Musée Rodin

This beautiful building houses the Musée Rodin, and was his actual studio back in the day. I really appreciate the size of this museum, it is not enormous. The whole museum can be explored in a couple of hours.

One of the many bronze copies of "The Thinker." I learned here that Rodin made small models out of clay, then had his workers do the bronze casting in different sizes. 

A beautiful view of le Dôme des Invalides from the garden of Musée Rodin. This is where Napoleon Bonaparte is buried in an enormous, grand tomb.

 

OK, I just found this funny. 

The Kiss -- beautiful

Van Gogh

Giverny in the Afternoon

Impressionist painter, Claude Monet, was born in Paris in 1840. As a young child, he moved with his family to Le Havre, where he began painting at a young age. Even in his very early years, he enjoyed painting outdoors, inspired by nature and the way sunlight played with images.

In 1883, Monet moved to Giverny (Northwest of Paris, in Normandy). The house, gardens and pond were inspirations for his paintings until his death in 1926.

Above, the view out of Monet's studio window. He was very specific about the flowers and trees that were planted at Giverny, in order to have exactly what he wanted to see and paint. I would call the garden ordered chaos. It is much more English garden, with its free-glowing scatter of multicolored flowers than the orderly, geometric gardens found at many French Chateaux.

Monet's pond is still filled with his water lilys. The green Japanese bridge is still maintained today as it was in his time. (Only now, it is crowded with tourists, like myself!)

I have loved Monet's works since I was first introduced to them in high school. It was such a treat to get to come here and enjoy the actual site where so many of his paintings began. :)

Walking in the village after our tour of Giverny, my friends and I enjoyed some homemade ice cream (from a cute little ice cream truck), then headed back to the bus.

Rouen in the Morning

Rouen, France, has been a part of the Kingdom of France since the 12th century, and the old town arrea still maintains its Medieval charm. The cobblestone streets are lined with half-timbered buildings that still serve as homes  and shops today. Above, the Old Clock still shows the time (only an hour-hand was deemed necessary hundreds of years ago), the day of the week (in the moving curved cut-out underneath) and the phase of the moon (the silver ball at the top). 

One of the many half-timbered buildings in the Place du Vieux-Marché. 

The modern church built to honor the memory of Joan of Arc. She was burned alive here on May 30th, 1431 at the age of 19 for heresy. At the age of 13, Joan had had holy visions which convinced her that she could lead an army for France. She convinced the king to allow her to take command. After leading an army to many victories (and some defeats) during the Hundred Years War, she was caught and sold to the English. Imprisonned, she recanted her sins and promised to never wear men's clothes again (as the leader of an army, she had worn men's clothes). Unfortunately for her, the English still believed her to be a great threat, and they wanted her dead. One night in the prison, they replaced her clothes with men's clothing. In the morning, she had no choice but to put these clothes on, which the English used to prove that she really had not recanted. Because of this "proof", she was burned alive. When Rouen was liberated by the French King Charles VII in 1449, it was declared that Joan had not been a heretic after all. She was canonized in 1920.

Rouen has been, and still is, famous for its colorful painted pottery. This sign (and the pretty address tile next to it) advertises what is for sale in the store.

Rouen's famous 1600-year-old Cathedral of Notre-Dame. As this, like so many other cathedrals, was built, repaired and added-onto over the centuries, one can see the evolution of Gothic style from the 12th century through the 16th century. The church was painted many times by Claude Monet, who wanted to capture the light on the cathedral at differnt times of day and in different seasons. I didn't take aa photo of the entire church's facade, as the midle was covered in scaffolding.  Due to heavy damage during WWII as well as that from the passage of time, the cathedral is always undergoing repair.

Every bit as lovely as Notre-Dame, is the smaller 15th century flamboyant Gothic church of Saint Maclou. The facade looks like fine lace and its three doors are beautifully carved.

Today, the above building houses part  of a School of Fine Arts for Architecture. During the time of the Plague, however, this building had a very different purpose. As church graveyards began to fill-up, it was decided to build this structure to hold the bones of the dead. Plague vicims were burned, and their bones piled-up inside the building. You can see the carvings of bones, skulls and grave-digger's tools in the wood of the buliding's courtyard.

Right before we left Rouen for Giverny, this is me next to the Church of Saint Eloi.

Happy Independence Day: A walk on my own, Carnavalet Museum, and The World Cup: France vs Germany

Paris' Hôtel De Ville. Every city has an Hôtel de Ville -- not a hotel, rather, it is the city hall. This is where the city's administration offices are located. The big screen was being set-up. For what? I'm not sure -- maybe the Coup de Monde (the World Cup for soccer). France vs Germany was going to be a big game tonight!

I thought it was nice that they had some American flags on the windows. I guess it was for our Independence Day

Coca Cola was handing-out little cans as a promotion. Aren't they adorable? Here, it is called "Un Coca."

Then, I visited a pet supply store for the project I'm doing for my French class (Dogs in Paris). Moustaches is the name of the store, in a posh area near BHV, a big upscale department store.

They even have a resident terrier mascott!

Then, I decided to walk (in the rain) to Carnavalet, the museum of Paris' History, which is housed in two ancient Parisian mansions. 

It has a beautiful courtyard, which was planted in ornamental and fruits and vegetables.

No photos allowed inside. There were rooms which were decorated as an old mansion would have traditionally been decorated. It is a fairly small museum (and free!), so I wasn't there very long.

The nearby Métro station, Saint Paul, is near the church for which it is named. Very pretty!

 

Tonight was the Coup du Monde (soccer, World Cup!) France vs. Germany. Allez Les Bleus, was the shout of the night! Our group met at a bar near Bastille, Yellow Mad Monkey. The place was PACKED!

Arab World Institute, Paris

Today, we met Pierre (our French professor from College of the Canyons, and a native Parisian) in small groups. He made it fun by giving each group a clue as to the meeting's location, rather than direct instructions. It was up to each of us to figure it our for ourselves and show-up on time. Our group was given a clue about "Mashrabiya" photovoltaiques by Jean Nouvel. 

A little sleuthing around the internet and I found the Arab World Institute in Paris. The front of this building is covered with these large windows that have modern, photovoltaic mechanisms which let light in, but close if it is too bright. Additionally, the designe echoes the ancient Arabic screens which serve as privacy screens, but are open to allow air circulation. Pretty cool! Architect Jean Nouvel has designed some really beautiful buildings around the world.

Nearby, we also visited the neighborhood that houses the largest Muslim Mosque in Paris. It is quite beautiful itself, with lots of colorful tiles inside. There is a very nice tea room here, complete with Middle Eastern pastries -- someday, maybe I will visit for lunch or mint tea and pastries!

There was a cool modern fountain in the nearby neighborhood. . .

Paris Catacombs and Musée d'Orsay

"Stop! Here is the empire of the dead." OK, this is the only photo I was able to get. It is pretty dark down here, and the tunnels kind of go on forever. The tunnels are dimly-lit, and the people taller than about 5'6" had to be careful to keep their heads down and not knock themselves out. This is no place for those who are tall or claustrophobic (or who get creeped-out by stacks and stacks of real human femurs and skulls)! Honestly, it was interesting to go down here, but the wait is pretty long to get in (we arrived at 9:20, it opens at 10, and we didn't get in until probably 10:30). Once you descend about 100 steep, narrow stairs, and you see the first stack of bones -- well, all the other stacks (millions of people's remains are here) are pretty much the same. I was glad our student cards got us in for free (otherwise, it is 10 Euros). I wouldn't recommend it.

A little interesting background: When the city was first being built, these tunnels were created as miners quarried the stones to make the buildings above. Eventually, they realized that, if they kept mining the stones, the city above would collapse and fall into the tunnels. They stopped that -- then realized that since the cemeteries were filling-up, they could dig-up the oldest graves and bring the bones down here for storage. Two birds, one stone!

Later that same day, we visited the Musée d'Orsay. . .

The lovely museum, Musée d'Orsay, is housed in what used to be a very beautiful train station. Built in 1900, it became a museum in 1986. Its collection showcases French art from 1848 to 1914, and it houses one of the best collections of Impressionist art in the world. This is my favorite museum in Paris -- maybe even the world.

I enjoyed lunch in their beautiful restaurant:  poached salmon atop a bed of pasta and peas in a lightcream   sauce. Dessert? Peach melba panna cotta and an espresso. Then, I was ready to enjoy some serious art! Unfortunately,  photos are not allowed in most of the collection. My favorites: Monet's haystacks and his turkeys!

The main hall houses some sculptures, including this miniature of the Statue of Liberty. The full-sized statue was a gift of friendship from France to the United States in 1886.

The museum's ultra-modern cafe, which is located next to a terrace where visitors can go outside for an amazing view of the Seine river, The Louvre, and Tuileries (and lots of Paris, as well).

One small corner of the Louvre across the Seine -- that museum is enormous!

Montmartre and La Basilique du Sacré Cœur in the distance.

A Visit to Versailles

Today is my birthday! Since I can't be with my family, I figure I can at least celebrate with a visit to Château de Versailles, the palace of the Sun King, Louis XIV. This palace was the center of French political power from 1682, when Louis XIV moved here from Paris, until the French Revolution in 1789.

I understand that much of the decor was stolen during the Revolution, but the Château has been faithfully redecorated to the time of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.  The rooms are filled with 18th Century (and earlier) furnishings, thick draperies hang at the windows and the walls are either painted or covered in velvet "wallpaper." 

Just a little crown moulding.

When Mark and I were here in March, 2008, there was hardly anyone visiting -- it was the off-season. Boy, it is so different in the summer! The hall of mirrors was jam-packed with sweaty, pushy tourists. I really couldn't get out of there fast enough.

One very small part of the vast, beautifully-maintained gardens. It amazes me that these gardens, complete with ponds and fountains, were designed hundreds of years ago.

Back in Paris, some friends celebrated my birthday with me, and we had a delicious dinner. The waiter was kind enough to put a birthday candle in my crêpe & ice cream dessert and they sang Happy Birthday to me. :) (left to right: Cindy and her daughter, Diana, me, Gladys and Phylise. I have been so lucky to make some sweet, smart, funny and kind new friends on this trip!)