Alice in Paris

Adventures in Paris with Art, History, and Food

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Extra Credit! So this is an extra credit assignment from our field trip to Père Lachaise; the directive was to find out who Jean Carries was and why he was important. 

Jean Carries was a French sculptor, ceramist, and miniaturist (he lived from 1855-1894), which explains the miniature figure held in the palm of the statue's hand. Carries was born in Lyon and orphaned at the age of 6 and was raised in a Roman Catholic orphanage. In 1874, he moved to Paris and studied at the Ècole des Beaux-Arts under Augustin-Alexandre Dumont. In 1889, he was made a member of the Legion of Honor by the French Government--which is the highest decoration in France established by Napoleon Bonaparte on 19 May 1802. 

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World Fair of 1889 and the 1900 Universal Exposition! The Grand Palais, Petit Palais, Pont Alexandre III, and the Eiffel Tower were constructed around the same time. The Grand Palais, Petit Palais, and Pont Alexandre III for the 1900 Universal Exposition. The Eiffel Tower was constructed for the 1889 World's Fair as the entrance arch. 

The Grand Palais was built in the style of beaux-arts architecture from the Ècole des Beaux-Arts of Paris The building reflects the taste and style for ornate stone sculptures and the use of techniques that were innovative at the time. The Grand Palais was built with iron and light steel framing and has an amazing glass dome, the building also uses reinforced concrete in the structure. The engineering of this incredible building showcased techniques and materials that had not been used in construction before this time. The museum was built to be a monument to French Art. 

Next is the Petit Palais is located across from the Grand Palais and houses the City of Paris Museum of Fine Arts. The Petit Palais is also in the Beaux-Arts style and features ionic columns, a grand porch, and a dome that resembles the architecture of Invalides across the River. 

Last but definitely not least is the iron lattice tower named after Gustave Eiffel, owner of the company that constructed this world renowned tower.

The Eiffel Tower is 1,063 feet tall and we went all the way to the summit. At the top we discovered that Gustave Eiffel built a room to entertain guests at the top of the tower and Thomas Edison had been one of his guests. We also discovered that you could have champagne for the cheap price of 16 euro at the top and we could not resist to enjoy the bubbly at the top of the world!

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Bridges Continued. First, Pont Neuf the oldest standing bridge across the river Seine in Paris. I was surprised to walking across the bridge when I noticed the beach that had been created along the Seine's edge! I cannot wait to go back and enjoy a beach trip in the heart of Paris!

The next bridge is Pont des Arts located a short walk from Pont Neuf and known worldwide as the Lock Bridge. Lovers come to this bridge to attach a lock to the bridge and throw the key in the river as a symbol of eternal love. The bridge is amazing in person with the railing loaded with locks in all shapes, sizes, and colors! 

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Paris Bridges! Starting from the top is the majestic and golden Pont Alexandre III, the most beautiful and extravagant bridge in Paris crossing the river Seine from the Grand Palais to Invalides. This bridge is amazing in person the and incredibly beautiful to capture over the water. 

Next up on our journey of bridges is Pont de la Concorde connecting the Place de la Concorde and the Quai d'Orsay. I walked to this bridge from the Pont Alexandre III enjoying the view of the Seine along the Quai Francois Mitterand. The views of the river are amazing! 

Pont Royal is the next stop on our tour of bridges and is the third oldest bridge in Paris after the Pont Neuf and Pont Marie. 

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Arc de Triomphe! After finishing my field trip to Père Lachaise I took the metro to the Arc de Triomphe and walked up 284 steps to the top to see the some amazing views of Paris. From the top I could see Eiffel Tower of course, Montparnesse, Notre Dame, and the Sacre Couer. The Arc de Triomphe was built in 1806 at the direction of Napoleon and is a monument to France's military might and soldiers who fight for her. The Arc de Triomphe is truly a grand monument to the glory of France and is awe inspiring in its majesty. Truly a monument of France not to miss!

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Cimetière du Père Lachaise! This is the largest cemetery in the city of Paris and is home to memorials for both WWI and WWII. The cemetery is a maze of cobblestone streets and ornate graves. The history of the cemetery is also very interesting because originally it was built outside the city and no one wanted to be buried there; the cemetery enjoys is popularity today because the city went on a marketing campaign and moved the remains of famous individuals into the cemetery to make it a more attractive burial place. Père Lachaise is the final resting place for musician Jim Morrison and the famous writer Oscar Wilde. Oscar Wilde's grave is covered in kisses and one of my classmates applied her specially bought red lipstick to place her own kiss on Oscar Wilde's grave. 

Père Lachaise is also home to famous composer Chopin and other interesting figures in history. My favorite part of the visit was the grave of Heloise and Abelard the oldest residents of the cemetery from the 1100s and their amazing Romeo and Juliet story. Abelard was a monk at the monastery and fell in love with Heloise, their love was forbidden but even after being caught and punished for getting Heloise pregnant Abelard continued to love and communicate with Heloise through his love letters. 

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Paris Street Art! I went on a filed trip through a working class neighborhood in paris that is very diverse and has some amazing street art. The area is home to many different ethnicities living together and the area is becoming more and more artsy. The photos above show some of the awesome street art we got to see as we wandered around. I recommend that if you ever go to Paris don't just do the tourist spots try to visit the neighborhoods as well, you never know what amazing sites you will come across just wandering around! The last picture shown was so me being sucked into another world as I read a book!

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The grounds of Chantilly. The last picture is my favorite. The grounds have a true maze, which I entered and then promptly exited afraid of getting lost. There is no cheating with a true maze it is not like a corn maze where you can walk through and make your own path. The maze seemed to dead end every other turn and it was easy to lose track of which way you were trying to go. The grounds were also home to an english garden and a meadow of sheep and goats. The building is from the little hamlet built for the owners to play peasant in. The outside may be rustic but when in use the inside was equipped with all the luxuries of the upper class and was used as a model for Maris Antoinette's hamlet at Versailles. 

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Chantilly! The Chateau of Chantilly was breathtaking both inside and outside. My favorite room was decorated with golden dragons on the walls. The Chateau is also home to a large collection of ancient painting, with over 800 masterpieces by French, Italian, Flemish, English painters. Chantilly predates Versailles and the gardens at Chantilly were used as inspiration in the design of Versailles. Chantilly is also known for its homemade whipped cream, which I tried and was delicious. The Chantilly whipped cream is so famous in France that whipped cream is referred to as Chantilly by the French and my waiter did not know what I was asking for when I said whipped cream cup. 

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Inside the Notre Dame! The inside of the Notre Dame has magnificent stain glass windows and an extra exhibit for treasures that will cost you more but shows jewel encrusted goblets and crowns that is well worth a quick look!

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The Seine. So this is pictures from a field trip. We walked along the Seine towards Parc de la Villette in Paris and I got some amazing shots of the waterway and the pedestrian bridges that connects the right bank with the left. The first picture is of a boat waiting for the water to reach the right level to go forward. 

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Escargot! I finally tried escargot and it was delicious. Funny story though so I'm trying to get a snail out of the shell to have my first taste of this French delicacy and the server comes over lightly taps me on my hand and says its already dead no need to kill it again and shows me how to properly remove a snail from its shell. So my first bite of escargot was with a healthy dose of embarrassment and laughter from my friends. The dish was delicious; the snails were marinated in a substantial amount of butter and herbs that I sopped up with my bread after I polished off the snails. Yes I ate all the snails they were just so good. Another example of how you should try eating anything at least once!

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The Metric system. So as we all know from history a foot was the original standard of measurement in Europe before the metric system and was based on the length of the King's foot and other values of measurement that could vary from town to town. France instituted the Metric system after the French Revolution and installed around Paris plaques that would allow merchants to measure a metre. The photo shown above is of one of the original plaques installed. 

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After the WWII walking tour we enjoyed Falafel from a world famous Falafel restaurant in the Marais. The Falafel was delicious with roasted eggplant but maybe a little too much cabbage! We enjoyed eating our food in the famous place des vosges one of the oldest squares in Paris that was once home to the aristocracy and the King. 

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Crepe! You cannot miss trying a crepe in Paris. I had a Nutella and banana crepe and it was delicious. I definitely will have to eat another crepe, maybe try a different flavor next time!

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So these pictures are a little unclear but this was my WWII walking tour for class. Starting with the first memorial it is in remembrance of the jewish children deported from France in that area to the concentration camp Aushwitz from 1942 to 1944; two names in particular are inscribed for the youngest children deported aged 4 and 5. Next on our walking tour was the remains of a prison used during the occupation of France during WWII that has now been turned into apartments. Our next stop was the Hotel Lutetia, named for ancient Paris the hotel was first used as a place for Jews to stay fleeing the Nazis during WWII but when Paris became an open city and the Nazis marched in they took over the Hotel and used it to conduct interrogations and torture. After Paris was freed from Nazi occupation the Hotel was used as a place for people to search for and find their loved ones, it became a place to flock to in search for missing family members. Unfortunately we could not go inside the Hotel Lutetia as it is closed for the next three years for renovations, but what a rich history!

The next photo is of a sculpture in honor of a French Resistance Fighter. Last on our walking tour was the plaque commemorating the bookstore used to pass on secret documents for the French Resistance. 

The last photo is of the sculpture in honor of two young high school students who protested the deportation of their Jewish professor and had ties with the French Resistance. They were arrested and executed by the Gestapo. They were able to write letters to their families before their execution that are heartbreaking and awe inspiring in the bravery shown in the face of death. 

The walking tour was a fascinating look into Paris's history during WWII and the Nazi Occupation

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La Tour Eiffel! You cannot come to Paris and miss the Eiffel Tower. So here I am getting some amazing shots of the Eiffel Tower. The red Eiffel Tower is a model made from red chairs and is pretty amazing construction up close. So a little history about the Eiffel Tower, the iron lattice tower was named for the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company constructed the Eiffel tower for the 1889 World's Fair as the entrance archway. When the Eiffel tower was first constructed Parisians hated the tower and it was criticized for its design and appearance. Today, the Eiffel Tower is a global cultural symbol for Paris and France and is one of the structures in the world that is universally recognized. The Tower is the tallest structure in Paris and the most visited paid monument in the world.