Quo Vado: Paris

Sunday 2/15- My train to Paris left at 7:40am, so I had to get my act together early. I had planned to take this train so I could have more time at the Louvre, which is closed on Tuedays. I had to run to the station, but got there with a little time to spare. With these reservation cars, you need to find the right coach number, then your individual seat. I managed to do this without a problem. Then things began to go wrong. First, the train sat in the station for 25 minutes without an explanation. Finally, after some announcement about a technical problem with a door, we were off- for about fifteen minutes. Then we stopped for ten more minutes. Same problem with the door. I guess they duct taped it or something, since we made it all the way the Brussels. Then there was some cryptic announcement about a connecting train or something. We all got off the train but didn't know anything. And all the messages were in French and some Dutch and German. Not great for me. Luckily I waited around and a woman who ostensibly worked for Thalys, the rail company, said to follow her. The motley crew assembled behind her and we snaked our way to another platform where a train waited to bring us all in to Paris Nord in 1.25 hours. However, this jury-rigged train already had its own passengers with reservations, so at first a bunch of us huddled in the baggage area, then we were told to hang out in the bar car, which became the steerage class for about fifteen minutes. The same lady came by again and asked us if there were no seats left. When we said yes, she told us to follow her again. This time we could sit in first class where I got my own seat and wifi while travelling at 300kph. Sort of surreal.

Arrived at Paris Nord about an hour late. Wheeled my bag about 15 minutes to my hotel. I received the usual friendly Parisian hospitality when the person behind the desk, who was taking a personal call, told me to talk to the hand. Ok. So I waited, then he motioned with his hand. I guessed that meant to give some reservation info. I handed it over and he gave me a key. Thanks a lot. The room is a throwback to Copenhagen in terms of quality. Thus, out come my earplugs once again.

But time to get to the Louvre. I take the Metro, and when I get outside I see St. Eustache, so I can't resist popping in. It is as grand as I remember, an odd mix of Renaissance and Gothic styles. The church is in disrepair, as are all churches in Paris, save maybe Notre Dame and Ste. Chapelle. I spy a organ recital tonight from 5:30-6, but I don't know if I can make it back in time. I walk through Les Halles on my way to the Louvre, enjoying the sunny, coldish weather. At the Louvre I hang around the entrance pyramid for a while until I can remember where to get the museum pass card. While thinking, a religious procession comes right through the Louvre, most likely on purpose to make a point to the gawking tourists. They carried a statue of Mary in the front and others held banners with other saints. A girl was saying something over a loudspeaker. It took me a minute, but I realized that she was leading them in saying the rosary.

Shocked that they weren't arrested in secular France, I descended through the chalice/grail pyramid, past Mary Magdalene's tomb, and went to the Museum Card place, only to discover that it was €32 for two days! Forget that. Then I saw a student/professional card place, so I waited in line for 30 minutes (this is France, after all) only to find out that I was too old for the card. BUT, the lady was very kind and called ahead to say that I was a teacher and should get in for free. At the checkpoint, the woman had no idea what I was talking about, but let me in after looking at me and my ID for a few seconds. This is one of the few times I actually like the French attitude. I only have time for 1.5 rooms before the light gives out. I dash to St. Eustache and catch the last 10 minutes of Bach's prelude BWV 544. The place is packed- probably more so than at high mass. Only in Paris (maybe also Germany) would there be so many organ lovers. Following the ground rumbling conclusion, I return to the hotel on foot, stopping at a serviceable brasserie for a burger and potatoes and a beer. Having survived my first day in Paris, I settled in for the night. So endeth the thirteenth day.

Interior of St. Eustache

Columns of St. Eustache- Renaissance and Gothic elements

Sunlight through the stained glass

Looking toward the altar of St. Eustache

The courtyard of the Louvre

The Sun King

Religious procession for Mary

Inside the pyramid of the Louvre

Tomb of Mary Magdalene (j/k)

Venus, Eros and Mars on an astrological device of some sort

Portrait of Geta

Portrait of Tiberius

Building outside the Louvre at dusk

Monday 2/16- Today I had one mission- the Louvre. An early start became even earlier when I was awakened by the sound of a waterfall, actually my neighbor showering. The walls are truly paper thin- I just hope waterproof as well. After my usual morning routine of handwashing, tidying up and downloading photos onto my hard drive, I went to the Gare de l'Est train station to have breakfast and catch my metro train. I used the trick of showing my Getty card to the person at the ticket checkpoint who again looked at the card, at me, shrugged and let me pass. The guards at the Louvre are completely apathetic. Unlike the nazi-esque guards in much of Germany (esp. Berlin and Munich), those at the Louvre (the few there are) sit in a chair half-asleep while children run around, people touch each work, and flash bulbs go off like at the Superbowl. I must say, the Louvre is a circus, like the Vatican, and though the collection is unparalleled, it pains me to go there.

The good news: though I got a late start, I managed to photograph the entire Greek, Roman and Etruscan sculpture collections. I also did a dash through the much of the Egyptian and Near Eastern galleries (no small feat) and, yes, went to the Mona Lisa. At 5:30 not too crowded. On my way of being kicked out of the museum, I lastly popped into the gallery with the monumental Delacroixs and Géricaults and was suddenly in the Plague House of Jaffa, on the raft with the Medusans, and leading the people with Liberty. It's like six pages of an art history textbook in one room. The bad news: a large chunk of the Greco-Roman galleries were closed along with many sculptures that I was looking forward to seeing. There's not much I can do but sigh and move on. Still, I managed to take 1569 pictures today.

After looking through the bookshop, I headed home on foot, looking for some cheap food. I wandered my way up towards my hotel on a slightly different route and ended up in a hard red light district. This isn't the quasi-reputable world of Manet's flaneur- more like Eastern European sex slaves. Glad to be back 'home' to get off my poor feet. Only wish my noisy neighbors (Italians?) would shut up. So endeth the fourteenth day.

The Borghese Gladiator

Fabulous fragment of the Ara Pacis- I took a million pics...

Marcus Aurelius

Etruscan Funeral Bed

Etruscan anthropomorphic jar

Fragment of the Parthenon Frieze

Hercules and the infant Telephus

A wounded Gaul

Marsyas

Boy strangling goose (same type as in Munich)

The Three Graces

Non-Gummi Venus di Milo

Crouching Aphrodite

Census relief in conjunction with the altar of Domitius Ahenobarbus

Egyptian sailor climbing a rope

Horus

Stele of Naram Sin c.2190-2154 BC

Gudea

Assyrian sphinx thing

Nike of Samothrace

La Giaconda

Bust of a young Commodus

Detail of Liberty Leading the People by Delacroix

Detail of the Death of Sardanapalus by Delacroix

Tuesday 2/17- On account of the Louvre being closed, this was my 'day off'- Nick style. I was out the door by 10 or so without a plan. I had a list of museums that were open on Tuesday. But I was tired of museums, having been to the Louvre for two days in a row. I've been to Paris before and have done just about every major thing.

So I decide to go outside the city to St. Denis where I had been once before many years ago. This is where the Gothic style of architecture began, led by Abbot Suger. In 30 minutes I was there. I spent quite a while poking about the old tombs (€7 to get to that area!) and photographing the medieval stained glass windows. The basilica was the traditional burial place for all French kings from Hugh Capet onards. Even Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette's remains were re-interred here.

I decided to make a church tour to save money, ending with the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately, I forgot about the French penchant for long lines, so Sainte Chapelle was out as well as the towers of Notre Dame. I've done both before, but it would have been nice to go to both with my new camera. I did spend some time in the cathedral, putting up with the sea of tourists. Then I crossed to Seine and popped into a few churches in and around the Latin Quarter, including Saint-Séverin, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, and Saint-Sulpice. I noticed a concert that night in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, so I bought a student ticket.

I mapped out the metro trains I would need to get to the Eiffel tower and was off. The station is still a long walk from the tower, and by this time it was pretty much dark and had started misting. Well, that's my luck with ascending tall structures on this trip. I had never been to the top of the tower before, so it was a treat in any case. The line for the final elevator was very long (full of chavvy English boys) and some eastern European family cut into it while pretending to be oblivious. Very rude. The view was predictably foggy, but nice to have crossed off another must-do in Paris from my list.

Not stepping out of character for a bit, I had left very little time to get back to the church for the concert, so I ran down the stairs from the second stage and it was a mad run back to the metro stop, about a half kilometer away. In the end, I got there with about two minutes to spare. The program was a parade of the greatest hits of Baroque and Classical music- Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Albinoni's Adagio, Pachelbel's Canon, and Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. Very nice setting and performance, though there was an older couple behind me who were constantly talking and the man would snort now and then. I had to Seinfeld half-turn several times.

Being so late, I made my way along and across the Seine to the Châtelet metro stop to get back to the Hotel. These are the times that I enjoy- no crowds and no real rush. Ended up eating some prepared food at a nice supermarché called Monop' that had a British flag and 'God Save the Queen' written on the exterior. So endeth the fifteenth day.