Time Traveling In Paris

One of the most amazing aspects of Paris is its contrast of ancient and modern.  You can go anywhere in this city and see buildings or statues from different centuries right next to each other.  One of my favorite little parks in Paris is located right outside Shakespeare and Company.  I normally go over to St. Michel and get a cone of gelato at Amorino and sit in the park and look up at the Notre Dame.  When I think of historical figures in Paris this is usually the first place I think of, this and Sacre Coeur.  It is a very surreal feeling so be next to something with so much history and so renowned across the world.  It’s incredible that a building of that stature has become something normal in my everyday life. Now that I think about it I think I do see the Notre Dame almost every day, I can see it from all of the usual places I visit, and it has become second nature to have this icon in the background of my life while living here. 

When we were giving tours of the city to Holly we went over to La Defense one day.  When I think of where the most modern contrasting buildings in Paris are located, La Defense is definitely the place.  It was a completely different world over there with no Haussmanian architecture at all.  I felt as if I had gone to the future.  It was different than just a city with tall buildings, it wasn’t like Los Angeles or New York City.  The architecture was still very different and abstract and very modern.  There is an abundance of modern art sculptures throughout that area, completely opposite of the ancient artwork inside the Louvre or Musee D’Orsay.  

One place that contrasts old and new that I do see every day is my apartment.  I am living inside a fairly modern apartment with very clean lines and when I look outside my window I can see the Viaduct.  This used to be a railway line that ran in the 1800s and it has now been transformed into Promenade Plantee that is covered in foliage and the location of some of my morning runs.  

The city is full of modern and ancient, but I prefer the ancient because it is the history of Paris that attracts so many people to come here and it’s what makes Paris so unique and distinguishable.   

Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial

The day we visited the landing beaches of Normandy was one of the coldest days this whole semester.  Though, it was fitting being at the cemetery while it was foggy and cold.  Unfortunately because of the weather we were unable to walk down to the beaches so we just walked through the memorial and the museum.  For me walking through the almost never ending cemetery was very emotional.  My brother was in the army and was served in Iraq right in the midst of war against terrorism.  When I thought about all of the soldiers that were someone’s father, husband, son, and brother it brought tears to my eyes thinking it could have easily been my brother in another cemetery just like this.  I am very thankful to all of them that served during WWII and all of the men after them that are still protecting our country and I am honored to have been able to pay my respects.  I also walked through the museum and I was excited to see how many people there were there, not only Americans but people from all over the world.

I am unaware of how WWII is looked at through the French perspective but I am sure it is a lot different since the war actually happened on their homelands.  When I told one of my French friends that I was going to Normandy he was very excited and he told me that they learn so much about the war and the Holocaust throughout school, but it didn’t seem to affect him any further. I compare it to the US and the Civil War and how awful slaves were treated in those times, but that it’s not something we think about every time we see an African American.  I’d say this goes the same way for Jewish people in France.  I have not noticed any hostility towards Germans but I do not think it would be appropriate throw around the word Nazi at any occasion.

French people: rude or not?

Before coming to Paris I had heard a couple stereotypes that I was a little worried about.  The biggest one I kept hearing from people was that French people are very rude and snooty people especially towards Americans or to people who don’t speak French. I was worried about this because my French was not that good when I arrived in Paris and I didn’t know if people would help me if I got lost or needed anything.  I heard this stereotype from people who had traveled here previously and they were telling me this as a warning.

Once I got to Paris I realized quickly that this stereotype is not true at all.  I think that if you are a loud and obnoxious American coming in high season with all of the other tourists then French people may not want to help you or even acknowledge you, but even I don’t want to interact with most American tourists that I run in to here.  I also think that being a young girl mostly anyone will be nice and willing to help you.  Since I have been here I have met a lot of people and made a lot of French friends and when I first met them they were very excited to meet an American and speak English.  Most of the people I meet that are my age know English and they are very eager to practice.  The only people that are harder to interact with are elderly people that don’t really know any English, but they are not rude there is just a language barrier.

I have also noticed that French people are not very warm and affectionate people, unless it is to family or longtime friends.  This is perfectly fine to me as I am not a touchy feely person and I understand that they really value friendships here.  I have learned that most French people have a couple close friends that they have had since childhood and it takes a long time to become someone’s close friend, unlike in America where people have thousands of friends on Facebook and become best friends with someone over night.

All in all I have come to the conclusion that French people are not rude, I know way more rude people in the US in fact, and I would love to stay here longer and meet even more French people!

Kaguyahime (Ballet at Palais Garnier)

When I heard that there was a ballet performance included in our program I was very excited. I love going to the theater and I have seen my fair share of musicals and Broadway shows.  The only ballet I have seen is The Nutcracker so I was very intrigued to see what I thought would be a classic French ballet performance. 

I was very shocked when the performance started and I realized it was a modern ballet.  Since this is not what I had expected I do not think I liked it as much as I thought I was going to.  Don’t get me wrong the whole experience was very interesting and the performers were amazingly talented.  What I liked most about this show was the lighting. Since it was a modern style of ballet there was a lot of strong, bright, and harsh lights strobe like even and it made the show very dramatic.  One of my favorite parts was when they played with the gold material because it had a cool fluid movement and you could see everything from our seats way at the top.

Even if the ballet wasn’t my favorite show, Palais Garnier itself was incredible.  My mom had told me that it was one of her favorite buildings in Paris so I knew it was going to be amazing.  From the outside it was glowing with all of the lights shining on it and the gold statues at the top, but it’s nothing compared to the inside.  The main room where the staircase is was full of people when we walked in and everyone was in awe of the detail of the room.  Ours seats inside the theater were at the very top, which was nice because we got to be right up next to the ceiling.  The seats were red velvet and the whole place seemed to take me back in time.  We snuck into a box seat after the show and the view from there was insane and we took many pictures.  

Overall I think this opera house deserves more of a classic ballet because of its ancient design and Kaguyahime should have been performed somewhere more modern like the Opéra Bastille.

La Grande Mosquée de Paris

 
















It was exciting to have a tour of the Great Mosque of Paris because I was able to experience a different culture that I was not expecting to find in here. Although I could not understand most of what the guide was saying, I could appreciate the beauty of the mosque itself. The Great Mosque of Paris in the 5th district one of the largest mosques in France. The mosque, which opened July 15, 1926, a pair was founded Si Kaddour Benghabrit. It has important symbolic place in June for the visibility of Islam and Muslims. During the Second World War (when France was occupied by Nazi Germany) and the Holocaust, as its rector Si Kaddour Benghabrit, the mosque was used as secret refuge for Jews persecuted by the powers of the Axis, providing shelter, safe passage and false birth certificates Muslim mosque. And the mosque as a place of resistance to flow Muslims living in France. It is currently headed by Mufti Boubakeur.

The decision to construct the Paris Mosque, the first mosque built in France, materialize after World War cast pay tribute to the 70,000 deaths of Muslims who fought for France. It was inaugurated July 16, 1926, in the presence of President Gaston Doumergue and the Sultan of Morocco Moulay Youssef. The minaret of 33 sqm is inspired by that of the Zaytuna mosque in Tunisia. The mosque, on a plot of 7,500 sqm includes a prayer room decorated by several influences in the Muslim world; June madrassa (school), a library, a conference room, the Arab gardens on the surface of 3.500 m² in June, the Appendices: restaurant, tea room, a steam room and shops. The Mosque of Paris to accommodate 1,000 people. Several parts of the mosque were built or come from many different countries such as Lebanon, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. In the prayer hall, there are many wood carvings, stained glass windows, chandeliers, and dark green carpet. You can not wear shoes inside the prayer room and each person has their own square to sit in when they pray. The court or Rhiad, Andalusia has a style with many fountains and marble floors. Inside the walls are covered with mosaic tiles, each color has a different meaning. The marble fountain in the middle is used for discharges of loyal visitors.

I enjoyed visiting the great mainly because of its beauty mosque. Even though it was cold and foggy I was able to take lots of great photos. Due to its elaborate design, my photos of the mosque were amazing.

Dali Exhibit at Centre Pompidou

One of the exhibits that I was looking forward to the most while being in Paris was the Salvador Dali exhibit at the Centre Pompidou.  I have been interested in going to the Centre Pompidou ever since I learned about it in high school, just because it is so modern and abstract, and I know many french people do not like it and its juxtaposition within Paris but I like it.  I have also been familiar with Dali's work prior to seeing any this exhibit because my family has shown me many of his paintings, my brother has a tattoo a melting watch from his famous The Persistence of Memory, and I have also visited The Dali Museum in Florida.  I was very excited to see what they would do with this exhibit since it is the biggest Dali exhibit Paris has seen in about thirty years, and I was not disappointed.

We went to the exhibit the very last night it was open to go with Holly, which was not the best idea since it was very crowded, we ended up waiting in line for a couple hours. But the wait was worth it.  There were over two hundred paintings, drawings, and sculptures. A couple of my favorite painting were there including Geopoliticus Child Watching the Birth of the New Man and Portrait of My Dead Brother.
















After looking through his numerous paintings and sculptures we snuck into a theater room and watched some of  his abstract movie, which was very confusing and I did not really understand what was going on, but that's Dali for you.  I liked listening to his voice overs though, he had so much passion for life and that kind of passion is contagious.  Another exciting aspect to the exhibit was the opportunity to put yourself into one of his photographs.  Which is shown in the picture of my roommate Nikki and myself sitting on the couch which are lips of a girls face.The exhibit and museum itself were very interesting to explore, and it was the perfect location to host all of Dali's work.  Also the view from the top floor was amazing!

After reading many reviews, after visiting the museum as I did not want to be influenced by other's opinions before I had time to make my own, I noticed that American and French perspectives are almost the same.  Mostly they were all split pretty evenly between loving and hating the exhibit.  A lot of people commented on the crowds and long lines, but then some said it was worth it, like myself.  I would say that there is more of an appreciation for Dali's work by french people.  I consider this exhibit much more exciting than others I have seen at The Louvre or Musee Rodin, mostly because there were so many different aspects to it.  I even liked it more than the permanent collection in Florida.