The most amazing thing for me was seeing a group of three amazing buildings. An explination of how they came into being or information on their design was overlooked by my tour guide, as a result I didn't tip the bish.
These are the things I saw.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Batobus Living
I fought and fought with myself to not go on the batobus because it was the most touristy thing you could do in Paris, but it ended up being the last thing that I did on my last day. It was actually pretty good and if you have just arrived in the city it is a good way to get your barings and findout where all the things you need to visit are.
The most amazing thing for me was seeing a group of three amazing buildings. An explination of how they came into being or information on their design was overlooked by my tour guide, as a result I didn't tip the bish.
These are the things I saw.
The most amazing thing for me was seeing a group of three amazing buildings. An explination of how they came into being or information on their design was overlooked by my tour guide, as a result I didn't tip the bish.
These are the things I saw.
Changing lives at Le Centre du Pompidou
When I studied French in Year 12 I had a 60 year old Swiss woman who used to be a journalist. She was a bit unorthodox with her teaching but I didn't seem to mind her, by the end of the year I could follow her instructions in French, so she must be good.
One of the activites that we did in her class was a culural assignement which made us answer 20 questions about France in a kind of investigative journalism way, which is important. Anyway one of the questions was to describe what Le Centre du Pompidou was (a modern art gallery) and what the furore was about it when it opened. Turns out that the bishes who designed the building opted to maximise the inside space but putting all the service elvators etc on the outside of the building, which makes the facade of the building look scarier than what Cher and Joan Rivers would look like today sans plastic surgery.
Ofcourse this lead the poor beautiful and fashion conscious Parisians up in arms and wanting th building to be torn down or rectified so that it would be in keeping with the rest of the cities landscape. Anywho I had never been there but on my last visit had seen the outside of the building. The museum is actually really cute and has great art inside, especially some amazing instillation pieces, well worth a visit if you like f**ked up art that makes no sense and will probably leave you wanting to see a psychatrist by the end.
I have to say that one of my favorite parts of the galleries was actually going up the service elevators. They are super fun and showcase some of the best views of Paris, which I was not expecting. After checking out the art I went to the cafe for lunch, which is actually on a mezanine level and overlooks the entrance, so you get to do a bit of people watching too.
The girl sitting behind me was Dutch and had just recently moved to Paris. Anyway she was talking to her friend about how she was doing adjusting to the city and life in general; here are some amended quotes (she was the highlight of my visit to the Pompidou) -
"I just felt that I had to escape Holland because my art was being repressed and I had to be with people who really understood me and my art, this is why I am in Paris"
"I met a guy who is from Holland and it is nice to be able to speak to him in my own language but when I speak to him he reminds me of home and how my art suffered"
"I am going to met a guy today for a coffee that will last for half an hour but will take me an hour and a half to get to his office on the metro, but that's ok, I am in Paris to met new people"
"I feel that Paris is giving me everything I was looking for when I deicded I needed to start over again."
FARK ME - SHE COMPLETED ME!!!!
One of the activites that we did in her class was a culural assignement which made us answer 20 questions about France in a kind of investigative journalism way, which is important. Anyway one of the questions was to describe what Le Centre du Pompidou was (a modern art gallery) and what the furore was about it when it opened. Turns out that the bishes who designed the building opted to maximise the inside space but putting all the service elvators etc on the outside of the building, which makes the facade of the building look scarier than what Cher and Joan Rivers would look like today sans plastic surgery.
Ofcourse this lead the poor beautiful and fashion conscious Parisians up in arms and wanting th building to be torn down or rectified so that it would be in keeping with the rest of the cities landscape. Anywho I had never been there but on my last visit had seen the outside of the building. The museum is actually really cute and has great art inside, especially some amazing instillation pieces, well worth a visit if you like f**ked up art that makes no sense and will probably leave you wanting to see a psychatrist by the end.
I have to say that one of my favorite parts of the galleries was actually going up the service elevators. They are super fun and showcase some of the best views of Paris, which I was not expecting. After checking out the art I went to the cafe for lunch, which is actually on a mezanine level and overlooks the entrance, so you get to do a bit of people watching too.
The girl sitting behind me was Dutch and had just recently moved to Paris. Anyway she was talking to her friend about how she was doing adjusting to the city and life in general; here are some amended quotes (she was the highlight of my visit to the Pompidou) -
"I just felt that I had to escape Holland because my art was being repressed and I had to be with people who really understood me and my art, this is why I am in Paris"
"I met a guy who is from Holland and it is nice to be able to speak to him in my own language but when I speak to him he reminds me of home and how my art suffered"
"I am going to met a guy today for a coffee that will last for half an hour but will take me an hour and a half to get to his office on the metro, but that's ok, I am in Paris to met new people"
"I feel that Paris is giving me everything I was looking for when I deicded I needed to start over again."
FARK ME - SHE COMPLETED ME!!!!
The Pantheon
Athens is not the only one with a Partheon, Paris too has one, although its purpose is a little bizare to me.
Firstly the building itself is amazing. It stands out from the many buildings around it and is a fabulous piece of architecture. I was there just after Christmas so there where still like a thousand Christmas trees with ribbions in them on the outside of the entrance. Inside the huge walls are home to frescos which tell stories important to the hearts of Parisians and all French people really.
As with many of the other buildings in Paris (and France) it has its history in the roots of Christianity, which is unsurprising really as it started its life out as a church in honour of the Saint of Paris St Genevieve and still retains some of her relics. Her story is one that is told as part of the frescos. Today the building has been declassified as a church and handed to the French people to be used as a mausoleum where some of the most important people in French history lay.
So basically there is two levels. The ground level where the frescos are, and to walk around this area is amazing as it realies solely on natural light and in winter is quite cold I can assure. Then there is downstairs where all the dead people are. It is so freaky! Iwalked around there a little bit but was kind of put off by the fact that I was seeing dead people and not in a sixth sense way, which to think about it would have also been bizare. Some of the people of note "resting" here include Emile Zole, Marie Curie and Victor Hugo.
The buildings surrownding the Pantheon are used by the University of Paris. So there is this great youthful vibe with the streets and buildings spewing out hot mess twenty something Parisian students who all have complex and messy lives and continously dress in black, I practically self identified as all of them.
Firstly the building itself is amazing. It stands out from the many buildings around it and is a fabulous piece of architecture. I was there just after Christmas so there where still like a thousand Christmas trees with ribbions in them on the outside of the entrance. Inside the huge walls are home to frescos which tell stories important to the hearts of Parisians and all French people really.
As with many of the other buildings in Paris (and France) it has its history in the roots of Christianity, which is unsurprising really as it started its life out as a church in honour of the Saint of Paris St Genevieve and still retains some of her relics. Her story is one that is told as part of the frescos. Today the building has been declassified as a church and handed to the French people to be used as a mausoleum where some of the most important people in French history lay.
So basically there is two levels. The ground level where the frescos are, and to walk around this area is amazing as it realies solely on natural light and in winter is quite cold I can assure. Then there is downstairs where all the dead people are. It is so freaky! Iwalked around there a little bit but was kind of put off by the fact that I was seeing dead people and not in a sixth sense way, which to think about it would have also been bizare. Some of the people of note "resting" here include Emile Zole, Marie Curie and Victor Hugo.
The buildings surrownding the Pantheon are used by the University of Paris. So there is this great youthful vibe with the streets and buildings spewing out hot mess twenty something Parisian students who all have complex and messy lives and continously dress in black, I practically self identified as all of them.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
La Premiere
This time around in Paris I got to know the first quite well. I think it is amazing that the city of Paris got it's start in a suburb that is actually in the middle of the river. I also think it is amazing that this occurs naturally.
The most famous monument here is Notre Dame. The place is amazing inside and out. On the inside it is like almost a whole bunch of mini churches all under one roof. I could not imagine what it would be like to go there while there is a service on, or even if this was your local Chruch, how off tap would that be? Well alot for me considering I am a heathen non believer, but you get my point.
Another highlight was that I saw a girl who actually looked like Snooki. I had to do a double take to make sure it wasn't her and when I found out that there was more than one Snooki roaming the earth I pretty much ran into the church to confess all my sins, because surely this is the first sign of our impending doom, much like Snooki making it onto the New York Times best sellers list was.
Anyway I could only manage to take a photo of Snooki 2.0 from behind, but in a way it is a good thing, because no one needs to see that much tandoori coloured skin with whorish mardi gras make up seeping through.
The most famous monument here is Notre Dame. The place is amazing inside and out. On the inside it is like almost a whole bunch of mini churches all under one roof. I could not imagine what it would be like to go there while there is a service on, or even if this was your local Chruch, how off tap would that be? Well alot for me considering I am a heathen non believer, but you get my point.
Another highlight was that I saw a girl who actually looked like Snooki. I had to do a double take to make sure it wasn't her and when I found out that there was more than one Snooki roaming the earth I pretty much ran into the church to confess all my sins, because surely this is the first sign of our impending doom, much like Snooki making it onto the New York Times best sellers list was.
Anyway I could only manage to take a photo of Snooki 2.0 from behind, but in a way it is a good thing, because no one needs to see that much tandoori coloured skin with whorish mardi gras make up seeping through.
Musee d'Orsay - I fucking love you!!!
As I am sure you can gather from my creative title I really like Musee d'Orsay, almost as much as I like taking photographs in parks...almost.
Anyway I totes made a beeline to said Musee as soon as I got to Paris because the first time I went I loved it so much and actually went right after going to the Louvre for the first time and having a breakdown. For me the Musee d'Orsay represents what a fine arts museum should embody. It is easy to access, they limit the ammount of people allowed in at one time so you aren't too crowded and can actually appreciate the art, the art itself is diverse and covers multiple genres without becoming too overwhelming.
Most importantly the building itself has played an important role within the community before becoming a museum serving as a palace and a train station. That gives it character and makes the museum more interesting because you become not only interested in the art that it is showcasing but also fascinated by the building and its own story.
I had recently seen some of its key pieces when they were touring in Canberra as part of the French Masterpieces exhibition which still makes me die, when I think about it. Those paintings are still on tour as the third floor of the museum is being renovated, but it did not matter to me, I still saw some amazing pieces up close like le dejuener sur l'herbre.
Speaking of, when I saw that painting there was a high school group being taught the paintings significance and sketching it. Could you even imagine being a high school student in Paris and just having these types of museums as your locals? My god, you wouldn't have any other option but to graduate being highly cultured.
Another amazing thing happened while I was there, in the cafe when I was ordering my morning coffee and chocolate muffin (because we all know that chocolate in the morning is fine when you are in Paris right?) a Japanese tourist was having a bit of a lost in translation moment with the French waitress who was just plain pissed at him not being able to speak English or French. Anyway I helped him order his coffee and translated from Japanese into French, the first time I had done that. Bitch is well smart.
Anyway I totes made a beeline to said Musee as soon as I got to Paris because the first time I went I loved it so much and actually went right after going to the Louvre for the first time and having a breakdown. For me the Musee d'Orsay represents what a fine arts museum should embody. It is easy to access, they limit the ammount of people allowed in at one time so you aren't too crowded and can actually appreciate the art, the art itself is diverse and covers multiple genres without becoming too overwhelming.
Most importantly the building itself has played an important role within the community before becoming a museum serving as a palace and a train station. That gives it character and makes the museum more interesting because you become not only interested in the art that it is showcasing but also fascinated by the building and its own story.
I had recently seen some of its key pieces when they were touring in Canberra as part of the French Masterpieces exhibition which still makes me die, when I think about it. Those paintings are still on tour as the third floor of the museum is being renovated, but it did not matter to me, I still saw some amazing pieces up close like le dejuener sur l'herbre.
Speaking of, when I saw that painting there was a high school group being taught the paintings significance and sketching it. Could you even imagine being a high school student in Paris and just having these types of museums as your locals? My god, you wouldn't have any other option but to graduate being highly cultured.
Another amazing thing happened while I was there, in the cafe when I was ordering my morning coffee and chocolate muffin (because we all know that chocolate in the morning is fine when you are in Paris right?) a Japanese tourist was having a bit of a lost in translation moment with the French waitress who was just plain pissed at him not being able to speak English or French. Anyway I helped him order his coffee and translated from Japanese into French, the first time I had done that. Bitch is well smart.
Pere Lachaise Cemetry
There is a scene in Paris Je t'aime of an American couple having a breakdown about their relationship or something in this huge cemetry, better known as Pere Lachaise Cemetry.
It's in the 20th and a little far out but still on the metro so fine enough to get to. I entered through the main area and started my walk around. It was the middle of the morning and I was really hungry. Earier on I had bought a baguette from my local bakery which makes my mouth orgasm everytime, and I was meant to save it for lunch but instead I got that sucker out as soon as I arrived and started walking amongst all the dead.
It is a bit of a funny place, especially to visit. Like what is the protocol for a cemetry where you don't actually know any of the people personally? Are you meant to take photos because it is a tourist site or will be people be offended? Is it acceptable to eat a foot long chicken baguette while walking through? I am sure we all know the answer to the last question - MOST DEFINENTLY YES!!
This place is huge. And because I was practically feeling as though I was Parisian I thought I wouldn't need a map, how silly I was. I think I got half way and even saw the grave of Jim Morrison, which is bizarely enough surrounded by other graves which you need to almost walk ontop of to get to, it is very odd. At the half way point there is a lovely open area where you can sit, look at the great view and watch the world go by/eat an amazing baguette.
It was weird to see other tourists looking at graves. There just is something not so right about turning a cemetry into a tourist attraction. I was remnded of this fact when as I was leaving there was a grieving family burying one of their family members. It was a private moment for them and they had tourists streaming past them during the service, not so nice. I am glad I went there but never really need to go back.
Being the sensative tourist that I am (aside from the eating) I decided to not take any photos there. BUT thankfully that hasn't stopped other hot messes from doing that and uploading that shiz onto the internets.
It's in the 20th and a little far out but still on the metro so fine enough to get to. I entered through the main area and started my walk around. It was the middle of the morning and I was really hungry. Earier on I had bought a baguette from my local bakery which makes my mouth orgasm everytime, and I was meant to save it for lunch but instead I got that sucker out as soon as I arrived and started walking amongst all the dead.
It is a bit of a funny place, especially to visit. Like what is the protocol for a cemetry where you don't actually know any of the people personally? Are you meant to take photos because it is a tourist site or will be people be offended? Is it acceptable to eat a foot long chicken baguette while walking through? I am sure we all know the answer to the last question - MOST DEFINENTLY YES!!
This place is huge. And because I was practically feeling as though I was Parisian I thought I wouldn't need a map, how silly I was. I think I got half way and even saw the grave of Jim Morrison, which is bizarely enough surrounded by other graves which you need to almost walk ontop of to get to, it is very odd. At the half way point there is a lovely open area where you can sit, look at the great view and watch the world go by/eat an amazing baguette.
It was weird to see other tourists looking at graves. There just is something not so right about turning a cemetry into a tourist attraction. I was remnded of this fact when as I was leaving there was a grieving family burying one of their family members. It was a private moment for them and they had tourists streaming past them during the service, not so nice. I am glad I went there but never really need to go back.
Being the sensative tourist that I am (aside from the eating) I decided to not take any photos there. BUT thankfully that hasn't stopped other hot messes from doing that and uploading that shiz onto the internets.
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