Louvre

The Challenge

Most students challenge themselves to see the entire Louvre while they are studying in Paris (I’ve been told that this takes approximately two weeks). And while the Louvre is very impressive, I just don’t like the periods of art that it has. Maybe it’s my new knowledge of Modern Art but the entire building just seems a bit stuffy. However, I work a block away from the Louvre, it’s always free with my student card, and it stays open on Wednesday and Friday nights until 10pm, so I promised myself that I would go a few times. I liked to meet up with friends there too so most of the time it was social instead of analytical art time, but ce n’est pas grave!

Things to Love in the Louvre
-The courtyards of statues: The most wonderful place to sit and relax because you feel like you are outside
-Brides: Every time that I went to the Louvre there were brides outside taking pictures in front of the pyramid. One time- we saw a bride photo shoot in the Louvre.
-People in Orange vests: They are art students and can tell you tons of stuff about the paintings. But I’ve only seen them on Friday nights and it is all in French.
-The Pyramid: It’s a French eyesore but a tourists’ fascination.
-Celloist: If you walk through Napolean’s courtyard to enter the Louvre courtyard, there is a man that plays the cello every night and the echoing music is absolutely amazing.

Things to Leave in the Louvre
-Your map: It’s useless. If you can find your way in- just accept that you’ll never find your way out.
-Random wing/exhibit/room closures: Each time it’s a different visit because so many wings close/open at will.
-Mona Lisa: She’s just not that spectacular, plus she is always surrounded by people and glass and red tape. I can understand why Marcel Duchamp made a mockery painting of her. Sorry, Mona.

Things I learned in the Louvre
-French artists love light! It’s easy to spot a French artist because his picture will have a glow to it.
-Eugene Delacroix: Sadly I had no idea who this was before the Louvre but now I can spot a Delacroix from the Tuileries.
-You don’t need a ticket if you have a student card and if you go up to the ticket booth with your student card, they will laugh at you.
-Avoid Lines: Since I already have a ticket/student card, I just waltz right in through the metro entrance. Sorry line-waiters, I’m in.

Strangely enough, my favorite part of the Louvre looking out of the windows at picturesque Paris!

Boule

Weaving through the Parisian parks are gravel/sand pathways and courtyards, which make running a little difficult, but they provide the perfect location for “Boule Lyonnaise.” Boule is the French version of Bocce, which is the Italian version of American bowling. If you’ve spent some time with my family at the lake, you know that Bocce is a social, fun sport with a hint of hardcore competition and a keen sense of ball positioning. As the sun set later and later and the days grew warmer, more and more Parisian Papas lined up along the gravel to play Boule. I would see tons lively games going on in every park. One night after work, I spotted a group of young business men gathered in the Tuileries, stripped of their jackets, with one hand full of beer and the other hand grasping the Boule ball. Seems like a nice way to unwind…

Attention aux pots de fleurs qui tombent!

The seasons are changing in Paris and the sun is shining more and the first few days of warmer weather hit. Unfortunately the wind is responsible for carrying out the winter and whisking in spring. Now I am very accustomed to wind, Boston wind is the champion at knocking people over, but I ventured over by the Seine on a very windy day and it was impossible to walk against the wind. Ah, a bit of home.

Similar to when it snowed, the Parisians are freaked out about wind. They close all of the parks and dare to venture outside in the wind. It’s wind, not a tsunami. My host mother chased me out of the house the other day telling me to “Watch the falling flower pots!” I was utterly confused until she explained the people leave their flower pots on the balconies and the wind can knock them on to the sidewalks. I assured her that I would walk in the middle of the street to avoid this—but Parisians, please just place your flower pots inside on windy days to assure that no one gets knocked out by falling flower pots!

Yves St. Laurent

The talk of the town is the Yves Saint Laurent exposition at the Petit Palais. It is the largest collection of his designs mixed with the wonderful story of his life and inspirations. The line to get it is always at least 2 hours, no matter what time of day. So a few weeks into the exposition, Danielle and I show up at 9:30am on a weekday morning (doors open @10am) to secure a spot in line. We made it passed the guard about an hour later and snagged free tickets to the exposition (thanks Student Art ID!).

From the moment you walk in, you are surrounded by mannequins dripping in haute couture. They lead you through his earliest designs, classic suits, and magically giving women a waistline. He takes some big risks early in his career and receives a lot of criticism, but hey- it kept his designs in the press and his name on the tip of the fashion world’s tongue. As his designs develop, he uses Impressionist, Cubism , and Modern art as inspiration. I could actually identify the inspiring art through Yves’ designs. They group his ethnic inspired designs into one large room, displays everything from kimonos to African head dresses. Then the exposition twirls into over-the-top lavish gowns and The Smoking Room. Smoking is referring to his line of women’s tuxedo jackets. The Smoking Room is a floor to ceiling black wall with black mannequins adorned in every Yves Smoking tuxedo invented. They stand on black platforms and are lit up by tiny orange light bulbs, reminding me of cigarettes. It is honestly the most impressive display of couture that I’ve seen in Paris. The simplicity, flow, and beauty of his designs was perfectly captured in the Petit Palais exposition. Even to the very end—where they whisk you away with solid, colorful floaty dresses and gorgeous silk fabric displays.

As to not end our lavish afternoon, Danielle and I walked around the 1st Arrondisement and stopped in for Laduree macarons.

Yves designs are not only found at the Petit Palais, but also at Les Arts Decoratifs. In their hidden wing, Mode & Textile, you can find couture from every big name French designer. This exposition isn't as grand as the Petit Palais, however it's much more manageable and a bit off the beaten path. Fashion design students can often be found sketching after the famous designers. It is also located in the neglected wings of the Louvre building, between the Tuileries and Rue de Rivoli

Les Arts Décoratifs - Mode et tex­tile
107, rue de Rivoli
75001 Paris

Patinage sur glace à Hôtel de Ville

*I forgot to post this during the winter- but since it was 36 degrees this morning, I thought that it would be appropriate for today.

Chocolat: Girard's

Ice skating at Rockefeller Center is a popular winter activity, Matt and I go to Frog Pond in Boston to skate outside in the dead of winter, and in Paris, you head to the Hotel de Ville to lace up your skates. It’s a make shift rink in the courtyard of the Hotel de Ville, which is really just a pretty building and backdrop. We went in the late afternoon on a Friday and it wasn’t too packed. There are always a few people there practicing ice dancing, doing tricks, and lots of couples holding hands. They play loud American clubbing music and we had a blast circling the rink. Tons of spectators watch from the boards and we got a few chants. After we were half frozen, we walked around the Rue du Rivioli, another shopping street in Paris. Greg was drawn to this giant chocolate fountain in a window display and we decided to go inside. Girard’s Chocolatier sells chocolate and sugared almonds. The sugared almonds are given out as gifts at Communions and Weddings and the salesperson let me try a few. Then I noticed a giant spinning wheel of chocolate and spun it to decide which bar I was going to get. I chose a bar of dark chocolate, of course (une tablette chocolat noir) and nibbled it (ok took a huge bite) as we finished walking around and headed home for dinner.

Marche aux Puces

There are two major flea markets in Paris. The biggest one, Porte de Clignacourt is located at the Northern most point of the city, while the other, Porte de Vanves, is tucked away in the South West. I lived two blocks from Porte de Vanves but only stopped by a few times. It was open on Sundays and sold mostly antiques, junk, and hidden treasures. The crowd was older and the pace was slower. This is where bargain hunters scoured for vintage Hermes scarves and Chanel suits. We went looking for vintage jewelry and pocket watches to turn into necklaces, but always came up empty handed. I didn’t have the patience or the knowledge to find a hidden gem.

Porte de Clignacourt was a much livelier flea market, much like China town, and open Friday - Monday. As soon as you got off the metro, someone was waiting to sell you a Gucci watch or Louis Vuitton purse. I went with a group of friends that had dropped in from Amsterdam. They were on the hunt for touristy gifts to stash in their bags for their friends in the Netherlands. We huddled together while I bargained in French-- quite successfully. It was so overrun with tourists that they believed my faux-French accent and mistook me for a local. We wandered passed stands of scarves, shoes, t-shirts-- stumbled into a ghetto/hip hop area where they had Baby Milo gear-- and finally found antiques and furniture hidden at the back of the flea market.

These two flea markets in particular are absolutely overwhelming. Pickpockets are everywhere and being ripped off as a tourist is quite common. But people go for the atmosphere, the experience, and only if they have hours to kill.

Luxembourg Jardins

The Luxembourg Gardens are actually as they are portrayed in movies. There are winding, gravel paths; weaving ivy vines; grand, marble statues; and plenty of Parisians. I discovered that the park is a pleasant cut through to get back home, so I frequently stroll through. You must stroll though, or else all of the ambiance that makes up the Gardens will be lost. You must stroll through the black gates, which sometime double as art exhibits. For example, there was a photo documentary on Nomads in Africa, which a woman came up to me and told me to read the captions because it was an inspiring story. Then, you must stroll on the gravel pathways. Some people choose to jog, or the French version of jog, but it’s really much more elegant as a stroll. Strolling through you will see: lovers on benches, children sailing boats in the fountain, and solos relaxing with a book. Others that will stroll by you include: groups of teenagers, couples of old people, kids on bikes, and other solo strollers. When I walk home, I continue through the Luxembourg Gardens into two smaller gardens with lots of kids playing. It makes walking home a lot more enjoyable and takes care of my fresh air quota for the day.



Side note: In the metro newspaper that I read on the way to work, they have a rating for the quality of the air. If 1 is perfectly clean and10 is smoky/smog, Paris is hovering around a 3 or 4, according to the paper. I wonder what that makes Boston?