The Louvre Museum has been featured in recent movies like the Da Vinci Code, which made the trip all the more exciting! And of course, while we're there to drop a visit to Mona Lisa herself. On arriving, it was amazing to see the juxtaposition of a triangular, modern glass pyramid in the middle of a historical 12th century palace, the Louvre Palace. This palace is where all the exhibits are housed, making it one of the world's largest and most visited museums.
The Louvre Museum.
Beneath the glass pyramid.
The Denon Wing, the gallery housing Italian sculptures and paintings.
Andy in front of a couple of paintings. Above: Young Saint with Sword. Below: St. Sebastian by Pietro Perugino (1494)
Me in front of this massive, famous painting, The Wedding at Cana (or The Wedding Feast at Cana) by the Italian artist, Paolo Veronese (1563) After an hour of walking, we found the famous Mona Lisa and its pack of paparazzi and security guards! We couldn't get too close to the painting, but we were happy. It's funny how the image of this painting has circled the world over and in my mind I thought the painting would be larger than it actually is. Surprisingly not!
We walked on and found this amazing open space, a sculpture courtyard!
A sculpture courtyard, Cour Puget, FranceNext, we visited the famous Gothic cathedral, Notre Dame de Paris (French for Lady of Paris), also known as the Notre Dame cathedral. We learnt that the construction of the building began in 1163 during the reign of King Louis VII and was only effectively completed in 1345. To see such beautiful architecture in the 20th century that dates within those periods is in itself, astounding.
Notre Dame cathedral.
Sunday mass.
The atmosphere held a deep, religious reverence which was palpable as we eased ourselves closer to the front of the stage. Aside from the multiple of tourists clicking away at their cameras on the sidelines (myself included), there was a sense of solemness to the mass. Their singing and prayers of the priests echoed and reverberated around the stone walls of the Cathedral creating an uplifting feeling.
Just when we thought the mass was over and it was time to leave, the group of priests walked down the aisle and literally walked past us - the main priest even gave us a smile! Too bad, my eyes were stuck behind the lens but I believe i managed to capture that fleeting moment.
Some remained for further prayers. The religious reverence of the people were most deeply felt at this moment in time when i took the photo above.
Finally the congregation filtered out and we were able to get an unobstructed view of this amazing cathedral in all its magnificence.
I've tried to count the number of sculptures there were standing in a row up above, but lost count!
On our last day in Paris, we had a great idea to join a cycling tour-the BikeAboutTour! It was probably one of our better ideas as we managed to learn the Parisian history and discover the backstreets and secret gardens of this great city. Booking is recommended for this tour, but having only discovered its existence in a brochure at our hotel, we decided to take the chance and simply turn up. Thankfully, we managed to get a couple of free spots-and there were no regrets! The tour guide was informative, engaging, personable and no one got run over by cars during the session (which was a big plus).
We enjoyed an informative, casual cycle with a group of about 15 or so people. The sun was out and it couldn't have been any better.
Riding along the River Seine. That's Notre Dame cathedral in the distance.
The tour guide showed us some monuments, secret gardens and where Victor Hugo lived. We were even led to the oldest cafe in Paris and a pest eradication store where a scene in Ratatouille (Pixar animation) was inspired from and more.
Le Procope on 13, Rue Ancienne Comedie: The oldest cafe in Paris (Founded 1686). This cafe has claimed to be the meeting place of great historical figures such as Napolean Bonaparte, Voltaire, Marat and Benjamin Franklin.
A beautiful secret garden. This expansive garden is located behind buildings and accessible only through one doorway. There are many such hidden gardens located in all Paris.
Dead, taxidermied rats at Julien Aurouze and Co.
Traveller's locks of love!
Travellers who fell in love with Paris could attach their lock (signifying their hearts) onto the bridge and throw their key into the River Siene below, forever leaving their hearts in Paris. We didn't go quite far, but we certainly did enjoy Paris!
Notre Dame cathedral.We were at the cathedral at the right day and time and so were lucky enough to witness their Sunday mass. Bearing witness to the congregation added richness and meaning to our visit.
Sunday mass.The large, stained glass windows were one of the main features I first noticed about the cathedral.
The atmosphere held a deep, religious reverence which was palpable as we eased ourselves closer to the front of the stage. Aside from the multiple of tourists clicking away at their cameras on the sidelines (myself included), there was a sense of solemness to the mass. Their singing and prayers of the priests echoed and reverberated around the stone walls of the Cathedral creating an uplifting feeling.
Just when we thought the mass was over and it was time to leave, the group of priests walked down the aisle and literally walked past us - the main priest even gave us a smile! Too bad, my eyes were stuck behind the lens but I believe i managed to capture that fleeting moment.
Some remained for further prayers. The religious reverence of the people were most deeply felt at this moment in time when i took the photo above.
Finally the congregation filtered out and we were able to get an unobstructed view of this amazing cathedral in all its magnificence.
I've tried to count the number of sculptures there were standing in a row up above, but lost count!
On our last day in Paris, we had a great idea to join a cycling tour-the BikeAboutTour! It was probably one of our better ideas as we managed to learn the Parisian history and discover the backstreets and secret gardens of this great city. Booking is recommended for this tour, but having only discovered its existence in a brochure at our hotel, we decided to take the chance and simply turn up. Thankfully, we managed to get a couple of free spots-and there were no regrets! The tour guide was informative, engaging, personable and no one got run over by cars during the session (which was a big plus).
We enjoyed an informative, casual cycle with a group of about 15 or so people. The sun was out and it couldn't have been any better.
Riding along the River Seine. That's Notre Dame cathedral in the distance. The tour guide showed us some monuments, secret gardens and where Victor Hugo lived. We were even led to the oldest cafe in Paris and a pest eradication store where a scene in Ratatouille (Pixar animation) was inspired from and more.
Le Procope on 13, Rue Ancienne Comedie: The oldest cafe in Paris (Founded 1686). This cafe has claimed to be the meeting place of great historical figures such as Napolean Bonaparte, Voltaire, Marat and Benjamin Franklin.
A beautiful secret garden. This expansive garden is located behind buildings and accessible only through one doorway. There are many such hidden gardens located in all Paris.We were taken to the oldest pest control shop called Julien Aurouze and Co. (founded in 1870) on 8 Rue des Halles. It's probably a curious place to visit if it isn't thanks to the Pixar animation, Ratatouille. The fat, dead rats hanging from the window is fairly ghastly to look at especially if it's located next to a bakery shop - which makes you wonder. Many say the shop had inspired a scene in Ratatouille and it's not hard to believe. As soon as we were home in London, we watched the animation again and the shop looked exactly like it!
Dead, taxidermied rats at Julien Aurouze and Co.
Traveller's locks of love! Travellers who fell in love with Paris could attach their lock (signifying their hearts) onto the bridge and throw their key into the River Siene below, forever leaving their hearts in Paris. We didn't go quite far, but we certainly did enjoy Paris!
No comments:
Post a Comment