Saturday, January 18, 2014
Postscript
We have just arrived home after two good flights from Paris - Singapore and Singapore - Adelaide. Now for sleep and lots of great memories of a wonderful holiday!!
Louvre Retourner
Day 19 Thurs 16th Jan
Today I returned to the Louvre to explore the Denon wing which I did not see during our first visit. The Christmas crowds were gone so it was quite pleasant but Maureen declined as she was in 'museum fatigue'. Some of the Denon Wing galleries that I viewed were:
Later we both ventured to the La Fayette Galleries, the huge designer shopping complex close to where we stayed. The shop assistants almost outnumbered shoppers but the service was ordinary -we had to wait 30 min for service for some jewellery for Maureen. I felt sorry for them as I doubt whether they are paid much to harass customers and I had sympathy for one guy I watched whose whole job seemed to be cleaning the lenses of sunglasses that shoppers have tried on.
Today I returned to the Louvre to explore the Denon wing which I did not see during our first visit. The Christmas crowds were gone so it was quite pleasant but Maureen declined as she was in 'museum fatigue'. Some of the Denon Wing galleries that I viewed were:
- Italian Sculpture 16-19th Cent
- Estruscan and Roman Antiquities
- Northern European Sculpture 17-18th Cent
- Italian Paintings 13-18th Cent
- Spanish Paintings
- French Paintings 14-17th Cent
Out of the many great works of art I saw there are some that I found particularly interesting
- The selection of Roman sculptures, sarcophagi, and other antiquities many from the Borghese collection in Rome. Some of the intricate sculptures on the outside of the sarcophapi (tombs) revealed a lot about Roman life and customs
-The Etruscan civilisation flourished in Italy form 7th Cent BC - before the Romans. Their terracotta sculptures, pottery and jewellery were striking.
- Italian paintings
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| Death of The Virgin |
There were a series of paintings showing the emergence of the Renaissance style (Fra Angelico, Giotto,Botechelli) with an extensive collection of Renaissance paintings including works by Raphael, Caracci, Carravaggio and 5 paintings by Leonardo Da Vinci. Apart from 'The Mona Lisa' one of the paintings with a story was 'The Death of the Virgin' by Caravaggio. It was commissioned in 1601 for the church of Santa Maria della Scala in Rome, but was refused by the monks, who found it unworthy. In the painting Mary lies reclined, clad in a simple red dress. The lolling head, the hanging arm, the swollen, spread feet: this is a raw and realistic view of the Virgin's mortal remains. The sacred character of the figure is evidenced only by a thin halo. Caravaggio completely abandons the iconography traditionally used to indicate the holiness of the Virgin. In this cast-off body, nothing of the respectful representation found in devotional paintings remains. His brutal view, very realistic and virtually devoid of holiness, provoked strong reactions by the Church and the public of his time. The story was that the model for Mary was that of a dead prostitute fished out of the Tiber.
-French paintings
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| Liberty Leading the People (1831) |
There were a huge collection including quite a few depicting Napoleon I. One of the very political ones was 'Liberty Leading the People' by Delacroix . This depicted the Paris uprising of July 27-29, 1830, known as the Trois Glorieuses ("Three Glorious Days"), that was begun by republicans for violation of the Constitution by the Second Restoration government of Charles X, the last Bourbon king of France. As a result of the uprising Charles was overthrown and replaced by Louis Philippe, Duke of Orléans. Delacroix leaves no doubt about his political sympathies and includes bourgeoisie, peasants, students, factory workers and children in the republicans involved in the uprising. This painting was very brave because Delacroix relied on commissions from royalists for his living.
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| The Raft of Medusa |
Another large work with strong political overtones was the Raft of Medusa by Géricault. The painting depicts the wreck of a French Navy frigate off the coast of Senegal in 1816, with over 150 soldiers on board. It was captained by an officer of the reinstated Royalty who had not sailed for over twenty years and who ran the ship aground on a sandbank. Due to the shortage of lifeboats only 10 lives survived on the raft. This painting was interpreted as a rebuke to the monarchy and supportive of a republican government.
For our last meal we had a great meal next street over from our apartment at Le Saotico,
96 Rue Richelieu. I highly recommend it if you are in Paris. I had goats cheese on toast for entree and a cod dish as a main with a great French red.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Smoke and Mirrors
Day 18 Wed 15th Jan
In visiting Chateau Versaille or the Palace of Versaille on the outskirts of Paris I was particularly interested in the connections of the chateau with the Revolution and a memorial to the Treaty of Versaille (signed in the Hall of Mirrors) the final treaty ended World War I on 28 June 1919.
I was disappointed on both counts with no focus on these events.
Another major treaty was signed at the Palace and was also not evident in the exhibitions. This was the treaty which involved the diplomacy of Benjamin Franklin between The United States and France committing France to enter the side of the United States against the English. The French committed 6000 men and a lot of resources but 5 years later, when the war was won, the French State was bankrupt. This was a major contributing factor to the mood towards Revolution.
Overall I found the grandioise palace built on the suffering of the French people a little hard to stomach. The oppression of the people by the French monarchy was unremarkable at the time and it is a wonder that the Palace was not destroyed , like the Bastille, in the Revolution.
In visiting Chateau Versaille or the Palace of Versaille on the outskirts of Paris I was particularly interested in the connections of the chateau with the Revolution and a memorial to the Treaty of Versaille (signed in the Hall of Mirrors) the final treaty ended World War I on 28 June 1919.
I was disappointed on both counts with no focus on these events.
Another major treaty was signed at the Palace and was also not evident in the exhibitions. This was the treaty which involved the diplomacy of Benjamin Franklin between The United States and France committing France to enter the side of the United States against the English. The French committed 6000 men and a lot of resources but 5 years later, when the war was won, the French State was bankrupt. This was a major contributing factor to the mood towards Revolution.
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| Hall of Mirrors |
The Palace was originally a hunting lodge util transformed by the Sun-King Louis XIV into a mega-palace with up to 10000 residents. On 5 Oct a crowd of mainly women stormed the palace and Queen Marie Anoinette and King Louis XVI were taken to Paris under house arrest never to return.
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| Opening of Estates Generale 1789 |
In 1789 Louis XVI had summoned the Estates General, an assembly of the three orders or classes – Nobility, Clergy and Third Estate (commoners) – that alone could decide to levy new taxes and undertake the reform of the country. The assembly of 1200 opened at Versailles on 5 May 1789 and none of the 3 estates were happy (especially the commoners) with what the King proposed. On in Versailles also marked the beginning of the French Revolution.
Overall I found the grandioise palace built on the suffering of the French people a little hard to stomach. The oppression of the people by the French monarchy was unremarkable at the time and it is a wonder that the Palace was not destroyed , like the Bastille, in the Revolution. Latin Quarter
Day 17 Tuesday 14th Jan
Outside the walls of the ancient town of Lutetia the Romans built an amphitheatre in the first to second century AD. Arenes de Lutece was a vast arena seating between 10,000 and 15,000 spectators who witnessed celebrations and gladiatorial contests. In 280 AD the amphitheatre was destroyed and the area was used as a cemetery until the 13th century when it was filled in. The site was was re-discovered during road building works carried out in the 1869 and is today partially restored with some of the original walls. It was a sunny crisp morning as we visited this site.
In our walk we passed a piece of the 1210 city walls built by King Phillipe Auguste before departing on the third Crusade
Nearby is the Eglise Saint-Étienne-du-Mont. This was built around an Abbey founded in 502 AD and was the resting place of of the Frankish King Clovis (c. 466 – c. 511) who united much of France and St Genevieve (d 512), the patron saint of Paris. The original Abbey was built over in the 18th century but during the Reign of Terror in the Revolution in 1793 the tomb of Genevieve was destroyed, her bones burned at the current site of Hotel de Ville and the ashes thrown into the Seine.
For lunch we had the best meal of the trip at a restaurant in the vicinity called Le Boussion Ardent with a good friend from Adelaide, Physicist Murray Hamilton. Le Buisson Ardent restaurant is located on the site of the Abbey of Saint Victor, which was destroyed during the French Revolution. Since the end of the Middle Ages there had been various establishments here called the Buisson Ardent, which in Biblical tradition symbolises the monotheistic God’s revelation to Moses.
We wandered back to the Isle St Louis and perused the shops on the right bank Marais area.
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| Arene de Lutece |
Outside the walls of the ancient town of Lutetia the Romans built an amphitheatre in the first to second century AD. Arenes de Lutece was a vast arena seating between 10,000 and 15,000 spectators who witnessed celebrations and gladiatorial contests. In 280 AD the amphitheatre was destroyed and the area was used as a cemetery until the 13th century when it was filled in. The site was was re-discovered during road building works carried out in the 1869 and is today partially restored with some of the original walls. It was a sunny crisp morning as we visited this site.
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| City Wall |
In our walk we passed a piece of the 1210 city walls built by King Phillipe Auguste before departing on the third Crusade
Nearby is the Eglise Saint-Étienne-du-Mont. This was built around an Abbey founded in 502 AD and was the resting place of of the Frankish King Clovis (c. 466 – c. 511) who united much of France and St Genevieve (d 512), the patron saint of Paris. The original Abbey was built over in the 18th century but during the Reign of Terror in the Revolution in 1793 the tomb of Genevieve was destroyed, her bones burned at the current site of Hotel de Ville and the ashes thrown into the Seine.
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| Mark & Murray on Pont de Sully with Notre Dame in background |
For lunch we had the best meal of the trip at a restaurant in the vicinity called Le Boussion Ardent with a good friend from Adelaide, Physicist Murray Hamilton. Le Buisson Ardent restaurant is located on the site of the Abbey of Saint Victor, which was destroyed during the French Revolution. Since the end of the Middle Ages there had been various establishments here called the Buisson Ardent, which in Biblical tradition symbolises the monotheistic God’s revelation to Moses.
We wandered back to the Isle St Louis and perused the shops on the right bank Marais area.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Westminster Abbey
Day 16 Monday 13th Jan
On our final day in London we ventured to Westminster Abbey. Benedictine monks first came to the Westminster site in the middle of the tenth century and the Abbey has been the coronation church of English Kings since William of Normandy in 1066 and is the final resting place of seventeen monarchs. The present church was begun by Henry III in 1245 and is the site of many royal celebrations like coronations, weddings, and
funerals. This arresting Gothic
Cathedral has enormous significance for
the English and is full of the tombs of Kings and Queens, and famous
politicians, warriors, explorers, scientists, literary and other figures from
the history of Britain. Notable tombs
include those of Edward the Confessor (a Catholic Saint), Elizabeth 1st
and Mary Queen of Scots. The later two
have equally sized memorials of side chapels.
This is surprising because Mary Queen of Scots was never Queen of
England and was imprisoned by her cousin Elizabeth for 19 years and then
beheaded for treason. Mary’s son James
the 1st , who succeeded the
childless Elizabeth, reinstated Catholicism as the official religion and
reclaimed the status of his mother in the placement and size of her tomb.
Catching the
underground once more, we got off at London Bridge , less prescient than its downstream neighbour, the Tower
Bridge. We explored the shore of the
South Bank past the 'Golden Hind' (Francis Brake’s ship) and stopped for lunch at
the 'Swan' restaurant adjacent to the Globe Theatre and overlooking the river. I had a delicious mushroom and chestnut pie!
By the end
of lunch we did not have time to tackle the Globe Theatre so we walked across the
Millennium Bridge (built in 2000) to Saint Paul's Cathedral. We finally caught the Circle Line
Underground back to King’s Cross Station just a stone’s throw away from St
Pancreas where we boarded the Eurostar to return to Paris.
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| Maureen outside Sally's at Alexandra Palace |
Late Sunday we had fun viewing the YouTube satirical comedy of Sally's multi-talented son Daniel (aka Antoine Speekz or Damien Slash) who has quite an online following. His Barak Obama impersonation is gold!
It was sad to leave but marvellous for Maureen to reconnect with her and for me to meet her. As Sally is an Analyst who works with young people we had the beginnings of good conversations about society, psychoanalysis and the helping professions.
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| tomb of Edward the Confessor |
On our final day in London we ventured to Westminster Abbey. Benedictine monks first came to the Westminster site in the middle of the tenth century and the Abbey has been the coronation church of English Kings since William of Normandy in 1066 and is the final resting place of seventeen monarchs. The present church was begun by Henry III in 1245 and is the site of many royal celebrations like coronations, weddings, and
funerals. This arresting Gothic
Cathedral has enormous significance for
the English and is full of the tombs of Kings and Queens, and famous
politicians, warriors, explorers, scientists, literary and other figures from
the history of Britain. Notable tombs
include those of Edward the Confessor (a Catholic Saint), Elizabeth 1st
and Mary Queen of Scots. The later two
have equally sized memorials of side chapels.
This is surprising because Mary Queen of Scots was never Queen of
England and was imprisoned by her cousin Elizabeth for 19 years and then
beheaded for treason. Mary’s son James
the 1st , who succeeded the
childless Elizabeth, reinstated Catholicism as the official religion and
reclaimed the status of his mother in the placement and size of her tomb.
he tomb of Oliver Cromwell, who dramatically increased the power of Parliament, was in the Abbey and still has a plaque there. His embalmed body was removed and hung on gallows after the royalty was reinstated. His head was then cut off and stuck on a spike outside Westminster Hall.
As an aside,
it was 18 pounds to get into Westminster Abbey (~$35 AUD) whereas all Catholic
Church around the world are free to enter no matter how famous eg Pantheon and
St Peters in Rome and Notre Dame in Paris.
Close by to
the Abbey are 'Big Ben' (which has a clock face on each of four sides of the
Tower) and the Houses of Parliament. It
is hard to imagine a less grand building for the political life of a
nation. However the multitude of windows
must be a nightmare to clean and maintain!
Catching the
underground once more, we got off at London Bridge , less prescient than its downstream neighbour, the Tower
Bridge. We explored the shore of the
South Bank past the 'Golden Hind' (Francis Brake’s ship) and stopped for lunch at
the 'Swan' restaurant adjacent to the Globe Theatre and overlooking the river. I had a delicious mushroom and chestnut pie!
By the end
of lunch we did not have time to tackle the Globe Theatre so we walked across the
Millennium Bridge (built in 2000) to Saint Paul's Cathedral. We finally caught the Circle Line
Underground back to King’s Cross Station just a stone’s throw away from St
Pancreas where we boarded the Eurostar to return to Paris.
It was good
to visit London and scout out things for a return in the future – hopefully!!. London has so much to see but is much more
expensive that Paris and things seemed to be double the cost of the equivalent product or service in Australia.
Monday, January 13, 2014
Hampstead Heath
Day 15 Sunday 12th Jan
Sally lead us for a walk on Hampstead Heath, a 730 acre area of woodland stretching towards the northern outskirts of London. This is a favourite walking spot for
families, runners and dog walkers. I was
able to see a couple of English birds: a orange breasted European Robin, a magpie (quite
different from Australian species), a wood pigeon and lots of ravens.
The weather
was very cool for us Adelaidians so we stopped in the Hampstead for soup and then
strolled around the village. Apparently the Highwayman Dick Turpin frequented these parts. Nearby is also a house that poet John Yeats lived in before moving to Rome.
Later we visited
the Sigmund Freud Museum where he lived from 1938-39 until his death after
fleeing Vienna from the Nazi’s.
We could see Freud’s work office set up as it was during his life and many
documents and items from his work. His
office was full of historical artefacts as he saw himself as an archaeologist
of the mind and was engrossed in the discoveries of archaeology and the events,
myths and legends of history. Freud is
one of the founders and giants of psychoanalysis and his ideas and theories are
extensively employed today in psychology and different types of therapy. They have much far reaching influence into spheres including philosophy, sociology, and social policy, A few doors down from the Museum is the Anna
Freud Centre – a world famous centre founded by Freud's daughter Anna, which is now a training centre for the work of therapists with parents
and children who have troubled relationships.
We all laughed about psychoanalysis when Sally's cat decided she was stressed when we arrived at her house and promptly wee-ed all over her lounge. The cat never warmed to me in the 4 days I was in London and perhaps Sally has another client there!
We dropped in a very old English Pub started in the early 19th century, 'The Holy Bush'. I sampled a pint of London Ale – not a bad drop! If you are in the vicinity the pub was and is on Holly Mount, Hampstead.
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| Sally & Maureen in Hampstead Village |
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| European Robin on Hampstead Heath |
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| Freud Museum |
We all laughed about psychoanalysis when Sally's cat decided she was stressed when we arrived at her house and promptly wee-ed all over her lounge. The cat never warmed to me in the 4 days I was in London and perhaps Sally has another client there!
We dropped in a very old English Pub started in the early 19th century, 'The Holy Bush'. I sampled a pint of London Ale – not a bad drop! If you are in the vicinity the pub was and is on Holly Mount, Hampstead.
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| Sally, Cat and Maureen |
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