I arrived in Paris midday on July 4th. The weather is wonderful, low humidity with temperatures in the 80’s. The city is preparing for the July 14th celebration. The rest of the world refers to this celebration as Bastille day, but the French call it the 14th Juillet or Fête National. The picture below is from the 2021 celebration.
The review stands have already been set up at Place de Concorde for next week’s festivities. On the 14th, French military units will March the length of the Champs Elysées. Right behind the stands is an Egyptian obelisk. This obelisk is from Luxor. It was given to Charles X in 1830. It took several years before the obelisk was transported and erected in Paris. After all that time and effort, the monument was installed incorrectly – it’s orientation is to the north instead of the east.
Today, I headed off to the Rodin museum. The gardens are lovely without being overly manicured. The sculpted hedges and shrubs are a perfect back drop for Rodin’s sculptures. One of his most
famous bronzes, The Thinker, has a prominent spot in the garden, adjacent to the main museum. The museum, a mansion from the 1700’s, was selected by Rodin in 1910. The sunlit rooms are about 18’ in height. In addition to Rodin’s sculptures, there are also a few painting by Van Gough and Monet as well as sculptures by his mistress and protégé, Camille Claudil. (Below, a young artist sketching a Rodin sculpture)
The museum is located across from the L’hôtel des Invalides, also called the Musée de L’Armee des Invalides. The Hôtel was established by Louis XIV to house wounded and retired soldiers. This former cathedral complex also houses the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte. It has one of the largest displays of medieval armor and rotating displays of photos. The dome is majestic and the complex is quite large.
This afternoon I headed off to Montmarte. The area is home to the Moulin Rounge, Sacré Cœur. Several cafes and the Parisian red light district.
I stopped in the abbey next to Sacré Cœur where Polish tourists had a mass performed in Polish. The church has a lovely understated architecture with side altars dedicated to St. Denis and the Blessed Virgin. I was able to light a candle in remembrance to my parents and little sister as well as chat with some Poles. After saying hello in Polish, I tried a few sentences of French. I was told in both Polish and English, that they didn’t speak French. That was wonderful news as we exchanged pleasantries in English.
The stone used to build Sacré Cœur is « self cleaning”. The same stone was also used in the Arc de Triomphe. The architect used stone from the quarry of Souppes-sur-Loing, in Seine-et-Marne. When the “Château-Landon” stone comes in contact with rainwater, the cullet, a thin protective layer that coats the stone, secretes a white substance which hardens in the sun.
Inflation has hit the Parisian food scene. The bistros along the Seine charge 30 euros for one glass of wine! Fortunately, my friendly concierge recommended w local restaurant where the food is excellent and two glasses of Sancerre, one of my favorite white wines, costs 15 euros.
Andrea arrives tomorrow, so starting Thursday, the tourist activity will surge. À bientôt!