Most of what I wrote yesterday is rubbish. But there are, I think, a few lines semi-worthy to be called poetic. Most of all I was trying to scribble down a way to remember the images.
Well, our fears about Paris seemed to be ill founded. They obviously didn't deny our passports; they didn't even ask any questions. We easily caught a bus to central Paris and once we got there, some nice French men (they spoke English) showed us where the Metro Station was and how to get to our stop, and one man walked us to our hotel. When we were on the subway a group of street musicians, two accordionists and a tambourinist got in our car and started playing and singing. I felt it was a perfect welcome to the city. They played one song I even recognized. I think it was an Operatic song Pavarotti sings.
We were afraid our hotel would be scary because it was cheap, but all turned out very well. The front hall looked dark and narrow from the street. It's old, but the room is nice (our own room!), it has wallpaper, a wardrobe, and our own (clean!) shower and sink. The toilet is in the hall. On one wall we can tell there used to be a fireplace. This must have been an old house or something. There's only a curtain in front of the shower room and the sink is literally lodged behind the shower. Only problem: the cars in the street are a little loud, and Carmen and I, on our double bed, have a long, jelly roll-like pillow that is thin and hard. But what are the cons--we have our own room! It is clean! Now I want to see Paris!
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What a packed day! I went to four buildings today: Notre-Dame, Ste. Chappelle, Musee D'Orsay, and the Louvre. The funny thing is that my least favorite was the Louvre, just because it was so massive I couldn't visualize its organization in my head. It was confusing, with steps that went up, down, around again, halls one after another until you had no idea where you were. But there were a few things I really enjoyed seeing, which I'll describe later.
This morning we walked to Notre Dame, supposedly a 20 min walk but it took us longer because we went the wrong direction at first (there are at least 3 rues with "Temple" in them in Paris) then we had to get breakfast. Notre Dame, I think, is the only thing in Paris that is free. The cathedral didn't disappoint or exceed my expectations. What I liked best about it was that the stone walls, arches, vaults, etc. were left bare and not caked with frescoes or other paints. The decoration was minimal when compared with Italian cathedrals. The ribs could be admired for their own marvelous merit.
I went through the cathedral a total of four times: first to get to know the space, second to take pictures, third to look closer at the sculptures, and fourth to look frantically for Valerie and Carmen. I really wished we could go up into the gallery, but in no cathedral I've seen have they allowed that. I actually think the Duomo at Pisa was the only Italian cathedral I've seen with a gallery.
Next, I went to Sainte Chappelle. I went alone because V & C didn't want to pay the money (€3.50). That chapel, which wasn't going to miss for the world, didn't exceed or disappoint my expectations either. It was absolutely gorgeous. The painting is very bright and rich, but to me it's more acceptable because it's a small chapel. And, of course, the stained glass on the second level is marvelous.
When I met my two companions outside in the square again, we didn't have any definite place to go except the Louvre, and couldn't go there until 3 because it was cheaper. So I suggested the Musee D'Orsay, another no-miss because it has a ton of impressionist art. Carmen wanted to go too because of Degas' Dancers, but Valerie didn't want to.
The Musee D'Orsay was amazing. Some of Monet's best known paintings and my favorites, were there, as well as Renoir, Van Gogh, and many many others. I now appreciate the other impressionists aside from Monet a lot more. I still prefer his style the most though. It's the most representative of impressionists in general, dabs of color here and there to create a beautifully coded composition.
Carmen told me something funny in the museum. In Clueless, Tye asks Cher if she thinks Amber is pretty and Cher says, "No, she's a full Monet! From a distance she looks fin, but up close she's a complete mess." That reminded me of "Lucy as a work of art" in A Room With a View.
I noticed that Renoir's style is more polished, his colors more smoothly mixed, and his painting features more distinct. And it's fitting because he paints more portraits. Another painter, was it Cezanne? His paintings almost seem like patchwork quilts in their coloring. His landscapes are breathtaking.
Then there is Van Gogh. His trademark is the swirls of color, the curves, the almost cartoony scenes. But his paintings have a character and charm that none of the others do. I think his colors are the least blended of all the artists I know, but they complement each other so fascinatingly.
Carmen and I almost ran through the rest of the museum. I remember little of it. I would rather have spent that time staring at the paintings I loved, but we didn't want to miss anything. The architecture of the museum was great too. I loved the glass vault of the main room.
After the Musee D'Orsay we hurried over to the Louvre (we made it through D'Orsay in 1 1/2 hours) to meet Valerie, not having a clue where we should meet her. Luckily she was in the courtyard of the main entrance, Pei's Pyramid. She came running up to us in quite a fright. A French Arab man had been making the moves on her. He followed her around, then told her she was so beautiful and would she like to go into the museum with him. She told him no, that she was waiting for some friends. When we got there she was still afraid he was hanging around. But we didn't see him again. Carmen and I were there to protect her!
So we went into the museum. First, of course, we went through the long painting gallery to get to Ms. Mona Lisa. Valerie didn't see what the big deal was. Honestly, I hadn't really thought about why she was so revered until I attempted to explain it to Valerie. See, we were brought up knowing about the Mona Lisa's fame and so we can't look at her with an impartial eye. Seeing her in person, however, it really struck me how much she does appear to be looking at you (or something over your shoulder_ and is trying to smother a smirk. Other portraits in those days just weren't like that. Her eyes are looking to the side, which makes it seem as if they would follow you as you walked past her. I wouldn't really see the smirk if it weren't for the laugh lines under her eyes, in addition to the one mouth corner turned up. And then there is the question of "Who was the model?" No one knows, though some suspect it was Da Vinci himself. I think the main thing is that it was revolutionary for an artist to show such a subtle yet superior sense of humor. Valerie still didn't get it.
After that we kind of drifted around, so overwhelmed we didn't know where to go. Valerie and I wanted to see an Islamic and Asian ancient art exhibit but it was closed for the day. Then Carmen wanted to see the sculpture of Cupid & Psyche. It was beautiful, the position beautiful, though it didn't have near the detail as Bernini's sculptures, and not quite the theatrical vitality. It was by Cavor.
Next we went to see the crown jewels of Louis the XIV. The main crown I didn't like; it seemed rather clumsily put together with multi-colored jewels that didn't match. Probably just because it's so old. But there was a tiny blue gem-set crown and jewelry that I liked. My favorite was a divine emerald-set-in-silver crown for a female. It was so beautiful that I want to use it in my Fantasy tale. I was bitterly disappointed when at the end they had postcards of the other crowns, but not of that one.
The last thing we set out to see was a Vermeer painting shown on the brochure map. I was disappointed that they only had two Vermeers in their collection. Valerie said most of them were probably in Amsterdam.
I forgot to mention that on the other side of the crown case, there was the biggest diamond any of us had ever seen. It was 140 carats. On either side of it were two smaller diamonds, but each still large enough to make your fingers fall off. One was pin and apparently pink diamonds are extremely rare and expensive. Valerie and Carmen said that J.Lo has a pink diamond ring from Ben Affleck. No wonder she sang that son, "Don't be fooled by the rocks that I got, I'm still Jenny from the block".
We took the long walk home, stopping at a grocery for water and fruit, then a patisserie for dinner. We each got a looong chicken sandwich (mostly bread, but the chicken bologna was good) with a drink and a pastrie for €5. Good deal. So with my sandwich for dinner I had, without intending it, apple juice, apple pastry, then an apple afterward. Yum.
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