Fastpass

Day 2 of my Paris trip was also jam packed with activity, excitement, and even a little flirtation.

While visiting the Louvre on Friday Angela noticed a sign for Museum Passes, which allows access to 60+ Museums and other sights of Paris. The pass cost 35 euro for two days. I referred to as my Disney Fastpass because twice we were able to bypass long ticket lines and go right in. So the pass not only saves money, but time, which is quite valuable on short trips.

Cassie enjoying the interactive features
of the Architecture Museum. She's creating
 her own stained glass window.

A small group of us stuck together throughout the day and visited a few of the lesser known museums of Paris, including De L'Architecture & Du Patrimoine and the Musee National De La Marine (the Architecture and Maritime museums, respectively). The Architecture museum holds many replicas of various popular architectural marvels including Notre Dame Cathedral. As Angela pointed out, it's just as amazing and important to see replicas and reproductions as it is to see the real thing. In some cases it's actually better because you can get closer to the reproduction. It's also pretty outstanding because some of the pieces, like archways, were used in the architecture of the museum building.

Full bodied masthead

The second Museum we flitted off to (and conveniently located right next to the Architecture Museum) was the Maritime Museum. This was awesome because boats and things having to do with boats are awesome. When you first walk in there's a glittering ship having something to do with Napoleon. It's pretty interesting, but I preferred the carved mastheads, including the full-bodied masthead. This statue is quite rare in that it is one the few to survive in excellent condition.

Another piece that caught my eye was the diorama showing how the Obelisk was moved from Egypt to Paris. It seems like it was a difficult undertaking, because before moving the structure they had to "wrap" it in a wooden shell to prevent damage. I intend to find out more about this subject when I get back. There were a few bonuses at the museum too: our cards got us audio guides so we could get more information about certain objects, and many of the placards provided explanations in both French and English.

Close up of the Obelisk Model: The wooden obelisk is the "case."

View from the top of the Arc.

We also made our way to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. This was one entrance where we fastpassed it. There was a rather long line of people waiting to purchase tickets. We walked up to see what we had to do, and someone flashed a museum pass at the guy guarding the door. The rest of us showed our passes and headed up to the top without any waiting. It was 284 steps the top. One the way to the first level I had to pause because apparently it was a race. Luckily there was a perfect spot to rest and make my heart stop pounding. It's also good that I don't mind losing.

Events following dinner were the best part of the day. Cassie and I made our back to the metro to once again visit the Eiffel Tower. Along the way a very cute Lebanese guy with a wonderful smile asked Cassie for directions to the Tower. He'd been wanting to see it since he was six years old. He actually missed his stop because he was chatting with Cassie. Needless to say, this encounter made her quite giddy. When we reached the top of the steps at the Trocadero and the Tower started glittering there was nothing to keep her from jumping up and down. We stuck around and saw it sparkle again at 11pm.

Whoever told Cassie to be sure to see the Eiffel Tower at night is a wonderful human being. It was absolutely beautiful. Seeing it lit up at night made me realize why they sell gold versions of it. If you are ever in Paris for the night, be sure to head over to the Trocadero and watch it glitter.

Sparkling Eiffel Tower

Paris!!

Gallery in the Louvre

Paris on Friday was a bit fast paced, but it was an opportunity to hit the highlights in a day.

We started with a two-hour dash in the Louvre. That may sound like a long time to some, but considering the size and the famous pieces that are in the Louvre, it's not much at all. On this trip I came across the Mona Lisa, The Winged Victory of Samothrace, Venus de Milo, and Liberty Leading the People, just to name a few. Although the Louvre is a huge tourist attraction the only way to really get the history while you're there is to take a guided tour or an audio tour in your native language. I kept trying to check out the placards to get more information on the piece to discover that it was all in French. You might be looking for pictures of these things, and they do exist but they are awfully fuzzy. There are two reasons for this: 1) You're not supposed to use a flash in the Louvre and 2) some were very difficult to get close to.

Once we regrouped, we were off on a tour bus that lets you hop on and hop off at various points around the city. Our destination was the Eiffel Tower, which took about an hour to get to, simply because the route is very circuitous. I was enjoying riding up top taking pictures of the sights. All of a sudden I looked to my left and there was the Eiffel Tower. Even though I was in Paris it was a bit of a surprise, and a reminder that I wasn't in London anymore. Once we stopped it's clear to see how large the structure is. I'm sure the view from the top is amazing, but there was no time on this trip.

Sandcastle along the Siene spotted
during the boat ride.

We hopped back on the bus and headed toward Notre Dame, where we were to catch a boat for a tour along the Siene. This had to have been my favorite part of the day. Riding along in the boat was breezy and there were more opportunities for fantastic pictures. Also, Dr. Everhart and her husband Harry had a surprise for us. They started passing out glasses and Harry popped bottles of Peach Champagne. (We must hunt this down for New Year's next year, it was delicious!). We rode along the Siene listening the tour in three languages and enjoying not trudging around with our full packs.

Following the ride was some free time. I walked around the outdoor stalls with Kalyca and was happy to see that some of them sold maps like one I picked up in Ireland. I didn't have much time to browse before we were due to meet up again for dinner.

Dinner was another best part of the day. We crowded into a restaurant that caters to groups. We each chose a starter, an entree, and a dessert and the wine, soda, or water was as much as we could drink. Wine tastes so much better in France.  All the food was delicious, but this was only the second full group dinner we have had. The first was within the first few days of our arrival. Now that everyone knew each other better, we spent hours eating, drinking and chatting. We were all very sad when Dr. Everhart said it was time for those not staying in Paris to head back.

After finding our hotel, the remaining group conked out for the night. We had all gotten up around 3:30am or so to make our way to Paris by train, which left at 5:25am. The excitement of spending the day in Paris (and the Eiffel Tower keychain salesmen, which I'll talk more about later), were enough to keep us all awake.

It was an extraordinary day in Paris and if I had left Friday, I would have an amazing memory to take with me. Luckily, I stayed so there are more amazing memories to share. There were also a few difficulties during the day. For example, we stopped at a little take-out bakery place to pick up a quick lunch for the bus ride, and when the woman told me my total, I had no idea what she was talking about. They seem to be used that, however, and she just pointed to the register so I would know what to hand over. The other thing is that it is much harder to determine what something really costs (to my American mind) in euros than in pounds, especially since I've been dealing with pounds for the last few weeks.

Viola! The Eiffel Tower


You may be asking yourself, why I've posted pictures of this twice with that title. During our boat ride, the guide explaining various points sent our attention to the Eiffel Tower using that exact phrase. She sounded bored though, as if she had just taken a moment and placed it there merely for our amusement and pleasure.

Backtrack

Tonight, I'm going to back up a few days. Monday's blog consisted of information related to my video project, so I didn't relay the information of the day.  Monday's roaming included a trip to the Museum of London and an official inside tour of St. Paul's Cathedral.

Close up of the old leather fire hat.

The Museum of London could also be called the History Museum of London. It follows the city's history from before the Romans to the present. The museum houses artifacts, replicas, and popular culture items in eye catching and interesting displays. I also like that they had hands-on things to do throughout. Many of the informational placards had a (computer) mouse icon, meaning you could head to the nearest computer bank for more information. There were also hats and shoes to try on from Medieval times as well as trying out the old versus new fire helmets. 

Mexico having lunch in the park.

Next was lunch in St. Paul's Churchyard. This was favorite part of the day. After chowing down with my classmates, it was relaxing to stay in the park and people watch. My digital story from today has many of the covert pictures I snagged in the churchyard, including one couple that were enjoying each other more than their lunch.

I think the most interesting aspect of this is that it involves every type of person. There was a man in a suit napping nearby, families enjoying the day, along with various other groups and duos here and there. I imagine the impetus for lunching in the park is the result of the difference between dining in and getting take away at many of the popular lunch spots. For example, Pret A Manger's products cost more if you eat them in the store.

St. Paul's dome.

The last part of the day was visiting St. Paul's Cathedral. The cathedral and its history is incredibly vast and intriguing. Christopher Wren was inspired by the architecture and decoration in Catholic Churches, but was forbidden to include anything remotely Catholic in the cathedral.  Even though Wren never saw it as it looks today, it's been updated with decorations added to fulfill his full vision of the marvelous cathedral. He's buried in the crypt with a very simple stone marking the place. But really, what better monument could he have than St. Paul's?

I'll also mention briefly that I have seen three shows while vising London. They are Billy Elliot, The 39 Steps, and Anne Boleyn. I also have my ticket for Les Miserables next week (so excited!!) I have a post about the four shows in the works. Keep an eye out next week for my London Theatre experiences.

Art

Saint Catherine attributed
 to Onorio Marinari

Art comes in many forms and is all over London. Musicians play in the tube stations, performers gather in Convent Garden, plays and musicals of every caliber and museums abound.

Today, I visited The Wallace Collection. Though a National Museum, this is the smallest museum I have been to. In about an hour or so, I was able to see and enjoy the entire collection. The Wallace Collection is first and foremost an art collection, housing paintings by Rembrandt, Hals, Poussin, Fragonard, and Decamps. According to the website, some artists that can be found in The Wallace Collection cannot be found in higher profile museums. There were many beautiful pieces, but I absolutely fell in love with Fradonard's "The Swing."

The Swing by J. H. Fragonard

Along with paintings, the museum houses ceramics, furniture, sculpture, armor, and other works of art. It was interesting to look at the different armor. It's amazing to see how intricate some weapons were. Also in one room, they had to knights mounted on their noble steeds. It was certainly a sight to see.

Armored Knight                Ceremonial Canon              Cupid & Psyche

The Wallace Collection is made up of five generations--including four Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace--of family collectibles. Lady Wallace, the last of the collectors, bequeathed the entire collection and estate to the British Nation. Her only stipulation was that it was an "as is" deal--nothing may be added or removed. The museum first opened to the public in  June of 1900 and has been open ever since.  This year marks the 111th anniversary. Not one that's typically honored, but this is probably one of the oldest museums I've ever had the privilege to visit.

Getting to museums, however, is definitely not a strength of mine. Like getting to the V&A, Vanessa and I got turned around a few times and took a bit longer than we should have to get there. Once were there though it was nice to walk around, especially when it's possible to see basically everything it has to offer.

___________________________
Ceremonial Cannon: Giovanni Mazzarioli
Cupid & Psyche: Flippo della valle

The collection as museum. (n.d.) The Wallace Collection. Retrieved from http://www.wallacecollection.org/thecollection/historyofthecollection/thewallacecollectionasmuseum

Exploring

Ceiling in the Great Court

Rick Steves acted as my tour guide around the British Museum. Unfortunately, this tour was not in person. Rick has audio tours on his website that anyone can download, put on their preferred device (like an iPod) and traipse the location he's covering.

Ramses II

Today I followed Rick's tour, so I only saw a small portion of what the museum has to offer. I learned about pharaohs and mummies in the  Egyptian portion, thinking of my friend Lia the whole time. Then I moved on into the Syrian section. The panels depiction the Lion Hunts was sad, but there truly is beauty in the artwork.

Up next, were the rooms on Greece, with the beheaded, armless and legless statues saved from the Parthenon. Definitely the most interesting detail of today's visit was walking behind the statues from the pediment. The statues were 40 feet high with their backs to the wall. Though they are not as detailed as the commonly visible portion, they are more detailed than they needed to be for being housed in the pediment.

Statutes fro the pediment
of the Parthenon

This is just a quick rundown of today. I'll definitely be visiting the British Museum again while I'm here, because it's only a five minute walk from the flat. Seriously, five minutes. That even includes the sixty-two stairs I have to go down first.

Syrian Lion Hunt panel close-up

V & A

Our scheduled tour for Saturday was canceled on account of the guide not showing and we were free to explore the city. A small group of us decided to make our way to the museums. Getting to the V&A, The Victoria & Albert Museum, was quite fun. I mean that truthfully and sarcastically. It just so happened that it was also our first taste of rainy London. And it was our first taste of underground delays. The Piccadilly line was basically not running at all, so after going ahead one stop we headed back up top and took quite a long detour to reach a different station where another train would take us to the V&A.

A rainy day in London. On the other side of the bridge is the
London Eye and the tower that houses Big Ben.

The V&A is HUGE. I had an hour and half to roam and explore and I know I saw less than half of what the museum has to offer.  The images below are highlights of things that caught my attention.  The image of the man sketching Jesus is my favorite, even though it's not the best shot.

Needless to say, the five of us had quite an adventure and came back with some bragging points: we found the river, we navigated the underground system successfully (thanks in large part to Elizabeth), no one was splashed by a bus, and we spent the afternoon in a beautiful museum. All in all it was a great day that was capped with Billy Elliot the Musical, which is a pretty great show. Now I just need tickets to Les Miserables with Alfie Boe as Jean Valjean and I'll be a happy(er) camper.

The obligatory "Mind the Gap" photo taken from the tube.