to that type of contemplation. So, this is my face time with the Mona Lisa. 

Theodore Gericault, The Raft of the Medusa

Eugene Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People

Ingres, The Grand Odalisque

David, Oath of the Horatii. We went to the Pere Lachaise Cemetery and saw his grave as well. 

Winged Victory, Nike of Samothrace

Eiffel Tower at night, in the city of lights. It sparkled too, but not while we were there taking pictures.


And that is Paris in a nutshell! The Musee de Orsay was my favorite part, but pictures weren't allowed so Amy took a few clandestine shots. (Want to email me those files?) So outside of that museum, this is Paris! Normandy and Versailles posts to follow...