It's not Arlington, but I'll live...: Day 112: Paris, France

Today got off to not a good start, but it ended up bring pretty good. Laura and I woke up at like 6h 30, to make sure we left by 7h 30. We walked to the station, and then took a train to Charles de Gaulle. I'm discovering that when you are in that situation, there isn't much to talk about. I walked with her to the check and line, and then we said goodbye. It really, really sucked. She was the last of my friends, and was also probably my best friend here. I am getting sad again, typing this.

There was a pretty sunrise as I was leaving the aeroport.

After I left the airport, I took the RER into town and went to visit the opera. The Paris Opera is THE classic example of Beaux-Arts architecture. Definitely one I've studied, and it even comes up in non-architecture class. It was really, really cool to see it in person. The ornamentation, inside and out, it absolutely stunning. It is also really cool to see the floor plan. It was obviously designed as much for socializing as it was for opera. There are lots of interconnected halls and corridors to facilitate movement of patrons. The only downside was my pauvre little appareil de photo could not really handle the lighting conditions in the building. I(t) tried real hard.

This isn't technically the entrance to the opera. This is basically the back door.

This staircase is probably the most famous aspect of this building.

Fancy floors and carpets.

This room was for socializing.

Ornate ceiling.

The hall is absolutely beautiful.

Seats.

THE chandelier. Of Phantom of the Opera fame. It weighs 14,000 lbs.

If you would like more info on the Paris opera house, please go here.

After I was done at the Opera, I walked along the Rue de la Paix, towards the Jardins Tuileries. The rue runs through La Place Vendôme. It houses a victory column built by Napoleon I, after the Battle of Austerlitz. It was subsequently torn down, and then reconstructed. Probably when they couldn't find any other French victories to commemorate.

Modeled after Trajan's column in Rome. That guy is REALLY tall.

Along the street were lots of department stores, or other kinds of stores(I'm assuming) and the sidewalk was very intricately decorated.

Comme ca.

Then I walked around the Jardin des Tuileries for a little while. It was very pretty, but very wintry. I'm sure it is beautiful in the summer. I was pretty hungry, so I hate lunch really early. I got a crepe at a cafe in the park, and it was not good.

These trees are all in a grid.

There is a large fountain at either end of the park

Where I ate lunch.

Within the fence of the Gardens, is the Musee de l'Orangerie. The museum is inside of an old orangery, whatever that is. Claude Monet chose the building to display his works. I have never stood inside of a painting before, but there, I kinda did. The two main Monet paintings, are displayed in ovular rooms, with four panels each. The longer being about 40 feet in length. It is pretty amazing. Photography was interdit, so I got this online.

It was very cool.

There was also a very large collection of impressionist paintings. It was really cool to see works by all of those famous people. There was also an extensive collection of Spanish art on loan from a museum in Spain. It was all really cool. It was also nice because my entry was free.

After I finished at the museum, I walked to the Île de la Cité, to take a boat tour on the Seine. We went past all of the major Paris monuments, and the guide was fairly entertaining, so it was pretty good. It was, however, REALLY cold. It was finally sunny today, but it was much colder, and really windy. Out on the river, the wind was much worse.

Me on the Pont Neuf. It is actually the oldest bridge in Paris. It was built by Henri IV as a gift to the citizens of Paris. They were pissed because he built the Louvre.

This is where the French Parliament meets.

This bridge was a gift from Russia for the 1900 world expo. You can't really tell, but the whole things is painted white with gold trip. It looks very Russian. The coat of arms is that of Russia, on the other side is the coat of arms of Paris.

I just like this bridge because it is asymmetrical . It is a rebuild of an older bridge.

With an almost blue sky.

It looks way cool in the sunlight, I discovered.

After my boat tour, I went to the Conciergerie, on the island. It was a part the first Royal palace in Paris, and this is the only part left. During the Revolution, it served as a prison. This is where Marie Antoinette spent her final 2 months before she got her head chopped off. Now, it functions as a museum and as a public exhibition space. This was also free for me. Sweet. The art exhibit on display was very weird, modern type art. Some of it was cool, but a lot of it was really weird.

Probably something about excessive wealth.

I'll call this one "Snakes hanging from a Tree."

Here was the exhibition space.

This is real.

Each cube is made up or nylon cord, tied to feathers, to make thee patterns. The closest cube is actually not feathers though. It is a cube of dead flies.

The museum part was interesting. It mostly talked about the sentencing-murder process, and there are a couple a recreated cells. There is also a small memorial to all of those who lost their lives to the guillotine.

Marie Antoinette still got some pretty posh living arrangements.

Most people's cells.

After I finished here, I went to Sainte-Chapelle, which is a chapel(go figure) very near by. It is within the confines of the low court of Paris. It is very small, but famous for its stained glass winders. This was another free activity for me, so that was great.

The gate to the court. It's kinda crappy, since it is just the lower court.

The lower chapel of Sainte-Chapelle.

The upper chapel. It is almost entirely stained glass.

Each panel tells a story of a book from the bible.

This one is the apocalypse.

After I finished at Sainte-Chapelle, I went to a take-away place and got a tomato and cheese panini. It was pretty good. While I was eating, I walked to the Shakespeare and Company bookstore. It is a very old, english bookstore, just across the river from Notre Dame. It is a really cool shop, with books everywhere.

This building was a monastery at one point, and all kinds of other stuff.

Even books on the staircase.

After I visited the bookstore, I took the train to the Champs-Elysees to go to the Christmas market. I got some hot, spiced wine, which is a very popular winter drink here, and some little cadeaus for people that need cadeaus. At this point, I was completely exhausted, so I just headed home. I did get some good pictures as the sun went down.