So Maggie and Mom arrived early Thursday morning, and we had planned on meeting up with them at the hotel that evening. Originally we were going to go from there to a real Parisian "After Work", but we were too late. So instead we headed to the Latin Quarter for dinner and wine. We had a fabulous wine and organic pasta meal and turned in for the night. The next morning we were up early for a fabulous breakfast at the hotel and then onto the Louvre. Mom and I took a tour while Mags and Billy spent quality time wandering around outside in the gardens outside. While the tour took us to the highlights of the Louvre, I did want to remember my favorites:
- The Coronation of the Emperor Napoleon I and the Crowning of the Empress Joséphine in Notre-Dame Cathedral on December 2, 1804. The tour guide pointed out the light and darkness, as well as while it depicted a true scene, several aspects were not true... such as Josephine was actually around 40, but the artist showed her in her 20s. Napoleon looks like a Greek God, when he was actually quite puny. Finally, the mother is shown above when she did not even attend.
- Crown of Louis XV & “Charlemagne” crown made for the coronation of Napoleon at Notre-Dame de Paris on December 2, 1804.
- Four Seasons (Arcimboldo)
- Aphrodite, known as the “Venus de Milo” and may represent the goddess of love, Aphrodite (Venus in Latin), or Amphitrite.
- July 28. Liberty Leading the People... "I’ve embarked on a modern subject—a barricade. And if I haven’t fought for my country at least I’ll paint for her," Delacroix wrote to his brother. A.K.A. Les Mis Painting... the artist was creating a modern allegory that was so powerful and original that it ended up becoming the image of Liberty on the move to most imaginations.
- The ancient Greeks had the delightful idea of representing Victory as a young woman with wings, an image given particularly awe-inspiring form in the “Winged Victory of Samothrace” behind Mom below.
My absolute favorite though was The Raft of the Medusa, an oil painting by Géricault. Completed when the he was 27, it depicts a moment from the aftermath of the wreck of the French naval frigate Méduse, which ran aground off the coast of today's Mauritania in 1816. At least 147 people were set adrift on a hurriedly constructed raft; all but 15 died in the 13 days before their rescue, and those who survived endured starvation, dehydration, cannibalism and madness. The event and painting became an international scandal.
I also saw this female hunter as we were walking past. Did Greek women hunt? Awesome!
After the Lourve, we set out to wonder along the Seine...
We made a pit stop for champagne in a park...
Skipped passed the Notre Dame...
Stopped into Shakespeare & Co.
Made our way to Père Lachaise Cemetery, the largest cemetery in the city of Paris. It is here that Sarah Berndhardt, Chopin, Jacques-Louis David, Joseph Fourier (shout out to the electrical engineers), Molière, Gertrude Stein, Oscar Wilde, and of course Jim Morrison are buried!!
Ate a fantastic meal with Foie Gras, Escargot, and Tartar...
And then took the party from the hotel room to the Eiffel Tower...
The second day we went through a few markets, parks, and took a train to Brussels, Belgium.
After some confusion, we arrived around midnight at our hotel in Brussels... the amazing Hotel Bloom! We had an amazing night's sleep, and popped up early to hit flea markets, waffle stands, and drink some beer!
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| HOTEL BLOOM! |
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| Spinster |
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| Billy in a true Belgium beer store where he purchased his Pauwel Kwak |
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| Rock Paper Scissors in Delirium |
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| Delirium |
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| More RPS!!! |
On our last day, we headed out for the typical waffle, and then went out to Atomium.
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| ATOMIUM! |
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| ATOMIUM! |
We finished the day with a tour and tasting at Cantillon.
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| Brewery Tour Cantillon |
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| Beer tasting at Cantillon |
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| Billy's spot |
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| HOPS!!! |
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| Family |
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