Day Twenty Seven

On top of the Tower of Notre Dame overlooking Paris

Van Gogh

Art Nouveau Exhibition painting at Musee d' Orsay

Tuesday, February 2^nd 2010

Today was a very busy day.. and I only slept for an hour last night. I was in studio working on a project and updating my blog, talking on skype, and basically just procrastinating. Today we had a short Italian class due to a fingerprint screening meeting we all had to go to. In Sketching and Drawing we had an on site drawing to do. In studio Franchini gave group crits, which went a lot better than I expected. We have a final group board due on Thursday. After studio I went to the gym with Bryce to work out. At 8:00 the Paris group came over and we made dinner- pasta, garlic bread, and cake- it was very good! We exchanged photos, watched Paris videos, and watched TV and talked about the amazing trip. Tonight I went to see the Beatles again, but it was so packed that I only stayed for about a half an hour before I left to go up to studio yet again and work.

Day Twenty Six

The Eiffel Tower at Night

The Bell at the Notre Dame Cathedral

In Front of the Glass Pyramid at the Louvre

Monday, February 1^st 2010

Today I woke up at 10:50 and realized I had class in ten minutes… not a good start to the day. I don’t know how I did it, but I got to class only a minute late even though it takes almost ten minutes to walk to class. In Forces that Shape Cities today we went to Santa Croce where we talked about religion and the impact it had on in the rebirth of cities in the middle ages. Santa Croce used to be a “city within a city”- where the monasteries run by the bishop controlled the institutions and systems of the “citta”. Florence used to be composed of these monasteries or “cittas” back in the 13^th century when religion was the force that determined architecture and the way cities are built and function.

After class I worked on homework and tried to get caught up with school- which wasn’t very successful. I went to the gym and uploaded photos from Paris. Today seemed very fast, and I don’t feel like im ready for class tomorrow, which I’m not worried about.. I mean I went to Paris! It still doesn’t seem real… not a lot of people can say that they’ve been to Paris. The whole trip felt like a dream, like I wasn’t with reality. Now I just have to worry about waking up at 7:30 to go to 10 hours of class, without a break! Ugh. I hate Tuesdays and Thursdays!

Paris Day Three

The Arc de Triomphe

The Eiffel Tower

Paris Day Three- Sunday, Jan. 31^st 2010

Last day in Paris! So sad… I don’t want to leave, but I have to. Getting up today at 9:30 was very hard.. but 4 hours of sleep is nothing I’m not used to. The first thing we did after we stopped by a café was go to the Eiffel Tower in the morning. We took a lot of pictures and we were about to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, we were even waiting in line to go to the top for about 30 minutes but we left because the line was moving real slow. We were in a rush to go to the Arc de Triomphe- located in the center of Paris of the Place Charles de Gaulle. The arch is 49.5 m in height (162 ft.) and 45 m (150 ft.) wide. When we got there we were really confused because it was in the middle of a circle- literally 5-6 lanes of traffic were circling the monument with no cross walk. So without thinking much into it, we ran across the street and almost got hit by about 10 cars.. it was fun though- Europeans don’t get as pissed off as Americans do when you walk into the street. Later on we found out that there was an underground tunnel that had a gallery and a gift shop that you were supposed to take. Haha. After we saw the Arc de Triomphe we walked down the main street where we found many stores and restaurants- Louis Vuitton, Armani, Mercedes Benz, McDonalds, Ferrari, candy stores, watch stores, perfume stores, shoe stores, you name it. I found a very cheap black suit jacket that I bought for 30 euros- it was 70% off!

After shopping we took the metro back to the hotel, Bryce and I packed away our one bag of stuff and headed to the bus station with the girls where I bought a bus pass and boarded a bus shortly for the airport. The flight back to Pisa was okay, Bryce and I slept most of the time- even on the train ride back to Florence. My experience in Paris was perhaps one of the best experiences of my life- it was definitely the best weekend of my life. It was well worth the money, the lack of sleep, and the stress I am soon to embark when I get back to school. I hope oneday I get to visit Paris again. Now I see why Paris is called the capital of Europe.

“If you’re lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast” ~Ernest Hemingway

Paris Day Two

The Pompidou Museum

The Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailes

Paris Day Two- Saturday, January 30^th 2010

Today was again, perhaps one of the best days of my life. We woke up at 9, got ready and headed for The Palace of Versailles. We had to buy a more expensive metro pass because it was about 45 minutes away. Colin, Bryce, and me slept the whole way there.

The Palace of Versailles and the gardens of Versailles

The Palace of Versailles is located 16 miles SW of Paris- built for King Louis XIV in 1624. The entire site of Versailles is bigger than modern day Paris itself, and the island of Manhattan. More than 36,000 people were involved in the construction of the palace- and the country of France almost went broke because of the project. The construction of the palace cost equivalent to $2 billion dollars- which is a lot in the 17^th century. The famous hall of mirrors contains 17 chandeliers and 26 smaller ones and over 1000 candles. The chandeliers are made of solid silver. Taking over 27 years to constuct, Versailles used to be the king’s residence and the place for welcoming official foreign visitors along with growing diplomatic relations with other nations. It was the center of prosperity of France in that period. It is the place representing the splendor of high-class French art to the world. It is praised to be one of the Seven Wonders of modern world. The UNESCO selected the Palace of Versailles to be a World Heritage in 1979. It is presently the Museum on the History of France. Many consider Versailles to be the most beautiful palaces of the world.

The palace is truly stunning- every room and gallery had something new- and it had over 1000 portraits of King Louis XIV of france- riding horses, posing in his palace, in the heavens, with gods, and at war. Its hard to believe that one palace was devoted to one person (of course many kings lived in the palace) and that the entire palace was constructed of high grade marbles. Like the Louvre, this was by far when of the largest buildings I’ve ever been to- by far the biggest palace.

After we walked through the palace we walked outside to the gardens of Versailles. The gardens extended for miles- composed of the a spectacular landscape extending into the horizon- lakes, trees, a fountains, and vegetation made up the landscape. It was definitely a sight to remember. Professor Frederick would be proud of me if he found out that I visited the gardens of Versailles. We went out into the forest of the garden- we found an open field where we ran around for a while, away from the tourists and commotion, made a couple videos, and took pictures of ourselves pretending to be a statue on stone podiums that were located throughout the gardens. It was a lot of fun! Colin didn’t want to leave, but we had to keep going and go see the Pompidou Museum!

The Pompidou Museum

After we left Versailles we headed over to the Pompidou Centre, which is one of my favorite buildings. Designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano and constructed from 1971-1977, the building is designed in the style of high-tech architecture. It has the largest modern art collection in all of Europe. The New York Times noted that the design of the Centre "turned the architecture world upside down" and that "Mr. Rogers (british architect working with Piano) earned a reputation as a high-tech iconoclast with the completion of the 1977 Pompidou Centre, with its exposed skeleton of brightly colored tubes for mechanical systems. The Pritzker jury said the Pompidou “revolutionized museums, transforming what had once been elite monuments into popular places of social and cultural exchange, woven into the heart of the city.

The modern art collection was very interesting- chairs, paintings, sculptures, videos, pictures, and tables could be found throughout the museum all in various styles of modern art. I found some of the themes to be very weird- some of the videos were crazy, and anyone who has ever been their knows what im talking about. We went to the top of the Centre and took pictures of Paris just before nighttime. Later on, we got pictures of the museum from outside at night when it was light up (very cool!). What I like most about the Pompidou Centre is the way Piano directed circulation. In order to get to the top-most floors where the galleries were, you had to go up a series of escalators that ran up the façade of the building- which were glass tubes- meaning you were visible from the outside. So people looking at the building were able to see the circulation and the mechanical systems of the building- instead of the buildings façade acting as an envelope, it acted as an exposure to all the technical and mechanical systems that make a uilding function.

The Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower- the largest building in Paris, engineered and named after Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 World’s Fair. The iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris has become a global icon of France and is one of the most recognizable structures in the world. The tower is 324 m tall, or 1,063 feet- the same height as an 81 story building. It was the tallest structure in the world after its completion until 1930 when the Chrysler Building in NYC was completed.

We visited the Eiffel tower tonight- we had to take the metro there after the Pompidou. At night, they light up the tower- at one point it sparkles with hundreds of white strobe lights- very cool! The Eiffel tower is just so massive and I can only imagine how Eiffel was able to design a tower so tall in the 19^th century- when large commercial cranes were absent from building design. We took a lot of pictures in front of the tower and went under it as well- by this time you couldn’t go up the tower, it was pretty late.

After we saw the Eiffel Tower we decided to go to one fancy restaurant in Paris before we left- so we found a restaurant in Chatalet called the Chatalet Restaurant actually. We got some very fine wine and I got marinated chicken on a skew, rice, and for dessert: a caramel apple on tart dessert with caramel syrup. Lets just say that it was very delicious! Of course it better be, because it cost 30 euros. After we left the Chatalet Colin and I went to a club called “CAB” which is the most popular club in Paris- located UNDER the louver. It was very classy and packed with probably over a thousand people. It had plenty of rooms, open to one another- dimly lit with couches and tables; about 5-6 dance floors and a very good DJ. I loved how they play American music in Europe and all the Europeans love it. They go crazy over music from Britney Spears and Lady Gaga. Drinks were way too expensive- a beer was 15 euros. I went the whole night only paying the cover charge (20) and coat check, and it was well worth it- we were their until 4:30 in the morning and people were still being let in! The club didn’t close until 6- even walking home we found many people still out. We tried to get a taxi, but we didn’t have any luck. Out of all the cars driving, about half were taxis, and not one of them stopped for us when we tried to wave them down- so we had to walk an hour and a half back to the hotel. Ohh well, at least we saved money! On the way back I found a street vendor selling crepe for 2.50 euros so of course I got some, I was starving. Allow me to emphasize again that I love crepe- its so good! Bryce and I fly back to Florence tomorrow so we have one more afternoon in Paris before we have to leave… I don’t want to leave this place.

Paris Day One

Van Gogh

On Top of the Tower in the Notre Dame Cathedral

Saint Chapelle Cathedral

Paris Day One- Friday, January 29^th 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 6^th century B.C. all the way till the 19^th 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!

Arriving in Paris

Arriving in Paris- Thursday Jan. 28^th 2010

Today is the day I leave for Paris! I woke up today early to get ready and go to the school and figure out my flight situation- not to mention I had an Italian test to study for, that I barely got to study last night. I got to the school 10 minutes early only to find no one in the office. The test in Italian today was fairly easy- I am kinda glad I didn’t spend too many hours studying for it. We did an extensive review before the test that was similar to the test- which helped out a lot. In sketching and drawing we went to the Duomo to sketch the interior. My drawing was going very well for about an hour until one of the professors came up to the bench I was sitting at and critiqued my work. He spent the next hour showing me how to draw in perspective. After messing up about 5-6 times, he finally finished with a drawing that didn’t look complete at all- literally a sketch, that seemed similar to mine. I’m just hoping that the reason why he spent so much time drawing in my sketchbook was because he thought I had potential- at least that’s what id like to think. He seemed very interesting in my drawing- and out of the 80+ students in the room, he spent almost half of the class talking to me… After sketching and drawing I went to see Carla about my flight problems- and after getting ahold of someone finally at a reservation office for Ryan Air I was able to pay for the flight schedule change and finally confirm the flights and print my boarding passes!

In History of Italian Art we went to Santa Croce, where we were given headsets in order to hear Rocky better. The inside of Santa Croce is enormous- with over 200 tombs, the church is dedicated to St. Francis. Michelangelo, Giotto, Dante, and many more historical figures were buried here. We learned about the meaning behind the church, the architecture, relics, statues, and some of the artwork and frescoes appearing on the walls inside- stuff that intrigues me very mich and I could go on and on taking about it… but doing so would take too long. Perhaps one of the most interesting facts I learned was the fact that St. Francis never wanted any artwork, statues, or stained glass windows in the church because the house of God should be concerned as a religious space were one should pray in total isolation from materiality- one trait that defines a true Franciscan in the medieval ages. However, when you go into the church it is full of these material relics and symbols- which they began acquiring only 70 years after St. Francis passed away. Interesting to me at least… the marble façade was added in the 19^th century.

Today was the first official day of Urban Design. Prof. Ponsi spent most of the class talking about his projects and watercolor paintings he did… which is okay, but I found it unnecessary for the subject matter. Plus, I was too excited for Paris. When studio came around, I was only able to stay for a few minutes before I had to leave to meet up with Colin and Bryce at the Duomo to go to the train station to leave for Paris. I grabbed a slice of pizza on the way there, met up with them and left shortly for the train station.

The train ride to Pisa was an hour and a half long- we got to Pisa around 5:00. I slept most of the ride- in fact, I slept most of the travel on the way to Paris. Hahaha (I was tired from staying up late studying and getting ready for Paris) We met up with the three ID girls who were going with us: Katie, Katie, and Rachel, who I found out soon were very nice and organized- they were very prepared for the trip (Bryce and I felt like the tag-alongs). The flight from Pisa to Paris was okay… we flew from Ryan Air- which isn’t the best airline in the world- but its cheap so I cant complain. My ears popped a lot, and I got a splitting headache but I slept most of the flight, so it was all good. I read “The Lost Symbol” on the plane and on the train. When we got to Paris we had to take a bus to downtown Paris which was about an hour and ten minutes. Tickets were 14 euros one way. Around midnight we arrived to Paris where we had to buy tickets for the metro (which we got lost finding haha) to our hotel. We finally got to our hotel around 1:00 in the morning- it was a small room with one bed for the three of us- me, Bryce, and Colin. We agreed that one person would sleep on the floor everynight- hey, that’s the price you have to pay when you book a cheap hotel for 2 people and take three. Regardless, it was good enough for us and we weren’t ever going to be their. Shortly after we arrived to our hotel we left to get food- we were all starving from all the traveling. We food a Chinese restaurant about 10 minutes away that was still open. They didn’t speak any English- and only Rachel knew some French, so we had to rely on her for a lot of translations. Food in Paris is actually quite expensive- at least more expensive than Florence. But I reckon we found the least expensive restaurant around that was still open- out of the 10+ menus we checked, most meals seemed to be over 20 euros. We got Chinese for 10, that’s good enough for me. It wasn’t the greatest food in the world, but I was satisfied.

Tonight I experienced a fraction of Paris, if that. The streets are a lot wider than Florence, there are by far a lot more places to see and stuff to do- with both modern and classical architecture. The city is still dense, regardless- just like most of Europe. We bought some European beer on the way back, and celebrated just before we went to sleep.. I already knew this was going to be the best weekend of my life… and we’ve only been here for a couple hours.

Day Twenty One

Wednesday Jan. 27^th 2010

Today I was very busy. I tried to get as much done as I could before I leave to go to Paris tomorrow- which im really excited for! I worked out today at SWAN for the last time until next Monday. Most of the day was a hassle. I found out that the group I’m traveling with is leaving for Paris tomorrow on Thursday at 6:45 and my flight is scheduled for Friday at 3:20- so I would be missing an entire day of events. When Bryce and I booked our flight about a week ago we booked it according to the Flight number- which isn’t specific to the exact day and time of departure I guess- and I learned that the hard way. Our flight 9976 was the same flight as the one that left on Thursday. So in order to get it changed I had to pay 65 euros- which was the hassle. My payment was declined twice and the reservation office was closed when I tried calling multiple times. On top of that, I couldn’t get ahold of my parents to check with the bank and a travel agency on what the problem could possibly be. Tomorrow I’ll have to speak with an advisor at kent to see what the problem is. Regardless, I am very excited to go to Paris. I didn’t do studio tonight because I am going to have to miss studio tomorrow because we are meeting at the Duomo at 3:30 to take a train from Florence to Pisa. I packed a few things, because I am only taking a carry-on to Paris- my laptop, some dress shirts, ties, my book, and an extra jacket. I will be going to Paris with 5 other people- Bryce, Colin, and 3 ID girls: Katie, Katie, and Rachel, who have made a very impressive iternary for the trip. We will be going to Notre Dame, St. Chapelle, The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Pompidou Museum, The Palace of Versaille, and a few other places. I hope we have time to go everywhere- it is truly a trip I am looking forward to- and if everything goes smoothly with the reservation center, I will be leaving for Paris tomorrow afternoon! Now I just got to worry about studying for this test in Italian tomorrow… ugh.