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A day in the Louvre

Thursday, September 6th, 2012

Have civilisations always had a fascination with their own history and with the history of other civilisations? Did the difficulty of travel give further mystique to foreign lands and peoples? Do we gain any better understanding of our own times through studying ancient cultures and civilisations? When did the first museums appear?

The Louvre certainly has an amazing history – stretching back to the 12th Century and earlier. A visit to the Louvre was on all the family’s wish list and today was solely earmarked for a day in this famous museum. Clearly opinion is divided over the modern glass pyramid entrance – however it forms an amazing atrium over the main entrance to the Louvre. We had thought that the Hermitage in St Petersburg was massive – the Louvre takes it to another level again. Thankfully this time we didn’t lose anyone!

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What we found that we did lose was a sense of perspective – you are exposed to such a wide range of fantastic art and displays that we found that we started to experience sensory overload. It is hard to comprehend such a vast collection of collections being in just one place, and also to realise there are even more musee around Paris!

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We did have some favourites though. The first of these was the ancient Egyptian collection. We had heard that the Louvre had one of the best collections of ancient Egyptian artefacts and it did not disappoint. In particular, all the children gave the mummy display careful attention – showing details from embalming processes, to the range of organ storage jars, to the actual detail of the wrapping of the mummy. The detail of the hieroglyphs inside the mummy “coffins” was also incredible. The carved hieroglyphics on some of the carved stone tablets are incredible in the detail and consistency of the images – did the Egyptians have a typeset that they used on these?

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Another “must find” display was the Code of Hammurabi. The older children and I had previously studied this obelisk-like diorite stele on which the sixth Babylonian king, Hammurabi, had recorded the laws of the land back in approximately 1800 BC.  Written around the same time as the Epic of Gilgamesh, the code demonstrated just how ordered early society was in near East cultures at the time. Standing in front of the Code it was hard to comprehend that this had been crafted some four thousand years ago! There were also rooms full of fascinating carved wall panels from the Mesopotamian region circa 1000+ BC.

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There was debate about whether we “needed” to see the Mona Lisa – but majority rule won and we found ourselves (along with several hundred others) queuing to view the famous lady. We clearly are no real art buffs as general consensus is that we just don’t get all the fuss about Lisa. Sure, her eyes ARE amazing and do follow you anywhere in the room, but the overall impression is of a dark and indistinct portrait! We must be in the minority though as the room was packed full of admirers (or maybe they all thought the same as us :-)). Turn around from Lisa though, and on the opposite wall there is an amazing picture of the wedding Feast at Cana! (if you really need to see a pic of Mona Lisa check out our Flickr images :-))

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Today was our last full day in Paris – no one is eager to leave Paris, but we are all looking forward to the next leg in our journey. From our brief stay in Paris we have lots to consider – how has this exposure to such a wide range of historical information and artefacts helped us better understand the times we currently live in? How will it impact our lives in the future? All good questions …

Chateau de Versailles

Wednesday, September 5th, 2012

The Palace of Versailles and the surrounding gardens are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and sit on the outskirts of Paris about 20+ kms from the centre. Getting there involves a relatively simple three step shuffle on the metro then the RER train system. Another day where we are again impressed at the comprehensive public transport system in Paris, and the ease at which you can get to places – and it only costs you less than 3 Euros. Dream on Len and the Auckland Rail Loop! Now, if only Auckland had a population of 12 million….. but I digress.

Versailles was the centre of political power in France in the mid 1600s when Louis XIV decided to somewhat enhance the buildings of the Palace that his father Louis XIII had started. The extent of this power, wealth and influence is clear to see in the majestic and sprawling mini-city that is the Palace of Versailles. Given that most of this opulent craftsmanship took just over one hundred years to assemble and create is also amazing – the impact of the revolution meant that late in the 1700s the royal family were forced back to Paris before being arrested and “disposed of” – and the Palace fell into some disrepair and scavenging of resources before being declared a national museum in 1797 – long before New Zealand was even being settled by the Europeans!

The Palace fits well with the rest of Paris – it is grand, spacious and majestic. Actually, mind-bogglingly opulent. Studying the paintings of the day shows just how different the lifestyle of the royal court must have been from the masses. But I guess that is the story of the revolution!

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The surrounding gardens are just as impressive.

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Of equal, if not greater, interest to our family was Marie-Antoinette’s Estate and Hamlet. This is a “peasant village” that Marie-Antoinette had commissioned so that she could ‘experience the simpler lifestyle of a commoner’, albeit with her own entourage and with servants to do the work! This hamlet looks like a Peter Jackson set, and certainly looked more attractive than living in the pomp and ceremony of the main palace.

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Walking back to the main palace from the hamlet was quite a hike – especially as we could not (or rather, chose not to) go the direct route through the main gardens as this would have involved a further 60 Euro fee – so we took the less direct route through the edge of the gardens, down LOOONG tree lined avenues (yes, that avenue stretches as far as the eye can see!). ERgirl6’s legs decided to give out and her older brother gave her a piggy back some of the way.

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As we walked back Mamabear voiced her thoughts – that just as the palace with its opulence and riches seems so out-of-this-world and unattainable, so our own home back in New Zealand would similarly appear unattainable to many in the world, who live in poverty and squalor. A sobering thought….

The Bells of Notre Dame

Tuesday, September 4th, 2012
Our first point of call today was Sainte-Chapelle – a smaller cathedral behind Notre Dame which is renowned for its impressive stained glass windows wrapping around all four walls. The cathedral was built between 1242 and 1248 under instruction from ... [Continue reading this entry]

onwards and upwards

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009
Barcelonnette, France From the foothills we climb. There are hills ahead of us, nay, mountains and we need to get over them to make it to Italy. We hope the vans are going to cope! The morning’s drive is rugged. ... [Continue reading this entry]

celebration and recreation

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009
by….I think I’ll stop saying who’s writing – if it’s not me, I’ll let ya know Nyons, France Happy Birthday to Mboy-now7!

What a good place to request a chocolate cake!! Just a pity the fancy ... [Continue reading this entry]

now we know

Monday, August 10th, 2009
by Rachael Nyons, France We haven’t exactly left France yet, but our tiny taste is drawing to a close. We were just contemplating (read: blog post author just grilled everyone for ideas <wink> actually, the contributions flowed thick and fast and ... [Continue reading this entry]

you want the whole truth, don’t you?

Sunday, August 9th, 2009
by Rach (hope you’re not getting bored with only one author!) Nyons, France It’s an ugly morning complete with arguing, skinned elbows and a route taking in every industrial estate in the south of France; even the sunflowers are sad, their ... [Continue reading this entry]

slow travel

Saturday, August 8th, 2009
by Rach industrial estate just past Montpellier, France the wind still blows; not a whisper, not a howl, just sufficient to render the beach unattractive we move on the map indicates about 170km, not too far so we stop and shop, a whole week’s ... [Continue reading this entry]

Mediterranean Moment

Friday, August 7th, 2009
by Rachael Narbonne-Plage, France

wind: blowing fiercely a-l-l   d-a-y   l-o-n-g demanding trees bow low, forcing sand along the beach, whipping washing to stand at attention completely U-P-R-I-G-H-T on the clothesline, never-a-moment-stopping hot ceaseless blast the mistral blows

It blows and makes a day at ... [Continue reading this entry]

things that go bump in the night

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

 

“It’s going to be a great spot to catch the sunrise,” Jgirl14 correctly informed us before going to bed last night, and in preparation she set the alarm and kept the camera at the ... [Continue reading this entry]