Paris 3

The Luxembourg Garden is the perfect place to spend a relaxing afternoon reading, walking, running, or talking with some friends. When it’s sunny the park is an amazing place to spend a few hours soaking up the rays.  On the weekends the entire city of Paris gathers in the park and it is almost impossible to find a place to sit. In the mornings it’s not crowded and it’s the perfect time to bring some music and go for a jog. The city of Paris is always on the go, but the gardens are a perfect place to slow down. The statue of liberty and can be found in the gardens along with several areas of grass to play games with friends.  The fountains found throughout the garden are soothing to sit near. On the weekends the natives gather together for games of Bocce ball; this is a good time to get a feel for everyday French culture.

Notre Dame is quite the opposite of relaxing if the plan is to visit the top of the cathedral. Walking through the cathedral is peaceful as is walking through any cathedral. Walking the 400 hundred spiraling steps to the top is tiring and nowhere near relaxing, but it is worth the climb. Paris has structures throughout the entire city that allow a bird’s eye view of the city, and the top of Notre Dame is another one of those spots. Around the top of the tower are gargoyles that can be seen clearly once the steps are climbed. Visitors can walk through tight hallways in order to make their way around the top of the tower. Just when it appears the climb is over there are more stairs that lead to the famous bell tower where Quasimodo became famous. The bell is enormous and taking pictures with it is possible. At the top bells may even ring while guests are there.  The walk down is easier than the uphill climb, but there are still 400 steps to walk down.  In general, the view is absolutely amazing, and it’s good to see the city from another aspect.

Sacre Coeur is another spot in the city where visitors go to see the view of the city from a spot up high. There is also a cathedral to walk through at the top of the hill. There are not nearly as many stairs to climb up as at Notre Dame; probably half as many stairs. At the top the view is breathtaking; it’s as if one is standing on a cliff. There are entertainers and vendors trying to sell Eiffel Tower souvenirs to the tourists as they walk up. On the weekends it is crowded, especially when the sun goes down because the view is beautiful with the rays of the sun shining down.  There are several ways to walk down the hill, and even shuttle cars that can take guests to the bottom. There are unique shops surrounding the bottom of the hill that house artistic accessories such as scarves and jewelry.

The red light district is not a place for tourists to be wandering around in at night, but if they have a purpose to go see the Moulin Rouge show then that is acceptable. The show is worth seeing even if it is all in French and may not be comprehendible. There are parts in English and then there is a lot of comedy involved in the show that an English speaking audience can understand just by following gestures.  The show is not by any means modest, and the women go topless throughout the duration of the entire show. The dancing and gymnast acts are fascinating and flawless. The sparkle and enthusiasm of the show could be compared to Broadway musicals, except with clothes.  Despite that costumes may not have been the main focus in the show, they were still spectacular and the beading on some must have taken weeks to complete. The show is perfectly enjoyable with a nice dinner and drinks for table.

The Pompidou offers many exhibits that change often. The Edward Munch exhibit, which was happening at the beginning of October, was interesting to see. The Exhibition started with his earlier works and continued through until he went slightly crazy. The museum compared many of his works of art. For example, one room would show the pieces with dark and subdued colors and then the next room showed the same paintings in bright colors. Just changing the colors gave the painting a different feeling, and it was a strong enough difference to change opinions about the artwork. Towards the end of his career Edward Munch was losing his eyesight and he went crazy. He started to only draw and paint pictures of what he saw through his eye. The paintings depicted eyes but there was emotion behind the eye; mostly turmoil and anger. The modern art exhibit in the Pompidou showed abstract pieces most of which were sculptures that resembled brightly colored children’s jungle gyms. The art is difficult to explain or relate to, but it is eye catching and fun to look at.

   

Saint Chapelle is one of the many cathedrals that should be on the list to visit while in Europe. It’s an amazing cathedral, but it is not known so much for its grandeur and size as it is for the amazing stained glass windows found on the second floor. The windows go all the way to the ceiling from midway on the wall. The stained glass is slowly being restored, and it is about half way finished. The colors are brilliant to look at. The conciergerie is the place where Marie Antoinette was placed in prison due to the revolution. Marie Antoinette was a good person, but her name was slaughtered due to rumors about her behavior as queen. Her prison cell was replicated, and unfortunately for her she had to be guarded at all times of the day and night. Eventually she was beheaded. There were different types of cells available to live in, while in prison. If the Prisoner was willing to pay money or had money to give they could be placed in a room with a table to work or read. Most prisoners were lucky enough to be given a bed. Marie Antoinette was guarded and treated differently because of her royalty stauts, much like prison today for celebrities. All the prison cells can be seen in the conciergerie.