Oct 16, Part 7 - Paris: Views from Pont Neuf

Pont Neuf (the "New Bridge," which is actually the oldest in Paris now) crosses from the Left Bank to the Right Bank with a section of it crossing the Ile de la Cite near the tip of the island, and becoming one, for a while, with the island. As you leave the island on the bridge, you can look down into this part of the working city where bikes and wagons are left and where the tourist boats that dock here can be boarded. The tall wall to the left shows how high the Place du Pont Neuf and the street itself is above the Square du Vert-Galant below.

Here we're crossing further toward the Right Bank, looking west toward the Louvre and the Pont des Arts. The span of the Seine on this side of the island is wider than the one between the island and the Left Bank.

Pont Neuf has large half-circular parapets or whatever they're called that give pedestrians a wonderful vantage point and make the bridge look attractive. Each parapet has a lamp where the arc meets the sidewalk.

I took this photo looking back toward the Palais de Justice with the wonderful round towers of Henri IV's palace.

I like this shot of the Samaritaine department store from the bridge with the base of the lamp in the foreground. The lamp posts have nice decorative bases with the face of a bearded guy who might be Neptune.

What a gorgeous deco sign. You can see it better if you click on the photo. The building started out in Art Nouveau style and was later redone, largely in Art Deco.

Still on the bridge, but near the Right Bank is this sign saying that Pont Neuf was begun under Henry III and finished under Henri IV. The dates are from 1578 to 1607.

Bikes only in this lane! You can also get an idea of the cobbles. I was just wishing that I'd taken an overall picture of the bridge from the vantage point of being a pedestrian, when I realized that nobody else had done that, either! I looked all over Google for topside pix of the bridge. I found only this one, a painting by Renoir. It's beautiful, but of course from an earlier time. And I also found this interesting vantage point. Well, here's one from the top of the Samaritaine. And here's another.

These bikes are parked on the Rue de l'Arbre Sec. We've come off the bridge and walked along the front of the Samaritaine, then turned away from the river on the first street past the facade of the department store. I like the colors here. You can see it's Fall. And I like the purple pant leg with the red strap. As we passed the Samaritaine, I noticed the absence of the lamps I've always loved. Since the building is being refurbished, I hope their removal is temporary. You can see what they look like in these poor photos from an earlier trip to Paris. Well, darn, I'll have to remember to make the link later, because my web site is invisible to me right now - there's something weird in the connection to the site (for us) periodically - everyone else can see it, which is good.

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Oct 16, Part 9 - Paris: Approach to the Louvre

From St-Germain l'Auxerrois, we crossed the street to this magnificently spacious square at the east end of the Louvre. It was once used as a military parade ground. It takes my breath away to be in a place that feels so big and so empty.

We then went down a side street to eat something before tackling such a huge museum. I hadn't been impressed with the food offerings at the Louvre in the past, so we thought we'd avoid that scene and get a bite elsewhere. It wasn't great, either, but maybe it was better. At least we were able to watch the streets of Paris, which is always fun. I believe this is the corner of Rue de Rivoli and Rue Perrault.

Leaving our lunch spot, we again headed toward the Louvre once again. Here is the Temple de l'Oratoire du Louvre, on the posh Rue de Rivoli. The location and the building have an interesting and varied history, as do so many places in Paris. In the 1600s, this was the location of the home of Gabrielle d'Estrees, one of the famous "favorites" of Henri IV. The Baroque building you see here was built by Le Mercier between 1621 and 1630. It was a church used by the Oratorian Congregation, a secular priesthood whose interests were teaching and preaching. They came to rival the Jesuits. The preaching done here was so superior that the royal family and court came to use this church as their chapel under Louis XIII, XIV, and XV. The funerals of Louis XIII and his queen, Anne of Austria, were held here. During the Revolution, when all churches were de-consecrated, the Oratoire was used as an arms depot. Napoleon ceded the building to the Protestants in 1811, and the seminary was re-established in 1852.

I've taken this photo through the fence, since this garden is enclosed and not open to the pubilc. We're headed for the large archway in the center of the photo, which will take us into the Cour Caree, the mammoth courtyard on the east end of the Louvre.

Just before the archway, we enountered something completely unexpected! I still don't know what to make of this. I might have expected sculpture of the Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassical periods, but instead here is a very modern-looking sculputre of a car. And, it's broken!

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Oct 16, Part 11 - Paris: The Louvre pyramid on a dark, dark day

The courtyard and entry to the Louvre is always magnificent, huge-feeling beyond human scale, and utterly unforgettable, no matter what. We had, however, managed to get there in the rain, and the day was getting progressively darker. In a way, it was OK. I like the way the clouds came out in some of these photos. And also, if you have a sunny day in Paris during a rainy week, do you really want to be indoors? Since we had walked to the Louvre, we were already a bit tired when we got there, which is not the way you want to start your visit to one of the world's most amazing museums with eleven miles of corridors. I think at this point the discussion about whether the pyramid was a good idea or a bad one has been done to death, but I'm not sure it's ever been solved to any general consensus. My two cents are that while the pyramid is beautiful in its own right, and does streamline the entrance to the museum (below ground only), it's a complete bummer that it blocks the intended vista from the Palace to the Arc de Triomphe. Once you lose something like that, you're probably never going to get it back. Housmann destroyed so much of Medieval Paris to create the Baroque lines and vistas that the city has become rightly cherished for, but in so doing he created a greater work of art. I can't say as much for the pyramid. As intriguing as it is, hopefully someday they will have the sense to remove it.

Here's the northern arm of the old palace, now containing a museum of decorative arts, which I've never been in. Once you've seen the Louvre, who has the time or energy? It would require a second trip, I think. There are also office buildings in this wing. At one time, it was all one huge palace, and there was an additional wing closing off what is now the west side - to open up the vista to the Arc de Triomphe, which is now obliterated by the pyramid.

No view, nice umbrella. There is a small arch behind it that we can barely see, which used to line up with the greater Arch de Triomphe.

I do like the colors of the water and the interesting gray-on-gray of the fountain against the overcast sky.

You still have one line going in, although it goes into the pyramid rather than into the palace via the arched door on the right (the Pavilion Denon).

Here's Lee descending the escalator beneath the pyramid, which contains the security checkpoint.

Your tour of the Louvre starts under ground. I like this view of the stairs going back up and out.

Grand Central Louvre.

After we stowed our packs, we had a choice of three ways to enter the Louvre itself. This is one value of the new entrance through the pyramid - it becomes a routing carousel. Rather than having everyone entering the same wing and clogging it up, there is a choice. I think it should have been accomplished, though, without destroying the amazing vista above.

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Oct 16, Part 12 - Paris: The Louvre, Finding Nike of Samothrace

Whatever else it is, the Louvre is 100% unique. It has something like 11 miles of corridors, but I'm sure that all of them aren't open all the time. Still, it's a daunting experience to try to "see the Louvre"! The art is world-class and magnificent - that goes without saying - in fact, the Louvre probably does as much as any museum or gallery to define what constitutes world-class art. But inevitably, I reach a point where it becomes overwhelming to look at one more piece. It was at that point on one of my visits that I realized I enjoyed the building itself almost as much as the works of art. I began to refocus from the displayed works to their setting.

I began to notice floors, ceilings, arches, lighting. No two rooms are the same, or so it seems to me. Many, if not all, were designed to complement the pieces that are in them. This in itself was an astonishing discovery. Now when I go to the Louvre, I begin to look at my surroundings from the minute I arrive. Transforming a room into a period-compatible showcase for the art on display may not be an unusual idea now, but I wonder how many museums did that when the Louvre began? I wonder how many actually do this? I love it that a manifestation of this concept exists in the world.

Coming upon Nike of Samothrace - by accident or by design - is exciting. There she is at the top of the stairs. I'm always surprised that there isn't more fanfare around the approach to her form, I'm not sure why. And so, we walk expectantly toward the stairs.

In the darkened hall en route to the famous Greek is a glimpse into one of my favorite rooms. It has sculptures and mosaics from Roman times, and perhaps Greek and Etruscan, too. I don't remember. What I remember most is the room itself - small enough to feel intimate, illuminated by skylights, and loaded with interesting art (the mosaics are always of special interest to me). It's the overall feel of the room that I like the best. And I love this view of it through the arch at the foot of Nike's stairs. But today we were unable to visit, because the room with the mosaics was being prepared to go on the road. As much as it will be incredible for people of other cities to see this work, I know it will be missed!

I think that Nike must be the second-most-photographed work in the Louvre next to the Mona Lisa, but that's only my guess. Venus de Milo, who we missed this trip, must come third.

And there she is. I can still remember the thrill I felt seeing Nike for the first time. It was totally unexpected. I simply glanced and she was there - a vision - something familiar I'd seen in books - and thus powerful in her own right and in her fame as well.

Nike stands on a platform that seems to represent a ship. Her setting is pure, uncluttered, and serene. I tried to wait until the people had cleared away so I could get a picture of Nike alone, but that didn't happen. As it turns out, I love the image of the photographer in jeans next to the bright window on the landing.

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Oct 16, Part 13 - Paris: The Louvre, Looking for Mona Lisa

As I said in an earlier post, when I got tired from walking long distances and standing, I began to see and appreciate the richly decorated rooms in the Louvre almost as much as the art collection. Each room had its own decor and theme to go with the art it displayed.

I love the floors and columns here.

We were on a mission to find Mona, and since she's the most sought-out exhibit, the powers that be gave us a little help.

More beautiful celings, friezes, and arches.

We passed a few Botticelli murals. I really like his work. I wonder if she knows she's holding a scorpion? There must be story here, somewhere.

And yet more ceilings and friezes. Are we still en route to the Mona Lisa?

I love this floor. Old, worn hardwood with black stars in it.

I also really love this bottom painting with portraits of prominent Florentines of the Renaissance. In the large version of the photo, I could see the print giving their names from the left as Giotto, Uccello, Donatello, Manetti, Brunelleschi. The painting is by Uccello. I like the simplicity and the sense that these are some of the real people that created that amazing time.

A candid portrait.

I'm trying not to put in so many shots of the same thing, but like the portrait above as well as this corridor photo of people studying Renaissance paintings in the Louvre, or at least looking at them, perhaps with eyes so full that they no longer comprehend much of what they're seeing. It's not too difficult to reach overload.

Well, here we are, and everyone wakes up. That's Lee looking at the Mona Lisa - finally - after many days of wondering what she'd be like. It had been quite a number of years since he'd seen the famous painting. This photo was taken in October. I don't want to imagine what the room looks like in high tourist season.

And . . . here she is. I don't know what to say about a person who thinks the Mona Lisa is a "nice" painting, but that's how I feel. I can think of many others that I find more exciting and memorable, even after attending a slide lecture by a many who has had a lifetime fascination with this work and who has spent thousands of dollars and technical hours to find and bring out her true coloring and some of the secrets hidden in the painting, such as how Leonardo changed the dress and positioning from the original. That was interesting, but it didn't make Mona my favorite painting. So I was a revelation to me when, after studying her for a short time, Lee commented that he now understood what the big deal was. This was simply the most satisfying painting he'd ever laid eyes on. It was complete. He couldn't want anything else. Well, maybe there's something to that. It gave me new respect for the lady.

A nice clear view (and photo) of Mona is not always easy to get. More often the view looks like this (above) . . .

Or like this . . . (FLASH!)

And this is what Mona sees looking back from her canvas.

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Oct 16, Part 14 - Paris: The Louvre, Halls and Treasures

I'm usually very shy about taking pictures of people, especially if they're looking at me. I was exhausted and it was hot (to me, anyway) inside the museum, and I probably had no more energy to worry about it. It seems that this guy (who I don't know), was pretty tired, too. Of course, I was also pretending to play with my camera. Well, here's a candid shot of people in the Italian painting section of the Louvre. Imagine, it was a palace at one time.

The shot isn't too exciting, but I wanted to remember the details. Look how many colors of marble and wood go into making this bit of the hallway.

I love the woman's smile here, and her excitement in discovering something.

At the end of the wing near the cafe is this view over the Seine . . . with flags.

I don't remember who or what, but I like it. Look at the cool frame, too.

Obviously, the Delacroix wing.

And here is Nike of Samothrace again from the next floor up. She's one of my favorites, there's no doubt about it. She's such an exalted setting, too.

The rooms become more interesting than the scenes after awhile. It's all Napoleonic bombast, and the subject matter feels repetitive, but it's a change, like entering a theatre. It was fun to look at.

Here's more of the Louvre's beautiful, old flooring.

More painting. It think it's French.

And still more.

I think this was in the passageway near the bathrooms. I'd like to know enough to be able to shoot a pic like this and also get the building through the window. I like it anyway, but these shots remind me that I want to sign up for a digital photography class.

I've always liked Delacroix's tigers.

I think we know this guy. I do like the scene with the rocks and snow for contrast. The artist is Paul Delaroche.

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