Uncategorized « Paris for the Holidays

In France, the floors are numbered differently, so that the Noble Floor, which is the 2ème étage (2nd Floor), is what we would call the 3rd floor in the US.
For the ground floor, which the Americans call 1st Floor, the French have a separate term: rez-de-chaussée.

This can be confusing

Rez-de-Chaussee (Lower Ground Floor) Level with the Ground
Entresol (Ground Floor) – Mezzanine above the ground floor
1er Etage (1st Floor) – 2nd Floor The floor above the ground floor
2me Etage (2nd Floor) – 3rd Floor The Nobel Floor where the wealthy people might live l’étage noble

In France this distinction is between:
2ème étage (3rd Floor): The Noble Floor, high above ground, perhaps with a balcony overlooking the street
(far removed from the dirty plebeian street level)
Rez-de-Chaussee (1st Floor-Ground Floor) “floor-of-carriageway” or “floor-of-roadway”
(right down on the dirty street)

In France, there are two distinct names for storeys in buildings which have two “ground floors” at different levels (on two opposite faces, usually). The lower one is called rez-de-chaussée (lit. “adjacent to the road”), the upper one is rez-de-jardin (lit. “adjacent to the garden”).

The highest floors may have better views, but they are risky, since elevators were only introduced in Paris in the 1870s, and even today in 2012 are still generally tiny, retrofitted, and, as we know from an early experience, highly unreliable.
the 6th floor of a big balcony with a view but one that is not-quite-as-big-and not-quite-as-easy-to-reach as l’étage noble. The highest floor — small dormer windows in the 7th floor, usually — are the maid’s quarters, now often transformed into high-priced but still-small student rooms or studios or added by staircase to the 6th floor “penthouses.”
http://www.ayearinfromage.com/2014/03/the-noble-floor-chaussee-aux-moines.html#.X98A1RZ7mUl

rez-de-chaussee

rez-de-chaussee

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Paris Fire (April 2019)

Posted on April 18, 2019 Updated on December 9, 2020

Monday, April 15th
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
gargoyle
When I received the first text about Notre-Dame being on fire, I felt a little weepy
-wished that I had attended the usual Christmas sunrise service
-glad that I climbed the “Tour” last December

Notre-Dame of Royal Weddings and State Funerals
Notre Dame of Literature
Despite being centuries old, the site of several churches
Located at the point from which all distances in Paris are measured
Dominates the island in the Seine, where all of Paris originated

I am not a structural engineer, although the “after picture” don’t-look-as-bad as I thought
(but what do I know)
The Bell Towers and Rose Stain-Glass Window remain
The roof is gone and that might be a big-deal
The Cathedral was under construction, so the Copper Statutes of the Twelve Apostles, the green patinaed figures spaced up the sides of the spire had been removed
The Cock — a Gallic Rooster that topped the spire (the unofficial national symbol of France) was recoverd in the ruble, albiet damaged
ND Pope John Paul

This historic city that the world loves undergoes change and modernization constantly
-consider Eiffel’s radical Tower
-Chagall’s controversial Mural on the ceiling of the Opera House and
-I. M. Pei’s Pyramid at Le Louvre

The streets of Paris were changed drastically by Hausman, who converted narrow streets (that you might still see in portions of the Left Bank) into grand boulevards, more amenable to being policed and defended

The Musée d’Orsay, one of the most popular Paris museums for its collection of Impressionist art, was once a train station (Gare d’Orsay), which sat dormant (the set of a Orson Wells film, The Trial) The former train station platform, under a glass ceiling, is now occupied by sculptures. This display of scupture competes with the sculpture courts of the Louvre

Critical portions of Paris were destroyed even by Parisians during the revolution
-Those statues on the facade of Notre-Dame were practically destroyed – decapitated and vandalized
-The mighty bells of the tower, smelted for ammunition
-Even the Statute of Henry IV on the pont neuf is mostly rebuilt

And Notre-Dame has survived periods of deep destitution
before being revitalized by the Hunchback of Notre-Dame, Victor Hugo

And considering the Hunchback, Notre-Dame was built on an extensive movie set in California’s San Fernando Valley. This 1939 movie was critically acclaimed and nominated for an Academy Award (unfortunately the same year as Gone with the Wind and the Wizard of Oz) Charles Laughton (Quasimodo, the bell ringer) was actually married to The Bride of Frankenstein (Elsa Lanchester)
http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/29877%7C0/The-Hunchback-of-Notre-Dame.html

SimanaitisSays (Dennis Simanaitis)
TO ALL OF US, SHE IS “OUR LADY” PART 1
TO ALL OF US, SHE IS “OUR LADY” PART 2

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Portes et Passages (Louvre)

Posted on April 16, 2019 Updated on October 1, 2020

Entrances and Passages

Porte des Lions (Guided Groups)

Porte des Arts

Passage Richelieu (Louvre Museum Pass)

Pyramid Main Entrance: Cour Napoléon (Central Outside Courtyard)0

Pavillions

Gallerie du Carrousel (Rue de Rivoli)

Gallerie du Carrousel (Paris Metro)
(Entry Through Gallerie du Carrousel is under ground and protected from the elements, compared to waiting in line outside on the Cour Napoléon)

Metro Stations
Palis Royal, Musée du Louvre
Louvre Rivoli

Great Link (Sight Seekers Delight)

Guide to Louvre Secret Entrances

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Lower Ground Floor (Sully Wing)

Posted on April 16, 2019 Updated on June 7, 2020

Étage -1
Rooms 130 to 137

Great Sphinx of Tanis
https://www.google.com/#q=Great+Sphinx+of+Tanis

Great Sphinx of Tanis (Old Kingdom, 2600 BC, Old Kingdom) The Egyptian appellation for a sphinx was Shesep-Ankh, or “Living Image”, a symbolic representation of the close relationship between sun god (lion’s body) and king (human head). This one was inscribed with the names of the pharaohs Ammenemes II, Merneptah & Shoshenq. Excavated in 1825 among the ruins of the Temple of Amun at Tanis, it’s one of the largest sphinxes outside of Egypt.
BonjourParis.com

Great_Sphinx_of_Tanis
Sully wing
Lower ground floor
Crypt of the Sphinx
Room 338