We realized that we had a serious need to do laundry at this point in the trip. We had hoped to hold out until we got to Aubrey's flat in Cambridge, but yeah we hadn't packed quite that many things, so we walked a few blocks to a laundromat and got some done. It was interesting as you do it all from a central location and have to put in the number of your machine to make it work. But it was lovely to have nice clean clothes, but seriously we needed more change and had to run around like chickens with our heads cut off to find a place that would give it too us.
Now a couple of things, Rachel had told us that we had to see the Eiffel Tower all lit up at night and this was our last chance, but on the front lawn of the Louvre is a perfect spot to watch, so we decided to go to the Louvre in the evening and stay until closing at 9 or so that we could sit out and wait for dark. It turned out to be a wonderful plan because there were a lot less people there that evening than when we had first gotten there.
Second you may notice by our clothes that all the outside pictures were taken on a different day. They were actually taken on the first day we were there as we passed seeing all the other sights which also turned out to be a good thing since it was cloudy and overcast with a chase of rain when we got there, but nice by the time we came out again, but too dark for nice pictures.
See they add modern art to all their older classic pieces, and sometimes it works.
I wonder if there is a way to climb onto the roof?
Look at the clear blue sky.
Cute fat man...very old.
This owl is the oldest piece in the entire museum.
from c. 4,000 B.C.
Softer looking lion that one usually sees. Not so much majestic or powerful, more like a pet.
Folded in half man, check out the writing on his skirt.
They have a stairway lined with sarcophagi.
R F or Republic of France
I always forget that this museum was once a palace and could be displayed in and of itself not to mention all the amazing things that it contains.
What I saw of Aubrey most of the time that we were there.
The little squares that tell you about the pieces were all in French, so they had these for us to read in English.
See what I mean about a cool building in and of itself.
Two great scholars with their little red books.
Leonardo Da Vinci
La Belle Ferronniere
Who would want that dress?
Leonardo Da Vinci's
Marriage at Cana
Just to give you an idea of how large some of these paintings are.
I mean how do you even paint that?
That takes some amazing skill to have that kind of perspective on so large a scale because you can only paint so much at a time and have to keep the same size and perspective, and you have to paint from a ladder most of it. Or lay the canvas on the floor and sit on it, but I don't think that works with the whole stretching part.
Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa
Now a couple of things: I always hear people speak about how small a painting this is which is true if you are comparing it to the Marriage at Cana (seen above), but if you look at any other portrait of that time, she is exactly what you would expect. Like the size of a poster board. So just quick whining that you weren't impressed by the size.
She truly looks at you as if she knows something that you do not. You find her intriguing and could stare at her for a long time trying to guess what she might be thinking. It is a wonderful hand and eye that can capture the truth in a person like that. It is not easy to paint or draw a portrait of someone and actually look like them; I have tried, but he has done more than that; he has captured part of her soul through the slightest hints of her face. What a wonder.
Also she is in a room set off from most things and which generally is so crowded to have to push through a mosh pit to get to see her and then you are being shoved and pushed to not be able to appreciate the small things about her. However, we went to see her not long before closing and found that yes there were people there, but not one enough to have to push and shove. I was able to just walk up and take my turn. Have time to myself to enjoy all the skill and magic of the artist. So going early is a great idea, but so can be going late. We had 6 hours in the Louvre and saw pretty much all we wanted without having to hurry or push.
La Liberté guidant le peuple
(Liberty Leading the People)
by: Eugene Delacroix
Now for me this was amazing, since I have taken French for 11 years which certainly entails history of the country and not just language. The French Revolution in 1789-94 is one that is fascinating and terrible beyond anything most think of in comparison to the American Revolution. And this painting displays a great deal of its reality. Women fighting even worse than the men in the revolts, more vengeful and vicious and in general a fight so terrible you must know your cause is worthy.
The real painting of the coronation of Marie Antoinette, saw the replica at Versailles.
Winged Victory of Samothrace
or Nike
Remind you of anything...?
It reminds me of Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face!
My favorite movie of hers and full of a fun scene inside the Louvre with this statue and her knockout red dress! She is also playing a fun surprise on her man that just makes me smile.
Now we wanted to be just like her...
So we tried to do the same thing with our pictures and camera...
But we had a cheaper camera and couldn't afford to rent out the entire museum or hall to take a picture without all the people! Imagine that!
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
Le Chateau Saint-Ange et le Tibre
(The House of Saint Angelo and the Tiber River)
So I totally have been there and have a picture of it from about the same angle.
Now I am absolutely obsessed with Impressionist painting and wanted to see some of my favorite works, and yes I know that there is an entire museum for Impressionists across the road from the Louvre called D'Orsay, but we didn't have time to go to both and I assumed there would be a section of impressionist paintings in the Louvre as well...sort of. I almost thought they didn't have any and I was going to be sad, but finally we found a section and I sat and looked for at least 20 minutes. Fabulous technique, skill, and perspective. Our Asian roommate said something must have been wrong with their eyes for them to paint like that. It was cute but it is the very fact that they paint in such a vivid colorful manner that makes me love it just so much.
Claude-Oscar Monet
Environs de Honfleur, Neige
(Around Honfleur, Snow)
Camille Pissarro
Paysage a Pontoise
(Landscape of Pontoise)
Can you see the layering of the oils? It makes the painting actually 3D and more realistic.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Portait de Femme
(Portrait of a Woman)
Look at the flow of the color.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
(Two Girls Reading)
Alfred Sisley
Saint-Cloud
I have always wanted to know how to paint clouds like that.
Edgar Degas
La Sortie du Bain
Adolphe-Joseph Monticelli
Le Souper ou A l'auberge du bon vin
(Dinner at the Hostel of Good Wine)
Now you can really see the build up of paint on the canvas.
Alfred Sisley
La Route de Mantes
(The Road of Mantes)
Alexandros of Antioch
Venus de Milo
(Aphrodite of Milos)
No arms, that is one way to loose weight. Look at the way that cloth falls, so realistic and amazingly fluid.
Hermes
I kind of want those winged shoes and I wouldn't mind the hat.
Aubrey is holding up the reverse pyramid. Strong Woman, oh yeah.
On our way out we found a "Play Me Piano" so Aubrey sat down and played some classical music and it sounded more like a grand piano in a performance hall due to the grand underground acoustics.
Waiting outside on the grass for the Eiffel Tower to light and chatting.
Sitting in a skirt is a little tricky, very few options.
Funny taped off area that didn't tape off anything.
I almost even took a nap on that hill.
Now you can start to see it.
And there is a lamp-light on the top that could blind you, and you could honestly see the flashes from people cameras way up there if you paid attention.
Still not quite dark, but getting there, so we headed to the Metro station.
It quickly got brighter.
Completely worth staying up to see the lights.
It also shimmers on the hour.
And this is how I felt about Paris, illuminated and elegant in its own unique fashion. Maybe a little hard on the outside, but sweet and loving. I have heard many speak of how rude the French are and crusty, but I will say that I did not see it. All who spoke to me or I spoke to were kind and fun. It was just like speaking to people everywhere even if they may not offer you their entire life in a conversation on a bus or train. Also trying to truly understand a people helps with understanding. You are in their land and should try to be polite and fit with their society as you would want them to if they came here.
How important to keep our minds and lives open in every moment.
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