7.15.09 Paris.

No day can be disappointing when the Pompidou museum is included in the itinerary. It has always been my dream to go there and I couldn’t wait to be surrounded by magnificent modern art. We made a quick stop first at the church Sainte Chapelle. It was our first look at how different churches are in Paris compared to Roman architecture. The emphasis is on stained glass now instead of mosaics and this church was chuck full of incredible stained glass. Going into the chapel, you are surrounded by the tallest windows I’ve seen entirely made of stained glass. Each window had its own unique pattern and message created with the glass. The glass gives the room a special glow and light to it, which was fascinating and made me almost not want to leave. When the world wars happened, the bombings would blow out the glass so they actually took the glass out of the windows and saved it from the explosions. Over 70% of the glass in that chapel is original.

one of many impressive stained glass windows in the chapel

From Sainte Chapelle, it was time for… drum roll please… the Pompidou!! Being a modern girl, this was something that I have looked forward to seeing for quite sometime. The building itself is such an icon with all its fixtures, inner workings, and even escalator on the outside of the building. I had butterflies when we walked up to it and knowing I was finally at the Pompidou. In order to get to the Museum floors, you have to take the escalator all the way up and you are greeted with amazing views of Paris. That was art on its own and the perfect way to enter the museum. Walking through all the art and exhibits was an experience in itself as well. You definitely have to have an open mind and an appreciation for modern art in order to fully enjoy the museum in my opinion. There were many things there that disturbed me and will have scarred me for life, but there were so many beautiful and inspiring pieces I was so glad I was able to see. I think my favorite part was being able to see the original Le Corbuiser petit chair, chaise lounge, and Eileen Gray’s side table. That was a major highlight of the day for sure. I just love how the Pompidou is entirely white and the art speaks for itself and vibrant colors lead you to different areas. The way finding was fun to follow was art in itself to me. I really was so sad to leave and didn’t feel like I had enough time to fully appreciate what they offered, but I’m so glad I was able to go.

i made it to the pompidou! it was everything i wanted and more

view from the top of the pompidou

just plum cool. i wouldn't expect anything less from this place.

large buttons in the entrance of the museum. no purple wall can be ugly and this one is no exception.

cool art falling from the ceiling.

black and white photography of trees. i loved it.

this is a cube made entirely of toothpicks. thought you'd appreciate this dad! :)

the original petit chair by le corbusier. who changed the colors from this to black and silver because i'm loving these colors together.


there was an incredible red wall that we had to take advantage of...and i think we did quite nicely.

It was off to the Louvre from the Pompidou and what a contrast between the two. Although the interior of the Louvre is not as ornate as I expected, the pieces there couldn’t be more different than the Pompidou. We first made it to the courtyard aka huge plaza where the I.M. Pei pyramid is located. Knowing that many of the French consider the glass pyramid as the “scar on the face of Paris” makes me so sad because I find it totally amazing. I love seeing the modern architecture blending with century old architecture. Nothing is better! I have been to Louvre but never to the inside so when I walked in and saw a map of the place, I was totally shocked. That place is HUGE! Since walking the Louvre with 30 people would be near impossible, we were able to just see what we wanted and could leave. We were on a mission to see two things: the Aphrodite statue and of course, the Mona Lisa. We navigated our way through that place poorly, but on our search for the Aphrodite, we happened upon Napoleon’s apartments. I honestly can’t think of why anyone would need to surround themselves with that much gaudy stuff and need a palace as large as the Louvre. It was cool to see the fabrics they used back in the 1700’s and see how ornate each piece of furniture was.

the louvre.

entrance into the glass pyramid

crystal desk in napoleon's apartment...they must have used the term "apartment" loosely to describe his living quarters anything less than an estate.

We made our way to Aphrodite and only got a small glimpse of it because of the many people surrounding it and no one would move. I really enjoyed the sculpture and this may sound morbid, but I liked that she didn’t have arms. I found it abstract and so much more interesting and less predictable that she was armless. To my knowledge, historians actually could never find her arms but for me, I’m glad they didn’t.

miss aphrodite herself. armless and all.

smile your mona smile!

The Mona Lisa is just right upstairs from where we were so away we went on a mission to see this painting. I had heard so many things about it from many people and how much of a let down ti was. I had heard it was so small and in a corner of the Louvre. Well it was definitely off the beaten path a bit, but it wasn’t as small as I expected so I was pleasantly surprised. I’m not sure why that particular painting of Davinci’s has become so famous but I just love how distinct Davinci’s style is of painting. All his faces have a similar structure and look to them and the Mona is probably iconic for that style. I’m glad I’ve seen it though and feel like I can check that off my list of things to see and do. All in all, it was a day of much walking, major contrasting art pieces, and iconic things to see. Au Revoir!