Le Voyage à Versailles et le Louvre

Day 3
April 10, 2009
Paris

Our morning was spent at the the estate of Versailles which is one of the most prestigious of the world's heritage sites. It was a former hunting lodge of King Louis XIII and was transformed by his son Louis XIV who installed his court and government there.

There were taken at Royal Courtyard:





At the center of the palace is the Hall of Mirrors, a huge gallery with 17 windows overlooking the gardens, matched by enormous mirros on the opposite wall.



This is the suite of Marie-Antoinette:



Here are the immense formal gardens of the palace:

















Latone fountain:





Apollo fountain:



Here is a picturesque street just outside the estate:



It was already late in the afternoon when we left Versailles to go to Louvre museum which is one of the grandest museums in the world. It houses some of the most famous works like the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and Winged Victory of Samothrace.

Louvre has a vast collection of European paintings from the mid-13th century to the mid-19th century. Here are some Italian Paintings:

Leonardo da Vinci - Mona Lisa





Leonardo da Vinci - The Virgin of the Rocks



Leonardo da Vinci - The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne



Veronese - The Wedding Feast at Cana













Cimabue - Madonna and Child Enthroned with Angels











Giovanni Paolo Pannini - Gallery of Views of Ancient Rome



Louvre also has works from three ancient civilisations: Greece, Etruria, and Rome. Here are some Etruscan and Roman Antiquities:





Here are a few of the Greek Antiquities:

Venus de Milo





There are also European sculptures from the Late Middle Ages to the mid-19th Century. The collections mainly include French works:





Collections also contain significant pieces from Northern Europe, Spain and Italy. These ones are from Italy:

Michelangelo - The Dying Slave



A. Canova - Psyche and Cupid



Besides paintings, sculptures, and antiquities, these are also some Crown jewels which are displayed at Apollo gallery:

Bonne Journée à Paris

Day 2
April 9, 2009
Paris

I arrived in Charles de Gaulle airport at 8:30 am but was only able to leave at past 10 am, after more than an hour of looking for my travel buddies Rissa, Mitch, and Marlon. I did not realize at first that my cell phone inbox was full so I was not getting any of their messages. Apparently, they were just in the lower floor where the train station, which connects to the city, was located.

Once in the city, it was time to experience the metro. It was said that the Paris metro system is one of the most efficient in the world. This is true, as long as you are not carrying any heavy baggages with you, or any baggages for that matter. We had to carry them across multiple long staircases on our way to different connecting stations on the way to the hotel. I will definitely be a backpacker on my next trip to Paris (if there is one).

All of us were exhausted by the time we reached Hotel des Victoires. Our rooms were minimally furnished and small, just like the elevator which can only accomodate 2 persons at a time. Hotel staff was friendly so that made everything ok.

After a long rest and a very late lunch at an Italian restaurant, we proceeded to our first stop at 4 PM - Centre Georges Pompidou - Musée National d'Art Moderne. The building showcases a cool inside-out design, i.e. escalators and pipes can be found outside:







The first time I saw Eiffel was from the top of Centre Georges Pompidou:



The museum hosts a leading collection of modern and contemporary art in Europe. Most of those we have seen are abstract paintings:





Arty toys are also on display. Rissa joked that these are being sold locally in Quaipo and they are hardly called art in there:



We only stayed for an hour at Centre Pompidou then we went to Musée d’Orsay. The place was originally a train station and is now a museum of Impressionist paintings and statues.





Here are some of the statues we have seen:

Antoine Louis Barye - Napoleon I as a Roman Emperor



Jean Baptiste Carpeaux - The Four Parts of the World Holding the Celestial Sphere



Jules Cavelier - Cornelia, mother of the Gracques



Alexandre Schoenewerk - Young Tarentine



Jean Antoine Idrac - Mercury inventing the caduceus



This is Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux's Ugolin. Behind it is Thomas Couture's 'Romans during the Decadence'



Behind me is Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux's 'La Danse'



We have also seen paintings of world famous artists such as Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, and Pierre Auguste Renoir:

Vincent van Gogh - Fritillaries



Vincent van Gogh - The siesta



Vincent van Gogh - The Arlesienne



Vincent van Gogh - Les roulottes



Claude Monet - Chrysanthèmes



Claude Monet - Woman with a parasol



Claude Monet - Church of Vétheuil



Pierre Auguste Renoir - Glaïeuls



Pierre Auguste Renoir - The Bathers



Pierre Auguste Renoir - Madame Josse Bernheim Jeune et son fils Henry



Here are other impressive masterpieces:

Paul Signac - Women at the Well



Maurice de Vlaminck - Restaurant La Machine at Bougival



Aristide Maillol - Woman with a Parasol



Louis Français - Orphée



Octave Penguilly L'Haridon - Villa romai



Jean Louis Hamon - The Human Comedy



Emile Lévy - Mort d'Orphée



Our last stop for the day was the 1 hour cruise at River Seinne. The dock was near the Eiffel Tower so we also got to see the landmark up close.

Lost in Amsterdam

Day 1
April 8, 2009
Amsterdam

My 19-day Europe trip started with an overnight stopover at Amsterdam on my way to Paris. My friends had direct flights to Paris from Manila and Singapore so I was all by myself in exploring the city for around 7 hours, 2 hours of which were spent on finding my hotel!

The hotel website's map, which I printed and brought with me, showed that the hotel was just 1 block across the highway from the train station exit. It was actually easy to follow, but only if you start at the correct exit. I got out from an exit at one end of the train station while the map's starting point was apparently at the other end of the very huge and long train station.

I was so dead tired once I found hotel Brian, the very cheap hotel I booked. It was actually a hostel. My room was 3 meter square(!) and was just enough for my height. Worse, restroom was shared with the other rooms. I willingly paid extra bucks to get my own room, which was at the 3rd floor, reached only thru a very narrow staircase and an even narrower steps. I walked up and down the stairs sideways!

It was definitely not the best way to start my vacation. I missed the Anne Frank museum which was the one thing I was looking forward in Amsterdam. I have read Anne's diary in anticipation of the trip. I even bought the museum ticket online in advance to avoid the long queue.

Anyhow, I still very much enjoyed my first taste of Europe. Amsterdam was unlike any other places I have been. The canals, quaint structures, and world-famous red light district made it a unique and unforgetable city.




I took this picture during a swing ride (locally known as Flying Fiesta) which rose up as high as the Ferris wheel beside it. I thought it would be a relaxing kind of ride but it was not. It was terrifying and it was twice chilly up above.



I was not sure if it was allowed to take picture of the window displays of lingerie-clad women so these were the best I can get. My mind was forever robbed of its innocence after a trip to this red-light district.




Here's one offering peep show where I willingly got robbed 4 euros:



Nope, I did not try anything in the equally famous coffee shops. I should have, but I was afraid of the outcome.