Paris Day 3 - June 3, 2007

On our final full day in Paris, we decided to go to the Musée du Louvre which was one of the things I was looking forward to doing the most. I love museums. I can get lost in them for hours. The Da Vinci Code is one of my favorite books...and if you've read it, then you know about all the things that take place here, as well as the two pyramids, the one where their two points meet (one being upside down)...I couldn't wait to see that! Oh, and the Mona Lisa of course ;-)

We started early...we managed to go on the one Sunday per month when entrance is free. So we expected a big crowd. And upon our arrival, it was so exciting...this is what I saw as we walked through the long entrance hall to main courtyard.

From way back you could see a pyramid. I couldn't wait to get through that entry way.

The courtyard was massive. There were all these pyramids. Not at all what I expected. I thought there was just the big one outside and the two I mentioned earlier inside.

Mom hiding her waddle again. LOL!

There were fountains everywhere. The Louvre is a former palace and is shaped like a U. In the middle is this massive courtyard with pyramids and fountains and it all doesn't seem to match at all, but seeing it, it really is brilliant and makes sense somehow.

And so we enter....so excited!

When you enter, you enter into the big pyramid. It is massive. Looking up was really cool.

It was so crowded that day as previously mentioned...ha...look at these people. But in the distance you can see the Winged Victory (Greek goddess Nike.)

She is so big and beautiful, no head and all. Her head is actually sitting just across the way. I waited here for at least 10 mins to get this shot without anyone else in the frame.



This was the first piece I really liked. I really liked the sculptures.

I'm not sure who these two are, butt I mean obviously they are gorgeous and so powerful looking.

They wouldn't let us take any photos at all of the major works of art - the French and Italian paintings, which I understand but sucks. So I have to display images I found on the web of the ones I really really really liked.

We did see the Mona Lisa. And I have to say it was super cool. But....I was a little disappointed. I'm sure there are lots of art people who say how great and wonderful it is, but I really didn't get it. Her eyes do follow you and one does wonder as you stand there what her grin is all about...but I wondered that before I actually saw it in person. Overall, she looks sad to me. Anyway, I saw so many others that were really SUPER amazing - the way they captured the light or made tears seem so real you could wipe them away. Here are some:

Photo Copyright Unknown.

Magdalen with the Night Light, Georges de la Tour. He has this amazing ability to capture light. I actually felt warm like the candle was real. If you are into the theory of of Jesus and Mary Magdalen having a child (a bloodline that remains), they say she is pregnant here.

Photo Copyright Unknown.

Christ Carrying the Cross, Lorenzo Lotto. This is the one that I just stared at for the longest time. I literally felt like I wanted to wipe his tears away with a cloth. The looked so real and so 3D. This was really amazing.

Photo Copyright Unknown.

The Death of Sardanapalus, Eugène Delacroix.

Okay, so this one I also stood and looked at for a long long time. It's a really large piece so its easy to get lost in. I felt like it was exciting to look at this painting in one way, but in another it is very sadistic. It is King Sardanapalus ordering his men to kill his wives, family and livestock and destroy his belongings rather than have them fall into the hands of his enemies. The look on his face is like he is reminiscing in his life's pleasures as he watches it all being destroyed. He doesn't seem sad or in pain at all. Almost like this is one final show for him - the pleasure of taking what's his forever away from everyone else. These pleasures are mine and you can't have them so fuck you.

Photo copyright unknown.

The Raft of the Medusa, Théodore Géricault.

This one I also looked at for awhile. I have to say I had a major blonde moment here....I saw "Medusa" and was trying to figure out where the lady with snakes for hair is or how she might figure into this one. Obviously there is nothing but agonizing pain, suffering and death. But it is actually the name of a ship that was wrecked at sea. Of the 149 passengers only 15 remained after 12 days. This is the depiction of what happened at sea and their survival.

Photo copyright unknown.

The Intervention of the Sabine Women, Jacques-Louis David.

When I saw this painting, what struck me most about this painting was the subject manner. In the middle of a battle between the Romans and the Sabines, the Sabine women held their children up in an attempt to stop the fighting or to create peace. It is a strong emotional position for me personally....at first I thought, wow, these women would sacrifice their children to stop the fighting and these men when they are fighting may be in such a zone as to not even care, but really I think it's more about creating and maintaining the peace for the sake of the children and their community, and the children being the ultimate symbol of that. Everything that is beautiful about this painting is the women and the children and their fierce love for one another, for everyone.

Photo copyright unknown.

The Burial of Atala, Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson.

When I look at this painting, I think of such a passionate, unwavering love in this man. And how much integrity this woman had to keep her word. This woman poisoned herself because of her vow to god to prevent herself from marrying the man she loved.

These were my overall favorites of the French and Italian paintings...there were so many that were so brilliant. Of course all of your usual suspects like da Vinci, Raphael and Rubens were wonderful to see in person.

Mom and I were STARVING at this point, it had been about 2.5 hours of non-stop walking and in my brilliance of wearing my favorite boots for two weeks straight, my feet were finally starting to hurt me...BAD.So as we went in search for a spot to have a fag, we saw a little outdoor cafe on the patio overlooking the courtyard. You could smoke there ;-) so we immediately got in line.Lunch was really yummy and the view was great. It was perfect for digesting what we just saw and discussing what we liked best and why.

This was the view from lunch. In the background is the big pyramid we entered via.

There was so much to see but we really could only pick two more areas to go through at most. So the next one we picked was Napoleon's Apartments. Here are photos from this area:

Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING is so opulently decorated. I sorta felt at times a little overwhelmed by it all. Like there was no were to rest except if you were to close your eyes. I like my reflection in the mirror..that's cool.

I liked this guy...so fierce. I wanted to stick my finger in his mouth but I was too scared (and also didn't want people to wonder what that crazy American was doing.) HA!

When I saw this sculpture, I really fell in love with it. I love the way the light is hitting his back. Reminds me of Frankie - the way I see him sometimes playing quietly.

This is the main room where he would have his court and other social gatherings. I could totally imagine the women all decked out in their puffy dresses sitting there talking and the men standing, and some pianist playing somewhere in the background.

Mom and her waddle again! LOL! So fucking funny.

The way its all golden and the candles (would have been) in the reflection in the mirror is sorta romantic. I like it.

The angels playing..

More angels or cherubs - sometimes its hard to tell the difference, i try to look for wings..so cute.

Can you see the end of the table? Seems to go on forever. This is where he'd have his dinners. My mother said that the servants would bring the women big pots and put it under their dress so they could pee when they had to...I think this is bullshit. She said they'd keep the pot under their chairs. Would really stink, no? I don't believe it.

Oh and his bed...notice the feathers at top. If they were moving I guess it would be a sign to the servants to either stay away or ? This bed was SO small in length. Hard to imagine anyone comfortably sleeping here.

And his royal chair...

Not the greatest photo, but when I saw this I thought of Frankie getting himself into all sorts of mischief. This vase was really super tall, like 5 ft. then you see this little one climbing into it...oh boy.

Just thought the heads were a bit strange and gave me the willies a little bit.

And then we decided to go sit down and here's this guy taking a nap! I couldn't believe it. At least he took off his shoes.

The last thing we decided to look at before we left was is the sculptures.

I really liked this one too...again, had to wait like 5-10 mins for everyone to get out of my frame!

I liked how these two are together. Good vibes.

This one is a trip. If you look under the hoods, they all have solemn, scary looking faces. Trippy!

And here is my mom trying to act like one of these guys now...we were starting to be a bit goofy. We are pretty much done, getting really tired. It's almost been 6 hours or so. But there is still a bit more to see.

And now all my favorite sculptures:

Yummmm

I have no idea who or what these were. There was no sign. But they all had 3 O'Clock on. Can anyone figure it out?

Yummm Yummm

This is Satyr and Bacchante, James Pradier. They say "brutal sensuality and sensuous intensity" when describing this one..ummm, hummm.

And then we left. I was so over it by now. I really want to go back and see more the next time I visit. So as we were leaving...guess what I saw?

The two pyramids I was looking forward to seeing. Was so excited about seeing this. I was disappointed that they were in the fucking mall, just didn't seem right. But alas, there was no farce. They are real. And it was cool to see them.

So then we went back to the hotel for a little R&R, then got up and ready to go back to the Latin Quarter for dinner. A friend of my mom's recommend this place called Chartier. So that is were we went.

There was a super long line waiting to get in. After about 25 minutes we were sat.

It was pretty warm in there for dinner. Apparently this place is super old..all of the artisans would come here for dinner back in the day. It sorta reminded me of a New York deli type of atmosphere. We were sat at a 4-top with another couple. This French guy and his Japanese girlfriend visiting from Tokyo. Thank gawd because he recommended dishes for us to try. Unfortunately, most of the ones he recommended were already sold out, so what we were left with was not that good in my opinion. He did recommend a nice wine, which was super good. Actually, the wine was great at all meals we had. The food, not so much. Anyway, our waiter was so gross. He was this big fat guy who was sweating all over, all the time. When he came to take our order, he stood behind mom and his sweat was dripping down on her. The look on my mom's face was priceless...the waiter was already sorta rude. She didn't say anything for fear of being neglected all together and we were starving so we had no choice but to tough it out. The French guy said this is not typical, but he didn't say anything either. I just hoped he didn't sweat drip into our food! So gross.

The French guy suggested we go to the Buddha Bar for dessert. I didn't know the Buddha Bar was in Paris! I love their CDs. I was super excited. We jumped the tube a couple stops and as we were walking down the street we saw these two...

I like how they are holding each other so tight and he has his face buried in her neck. But I think they are saying goodbye actually..he has a backpack on. Was he a backpacker who found love on his short jaunt through Paris? But actually I think his backpack is too small...he's probably just come on his motorcycle, late at night to see the woman he loves.

So we made it to the Buddha Bar. It was pretty dark there so my camera's shutter stayed open really long and it was hard to take photos. You have to hold the camera real still.

Our dessert was really great and Asian themed. Mine came in a bento box and looked like sushi!

Mom did much better taking the photo of me...it was hard to stay still for 30 seconds..Ha! This place was soo cool. I wish I could go back with my boyfriend and friends - I'm sure we'd have a great great time. At a certain point, a little bit later, they move all the tables for dinner so there is a big dance floor to boogie on.

We left after a little bit. It was sad going back to the hotel. We had to leave for London the next day...and then I would be going back to the states the day after. I really had a great time with my mom in London.

The next morning we got ourselves up and ready early, stored our bags with the concierge at the hotel and walked around for as long as we could. I tried so hard to find my next favorite pair of shoes but couldn't. I thought the shopping would be better in general...I must not have found the right places to go. However, I did find a great lingerie shop, Eres.

So we made our way back to the train station. Got ourselves settled on the train. We had a little bit of time so we went out to the platform to have a quick smoke.

As we were standing there, I looked through the train window and saw these two:

Just before I took this photo, they were kissing. It was the perfect last photo of Paris...two lovers kissing on the train as we were leaving. I got their attention and tried to motion for them to kiss again, but I'm pretty sure they thought I was nuts and so they gave me a weird smile and pretended I wasn't standing there anymore. Oh well. But this reminds me of my other favorite painting that I fell in love with when I was in Vienna a few years ago. It is The Kiss by Gustav Klimt. It is said The Kiss was inspired by a photo of a couple kissing through a train window as the train was pulling away.

Au revoir Paris!

xo

Paris Day 2 - June 2, 2007

So I realized on Day 1 that we just had to make certain decisions about what we were going to see. There is only so much we can do in 4 days (actually 3 full days). It was hard to cut things out.

Today we decided to go to Norte Dame. Our concierge advised us to go by train but we decided to go by bus so we could see as much of the city as possible. We took our bus 84 to the Panthéon, and the plan was to walk to Norte Dame which is only few blocks away.

The Pantheon was a very nice surprise. It is hard to comprehend on what a large scale these building are made. The ornate details and decorations are endless...there are so many special little pieces to pick out in your mind and remember. I seem to like the angels and cupids the most.

So this is the Pantheon. It is so incredibly huge. See how tiny the people look next to it?

Look at her staring down at all those who enter...

The doors in general in this city were so beautiful. I am a sucker for antique doors.

The natural lighting in these places is just amazing. Even with all the details and architecture you don't feel suffocated at all..there is so much space here. When I am in places like this, I can't help but to imagine all the people who were here before me. Especially in churches, the weddings and ceremonies and prayers for loved ones. How much hope and love and pain and loss and forgiveness is floating around here.

When I saw this pendulum right smack in the middle of the place here, I thought how odd. It seems so totally out of place. But part of the history of this monument is its dedication to the intellectuals of France. So this pendulum is to demonstrate the rotation of the earth. Pretty cool.

When I saw this statue, I loved her. She looks so strong, carefree and beautiful.

And when I saw this one, I felt admiration for the men of incredible strength who manage to hold up the incredible weight of their world, how there's strength when you don't have to do it alone. How it can even feel easy - look at the expression on the face of the guy on the right. He looks like he can hold it up forever.

There were so many beautiful paintings on the walls all around this monument (look in the background.) What's great about traveling to places like this for me, is that I get to see all these wonderful things...and I feel inspired to remain passionate and let go of all the small stuff that really doesn't matter.

And this one...that in the midst of grandeur or the cold aloneness, your good friends stand close and remain committed; so strong and present.

"Live Free or Die" , a statue dedicated to the French Revolution.

Under the Panthéon there is a HUGE, dimly lit world of crypts where many of France's great men and women are buried. It is very quiet there. This is what you see as you enter the crypt on your last step down.

This is Voltaire's crypt. There's a story that on his death bed, a priest tried to get him to renounce Satan. He is reported to have said "now, now, my dear man - this is not the time to be making enemies." How funny, and how French, is that?

This is one of the paintings I referred to earlier. How often do we get to fight for something we want so badly, we are willing to literally die for it? Not too much these days it seems.

When we were done, we were ready to eat. We found a nice little crêpes place a block away. You can see the Panthéon in the background. I got to talk to my mom and see her...and see this wonderful monument in the background. Digesting my food...and all the things I just experienced and felt. It was really great. If you have the chance, try crêpes with honey and lemon. It was divine. On a side note, my mother is so funny about her waddle (neck/chin skin/fat that hangs)...she would always try to "suck" it up/in when I took a photo of her...she is doing this now. We would laugh so hard afterwards.

After lunch we started on our journey to Norte Dame. Then I saw these two. What is so sweet that I don't really see much here in the states, is sometimes I would see lovers just embracing like this. I feel like this was just a random moment, they were walking down the street and decided to give each other some love. I think she has a smile on that we can't see. Look at how much it seems he loves her...he has his head snuggled into her and seems he feels so relaxed and comfortable there.

And then we saw Norte Dame. Another magnificent, incredibly huge building. Mom hiding her waddle..haha.

There were SO many tourists there that day. It was about 85 degrees out side, perfect blue skies. Sometimes the practical side of me appears and I think of things like, where do the heck do I go pee if I need to? There were no public bathroom around here. So if you visit this place, please remember to pee first.

I think of all the lovers I saw in Paris, these two were by far my favorite. They were most definitely on something, I presume Ecstasy. They were sitting just barely on the Zero Mile mark or Point Zero (behind them & pictured below) which marks the heart of Paris. How appropriate, no? They were just sitting there, not really talking, tracing something on the ground with a piece of paper and their hands. Firmly embraced and acting as one being. I wonder what they were writing.

This is the actual Point Zero marker.

As you enter Norte Dame I couldn't help but to marvel at the architecture, the shapes of things, and the statues. There is meaning in every bit of detail. It is overwhelming.

Look at all the symbolisms here. Every person or scene depicted was completely different. Wow. I think I stood here for at least ten minutes.

As you enter, on the right there are rows and rows of candles that were lit. So mom and I stopped to light candles for our loved ones in heaven and here on earth that have challenges, of various kinds, in their lives. I made a little prayer for each one of them.

There was some amazing beautiful stained glass here.

Look at how the natural light makes the cross seem like it is only light, nothing solid or concrete. Like it's just floating there.

And the starry night...

Now I'm not really sure if these two are lovers, like romantic partners, but you can see she loves him in the intensity of what she is explaining to him..it seems to be something they both care a lot about. And he seems to be looking forward, trying to see in the alter before him some kind of understanding of what she is talking about. They both look awfully tired and exhausted. He looks almost defeated the way he is slumped over...and they are just touching just enough from their shoulders to their feet in a way that seems it is all they can handle at the moment.

When were were done at Norte Dame, we headed to find more food. I saw lots of interesting things and lovers as we went on our way...

These two were cute...I didn't get the impression they smiled all that often. I noticed quite a bit with older couples that they really do seem to start to look like each other the longer they've been together. These two seem like they've been together a long time. Maybe too long. But she is leading him, and he is pulling her towards him just slightly, leaning on her. I wonder if they are looking for a toilet so he can pee...like I desperately needed to around this time.

Are they having a secret hard-on moment? Hum...although their heads and upper body seems slightly parted, their lower half is definitely locked tight. She has his ass tightly in her grasp..he is feeling her little waist...I really think this their attempt at some kind of camouflage that I captured! His expressionless face gives me the impression he is really focusing hard on something...

Now these two were funny. She was sitting there, chatting away, I presume trying to find out which way to go. He was just "lalalalalalala" not really paying attention. Just looking around, at the birds. But sadly, I thought they really don't seem connected...they both have their legs crossed. I think he just has her arm around her to passify her to make her think he is listening. It was a hot day..hopefully they just needed to rest and relax a little bit.

As we rounded the corner there were suddenly all these boys who seem like they were high school seniors just graduating! They were not shy about posing for me.

Okay, so these are the dog lovers..we saw them earlier. I think they are so alike they even share underwear! Same, clothes, same purse, same dogs, same pose or posture. So funny. I wonder if they just do it naturally or if she wipes his butt too. I'm thinking it's the latter. But he did seem really happy. And they liked that I took their photo.

We found this nice little outdoor cafe right in front of the Palais de Justice. The interesting thing is that in Paris, a lot of the cafe's have the tables situated so you sit side by side facing out towards the street, instead of on either side of the table, facing each other. It was really nice, it was in the shade. And they had a great toilet!

Our next mission was to visit La Sainte-Chapelle. This was one of many gorgeous tree-lined streets we passed during our time in Paris.

After we paid our entrance fee, look what I saw? More lovers...oh my god! They are everywhere!!! These two were matching too. Ahh, so cute. I know what I have on my mind most of the time, but I swear, there is something in the air here. I don't think much needs to be imagined about what they are thinking or feeling. It looks so great.

So this was my first look at La Sainte-Chapelle. It is a chapel that was built for the royal palace, beginning in 1246. It was built to house precious relics, such as the crown of thorns, among other famous artifacts from the Passion. A portion of the crown of thorns can still be seen here today, I believe on the first Friday of every month.

Look at that!

The chapel has two floor, this statue of Mary is what you see when you first walk into the first floor.

This is the first floor. Used only by the Palace staff for worship back in the day. By contrast to the Pantheon and Norte Dame, this chapel was very very small.

To get up to the second floor, you have to climb up a couple stories through this twisty tiny little stone staircase. Remember, this place began in the 13th Century, which means that everything you touch is hundreds of years old. The whole time I was walking up the staircase all I could think of was "how many people climbed these stairs before me?". And as I touched the sides and the walls I wondered if anyone ever put their hand right were mine were.

So this is now the AMAZING second floor...

La Sainte-Chapelle is regarded as the oldest and best example of stained glass artwork in the world. The intricacy and details and color are so amazing. The way the light comes in through the windows brings it all to life in the most brilliant way...and it all looks different the longer you are there and the light changes as it gets later in the day. So so cool. There is 6,456 sq ft of stained-glass here. The chapel is 139 feet high. This is a place you MUST visit when you go. The second floor was used exclusively for the King. There was a bridge connecting the chapel to the palace that no longer exists.

We just sat for a long long time, looking at everything. I swear I could stay here all day. You can see how old it all is. This is just so great to be here.

And these are all the little treasures I found....

These two are so blissfully happy and content looking...love it!

The floors were even gorgeous...

So we were done, and went to go back to the hotel to rest before dinner. Hello little birdie!

We rested then went back out to the Latin Quarters for dinner. We found a nice little place to eat. I was sad though...only the wine was consistently good to drink. If you go you really need someone who knows to tell you where to eat and what to order. Otherwise, not so good I'm afraid.

One the way home that night we took the tube....this is what the tunnel looks like. When I took this photo I could feel the wind blowing as the train was coming on the other side. Its a pretty cool feeling. I wish we had better public transportation here.

And when we transferred to our train, I saw these two...

I don't think he was too happy with me, hee hee. But she seemed super cool and down for me taking photos of them. Take it easy man!

Our last day in Paris was tomorrow, then only 2 days until it was time to go home States. It was bitter sweet to think of this..we had such a wonderful day. Paris is a place I could visit a dozen times and still fill my days with new things to see, learn and discover. Not to mention at least a dozen trips to head down south and explore the other parts of France. Oui oui.

xo
Jodi