We also climbed to the top of Sacré-Coeur which has eleventy million stairs but a very beautiful view at the top (See the Day 7: Paris post for them)
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Stairs
So Zach and I have been having some fun with stairs on this trip including the noble sport of stair racing:
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Day Seven: Paris
Last night was Friday night and party central again at the Irish pub below us. It would have been a tolerable drone of noise if not for the screaming man. Just as we'd begin drifting off, he'd begin screaming as very drunk people are apt to do. Needless to say, everyone was sleep deprived and cranky today. So, why not walk ten thousand miles?
First stop: Montmartre and Sacré-Coeur, approximately ten million steps up from the Metro station. Montmartre is a charming part of Paris if one can manage to overlook the t-shirt shops and artists who will sketch your portrait for a mere 50 euros. Zach and Alex climbed the tower at Sacré-Coeur which they videotaped. I believe Alex plans to post that. Here are some views from Montmartre:
We also visited one of my favorite places in Paris, the Pere-Lechaise cemetery. There are many famous people buried here, including Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison. Beyond that, though, it is an eerily beautiful place. I took a lot of photos - I love a good graveyard!
I love the rogue hollyhock taking over:
Jim Morrison's Grave:
For some reason I didn't take any pictures of Oscar Wilde's Grave. Maybe because it was covered with lipstick kisses and generally looked defaced. A strange custom, that. There were some notes left on the side under flowers and rocks. One man had written, "Without you, I couldn't be me." I teared up and wished that Wilde was here to see how far the gay community has come in becoming accepted and the role he and people like him played in that progress.
First stop: Montmartre and Sacré-Coeur, approximately ten million steps up from the Metro station. Montmartre is a charming part of Paris if one can manage to overlook the t-shirt shops and artists who will sketch your portrait for a mere 50 euros. Zach and Alex climbed the tower at Sacré-Coeur which they videotaped. I believe Alex plans to post that. Here are some views from Montmartre:
We also visited one of my favorite places in Paris, the Pere-Lechaise cemetery. There are many famous people buried here, including Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison. Beyond that, though, it is an eerily beautiful place. I took a lot of photos - I love a good graveyard!
I love the rogue hollyhock taking over:
Jim Morrison's Grave:
For some reason I didn't take any pictures of Oscar Wilde's Grave. Maybe because it was covered with lipstick kisses and generally looked defaced. A strange custom, that. There were some notes left on the side under flowers and rocks. One man had written, "Without you, I couldn't be me." I teared up and wished that Wilde was here to see how far the gay community has come in becoming accepted and the role he and people like him played in that progress.
Friday, June 27, 2008
raison d'être
So, as you are all aware, the whole reason we went on this trip was to see the Mona Lisa. No really, didn't we tell you that?
So, you'll be relieved to know: Mission accomplished (just like in Iraq!)
I was able to get within about 20 feet of the picture, and indeed, it is a really cool painting. I guess.
My advice to anyone going to the Louvre is: look up and look down. Everyone one else is looking ahead and missing things like this:
Looking up:
Pretty much every salon had a ceiling that looked like this.
Looking down:
At the base of one of the statues, there was a mosaic of butterflies. Here is a little montage of several followed by a close up on one of the tiles.
There was some really interesting history about these but it was in French, so I have no idea what it meant :)
Just plain looking:
This was a recent (2007) installation. It is about 40 feet tall at the end of a stairway. I sat here for a long time. 90% of the people passing through the stairwell completely missed it.
Here is a close up of the man:
The conclusion that the four boys came to (we did the Louvre while Lisa and Audrey hit the Marais) was that most museums would be pretty much empty if it wasn't for Jesus and Hercules. So imagine my surprise when I stumbled onto the following stained glass window:
Yet another homage to the Passion? Hardly! It is the Celebration of Science and Art! Sacre bleu!
So, you'll be relieved to know: Mission accomplished (just like in Iraq!)
I was able to get within about 20 feet of the picture, and indeed, it is a really cool painting. I guess.
My advice to anyone going to the Louvre is: look up and look down. Everyone one else is looking ahead and missing things like this:
Looking up:
Pretty much every salon had a ceiling that looked like this.
Looking down:
At the base of one of the statues, there was a mosaic of butterflies. Here is a little montage of several followed by a close up on one of the tiles.
There was some really interesting history about these but it was in French, so I have no idea what it meant :)
Just plain looking:
This was a recent (2007) installation. It is about 40 feet tall at the end of a stairway. I sat here for a long time. 90% of the people passing through the stairwell completely missed it.
Here is a close up of the man:
The conclusion that the four boys came to (we did the Louvre while Lisa and Audrey hit the Marais) was that most museums would be pretty much empty if it wasn't for Jesus and Hercules. So imagine my surprise when I stumbled onto the following stained glass window:
Yet another homage to the Passion? Hardly! It is the Celebration of Science and Art! Sacre bleu!
Day Six: Laundry Day (Woo-Hoo!)
Brad and I are sitting in Laundromat Juice having finally figured out how to work les machines. When we arrived there were just two others here. Now the place is packed. There are fourteen washers and six dryers. Hmm. Today is a day of errands. My dad and Alex have set out for the Louvre. Brad and Zach will catch up with them shortly. I think Audrey and I are going to have some girl time shopping and chilling out in the Marais. Brad will be posting about the Louvre. I wonder if the gypsies will be there…
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Day Five Paris: La Tourism (Cursed By a Gypsy)
Today was all about this:
Omnipresent at all of these touristy sites are "gypsy" women in long skirts and scarves who approach touristy looking people and ask, "Do you speak English?" When you reply, "Yes," they stand two inches from your face with a hand-written piece of paper that indicates their destitute state and need for cash. After several iterations of this, I got used to replying, "No." We moved to a grassy area and idly watched them go behind bushes and dirty their feet (not kidding about this). Another approached us and before she could get her sentence out, I replied, "No thanks!" in my perkiest voice. She looked me in the eye and elaborately cursed me.
That's what I get.
Omnipresent at all of these touristy sites are "gypsy" women in long skirts and scarves who approach touristy looking people and ask, "Do you speak English?" When you reply, "Yes," they stand two inches from your face with a hand-written piece of paper that indicates their destitute state and need for cash. After several iterations of this, I got used to replying, "No." We moved to a grassy area and idly watched them go behind bushes and dirty their feet (not kidding about this). Another approached us and before she could get her sentence out, I replied, "No thanks!" in my perkiest voice. She looked me in the eye and elaborately cursed me.
That's what I get.
James Blunt
People in London are a little blunter about the dangers of life than the United States is. For example, a huge label on cigarette packs that remind you that you will indeed die if you smoke. Also, in the public park scene, no adults can be there unless accompanied by a child. In the US, it would probably state the opposite. Interesting stuff. The whole smoking epidemic isn't half as bad in the United States, but our cigarette packs barely state a thing... something about pregnancy issues, whatev. I really don't know the pedophile ratio, Europe vs. US, but I feel like Amurica tends to shelter issues much more. It's easier that way. Ignorance is bliss baby.
Paris: Day 4
Today was a travel day complete with high speed trains and a stressful (for the kids) and fun (for me) sardine packed Metro ride from Gare du Nord to St. Michel. We wandered around and hung out at Luxembourg Gardens where we learned that sitting on the grass and playing guitar are strictly forbidden. Passionate necking, however, is encouraged. Ah, l'amour!
My father arrived safely and met us back at the hotel. We all had dinner at Fogon, a Spanish tapas restaurant then walked over to Notre Dame, amazed that it was still daylight at 10 p.m. Our little hotel is situated across an alley from an Irish bar where a football match was on television. The party raged until almost 1 this morning, so we are all a bit fried today.
My father arrived safely and met us back at the hotel. We all had dinner at Fogon, a Spanish tapas restaurant then walked over to Notre Dame, amazed that it was still daylight at 10 p.m. Our little hotel is situated across an alley from an Irish bar where a football match was on television. The party raged until almost 1 this morning, so we are all a bit fried today.
London: Day Three
Shakespeare! We went to the Tate Museum briefly where I took a couple of great photos of the kids. After that we went next door to the Globe Theater and saw a hysterically funny production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." The "Pyramus and Thisbe" scene at the end was Monty Python worthy. Even Zach who earlier declared that "Shakespearean English from the time of Jesus just makes him angry" laughed a lot. Being able to sit and drink a Foster's while watching the play also helped. We had a great dinner at Theo Randall, described by Alex in his post below.
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