Paris France – Part I
Travel Excursion
Louvre Museum – Paris – Photo By Patrice
Raplee
By Patrice Raplee
Paris, hypnotizing and incomparably beautiful, imbues metaphors of romantic
reverie. As the sun sets on the Champs Elysees, it spreads its last
delicate golden rays across the Tuileries and the visitors who sedately
stroll along admiring the gardens. In the distance, tiny, twinkling
lights illuminate the figure of the Eiffel Tower, as the low pulse
of the city gains in intensity with the impending night.
There is no other city like Paris in the world. The glorious
architecture, history, fashion, culinary status and museums intermingle
with a sophisticated culture that is to non-Parisians an enticing
and sometimes elusive enigma. This fascination forever draws admirers
to visit the city and experience the energy, beauty and culture that
are the magnificence of Paris!
The Louvre Museum is an excellent place to begin a Paris adventure
and is located in the center of the city in the first arrondissement
on Rue De Rivoli. With its stunning French stone architecture and
famous towering glass pyramid, the Louvre is one of the most beautiful
and splendid museums in the world.
The museum originally started out as a 12th century fortress
and Château. After several periods of evolution and French Monarchy,
such as the Sun King, Louis XIV, the Louvre was open to the public
as a museum in 1793. Today, the museum houses some of the world’s
most recognizable works of art from the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo
and The Winged Victory of Samothrace, to Psyche and Cupid.
The museum’s collections are housed on four levels with each
floor a veritable work of art in itself. Exquisite Frescos, gold-gilded
accents and scrollwork adorn the walls, doors and moldings. Staircases
and columns of marble flow endlessly under immense arched ceilings
of leaded glass and detailed sculpture.
The French Sculptures, located in their enclosed marble courtyard
on the ground floor, are one of the most magnificent and awe-inspiring
exhibits in the Louvre. Luminous statues of life-like essence seem
to whisper thoughts from their stone lips to the passerby.
The second floor paintings of European masters will immerse
the visitor in a world of creative beauty so captivating that time
will vanish into obscurity.
Before visiting the museum, make sure to view the Louvre’s
official website (listed at conclusion of article) for virtual tours
and information regarding the collections. The museum is quite large
and takes several days to view the art works in their entirety.
Musée d'Orsay, located on Rue de la Légion d'Honneur (next
to the Seine River) in the seventh arrondissement, houses many of
the world’s greatest impressionist paintings, such as Degas, Monet,
Renoir, Cézanne and Van Gogh. Many works of the neoimpressionism
artists Seurat and Toulouse Lautrec are in residence as well.
From train station to the opening of Musée d'Orsay’ in 1986,
the museum has instituted sculpture, graphic and decorative arts,
collections of furniture, architecture and photography, as well as
paintings. This rectangular building houses art collections on three
levels with a beguiling turn-of-the-19th-century decorated restaurant.
The gift shop offers a wide array of art books, collectables, prints
and posters. The museum also features concerts, shows, cinema festivals,
courses, lectures and films on the 19th century.
Musée d'Orsay – Paris – Photo
By Patrice Raplee
The impressionism art in the Musée d'Orsay is incredible and
the softly light exhibit of Degas’ pastel ballerinas in muted hues
is breathtaking. Van Gogh’s works draw many enthusiasts, especially
his popular Starry Night painting. The upper floors not only feature
great paintings, but offer tremendous views of the Seine River and
sites of Paris.
The Musée d'Orsay is a magnificent museum and takes at least
one full day to view, with the addition of scaling several sets of
staircases. Be adventurous and explore the upper reaches of the museum;
these staircases (located on both ends of the building), offer great
perspectives of the interesting design of the museum and takes visitors
to little exhibit rooms that most tourists miss. Additional information
on Musée d'Orsay and the official website is listed at the conclusion
of article.
While there are at least 130 different museums of various
sizes in Paris and possibly more, visitors generally only have time
for a few. Of course, the Louvre and Musée d'Orsay are considered
the top two essentials. However, if you have time, pay a visit to
the Musée Rodin to view the exquisite French sculptors’ work,
located on Musée Rodin 79 Rue de Varenne. The Centre Pompidou, on
Place Georges Pompidou, features contemporary and modern art in an
colossal and striking ultra-modern architectural building that is
vibrant with activity from opening to close. In addition, the Musée
National Picasso, located in the 17th century Hôtel
Salé, delves into the career and adventures of this famous artist.
The spring and summer months in Paris are filled with tourists
and the cue lines for the museums can snake seemingly into oblivion.
Make sure to plan your museum trips in the off hours and days to
avoid the biggest crowds.
The city is divided into some 20 arrondissements or districts.
Their number assignment, such as the eighth arrondissement, written
in French as 8ème (where the Champs Elysees is located), refers to
these districts. For visitors, the numbered districts make it easier
to navigate. Visitors to Paris should not consider driving. The Metro
is a fast, inexpensive and efficient way to traverse the city and
goes virtually to every sightseeing location. Tickets and passes
are available at almost all Metro entrances.
If you are a first time visitor, or a seasoned traveler to
Paris, your enjoyment level will be greatly heightened by taking
time to read up on, or refresh a little French language, culture
and history. Although many Parisians speak English, if visitors don’t
speak a few words of polite French, you may receive an unfriendly
response in your interactions, or worse, be ignored. This isn’t always
the case, but French culture is very different from American. Besides,
most every country wants to feel that visitors to their homeland
take the time to interact with local customs and take an interest
in polite communications and niceties. Two excellent books recommended
for visitors that focus on French culture and history is Sixty
Million Frenchmen Can’t Be Wrong by Nadeau & Barlow and the
widely acclaimed Almost French by Sarah Turnbull. Turnbull’s
brilliant account of marrying a Frenchman and her struggles and triumphs
of assimilating into French culture will have you laughing hysterically
and alternately shedding light on reasons why the French act as they
do.
Join us next month for part two, exploring Paris’s landmarks,
neighborhoods, shopping, hotspots and restaurants.
Museum websites include:
The Louvre Museum:
http://www.louvre.fr/llv/commun/home_flash.jsp?bmLocale=en
The Musée d'Orsay: http://www.museeorsay.fr/ORSAY/orsaygb/HTML.NSF/By+Filename/mosimple+index
Musée Rodin:
http://www.musee-rodin.fr/welcome.htm
Centre Pompidou:
http://www.centrepompidou.fr/Pompidou/Accueil.nsf/tunnel?-OpenForm
Musée National Picasso:
(French language)
http://www.musee-picasso.fr
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