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Tag Archives: trip to Paris

5th Anniversary Trip to Paris

28 Sunday Jul 2013

Posted by blogjoiedevivre in Travel

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Eiffel Tower, Impressionist paintings, Musee d'Orsay, Paris, Park Hyatt Paris Vendome, Renoir, The Louvre, trip to Paris, wedding anniversary

Paris –ah, the City of Light!– how romantic, how charming, how chic!  –Yes, our first-ever visit to Paris was all that, but in hindsight, I’m left with a perspective a little more rough around the edges than what I initially imagined.  Taking in Paris reminded me of my first time visiting New York City:  it’s not really a relaxing vacation, it’s WORK.  What I mean is, to get around on the subway to all the important things there are to see & wait in line to see them, to walk a mile here & there, to get up early & beat the crowds, to scale a few flights of stairs, to get frustratingly lost in the Paris metro system…it really takes it out of you.  But of course, the beautiful part is:  it’s all worth it.  Despite how chilled I felt in the rain, how much my feet hurt, how claustrophobic the tourist crowds started to feel; I was filled up & reenergized again by the art, the food, and the gilded luxury of it all.  On my first day in Paris, I got the inclination that this is the place where the world’s treasures are kept.  –All those golden angels with swords on horses have got to be guarding something special, no?   IMG_1314IMG_1308

First off, I must say:  our accommodations were superb.  The Park Hyatt Paris Vendome absolutely exceeded expectations.  Specifically, neither of us expected to stay in the nicest best hotel we’ve ever slept in during our trip to Paris, but that’s exactly what we got.  After circumventing the city by foot in search of various landmarks & restaurants, it was such a sweet pleasure to return to our hotel at the end of each excursion.  One night, we even chose to forego a fancy gourmet dinner in favor of staying in our room with wine & cheese in bed, watching episodes of The Walking Dead.  (That may sound like a waste of time in such a place as Paris, but I cannot sleep on planes & thus get killer jet lag…I always have to take a half-day or so at the beginning of a Euro trip to recoup.)  –Trust me though, you wouldn’t blame us if you saw this room: high ceilings, loads of space, separate his & hers vanity areas, all marble & gold hardware in the bathroom, windows that opened out to a quiet courtyard…it was a haven for us and right in the middle of the city!  We were delighted by our welcome gift & happily imbibed:IMG_1320

Paris was unseasonably cold for late-May — it was in the upper 40s throughout our stay.  Granted, there were some pretty days with sunshine and 60-degree temps, but those cold, drizzly days left their impression.  Even though we didn’t get to bask in sunlight among flowers in the Jardin de Luxembourg (as my fairy-tale tendencies would’ve leaned), I really feel as though we got to see everything we wanted to see.  Thankfully, we were able to make it to all the top tourist attractions:  The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, saw Notre Dame Cathedral & Sacre Coeur, visited the Palace of Versailles, the Montmarte area, Vendome, Arc de Triomphe, Moulin Rouge, walked along the Champs-Elysees, etc.  Of all these destinations, my end-all be-all FAVORITE place to visit was the Musee d’Orsay.  Housing the world’s largest collection of Impressionist & post-Impressionist paintings, this museum is amazing — I liked it better than the Louvre & was astounded by the caliber of the pieces.  Remember when I mentioned that Paris felt like it was a place where treasures are kept?  –Well, this museum has got the motherload:  Monet, Renoir, Cezanne, Van Gogh, you-name-it.  These were paintings from the textbooks right in front of my very eyes.  Some of my most jaw-dropping “it’s so beautiful to see in real life!” works were James McNeill Whistler‘s Whistler’s Mother, Vincent van Gogh‘s Starry Night Over the Rhone, and Claude Monet’s Study of a Figure Outdoors: Woman with a Parasol, facing left.  But, hands-down, my favorite piece there is Pierre-Auguste Renoir‘s Bal du moulin de la Galette.  

File:Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Le Moulin de la Galette.jpg

Now, Renoir is not my favorite Impressionist by any means (that distinction is held by Monet, of course) but you would not believe the splendor of this piece in real-life:  how the scale makes you feel as though you’re right there…say, about to sit down at the table across from them; how the artist created light perfectly filtered through leaves & making the rays dance over their faces; the feat of freezing time: portraying a lively, happy, springtime scene in which you can practically hear the buzz of the giggled chatter, the breeze blowing through the trees and the background music.  Now, I’m obviously no art critic and have never enrolled in even the most basic 101-level art history class, but even my humble novice eye could immediately absorb that this piece is truly a masterpiece to behold.  What can I say? –I left the Musee d’Orsay positively high on art.IMG_9145

A couple notes from our rounds at the top touristy things, the Louvre & the Eiffel Tower:

–Obvi The Louvre is a must-do, but I would suggest tackling it as we did:  see the most popular pieces first, namely the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory.  Get there as soon as they open, cross these off your list, and then meander around the rest of the place…it’s huge!  My husband hates crowds, so this tactic worked well for me because at least I’m getting to see the good stuff before he inevitably loses patience and needs to have lunch.  I adored the vast collection of marble sculpture, especially Michelangelo‘s Rebellious slave, Antonio Canova‘s Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss, and The Three Graces.  Best paintings were Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix, The Wedding at Cana by Paolo Veronese, and last but not least, the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci.  Like many who lay eyes upon her, I was captivated by that sly smile…here’s my best impersonation:IMG_8863

–Eiffel Tower:  my best advice is don’t go all the way to the top.  There are two options for going up the Eiffel Tower:  the 2nd floor and/or the very tip-top…don’t let the ‘second level’ description mislead you — it’s quite high in the sky and the views are incredible.  There is really no need to wait in the long que to go all the way up.  In my opinion, the views aren’t really that different and it’s waaaay more claustrophobic up there.  For example, here’s a view from the so-called “2nd floor”:IMG_9262

And, here’s the same view from the very top:IMG_9273

–Not all that different, right?  Well, there ok there IS a difference, but I wouldn’t say it’s worth the extra 45-min wait time.  My husband and I went to the Eiffel Tower on the actual date of our 5th wedding anniversary, so of course I had to go all the way up, just for the sake of it.  By the time we made it up the additional lines & elevator que (they cram you into those elevators like sardines, I tell ya), we were kinda over the novelty of toasting a flute of champagne you can buy from their coat closet of a bar they have up there.  Trust me, you’ll get just as romantic of a visit to the Eiffel if you opt to solely stay on the 2nd floor.

All in all, visiting the Eiffel Tower was powerful, symbolic, and just one of those bucket list-type things you aspire to see in a lifetime.  Just to get the opportunity to be in Paris (period.) and visit such an iconic landmark on that milestone in our lives was incredibly special.  I can’t even describe how it felt to share a kiss with my husband atop the Eiffel Tower, celebrating five years of wedded bliss.  –Joie de Vivre at its finest, I’d say…935436_10101106683055456_772206820_n

Stefani’s Paris

12 Sunday May 2013

Posted by blogjoiedevivre in Travel

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Tags

anniversary trip, Arc de Triomphe, bridge of love, city of paris france, Eiffel Tower, French, French bistro, French bistros, international travel, La Tour Eiffel, Notre Dame Cathedral, romantic, St. Germain, talented photographer, trip to Paris

My husband and I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel abroad during our marriage — making time to travel is a priority we’ve set for our relationship and we’ve been lucky enough to see it though.  We’ve planned vacations to some amazing international locations, but we both wanted our first trip to the iconic, artistic, romantic city of Paris, France to be reserved for something special.  Well, our five-year wedding anniversary is coming up and we’re going to spend this special milestone in The City of Love!

Just as I did for our trip to Hawaii earlier this year, I reached out to a girlfriend who’s visited Paris & hit her up for recommendations.  Stefani is a great friend from our time in Kansas City…we had just jumped from the far west ‘burbs on the Kansas-side and moved to the center of the action on the Country Club Plaza.  She and I were introduced via our old neighbor and we all became instant buds.  Many of my classic KCMO lifestyle memories involve Stefani:  glasses of wine at Coal Vines, workouts at Woodside, and grillin’ out/house parties at the neighbor’s.  She’s great motivation in spin class, the perfect going-out gal pal (dishing EXCELLENT convo over antipasti), quite the fashionista, and talented photographer.

Instead of simply telling me where to go and what to do, I thought it would be fitting to ask her to share some of her favorite snapshots she’s captured in the City of Light.  Her Paris photo album is just grand — I thought it would be interesting for her to explain why the chosen subject stopped her & commanded a photograph, providing a thought or two on those moments captured in time.  Paris in Pictures, if you will…

I was initially was drawn to her perfect postcard-type pics but she opted for a somewhat different approach, “I wanted to add the photos that I really had comments about and that are representative of the ‘real Paris’ versus the Paris everyone thinks it is without going there.  It truly is a lovely city.”

–She’s so right:  like most people who’ve only seen Paris in the movies, I have this overly romantic connotation of Paris and I don’t think it’ll let me down, btw.  But, it’s important to portray the less-literal side of the city’s beauty.  She’s managed to capture the classic can’t-miss landmarks from the eye of an anthropologist, rather than a tourist.  There is also an obvious artistic spin to her photographs –found in the color effect, angle, perspective, etc.– that serves to breathe life back into that classic romantic symbolism we typically associate with such a place as Paris.  To me, some of her shots speak to ‘beauty hidden in plain sight’ and the idea of something of value being right in front of your eyes, yet goes unnoticed to those not searching for it.  –Reminds me of a quote by The New York Times illustrious fashion photographer, Bill Cunningham, who said:  “He who seeks beauty will find it.”

“LOVE this photo!  We all love the La Tour Eiffel right?  There is nothing better than walking the streets of Paris and turning a corner to see its beauty.  That is exactly what I wanted to capture and remember, is that feeling of AWE when she pops into view.”

“I had to take this for the cliche’ feel of Paris.  This sits on the Champs-Elysees, which makes it all the better.  I love the random bows hanging above the sign from the balcony.”

“The view from Sacre-Coeur Basilica, and what a view it is!  I am a sucker for a good city view and this is by far the best, especially on an overcast day.  It gives you the true feel of Paris.”

“My favorite “artistic picture”.  These are stones in the courtyard of the Louvre.  It captures the feel of the true art throughout THE Museum of all museums.”

“What an amazing picture to show the gothic nature of Notre Dame!  The man in the bottom of the picture makes the picture, I think.”

“Paris in the morning before the bistros are open.  I loved the feel of nothing going on at those tables that will be full of life in an hour.”

“The hustle and bustle of the streets of Paris.  This makes me feel like I am walking down the street as I look at it every time!”

“My favorite picture I have taken.  This was taken after an unexpected shower, while we were having dinner at a bistro in St. Germain.  The color is absolutely stunning! St. Germain is my all time favorite area of Paris, I am staying there next week. I have sold this picture a couple of times.”

“This picture says so much.  Many cities in Europe have this “bridge of love”. Just think of all of the stories behind every padlock a couple put on that bridge!  Priceless!”

“The roads of Paris that seem to have no end, priceless picture.  I took this on a cloudy day from the top of the Arc de Triomphe.”

“I love stained glass windows!  Especially from inside the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Stained glass tells so many stories.  For an artistic effect, I liked one window in black and white.”

“I take pictures of signs like this, in every city I visit.  You can’t go wrong regardless of the direction you go!”

“Classic view of the Eiffel Tower from the Seine.  This was my first ever view of her beauty!”

~Stefani

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