1. Seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time is magical, no matter how many times you%26#39;ve seen it in pictures.
2. Cafe creme is delicious with a buttery croissant every morning.
3. You can see the following attractions in 1.5 days: L%26#39;Orangerie, Arc de Triomphe, Musee D%26#39;Orsay, Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle, La Conciergerie, Hotel Des Invalides, and the Louvre. Only caveat - these 1.5 days fall on a Thursday (Musee D%26#39;Orsay is open until 9:30pm) and Friday (Louvre is open until 10pm).
4. Whoever decided to let the Jeff Koons exhibit be held in Versailles palace is an idiot (thankfully the exhibit is ending sometime before year%26#39;s end).
5. Randomly stumbling upon a piano concert in St. Sulpice on All Saints Day is a lovely way to spend some time in this great church.
6. Splurging on some treats at Fauchon is totally worth it.
7. If you want to go to the top of Notre Dame, then get there early!
8. No matter how busy your sightseeing itinerary is, whiling away some time drinking coffee or wine on a sidewalk cafe needs to be squeezed into your schedule.
9. Parisiens are not rude - a lot of them just don%26#39;t speak much English. In fact, most servers and other people we encountered were quite nice.
10. If the weather was awful the entire 3.5 days you were in Paris, inevitably, there will be bright sunshine on the day you leave.
11. Find out which terminal your flight leaves from CDG airport! It is a very large airport with 3 terminals, and you do not want to be forced to guess the wrong terminal - then have to run to the correct terminal at the exact opposite end of the airport - and almost break down into tears begging the check-in clerks to let you catch your flight even though check-in is already closed (like yours truly).
12. Even if the weather is bad and you only have a few days in Paris - it is every bit as romantic, charming, and historic as you imagine it to be.
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I definitely second number 1, the Eiffel Tower is amazing the first time you see it, especially if it%26#39;s all lit up at nighttime!
As for number 3, you can cram what you want to see into your visit if you plan carefully enough but just a warning that you%26#39;ll be dead tired and your feet will hurt A LOT!
And yes, Jeff Koons does take away from the splendor of the Palace of Versailles. What crazy person would let 20th century art be displayed in an 18th century palace? DO NOT miss the gardens while you%26#39;re there. I especially loved the Hamlet.
About going to the top of Notre Dame, I believe they open the tower at 10.00AM. Be there at least 40 minutes earlier if you want to be part of the first group they allow to go up.
Thanks for the post jj, I enjoyed it!
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%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;What crazy person would let 20th century art be displayed in an 18th century palace?%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;
Probably the same %26quot;..crazy person..%26quot; who put a modern glass pyramid at the center of Cour Napoleon between the Richelieu and Denon %26#39;wings%26#39; of the Palais du Louvre.
The Koons exhibit is a temporary installation and not a permanent addition to the space. It%26#39;s just %26#39;..art..%26#39;---sometimes a %26#39;concept%26#39; works for some; sometimes it doesn%26#39;t for others. It could be a lot worse. They could%26#39;ve installed %26#39;jumbo-tron%26#39; video screens in the mirrored spaces on the wall and helped to defray the cost of renovation and annual operating %26amp; maintenance by running video ads for %26#39;corporate sponsors%26#39;.
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Terrific post, jj -- glad you had a great time!
Cogent discussion of good things and bad -- good on you!
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As to the display at Versailles, the French do tend to juxtapose modern art and architecture with that from the past. It can be seen in many various examples all over the city (the Pompidou Center in the middle of the oldest part of Paris, the Mitterand library, the Pyramide du Louvre)...
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I don%26#39;t know, I kind of liked the Koons exhibit...I found the juxtaposition amusing. But it was my 3rd visit to Versailles--perhaps on a first visit I would not have been as amused.
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I noticed trend of juxtapositioning classical with modern, but I thought a few of the Jeff Koons pieces were just plain silly - like the blow-up lobster. A few things were ok, but most of it just seemed TOO out of place. Otherwise Versailles was very impressive - I too really enjoyed the Hamlet - it was like something out of Disney World - built for one spoiled queen :).
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I do have to admit that I liked one part of the Koons exhibit and only one. The %26quot;mylar balloon%26quot; type piece that sat at the end of the Hall of Mirrors. I took a great picture of it with the Hall reflected in it. The blow up turtle floats hung on the fence were the most ridiculous to me.
I believe the pyramid to be a much different type of art...a far cry from blow up lobsters. But everyone is entitled to like whatever art they want! Just my opinion, that%26#39;s all. We%26#39;re all allowed to have those.
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About the Koons exhibit in Versailles : it%26#39;s interesting to know that Jean-Jacques Aillagon, the director of the « Établissement public du musée et du domaine national de Versailles » (Public Institution of the Versailles museum and public estate) and former French culture minister, is also a senior advisor to Francois Pinault, a French mogul who has a very rich contemporary art collection - and, incidentally, is the owner of Christie%26#39;s.
Mr. Aillagon is also an Administrator of Mr. Pinault%26#39;s foundation and until he was nominated to his Versailles tenure in 2007, he was the Director of the Palazzo Grassi in Venice, a palace owned by Mr. Pinault, where part of his collection is on display.
Now, the puzzle is complete when you know that Jeff Koons is one of the prime gems in Mr. Pinault%26#39;s collection.
Don%26#39;t get me wrong, the debate on whether contemporary art can be mingled with classical or ancient art and architecture is very interesting - but in the very case of Koons in Versailles, there are other issues at stake - publicity stunts, artistic cronyism and obviously, big money.
By the way, I consider I.M. Pei%26#39;s Pyramid to be an invaluable addition to the Louvre. If there was to be one very example that well-thought contemporary projects can enrich and shed a new light on older treasures, then the Pyramid would be this example.
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Regarding lesson no. 3 --
I have no doubt it%26#39;s physically possible to view those %26quot;attractions%26quot; in a day and a half, but be prepared to spend much more time than that -- especially if you%26#39;re a lover of art. Or history, for that matter.
Not to get off on too much of a tangenet, but it would be interesting to see what percentage of people appreciate the pyramid as the above poster does.
I%26#39;ve been to Paris -- specifically to the Louvre, both pre-pyramid and post-pyramid, and though I completely understand the need for %26quot;something%26quot; to be there, I personally don%26#39;t care for the pyramid. As a matter of fact, I hate it.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I%26#39;m sure some people love it.
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Great little report, , although I beg to differ on number 3.. yes, you can be SEEN AT all those places in 1.5 days, but no one can see all the Louvre in 1.5 days total..
I am one those who does not like modern art( or what ever one chooses to call that stuff, I hate to say %26quot;art%26quot;) displayed in places where it is most obviously out of place.. and I am thankful that my visit to Versailles( my 7th btw) this summer was not marred by inflated lobsters ( come on , how stupid is that to even say out loud, %26quot;blow up lobsters%26quot;!!).
The Hall of Mirrors, made a joke, that way,, yuckers,
To close ones mind to clamor around them from the hundreds of other tourists, and imagine the room lit with hundreds of candles , and to %26quot;hear%26quot; the rustle of the ladies dresses, and %26quot;smell %26quot; the powder on the wigs,, during a great ball, now that is is what the Hall of Mirrors means to many ,, not over sized beach toys on strings. grrrh, and btw, I am sure many of the Rrench don%26#39;t like it either, but as noted, money and influence play so much more of a role in art then a layperson like me probaly realizes.
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