SAINT ETIENNE-DU-MONT CHURCH in PARIS, FRANCE

19 May 2014 3 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: , ,

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May 19, 2014

As I’m looking back through the  photos from my April in Paris trip, I realized I  needed to post about this beautiful  church that, literally, sits in the shadows of the Pantheon.  It could easily be overlooked, but it’s well worth taking the time to look inside.   The building of St. Etienne-du-Mont began in  1492 and was  finished in 1626.   It contains the shrine of St. Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris.  

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Walking inside will catch you by surprise… ( well, maybe not – now that I have told you).  With the streets of Paris a few steps outside so busy, St.  Etienne is  almost empty, so quiet and peaceful.

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 This Rood Screen,  the double -stair arch that separates the choir from the rest of the church is beautifully carved and unusual, as it is the only  rood screen left in Paris .

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The  wooden pulpit dates from 1651. Sampson is holding up the pulpit and the carvings of  the seven women that  surround the pulpit  symbolize the virtues: Prudence, Justice, Faith,  Hope, Temperance, Fortitude,and Charity.

How humbling to  walk into a  church  this old, yet  so captivating – not only by the  incredible architecture but also because  I know  I can’t begin to imagine all of the history  that took place inside these walls.   Then I light a candle for safe travels…..

 

OPERA GARDIER IN PARIS, FRANCE

02 May 2014 Leave a comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: , , , ,

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Le Grand Foyer

May 1, 2014

Another sensory overload in Paris is the Palais Garnier ( Opera House in Paris).  There are two Operas in Paris, the newest is a modern building and the original, The Opera Garnier, was built from 1861 – 1875 and it is BEAUTIFUL!  Other than it’s beauty, it is also famous for being  the setting of the Phantom of the Opera book, written by Gaston Leroux in 1910.  I, however, did not see any  Phantom during my visit. 

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This  is the best shot I could get of the front of the Opera Garnier due to…………..this:

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Typical of the streets and traffic of Paris.  Not conducive to getting the best photos  without risking life and limb. 

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Painted ceiling of the Opera Auditorium by Marc Chagall  with a 340 light chandelier that weighs 8 tons. 

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Inside of Auditorium seats almost 2000.

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The Lobby

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Statuary in Le Grand Foyer

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One of the paintings  on the ceiling of Le Grand  Foyer. 

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Doorway of the outside balcony off  Le Grand Foyer (which looks out onto the previous photo of the busy streets of Paris).

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Close up  of “Liberty ” Pegasus roof sculpture.

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Close up of “Apollo, Poetry and Music” roof sculpture.

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Before you leave, in the gift shop, you can buy your very own Opera chair souvenir  for only 1595 Euro. 

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

 

 

MEANDERING THROUGH PERE LACHAISE CEMETERY IN PARIS, FRANCE

30 Apr 2014 2 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , ,

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April, 29, 2014

A cemetery  is many things. It can be  a place of grief or of peacefulness.  A gentle and crowded reminder that none of us are going to get out of this world alive.  The Pere Lachaise Cemetary  was an interesting place to wander aimlessly on a beautiful Paris day during my recent visit.  There are numerous  notables buried among the 70,000 graves, such as Jim Morrison of The Doors, Frederic Chopin, Oscar Wilde, and  Sarah Bernhardt .  The cemetery, established in 1804 by Napoleon, was named after  the Jesuit priest, Pere Francois de la Chaise, who was the confessor for  King Louis  XIV.  Come meander with me a bit………

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Jim Morrison’s Final Resting Place

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Frederic  Chopin’s  Final Resting Place – his fans still bring him flowers…..

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Necropolitaine – city of the dead / cemetery

Le Memoire – the memory

 

 

 

 

 

 

POMPIDOU CENTER in PARIS, FRANCE

22 Apr 2014 3 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: , , ,

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April 22, 2014

Posting from home now.  All wonderful trips must come to an end and I’m now back to reality – not everyday can be  spent in Amsterdam or Paris.  But I do still have a lot to share…..such as the…

Pompidou Center !  A crazy looking place and how fun that can be!  It contains  the Modern Art Museum  ( Musee National  d’Art Moderne) and even if you  are not a fan, you should walk by  and check out the “exoskeletal” building. All the functional parts are on the outside, so they say.  I loved the fountains (free) that are adjacent to the building ” Homage to Stravinsky” .

Btw, Word Press seems to be cutting off some of my photos if you are viewing them on a large screen – please bare with me as I’m trying to find a solution. : )

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Back of the Pompidou Center, or is this the front?

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I’m pretty sure this is the front, but maybe it’s the back? ??

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Close ups of  my favorite pieces of the fountains.

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This church  and the building with the “shhh” mural sits right beside the Center.

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Gotta Love Paris!!!  Hope this made you smile.

Thanks for reading!

MORE WANDERING IN PARIS….

18 Apr 2014 2 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: , , , ,

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April 17, 2014

More on my day of wandering in Paris….

I happened upon this huge St. Sulpice Church and snapped this shot just as a flock of birds took off.  You ask, why do I say the church is huge?  Look at the back – it literally took up the whole city block.:

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The “Love Locks Bridge” was another find.  Officially it is called  Pont des Arts Bridge.  Over the last few years a fad has been happening ( all over Europe) where couples attach a padlock with their names written or engraved onto  the railings or grates of the bridge  and then throw the key into the River Seine. There is some concern  about the metal pollution to the river from all of the keys and sometimes  police patrol the bridge to try and stop the keys from being pitched over the side,. Also, obviously, there is  concern about the added weight to the bridge from  all the locks, but  no word on a plan regarding that issue.  How Paris say no to love???? 

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This is a full shot of the  bridge and all of the “gold” color is padlocks, packed full, both sides, all the way down, layer upon layer, some locks locked on to other locks even. 

It’s a booming business for the padlock makers!!!!

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

 

A DAY TO WANDER IN PARIS

17 Apr 2014 2 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: ,

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HOTEL  DEVILLE

April 16, 2014

It’s fun  to take a day and wander around, discover places and things you didn’t plan on and  to look for the beauty and humor that might have escaped you otherwise.  That’s what I did today and I found many nooks and crannies that made me smile.

Such as the photo above of the Hotel DeVille – that’s what the Parisians call their City Hall.  

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Paris has a healthy  crop of Gum Drop bushes.

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 Not quite sure what’s going on here……..but don’t think I’d want that job……

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Look at this Gasoline Station – can we call this the definition of “minimalist”?

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You gotta love it !  Oh how I can  expand on this!

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and last but not least….. a typical Paris sight.

Lot’s more to come…..

Thanks for reading……

 

 

 

 

 

VISITING NAPOLEON IN PARIS

15 Apr 2014 4 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags:

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APRIL 15, 2014

Hello again from Paris!  Today I spent a major part of my day at the Museum Orsay  which was spectacular!  It is known for it’s large collection of Impressionism, Post Impressionism, Neo-Impressionism (and however far you’d like to follow that time line)  art pieces and I loved every moment.

But this posting is focused on Napoleon’s Tomb  which is very impressive.  With all there is to see in Paris, this destination might easily get bypassed but it should not. It’s   located  just a couple of blocks from my hotel or I might have skipped it myself.   As you look at my photos, just keep in mind, they could not begin to capture the enormous presence of  the Tomb and everything surrounding Napoleon’s Tomb.

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 Napoleon’s Tomb  is  directly under the dome in this building.

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The tip top of the building’s dome.

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Inside of the dome.

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Crypt door guards.

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There he  is.   By looking at the people, you can get an idea of just how large the tomb is and how tall the statues are.

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That’s an  over all photo of the whole layout.

What do you think? 

Thanks for reading!…… Until tomorrow and more sights of Paris……

 

BONJOUR FROM PARIS !

14 Apr 2014 4 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags:

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April 14, 2014

April in Paris is  incredible!  The weather is lovely, people are friendly, and this city is hopping with energy.

Today we visited  Sainte-Chappell – a  13th  century chapel with oodles of stained glass  windows that sparkle on a sunny day. We had the sunny day but the chapel is also under  restoration so some of the windows were under cover.   What we could see were beautiful.

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Then  onward to the 700 year old  Notre Dame where we stood in a long line to  climb the some-odd 300 steps up to the façade between the two towers,  for not only  some breath-taking  views of the city, but also some close up views of the critters on top of the cathedral.

Let me give you some visuals….

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Is he sticking his tongue out at  the city of Paris?????

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These guys are laughing  at all those people in those looonnnnggggg lines to in get into this church.

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And look at this guy!  I guess if  I’d  been stuck up on the roof for 700 years, I would be so looney I’d  swinging a knife around also!   But enough of the scary stuff…….

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Close up of one of the three front doors of Notre Dame.

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Stay tuned…… more of Paris to come…….

Thanks for reading!

 

 

DAY TRIP FROM PARIS TO VERSAILLES CHATEAU

13 Apr 2014 6 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags:

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April 13, 2014

Hello!   Chateau Versailles was the destination of  today. It’s an easy day trip from Paris via a regional  train ride and a 10 minute walk to the Chateau and well worth the time and expense.  Versailles was the home of France’s King Louis XIV , XV and XVI , until Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette were taken from the palace and beheaded.   It is  huge, plus there are 2 smaller palaces ( because the big one wasn’t enough),  the Queen’s Hamlet and the overall  gardens and fountains.  France, during this time period, makes for some very interesting  reading. But for now, here is just a brief  visual glimpse of how Versailles looks today.

The  photo above is only a small section of the front of Versailles.

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This is a close up of the top of the Chateau.

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Many of the ceilings were beautifully painted.

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This was Marie Antoinette’s bedroom and  the door on the left is where she run when the people came after her  during the Revolution.

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ONE of the fountains in the gardens.

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Called the Grand Canal, this area  sits beyond the gardens and fountains.

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There are also endless peaceful wooded paths to walk.

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The Queen’s Hamlet is tucked back in the woods.

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Lastly I think I should have this for my backyard birds – what a great bird bath it would make!

Thanks for reading and traveling  with me!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LAST DAY IN AMSTERDAM, TOMORROW: PARIS !!

12 Apr 2014 2 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: ,

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APRIL 12, 201

I love to look up and see the charming  architecture  and spires of Amsterdam against the blue sky.  I so enjoyed the city, the energetic people and the pancakes.  Did I tell you they have pancake restaurants on almost every corner?   The best  tasting and most unusual

pancakes I have ever seen.   I will have to come back again some time. Until then, here are some parting shots of this fun city.

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Westerkerk  steeple – the church where Rembrandt is buried.

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Dried flowers hanging from the ceiling at the flower market.

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On last canal shot…..

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Tulips  to bring home  that will last forever and never need watering.  Amsterdam thinks of everything.

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