Bliss on the Frecciarossa

Okay, I still have a LOT to share about my time in Paris, but I'm currently en route from Torino to Florence via the Frecciarossa train, and am having a moment of bliss. For one, I'm back "home" in Italy, I'm listening to Samba music on my Mp3 player, watching the Italian countryside whisk by as the train exceeds 300 mph, and I am using the free wifi on the train to write this post. There are some sweet moments like this every now and then and it seems only right to savor them.

A presto!

addendum: my bliss was short-lived: from Bologna to Firenze the train went tunneling through  mountains for almost the entire 40 minutes of the journey, so no wi-fi possible!

Paris, Day 1: Musee D'Orsay, Musee Rodin, Rue Cler

Place de la Concorde, with the Eiffel Tower in the background

Though rain had been forecast, my first day in Paris turned out to be a lovely, sunny day. I headed out on the Metro to central Paris, which involved changes on several lines, ending up at Place de la Concorde, one of the major public squares in Paris. It was an awesome introduction to the size and intensity of the city, with views of the Eiffel Tower, the Seine, the Champs-Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe in the distance.

A view of the Champs-Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe from Place de la Concorde

 It took me a while to get my bearings, but using my map and the Seine as a guide, I figured out that I needed to cross the Seine in order to get to Musee D'Orsay, the first art museum I wanted to visit. The museum is known for its collections of impressionist paintings, including works by Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cezanne, Gaugin and Van Gogh. The museum is housed in a former train station, and the building itself is beautiful, a work of art.

Musee D'Orsay

In addition to the usual exhibitions, there was a special exhibit on Impressionism and Fashion, which included displays of clothing worn during the time of the impressionists, accompanied by paintings that illustrated the clothing. One room was set up in a "plein air" or open air theme, complete with fake grass and the sound of birds in the background. Oversized paintings were placed around the room, giving the feeling that one was walking in a park, observing the subjects in the paintings in their natural habitat. Quite lovely and effective! I spent several hours in the museum, and was able to see everything, but would like to have time to linger the next time I go. For more information on the musem and its exhibits, try this link:

Musee Orsay

Next, I headed to Musee Rodin, a museum I've wanted to visit since I was young, after reading Naked Came I, a novel by David Weiss about the sculptor Rodin's life. More recently, I'd learned that the museum also features some works by his student and mistress, Camille Claudel. After seeing the movie of her life (Camille Claudel), and reading her diaries, I felt a special kinship to her, and wrote an article about that connection for a magazine in the 90's, which you can read here:

Divine Madness

Camille Claudel's sculpture, The Wave

The museum had a special exhibit, Rodin, Flesh and Marble, in addition to the usual collection of his work, which includes many drawings and bronze pieces, along with paintings by Renoir, Monet and Van Gogh. Seeing his sculptures in marble, mostly unfinished, was truly impressive, and really gave you the sense of how the creations "came out" of the blocks of marble. The museum is housed in Hotel Biron, where Rodin once lived and used as a workshop, and he left his art to the French State on the condition that they turn the buildings into a museum dedicated to his works. In addition, many of his sculptures are displayed in the museum's extensive garden, which was a pleasure to visit on a sunny day.

The Thinker, in the garden at Musee Rodin

I was especially pleased to see the work of Camille Claudel, and to see some recognition given to her talent, recognition that was denied during her lifetime. For more info on the museum and its collections, click on this link:

Musee Rodin

Once I'd seen both the museums, I wandered for awhile on the nearby streets and came across a park outside Les Invalides, an area of buildings devoted to military history, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans. Napoleon's tomb is also located in this complex of buildings. 

Les Invalides

After that, it was nearing evening, and I still wanted to visit Rue Cler, a nearby street noted for its shopping area. It was Monica's birthday, and I wanted to get some flowers for her. Here's a photo of one of the flower markets on Rue Cler.

Rue Cler flowers

Armed with a bouquet of fragrant yellow roses tinged with pink, I made my way on the metro back to St. Germaine-en-Laye, satisfied with my first full day in Paris.

Metro signs are a common sight, providing easy access to the best subway system in the world.

Paris scenes

The Thinker, in the garden of Museum Rodin

I don't have time to write these days, but here are a few images from Paris.

The Eiffel Tower in chocolate!

Place Concorde, my first view of Paris after emerging from the Metro.

A serenade on the Metro

Notre Dame

Flowers on Rue Cler

Arrival in Paris

Saint Germaine-en Laye, France

My flight to Paris was uneventful, though less comfortable than usual. I'm accustomed to a having a wide variety of movies to enjoy on transatlantic flights. Even though I was flying on Delta, the plane and crew were with Air France.  The plane was older and less comfortable, with only overhead screens and no choice of movies to watch. Three movies were shown during the seven hour flight, but only one of them interested me, so I spent most of my time reading.

I sat next to a young man who was headed to India to work on a movie, a political thriller that takes place in New York and India. He was chatty at times, but seemed most interested in teaching other passengers how to do a Rubic's cube.

When I arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris at 6 a.m., it was cold and rainy. The airport was empty at that hour, so we moved quickly through passport control and the retrieval of luggage. I followed the signs to find the RER train that would take me across town to Saint Germaine-en-Laye, the suburbs where my friends live. I had to change to another line once we were in Paris, and it was during rush hour, so I stood with my bags for most of the thirty minute ride from central Paris to St. Germaine, where my friend Monica picked me up.

I've explained before that I'm staying with Italian friends who moved to Paris two years ago from Rieti, Italy. Monica took me to their house to stash my luggage, then we went to pick up her 7 year-old son from school for his lunch break. We went to the center of St. Germaine for lunch, to a creperie, where I ate my first galette, which is a type of crepe made with dark flour and a variety of toppings, from sweet to savory. Mine came with lettuce, walnuts, golden raisins and chevre cheese. It was quite delicious!

La galette

I also had a popular beverage from Normandy called Il Cidro, which is a kind of apple beer. It tasted like a mild apple cider, very tasty. After lunch we walked Tommaso back to school and I went along with Monica to the Lycee International, which her two teenage daughters attend. Only children from countries outside of France can attend this school, and those from Europe have no tuition. But there are also students from the U.S., Britain, and other countries, who do pay tuition. Students have language and history courses in their native language, but all other classes are taught in French. It's a wonderful opportunity for the girls to increase their language skills, which include Italian, English, French. They are also starting to learn Spanish. There are some 300 Italian families with nearly 400 of their children at the school, and the Ruggeri family has found a great community of friends among them.

That evening, Monica made a wonderful meal of French onion soup, another staple of the French diet. As usual, the family made me feel quite welcome, and by that time I was ready to crash. All too soon, I'd be back on the metro for my first day in Paris.

Off to Paris

Tomorrow I leave for Paris and a week of seeing the sights in the famed City of Lights. Since I've been working long hours this month, I haven't had time to savor the anticipation of this trip. Instead, I've had to put things together in a harried fashion, which is not my style. But all the plans have finally been made, and once today is over, I'll truly be on vacation for the next three weeks. No students to deal with, no papers to grade, no demanding work projects! No heavy computers to cart around! I'm traveling light, for the first time in three years.

Instead, I'll be challenged by taking the metro into Paris each day, trying to communicate in French, walking around to see the sights, and hoping for good weather.  After Paris, I head to Torino, Firenze and Siena, which is more familiar ground. Even the thought of it is comforting: by now, Italy feels like another home.

EVVIVA! Become More blog 2006-2010

At long last, my old blog has finally been retrieved, after two years in limbo, somewhere in cyberspace. My son was able to retrieve it this weekend, and now you'll have access to many more posts of my travels and photos: five trips to Italy and one to Japan, between 2006-2010.

However, when the posts were retrieved, they brought with them a few coding errors, which I'll be taking care of as time permits. But for now, the posts are still quite readable, and you can access the blog via this link (which is also listed on the blogroll on the right side of the page):

Become More blog 2006-2010

Divertitevi! (enjoy yourselves)

Panorama view of Paris

Just for fun: thanks to Gilles Vidal, you can be on top of the Eiffel Tower scanning a 360 degree view of Paris!  There's a link to his amazing video below. Don't forget to try all the buttons at the bottom of the video screen.
 
http://www.gillesvidal.com/blogpano/paris.htm