A Sunday in Paris

So I think last time I wrote I was so encouraged by the fact that I was almost caught up that I at some point decided to not write for awhile. Anyway, here’s my attempt at catching up, which may not be the most detailed account in the world, but at least will give you an idea of what I’ve been up to.

My first full weekend here, I took the day Sunday to go to Paris because all the "national museums" are free the first Sunday of every month. I drove to the train station in Maule and took the train from there into Paris (about an hour in total). I had a few ideas of what I wanted to do planned out, so I began working on that list with a trip to L'Orangerie museum. This is another impressionist museum in Paris, located in the Tuileries garden, in between the Place de la Conconrde (where Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI were executed by French revolutionaries) and the Louvre. The highlight of this museum are the two oval-shaped rooms that house panels of Monet's waterlilly paintings. The idea of the rooms (dreamt up by Monet himself) is that, surrounded by the waterlily paintings, the viewer would feel engulfed in nature. The effect is quite magnificent, especially when coupled with the intense thought-process that went into the installaiton of Monet's paintings in this old greenhouse for orange-growing. The museum itself is between the Seine and the Tuileries gardens, where a marsh-like environment such as the one depicted in Monet's paintings could very well exist. The layout of the museum along an east-west line is perfect, as the waterlillies painted towards the morning begin in the east room and then the day continues into the west room, where one eventually finds the waterlillies at dusk. I unfortunately can't remember all of the details the curators thought of when installing these pieces, but this at least gives you an idea. This museum is a MUST for all impressionism fans visiting Paris.

One of my favorite things to do in Paris is to walk along the Seine. On this particular Sunday, it was a perfect day with a little breeze from the river to dull the heat from the sun. I walked for awhile and then sat down on a bench to people watch and eat lunch. I found myself near l'Ile-de-la-Cité (Notre Dame Cathedral), so I decided to make an unplanned visit to Sainte-Chappelle (a chapel on the island) because I remembered my old French prof saying it is a wonderful place. I found out when I arrived that they are doing some restoration on the stained-glass (for which this chapel is famous), so I debated with myself as to whether I should go in or not. In the end, I decided to give it a try, since I would have wanted to go at some point during the trip and the restoration will not be finished until 2013. It did not disappoint!! The panorama of stained-glass windows everywhere you look is magical, especially when the sun is shining through and the light dances on the walls. Much of the stained glass dates from the 13th century and they have done a fabulous job of preserving original panels, so that something like 85% of the stained glass is still original. They also have concerts there every once in awhile, so now I'm dreaming of listening to classical music in that gorgeous setting, but that may just remain a dream, we'll see....(On a side note, speaking of dreams, I'm dreaming in French now, which is a sign that my French is quite good now, so I'm very happy about that!)

To finish off the day, I headed over to Victor Hugo's house (Les Misérables), on the edge of the Place des Vosges, not too far from the Place de la Bastille (where the French Revolution began for those who might not know, although I think most reading this blog will know that). It was pretty neat to see where he lived, but like many homes turned into museums, there was a lot more about his family than his work. I enjoyed the museum enough, but it wouldn't be one of my first recommendations for those travelling to Paris. The good news is I still have a lot of time to go the other places I want to go as well, so I never have to feel like anything is a waste of time!! So that was more or less my day in Paris...a good one overall!