Musing in the Louvre

On Thursday afternoon, I headed straight from classes to Paris' most famous art gallery - The Musee du Louvre. Despite this being the third time I have locked eyes with The Mona Lisa and the fourth time I have ventured into this palace's vast galleries, there is always something new to be discovered. I've heard an old piece of trivia that if you lingered for 30 seconds in front of each work, it would take you about a fortnight to go around - and I can well believe it. 

Once again, it's free for European students from 18-26 years of age - just flash your passport and swan in like royalty. There's no excuse for not paying a visit, but as a seasoned Louvre devotee, here are my suggestions:

1. Beware of pickpockets !

 Imagine the scene: you arrive under the shiny carrousel, and immediately start snapping pictures of the impressive inverted pyramid in front of the entrance. As you fluster over the security gates, a hand slips into your bag- having locked eyes on an easy target as you innocently brandished your camera minutes before. Bam - like stealing candy from a baby. True story - this happened to me the first time I went to the Louvre so be savvy & please don't fall into the trap I did.

    

2. Don't let the mona Lisa get a big head
There are thousands of amazing works of art in The Louvre - so of course prioritise Leonardo da Vinci's most famous painting if you're stuck for time, but I would take a whole afternoon just for the luxury of not having to rush past the equally beautiful 'The Virgin of the Rocks' or some of the other galleries (The Egyptian Gallery is my favourite!). 

3. spend some time in the tuileries Gardens
If the weather is good, step outside and take a promenade in the beautiful Jardin des Tuileries, located just outside. Sit in one of their chairs, admire the fountains and take a peek in the cute Orangerie gift shop on the left hand side by the far gates.

4. Go at an odd time
We visited just before closing, so were able to stroll around without following hoards of mindless tourists filing towards The Mona Lisa. Last visitors are allowed into the the museum at 5.30 on a Thursday, but they have later opening times on other days.

5. Enjoy the art, or making fun of it!
Sometimes the most fun you can have is laughing at a statue with a silly face or finding one who looks like your friend. Just because it's old, doesn't mean it has to be serious!

À Bientôt !

x

Paris in the Autumn

It's Autumn, and Paris is shaking the leaves from its trees as the air turns crisper and light grows golden. What better than to spend an afternoon wandering around the rather beautiful Jardin du Luxembourg, a stone's throw away from my university at The Sorbonne-Cluny? Not much can beat London's Greenwich Park, the famous Royal gardens belonging to the old "Queen's house", and my old stomping ground for snowball fights, sledging, lazing in the sun and climbing trees. The Jardin du Luxembourg does however come pretty close with its boating pond and petanque terrains -also having been built and maintained by various monarchs (originally landscaped by Marie de Medicis in 1611) as they came to power.

 

The garden is typical of France's more structured attitude to leisure - you can't flop down on the grass with a beer or kick a football around here. But there are beautiful tree-lined promenades stretching to each corner, an Orangerie filled with tropical leaves, old men earnestly hunched around chequers boards and - donkey rides! Tea huts surround the children's play-area (I desperately wanted to have a go on the zip-wire!) and best of all is the central fountain where you can rent model sail-boats to set off on their up-teenth "maiden voyage". Greenwich Park might have sledging hills and a beautiful panorama, but the Jardin du Luxembourg makes you feel like you've been flung back into the Belle Epoque, where moustachioed gentlemen in long overcoats and stripy scarfs proffer their arms to their delighted female companions. It's known for its many statues - keen eyes will have noticed the model for New York's famous Statue of Liberty standing incongruously amongst the trees.

Luxembourg Gardens at Twilight by John Singer Sargent, 1879

The Jardins also house the Senat, part of French parliament where laws are voted on and passed, or so I'm told. You can apparently book in advance to go inside and have a look!

 Just a stone's throw away is the Pantheon, a grand old building which in its interesting history has gone back and forth between being a Catholic place of worship and a secular monument to man. It is now a monumental mausoleum, a sort of grand communal tomb to rival that of Napoleon's. The dedication reads: "Aux grands hommes: La Patrie reconnissante" (To the Great Men: The Grateful Homeland) - without forgetting some pretty special women too (Marie and Pierre Curie are buried here, and my friend and I also saw the tombs of Jean Jaures, Victor Hugo, Jean Moulin, Abbe Gregoire and Voltaire.

  

Dedication to Antoine St. Exupery, author of 'Le Petit Prince'. 

The Pantheon is free to European students from 18-26 years of age, and the Jardins are also free of charge. To anyone looking for a day out without spending a dime - I highly recommend heading over to the 6th arrondissement for culture, history, (and after all of that somber stuffiness) - a big breath of fresh autumnal air. 

À Bientôt !

x

Les Feux d'Artifice et Un Fabuleux Destin

On Saturday evening, some friend and I took ourselves along to Blanche metro station, past the neon lights of the Moulin Rouge and to the 'Cafe des Deux Moulins', made famous by the French classic 'Le Fableux Destin d'Amelie Poulain', or more commonly 'Amelie' in England. 

 

The two famous windmills for which the café is named.

The bar is named for the 'two windmills' located to its left and right - Le Moulin Rouge and Le Moulin de la Galette. It was happy hour until 10 o'clock so cocktails were €6.00 instead of €10.00 (outrageous, but cheap for Paris!)

I sipped on a Cosmopolitan and admired the kitsch Amelie themed decor. The bar had a nice atmosphere and was quite buzzy, plus, the waiters were smiley and efficient and didn't mind me playing tourist with the camera too much. 

Screen shot of Amelie in her café: Photo Credits to http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/amelie/quiz/show/35680/employees-customers-cafe-where-amelie-works-what-name-occupation-not-match

Next, we climbed to the top of Montmartre for the 'Fete des Vendanges' (Celebration of the Vineyards), where stallholders offered wine tasting, saucisson and the smell of freshly baked crepes filled the air. We got there just in time to see the fireworks end -they were spectacular. It was super busy, so we had to link arms and force our way through the crowds, before breaking free into the courtyard beside Sacre-Coeur where a Scottish ceilidh troupe played bagpipe music. It felt like New Year's Eve!

I'll have to make a return visit to Montmartre when there's more room to breathe - I want to explore a little more this area where bohemian music halls, cabarets and artists' workshops flourished. 'Moulin Rouge', directed by Baz Lurhmann, 'Amelie' starring Audrey Tautou and 'La Vie en Rose', a biopic of the life of Edith Piaf were all set here so there's a lot of trivia and history to soak up - not to mention the painters (Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Pisarro, The Nabis) who drew inspiration from the hallowed hill. 

The area is probably a little dilapidated now, as the Charles Aznavour song suggests, and Pigalle at night isn't very lovely: Je ne reconnais plus/Ni les murs, ni les rues/Qui ont vu ma jeunesse/En haut d'un escalier/Je cherche l'atelier/Dont plus rien ne subsiste/Dans son nouveau décor/Montmartre semble triste/Et les lilas sont morts.

However, I'm willing to give it a chance if someone can suggest some nice hang-outs!
After a lovely weekend, it's back to Alfred de Vigny, Guillaume Apollinaire and Hugo for me!

À Bientôt !

x

Jewels

After Angelina, it was a short walk to 'The Musee des Arts Decoratifs' which hides nestled inside the Louvre's vast façade. Under its wing are "Arts Decoratifs", "Mode et Textile" and "Publicite". Given my love of old retro posters, my sister's interest in a career in intellectual property (ooh) and my brother's Madmen addiction - we really enjoyed the Museum, and all the more so because it was free for European students under 25 years old. Just take along your passport/proof of identity for free access!

I really liked the fans - which, as they were dipping out of fashion amongst genteel ladies of the aristocracy, became a major tool for advertising - given out free at events. Savvy huh?

 

The jewellery department was all dramatic lighting and crisp cut diamonds - rather imposing and majestic rather than beautiful. There were also some oddities like a necklace made out of beanie babies and a bracelet made out of golden articulated shrimps!

"The day will come, have no fear, when many of these works which you now consider as mere products of industry...the day will come when many of these works will take their place in museums." Victor Hugo, Actes et Paroles I (1841-1851)

Still a little full of Angelina hot chocolate, we hopped on the Metro to Hugo's, a restaurant near to the Gare du Nord. Down an unremarkable street (cutely named 'Butterfly Street', or Rue Papillon', Hugo hides a cute and cosy interior which feels just like eating supper in someone's home. 

Amazing duck salad and goat's cheese toast! 

We may have splashed out on eating out but we made up for it with free museum trips and about 5k of walking!

Our adventure continued on Sunday morning - read all about it tomorrow!

À Bientôt !

x