23 novembre 2012
did this walk with cori, olivia, mallory, carine, and caitie.
i think this was both the coolest and most confusing walk that i have been on. for sure père-lachaise is a place that people should visit. it's beautiful and gray and kind of sad. but it's also so confusing. i can't even begin to tell you how turned around we got on those little streets (yes, this cemetery has streets). they're not very well labeled.
we saw soooo many graves of famous people. i can't even begin to remember all of them (thank goodness i have a list). i'm only going to talk about the ones that were the most impressionable for me!
georges seurat
ok so who doesn't love seurat? mr pointilism himself is buried in paris. his grave was awesome - it was the chapel kind, with a small stained glass window and name plates for all of his deceased family members. it was super cool because just the night before we were in the orsay looking at his pieces! crazy. i love how everything i do in paris is so connected.
georges-eugène haussmann
remember my grand bouelvards walk? and i talked about haussman who basically leveled paris and rebuilt it all for napoleon iii? yep. saw his grave. that was pretty fun.
so for this next grave to be fully appreciated, i have to back up. when we first entered père-lachaise, two guys walked up to us. they had kinda ratted hair, some grungy clothes. they looked like the nomad type, if you know what i mean. one of the two said to me, "hey, do you know where jimbo's grave is?" so i showed him on my map. he said they were from new jersey. i said i was from san francisco. he said, "oh yeah? what part of frisco? i've done the bumming around cali thing." it didn't surprise me. he then proceeded to ask, "isn't there someone else here who is pretty wild?" so i responded, "you mean oscar wilde?" (i found that ironic because i honestly don't think he meant to do that. at all.) anyway. back to jimbo.
jim morrison
jim morrison was a member of the doors, as we all know. for some reason, i was expecting his grave to be a whole lot more exciting than it was. the best part of it all, though, was the lovely harmonica version of light my fire. i was trying to figure out who it was, and surprise! it was my friends who had asked for directions. they had jumped the little fence around jimbo's grave and were playing the song in his memory. a small rock pilgrimage. honestly, it was the best thing i've ever seen.
a few days later, i saw harmonica boy in the marais. now you tell me, what are the chances of that actually happening? because i honestly have no idea what they would be. next to impossible, i'm assuming.
frederic chopin
this man was polish - born in warsaw - and lived in paris. he is one of the world's most well known composers. it was cool for me because i have now seen his two resting places - here at père-lachaise, and the church where his heart is buried in warsaw.
thédore géricault
this was kind of an epic grave. géricault is depicted as lounging across his grave, full sized, with his palette in his hand. there is also a low-relief of his piece raft of the medusa on his grave.
oscar wilde
one of my all time favorite quotes is by this guy. how can you not love a man who once said, "with freedom, books, flowers, and the moon, who could not be happy?" he also wrote pieces like the picture of dorian gray and the importance of being earnest (a personal fave). anyway. the tradition of this grave is to kiss it with freshly applied lipstick. but now there is a plexiglass guard around the whole thing so people can't actually kiss the grave itself.
holocaust memorials
these mean so much more to me, now that i have been to places like auschwitz and birkenau. i feel like i can more fully appreciate these memorials, now that i have a greater understanding of the pain and suffering that those who were murdered felt.
so anyone visiting paris...go to père-lachaise. it's like a fantasy land for ghosts. if i could put photos up on my blog, it would blow you all away (all 4 of you who read this, that is! :) ).
Showing posts with label paris walks journal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label paris walks journal. Show all posts
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
saint ouen's labyrinth : navigating the world's largest flea market
24 novembre 2012
took this walk with alicia, carine, and olivia.
this walk was super exciting. i didn't really have my book out to follow all of the instructions - we didn't want to seem like complete tourists. some of the markets were a little more sketch than we were expecting, but they were so fun!
we explored through multiple different marchés, the marché malassis, marché dauphine, marché des rosiers, marché serpette, and marché paul bert. my favorite one was the marché des rosiers. there were so many fun antique things - and some were even reasonably priced! it was a great place to find some souvenirs and presents :)
i loved this walk, mostly because we got to explore and see things that we wouldn't normally find in central paris. so many handmade and antique goods. it was also really great people watching. i loved being able to search through things at my own pace, and enjoy myself.
very fun walk!
took this walk with alicia, carine, and olivia.
this walk was super exciting. i didn't really have my book out to follow all of the instructions - we didn't want to seem like complete tourists. some of the markets were a little more sketch than we were expecting, but they were so fun!
we explored through multiple different marchés, the marché malassis, marché dauphine, marché des rosiers, marché serpette, and marché paul bert. my favorite one was the marché des rosiers. there were so many fun antique things - and some were even reasonably priced! it was a great place to find some souvenirs and presents :)
i loved this walk, mostly because we got to explore and see things that we wouldn't normally find in central paris. so many handmade and antique goods. it was also really great people watching. i loved being able to search through things at my own pace, and enjoy myself.
very fun walk!
Friday, November 23, 2012
time travel, tricks, and treats around saint-sulpice
23 novembre 2012
did this walk with alicia. surprised? you should be.
we started by walking past the first art deco hôtel built in paris called the lutetia. don't worry, if you want to spend a night there, it's only 2500 euros.
then we walked to the place alphonse deville. the buildings just kept getting older and older the farther we walked down the street. it was crazy! we started in 1720 and moved backwards from there. a little mindblowing to realize that these buildings are so old.
then we walked past the théâtre du vieux colombier. it was built in 1913 and then was renovated in 1993. from the théâtre, we could see saint-sulpice, which was cool! i guess its the church in the da vinci code...but i wouldn't know cause i've never read it. i know, i'm lame. ha.
we then took a little detour to pierre hermé, which was easily my favorite part of the whole walk. i know - i am a foodie. don't judge me. i just love my pastries, okay? you would, too, if you could taste these things. leash and i both got two pastries. and i may or may not have gotten some stuff to bring home for my family. i had an ispahan - raspberry macaron with whole raspberries in the center - and their signature macaron - passion fruit chocolate. SO HAPPY.
after our pastry stop, we made our way into saint-sulpice. it's the second largest church in paris, second to notre dame. the interieur is beautiful, and i could have happily stayed there for a while, just soaking it all in.
then we did some more walking through little side streets, discovering even older buildings! our last stop was l'abbaye saint-germain. it was built in the 6th century. THE SIXTH CENTURY. paris is so old, sometimes it's hard to comprehend. our book told us to go into the gardens and look around, but it was raining, so we were lame and skipped that part. plus, it really only looked like there were two trees and some mud, so it was alright.
this was a fun walk, especially the pierre hermé part. but i highly recommend that anyone visiting paris see saint-sulpice! it's pretty cool.
did this walk with alicia. surprised? you should be.
we started by walking past the first art deco hôtel built in paris called the lutetia. don't worry, if you want to spend a night there, it's only 2500 euros.
then we walked to the place alphonse deville. the buildings just kept getting older and older the farther we walked down the street. it was crazy! we started in 1720 and moved backwards from there. a little mindblowing to realize that these buildings are so old.
then we walked past the théâtre du vieux colombier. it was built in 1913 and then was renovated in 1993. from the théâtre, we could see saint-sulpice, which was cool! i guess its the church in the da vinci code...but i wouldn't know cause i've never read it. i know, i'm lame. ha.
we then took a little detour to pierre hermé, which was easily my favorite part of the whole walk. i know - i am a foodie. don't judge me. i just love my pastries, okay? you would, too, if you could taste these things. leash and i both got two pastries. and i may or may not have gotten some stuff to bring home for my family. i had an ispahan - raspberry macaron with whole raspberries in the center - and their signature macaron - passion fruit chocolate. SO HAPPY.
after our pastry stop, we made our way into saint-sulpice. it's the second largest church in paris, second to notre dame. the interieur is beautiful, and i could have happily stayed there for a while, just soaking it all in.
then we did some more walking through little side streets, discovering even older buildings! our last stop was l'abbaye saint-germain. it was built in the 6th century. THE SIXTH CENTURY. paris is so old, sometimes it's hard to comprehend. our book told us to go into the gardens and look around, but it was raining, so we were lame and skipped that part. plus, it really only looked like there were two trees and some mud, so it was alright.
this was a fun walk, especially the pierre hermé part. but i highly recommend that anyone visiting paris see saint-sulpice! it's pretty cool.
follow the money : palais royal, bourse, covered passages
23 novembre 2012
took this walk with alicia, as usual.
definitely my favorite part of this walk was the beginning at the louvre des antiquaires. it houses the finest and most expensive antique shops in paris. and i loved it. leash and i window shopped for quite a while. there is an amazing antique jewelry collection in there. i think that everyone should stop in, just for a look. it's incredible.
from there we made our way to the palais royal. these apartments used to house members of the royal family back under louis xiii. then the comédie-française was built there in the late 18th century. the comédie-française is the most important of france's national theaters. the apartments of the palais royal are now super ritzy apartments. there is a beautiful garden in the center of the building, and it was fun to walk through all the fallen leaves.
then it started raining.
we were supposed to go in the bibliothèque national || national library, but it's currently under construction, so that was sad.
we then found the la bourse, the french stock market. it's basically the equivalent of the new york stock exchange on wall street. outside was a fun little flea market. i didn't get anything, but i think alicia bought a ring. i can't remember haha.
after walking past the bourse, we found our ways into some covered passages that are awesome. they are all filled with shops of various sorts. annie, sage, alicia and i wandered through them for a good 45 minutes, browsing and enjoying ourselves. the passages we went through were called passage des panoramas and passage jouffrey. super fun!
took this walk with alicia, as usual.
definitely my favorite part of this walk was the beginning at the louvre des antiquaires. it houses the finest and most expensive antique shops in paris. and i loved it. leash and i window shopped for quite a while. there is an amazing antique jewelry collection in there. i think that everyone should stop in, just for a look. it's incredible.
from there we made our way to the palais royal. these apartments used to house members of the royal family back under louis xiii. then the comédie-française was built there in the late 18th century. the comédie-française is the most important of france's national theaters. the apartments of the palais royal are now super ritzy apartments. there is a beautiful garden in the center of the building, and it was fun to walk through all the fallen leaves.
then it started raining.
we were supposed to go in the bibliothèque national || national library, but it's currently under construction, so that was sad.
we then found the la bourse, the french stock market. it's basically the equivalent of the new york stock exchange on wall street. outside was a fun little flea market. i didn't get anything, but i think alicia bought a ring. i can't remember haha.
after walking past the bourse, we found our ways into some covered passages that are awesome. they are all filled with shops of various sorts. annie, sage, alicia and i wandered through them for a good 45 minutes, browsing and enjoying ourselves. the passages we went through were called passage des panoramas and passage jouffrey. super fun!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
sights and smells around the madeleine
14 novembre 2012
before we started this walk, alicia and i had to stop in gap to buy scarves. when we got out of the metro at the stop for the madeleine, i swear it was 17 times colder than when we left. and i left without a scarf. i should know by now to not do that here...and i've learned my lesson, i promise.
just outside of the madeleine is a little flower market. it smelled so pretty! i love the flower markets here in paris. they aren't as plentiful as i had imagined they would be, and they are nothing like the flower markets i saw when i was in poland (the polish are obsessed with flowers and use them for every occasion), but it was still pretty great.
the madeleine itself is a massive church. it has these monumental corinthian columns that surround it. it's pretty unusual for a christian church, but pretty fantastic.
when you step outside of the church, there are awesome views of place de la concorde and the dome of the invalides. it's so fun to be able to put together a little map of paris in my head and know where things go.
the next stop on our list of places to go was ladurée, which is a famous pastry shop. it's especially well known for it's macarons. they compete with pierre hermé to claim the best macarons in paris. i personally like pierre hermé better. but that's just me. we didn't get any pastries because...well i'm not sure why, now that i think about it. that was silly of us. oh well.
after hitting up ladurée (or not hitting it up, as the case may be), we went to the chapelle de l'assomption. it's not a super famous church at all...it's not very easily accessible to tourists. you don't really see it if you're not looking for it. leash and i stopped in for a minute. it was cool because they have a really large polish congregation that meets there, and we had just been in poland. however...it was completely under construction. as in scaffolding everywhere inside the chapel. and i don't think we were even supposed to be inside. so that was awkward.
after visiting the church, we went to the fragonard perfume museum. it is super tiny, and super smelly. now, i love a good perfume as much as the next person, but my nose was going crazy in this little place. it was fun to see all the different perfume bottles, and we enjoyed identifying some smells, but i had to get out of there before too long.
and that was the end of the walk! it was fun and short, and cold, oh, and smelly. but it was really fun!
before we started this walk, alicia and i had to stop in gap to buy scarves. when we got out of the metro at the stop for the madeleine, i swear it was 17 times colder than when we left. and i left without a scarf. i should know by now to not do that here...and i've learned my lesson, i promise.
just outside of the madeleine is a little flower market. it smelled so pretty! i love the flower markets here in paris. they aren't as plentiful as i had imagined they would be, and they are nothing like the flower markets i saw when i was in poland (the polish are obsessed with flowers and use them for every occasion), but it was still pretty great.
the madeleine itself is a massive church. it has these monumental corinthian columns that surround it. it's pretty unusual for a christian church, but pretty fantastic.
when you step outside of the church, there are awesome views of place de la concorde and the dome of the invalides. it's so fun to be able to put together a little map of paris in my head and know where things go.
the next stop on our list of places to go was ladurée, which is a famous pastry shop. it's especially well known for it's macarons. they compete with pierre hermé to claim the best macarons in paris. i personally like pierre hermé better. but that's just me. we didn't get any pastries because...well i'm not sure why, now that i think about it. that was silly of us. oh well.
after hitting up ladurée (or not hitting it up, as the case may be), we went to the chapelle de l'assomption. it's not a super famous church at all...it's not very easily accessible to tourists. you don't really see it if you're not looking for it. leash and i stopped in for a minute. it was cool because they have a really large polish congregation that meets there, and we had just been in poland. however...it was completely under construction. as in scaffolding everywhere inside the chapel. and i don't think we were even supposed to be inside. so that was awkward.
after visiting the church, we went to the fragonard perfume museum. it is super tiny, and super smelly. now, i love a good perfume as much as the next person, but my nose was going crazy in this little place. it was fun to see all the different perfume bottles, and we enjoyed identifying some smells, but i had to get out of there before too long.
and that was the end of the walk! it was fun and short, and cold, oh, and smelly. but it was really fun!
Monday, November 12, 2012
"i'm trying to tell you guys!!" || musée rodin, invalides, tour eiffel
13 novembre 2012
i took this walk with alicia, annie, and sage. it was one of the best walks! i mean, they're all great. but i loved this one because we got to talk the whole time. it was super fun.
we started this walk on the pont alexandre iii ||| alexander iii's bridge. this bridge is, of course, where anastasia killed rasputin once and for all by stepping on his talisman. "this is for my family! and this is for dmitri! and this? this is for YOU!" and then he dies all dramatically. good movie. you should watch it if you haven't seen it before. it's also the bridge that her father, nicholas ii, built to symbolize the friendship of russia and france. it's a very nice bridge.
after crossing the bridge, we walked over to the musée rodin. i am absolutely in love with that museum. i think we were there at the perfect time. the garden was cold, but it wasn't unbearable. the leaves were all yellow and were just beginning to fall on the ground. and of course, we had to stop at the thinker and take the classic "thinker" photo. the whole museum is inside a small château built in the 1720s. it's gorgeous. easily one of my top favorite museums in paris.
after visiting the musée rodin, we went to the hôtel des invalides. this huge building - part museum, part veteran's home - was built in the 1670s. the dôme of the invalides building was dedicated to the god mars during the revolution, and was later over-hauled by king louis-philippe because of political pressure. he had napoleon i's remains placed there. i have never seen a tomb quite so momentous. it was really quite ridiculous (and i mean that in the kindest way possible). one day when my blog lets me upload photos again, i will fix all of these posts and put in some photos. i'm really sorry it's not working. sometimes the internet really stinks.
anyway, part of the invalides has been tranformed into the musée de l'armée. it's also still used as a veteran's home, which i think is way awesome. the museum is really cool. and massive. it's filled with war artifacts. i think the thing that i will never forget about that museum was napoleon i's horse. yes, his horse. the french had that horse taxidermied after it died and it is on display. it was more than a little creepy. but also kinda cool. in a morbid sort of way.
another fact that is kind of horrifying is that during wwi, at the battle of verdun, the french lost more men in that single battle than america has ever lost in all of its foreign wars combined. pretty sobering. during the entire war, france lost over 4 million men. that was 11 percent of the entire population. it puts things into perspective - made me realize just how big of a scar this war left on france.
after visiting this museum, the walk led us over to the champ-de-mars in front of the eiffel tower. its where military exercises were conducted in the past and is now just a large park. we didn't go up to the top of the eiffel tower, though, because we've done that already with dr hurlbut and jennie for an fhe activity! that was super fun, and the views of paris are fantastic from the top.
the tower was originally built in 1889 for the exposition universelle to demonstrate france's engineering power. it was hated at first, and it was built to be removed, but it was saved because it functioned as a broadcasting tower. it has since become a symbol of paris and is now the most recognizable building in the world.
i took this walk with alicia, annie, and sage. it was one of the best walks! i mean, they're all great. but i loved this one because we got to talk the whole time. it was super fun.
we started this walk on the pont alexandre iii ||| alexander iii's bridge. this bridge is, of course, where anastasia killed rasputin once and for all by stepping on his talisman. "this is for my family! and this is for dmitri! and this? this is for YOU!" and then he dies all dramatically. good movie. you should watch it if you haven't seen it before. it's also the bridge that her father, nicholas ii, built to symbolize the friendship of russia and france. it's a very nice bridge.
after crossing the bridge, we walked over to the musée rodin. i am absolutely in love with that museum. i think we were there at the perfect time. the garden was cold, but it wasn't unbearable. the leaves were all yellow and were just beginning to fall on the ground. and of course, we had to stop at the thinker and take the classic "thinker" photo. the whole museum is inside a small château built in the 1720s. it's gorgeous. easily one of my top favorite museums in paris.
after visiting the musée rodin, we went to the hôtel des invalides. this huge building - part museum, part veteran's home - was built in the 1670s. the dôme of the invalides building was dedicated to the god mars during the revolution, and was later over-hauled by king louis-philippe because of political pressure. he had napoleon i's remains placed there. i have never seen a tomb quite so momentous. it was really quite ridiculous (and i mean that in the kindest way possible). one day when my blog lets me upload photos again, i will fix all of these posts and put in some photos. i'm really sorry it's not working. sometimes the internet really stinks.
anyway, part of the invalides has been tranformed into the musée de l'armée. it's also still used as a veteran's home, which i think is way awesome. the museum is really cool. and massive. it's filled with war artifacts. i think the thing that i will never forget about that museum was napoleon i's horse. yes, his horse. the french had that horse taxidermied after it died and it is on display. it was more than a little creepy. but also kinda cool. in a morbid sort of way.
another fact that is kind of horrifying is that during wwi, at the battle of verdun, the french lost more men in that single battle than america has ever lost in all of its foreign wars combined. pretty sobering. during the entire war, france lost over 4 million men. that was 11 percent of the entire population. it puts things into perspective - made me realize just how big of a scar this war left on france.
after visiting this museum, the walk led us over to the champ-de-mars in front of the eiffel tower. its where military exercises were conducted in the past and is now just a large park. we didn't go up to the top of the eiffel tower, though, because we've done that already with dr hurlbut and jennie for an fhe activity! that was super fun, and the views of paris are fantastic from the top.
the tower was originally built in 1889 for the exposition universelle to demonstrate france's engineering power. it was hated at first, and it was built to be removed, but it was saved because it functioned as a broadcasting tower. it has since become a symbol of paris and is now the most recognizable building in the world.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
montmartre
30 octobre 2012
i did this really fun walk with natey and alicia!
nate and i met up on line 12 and went to our metro stop at jules joffrin. alicia met us there and then we took the bus up to sacre coeur, the huge cathedral that overlooks all of paris.
from the basilica, there is the most amazing view of the entire city. i can't even get over it. it was so fun to look out over paris and pick out places that i know. it made me feel like i am beginning to understand this city. i can't say i understand it - not completely. i think that it would take years to even begin to understand it. it is so complex. my host mom says that even she doesn't know everything about it, and she has lived here her whole life (minus 15 years in nyc).
anyway. i feel like i'm finally beginning to understand this amazing city.
i loved being inside sacre coeur. it is such a massive church. it was built after the franco-prussian war of 1870, when france lost. it was a complete disaster. napoléon iii lost his power and was ultimately defeated at waterloo. (yes, click on that link, you won't be sorry.) ashley benning says that it is her favorite place in paris. i lit a little candle for her there :)
then we wandered into the église saint-pierre. it has been around since 1147. that is a long time, if you ask me.
we also found the place du tertre, which was a really fun little square where street artists sell their pieces. some of them weren't that impressive...but a lot of them i absolutely loved. i may or may not have bought a little tiny one for myself. i just couldn't resist!
we also found the musée du vieux monmartre, but we didn't get to go inside because it was closed (a lot of museums are closed on tuesdays - boo).
just a little ways away from the museum, there was a little vineyard. nothing too impressive, but a vineyard nonetheless. it was so awesome. it was a little piece of home for me in the middle of a big city. i loved it.
we saw lots of little places where people like gertrude stein and pablo picasso loved to hang out or eat. it reminded me of the movie midnight in paris. i wish i could have seen paris in those times. especially after seeing peoples' houses, like renoir and van gogh. i would have loved to casually run into either of them.
awe also found a park, with a statue of saint-denis holding his head. he was beheaded by the romans in the 3rd century, and legend has it that he carried his head down the north side of montmartre before collapsing. craaaaay craaaaaay. alicia and i played on the teeter-totter at the park. and then we went on it with natey, who flung us into the air. i feared for my life a couple of times and could not stop laughing. sometimes i think i am still five years old at heart. and when i say sometimes i really mean all the time.
we wandered around a few more streets, up and down some hills, and eventually we found the outdoor-dance-hall called moulin de la galette. renoir painted the piece, bal du moulin de la galette, from a dance here. it's in the orsay, and we actually looked at it a few weeks ago in our art history class! i love how everything here connects in all of our classes. it's so cool to actually SEE history as i am learning it. i love that about paris.
at the end our our walk, we found the moulin rouge. it wasn't part of the walk, but since it was only a few blocks away, we decided we needed to go see it. it wasn't anything super impressive - in my mind - but it had to be done because it's such an icon.
good walk! :)
sorry, still won't let me upload photos.
i did this really fun walk with natey and alicia!
nate and i met up on line 12 and went to our metro stop at jules joffrin. alicia met us there and then we took the bus up to sacre coeur, the huge cathedral that overlooks all of paris.
from the basilica, there is the most amazing view of the entire city. i can't even get over it. it was so fun to look out over paris and pick out places that i know. it made me feel like i am beginning to understand this city. i can't say i understand it - not completely. i think that it would take years to even begin to understand it. it is so complex. my host mom says that even she doesn't know everything about it, and she has lived here her whole life (minus 15 years in nyc).
anyway. i feel like i'm finally beginning to understand this amazing city.
i loved being inside sacre coeur. it is such a massive church. it was built after the franco-prussian war of 1870, when france lost. it was a complete disaster. napoléon iii lost his power and was ultimately defeated at waterloo. (yes, click on that link, you won't be sorry.) ashley benning says that it is her favorite place in paris. i lit a little candle for her there :)
then we wandered into the église saint-pierre. it has been around since 1147. that is a long time, if you ask me.
we also found the place du tertre, which was a really fun little square where street artists sell their pieces. some of them weren't that impressive...but a lot of them i absolutely loved. i may or may not have bought a little tiny one for myself. i just couldn't resist!
we also found the musée du vieux monmartre, but we didn't get to go inside because it was closed (a lot of museums are closed on tuesdays - boo).
just a little ways away from the museum, there was a little vineyard. nothing too impressive, but a vineyard nonetheless. it was so awesome. it was a little piece of home for me in the middle of a big city. i loved it.
we saw lots of little places where people like gertrude stein and pablo picasso loved to hang out or eat. it reminded me of the movie midnight in paris. i wish i could have seen paris in those times. especially after seeing peoples' houses, like renoir and van gogh. i would have loved to casually run into either of them.
awe also found a park, with a statue of saint-denis holding his head. he was beheaded by the romans in the 3rd century, and legend has it that he carried his head down the north side of montmartre before collapsing. craaaaay craaaaaay. alicia and i played on the teeter-totter at the park. and then we went on it with natey, who flung us into the air. i feared for my life a couple of times and could not stop laughing. sometimes i think i am still five years old at heart. and when i say sometimes i really mean all the time.
we wandered around a few more streets, up and down some hills, and eventually we found the outdoor-dance-hall called moulin de la galette. renoir painted the piece, bal du moulin de la galette, from a dance here. it's in the orsay, and we actually looked at it a few weeks ago in our art history class! i love how everything here connects in all of our classes. it's so cool to actually SEE history as i am learning it. i love that about paris.
at the end our our walk, we found the moulin rouge. it wasn't part of the walk, but since it was only a few blocks away, we decided we needed to go see it. it wasn't anything super impressive - in my mind - but it had to be done because it's such an icon.
good walk! :)
sorry, still won't let me upload photos.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
les grands boulevards || the grand boulevards
23 octobre 2012
yay grands boulevards!!
this walk was super cool. it's in a super ritzy part of paris. during napoléon iii's empire, he asked baron georges-eugène haussmann to help with the new layout of paris that napoléon had in mind. much of paris was leveled. a new network of streets and over 40,000 new buildings were erected. streets were widened, buildings were made equal. haussmann tried to keep things very uniform. when looking around paris, i can definitely tell the difference between haussmann's style and previous architecture. it's really cool to be able to see the difference between them.
this walk started on the boulevard haussmann, behind the opéra garnier. all the buildings are uniform. we found printemps, which is a departments store that is made up of several buildings connected by covered walkways. it's super fancy - i can't imagine the money people spend there! crazy! when we originally did this walk, it was october. i have since returned a few times and now there are christmas decorations in all the windows and the shops. so good. so happy. i like to walk through with my christmas music on. :)
the next main store we found was the galéries lafayette. it's very similar to printemps - several buildings connected. we went inside the store and went straight to the center of it. when i looked up to the ceiling, i saw the most amazing stained glass dome i have ever seen. it was so wonderful. i was obsessed.
after we explored the galéries lafayette, we went to the opéra garnier. we didn't go inside (we were waiting for phone calls from the airline about some tickets for our upcoming trip to rome), but i went inside later and it was amazing. such a breathtaking building. this building was originally built for opera, but it is mostly used today for ballet. the phantom of the opera is based in this building, and there really is lake under the opera house! it's really small, but it's there.
then we walked down the rue de la paix. it is lined with fancy shops like cartier. that was fun. we also saw the place vendôme, where people like chopin (who's heart is buried in warsaw - saw it when i went there!), puccini, danton, and john law. it wsa turned into a royal square later, and now it is private residences. the column in the middle of the square was erected in 1806 to celebrate napoléon's victory at austerlitz.
then we turned down rue saint-honoré. we went into l'église saint-roch. i knew i recognized this church - and it turns out it is the church where sasha's dad charley went to church when he lived in paris as a boy. i was here 5 years ago when we visted the de limurs! crazy. it has been so cool to be able to piece together where things were and understand paris for myself, instead of blindly following charley and gretchen around. i've loved it! anyway, this church was built in 1653 by louis xiv.
down the street, there is a statue of joan of arc just outside the tuileries gardens in the place de pyramides.
this was a fun walk! good times :)
yay grands boulevards!!
this walk was super cool. it's in a super ritzy part of paris. during napoléon iii's empire, he asked baron georges-eugène haussmann to help with the new layout of paris that napoléon had in mind. much of paris was leveled. a new network of streets and over 40,000 new buildings were erected. streets were widened, buildings were made equal. haussmann tried to keep things very uniform. when looking around paris, i can definitely tell the difference between haussmann's style and previous architecture. it's really cool to be able to see the difference between them.
this walk started on the boulevard haussmann, behind the opéra garnier. all the buildings are uniform. we found printemps, which is a departments store that is made up of several buildings connected by covered walkways. it's super fancy - i can't imagine the money people spend there! crazy! when we originally did this walk, it was october. i have since returned a few times and now there are christmas decorations in all the windows and the shops. so good. so happy. i like to walk through with my christmas music on. :)
the next main store we found was the galéries lafayette. it's very similar to printemps - several buildings connected. we went inside the store and went straight to the center of it. when i looked up to the ceiling, i saw the most amazing stained glass dome i have ever seen. it was so wonderful. i was obsessed.
after we explored the galéries lafayette, we went to the opéra garnier. we didn't go inside (we were waiting for phone calls from the airline about some tickets for our upcoming trip to rome), but i went inside later and it was amazing. such a breathtaking building. this building was originally built for opera, but it is mostly used today for ballet. the phantom of the opera is based in this building, and there really is lake under the opera house! it's really small, but it's there.
then we walked down the rue de la paix. it is lined with fancy shops like cartier. that was fun. we also saw the place vendôme, where people like chopin (who's heart is buried in warsaw - saw it when i went there!), puccini, danton, and john law. it wsa turned into a royal square later, and now it is private residences. the column in the middle of the square was erected in 1806 to celebrate napoléon's victory at austerlitz.
then we turned down rue saint-honoré. we went into l'église saint-roch. i knew i recognized this church - and it turns out it is the church where sasha's dad charley went to church when he lived in paris as a boy. i was here 5 years ago when we visted the de limurs! crazy. it has been so cool to be able to piece together where things were and understand paris for myself, instead of blindly following charley and gretchen around. i've loved it! anyway, this church was built in 1653 by louis xiv.
down the street, there is a statue of joan of arc just outside the tuileries gardens in the place de pyramides.
this was a fun walk! good times :)
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| galéries lafayette |
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| galéries lafayette |
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| adorable baby clothes on rue saint-honoré |
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| saint-roch |
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| cartier - the mother of all engagement rings. i hope any interested boys are taking note of this ring. |
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
la défense
16 octobre 2012
after finishing my marais walk, i met up with alicia at la défense for another walk! two in one day. i know, i am a little crazy. but it was fun.
this walk was the complete opposite of the marais walk. la défense is just outside of paris. it is a very modern area, full of sky scrapers.
we started this walk at the esplanade de la défense. from this view point, you can see straight down the champs-élysées to the arc de triomphe. it's fun, because the arc de triomphe lines up exactly with the grande arche, a marble office building that mirrors the arc de triomphe.
this area was super fun to walk around in. i almost felt like i was in space, it was so modern and different from the rest of paris. the more time i spent there, the more i liked it. it was just so surreal!
we found lots of cool art pieces, like the grande mosaïque, a mosaic fountain that is made up of 10 cylinders, and is possibly the largest mosaic in the world.
we also found le somnambule || the sleepwalker. this one creeped me out a little bit, but i still thought it was kinda cool.
my favorite piece that we found was the chiminée d'aératioin (the moretti tower). it is made up of 672 colored tubes. i loved the colors! it was so fun.
in the center of the square of the grande arche, there is a multi-colored fountain called the fontaine monumentale d'agam. it was super fun to watch the water shoot up from the fountain at different times.
there was even a building where it felt appropriate to take a "beam me up scotty" photo. alicia was kind enough to take one for me.
i really liked this area of paris. it is so different and foreign from anything i have seen in the heart of paris, but it was so fun! i loved the weirdness of it. and the fact that there was a mall at the end of the walk. where i bought some boots. i love those boots. :)
after finishing my marais walk, i met up with alicia at la défense for another walk! two in one day. i know, i am a little crazy. but it was fun.
this walk was the complete opposite of the marais walk. la défense is just outside of paris. it is a very modern area, full of sky scrapers.
we started this walk at the esplanade de la défense. from this view point, you can see straight down the champs-élysées to the arc de triomphe. it's fun, because the arc de triomphe lines up exactly with the grande arche, a marble office building that mirrors the arc de triomphe.
this area was super fun to walk around in. i almost felt like i was in space, it was so modern and different from the rest of paris. the more time i spent there, the more i liked it. it was just so surreal!
we found lots of cool art pieces, like the grande mosaïque, a mosaic fountain that is made up of 10 cylinders, and is possibly the largest mosaic in the world.
we also found le somnambule || the sleepwalker. this one creeped me out a little bit, but i still thought it was kinda cool.
my favorite piece that we found was the chiminée d'aératioin (the moretti tower). it is made up of 672 colored tubes. i loved the colors! it was so fun.
in the center of the square of the grande arche, there is a multi-colored fountain called the fontaine monumentale d'agam. it was super fun to watch the water shoot up from the fountain at different times.
there was even a building where it felt appropriate to take a "beam me up scotty" photo. alicia was kind enough to take one for me.
i really liked this area of paris. it is so different and foreign from anything i have seen in the heart of paris, but it was so fun! i loved the weirdness of it. and the fact that there was a mall at the end of the walk. where i bought some boots. i love those boots. :)
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| awkward selfie in a skyscraper window with the grande mosaïque in the background |
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| la grande mosaïque |
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| the sleepwalker |
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| chiminée d'aératioin. |
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| fontaine monumentale d'agam and the grande arche. |
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| i love la défense. |
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| alicia loves la défense. |
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| we both love la défense! |
marais walk 1
16 octobre, 2012
i think of all the walks i have done so far (and i am speaking after having done a lot), this walk was definitely my favorite. i did this walk all on my own, with no time constraints. i just let myself wander and explore and go where i wanted (while still following the map, of course).
just a little background - the marais is a neighborhood that was built upon reclaimed swampland. it was a very popular place to live until the revolution, when it fell into disrepair. it wasn't until andré malraux, the minister of art under charles de gaulle, saved it from destruction. now the marais is full of life. it contains parts of the 3rd and 4th arrondisements, the jewish quarter, and so much more.
this walk started at the seine. i walked from the seine to the hôtel de sens, which is the one of the oldest buildings in paris. it used to be the home of the archbishop of sens, and then the first wife of henry iv. now it contains la bibliothèque fourney || the fine arts library of paris.
then i turned down rue charlemagne. along this street, there was a part of the wall that philippe auguste built around 1200 to enclose and protect paris. it's just connected to a school. not a big deal, really, to go to school and hang out around this wall that was built 800 years ago.
then i turned down rue des jardins saint-paul, where i turned into a little courtyard called village saint-paul. because i did this walk on a tuesday, most of the shops in the courtyard were closed, but it was so cool. all the little shops were filled with knick-knacks and tchotchkes. i found one shop that had day of the dead skulls and i thought of my aunt maryn. it was really cool.
after wandering through the village, i turned down rue saint-paul. there were so many good antique shops on this street. i want to go back and wander some more, for sure. i stopped in a shop called "ew," which i found especially funny. it turned out to be the best little antique store EVER and i may or may not have picked up a few choice finds from there. so family members...be excited for christmas. :)
from ew, i took myself to l'église saint-paul saint-louis. this is a church that stands opposite the apartment that sasha and her family lived in while they were here in 2006-2007. for some reason, when we were visiting them, i never went into this church, even though it was right across the street. i can't believe i never went it...but i'm so glad i got the opportunity to come back! inside the church was awesome. it was painted and sculpted and wonderful.
after spending a good half hour in saint paul, i got myself a crêpe citron. i think those are my favorite crêpes. don't get me wrong, i love a good nutella crêpe as much as the next person (and sometimes i like it with bananas yum). but the citron...so good. the french take a crêpe, sprinkle some sugar (white, not powdered) on it, and add some lemon juice. it is soooo good.
i took myself and my crêpe citron to place des vosges, which is paris' oldest square. it was built by henry iv, who wanted to create an elegant square in the marais where people could walk around and where members of the royal court could hold public and private celebrations and parades. the houses surrounding the square were sold to nobility, and later to other people.
place number 6 of place des vosges was once the home of victor hugo. i went inside his apartment - now a free museum - and enjoyed my time there. i ran into a couple from salt lake who were on vacation, so we talked for a few minutes and recommended a few cool places to check out. i love americans :)
after visitng victor hugo's home, i went to musée carnavalet. on my way there, i talked to an old man who was selling art on the side of the street. we had an ENTIRE conversation IN FRENCH. it was like 10 minutes long. i ended up buying one of his pieces that he has had since 1985. he told me he wanted it to go to a good home and thought i would be good to it. that made me happy. the painting is kinda weird...but i kinda like weird, so it worked out nicely. i also got gelato at amorino, this really great gelato and waffle shop that is all around paris. i tried the speculoos and the passion fruit. i wandered in and out of a few more shops before entering the musée carnavalet.
the musée carnavalet is on rue de sévigné. it is such an awesome museum! the entire thing is housed in one home - the home of madame de sévigné, who is famous for writing witty letters about paris. now it is a museum that tells the history of paris. i have never been in such a museum. i vaguely remember coming to this museum with the de limur's back in '07, but a combination of jet lag and being a 14 year-old caused me to not pay too much attention the first time i was there. this time, i got myself completely lost. i am talking "couldn't find the exit and no one could help me find my way out because no one spoke english and i don't speak enough french to understand detailed directions" lost. it was a little frustrating to not have any idea how to find my way out...but i made it, eventually. besides getting lost, the museum was amazing. there was so much information it was a little overwhelming. if you go to the musée carnavalet, don't try and do it all in one day. but do it. you won't regret it :)
after visiting the musée carnavalet, i walked around outside a little more. i walked through the jardin georges cain, and saw some interesting sculptures. and i saw some cool hôtels, which aren't hotels in the sense of an american "hotel" where you can stay while on vacation. these hôtels are private residences.
this was such a fun walk. it reminded me so much of my family, probably because of all the antique shops and because the last time i was here 5 years ago, i was with them. it made me miss them. i think that is partly why i loved it so much - it reminded me of how much i love my family and of how excited i am to see them in person in a month! :)
i think of all the walks i have done so far (and i am speaking after having done a lot), this walk was definitely my favorite. i did this walk all on my own, with no time constraints. i just let myself wander and explore and go where i wanted (while still following the map, of course).
just a little background - the marais is a neighborhood that was built upon reclaimed swampland. it was a very popular place to live until the revolution, when it fell into disrepair. it wasn't until andré malraux, the minister of art under charles de gaulle, saved it from destruction. now the marais is full of life. it contains parts of the 3rd and 4th arrondisements, the jewish quarter, and so much more.
this walk started at the seine. i walked from the seine to the hôtel de sens, which is the one of the oldest buildings in paris. it used to be the home of the archbishop of sens, and then the first wife of henry iv. now it contains la bibliothèque fourney || the fine arts library of paris.
then i turned down rue charlemagne. along this street, there was a part of the wall that philippe auguste built around 1200 to enclose and protect paris. it's just connected to a school. not a big deal, really, to go to school and hang out around this wall that was built 800 years ago.
then i turned down rue des jardins saint-paul, where i turned into a little courtyard called village saint-paul. because i did this walk on a tuesday, most of the shops in the courtyard were closed, but it was so cool. all the little shops were filled with knick-knacks and tchotchkes. i found one shop that had day of the dead skulls and i thought of my aunt maryn. it was really cool.
after wandering through the village, i turned down rue saint-paul. there were so many good antique shops on this street. i want to go back and wander some more, for sure. i stopped in a shop called "ew," which i found especially funny. it turned out to be the best little antique store EVER and i may or may not have picked up a few choice finds from there. so family members...be excited for christmas. :)
from ew, i took myself to l'église saint-paul saint-louis. this is a church that stands opposite the apartment that sasha and her family lived in while they were here in 2006-2007. for some reason, when we were visiting them, i never went into this church, even though it was right across the street. i can't believe i never went it...but i'm so glad i got the opportunity to come back! inside the church was awesome. it was painted and sculpted and wonderful.
after spending a good half hour in saint paul, i got myself a crêpe citron. i think those are my favorite crêpes. don't get me wrong, i love a good nutella crêpe as much as the next person (and sometimes i like it with bananas yum). but the citron...so good. the french take a crêpe, sprinkle some sugar (white, not powdered) on it, and add some lemon juice. it is soooo good.
i took myself and my crêpe citron to place des vosges, which is paris' oldest square. it was built by henry iv, who wanted to create an elegant square in the marais where people could walk around and where members of the royal court could hold public and private celebrations and parades. the houses surrounding the square were sold to nobility, and later to other people.
place number 6 of place des vosges was once the home of victor hugo. i went inside his apartment - now a free museum - and enjoyed my time there. i ran into a couple from salt lake who were on vacation, so we talked for a few minutes and recommended a few cool places to check out. i love americans :)
after visitng victor hugo's home, i went to musée carnavalet. on my way there, i talked to an old man who was selling art on the side of the street. we had an ENTIRE conversation IN FRENCH. it was like 10 minutes long. i ended up buying one of his pieces that he has had since 1985. he told me he wanted it to go to a good home and thought i would be good to it. that made me happy. the painting is kinda weird...but i kinda like weird, so it worked out nicely. i also got gelato at amorino, this really great gelato and waffle shop that is all around paris. i tried the speculoos and the passion fruit. i wandered in and out of a few more shops before entering the musée carnavalet.
the musée carnavalet is on rue de sévigné. it is such an awesome museum! the entire thing is housed in one home - the home of madame de sévigné, who is famous for writing witty letters about paris. now it is a museum that tells the history of paris. i have never been in such a museum. i vaguely remember coming to this museum with the de limur's back in '07, but a combination of jet lag and being a 14 year-old caused me to not pay too much attention the first time i was there. this time, i got myself completely lost. i am talking "couldn't find the exit and no one could help me find my way out because no one spoke english and i don't speak enough french to understand detailed directions" lost. it was a little frustrating to not have any idea how to find my way out...but i made it, eventually. besides getting lost, the museum was amazing. there was so much information it was a little overwhelming. if you go to the musée carnavalet, don't try and do it all in one day. but do it. you won't regret it :)
after visiting the musée carnavalet, i walked around outside a little more. i walked through the jardin georges cain, and saw some interesting sculptures. and i saw some cool hôtels, which aren't hotels in the sense of an american "hotel" where you can stay while on vacation. these hôtels are private residences.
this was such a fun walk. it reminded me so much of my family, probably because of all the antique shops and because the last time i was here 5 years ago, i was with them. it made me miss them. i think that is partly why i loved it so much - it reminded me of how much i love my family and of how excited i am to see them in person in a month! :)
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| hôtel de sens |
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| wall built by philippe auguste |
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| skulls for auntie maryn! |
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| a fun tchotchke store |
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| ew |
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| blurry photo of ew. |
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| place des vosges |
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| victor hugo's house |
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| place des vosges from victor hugo's home |
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| a fun watch store |
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| saint paul |
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
place de la concorde
dates : 5 & 9 octobre, 2012
sage, annie, alicia, and i did this walk in two parts. partly because we didn't have enough time and partly because we felt so under-dressed. not an exaggeration. we had been serving lunch to the homeless earlier that day, so we were all in our grungy clothes haha. and we were in a pretty ritzy area, let me tell you what. i very much enjoyed it :)
we started our walk on the champs-elysées, and then crossed over to avenue de marigny, where we saw the théâtre marigny, which was designed by garnier in 1853. garnier later went on to design the famous opéra garnier - think : phantom of the opera.
after that, we saw multiple government buildings. i loved that none of them actually looked like government buildings. well, except for the security guards. ha. we saw the hôtel marigny (used for guests representing foreign governments), the ministry of the interior, and the palais de l'elysée (think : the french version of the white house).
we saw the palais de l'elysée better from rue faubourg saint-honoré. we were only allowed to walk on one side of the street because no one is allowed to walk on the sidewalk next to the president's house!
rue faubourg saint-honoré was fairly mind blowing. i have never seen so many designer stores all in one place. not to mention southeby's - the famous art auction house. i nearly peed my pants when i stepped foot in there. we really didn't get past the front door, but still. it was a magical place. trust me.
at one point, we were walking along the rue faubourg saint-honoré when suddenly there was money flying everywhere. it was very bizarre. i started picking up the bills and realized they were all 1,000 rubles each! we gave them back to the man who lost them (they fell out of his coat pocket), but it was seriously so weird. it wasn't really all that much money, considering the conversion rates, but seeing bills for 1,000 rubles flying in your face while you're walking down one of the most expensive streets in paris, dressed in grungy clothes? it's a really weird experience.
after crossing on to rue boissy d'anglais, we walked past two of the most exclusive hotels in paris, as well as the us embassy. it was all blocked off. apparently you can't just walk in, even if you are a us citizen.
then we made our way to the place de la concorde, which was originally built to commemorate louis xv. it is the huge square where marie antoinette, danton, and robespierre were all beheaded during the revolution. it's crazy to think that i stood where these people died. i've read about them all in text books, and i know that they lived...but now i am starting to think about them on a more personal level. they were real, they lived, they died. i stood where they once stood (and died). isn't that kinda cool?
we took a few minutes to look at the luxor obelisk, which was given as a gift to charles x in 1829 from mohammed ali, the egyptian governor. it is over 20,000 years old. say what?!
we then took a little stroll through the tuileries garden, which is a jardin a la française || traditional, symmetrical french garden.
super fun walk, over all! definitely one of the best :)
sage, annie, alicia, and i did this walk in two parts. partly because we didn't have enough time and partly because we felt so under-dressed. not an exaggeration. we had been serving lunch to the homeless earlier that day, so we were all in our grungy clothes haha. and we were in a pretty ritzy area, let me tell you what. i very much enjoyed it :)
we started our walk on the champs-elysées, and then crossed over to avenue de marigny, where we saw the théâtre marigny, which was designed by garnier in 1853. garnier later went on to design the famous opéra garnier - think : phantom of the opera.
after that, we saw multiple government buildings. i loved that none of them actually looked like government buildings. well, except for the security guards. ha. we saw the hôtel marigny (used for guests representing foreign governments), the ministry of the interior, and the palais de l'elysée (think : the french version of the white house).
we saw the palais de l'elysée better from rue faubourg saint-honoré. we were only allowed to walk on one side of the street because no one is allowed to walk on the sidewalk next to the president's house!
rue faubourg saint-honoré was fairly mind blowing. i have never seen so many designer stores all in one place. not to mention southeby's - the famous art auction house. i nearly peed my pants when i stepped foot in there. we really didn't get past the front door, but still. it was a magical place. trust me.
at one point, we were walking along the rue faubourg saint-honoré when suddenly there was money flying everywhere. it was very bizarre. i started picking up the bills and realized they were all 1,000 rubles each! we gave them back to the man who lost them (they fell out of his coat pocket), but it was seriously so weird. it wasn't really all that much money, considering the conversion rates, but seeing bills for 1,000 rubles flying in your face while you're walking down one of the most expensive streets in paris, dressed in grungy clothes? it's a really weird experience.
after crossing on to rue boissy d'anglais, we walked past two of the most exclusive hotels in paris, as well as the us embassy. it was all blocked off. apparently you can't just walk in, even if you are a us citizen.
then we made our way to the place de la concorde, which was originally built to commemorate louis xv. it is the huge square where marie antoinette, danton, and robespierre were all beheaded during the revolution. it's crazy to think that i stood where these people died. i've read about them all in text books, and i know that they lived...but now i am starting to think about them on a more personal level. they were real, they lived, they died. i stood where they once stood (and died). isn't that kinda cool?
we took a few minutes to look at the luxor obelisk, which was given as a gift to charles x in 1829 from mohammed ali, the egyptian governor. it is over 20,000 years old. say what?!
we then took a little stroll through the tuileries garden, which is a jardin a la française || traditional, symmetrical french garden.
super fun walk, over all! definitely one of the best :)
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| would you believe me if i told you this was a hair salon? |
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| oh that HAT! killed me. |
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| dear future husband, THIS. love, sydney |
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| sage, alicia, annie, and i in our grungy clothes in front of chanel. classy. |
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| sotheby's!! |
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| this was cool. it was in the tuileries garden. |
Sunday, October 7, 2012
la nuit blanche || the white night
date : 6 octobre, 2012
la nuit blanche is an annual all-night arts festival in paris. soooo cooooool, right?!
(ps this is counting as my "anti-walk" for my paris walks class because we did SO MUCH walking.)
so that night, annie, sage, alicia, and i made some ravioli chez annie & sage. then we bundled up (it was raining, boo) and trekked into paris for what we were planning on being a 3 hour adventure.
we explored a lot that night. like...a lot. anyway, we didn't actually really know what we were doing, if i'm being completely honest. we just liked walking around and seeing everyone who was out all night long.
we did see some art, though. we didn't get into any of the major museums (we didn't plan this out very well) but we DID get into some churches with some pretty cool installation pieces.
after that, we met up with maddie and nateybabes. and we decided to head over to the eiffel tower. and stay out all night until the first trains at 5 am.
we spent quite a bit of time at the eiffel tower. it was really pretty. and i needed to find a bathroom. good thing paris has public restrooms. (note sarcasm)
so then we got on the metro...and then we tried to transfer metros, but we were informed that it was closed. it was 2 am at this point.
so the only logical option is to walk from the arc de triomphe to our metro stop, châtelet, right? yes. that was the only logical option we could come up with.
we finally found refuge on the champs-élysées in a quickburger. we got french fries and i found a bathroom and we felt pretty happy about that.
then we walked and walked and walked and walked...for a really long time. we pretty much walked over half of metro line 1, if that gives you any idea. we walked from the arc de triomphe, down the champs-élysées, past place de la concorde, along the seine, by the louvre and palais royal, and finally ended up at châtelet at some time around 4:30 am. and we sat down in the station waiting for our train and i felt very happy to be sitting.
it was quite the adventure! i wish we had planned it out better and had gone into more of the museums...but it was still an awesome night! i will never forget it. dead serious. haha.
la nuit blanche is an annual all-night arts festival in paris. soooo cooooool, right?!
(ps this is counting as my "anti-walk" for my paris walks class because we did SO MUCH walking.)
so that night, annie, sage, alicia, and i made some ravioli chez annie & sage. then we bundled up (it was raining, boo) and trekked into paris for what we were planning on being a 3 hour adventure.
we explored a lot that night. like...a lot. anyway, we didn't actually really know what we were doing, if i'm being completely honest. we just liked walking around and seeing everyone who was out all night long.
we did see some art, though. we didn't get into any of the major museums (we didn't plan this out very well) but we DID get into some churches with some pretty cool installation pieces.
after that, we met up with maddie and nateybabes. and we decided to head over to the eiffel tower. and stay out all night until the first trains at 5 am.
we spent quite a bit of time at the eiffel tower. it was really pretty. and i needed to find a bathroom. good thing paris has public restrooms. (note sarcasm)
so then we got on the metro...and then we tried to transfer metros, but we were informed that it was closed. it was 2 am at this point.
so the only logical option is to walk from the arc de triomphe to our metro stop, châtelet, right? yes. that was the only logical option we could come up with.
we finally found refuge on the champs-élysées in a quickburger. we got french fries and i found a bathroom and we felt pretty happy about that.
then we walked and walked and walked and walked...for a really long time. we pretty much walked over half of metro line 1, if that gives you any idea. we walked from the arc de triomphe, down the champs-élysées, past place de la concorde, along the seine, by the louvre and palais royal, and finally ended up at châtelet at some time around 4:30 am. and we sat down in the station waiting for our train and i felt very happy to be sitting.
it was quite the adventure! i wish we had planned it out better and had gone into more of the museums...but it was still an awesome night! i will never forget it. dead serious. haha.
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| strolling along the seine |
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| alicia, annie, sage, and me in front of notre dame |
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| this was a cross made of broken screens of some sort |
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| me, sage, annie, maddie, alicia, and nateybabes in front of the louvre. this was like 3:30 am. |
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| 5 am. waiting for the train. |
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
jardin du luxembourg || luxembourg gardens
date: 2 octobre, 2012
i met up with alicia, annie, sage, nate, and noah at the montparnasse-bienvenue station. from there, we walked down boulevard du montparnasse, where we were able to see all the cafés were people like hemingway, fitzgerald, picasso, and others would hangout. that was pretty cool. it had me thinking about midnight in paris...i might just have to go to the hurlbut's and watch it again. definitely a good one.
from there we wandered down rue vavin. it was such a fun little street with boutiques, food, art, and at the end of the street, le jardin du luxembourg.
we made a detour to see the statue of alfred dreyfus, who was a jewish officer in the french army. he was convicted of treason in 1894 (falsely) and was finally pardoned after three trials. the dreyfus affair is still a touchy subject in france. this statue was originally intended to be placed at the école militaire, but was placed in the tuileries garden instead. later it was moved to this location. interesting story. it illustrates the pride of the french government, definitely.
we also made a detour and stopped at jean-paul hévin, one of the top chocolatiers in paris. and i was in heaven. seriously, this place is just gorgeous. i may have never been quite so happy as i was when i walked into that little chocolate shop. :)
after our stop at jean-paul hévin, we got to the jardin du luxembourg. i love this place. it was the perfect day; the sun was shining, the air was crisp, the leaves on all the trees were changing color, and there were still flowers in bloom. there are so many people who just spend their time in this garden (which is really more of a park - it's enormous). it's easily one of my favorite places in paris.
we got to see a mini statue of liberty, chestnut trees (one of the chestnuts fell on alicia's head...i may or may not have cried from laughing so hard), we saw statues, fountains, and p e o p l e. so many people, doing all kinds of things. my favorite people were the little old ladies and men, sitting in the chairs near the flowers or the fountains, just talking, reading, and soaking up the sun. what is your life, when you are free to spend your afternoon sitting in the jardin du luxembourg? i would very much like that to be my life, too.
the only bummer is that the orangerie wasn't open. ah, well. such is life.
in conclusion: i loved this place. i think i say that about every place i've been in paris, but seriously. if any of you readers (do people read this blog? haha) find yourselves in paris...go. don't ask any questions. just go. you will not be disappointed!
and don't forget to stop in jean-paul hévin. you won't be disappointed in that either.
i met up with alicia, annie, sage, nate, and noah at the montparnasse-bienvenue station. from there, we walked down boulevard du montparnasse, where we were able to see all the cafés were people like hemingway, fitzgerald, picasso, and others would hangout. that was pretty cool. it had me thinking about midnight in paris...i might just have to go to the hurlbut's and watch it again. definitely a good one.
from there we wandered down rue vavin. it was such a fun little street with boutiques, food, art, and at the end of the street, le jardin du luxembourg.
we made a detour to see the statue of alfred dreyfus, who was a jewish officer in the french army. he was convicted of treason in 1894 (falsely) and was finally pardoned after three trials. the dreyfus affair is still a touchy subject in france. this statue was originally intended to be placed at the école militaire, but was placed in the tuileries garden instead. later it was moved to this location. interesting story. it illustrates the pride of the french government, definitely.
we also made a detour and stopped at jean-paul hévin, one of the top chocolatiers in paris. and i was in heaven. seriously, this place is just gorgeous. i may have never been quite so happy as i was when i walked into that little chocolate shop. :)
after our stop at jean-paul hévin, we got to the jardin du luxembourg. i love this place. it was the perfect day; the sun was shining, the air was crisp, the leaves on all the trees were changing color, and there were still flowers in bloom. there are so many people who just spend their time in this garden (which is really more of a park - it's enormous). it's easily one of my favorite places in paris.
we got to see a mini statue of liberty, chestnut trees (one of the chestnuts fell on alicia's head...i may or may not have cried from laughing so hard), we saw statues, fountains, and p e o p l e. so many people, doing all kinds of things. my favorite people were the little old ladies and men, sitting in the chairs near the flowers or the fountains, just talking, reading, and soaking up the sun. what is your life, when you are free to spend your afternoon sitting in the jardin du luxembourg? i would very much like that to be my life, too.
the only bummer is that the orangerie wasn't open. ah, well. such is life.
in conclusion: i loved this place. i think i say that about every place i've been in paris, but seriously. if any of you readers (do people read this blog? haha) find yourselves in paris...go. don't ask any questions. just go. you will not be disappointed!
and don't forget to stop in jean-paul hévin. you won't be disappointed in that either.
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| the fancy little packets our chocolate came in |
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| sage, alicia, annie, nate, noah, me |
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| alicia, annie, sage, me. we're the cutest friends probably ever. |
Monday, September 24, 2012
le quartier latin : à la mode de carmela + gene || the latin quarter : carmela + gene style
on friday after french 202, a group of us decided to do another walking tour, this time of the latin quarter.
after eating another delicious falafel (yes, i had falafel two days in a row, and no, i am not ashamed) on rue de rosiers, we headed to our starting point at fontaine saint-michel.
as we were crossing the seine just before notre dame, an older couple was walking beside us and turned to me. they said, "are you american? where are you from?" i told them i was from california, but was in paris through a study abroad program with brigham young university. they said, "you must be voting for mitt. that's okay." i laughed. they asked what we were doing, and i explained our walking tours class to them. gene then asked me if they could join us. they seemed friendly and we were in a group, so i said, "why not?"
gene replied, "well thank god for brigham young and his students!"
and thus began our adventure through the latin quarter with carmela and gene sheridan of "boston. well actually cape code, but we're originally from new jersey, if you can't tell from our accents."
(oh, and it was raining so there won't be many photos...sorry guys!)
so after our stop at fontaine saint-michel, we headed to le théâtre de la huchette. it's such a little hole in the wall theater, i might not have noticed it unless i was actively looking for it. um, la cantatrice chauve and la leçon have had more shows than cats! or les misérables. did anyone even know that? because i haven't heard of either of those plays...i feel uncultured. but i didn't feel too bad, carmela didn't know them either.
after that, we we saw the narrowest street in paris, rue du chat-qui-pêche || fishing cat. gene took a photo of carmela here. i think this was about when they gave me their card.
then we found ourselves heading to l'église saint-séverin. this church is an awesome example of gothic architecture, not just because it has rose windows, pointed arches, and higher relief carving. it shows the transition between classic gothic to flamboyant gothic. i actually do have a photo of this to show you what i mean.
flamboyant gothic is the super duper fancy gothic - it was designed to look like flames. everything starts out larger and then decreases as it rises up, a technique to raise our eyes and also look like flames. awesome. in the first set of arches (left), you can see classic gothic. in the second set of arches (right), you can see flamboyant gothic.
from l'église saint-séverin, we headed down cour du commerce saint-andré to see le procope, the oldest café in paris. we took a group photo here. carmela took it for us. then she took one of all of us with her group camera. it cracked me up.
we got a little turned around and missed out on going to the recommended patisserie in the walk...but have no fear. i plan on finding that place and trying their chocolate religieuse.
then we browsed by some small art galleries on rue de seine for a little while until we found l'ecole des beaux-arts, the most prestigious fine arts school in france. it reminded me that i still needed to buy a sketchbook (which i ended up doing today, but that's another story).
then we found the institut de france, which houses l'académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres, l'académie des science, l'académie des beaux-arts, and l'académie des sciences morales et politiques. it also housed the academy française, which strictly maintained the french langauge for years.
we also explored the pont des arts, a bridge across the seine onto the île de la cité. it was a nice spot for viewing the île, but it was rainy and we were all tired so we moved on.
then we got to walk along the stairs and see pont neuf || new bridge, which is actually the oldest bridge in paris, dating back to 1606. it was completed under the rule of henry iv. the original was melted during the french revolution to make cannons, so this was recast in 1818. when we walked underneath it, we all made a wish. including carmela and gene. i will not be sharing my wish, because as we all know, that ruins the fun. :)
it was so fun getting to know carmela and gene. i think that was my favorite part of this walk (don't get mad, dr h!). they told me all about their children and their 19 year-old granddaughter (who had her passport stolen in paris last summer, dontcha know?). i learned about their bed and breakfast, and how they had been in paris only once before, and only for half a day. they were finally back for three weeks as a 25 year anniversary celebration. ("it's actually our 26th anniversary, but we're pretending we made it in time." i hope you're reading these quotes with a super thick jersey accent because that's how they definitely need to be read.) they were the sweetest couple! alicia and i are planning on sending them a postcard, for sure!
as for the latin quarter, i loved it. i loved the winding streets, the little shops, the art, and the vibe there. i'll definitely be back for some in depth exploration. i have my eye on a couple vintage jewelry shops that i'd like to play in!
after eating another delicious falafel (yes, i had falafel two days in a row, and no, i am not ashamed) on rue de rosiers, we headed to our starting point at fontaine saint-michel.
as we were crossing the seine just before notre dame, an older couple was walking beside us and turned to me. they said, "are you american? where are you from?" i told them i was from california, but was in paris through a study abroad program with brigham young university. they said, "you must be voting for mitt. that's okay." i laughed. they asked what we were doing, and i explained our walking tours class to them. gene then asked me if they could join us. they seemed friendly and we were in a group, so i said, "why not?"
gene replied, "well thank god for brigham young and his students!"
and thus began our adventure through the latin quarter with carmela and gene sheridan of "boston. well actually cape code, but we're originally from new jersey, if you can't tell from our accents."
(oh, and it was raining so there won't be many photos...sorry guys!)
so after our stop at fontaine saint-michel, we headed to le théâtre de la huchette. it's such a little hole in the wall theater, i might not have noticed it unless i was actively looking for it. um, la cantatrice chauve and la leçon have had more shows than cats! or les misérables. did anyone even know that? because i haven't heard of either of those plays...i feel uncultured. but i didn't feel too bad, carmela didn't know them either.
after that, we we saw the narrowest street in paris, rue du chat-qui-pêche || fishing cat. gene took a photo of carmela here. i think this was about when they gave me their card.
then we found ourselves heading to l'église saint-séverin. this church is an awesome example of gothic architecture, not just because it has rose windows, pointed arches, and higher relief carving. it shows the transition between classic gothic to flamboyant gothic. i actually do have a photo of this to show you what i mean.
 |
| not a great photo, i was planning on just using it for myself to study. ha. |
flamboyant gothic is the super duper fancy gothic - it was designed to look like flames. everything starts out larger and then decreases as it rises up, a technique to raise our eyes and also look like flames. awesome. in the first set of arches (left), you can see classic gothic. in the second set of arches (right), you can see flamboyant gothic.
from l'église saint-séverin, we headed down cour du commerce saint-andré to see le procope, the oldest café in paris. we took a group photo here. carmela took it for us. then she took one of all of us with her group camera. it cracked me up.
 |
| le procope. excuse the awkwardness that is my shirt. photo stolen from annie. |
then we browsed by some small art galleries on rue de seine for a little while until we found l'ecole des beaux-arts, the most prestigious fine arts school in france. it reminded me that i still needed to buy a sketchbook (which i ended up doing today, but that's another story).
then we found the institut de france, which houses l'académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres, l'académie des science, l'académie des beaux-arts, and l'académie des sciences morales et politiques. it also housed the academy française, which strictly maintained the french langauge for years.
we also explored the pont des arts, a bridge across the seine onto the île de la cité. it was a nice spot for viewing the île, but it was rainy and we were all tired so we moved on.
then we got to walk along the stairs and see pont neuf || new bridge, which is actually the oldest bridge in paris, dating back to 1606. it was completed under the rule of henry iv. the original was melted during the french revolution to make cannons, so this was recast in 1818. when we walked underneath it, we all made a wish. including carmela and gene. i will not be sharing my wish, because as we all know, that ruins the fun. :)
 |
| pont neuf. photo stolen from sage. |
as for the latin quarter, i loved it. i loved the winding streets, the little shops, the art, and the vibe there. i'll definitely be back for some in depth exploration. i have my eye on a couple vintage jewelry shops that i'd like to play in!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
dans lequel je mors et je vais au ciel || in which i die and go to heaven
today might have been one of the most perfect days of my life. i had 202, which was a bit of a doozy, i'll admit. we had 2 1/2 straight hours of french verb conjugation. phew. but it was actually really interesting and i'm glad we did it. i feel like after mapping it all out, i have a better handle on it.
now on to the really good stuff.
for our francophone culture class, we are doing a series of walking tours from a compilation of tours put together by byu professors. i did my first one today and i was so excited.
we started out our tour at hôtel de ville, which is the mayor's office. being the mayor of paris is a huuuuge deal. the building was originally built in the 16th century but was reconstructed in the 1800s in the same renaissance style. it's a really great building with a large square in front of it where there are all kinds of activities depending on the weather and season.
then we walked to a little park that i thought was going to be the mémorial de la déportation, which is a modern crypt that is dedicated in memory of the jews and other groups who were deported from france to concentration camps in wwii. but it wasn't. we played there for a few minutes and then went to the mémorial. i didn't take any photos here. it didn't feel right. it was such a dramatic place. the whole thing is right next to the seine and it is below ground level. we had to descend down a very narrow staircase into a central courtyard area. we were enclosed in high white walls with one little grate where we could see the river. inside the crypte there were little pearls (that's what they looked like) lining one passageway that stood for each person who lost their life. there were other passages that had cells we could look at. in the center of the crypt was the eternal flame - the light that will always burn in their memory.
after that we went to the notre dame. we didn't look around too much because dr h is going to take us on his own tour of it soon. i'm excited for that. it's such an amazing cathedral. no wonder it's such a popular tourist destination. i loved watching the people around me, seeing their jaws drop. paris really is a different place. i did not love watching the gypsies try and get money from the tourists. but that's life, right?
then we went to the crypte du parivs. this was an underground museum that showed some of the existing structures from the ancient city. the buildings there date back to the romans. crazy.
we also walked past a flower market that we went into and then past the palais de justice. this building is huge with this really ornate and gilded gateway. very impressive.
from there we went into the most amazing place. i have been waiting for years to see these cathedral in real life. sainte-chappelle. i heard of this cathedral a long time ago, and i had seen photos, but it was in my first semester of freshman year that i really learned about it in my art history class. i was so excited about it, i went so far as to spend an hour taking virtual tours of it after class. and sometimes i still do it. yep. i was obsessed. so when i tell you that walking into this cathedral brought tears to my eyes, i'm not even kidding one little bit. everything is painted. the entire chapel is filled with stained glass windows that soar above your head, easily 20 to 30 feet tall. cori and i were having the same problems. we could not even believe that we had actually made it to the cathedral that really made us interested in art history in the first place. it was kind of unreal and completely magical. it was the best date i have ever been on in my life :)
this walk really made me reflect on the value and importance of architecture here in paris. it is something that is cherished. it's a part of life, something that the people take care and effort to preserve. despite all the work it takes to maintain these buildings - all of them! - they do it because it's what makes it paris. i love that about the french culture - the importance of preservation of history. i think it's also a source of national pride for the french. it's that deep rooted pride i was talking about in my previous post. i love that difference between french and american culture and architecture. i've noticed it in my host mom's apartment, as well. everything has is so neat and tidy and well maintained because it is vintage. she works so hard to keep it all in working order, even though she could definitely modernize the entire place if she wanted to. it's the pride and the love of history and architecture that keep her doing what she does.
and sorry i'm not sorry about all the pictures.
now i'd like to move on a share a funny story. because it is funny and makes me laugh. ready? here it goes.
today at dinner, we had tuna with our rice. (i know, i'm eating way more fish than i bargained for.) anyway, olivia said something to madame about how her cat loves tuna. madame was so bewildered by the fact that cats in the eeuu (états unis || united states) eat tuna that she gave some to "petit chat." s/he ate all of it. i say "s/he" because no one knows. i don't even know if madame knows. anyway. moving on. about 10 minutes later, we were sitting at the table finishing our salads when the cat starts to throw up. s/he threw up all over the kitchen. and i had the hardest time controlling my laughter. how awkward and unfortunate. i almost peed my pants. the end! good story, right? maybe you had to be there, but i was (and still am) dying.
now on to the really good stuff.
for our francophone culture class, we are doing a series of walking tours from a compilation of tours put together by byu professors. i did my first one today and i was so excited.
we started out our tour at hôtel de ville, which is the mayor's office. being the mayor of paris is a huuuuge deal. the building was originally built in the 16th century but was reconstructed in the 1800s in the same renaissance style. it's a really great building with a large square in front of it where there are all kinds of activities depending on the weather and season.
then we walked to a little park that i thought was going to be the mémorial de la déportation, which is a modern crypt that is dedicated in memory of the jews and other groups who were deported from france to concentration camps in wwii. but it wasn't. we played there for a few minutes and then went to the mémorial. i didn't take any photos here. it didn't feel right. it was such a dramatic place. the whole thing is right next to the seine and it is below ground level. we had to descend down a very narrow staircase into a central courtyard area. we were enclosed in high white walls with one little grate where we could see the river. inside the crypte there were little pearls (that's what they looked like) lining one passageway that stood for each person who lost their life. there were other passages that had cells we could look at. in the center of the crypt was the eternal flame - the light that will always burn in their memory.
after that we went to the notre dame. we didn't look around too much because dr h is going to take us on his own tour of it soon. i'm excited for that. it's such an amazing cathedral. no wonder it's such a popular tourist destination. i loved watching the people around me, seeing their jaws drop. paris really is a different place. i did not love watching the gypsies try and get money from the tourists. but that's life, right?
then we went to the crypte du parivs. this was an underground museum that showed some of the existing structures from the ancient city. the buildings there date back to the romans. crazy.
we also walked past a flower market that we went into and then past the palais de justice. this building is huge with this really ornate and gilded gateway. very impressive.
from there we went into the most amazing place. i have been waiting for years to see these cathedral in real life. sainte-chappelle. i heard of this cathedral a long time ago, and i had seen photos, but it was in my first semester of freshman year that i really learned about it in my art history class. i was so excited about it, i went so far as to spend an hour taking virtual tours of it after class. and sometimes i still do it. yep. i was obsessed. so when i tell you that walking into this cathedral brought tears to my eyes, i'm not even kidding one little bit. everything is painted. the entire chapel is filled with stained glass windows that soar above your head, easily 20 to 30 feet tall. cori and i were having the same problems. we could not even believe that we had actually made it to the cathedral that really made us interested in art history in the first place. it was kind of unreal and completely magical. it was the best date i have ever been on in my life :)
this walk really made me reflect on the value and importance of architecture here in paris. it is something that is cherished. it's a part of life, something that the people take care and effort to preserve. despite all the work it takes to maintain these buildings - all of them! - they do it because it's what makes it paris. i love that about the french culture - the importance of preservation of history. i think it's also a source of national pride for the french. it's that deep rooted pride i was talking about in my previous post. i love that difference between french and american culture and architecture. i've noticed it in my host mom's apartment, as well. everything has is so neat and tidy and well maintained because it is vintage. she works so hard to keep it all in working order, even though she could definitely modernize the entire place if she wanted to. it's the pride and the love of history and architecture that keep her doing what she does.
and sorry i'm not sorry about all the pictures.
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| hôtel de ville |
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| fun graffiti |
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| there is a lot of this around notre dame |
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| on the roof of a building near the notre dame |
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| sainte-chappelle |
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| the altar at sainte-chappelle. i can't even. |
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| dream come true. |
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| examples of the painting. |
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| angels holding christ's crown of thorns |
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| the floor was even decorated. so fancy. they thought of everything. |
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| so pretty. |
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| me and cori. best date ever. |
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| from inside the palais de justice. |
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| liberté, égalité, fraternité || liberty, equality, brotherhood |
today at dinner, we had tuna with our rice. (i know, i'm eating way more fish than i bargained for.) anyway, olivia said something to madame about how her cat loves tuna. madame was so bewildered by the fact that cats in the eeuu (états unis || united states) eat tuna that she gave some to "petit chat." s/he ate all of it. i say "s/he" because no one knows. i don't even know if madame knows. anyway. moving on. about 10 minutes later, we were sitting at the table finishing our salads when the cat starts to throw up. s/he threw up all over the kitchen. and i had the hardest time controlling my laughter. how awkward and unfortunate. i almost peed my pants. the end! good story, right? maybe you had to be there, but i was (and still am) dying.
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