This is part two about my long-weekend in Paris, if you didn’t get to read the first part of this post, click here
After having spent a great day in Paris we finally made it to something that Manny was really looking forward to: the Louvre (A on the map). I hadn’t planned on visiting this museum during this particular trip, but as it was the evening and most things were closed, and with there being no lines because the end of January is apparently the best time ever to visit Paris (I think I will make this a yearly trip, especially if I can always get tickets this cheap), I decided to visit it again. Don’t get me wrong, the Louvre is awesome, and huge, but every time I travel with students I come here, and battling crowds (many of whom want to take a selfie with the most famous painting in the world) to see the tiny Mona Lisa isn’t my favorite, so this visit was better than I expected.
There are two ways to enter the Louvre: through the main entrance of the glass pyramid (added to the museum in 1989 by Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei), or an entrance via the metro (through the underground shopping center), which is usually quicker. But we walked right in (after going through x-ray security).
Here are some interesting facts about the Louvre while I show you pictures of some of the things we saw in the Louvre:
a) The Louvre started as a fortress in 1190 before becoming a royal palace in the 16th century- that is until King Louis XIV decided to make Versailles the royal residence. It’s why just walking around and looking at the impressive decorated ceilings, walls, doorways and staircases is a must.
b) The Louvre is the biggest museum in the word! It is over 782,000 square feet large, and it is said that it would take 100 days to see every single piece of art if you spent 30 seconds to look at each piece (without stopping to sleep!).
C) During his reign, Napoleon renamed the museum “Musée Napoleon” and hung the Mona Lisa in his personal room. You can visit his furnished apartments when you visit.
d) The Louvre has over 35,000 pieces of art. And not just paintings; there are actually 8 different departments in the Louvre: Near Eastern Antiquities, Egyptian Antiquities, Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities, Islamic Art, Sculptures, Decorative Arts, Paintings, Prints and Drawings
e) The Mona Lisa is the most famous piece of art in the Louvre, and is so valuable that it is protected with bullet-proof glass and guards. You can’t even get too close to it, it is roped off and guarded. But that was after 1911 when it was stolen and not recovered for over two years.
e) Another famous piece of art is ‘The Winged Victory of Samothrace’, also called the Nike of Samothrace, a 2nd-century BC marble sculpture of the Greek goddess Nike (Victory). This is located in a stairwell in the Louvre and is very impressive to see as it towers over you.
f) The Gallerie d’Apollon is a magnificent room in the Louvre, with high arched painted walls and ceilings. It was first decorated for King Henri IV but had to be reconstructed after a fire. This served as a model for the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles (remember this when you see my pictures of Versailles later in this blog). Located in this impressive gallery you can see the crown jewels of the former kings and queens of France.
g) Another famous must-see at the Louvre is the sculpture of Venus de Milo. Believed to be from 100 BC it depicts the goddess of love and beauty (Aphrodite to the Greeks and Venus to the Romans).
After spending a few hours in the Louvre we left, going outside and passing by the Arc de Triomphe de Carousel. This is one of the three arches that exist in Paris, which form what is known as the ‘Axe Historique’, with the modern Arche de la Defense to the east of the city, lining up perfectly with the Arc de Triomphe, which then leads to the Champs Elysées, Place de la Concorde, Jardin des Tuileries and then Arc de Triomphe de Carrousel (added by Napoleon). Part of the charm of Paris is how well laid-out the city it.
The Jardin des Tuileries was closed so we passed over the Pont Royal so that we could have another lovely view of the river Seine and walk by what is my favorite museum in Paris- the Musée d’Orsay, the converted train station that holds Impressionistic art. And of course a stroll in the evening isn’t complete without a view of the Eiffel Tower all lit up.
We then made it to the Champs Elysées (C on the map) and decided it was time to find some dinner. We found a pretty typical French brasserie where Manny enjoyed a steak-frites and I got fish with lentils. We also enjoyed ‘pain perdu’, which translates to lost bread, (also known as French toast), for dessert.
After dinner we headed to the Arc de Triomphe (D on the map). The Arc is located in the middle of the massive circle ‘Place Charles de Gaulle’, formerly known as Place de l’Etoile- named because it looks like a star (étoile) with the twelve avenues that meet in this square.- do NOT try to cross this street by foot (I would warn against driving it in unless you’re completely fearless, I avoided it the entire time I lived there)- there is an underground pedestrian walkway so that you can stand under the Arc.
The arch was started in 1806, commissioned by Napoleon who envisioned leading his armies through a triumphal arch- hence the name. It was never finished during his time, though it was completed in 1836. On the arch you will find the names of victories by Napoleon and his armies, and later victories during World War I were added. That is also when it was decided to have a memorial added for the unknown soldiers lost in battle, in the form of the eternal flame.
One of the most beautiful features on the Arc de Triomphe are these amazing bas-reliefs, the one of the left below depicts Napoleon being crowned by the goddess of victory.
After the Arc de Triomphe we took a métro back to the hotel and called it a night. The next morning we took off on a walk to find another boulangerie to find some more delicious sandwiches. One thing I love about France, and something I teach about in class, is the way of shopping. Many people, instead of just going to the supermarket weekly, go almost daily to the different shops and pick up the supplies they need for a meal. You can go to ‘la boucherie’ for meat, ‘l’épicerie’ is a corner store that usually has fruit and vegetable stands outside. There are usually lots of ‘les fleuristes’ showing their beautiful plants and flowers, even in the middle of winter. You can always recognize ‘la pharmacie’ with their green crosses and of course, my favorite ‘la boulangerie-pâtisserie’ where you can go to pick up your daily baguette, or in my case when I lived in France, pastries!
We did find another boulangerie where I had a great ‘sandwich aux crudités’ (veggies and sometimes cheese) and Manny had a pizza that he said was incredible. We also got a pastry, but I ate it before I remembered to take a picture- trust me it tasted great.
We continued walking, our aim to get to an RER (a suburban train) so that we could go to Versailles, but I enjoyed the view of Paris as we ambled along. Even though it was winter and there were no trees abloom, I love the care that the French take into trimming their trees into straight lines. And I love the regal tall apartment buildings with their beautiful windows, shutters and balconies.
And the churches and cathedrals! I can’t tell you the name of the one pictured below left, but the other church is the Dôme des Invalides, where Napoleon is buried, right under the dome inside 6 different sarcophagi (“to make him seem larger?” a student pondered today, perhaps Elise, perhaps).
To get to Versailles you can take the RER train to the town of Versailles, about a 10 euro ticket and less than an hour trip (it’s only about 15 miles outside of Paris), and then it’s a short walk to the palace.
Just like when I traveled with students last spring break who loved the countryside and villages of France, Manny was charmed by the smaller town of Versailles, and its easy to see why from the cute pedestrian street we walked down on our way to the château.
Versailles is massive and beautiful! For about $20 you can visit the inside (the gardens outside are free!), and though not that many rooms are accessible it is very impressive, starting with the grande statue of Louis XIV (the Sun King) that stands outside the palace, to the golden gates that you pass through to access the courtyard.
Versailles was a royal palace from 1682 until the French Revolution in 1789. Before 1682 the Louvre was the residence of the King’s, but Louis XIV decided to take what was his father’s hunting lodge and turn it into his home, expanding on it greatly (while putting France’s finances into ruins).
Though the expanding of the castle did basically bankrupt the French, Louis XIV was “a man of the people” and he allowed people to come visit the château and stroll through the grounds.
You can visit the bedrooms of Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette. Louis was all about the ceremony, and even his waking up, eating and dressing could be viewed by the public.
One of the most impressive rooms to see is the Hall of Mirrors. Lined with glittering chandeliers and mirrors on the wall it truly is spectacular. There are 17 mirrored arches, each with 21 mirrors. The ceilings are intricately painted and there are golden statues flanking the walls.
The Palace officials would use over twenty thousand candles and chandelier to illuminate the palace.
The Palace of Versailles covers an area of 2,014 acres, making it the World’s Largest Royal Domain
And of course, the Treaty of Versailles was signed here June 28, 1919, putting an end to World War I.
The gardens of Versailles are spread across 1,976 acres, and is one of the biggest gardens in the world. 210,000 flowers and 200,000 trees are planted annually.
The gardens contain terraces, paths, fountains (which during the summer months are amazing when they are going off), statues, perfectly trimmed hedges, and even the house where Marie Antoinette would stay when she was trying to get away from the public eye.
After spending a few hours at Versailles we headed back into Paris, getting off the métro in the Latin Quarter, where we stopped to get a crêpe (for me) and a galette (for Manny). A galette is just a savory version of a crêpe, Manny got his with ham and cheese and decided it was the best thing he had eaten in Paris.
We then took a short walk to see Notre Dame, passing the popular square called Saint Michel (A on the map). Notre Dame (A) is located on the little island called Ile de la Cité, right in the heart of Paris.
Across from Notre Dame is the prefecture de Police, which was lit up with the colors of the French flag. Also nearby and very worth a visit is the Saint Chapelle cathedral, with its amazing stained glass windows, and also the Conciergerie, where Marie Antoinette was held before she lost her head to the Guillotine.
Notre Dame was built from 1163-1345. Its twin towers are accessible to climb, and from there you can get a firsthand view of the gargoyles and the massive bells that are inside, the largest weighing in at 13 tons.
It is free to visit the cathedral (just have to pass through security), but when we went inside there as a mass going on, so we couldn’t walk around the entire place, but I did hear part of the message about accepting each other’s differences because those difference are valuable (so true!).
Did you know Notre Dame is the most visited spot in France? Beating out even the Eiffel Tower! Napoleon crowned himself emperor here, and Victor Hugo loved it so much that he based his book The Hunchback of Notre Dame around it.
The stained glass rose windows date back to when the cathedral was first built. Notre Dame also claims to have the crown of thrones.
Did you know that the gargoyles serve two purposes? Looking scary to ward off evil spirits but also acting as rain gutters.
From Notre Dame we walked to the beautiful Hôtel de Ville (C on the map), built between 1874 and 1882 which serves as the city hall and also houses the mayor.
We then walked to a very different looking building compared to the rest of Paris, the Centre Georges Pompidou. This contemporary building was designed to look like it was inside out, with the exposed pipes that are color-coded according to their purpose: green for plumbing, blue for air conditioning, and yellow for electrical. The Centre Pompidou was built in 1977 and is the modern art museum.
The opposite side of the museum has the external escalator, and the large courtyard often has performers. Next to the museum is the Fontaine Stravinsky, featuring 16 moving and water-spraying sculptures which represent the works by composer Igor Stravinsky.
It was our last evening in Paris, so I insisted that we take the metro to Montmartre (E on the map), the highest part of Paris and also the home of many artists; Monet, Picasso, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec and many others used to live or have studios here.
Montmartre being the highest point in Paris means there’s a lot of steps. But I did it again- we walked up the stairs and there was the beautiful Sacré Coeur right in front of us! Maybe I should take on becoming a tour guide? Any takers??
Sacré Coeur is very unique looking, particularly with it’s white stone exterior. It manages to stay white because the stone that was used to construct it reacts with water when it rains and secrets calcite, acting like a bleach.
Sacré Coeur was built from 1874 through 1914, though it wasn’t consecrated until 1919 after World War I. And I was super excited because we got to go inside the cathedral. This church was built completely off of funds from the public, and inside is one of the world’s largest mosaics, depicting Jesus with stretched open arms.
Outside Sacré Coeur you get amazing views of all of Paris.
After seeing Sacré Coeur it was time for our favorite activity- eating! So we popped into one of the restaurants near Place de Tertre that was playing live music.
Our feast include soupe à l’oignon, escargots, ratatouille, duck confit and a gâteau au chocolat. We had a great time trying to figure out how to get the escargot out of the shell using the tools they gave us (I’m sure the servers got a good laugh out of it) and everything was super delicious.
After dinner we took a little stroll through Montmartre, because with the cobble-stone streets beckoning us it was hard to resist. But we had plans- we wanted to get back to the Eiffel Tower for one last look.
I love the Eiffel Tower anytime of day, but at night when it lights up it is really special. And then, every night on the hour…
There you have it- my lovely long weekend in Paris. Never long enough, but just long enough to rejuvenate my spirit. Je t’adore Paris, à la prochaine!
