Le Louvre

 Note: Some of the art in this post has been deemed inappropriate by the regime (mother). Please leave if you do not want to see art in an uncensored form.

Storm clouds gather over the Louvre

    Posted by Griffin. This week I went to the Louvre. Yes I went by myself, apparently everyone else had some previous engagement. This is my second time going to the Louvre, the first being with mother back in April, and this time was so much better than the last. Last time mother and I went to see all of the most famous pieces, like the The Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and The Coronation of Napoleon. This time I was able to avoid the crowds and find the lesser known masterpieces.

Venus de Milo

     I started in the antiquities wing. This houses the Louvre's massive collection of ancient Egyptian and Syrian Art, as well as the more famous Greek and Roman Statue collection. Much of this wing was completely empty, with a few exceptions. Every tour group flocked to see Venus de Milo, one of the most well-known Greek statues in the world, yet many failed to even enter the Roman sculpture wing. It may be easy to write off Roman sculpture as an inferior copy of the Greek yet the lack of people really make it worth it. The quiet of the Roman Sculpture gallery facilitates appreciation of great art. Entering the Roman Wing you can feel the difference, there are no large tours pushing, no tour guides trying to talk over everyone, and no one is trying to push you down to get a better view (true story: a woman pushed my shoulders down in order to see better)

The beautiful and quiet Roman gallery

Maybe these sisters are too close

     After the antiquities wing I went to the 17th century painting wing. This wing had painting from Italy, France, and Spain. Unlike the Renaissance wing, this wing was totally abandoned. Literally I only saw one person in he entirety of the wing. This wing does not have the masterpieces of the rest of the Louvre, but the painting is equally as enjoyable. Most of the paintings were religiously themed, but some painters ventured into some vaguely comedic painting (pictured left and below). Overall I left this wing feeling like I had missed the memo about crazy hat day. If only I had known. 

Crazy hat day?

     While I enjoyed the comic relief of the 17th century painting wing after I left I was ready for a change. I left the entire painting wing, and was determined to head where there were no people. I kept walking through tiny hallways, until finally the hallway spilled out into a beautiful open space. This pavilion was stunning. The sculptures were all French sculptures, primarily from the 17th and 18th centuries. This wing was surprisingly empty. The sculptures were mainly in the neoclassical style, embellished by elongated curving lines, and immaculate detail. This wing was one of my favorites, I love the design of this wing, plenty of open air spaces and greenery. The art was exemplary, the marble created a tranquil mood that pervaded the entire space, and the layout was amazing.
The Louvre is immense. Their are too many galleries to count, let alone visit. My recommendation is to get ready to be lost. The directions that the guides give are indecipherable ("just turn left, then go down the stairs, then take a sharp 10 o'clock turn, then take the left elevator"), and the maps provide little help. Just walk through and enjoy the art. 

French sculpture pavilion

Versailles

Posted by Griffin.
     Yesterday we went to Versailles. Along our trip we have tried to avoid large tourist draws, and have suffered the consequences when we do go to these places. After a hellish experience in the Vatican we were apprehensive of touring another tourist packed building. Fortunately none of our fears come true.

The man behind it all: Louis XIV

     As we walked up to Versailles from the train station we were greeted by the longest line I have ever seen. This line was longer than any line I have ever seen, longer than the line for the latest iDevice. This almost scared off Beth fortunately an extremely helpful employee saw us looking terrified and thought to help. She informed us that if we returned in 4 hours there was going to be no line. We wondered what we could do in Versailles for 4 hours, if not see the palace. What we didn't know is that Versailles is so much more than the palace, there are manicured gardens, a bucolic estate, a forest, and an extensive canal system. This woman suggested that we take the mini-train to the Petit Trianon, Marie Antoinette's personal castle/estate. This estate was lovely, it wasn't crowded as it was a 45 minute walk from the Chateau. If Marie Antoinette knew anything it was how to decorate a palace, this palace featured divine pastels and shell curves all executed in rose marble.

Petit Trianon ft. gardner

     After we toured the Petit Trianon we turned our sites to the "Queen's Hamlet". After a few years of living in the royal court Marie Antoinette soon longed for a simpler life, so she constructed her own royal village. A 10 minute walk from the Petit Trianon, her personal palace, she built a lovely little village. Here she could wear cotton dresses, traditionally worn by peasants, and relax in a lovely setting. Of course Marie Antoinette was incapable of truly living like a peasant, constantly travelling with her entourage of servants. This hamlet was truly gorgeous. On a 90 degree day it offered plenty of shady trees to recline under, and the lake had a small breeze that was a god send.

The gardener's house

Marie Antoinette's "Peasant Estate"

Marie Antoinette's hamlet

     After spending 3 amazing hours in Marie Antoinette's estate we decided it was time to walk back to the Chateau. The grounds of Versailles are any control freaks (half of our family) dream. All of the trees are perfectly groomed, in straight lines, not even a leaf out of place. The lawns are perfectly manicured, of course you can't walk on them, and even the dirt seems to be obeying some cosmic order. And the fountains leave nothing to be desired. They are filled with gold and cascading water all topped with stunning statues. 

Heavily groomed trees

The fountains of Versailles are unrivaled

The statues are all copies, the originals are in the Louvre

      Once we arrived at the Chateau we were greeted with one of the most welcome sights a traveler can ever see, no line. We walked right into the Chateau, and immediately felt the grandeur. Louis XIV converted Versailles from a hunting lodge into a palace, and each of his successors added more and more. The rooms are all filled to the brim with the finest jewels, silks, and most prominently gold. Some of the rooms were overwhelming and way to crowded, like Marie Antoinette's bedroom for when she visited the chateau, but others were spacious and did not feel crowded at all, the Hall of Mirrors.
     Versailles was a long day, it takes about 45 minutes on an RER to reach from Paris. The trains to and from Versailles, especially from Versailles to Paris, are extremely crowded. Versailles is wonderful and truly one of the most enjoyable castle tours in Europe, but it was crowded. Especially on a hot day, it was 90 degrees, it can become unbearable pretty quickly. I would definitely recommend going to the Petit Trianon first, and then later in the day going to the Chateau. Versailles is beautiful, and definitely a great day trip from Paris.

Marie Antoinette's bed chambers for visiting the chateau

The Hall of Mirrors

A wing of the Chateau 

Cupcakes in Paris

They kept the Tour Eiffel because it made them cash

Posted by Leo. When you stand atop the Eiffel Tower it’s like you’re on top of the world looking down at everyone. The shadow it casts is massive. Here’s some of the history of the tower. It was built for the World’s Fair and they were going to destroy it but someone pointed out you could use the top as a transmitter for radio.

The radio could transmit all across Europe and was used in WW1. The radio station is hidden underground and was used by military officers only. The base was used for one year and after that they decided to keep the tower because it made them cash. The Eiffel Tower was only supposed to last 20 years and was repaired 18 times with a six foot antenna.

My Birthday in Paris

Posted by Griffin. This week I had my 16th birthday in Paris. We had just arrived in Paris the night before so this was our first day in Paris. When I woke up I was greeted with a beautiful birthday cake from a bakery down the street.

My Birthday Cake

Works in the Musee d'Orsay

After breakfast we went to the Musée d'Orsay to see a collection of works from the late 19th century. As usual Leo could only stick around for about 15 minutes before he had a "panic attack" and was promptly escorted out by Mama. However, I try to not let him ruin my museum outings. The art in the Musée d'Orsay is fantastic. It shows the transition from the French academic art and Romanticism of the mid 19th century to realism and finally Impressionism and beyond.

After we went to the Musée d'Orsay we walked along the Seine to a French café called La Palette. This café is the epitome of Parisian cafes. Small tables, striped overhangs, crowds of smokers, seriously this café has it all. I ordered a delicious goat cheese that was slightly melted on little toast pieces over a salad. It was the best food I have ever tasted.

Lunch at La Palette

To top off our afternoon we went vintage shopping. It was amazing. But all of Paris is amazing so this is no surprise. 

Michelin Star Dinner

Guest post by cousin Mimi who joined us, along with Grandpa, for a week in Paris.

Yesterday Grandpa, his friends the Burkes and I went to a restaurant called La Table d'Eugene. They just earned their Michelin star a few months ago so it was very fancy. When we walked in the door the waiter took our coats and pulled out our chairs. How you order there is you choose either a four course, a seven course, or a ten course meal. Everyone at our table ordered the four course! Once you tell them how many courses you want, the chef makes whatever is in season and that's what you get. Our first course was the appetizers, they were a small jar of fennel and cucumber whip, a small piece of fried polenta with meat and a morel macaron. Then there was a vegetable course which was asparagus with some sauces, and then a white fish and pea purée dish. Then there was a meat dish which was rabbit wrapped in black curry (it was good, but I could barely eat it because I kept thinking about bunnies). Then there was desert, the first one was a morel and banana purée, then there was a tropical fruit and coconut sponge cake and white chocolate plate, and last but not least there was a chocolate egg that they poured hot fudge on! Overall the dinner was good, but I discovered that I do NOT like morel mushrooms, also Grandpa made me drink wine. (It took me the whole dinner to finish a quarter of a glass!)

Tired but happy in Paris

Posted by Elizabeth. Paris is fantastic. So much so that I'm too tired to write. Which means today you get a photo post. Lovely lovely Paris.