Le Pont Neuf and other Paris, France Things to Do Tips

Les Amants du Pont Neuf

LE PONT NEUF

I remember those I had no chance to know,

the famous unknown whose names the pavements

still mumble so low that none of the sacred

syllables comes to hurt the poem's ear.

...

The windy arches through which the bridges overlook,

it is the river Seine swirling near the Pont-Neuf

Beaudelaire slowly goes by, and Verlaine is smiling.

Through the sleeping city, passes history.

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Palais Royal: Mitterrand's GRANDS PROJETS: The Columns

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Written by Geisha_Girl

on Dec 4, 2003

Could this be the LOST SYBARIS?

During breakfast one morning, we became engaged in a conversation about the differences between how things were in France when Mitterrand was in power and how they are now with Chirac.

The conversation then led to the history of Mitterrand's nickname as "The Sphinx" and his alleged "Pharoah complex" and responsibility for filling Paris with obscure and needless to say, controversial, pieces of art.

We decided to incorporate a tour of some of Mitterrand's MAD OBJETS D'ART in our city stroll that day.

At first when I was told about these wacky black and white striped columns that he had commissioned at the Palais Royale, I thought that was just too outrageous to imagine.

Thus, I had to see.........and dance atop them myself!

We found our way to the Palais Royal, near rue St.-Honore. Once known as the "Princely Estate" where it was a place of "ill repute, debauchery, and pleasure-taking where even the police were not allowed to enter!"

Peace and quiet returned to the palace and its gardens, until 1980, when Daniel Burnen was commissioned to create the striped columns. Initially a source of controversy........today, establishments nearby have adopted striped BLINDS in the style of the columns!

The Palace of "ill repute, debauchery, and pleasure-taking" seemed the perfect venue to share a *dance* with a Sybarite! ;-)

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Louvre: La Pyramide

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Written by Geisha_Girl

on Dec 5, 2003

Architecture as frozen music

The controversial, neomodern glass pyramid designed by Chinese-born American architect I.M Pei still evokes some scorn from traditionalists who felt it destroyed the "dignity of the Renaissance courtyard."

The progressive admirers, however, have hailed this 71 ft. tall dazzling synergy of ancient structure as a tribute and "symbolic" link between the old and the new.

Another one of Mitterrand's "mad" commissions, this proves once again, that he was a BOLD man!

His nickname "The Sphinx was earned!

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Montmartre / Sacré Coeur: Montmartre is our "backyard" baby!!!

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Updated by Geisha_Girl

on Nov 23, 2004

The Sacred Heart(s)

Picasso at the Bateau-Lavoir

by Ken Whitmore

All life superbly for the taking
cobbled square
swaying shade of chestnut trees
green iron fountain trickling silver
sky so blue I can't name it but I'll mix it later
a worker clatters over the cobbles singing
steep squares of Monmartre tilt like decks of wrecks
with whirligigs of streets
thin honey houses stroke the sky
dried blood shutters with ribcage slats
black squiggle balconies

At dawn I climb the thousand twisting steps of Sacre Coeur
drink the matchstick city with toy tin tower
who could see this sight and still be sad?
I'd love to light this tower with the new electricity
to throb and tingle silver rose and gold at night
one monumental orgasm
I marvel at the life beneath the roofs
sad for the untalented and untouched by poetry

A gipsy girl trots down the hill
I fling away my cigarette, pick up a kitten
and thrust it in her arms
she laughs and blushes
her name's Fernande
come see my etchings
madly she agrees
I possess her in three charcoal swirls
one dot and a crucifix
she opens her scissor legs and cuts me in half

I'm young, handsome, virile
my hand accomplishes my eye's command
death and failure are just herbs to sweeten the broth
I'm driven to record each sensation with my brush
what is this tyranny?
don't think! paint!
this greed to gobble each moment and still have it
piled in corners, hanging on walls
but best of all before me dripping wet
how hellish not to be an artist under this sun

today I will invent cubism

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Website: http://www.sacre-coeur-montmartre.com/

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Joan of Arc, Remembered: St. Jeanne D'Arc

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Written by Geisha_Girl

on Dec 6, 2003

The Reign of St. Jeanne

In the Name of God, She Died

No sign of fear did flicker,
Her faith held her brave heart.
The flames were lit, as her heart was broken
with a cross within her, looking up to the sky.
In the name of God, she died.
...She bravely fought
Like a thousand arrows they struck her heart
Frightened for a truth, yet far from their comprehension;
Hate was the assassin, ignorance was the weapon
..."save me your speeches, I know...
You'll kill me for sure.
What you want you will take away from me,
Take it and I know for sure,
The light God once brought in is gone forever more"...
Too late, and hopeless, they cried,
Lost in the light that her misty soul brought,
Widely it covered the land,
And vanished forever in time.
After they fell in new horror,
Sadness reign,
And spilled the first tears.
When the sweet Saint was slain...
...but even in silence,
Some heard the words:
"an oath thou shall swear
In the Name of God, 'till the world ends."
..."Oh, Jesus, my Lord, hold me in Thy hands,
Take away this pain,
Caused not by the flames,
But by the fear of a broken heart"...
And so her heart was safe,
And the pain flew away...
In a last whisper, she cried,
"Thank you, my Lord,
Now let me die,
Let me rest at last,
Let my soul fly high,
Straight to your arms..."
...In the name of God, she died...

Lestatreb

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Cemeteries: Not just another picnic......Not just another park

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Written by Geisha_Girl

on Nov 12, 2004

Rub against him for his sexual

charm (the STATUE!)

A picnic and romantic stroll in a cemetary? Who woulda thunk???

As morbid as it sounds, it was actually quite a memorable outing in Paris. Throughout all my visits to this city, I had never been to Pere Lachaise Cemetary to pay my respects to some of my all-time favorites: Oscar (Wilde), Colette, Frederic (Chopin), Georges (Bizet), Eugene (Delacroix), Edith (Piaf), and of course our ol’ pal Jim (Morrison)….just to name a few.

It was a beautiful afternoon and we had just sat down at a Brasserie in Montmartre to have some lunch. Nothing on the menu really looked that appealing to both of us, so my brilliant partner came up with this wonderful (unconventional) idea of “dining with Jim!”

We grabbed some jambon et fromage along with some libations and headed for the cemetary.

The history behind the site was that Pere Francois de La Chaise was the “confessor of Louis XIV, and had lived in the Jesuit house on the site of the chapel. They say the area was a former cesspool full of windy streets and inhabited by shady thugs.

Once it was bought out for a cemetary, it soon became the symbol for where the rich and successful were buried.

There was such an eery sense of awe and wonderment as we went winding through the pathways here. Every other headstone you come across was of some great literary or artistic person you would be familiar with.

One of the most celebrated couples of all time are buried there: Abelard and Heloise.
If you close your eyes and stand very still, you may even be able to hear the echoes of their cries of passion for one another.

(Okay, I just made that last line up……but go there and let your imagination take you AWAY !!!)

Open daily: 8 am -7 pm.
No admission charge......but invest in a map!

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Address: 6, rue du Repos 75020 - Paris
Directions: Metro line 2 : Pčre Lachaise, Philippe Auguste

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Things To Do: Montorgueil !

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Written by Geisha_Girl

on Jan 6, 2006

Captured in lights!

Tucked away in the 2čme arrondissement is this quaint little area I immediately fell in love with. Rue Montorgueil is a "Pietons" ...or pedestrian strip full of charming boutiques, restaurants, and mouth-watering patisseries.

It's situated in between Rue Etienne Marcel and Rue Rčaumur and is about a 10 min walk from the hustle and bustling streets near the Grands Boulevards.

Stroll along this little street and you'll find a feast for your eyes, nose, and mouth. The vendors get crackin' early in the morning and begin to display all the fresh produce and the freshest seafood outside their shops.

It's worth it to leave your office for a bit and take a lunch-time stroll through this area. The bistros and brasseries are very popular with the lunch time work crowd. Then the after-work crowd make it a popular hangout in the evenings.

Adjacent to Montorgueil is Rue Tiquetonne, and here you will find some unique boutiques for women's (and dog's!) clothing and jewelry. If you can't deal with the crowds along Boulevard Hausmann, this is the perfect place to shop.

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Directions: In the 2čme Arrondissmment (nearest metro stop: Sentier)

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Notre Dame de Paris: Always on Sunday.......

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Written by Geisha_Girl

on Feb 24, 2006

by Geisha_Girl , 1 more photos

For all the Catholic brothers and sisters, a definite "Must See Activity" is attending a Sunday mass at Notre Dame.

I have visited the cathedral many many times in the past and always find beautiful new pieces there to admire......but my first time attending mass was an unforgettable experience.

10am masses every Sunday are sung in Gregorian Chant, and hearing the choir's voices echo through this enormous interior with the organ blaring from above makes you imagine angels greeting you.

The entire mass is conducted in French, but the handouts of the readings are printed in various languages (English, German, Italian, Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese, etc.......)

Just a bit of warning: If you plan to attend mass as a "tourist" and try to sneak a little souvenir from the Holy Communion. Don't do it ! I saw a young woman try to pull this one off ....she took the bread ("Body of Christ") from the priest and walked away with it still in her palms. She then got escorted by some "undercover" altar men. (no joke!)

Do not try to impersonate a "Catholic" please! :-)

The cathedral is open daily from 7:45am to 6:45pm.

Confessionals are conducted Monday-Friday from 5:45pm to 6:10pm.
I voluntarily did not attend that. :-))

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Address: Place du parvis de Notre Dame , 75004
Directions: M?tro: Cit?; RER: Ch?telet-Les Halles, Saint Michel-Notre Dame

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La Seine and Its Bridges: Picnic on the Pont des Arts

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Written by Geisha_Girl

on Jun 18, 2007