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pierres de touche
Touch Stones
(we don’t know if this concept translates into French, but we have a predictable, simple, maybe pedestrian approach to defining and measuring our visit in Paris)
voyage (travel)
Metro: we travel by Metro instead of Taxi or Bus
Velib: when possible we travel by Velib through the streets
Walking: we do more walking during vacations,
we don’t utilize tours, bus tours or boat tours (just too touristy)
we prefer to discover things on our own, sometimes in error, maybe getting lost for a while
We fly to Paris overnight, leaving in the evening, served an evening meal and then the cabin lights go out. Soon after the sun rises again, we are in Paris and have most of the day to become situated.
les musées (museums)
Paris Museum Pass: this pass ensures that we will be in-line when the museums open each day
we would almost go the Le Louvre everyday if we could, there is so much to see
we look at the same art, but see something different, learn something more, make associations and connections
we also patronize D’Orsay, Pompideau and l’Orangerie regularly (and discovered Petit Palais last year)
Looking forward to: Cluny, Picasso, Rodin someday
quartiers (neighborhoods)
We move through Paris during our stay among five different hotels (2 nights each)
We see different areas of the city, but never become familiar and intimate with one place, it’s daily cafe, hotel staff, etc
Although over time, we establish familiarity with a place returning to it year after year, returning to the same establishments
épicerie (grocery)
most of our shopping occurs in the common grocery store
they provide plenty of opportunities to find some good bread, a memorable cheese and good wine
also Naturalia, a Paris health food shop
but we are always looking for the small bouchère near Pere La Chaise, where an elderly lady sold (dangerous looking) dry sausages and cheeses, for a real taste of Paris
And pop into a boulangère for the daily baguette
hébergement (lodging)
we have tried small centrally located hotels with rooms the size of phone booths
and settled on large chain hotels a distance from the center of tourism, “large, affordable and predictable”
which is not the reason you visit Paris, but we appreciate this at the end of the day
cimetières (cemeteries)
the best Paris cemeteries are well landscaped and disclose the history of its people
they present questions and subjects for further investigation
(and a good walk)
Esplanade de La Defense
Esplanade de La Defense is a Metro Station on the Red Line of the Paris Metro
The Esplanade de La Defense is also a promenade covering the distance from this Metro Station to the Grand Arche de La Defense
It is well designed and landscaped. After a competition, an American was chosen to design this space
Interesting Facts:
The Esplanade de La Defense is laid-out on an axis which connects the Grande Arch de La Defense with La Louvre, bisecting the Arc de Triomphe, tranveling down the Champs Elysee, and throught he Tuillerie Gardens to the Arc de Triomphe de Carousell at La Louvre (a distance of 5 miles)
The Arche de La Defense (Grande Arche de la Fraternité) was proposed by French President Francois Mitterand in a flurry of Big Ideas (Grands Projets of François Mitterrand) which included:
-Grande Arche de La Défense
-Musee d’Orsay
-Louvre Pyramid
(just to name a few of these “projets”)
Video Reference:
Monty Don’s French Gardens (Netflix)
A wealth of information about the Esplanade de La Defense
Including which trees line the esplanade, for their ability to resist polution
(and shed their bark constantly)
Les Quatre Temps (La Defense)
For many years, we traveled into Paris to purchase groceries and supplies, while staying in La Defense.
For some reason, we thought that this was a strictly commercial district, where shops closed early and on weekends, a food desert.
The Four Times (Les Quatre Temps)
Today we discovered that there is a huge shopping mall, including a 21 screen cinema, just a five minute walk away.
(in 2013, Les Quatre Temps is the most visited shopping center in France with 45.7 million visitors)
The center has been divided into four areas (raspberry, blackcurrant, mandarin, and kiwi). The colors of these new areas are reflected in its current logo. It means today “Morning, noon, evening and late”
Includes grocery and food stores
– Naturalia and
– Monoprix
That is Paris
Cour Carrée (Louvre)
(central open courtyard within the walls of the Sully Wing)
we learned during a pre-dawn run one morning that the Cour Carrée is locked at night
It is a secluded place which might encourage bad behaviour
Cour Carrée (Google)
Courtyards (Cour du Palais du Louvre)
French Class
Each year, we debate whether to invest time and money with a French Class
CONS:
Learning a second language is not as easy as it is for a youth with a more flexible brain
You can get along quite satisfactorily in Paris without being proficient in French
When you do learn French, you must exercise that muscle (which is not a bad thing)
PRO:
Every extra bit of French is useful useful and really pays off
If we knew French, we could:
-Take a Class in Paris (maybe at Clown School)
-Read a French Book
-Attend French Language Meet-Ups
-enhance our annual visit to Paris each year
-meet more French people
-regardless of age, it is always good to exercise the “brain muscle”
Voltaire
“Perfect is the enemy of good”
“Common Sense is not so Common”
“Work saves us from three great evils: boredom, vice and need”
“Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities”
https://www.google.com/search?q=voltaire&
François-Marie Arouet
It’s Never Going to Be Perfect, So Just Get It Done
https://nyti.ms/2LH7Xd6
(done is better than perfect)
To Deal With Trump, Look to Voltaire https://nyti.ms/2GKeMJO
Voltaire the Survivor https://nyti.ms/2JNMX2Y
Studying Fake News About Voltaire, Spread by Voltaire Himself https://nyti.ms/2jFpw19
High-Voltage Voltaire https://nyti.ms/2K3P7tV
Captifs (Louvre)
The Four Captives (Martin Desjardins)
Four Defeated Nations: Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, Brandenburg, and Holland
Le Louvre
Richelleiu Wing
Cour Puget (Sculpture Courtyard)
Lower Ground Floor (Rez-de-Chaussee)
Room 105
These four oversized gilt-bronze sculptures show a mixture of emotions and ages as they experience defeat and captivity:
Spain (Hope) young man
Holy Roman Empire (Resignation) old man
Brandenburg (Rebellion) defiant young man
Holland (Grief) mature man
It reminds us of Théodore Géricault’s Raft of the Medusa at the Louvre, where the figures on the raft exhibit a range of emotions
Captifs have an interesting history in Paris,
1679 Original site, the Place des Victoires
(on a pedestal at foot Louis XIV statute)
1792 spared from destruction during Revolution
(although Louis XIV statute was melted-down to make cannons)
Moved to the Louvre
1804 Invalides
1962 Parc de Sceaux (30 minutes south of Paris)
1992 Return to Louvre
Martin Desjardins was Dutch sculptor active during the reign of Louis XIV, known for his decoration of Hôtel Salé (which now houses Musée Picasso)
Courtyards (Cour du Palais du Louvre)
What we don’t pack
A recent article provided a list of things “Not to Pack” on your next trip
We never regret packing too many media gadgets, phone, cords, adapters, etc
(several european style adapters)
Most interesting, it suggested not to pack too much underwear
And suggested you buy cotton underwear at Monoprix
(we frequent grocery stores like Monoprix)
and who couldn’t use some extra cotton skivvies “Made in France”
We’ve had success buying some items in Paris instead of packing them
including the Annual Bottle of Mild Cologne, to splash over everything
One year, our decrepit sunglasses finally fell-apart in Paris
we were able to buy frames to fit our current lenses
Best of all, the Sun Glasses were “Fabriqué en France” (made in France)
try to find glasses “Made in the USA” next time you need sunglasses
We pack a carry-on bag and do NOT check our luggage
The one piece of luggage will fit into the overhead storage bin and
Any additional items will be stowed at our feet under the seat in front of us
These accomplishes two (2) things:
-it expedites your passage through the airport, and saves you time at baggage claim upon your arrival
-it ensures that you are traveling light – which is critical as we move between hotels every-other day
The Best Test is to pre-pack and see what actually fits in your carry-on-bag
When backpacking (where weight is also an issue) we lay everything out and analyze each item
Post-Mortem: toward the end of your trip, consider the dormant items which never left your suitcase. Leave these at home next time.
Some Suggestions:
One good “Outfit” for checking into hotels, where appearances could determine the quality of your accommodations
Light-weight under-garments which can be washed in the sink – and will dry over-night
We purchase toiletries in France, as souvenirs and also collect the fancy French luxury soaps, shampoos, lotions, etc from hotels
WAIT to purchase souvenirs and gifts until the end of the trip, so you don’t lug-these-items-around all week
THE GETAWAY: Shoes the Pros Use
BY STEPHANIE ROSENBLOOM (New York Times)
The wrong footwear can turn a trip into torture. So what shoes should you pack? Here are tips from tour guides.
How to Fit Two Weeks Worth of Luggage Under the Airplane Seat in Front of You
By Adam Dachis (Lifehacker)
How to pack an insanely efficient travel bag
Subscribe to Paris Memos (our email list)
Waiting List
Salle Denon
Musée du Louvre, Paris
Denon Wing (South Wing of the Louvre)
1st Floor
Room 76 Salle Denon
This ornate square room usually contains a gift shop with windows looking out onto the Louvres Courtyard (Cour Napoléon)
It is also a junction, with thresholds into three major halls with large scale paintings:
Room 75 Salle Daru Neoclassicism, France
Room 77 Salle Mollien Romanticism, France
Room 6 Salle des Etats Venetian Renaissance, Italy (Mona Lisa Room)
360Cities is the source of 360° Vitual Reality media
https://www.360cities.net/image/louvre-room-76-salon-denon
It provides 360° views of some major spaces at Le Louvre, including
-Grand Gallery
-Napoleon Courtyard
-Sculpture Courts
Paris for the Holidays 