Museums, Operas & Crepes...
Today was one of those days where we walked for miles and saw so much. It's truly hard to comprehend.
We made a brief stop at Montemarte with promises to return on Monday. This is the part of Paris that was the haunt of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and the original bohemians. It's quirky and fun and we look forward to a more thorough experience of it.
On to the Opera! The Palais Garnier is the thirteenth theater to house the Paris Opera since it was founded by Louis XIV in 1669. It was built on the orders of Napoleon III as part of the great Parisian reconstruction project carried out by Baron Haussmann. The project for an opera house was put out to competition and was won by Charles Garnier, an unknown 35-year-old architect. Building work, which lasted fifteen years, from 1860 to 1875, was interrupted by numerous incidents, including the 1870 war, the fall of the Empire and the Commune. The Palais Garnier was inaugurated on 5 January 1875. We delighted in being amongst amazing architecture and incredible history.
No trip to Paris is complete without a visit to the Louvre. Heir to the century of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, the Louvre was quickly accepted as the "museum among museums" and since then it has remained a model and a recognized authority. Founded in 1793 as a museum for all, it celebrates humanity's long journey with the remarkable scope of a collection that spans thousands of years, reaches from America to the borders of India and China, and is highlighted by such iconic, universally admired works as the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Victory of Samothrace (pictured).
The high-tech architectural marvel, Centre Pompidou (1977), was a must visit for Kegan with its exposed skeleton of brightly colored tubes for mechanical systems. He loved the building but not so much the modern art exhibit found within. I found Robert Delaunay's Le Poete Philippe Soupault to be rather novel among the Ernsts, Warhols, Pollocks and Kandinskys.
Our day ended with crepes and a long saunter through the Les Halles shopping district. We are tired yet happy tourists eager for tomorrow's promise of adventure... after a good night's sleep!
We made a brief stop at Montemarte with promises to return on Monday. This is the part of Paris that was the haunt of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and the original bohemians. It's quirky and fun and we look forward to a more thorough experience of it.
On to the Opera! The Palais Garnier is the thirteenth theater to house the Paris Opera since it was founded by Louis XIV in 1669. It was built on the orders of Napoleon III as part of the great Parisian reconstruction project carried out by Baron Haussmann. The project for an opera house was put out to competition and was won by Charles Garnier, an unknown 35-year-old architect. Building work, which lasted fifteen years, from 1860 to 1875, was interrupted by numerous incidents, including the 1870 war, the fall of the Empire and the Commune. The Palais Garnier was inaugurated on 5 January 1875. We delighted in being amongst amazing architecture and incredible history.
No trip to Paris is complete without a visit to the Louvre. Heir to the century of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, the Louvre was quickly accepted as the "museum among museums" and since then it has remained a model and a recognized authority. Founded in 1793 as a museum for all, it celebrates humanity's long journey with the remarkable scope of a collection that spans thousands of years, reaches from America to the borders of India and China, and is highlighted by such iconic, universally admired works as the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Victory of Samothrace (pictured).
The high-tech architectural marvel, Centre Pompidou (1977), was a must visit for Kegan with its exposed skeleton of brightly colored tubes for mechanical systems. He loved the building but not so much the modern art exhibit found within. I found Robert Delaunay's Le Poete Philippe Soupault to be rather novel among the Ernsts, Warhols, Pollocks and Kandinskys.
Our day ended with crepes and a long saunter through the Les Halles shopping district. We are tired yet happy tourists eager for tomorrow's promise of adventure... after a good night's sleep!
1 comments:
I was happy to see the Mona Lisa while in Paris, unless you see it in person you wouldn't realize how tiny it is!
I love the Montemarte pic. The colors are great.
Thanks for sharing.
Now I am hungry for crepes! (But I did have In&Out today so I am not complaining.) :)
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