Return to Paris

Saturday morning and we were facing a small travel predicament. We were still booked for another night into the Chateau d’Esclimont, but do we want to stay? There were no more places we really wanted to see or explore in the vicinity of the chateau, although I am sure I could have found some activity if push came to shove. It is France after all, and there is nearly always something beautiful or wondrous just down the next country lane or in the next rustic village.

Additionally, the prospect of a very early, hour and a half, 80km, Sunday morning drive to Charles De Gaulle airport, a place I have never driven to before, (I have always used taxis or the train), finding the car rental returns and dropping the car off and then speeding to the terminal building to face the usual terribly slow security process (remember I am flying back to America) and thereafter the French passport control (and Paris airport is always heavily crowded with long lines) and to do all that and be at our departure gate by 10 AM, did not excite me at all. My mostly positive attitude when traveling for once was leaning towards the half empty bottom of the glass. There were so many opportunities for Murphy’s Law to rear its ugly head and started our return journey home on the wrong foot or no feet at all.

So we decided to return to Paris a day earlier. In hindsight, the best decision we could have made.

Inside Basilica Sacré-Cœur

Upon our departure from the chateau I set Samantha, our trusted Garmin GPS, to follow highways with the hope that it would use the A11 to get us to the city and from there around the city on the Boulevard Périphérique, notwithstanding the fact that it is one of Europe’s busiest roadways, I was more than prepared to drive on the Périphérique to get us to Gare du Nord, a train station on the northern side of the city. But Samantha was concocting her own plans and as I was concentrating on my driving because the roads got more congested as we got closer to the city, I did not realized what was happening until we passed Le Jardin du Luxembourg. Only when I stopped at an intersection and saw the Saint-Michel fountain on my left, did it hit home. What I didn’t want to happen happened. Shit! Samantha took a short cut, smack through the center of town, through one of the busiest parts of the inner city, at 10:30 on a Saturday morning. Total madness!

Selling art along the Seine

Coming from the south the Left Bank was congested, but nothing compared to the Right Bank. Once we crossed the Seine River traffic became horrendous. It was like being in the middle of a carnival. As we entered The Marais, the old medieval part of Paris via Boulevard de Sébastopol I allowed myself to be swept along with the traffic like a rudderless boat on a rushing river. It seemed I had to direct all my energy and concentration to bicycles, motorbike and scooters, who would suddenly appear and then disappeared again as they swerved from lane to lane just to see who can get to the next traffic light first. Mosquitoes chasing the wind! It was frantic, noisy, exciting, and chaotic and a total adrenaline rush all at the same time.  

 

We arrived at the train station and the car rental return quicker than expected, maybe because I was not thinking of mileage, but focused on surviving the ride, listened to Samantha’s directions and to get to our intended destination without causing or getting involved in a fender bender.  I am so glad I live in the countryside and do not have to face that kind of traffic on a daily basis. But we made it, safely, found a hotel a few blocks away across from the Gare l’Est, the train station that served European trains to the eastern side of the country.

Paris from Montmartre

There was no time for lingering and loitering though. Paris was alive, baked in sunshine and it seemed every Parisian who is capable of walking has fled their small damp apartments, spilled out into parks and gardens, onto sidewalks, and into shops and restaurants.  Spring fever was in the air. After a light lunch we got onto the Metro for a visit to the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur in Montmartre, the towering white Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the Mount of Martyrs that overlook Paris and the countryside beyond.    

After we arrived at Château Rouge metro station and fought our way to the surface passed aggressive street vendors who were trying to sell me their roasted peanuts, plastics trinkets in florescent colors and God knows what else in brown bags, we found our direction and started to ascend the mount via the narrow dirty streets. It seemed we have arrived in the African and Muslim part of Paris.

 

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the Mount of Martyrs

 

With its round corner cupolas and high bell tower the basilica reminded me a little of San Marco in Venice while its massive central dome and square and pointy south facade brought back memories of  Florence’s Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. It was nice to see something non-Gothic for a change. The Sacré-Cœur’s design, although only built in the 19^th Century looked to be influenced by both the Italian Romanesque churches and the eastern churches of the Byzantine Empire.   

Inside the building’s clean lines, the general cleanliness of the stone (the building is still young: only about 140 years old since they laid the foundation stone), and the relative few statues and murals compare to other Gothic cathedrals, contributed to a feeling of spaciousness. After a walk through the church we sat down in one of the pews for a while to rest our weary feet from climbing the steep stairs to the top and to absorb the solemnness of the moment.   

 

Outside it was just as impressive. The building’s white stone glowed brightly in glorious yellow sunshine. From the steps that sloped down the hillside hundreds of visitors noisily enjoyed the supposed-to-be spectacular views of Paris below. But it was not a clear day. A thick bluish haziness caused by either pollution or weather conditions hung over Paris like fog over a river on a cold morning. Hard to image so much beauty exists underneath that cloud of haze.

 

 

On top of a pillar a soccer fan was entertaining the crowd, showing off his skills to keep a ball in the air without using his hands. On one side of the mount a series of terraces were transformed into tranquil gardens which allowed people to picnic and children to run around. All this contributed to a vibrant atmosphere of simple enjoyment, a getaway from the mundane and the ordinary to something exceptional and appreciative at that given Saturday.

 

It certainly felt like spring was in the air.

Inside the Basilica Sacré-Cœur

 

Loitering on the slopes of Montmartre

 

After dinner, a night time view of the Basilica Sacré-Cœur from out hotel room window

Renaissance Art and the Art of Shopping

Buon Giorno!

Day 9 was dedicated to art and shopping. Can’t come to Florence and not shop! But first the art part. I know Florence is a big Renaissance city, but certain art just don’t excite me much, namely pre-Renaissance religious art, or art from the high Middle Ages, art prior to 1400. In the morning we visited the Museo degli Uffizi, Italy’s most glorified museum. There were some really fantastic paintings and sculptures in the Uffizi. Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus” is certainly the highlight. It is just a pity it was behind a sheet of clear glass, making it look like you watching it on TV. But being surrounded by 18 Botticelli's in one room, among other the Primevera, is quite something. Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Raphael, Caravaggio, Giotto and many others were also on show. All in all, the Uffizi has a very good, complete art history of the Renaissance period in Italy. I am more of a modern art and Impressionist art lover, but during our trip I really started to appreciate Renaissance art. If I have learned nothing from our Italian trip, at lease lI learned to appreciate the work of Renaissance artists.

In the early afternoon we visited the Dell’Accademia, but apart from Michelangelo’s David, there was not much to look at and in my humble opinion, give the Dell’Accademia a skip. It was downright disappointed and a total waste of money. There are more masterpieces on the Loggia, for free, than in the Accademia. We should have spent the €46 entrance fee (for 3 persons) on more shopping. Thank goodness we did not have to wait in any of the loooong lines at these museums. I used the Internet to reserve timeslots at the museums and bought tickets 5 weeks in advance.

In between the museums visits and afterwards, we dedicated our time to sightseeing and shopping at a very leisurely pace. We journeyed the narrow medieval streets, passed Dante’s house, or where they think it was, walked through many piazzas: Repubblico, Di Maddonna Degli Aldobrandini, di Santa Maria Maggiore, di San Giovanni (right) and several more. We had lunch just behind the Piazza Del Mercato Centrale, was serenaded by two gentlemen playing the “trekklavier”, accordion, and typical Italian music, while we did people watching: a television crew interviewed a local shop owner, a baker delivered fresh bread to the restaurants, Italian workers scurried from point A to point B in their lunch hour, a garbage truck made his appointed rounds, tourist casually strolled from attraction to attraction and other people like us, sat at lunch tables, waited for their food and did people watching.

I popped in to the Mercato Centrale, a massive marketplace for meat, fish, fruit, vegetables and other delicacies. We browsed and shopped at the street vendors on Via San Lorenzo where they sell anything from t-shirts to leather goods. We even had to buy an extra suitcase, a Louis Vuitton look-alike, for all the extra purchases. The road home took us down Via Del Ciglio and through the very narrow, medieval Via del Moro to Piazza Carlo Goldini and on to Borgo Ognissanti. I did not take many pictures today, but rather experienced Florence by the naked eye. However, I did take several of the “Picture Paintings” you will see on the blog on the Via San Lorenza.

It was really enjoyable and mind-blowing to walk these narrow, cobble-stoned streets, sharing it intimately with tiny cars, scooters, motorbikes and bicycles, especially coming from the new world with its wide boulevards, big gas-guzzler cars, strip malls on the edge of town and wide open spaces. Rome (to a lesser degree), Naples and now also Florence, are compacted, noisy, hectic, crowded and very exciting, but also very strenuous on the feet and on the senses.

Florence, for all its beauty, history, its art and architecture, also has its down side. It is packed with tourists and according to our experience, by far the most expensive city in Italy. Example: A pizza in Naples and Rome would be €7 to €8, but in Florence it is €13 to €15. Our accommodation in Florence was also the most expensive in all of Italy. But there are gems to be discovered like the Osteria Il Mostrino. Nevertheless, Florence was great! And we may have to revisit because 4 days was just not enough. There was no time for visits to the Basilicas Santa Maria Novella or the Santa Croce and except for a brief visit to the Palazzo Pitti we never explored the south side of the city. When in Rome do like the Romans do and when in Italy a visit to Florence is a must.

Michelangelo's David. Certainly the most referenced piece of art in Florence, if not in Italy. Eventhough picture taking inside the Dell'Accademia is strictly forbidden, I snapped three of David while the gallery staff was telling others not to take pictures.

The central square of the Uffizi. Standing in the centre of the square, one can rightly say: I am now surrounded by so much art that no money in the world can buy.

Florence's skyline with the Ponte Vecchio in the foreground. I took this picture from one of the windows overlooking the Arno River in the Uffizi Gallery.

Monica shopping for souvenirs and presents for ourselves and friends on the Piazza della Signoria after our visit to the Uffizi.

Entrance to the Via dell'Ariento and the street vendors around the Mercato Centrale (Central Market) with the Basilica di San Lorenzo in the background.

The Basilica di San Lorenzo, one of the largest churches in Florence. It is the burial place of all the principle members of the Medici family and it was also the parish church of the family.

Architectural Florence

The Palazzo Pitti, is where the de Medici and later the Austrian House of Lorraine, when the de Medici line became extinct, ruled from for more than 2 centuries. For a short period Napoleon Bonaparte used it, before it was passed to the House of Savoy and later the King of Italy during the different waves of invasions of Florence. The palace is enormous and very opulent. None of the British castles and palaces we visited last year has been this opulent. I must say though, the palace’s façade is plain and dull compare to the inside. It is more fortress-like than palace, in the Roman rustica, antica style. Nevertheless, it stood the test of time and the design was copied through the ages and it is very similar to the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi also in Florence.

Palazzo Pitti façade

The palace’s ceilings are beautifully painted and the art collection is huge. The paintings in the Palatine Gallery covers from the 15th to the 17th century and is in general nearly all very good, especially the paintings by Raphael. My favorite was his La Donna Velata (The Woman with a Veil.) All the rooms are decorated in different periods and one could get a fantastic idea what was fashion at the time or how luxuriously these people lived. Most of them are as the de Medici left them. In one area Napoleon built a new bathroom but he never used it once. Unfortunately you will not see any pictures because cameras were not allowed.

The palace though, just like most of Florence, is very expensive. Entrance to just the Palatine Gallery was €11.50 per person. Then to see the costume gallery (only about 12 costumes) and the Boboli gardens is another €9.00 per person. A cappuccino in the cafeteria is €4.00.

Palazzo Petti - A side entrance.

From the Palazzo Pitti we walked back across the Ponte Vecchio, stopping at the Marcato Nuovo (the new marketplace) where I bought an apron depicting landmarks of Florence, and rubbed the nose of the wild boar bronze statue for good luck. (Left). We walked further north to Piazza Di San Giovanni, where we found one of the landmarks of Florence, Duomo and Baptistery. From the outside the Duomo, the Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore, is magnifico with its green, pink and white marble, and it is huge. (It is Europe’s 4th largest church.) The cathedral was started in 1296 and eventually completed in 1436. The massive octagonal cupola, build between 1420 and 1436 and which dominate not just the church, but also the Florence skyline, was build by Filippo Brunelleschi. Next to the church is the Campanile (bell tower) (Picture above), started by Giotto in 1334 in the same general style as the duomo, but the façade was actually only added in the 19th century complimenting the campanile. (Duomo façade - Picture left.) The inside of the church is rather plain and simple, as if they wanted to focus more on the spiritual aspect compare the magnificence of the outside, although the frescoes in the dome are rather good.

Next door, the baptistery is just as wonderful. The frescoes in the dome are really beautiful. The east doors of the baptistery are as good as all the travel books rave about. The artistry is simply incredible for 1402 when Lorenzo Ghiberti won the competition to create these doors, beating the likes of Donatelo and Brunelleschi in the competition. The three dimensional aspect of the doors are far ahead of other artists at that time. The great master Michelangelo called them the “Gates of Paradise.” (Remember 1401 was at the very start of the Renaissance. It would be another 84 years before Botticelli painted his “The Birth of Venus” in 1485 and more than 100 years before Michelangelo completed his David in 1504.)

Florence Baptistery Dome.

The rain of the previous day stayed away all morning, but during a late lunch another storm crossed over Florence. We waited out the rain in the restaurant before we took a leisurely walk back to our apartment. After we rest for an hour or so we went out for another stroll around the neighborhood before we went for dinner at the Osteria Il Mostrino at Borgo Ognissanti 141r, which specializes in traditional Tuscan food. You can't come to Tuscany and not try the traditional food, especially me that loves Italian food. And we were not sorry that we tried. The service and food was very good, the best we have had so far in Italy, and strangely for Florence, not too expensive. We paid less than €50 for appetizers, wine and one course each. I had wild boar prosciutto and later beef with sage and potatoes with rosemary, while Monica had prosciutto with melon, followed by spaghetti with a prosciutto cream sauce. The best though was the tiramisu dessert. Now every ristorante, tratoria, osteria and even pizzeria in Italy has its own version of tiramisu, the classic Italian dessert. Some, awful, mass-produced that taste like plastic, others, like at Il Mistrone deliciously to-die-for heaven in your mouth. After a half a bottle of quality Chianti Classico we just had to cross the street to the apartment to end a very good of sightseeing and food with a nice cup of coffee as only Monica can make it.

Tomorrow is our last day in Florence and it is dedicated to art and shopping.

Monica in front of the East doors of the Baptistery in Florence. With so many people trying to take pictures of the doors it was rather difficult to get a clear shop without someone jumping in front, like this guy with his elbow.

Florence Baptistery. One of the panels of the East doors. Seeing is believing as to how good this bronze work really is. Doors were by Ghiberti in 1402.

Another panel from the East doors of the Baptistery.