Versailles

This trip to France is a first for many reasons, one of which is that I left my DSLR at home, which felt weird at first. However, with the iPhone having a more and more capable camera, I realized that is quite ok. This is a shot at Place Vendôme with the famous column in the very center taken with the 0.5 wide angle lens.

Paintings of Clause Monet are found in museums all over the world, but none are as hidden as Musée Marmottan Monet. 

The paintings found a home in the basement of a magnificent townhouse and they are some of the most impressionable. For what ever reasons, this is our first time here and I would definitely recommend a visit.

Paints of Clause Monet are found in museums all over the world, but none are as hidden as Musée Marmottan Monet. The paintings are in the basement of a magnificent townhouse.

We never felt the need to go to the Musée Rodin either, but this time we did go and it was amazing what Rodin was able to create besides the famous Thinker.

This bronze bust from Jules Dalou is a wonderful example of what the artist was capable of producing.

The main attraction was to stay at the Trianon Palace in Versailles. It is located right next the famous gardens where kings and other royalty took strolls.

The swimming pool was underground and offered a welcome atmosphere to cool down and relax. We had a fantastic dinner on the terrace facing the gardens watching sheep, probably descendants of those that Marie Antoinette petted, roaming lush meadows.

Visiting the Palace must have been so exciting when the king with is court was still here. Nowadays, the hallways are filled with other people that have the same idea. Early birds are rewarded with empty corridors and bedrooms.

The COVID protocol is still in place, which requires one to make a reservation and request a specific time slot. Since we stayed in walking distance to the entrance, we picked the earliest time and although there was a long line already, we made it to the Hall of Mirrors in no time with very few other people. It was such a great experience.

Because it was a beautiful day and we spent the better part of it walking in the famous gardens. The village that Marie Antoinette built, was out of place. She must not have liked being the queen, why else would you pick a peasant lifestyle over luxury?

The grounds even features an manmade grotto where Marie Antoinette was found and consequently arrested in 1792.

The grounds of the royal gardens are so vast that there is plenty of space for other palaces. I guess, just in case the king wanted a change in his life. They were smaller, but still very nice for that time.

Back in Paris, we visited a museum about modern colonialism and native art from all over the world. It is named after the former French President Jacques Chirac, who apparently liked foreign cultures so much that he built a modern building right next to the Eiffel Tower to house his huge collection of native art.

 

The lighting is great and allows visitors to focus on each and every piece that mean so much to people where it came from.

As you can imagine, it was a great vacation during which we experienced so many firsts.

Paris

Fortunately for us, this is not the first time we have traveled to Paris, a city that has more to offer than most countries.
This time, our goal was to explore this magnificent city in a way to uncover unusual sites and locations.
Maybe Parisians don't realize it anymore, but every subway station is different and Arts et Métiers is our new favorite. The interior is Art Deco in copper.
The second site we have never visited (how could we miss this!) is Sainte-Chapelle. It's a hidden gem just a stone throw away from Notre-Dame, also located on Île de la Cité. The Gothic nave holding up the ceiling on the first floor is amazing and very colorful.

The second floor was even more stunning (who would have thought that there is even more). While we were lucky to be there during a very bright day the stained glass windows of the newly restored chapel were just stunning.

If you are like us, you will also be amazed by the beautiful rose window that is as spectacular than the one from Notre-Dame, just not as famous. You just have to check it out by yourself.
Now that we have seen it we are puzzled by the fact that this was the first time. Why did we wait this long?

A couple of miles away from the city center is an architectural marvel, the Foundation Louis Vuitton. Despite the fact that it's not easy to get to, it's worth the walk through the park starting at Porte Dauphine. Walking around and through the building reveals many challenges builders must have had. The view from to upper floors towards the city is great.

Going to the graveyard is not everyone's business. Paris has several that one can visit and each is like a city within a city. It's very peaceful. Did you expect anything else?

While we stood in line to get tickets for the Gare Musée d'Orsay, we decided to go and taste absinthe at the most unusual bar. We found Cantada II, a rock bar that offers a fantastic selection of the green fairy in a grotesque environment.

The most interesting Absinthe we just had to try was from HR Giger, you know the Swiss artist that created the Alien monster.

Paris

There is nothing wrong with going to Paris for a second or third time (or 4th or 5th), right? There are so many museums to see and the new Picasso museum just opened this year. I was floored to see one of my favorite painting in the flesh (actually oil) that I made a stained glass from - Grand Nature Morte au Guéridon.

Gargoyle at Notre Dame



The view from Notre Dame towards Sacré-Cœur is rewarding after standing in line for a couple of hours, but it is so worth it.

Paris

The Louvre is arguably one of the most interesting and visited and sought after museum in the world. Nowadays, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates has their own, but nothing comes even close to the original in Paris.

One of the pop icons of the Louvre is the Winged Victory of Samothrace, which is displayed in one of the main stairways and if you're lucky you can enjoy the headless statue alone.

In comparison, the Centre Pompidou is very modern and hosts many works of art from my favorite painter Kandinsky, like his most famous: Gelb-Rot-Blau. It's in the main hallway and it's bigger than I thought. Standing next to the original gives you the goose bumps.

Calder is famous for the mobiles that he created in about the same time period. I think they are fascinating, because the art implies movement, either because it needs it or it creates it.

When walking from the Seine up to the Panthéon you can feel the knowledge when you walk through the Sorbonne university. The Panthéon is home to Foucault's pendulum from the 19th century and it is quite impressive. The experiment demonstrates Earth's rotation with a 67 meter (219 feet) swinging bob beneath the central dome. Please note that this is a replica whereas the original is housed in the Musée  des Arts et Métiers. Once the pendulum is calibrated and going, it tells the time.

As if there was nothing else to see in Paris, we decided to go to see one of the huge grave yards. Let me tell you that it is a very peaceful experience. Even this gentlemen knew that nobody would disturb him reading the news paper. Please note that his dentures get a rest as well.

Someone had some unfinished business to take care of and since it's daylight, they have not returned yet.

As soon as we arrived at the Catacombs it turns out that we (almost) missed the last tour. We had to beg to be included in this last group of people going down the the tunnels with bones stacked to the ceiling. It was mind blowing.

Walking up to the Basilica of Sacré Coeur on Montmartre is always a nice change from the bustling city and the watching local artist painting in the square.

While in Montmartre we visited the Dali in Paris. The collection included many drawings, paintings and some sculptures.

The opera is nicely light at night and provides a wonderful backdrop. I have always felt very safe downtown Paris and it's so nice to just stroll though the city like Parisians do.

And yes, since we are in Paris, we also noticed the Eiffel Tower, a landmark that is never boring and always there.

Paris

Even though November is probably not the most ideal time to visit Paris, this is our first time in the City of Lights and it now has it's own place in our memories. 

The city has so much to offer, on art and architecture. Just imagine if they had decided to tear down the Eiffel Tower after the World's Fair in 1889 was over. That would be unimaginable.

The structure can be seen for miles and is a great help to get your bearing when walking around. It's absolutely worth going up all the way to the top, so you can enjoy Paris from this very different perspective.

Arc de Triomphe

If you get tired there is at lease two options. First, one could choose from one of hundreds of street cafés, sit and enjoy the Parisians go about their business.  Or second, you could convince yourself and take the Metro, which at first, looks a little intimidating, but the trains are so easy to use, once you get the hang of it.  Here, everyone takes the Metro, for work and in the evening for going out. We always felt save, even at late hours.

When walking in Paris, one should immediately recognize the unique architecture of the beautiful homes, were people actually live (must be quite expensive).

It's hard to have a favorite museum, be it the Louvre, the Musée de l'Orangerie or the Centre Pompidou, or the Musée d'Orsay.

The Louvre is a little overwhelming at first, because of  its size with all the wings, rooms and corridors. It is fantastic what kind of art can be seen and one can easily overlook a painting from Leonardo Da Vinci that hangs on one of those walls in a long hallway. The wing that exhibits marble statues from Roman times was empty and it's quite an experience to look Julius Caesar in the eyes. We were lucky to also spend some time with Mona Lisa as the room was almost empty. I admit, that I expected the famous painting to be a lot bigger, but I was still impressed by the "aura". I recommend, visiting the Louvre multiple times, because it's huge.

Don't forget, that Paris can also be explored at night. After dinner, we took a walk down the Champs Élysées, where the Arc de Triomphe was illuminated.

A former railway station serves as a museum now, called Musée d'Orsay. A vast collection of impressionist is exhibited here in a wonderful building on the left bank of the river Seine.

Because it was a great and sunny day, we decided to go and check out the Notre Dame. The cathedral is impressive and its size is misleading until you get close and then you realize how immense the structure is and now many details are in places where nobody sees them. 

We climbed the stairs to the bell tower and came across the gargoyles, which are all hand carved and different. They overlook the city and keep demons and evil spirits way.

One of the days, we took the train to see the Palace of Versailles, the favorite residence of French kings and the summer residence of Napoleon. The hall of mirrors defined the word "Opulence" perfectly. It is incomprehensible, how much gold, time and effort was invested in probably one of the most majestic palaces in the world.

We finished this vacation with a train ride from Paris to Zurich, Switzerland on the TGV (Train Grand Vitesse or high speed train). The speed was around 180 mph and it was especially impressive when two trains crossed.