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December07,2007

"Bonsoir Paris!"

yes, i visited Lorraine in Paris last weekend and it was amazing! i wish i had more time, but i know i will go back one day and spend at least a couple of days at the Louvre again. it was wonderful to not only spend time with an old friend, but to travel alone for once and wander around an unfamiliar, gorgeous city. it was also wonderful to walk around with the Christmas lights and decorations up, inhaling the crisp Parisian air as i wandered around the streets. it was definitely a lot colder than Athens, but at least it felt like winter. i don't have much time to talk about it, partly because it was more visual than anything, and because i have an early flight to Sofia, Bulgaria today. i don't think i need to say much about Paris since i bet most of you know enough about the famous sites there, and being a short visit, i only went to some of the most famous sites. a picture is a thousand words, and Paris is certainly the epitome of that saying. Thus, here goes a little blog content with lots of pictures and captions.

Compare the modern Arch de la Defense (Grande Arche) in the business district of Paris with the classic Arch de Triomphe. the business district was kind of refreshing because i forgot how much i miss skyscrapers with their tall glass windows. and i guess despite my loathing for a lot of modern (mainly minimalist) art, there's something refreshing about minimalist settings in an open space. i don't know how else to describe it, but if you have the chance in Paris, check this modern monstrosity and i guess you'll either hate the arch, or like its opposite facing plaza with its pristine modern architecture in the background.





of course i went to see the Eiffel Tower and took a touristy picture in front of it! from far away, i always thought the structure wasn't that pretty, but walking under and through it, i must say that it is really really impressive. the Bastille was a little bit disappointing since all that commemorates it is that lame column. it reminded me of those lame columns/pillars marking the Colossus of Rhodes.



of course i went to Versailles since it was right outside of Paris and only a metro train ride away. we spent the latter half of saturday afternoon there since it was slightly cheaper for me to get in. the gardens were obviously not in bloom at this time of year, and the fountains were turned off too, but at least the Hall of Mirrors was open and recently redone. although i'm not a fan of rococo art at all, the palace was impressive inside, and yes, the Hall of Mirrors was very beautiful and wonderful to walk through. the strange thing is that at the end of the hall, you approach what appears to be a throne. well when we finally reached the end, we realized that the "throne" consisted of paper cutouts! the funny thing is that all the visitors were excited by it and spent a lot of time taking pictures in front of those silly things. talk about a tacky end to the tour of the chateau! i guess tourists are often easily pleased?





the Louvre is what i really went to Paris to see (besides Lorraine!). specifically, i wanted to see Antonio Canova's famous neoclassical sculpture, Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss, one of my all-time favorite masterpieces. call me a hopeless romantic, but that sculpture was absolutely stunning to see. canova was just an amazing marble sculptor, particularly the way he sculpted the human flesh to such an ethereal touch. of course, the Louvre itself was quite impressive, not just because of its extraordinary size and extravagant collection of artwork, but also because of its beautiful interior architecture. granted i'm not a big fan of french architecture (especially rococo), it's still a magnificent building. i went through all three, but not in detail since it was a free Sunday with tons of people pouring through the museum creating a madhouse. plus, it was storming outside, as you can tell from this water spattered picture. note the ugly glass pyramid out of place, but i assure you that it's pretty nice inside it.







after a few hours at the Louvre, where of course, i also saw the famous French romantic paintings and a bunch of other fabulous paintings on my list, i made my way over to the great gothic masterpiece, Notre Dame, where i also found sanctuary from the horrible rain outside. the cathedral is more beautiful than i ever imagined, as cheesy as that sounds. i have visited a lot of churches and monasteries this semester (more than i could have ever hoped for!) and yet this is by far, the most impressive, beautiful piece of architecture i've seen yet. if you haven't noticed by now, i'm easily impressed with vaulting and arches, and let me tell you, Notre Dame is the quintessential vault-filled structure. (Hagia Sophia paved the way for domes and pendentives, and i'd rank Hagia Sophia higher than Notre Dame on my list of churches if it weren't for the fact that technically it is also an Ottoman mosque.)

so there you have it, my awesome weekend in Paris and despite the limited amount of time i had, i think i had a good glimpse of the city. thanks Lorraine!