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| 2009-01-31 11:34 |
| three days in Paris |
| Public |
| rl, travel |
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Finally getting round to posting pics of Paris, whittled down from several to just one dozen:
The city's most famous landmark, which, unfortunately I neither ascended nor took night photos of. Opposite it on the Champ de Mars was the Ecole Militaire, the backdrop to people strolling about, sunning themselves on the grass, eating ice cream and generally having unmilitary fun.
Since I had only 3 full days there, much of the city was seen from atop a sightseeing bus (same company as the red-topped one returning from the obligatory roundabout the Arc de Triomphe), the better for tourists to lean out dangerously over the tops to get a closer shot.
Another must-see was the Louvre, where tourist hordes swarmed in to see the lady with the mystic smile practically as soon as the doors opened. The two famous belles dames sans pièces, the Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Venus de Milo, being in relatively open spaces at the tops of staircases, had the virtue of being much more accessible (to photo-taking). Personally I much preferred this painting (whose title, alas, I neglected to record).
The bus made multiple trips over the Seine, passing over several bridges (overlooked by Haussman-era houses) to get to various landmarks within a limited time. Two of its three routes passed by Notre-Dame de Paris, of which the external carvings and stained-glass windows impressed me the most.
Other frequently-visited-sites included the Place de la Concorde (which, going by the photos, I must have passed at least six times in two days), les Invalides, and recurrent views of the Academie Francaise, Place Vendome, Opera etc, various Quartiers, musées, and the Moulin Rouge and Sacré-Coeur basilica (neither of which I visited, despite living on the outskirts of Montmartre).
I'd have liked to spend more time in Paris, but not in autumn. Perhaps Paris in the springtime...
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![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) flemmings |
| 2009-01-31 05:04 (UTC) |
| (no subject) |
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Damn. I've seen other paintings by the artist of your unnamed picture, at an exhibition in Ueno that I went back to several times in 1993. Pictures of northern countries and climates-- can't even recall the name.
I'm pretty sure it's not Caspar David Friedrich, but someone in the same school? Johann Christian Dahl?
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| feliciter |
| 2009-01-31 14:16 (UTC) |
| (no subject) |
| method in the mews of madness |
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Alas, online searches for their paintings in the Louvre matching the photo were negative (Peder Balke looked promising too, but the trail petered out). Friedrich has extremely evocative paintings. It's not famous enough to be on the Wikipedia list starkly coloured, depressing and shows nature triumphant, a contrast to the portraits, worthies and allegories (and the Rubens' lurid Medici cycle, which I had to pass through at least twice after getting lost on the way back from the loo).
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| feliciter |
| 2009-01-31 14:00 (UTC) |
| (no subject) |
| method in the mews of madness |
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I wish I could have gotten closer to them, they were better than some of the art in St Peter's Basilica.
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aww, the eiffel tower had stars on! i agree, that arctic landscape picture is most evocative, and i love that one stained glass shot. all the photos are perfectly framed; were most of them actually taken from a bus?? if so, i applaud your skillz.
what were the flags at the Arc de Triomphe, if you remember?
(it was spring when i went to paris, and not a great deal sunnier than your photos suggest, eheh. i reckon summer is still the best time to see most of western europe, if you don't mind braving hordes of tourists.)
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| feliciter |
| 2009-01-31 13:59 (UTC) |
| (no subject) |
| method in the mews of madness |
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All exterior shots except the Eiffel and Ecole Militaire were taken on board (hence the superfluity of sky), when the bus stopped or slowed down at traffic lights (though it's not so much skill as practice, given that the bus went by them at least twice per route, except for the Montmartre route D:)
The EU flag (stars) has been there since France became the president of the Union (since July 08 IIRC) and the tricolor always does, probably.
(ah, so. One of my colleagues is going there in July - must get him to post the photos on Facebook)
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| flemmings |
| 2009-01-31 15:35 (UTC) |
| (no subject) |
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The superfluity of sky is cool by me. You ahd a lovely day for at least one bus trip, obviously.
The French climate may have changed since my own days, but going by the '80s, July is either unbearably hot, in a country and architecture not exactly designed for heat, or cool grey and rainy. OTOH my notion of unbearably hot may not be yours. OTOOH I think Singapore relies a lot on having large windows, if not actual balcony doors, that can be opened to let, like, *air* in.
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| feliciter |
| 2009-02-01 01:26 (UTC) |
| (no subject) |
| method in the mews of madness |
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I suppose it can get quite hot (and relatively humid) in summer!Paris? Which may surprise tropical visitors despite being used to temps in 30s and 98% humidity.
Singapore relies too much a lot on air-conditioning, as well as large windows, high ceilings and balconies (a major feature of colonial architecture and houses that only about 10% of the population can afford to live in nowadays D:)
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| flemmings |
| 2009-02-01 01:43 (UTC) |
| (no subject) |
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Can and does. The hideous summer of 2003 when 15,000 people in France died from the heat was an exceptional case. But a little heat goes a long way in a city that's all concrete with little ground-level green outside of the large parks. AC isn't a common feature, though hotels may well have it now.
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nothing wrong with a good dose of sky. :D
ahh, right. should have guessed re: the tricolor (it was the orientation which got me -- looks like a horizontally-striped one), and the EU flag looks obvious now, i'm not sure why i didn't recognise it.
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I've been to those places! ^___^ Your pictures are much better than mine were though ^.^;
*giggles at the 'very unmilitary activities'*
Was your first sight of the Winged Victory form the gallery below or the stairs above? I was very impressed when I stepped into that gallery and saw her majestically spreading her wings out over it. But that painting is really gorgeous too. We had so little time in the Louvre, it was a crime.
The stained glass at Notre Dame is really amazing. Have you ever see the cathedral at Chartes, or the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona? The former also has some breathtaking stained glass, and the latter has absolutely exquisite architecture.
I wouldn't mind going back to France some time, and improbable as that is.
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| feliciter |
| 2009-02-01 01:38 (UTC) |
| (no subject) |
| method in the mews of madness |
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I saw her while ascending the stairs, and she was impressive. (even with the crowd milling around and taking photos, as usual.) I spent a day in the Louvre, and of course this was insufficient.
Never seen the other cathedrals, but will definitely visit if I go there, since the online photos are stunning.
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