Paris and Northern France in 11 days
Paris
* River Seine Cruise
* Notre Dame Cathedral
* Le Louvre
We arrived Hôtel de l'Empereur two days earlier to see Paris on our own. The hotel was conveniently located near the Metro station and rue Cler market. The room had a Napoleon quote. This is our window view looking at Hôtel des Invalides, Napoleon’s resting place. The mob attacked it before they moved on to the Bastille on July 14, 1789.
We took the Seine cruise up and down the river.
The closer to the Cathedral, the older it gets, a showcase of history in urban spread.
Seine.MOV
Marching in Paris
The group of twenty-one Americans met with our guide Virginie and took the Metro to see the City Center. The walking tour provided a better sense of direction and feel of the city. Americans hung out at this bookstore in the early 1900’s like Hemingway. It helps to hum the tune of Gershwin’s “An American in Paris”
Can you tell who are local and who are tourists? The waiter saw us holding a Rick Steves book. He gave us a 10% discount. Rue Cler.
Notre Dame Cathedral
Standing here, Ile de la Cité (Island of the City) in front of Notre Dame gives a Big Bang perspective of Paris, the center of the universe. Charles and Louis (and the horse) remind us how France started.
A binocular helps to see things afar in a dim-light setting.
Look up, but you won’t see this magnificent scene here because this photo is a composite of twelve shots, a wild imagination. You don't need a fancy camera.
Le Louvre
The museum is huge and crowded. Make sure you have a museum pass to beat the horde. Virginie handed out Metro tickets and museum pass saving us many hours, merci !
The Louvre started as a fortress during Philippe Auguste, 13th c.
We will see the castle making in real time in Le Château Guédelon.
Your are here to see Venus de Milo and Mona Lisa.
Go there first, then enjoy the rest as time allows.
Venus de Milo
Mas has been carving human bodies for thirty years in woods.
He knows the difficulties to get the proportions right in a dynamic figure.
This sculptor must have meant his Venus to be seen from below (to look up), near, and from one direction.
The central photo shows her best. What do you think?
Mona Lisa
This is a war zone, shoving and elbowing.
Mona Lisa seems to be saying
" This is my 2,649,987,684 th people watch. I hate paparazzi."
Enjoy other da Vinci’s paintings nearby all by yourself.
Jacques-Louis David
At the Louvre you must prioritize. Genre, artists, time….
David (pronounced duh-vee) was one of them.
He painted many masterpieces.
Probably the most famous and controversial is Marat assassiné.
We made a short clip about Charlotte Corday who assassinated him at the height of The Reign of Terror. (Don’t miss “The French Revolution Through Art“)
He painted Marat, a fanatic publisher as a martyr.
The clean sheet is stained by sacred blood. No facial agony.
If you rotate the image, he resembles Jesus saying “I died for you.”
David (self portrait) had a sword scar in the cheek which severely impeded his speech.
Louis XVI granted David to lodge in the Louvre.
He married the Louvre contractor's daughter.
He looked like a royalist at this point but he became a member of the Committee of Public Safety and signed the death warrant of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
Ref: “Power of Art”, Simon Schama
The BBC series of DVD.
The life and art of Jacques Louis David was critically examined. Excellent.