Postcards of Paris

Notre Dame de Paris

                               Sacre Coeur                          Stairway to Sacre Coeur

View over Paris from Sacre Coeur

Carousel and Sacre Coeur

Le Musee de Louvre

Les Halles

La Tour Eiffel

Les Galleries Lafayette

Le Moulin Rouge

View towards Sacre Coeur from Le Musee d'Orsay

Le Metropolitain

Stairway from Montmartre to Sacre Coeur

        

     View over Paris from Sacre Coeur                          Ile de la Cite

Chartres, France

"Not another church!" They saying is true, wherever to travel in Europe you're bound to visit more than a handful of churches. They're everywhere! In every city, town or hamlet there is a church to be visited. And you do get a little tired of them too. It becomes increasingly difficult to remember and distinguish which one was which - in the end they all turn into one mental collage of stained glass windows, vaults, buttresses, spires and altars.

Although, being an art history student studying in Paris (who loves architecture - from Ming China to Romanesque to Baroque to Le Corbusier), I could not miss the opportunity of being so close to Notre Dame de Chartres and not visit one of the most amazing high Gothic cathedrals in the world. So one Saturday morning I jumped onto the train and headed towards the small town of Chartres.

The town of Chartres is located south-west of Paris - the easiest way to get there is to take a SNCF train from Le Gare de Montparnasse to Chartres station - it takes about 1 hour to get there. Being a small town, it's difficult to get lost between the train station and the cathedral, especially once you spot those tall Gothic spires framed against the sky.

The cathedral is breathtaking - the grand proportions of the stone columns and archways, the intricately colourful stained glass windows, the impressive and tactile sculptural work... Just walking down the nave, one is awestruck by the shear size and magnitude of the structure - the space is enormous. I once wrote an essay on Gothic and Romanesque religious architecture at university, arguing that one of the original purposes of these buildings was to subdue the populous by highlighting the power and might of the church. Being within the building, you surely get a feeling of the power and influence that the church once had over society. 
To think that work on the present cathedral began in 1020 and after a number of additions and setbacks, it was finally consecrated in 1260. How amazing it is that such buildings were designed and constructed over 800 years ago! We think of the middle ages as being a period of simplicity, but we can see from buildings such as Chartres Cathedral, that they were quite technically advanced in some aspects. The building even impresses present day visitors.

The town of Chartres is also a lovely place to visit. Being set on the banks of the Eure River, parts of the town are connected by little bridges. It's a typical French rural town - with interesting little side streets, cobbled stone footpaths, beautifully designed and quaint houses and has a serene atmosphere. Chartres also has a great shopping precinct with an array of shops, cafes and fresh produce markets (if you want fresh produce however, be sure to be there before midday)!

Mont Saint Michel

Yes, another grey and drizzly day in the north of France. People always complain about the weather in London - but I don't think the weather in the north of France is much better! I was only ever once in London, and that was only for a day, and it happened to be a beautiful and sunny summer's day - that same year I was in Paris for four days and we only had one sunny day out of four. And then I spent two and a half months in Paris during January, February and March. A good three quarters of the days I spent there were overcast for at least part of the day, often accompanied with light drizzle, and on the rare occasion heavy rain or snow. No wonder Parisians constantly talk about summer holiday plans to l'Espagne or La Cote d'Azur - or even La Croatie. Whilst I was in Paris, there was even a huge marketing campaign run by the Croatian National Tourist Bord - metro stations were covered in images of Dubrovnik, Split, Hvar, Brac...urging people to visit the beautiful Dalmatian coast.

I had gone to Paris this year to study French at the Alliance Francaise on Le Boulevard Raspail, right near Le Jardin du Luxemburg (a beautiful garden to spend lunch with classmates). My French language skills amazingly improved during this stay, however much has been forgotten as chances to speak in Australia are unfortunately, extremely rare. Adjacent to the school was the Alliance Francaise travel agency. They offered great weekend and day trips to Alliance students at greatly discounted rates. So on a dark and freezing Saturday morning, I made my way to the Alliance for a 7am set off to Mont Saint Michel (unfortunately not Spain, the French Riviera or Croatia this time). With a coach load of people - I was surprised at the number of people the showed up for the trip - we started our 4 hour journey to the coast of Normandy.

The scenery through Normandy (a section of two departments (administrative districts in the north of France) known as Basse-Normandie and Haute-Normandie - Lower and Upper Normandy) was a sight in itself (once you got off the Motorway, that is) - all the green pastures, quaint little houses, farmers tending to their sheep and crops - it was like a scene out of a coffee table book. Perfect! A great time-out from Paris - as much as I love Paris, living in the heart of it does become tiring and claustrophobic after time.

Mont Saint Michel (the Mount of St. Michael the Archangel) is situated on an 'island', one kilometre from the coast of France, accessible only by a single narrow road in and out. The road connecting the island to the mainland has now been modernised, thus access is no longer affected by the tides. In the past however, Mont Saint Michel was inaccessible by land during high tide, which served to increase its isolation from the outside world.

The land mass on which Mont Saint Michel is build was originally a military stronghold in the 6th and 7th centuries. In the 8th century construction of the abbey began after St. Aubert's vision of St. Michael the Archangel. The site was fortified in latter centuries and when the site lost popularity as a pilgrimage site in after the Reformation and the French Revolution, the abbey was abandoned and it became a prison. Moves were made to preserve the site, so in 1874 it was declared a historic monument and in 1979 became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 

Above are models of the evolution of the site from the 10th century, 11th-12th century, 17th-18th century and then finally in its present 20th century state. I find it fascinating to see how Mont Saint Michel was transformed over the centuries to accommodate different purposes - from a reclusive monastery, to a military fortification, finally to a world heritage site, welcoming visitors from around the globe. [Images and historical information thanks to Wikipedia]

According to the 2006 census, Mont Saint Michel has 41 permanent residence. It's amazing to think that these people actually live on this tiny island, which cannot be more than one square kilometre in size (half a day walking around is more than long enough to see every nook and cranny of it), where time, it seems, has stood still. There are no supermarkets, no fashion stores, no cinemas, no cars, no hint of modern day civilization (even on the mainland, the nearest town is still a fair distance away) - just cobbled stone paths, a small graveyard, a church, quaint little stone houses and of course a handful of tourist-focused shops and eateries. How do the inhabitants of this little oasis live in their day-to-day lives? Mont-Saint-Michel is so isolated, highlighted by the great expanse of coastal flats which around it, no wonder it was once a monastery and a prison, as it seems to be the perfect site for either. But there is something magical, unusual and interesting about Mont Saint Michel.

Photos from my personal collection

Le Centre Georges Pompidou

When people talk about art galleries in Paris, Le Louvre is always mentioned, followed closely by Le Musee d'Orsay. These two galleries attract millions of international tourists wanting to see Mona Lisa's smile, Gauguin's Tahitian Women, works by van Gogh, Degas, Caravaggio, Delacroix, Ingres, Renoir, Monet, Vermeer, just to name a few. However, where do you go to see celebrated modern art (art of the 20th century, post WWI) in Paris? Where can you see the works of Kandinsky, Matisse, Picasso, Braque, etc.? Hidden amoungst the Haussman-styled apartment buildings in the 4th arrondissement of Paris (Paris is broken up into 20 administrative districts know as arrondissements, each with their own mayor and council) is Le Centre Georges Pompidou. (The forecourt of the centre is also a fantastic place to see street performers of all shapes and sizes - musicians, actors, mimists, people trying to make a few extra euros by exhibiting some unusual talent of theirs). 

The exterior of the building appears to be somewhat of an eye-sore in contrast with the neighbourhood which surrounds it. In a very 'un-Parisian' manner, the original buildings on the site were demolished in the 1960s to make way for this 'hideous' structure (Paris usually has a great reputation for retaining and transforming existing structures, which as allowed to city to retain its old-world charm - the Louvre Museum was originally a royal palace and the Musee d'Orsay is a converted railway station. I also applaud the decision of the Parisian government to create a new suburb on the outskirts of Paris, known as Le Defense, to accommodate the Parisian business district, rather than demolishing existing buildings, as has occurred in many capitals around the world, to make way for corporate high-rises).  Steering away from tradition, is Le Centre Georges Pompidou. The steel frame, the glass facades, the coloured pipes and the tres moderne look of the site ensures that no passerby misses it (and has also become a topic of heated criticisms with many Parisians).

As you can see from the photos above, the view from the top floors of Le Centre Georges Pompidou is amazing. Seeing the rooftops of Paris is truly a unique experience. The colours, the textures, the design of the structures, just thinking about all those hundreds of thousands of people who inhabit this unique city. All those individuals who glance through those little windows to see life in Paris unfolding day by day.

Ok, so the main reason people go to the Centre Georges Pompidou isn't to criticised the bad town planning/architectural decisions of the then French President Georges Pompidou, nor to be bewildered by the beauty of the panoramic views, but rather to appreciate the amazing art which is on display in the light-filled, warehouse inspired, gallery spaces. The Centre hosts many temporary exhibitions throughout the year, but it's their permanent collect of Fauvist, Cubist, Expressionist, Surrealist (to name a few) works which I found absolutely amazing, especially in comparison to the collections of many of the large, state-run galleries in Sydney. Le Musee d'Arte Moderne in the 16 arrodissement - just up the road from where I was living and which I frequented regularly - also has a great collection of modern art, it is no where near as impressive, in quality and quantity, as the exhibits at the Pompidou Centre. All the big names of 20th century art are there - everywhere you turn you see art works you've read about and the closest you came to seeing them was on the pages of a poorly printed high school textbook (or a better printed and much more pricey university textbook).

As you gather, if you're an art-buff, an admirer of modern art, or a art history student seeking cultural gratification in such a culturally rich city as Paris (I put my hand up here), then Le Centre Georges Pompidou is a must on your next visit to Paris.

- The Centre is located on the opposite side of Les Halles to Le Louvre, and take one of the many metro lines which intersect at Les Halles/Chatelet and exit here.

Photographs from my personal collection