Wednesday, July 15, 2009

The Paris Opera House,June 2009


Paris has a lot going for it, but it's the art and history which comes alive as you walk the streets.
A perfect day is trying to see great collections without standing in line too long.
Two hours under an umbrella with 400 international artlovers waiting to see the Impressionists inside the Musee D'Orsay wasn't so bad. Getting a photograph of your favorite Van Gogh with you in the picture up close and personal... a master card moment!
The Louvre inside and out is so big, you need days to see everything. The Marmottan is so delightfully small and choice that it has become one of our favorite museums in the world. The Orangerie where the Monet "Nympheas" are exhibited, along with other great Impressionists like Renoir, Derain, Morisot and Cezanne is another ergonomic piece of architectural bliss.
The Paris Opera House "rocked"...what a dreamlike experience.The walls and halls were meant to exude oppulent extravagance, and they delivered a spirit for the ages; past, present and future.
Notre Dame houses fine early Christian relics, along with etherial colors in the stained glass rosettes.The bas relief at the entrance is full of detail and shows the value of artistic excellence throughout the past 500 years. Even the arches above the nave defy logic.
The cobblestone streets winding in serpentine fashion lead to other roads famous for high couture. Like The Rue de Montaignes or Rue St. Honore, where Hermes and Givenchy, Pierre Balmain,and Chanel exhibit the cloaks of poetry.Even the window displays are an elevated artform! While the 5 inch peek-a-boo toe stillettos would make me look taller, I'm pretty certain I'd be flat on my back with blown-out ankles if I attempt to walk on all the cobblestone sidewalks!
Sensible. Just like King Louis who built the Palace of Versailles.Holy cow, did he think large! And just where were those bathrooms and kitchens?Hummm.

Paris in June

Sunset at the Eifel Tower, around 10:15 p.m June 11.