Paris Day One- Friday, January 29th 2010
Today we woke up early, got ready, and headed to the metro at 9:00 to go to Sainte Chapelle. Before I begin talking about museums and cathedrals I want to mention something about the way I write. The purpose of this blog is to record my European experience both so I can remember my experience, inform people about my stay in Europe, and inform people about history, architecture, and art as well. What I learn I like to record, so throughout this blog I will probably write a few short sentences about what I already know about the architecture, person, or art both so I can inform and remember information in the future. Its very geeky in know, but its how I wrote journals, it’s the only why I know how to write, actually.
Sainte Chapelle
When we arrived to St. Chapelle we immediately bought a museum pass for two days which cost 32 euros. The pass was good for any museum in Paris- and best of all we could cut the long lines and go straight in. I would recommend buying a museum Paris as soon as you arrive to Paris- I found it to be a very good investment. One of the most stunning examples of gothic architecture in history is the Sainte Chapelle (meaning “Holy Chapel”) erected by King Louis IV in France to house a relic of the true cross and the Crown of Thorns. The stained glass windows are the most impressive attribute of the Cathedral, composing more than 600 square meters in area. The large windows were very uncommon and hard to achieve during this time- which is probably why this cathedral is so stunning. We were there for almost an hour, and we visited both the Upper Chapel and the Lower Chapel.
Musee d’Orsay
After the Sainte Chapelle Cathedral, we took the metro to the Musee d’Orsay, located on the left bank of the Seine. The museum was massive- it contained mostly French art dating from 1848 to 1915 and is well known for its impressionist masterpieces. We some many exhibits- including the Art Nouveau Revival and James Ensor. We saw many paintings and artwork by van Gogh, Manet, Mondrian, Renoir, and Courbet. I saw “The Olympia” by Manet- which was my favorite, and I also saw two dawings by Mondrian- another one of my favorite artists. The collection of artwork was impressive- including all the statues and the building itself.
Notre Dame Cathedral
The Notre Dame Cathedral was by far the most impressive building/Cathedral I’ve been to in my life so far. The amount of frescoes, artwork, mosaics, paintings, and sculptures is unbelievable. The project for the cathedral begin in 1163 and took almost 200 years to complete. We climbed to the very top of the Cathedral, which was 385 steps up- equivalent to 69 meters high. The view of Paris from the top of the cathedral is breath-taking. I literally felt like I could all of Paris from up there. I took many photos and videos too.. which are very much different than the experience itself. The Cathedral is known for its gothic style- with massive flying buttresses, gargoyles, vaulted arches, rose windows, continuous colonnades, and numerous galleries and chapels. I cant even begin to explain this structure- its massive columns and vaulted ceilings was an experience ill never forget. I am just beginning to understand why Paris is called the capital of Europe.
After we left the Notre Dame Cathedral in the late afternoon hours, we went to Subway which is a block away from the Cathedral. Haha It cost 9 euros for a meal- which isn’t bad considering how expensive all the other restaurants were in Paris. The ID truly had a very good schedule planned out- and I was very impressed. The rest of the day was devoted to the Louvre, which I had been anticipating sense I first found out I would be going to Paris..
The Louvre
When someone asks me how my experience at the Louvre was… I don’t know where to start. The Louvre was incredible, to say the least. The Louvre was one building that made me think that this whole experience is far from reality… almost a dream im in. Walking from room to room, gallery to gallery in The Louvre.. is like moving from the interior of one famous cathedral to the next. Each room had its own purpose- and you could tell years and years were devoted to the construction and design of the space. Everything from the frescoes and paintings on the walls to the statues and sculptures to the artwork defined each room- it wasn’t just the masterpieces that were in the Louvre- it was the Louvre itself. The architecture was stunning- especially the interior design. Perhaps my favorite part about the Lourve were Napoleons apartments- shich were rich with gold mosaics and fresoces, sculptures and gold, drapery and fabric, gold cabinetry, and every ceiling was composed of marvelous images usually of god and the saints in the heavens.
The 60,600 square meters that make up the Louvre are composed of over 300,000 works of art- it is the most visited museum in the world, and it is one of the worlds largest. The Louvre is a former royal palace located in the center of Paris between the Seine River and the Rue de Rivoli. Its central courtyard contains the glass pyramid- which is the entrance to the Lourve. It was originally a temporary structure completed in 1989 but it was loved so much that it was never disassembled. It is composed of many of the most famous masterpieces of ancient times- including the Mona Lisa- the most famous painting in the world. The work dates from the early 6th century B.C. all the way till the 19th century. The extensive amount of works is unbelievable- and very diverse- including Islam, Greek, ancient Egyptian, Roman, Etruscan, near eastern antiquities, Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. We were at the Louvre for nearly fours, and out of the 300,000 pieces of art, we probably only saw maybe 40-50,000. We did get to see some of the major artworks- including the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, and most of the ancient Egyptian, Roman, and Greek art. We didn’t even get to the northern wing of the building. In other words, we didn’t even get through half of the building. It was by far the largest building I’ve ever been too… and probably the largest building I will EVER go to…
Well that’s enough of the Louvre… I could honestly go on for pages describing it… it was by far my favorite part about Europe thus far. After we left the Louvre we went to a small restaurant (I forget the name) where I ordered Florence pizza (cheese pizza with chicken and oregano) and Crepe. Crepe was SO good! I got crepe with nutella (chocolate)- which is very popular in Europe, and vanilla icecream. So far, my favorite thing about the French is the Crepe… it is so delicious! The meal was around 20 euros, which is still on the cheap side for an entire meal. Most restaurants had entrees for 20-30 euros, desert for 8-12, and wine for 5-15 euros. Spending money can get out of hand if you’re not careful especially when you constantly have to buy metro passes to get around the city.
Tonight me, Colin, and Bryce spent a couple hours walking around Paris. We were looking for a place to go to and hang out, maybe drink a few beers.. but we everywhere was too expensive or too few people (who didn’t speak English) for our taste. Regardless, I had fun walking around France for a couple hours and taking in the moment. We got lost on the way back from wherever we went to.. and Colin was having trouble navigating through Paris. We asked numerous people (probably 10-15) where our hotel was (we had it circled on a map) and most of them didn’t know, but they were very nice regardless, and tried very hard to find out where we lived. We were walking for a very long time, but it’s all part of the experience I guess. So no, the French are not assholes! They are actually very nice.. which was good! Finally, we got back and Bryce slept on the floor. Big day tomorrow!
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