Oh, I love these Paris photos of yours. I've got a thing about the French and the Brits ... anytime you give me a man with either French or Scots or Irish accent, my knees would go buckle! You know what I mean! :)
Thanks for sharing these Barbara. Looks like you had an amazing trip. That shot of the Chagall ceiling mural was SO worth the insult of wagging finger after - it is amazing. When I clicked on it, it took my breath away. Simply stunning!
Chagall is one of my favorite artists. I get a lot of finger wagging when I go to Europe!!!!!!!!!! When we were in Paris, the streets were full of armed soldiers. They'd had Algerian terrorist threats. The waste bins were all sealed shut so no bomb could be dropped inside. We left France the day before a transportation strike and the grounding of Air France. Boy, look at the memories you dredged up! :D :D
Dear Bonnie--Oh, the Chagall, that's one of my faves from the entire trip. And that's saying a lot! I went to Italy on that trip too, to Rome and Venice and Florence..oh and got lost in Sienna. It was something. I'm scouting out my pictures from Italy, but seem to have lost some that are not hard copies. Sigh.
Holly--HEE HEE! (coffee snorting out of my nose!) I told the guard that I was connected. (meaning you.) He was unmoved when I wanted to stretch out there amongst the ostrich fronds. Ah, well.
Snap--Oooh. Sounds like were were there at a similar time. When I went, we flew into the Charles Degaulle Airport and exited the plane at the gate that collapsed the following day!! Counted our lucky stars after that one! What a time we live in, huh? Paris, though was spectacular. I can feel the hair rise on my neck just thinking of it, (in a good way!)
Ooooohhhh how did I miss this post..it has been a crazy week - but somehow it was missed. I love this Barb. I love that you were there that you got to see all of this!! How amazing it all is. Did I mention how green I am - lol..am but only that I wanna go too!! So deeply thrilled that you did!! Whoo hoo -- or maybe Ooolala!! Wonderful post hon! Love ya, Sarah
I love Paris!!! What a wonderful place to visit. Versaille was almost too much to take in. Imagine what it must have been like in it's heyday. Here via Debra She Who Seeks:)
This is an illicit photo I snapped of the astonishing Marc Chagall mural on the domed ceiling of the Paris Opera a few year ago when I was lucky enough to go to Paris. Illicit because they don't let you take pictures of it. (I plead the fifth.)A few seconds afterward, a security guard was wagging his finger at me with a threatening look in his eye and ushering us out into the hallway from whence we'd come.
I hope you can see some of the amazing detail there. I stood there, staring at it, realizing that like all of the amazing artwork I'd been gazing at around the museums of Paris, this was the work of genius. On such a huge scale. (If you click on the picture, you can enlarge it and really see the detail.)
For some reason, they did not want people taking pictures of it. Why? I wondered. Why keep this only for those who are fortunate enough to stumble upon it? It was in this dark theater, that seriously, I had to open a door to find. And there it was. Oh, it's probably in a book somewhere on Chagall. But I'd never heard of it. It's full of angels.
We took the train out to the French countryside to Versaille, the palace that Marie Antoinette lived in with King Louis XVI. That was another mind boggling place.
During the revolution, after they took off the heads of the Royal 'we', the people stripped the palace of everything valuable, down to the tapestries on the walls. For years--centuries--it stood virtually empty, until a Concervancy came and decided to restore it. They purchased back pieces like this bed that belonged to Marie Antoinette (ostrich plumes and all) from the people who had taken it for a LOT of money.
There were fabulous pieces that they had collected a little at a time, all gilded and ornate like desks, chadeliers, mirrors, etc... From the very people who stole them- Families of the once poor peasants. Now isn't that ironic?
Here are the gardens of Versailles. (Click on this one too to see the perspective.)This has to be one of the most symetrical, gorgeous, archetectural gardens I've ever seen and what you're looking at is a mere fraction of the grounds and gardens they have there. Wow.
And here is the last wierd photo I'll share with you today. Don't ask me how this one happened. But we were standing under the Eiffel Tower and there were these soldiers with AK-47s etc...standing guard against...well, terrorists.
But as I snapped this picture with my little point and shoot, something wierd happened. Someone was either walking through the frame really fast or... or...who knows who that wierd blur is.
But I thought seeing the soldiers near the Eiffel Tower with big guns was a little crazy. And interesting.
Just a little taste of Par-ee for you on this Monday morning.... Hope you enjoyed this little diversion. Have a wonderful day!
17 Comments
Close this window Jump to comment formLooks like it was a fantastic trip!
October 4, 2009 at 8:04 PM
Oh, I love these Paris photos of yours. I've got a thing about the French and the Brits ... anytime you give me a man with either French or Scots or Irish accent, my knees would go buckle! You know what I mean! :)
Thanks for sharing.
October 4, 2009 at 8:10 PM
Thanks for sharing!!! So awesome!
October 4, 2009 at 9:55 PM
Ohh Paris! I have never been. Yet! you are right about the ceiling of the
Paris Opera, they should let us all see the beauty!
October 4, 2009 at 11:53 PM
Thanks for sharing these Barbara. Looks like you had an amazing trip. That shot of the Chagall ceiling mural was SO worth the insult of wagging finger after - it is amazing. When I clicked on it, it took my breath away. Simply stunning!
October 5, 2009 at 5:02 AM
SO glad you enjoyed seeing my bed!
October 5, 2009 at 7:49 AM
Chagall is one of my favorite artists. I get a lot of finger wagging when I go to Europe!!!!!!!!!!
When we were in Paris, the streets were full of armed soldiers. They'd had Algerian terrorist threats. The waste bins were all sealed shut so no bomb could be dropped inside. We left France the day before a transportation strike and the grounding of Air France. Boy, look at the memories you dredged up! :D :D
October 5, 2009 at 8:48 AM
Debra--Oh, it was. Really a dream trip for me. I'm still dreaming of going back. It will happen. This is me visualizing it. *****!
October 5, 2009 at 6:25 PM
Hybrid J--Oh, girl, I'm with you. They're just so...so...European! :p) Thanks for stopping by!
October 5, 2009 at 6:28 PM
Thanks Stratega! Glad you enjoyed them.
October 5, 2009 at 6:28 PM
Claire-- Oh yes! You must go to Paris! You will never regret it! I will visualize a trip for you and me both!
October 5, 2009 at 6:44 PM
Dear Bonnie--Oh, the Chagall, that's one of my faves from the entire trip. And that's saying a lot! I went to Italy on that trip too, to Rome and Venice and Florence..oh and got lost in Sienna. It was something. I'm scouting out my pictures from Italy, but seem to have lost some that are not hard copies. Sigh.
October 5, 2009 at 6:46 PM
Holly--HEE HEE! (coffee snorting out of my nose!) I told the guard that I was connected. (meaning you.) He was unmoved when I wanted to stretch out there amongst the ostrich fronds. Ah, well.
October 5, 2009 at 6:48 PM
Snap--Oooh. Sounds like were were there at a similar time. When I went, we flew into the Charles Degaulle Airport and exited the plane at the gate that collapsed the following day!! Counted our lucky stars after that one! What a time we live in, huh? Paris, though was spectacular. I can feel the hair rise on my neck just thinking of it, (in a good way!)
October 5, 2009 at 6:51 PM
Ooooohhhh how did I miss this post..it has been a crazy week - but somehow it was missed. I love this Barb. I love that you were there that you got to see all of this!! How amazing it all is. Did I mention how green I am - lol..am but only that I wanna go too!! So deeply thrilled that you did!!
Whoo hoo -- or maybe Ooolala!!
Wonderful post hon! Love ya, Sarah
October 8, 2009 at 7:25 AM
I love Paris!!! What a wonderful place to visit. Versaille was almost too much to take in. Imagine what it must have been like in it's heyday.
Here via Debra She Who Seeks:)
October 9, 2009 at 10:51 AM
Can't remember where I found you :) But Versailles is somewhere I'd like to get to....
October 14, 2009 at 7:08 AM