A Suggestion

Though the vacation is officially over, I'm still adding entries and pictures to fill in the missing days. The easiest way to keep up with the new additions is to subscribe via email on the right.  That way, new entries automatically appear in your inbox and you don't have to keep checking the blog for anything new.

Eiffel Tower

I experienced very little of my fear of heights traveling up the Eiffel Tower elevator. That's probably because the structure's steel girders and beams wrapped my field of vision in protected safety. The rainy weather shrouded the summit views in an Impressionistic haze but still afforded spectacular views of the city. My favorites were the curved galleries of the Trocadero, the Seine river traffic and the golden dome of the Hotel des Invalides. The Sacre Coeur and Notre Dame Cathedral barely materialized in the distance.

The summit room also displayed small flag icons showing the directions of various countries and cities. I took some shots of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Manila, Philippines; and Los Angeles, USA.

Second floor views proved even more memorable since we were closer to the ground.  In addition, three gift shops offered some last-minute buying opportunities for a three-inch-high metal Eiffel Tower model and an "I Love Paris" t-shirt.

My fear of heights returned as we descended from the summit to the second floor, probably because the downward movement was like falling in slow-motion. The solution was simple -- I simply closed my eyes until we reached our destination.

Rude French?

Here's what we've experienced with the French. Bear in mind that we've spoken to them primarily in their language:

• They've greeted us with Bon jour, monsieur and bid us Au revoir whenever we entered their stores. We responded in kind.
• They constantly said Pardon for any slight that they perceive they do.
• When we were struggling with maps and directions, some asked us , primarily in English, "Can we help you find something?"
• They complemented us on how good our French is, even when it isn't. I say "Yes, it's French with a strong American accent," they protest and say it is good pronunciation.
• Individual shopkeepers talked to us about their art, their merchandise and even the weather.
• They switch to English when possible, whenever they see us struggling with the language.

So where exactly are these rude French that people keep talking about. I found them no better or worse than any other nationality. Granted, the food servers did not make the same kind of insincere, smiley small talk they do in California, but waiters and waitresses do not generally get tips. And far fewer of them may serve more tables (while also bussing, greeting guests and taking reservations on the phone).

Rude Americans

Here's what we've observed about some Americans:

• Some are the loudest people in restaurants and train carriages, their voices echoing through a quiet setting, since they assume nobody can understand their English. More often than not, everyone knows exactly what they're saying, since many French, as well as tourists of other nationalities, understand English.
• They shout orders at food servers or guides in English and get annoyed when the French do not understand their English.
• They enter and exit stores without greeting the shop owners -- a most stores are run by their owners.

I'm happy to report that these behaviors were the exception rather than the rule. Most Americans did make an attempt to communicate in French and to treat the culture with respect and understanding.

Loving the Louvre: Statues vs Paintings

 
The paintings were great. Some hung by themselves  in small rooms with dramatic lighting and others clustered by the hundreds in grand galleries lit by translucent, arched ceilings. Many of the paintings you know from art books and courses were there.

But there's just so many of them. And they're flat. And we'd already seen so many wonderful paintings at so many museums. And there were no Impressionist works because they were too radical to include in the collection.

Michelangelo's Dying Slave

So the statues win because of their monumentality, scarcity and three-dimensionality: the Winged Victory, Venus de Milo,  Michelangelo's slaves, naked Greek hunks and Assyrian monsters.

Winged Victory

When you visit the Winged Victory, look for a small glass case to her left as you face her from the staircase. It contains part of her hand and finger. Most people miss that.

Loving the Louvre: Mona vs Jesus

Introducing the Mona Lisa:

• It is NOT the size of a postage stamp. The picture measures about 20-inches wide by 30-inches high -- about the size of an average portrait. However, it was dwarfed by the free-standing wall on which it hung by itself. It's also guarded by a glass case, a permanent wooden barrier about two feet away and a temporary stanchion rope that is an additional six-to-ten feet away. Add to that about three rows of people, and what you see is much smaller than its press. Just like a man.
• Why do the eyes follow you wherever you go? Because all portraits do that. It's your eyes that are following its eyes, and not vice-versa.
• The painting is dark, just like all of Leonardo's paintings. You can't really make out any of his revolutionary improvements: the hazy, three-dimensional background; the slight veil over her head; the smoothness of her lower face as it melts into the slight smile. You can see all this only in close-up pictures on the Internet.

Introducing Jesus:

• People spend far too much time pretending to admire the Mona Lisa while ignoring the dozens of other paintings in the large gallery. The most impressive of these is the Marriage at Cana, on the opposite wall by Veronese, painted in 1563, about 50 years after the Mona Lisa.
• For those unfamiliar with Christian theology, this depicts Christ living it up at a post-wedding party where the hosts ran out of food. He took the remaining bread and fish, and turned it into a feast for all the guests.
• How big is this painting? The foreground figures are life-size.
• You can spend hours admiring every detail. Check out the colorful Renaissance drag, the 120 or so figures, the pets, the food, the classical architecture and the musicians. Veronese himself is fiddling on the left, while Titian is on base.
• While not as bright in real life as in this picture, the work is much more colorful than the Mona Lisa. And you can get close enough to lick the wine pouring off the jar in the lower right.

Loving the Louvre: Introduction

The glass pyramid leads into an underground entrance.

November 4: A few statistics about the Louvre from the GoParoo Travel Guide - 10 miles of galleries, 30,000 of 380,000 works of art on display, 645,000 square feet of exhibition space, four floors of corridors that aren't always logically arranged and 11 centuries of art.

And still people try to see it all in one day. Madness.

It's far better to spend two hours to tour the museum's highlights. Travel books of Paris typically have them. We used the one by Rick Steves. His Paris book is available under My Favorites in the right column. Then you can spend the next few days concentrating on individual galleries of interest. The Louvre website boasts several resources for exploring galleries virtually, setting up thematic tours and creating a list of favorite artworks.

At the very least, you need to go to the website to find out when galleries are open. Because the museum is so big, they do not have the staff to guard every room. So only particular galleries are open on particular nights. In our case, we visited Wednesday night (their late nights are generally quiet) to view biggies from the French, Italian, Dutch and Flemish galleries, before going on our highlights tour on Thursday, and finishing up with leftover works today (Sunday).

Despite it being a rainy day during the low season, today revealed the longest line ever for ticket buying. I'm estimating at least one or two hours to buy tickets under the pyramid. And then another 30-minute to one-hour line to get through security.

Our Museum Pass not only allowed us to skip all these lines but saved money for such multi-day excursions. Those waiting patiently in the rain could've avoided the wait by visiting the Louvre website to buy tickets, or by using the automated ticket machine at the Le Carrousel du Louvre, a mall right under the museum.

The food court at the mall is also the best place for lunch. And yes, they have a McDonald's as well as the most beautifully-designed Apple Store that I've seen, with a transparent spiral staircase joining two levels.

Apple Store at the mall under the Louvre

Carnavalet Charm

November 5: Because it's free and contained in two relatively small Marais mansions, the Musee Carnavalet is a worthwhile introduction to the history of Paris, particularly the revolutionary years. The city participated in four revolutions: the biggie in 1789, and three more in the 19th century. You'll see monuments and references to all four events throughout the city, and this museum sorts them out for you. However, avoid coming between 12 and 2 PM, when many rooms are closed for lunch or on Monday, when the place is closed.

One caveat: everything is in French, so find a good tour book. The Rick Steves Paris book, linked on the right side of this blog, contains a two-hour tour, or one-hour, if you concentrate on the revolution.  Many other travel guides also contain tours.

The walls were chock-full of paintings of French personalities such as Marie Antoinette, Marat and Robespierre. Two toy guillotines made of ivory were among the displays. The first highlight were the city models, particularly of the area around Notre Dame before Baron Haussmann's renovations. The location was a warren of medieval houses and crooked streets before the tore them all down to present a better view of the cathedral.

The second highlight was the full reconstruction of an Art Nouveau shop, both inside and outside, complete with bronze peacocks, stained glass accents and curved framing. I'll let the picture speak for itself.