I have been very busy since I last wrote - trying to squeeze in everything I can into my remaining time here in Paris. In addition to my usual activities, I've also been working my way through the items left on my Paris list I wrote about before...so here's the updated version!
Le Panthéon
My first stop was to visit the Panthéon - named for and designed after the Pantheon in Rome. It is an absolutely beautiful building containing paintings documenting the lives of Clovis (the first king of the Francs), Jeanne d'Arc, St. Louis (aka King Louis IX), St. Genevieve (patron saint of Paris), and others, the famous Foucault's pendulum, and a memorial for all of the writers who died fighting in the World Wars. What it's most known for, however, is the crypt underneath the building. Some of the most famous men and women of France are buried there including philosophers Voltaire and Rousseau, Louis Braille, Pierre & Marie Curie, and authors Emile Zola, Alexandre Dumas, and Victor Hugo.
l'Opéra Garnier
Stop number two was the Garnier Opera house - an incredibly beautiful building both inside and outside! The rich decorations rivaled (and I though surpassed) the glamour and beauty of the Chateau de Versailles, and I could easily imagine sweeping up it's grand staircases in a fancy gown on my way to see an opera! The building is an architectural marvel with seemingly unending mechanisms beneath (and above) the stage used to change the levels and move the floor of the stage around. It was also the opera house that inspired the famous Phantom of the Opera which was supposed to take place there. I would have loved to see an opera there, but unfortunately they don't have student pricing!
Chateau de Vincennes
My next stop was the Château de Vincennes - just outside the main borders of the city. Not only did I get in for free as a student, but I arrived just in time to catch a free walking tour! Quel chance! Although I didn't understand all of the medieaval vocabulary, our guide was very knowledgeable and I was able to follow most of his talk. It's a beautiful fortress with a very long and rich history. I especially enjoyed being able to walk the battlements of the dungeon or castle keep and our tour of the Sainte Chapelle - modeled after the Sainte Chapelle of the Conciergerie in Paris. It was really interesting to follow how the castle had changed and modified during each of the periods of history and by each separate owner. My all-time favorite part of the tour, however, was when we learned that the outer fortress had a separate drawbridge for foot traffic and one for larger carts and people on horseback, both working on a revolutionary (for the time period) counterweight system. Definitely a trip back to the middle ages!
Musée de Cluny
Speaking of the Middle Ages...on Friday (since it was raining) I decided to do my own museum tour. My first museum of the day was the Musée de Cluny de Moyen-Age - or the museum of the Middle Ages. The museum itself spans two buildings - one constructed in the ruins of an ancient Roman bath-house, and the other a hotel constructed in a truly Gothic style. The museum had a special exhibit on the sword - everything from the history of it, the art of making swords, education in swordplay, and even current cultural representations. Seeing swords from all over the world and from different time periods was very interesting, especially some of the more famous swords like Joyeuse the sword of Charlemagne and the famous sword of Roland from the ballad. My favorite part of the exhibit, however, was the ancient books with beautiful illustrations used to teach the young nobles how to use a sword. Oh, and the translated clip from Monty Python of the sword fight between King Arthur and the Black Knight. The rest of the museum was equally interesting, with beautifully preserved and restored stained glass, some of the original statues from the facade of Notre Dame de Paris, and a set of exquisite tapestries called La Dame à la Licorne - The woman and the unicorn.
Musée du Louvre
My second stop on my museum day was the famous Louvre museum - formerly the Royal Palace. I had been putting off my visit because I was so intimidated by the sheer scope of the place...I heard on a tour that if you were to spend only 3 seconds in front of each piece of art, it would take you a full 3 weeks of doing nothing else to see the whole museum! Finally, however, I gave in. I knew there was no way I could live in Paris for 5 months and never go into the Louvre! So there I went. I saw most of the "main" œuvres that it's known for, as well as the furnished Napoleonic apartments and part of the gallery of Italian painters. It was an enjoyable (but exhausting!) trip, but definitely not my favorite museum that I've seen here in Paris.
Palais Royal & Jardin
Today, I decided to use my jour fériée (country-wide day off for Pentecost) to hit up a few of the other items on my list. My first stop was the Palais Royal - just across from the Louvre - and it's beautiful garden. The main courtyard houses the famous (and controversial) artwork of Daniel Buren - originally detested by the French people. The gardens are much more traditional, but still completely gorgeous. After visiting a little, I came back to eat my lunch in one of the shady tree-lined passages.
l'Eglise Américaine
Next, I went over to the American Church in Paris - a lovely and well-known building that's easy to find with it's green steeple. The church is the first officially American church constructed outside the states and has played host to many famous American visitors who worshiped there during their stay in Paris, including President Woodrow Wilson and Martin Luther King Jr. It's a non-denominational protestant church, and sadly was not open because of the holiday of Pentecost that was yesterday. So while I was able to take pictures of the outside, I was unable to go in. We'll call this one half checked-off. Hopefully I can go back sometime this week and see the interior!
Parc de la Vilette
My final stop of my adventures today was to the Parc de la Vilette. Despite some off-putting construction and a sad lack of fountain activity, it was a lovely park and I really enjoyed it. In addition to rich lawns (that you can actually sit and walk on!), it also has the Cité de Science et de l'Industrie museum building, la Géode (a beautiful round sculpture with an I-MAX theater on the inside), some strange modern sculpture, and the very futuristic-looking Grande Halle and Cité de la Musique. After an afternoon of touristing, it was nice to sit down in a chair and enjoy the view, relax, and read a book.
That concludes this second edition of my Paris List adventures...from now until Thursday my time will be spent doing laundry, packing, planning, and just generally preparing for the imminent arrival of my family! Then, who knows what adventures we'll have together! I promise to keep everyone updated as well as I can as we go along! A plus!
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