Le Marias
Come with me as we visit Le Maris with Brigitte, our tour guide for the morning. She was a delight and I had an awesome experience. She took us back in time to the beginning and I believe it was in 18th century. It was amazing to walk through the streets of Paris in a time where even the building have a historical and an architectural importance.
Le Marias
The fashionable Marais district in the 4th arrondissement, also known as SoMa (South Marais), is filled with hip boutiques, and galleries. Once the city's Jewish quarter, the area still hosts numerous kosher restaurants. The grassy Place des Vosges is home to elegant arcades and the Musée Victor Hugo, where the writer once lived.
Let's Take A Look
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Bridigett begins with describing the doors and the importance of how the door opened unto a courtyard and how the doors allowed the carriages to enter the courtyard and exit through another door on the opposite side. I found myself thinking about those doors. I imagined being the proud owner of a set, where a to enter the courtyard was to enter a bit of history shut off by a keypad – numbers only given to the fortunate and the privileged. I imagined what it would be like to punch in those numbers which unlock the large wooden door, pulling it open while leaving the busy Paris day behind, entering into a cozy courtyard, and then making my way up to my fourth floor apartment which overlooked the street below from a much calmer and more therapeutic perspective. I can see myself, there at my own little spot in Paris, opening the windows to let the sounds of city rush in. Laying down and closing my eyes while listening to the clinging of cafe cups and dishes, the French chatter of passers-by, and the sound of a child’s scooter rattling across the cobblestone.
As we continued our walk in Le Marias, we entered Church of Saint-Gervais. It was early on a Wednesday morning and Bridgette was such a delightful guide. She filled us in on the history of the Cathedral and what it was like when Louis VII was around. It was a great chance to step back and really feel the history within these walls. Before entering we came across the local square, where merchants were setting up for the daily food market, which was established in 1628.
Continuing our walk, we came across the studying and working in a centuries-old space, The Bibliothèque Forney is a library in Paris. It’s not every day that you get to work in a building that has withstood the test of time and has witnessed six centuries worth of history. But here, in this little-known library in the heart of Paris, you can do just that. It's located in the Hôtel de Sens. Along the way, we stopped and were introduced to Aux Merveilleux de Fred. Mini Le Magnifique, meringue, praline whipped cream, coated with crushed caramelized almonds and hazelnuts and many others. They were truly delectable. A great for a pick me up during a long morning of walking.
Place des Vosges A square in the Le Marais neighborhood with chestnut trees, fountains, and lawns. It's one of the oldest and most beautiful squares in Paris.
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We also encountered the Oldest Building in Le Marias. at the corner of rue des Barres and rue du Grenier-sur-l’Eau (literally “granary above water”), stand three typical medieval houses, the latter erected in 1327. Our last stop came to its Jewish inhabitants this cluster of crooked streets is “Pletzl”, Yiddish for “little place”. Such a quaint part of town. Although it's spans down several streets, it reminds me of the small corner of Oak Park, MI, where many Orthodox Jews traverse daily and mesh in the vibrant culture in a small city in Michigan. There were many Falafel shops and we even got to see the doors that lead to the Synagogue. Paris has such a rich culture of diversity. There was so much history being told and I was able to walk the streets of Le Marias and experience it all.
Evening at the Louvre
Later in the evening, we made our way over to The Louvre to see the world renowned museum in Paris. Although there are multiple ways to enter the Louvre, I took the Metro from LeMarias and arrived 10 minutes before our scheduled meeting time. We were again greeted by our guide, Elisabeth for our evening at the Louvre.
As with all the art inside of the museum, there were quite a few items which I found most intriguing and the Sphinx was the first on the list. I had read some books on Egypt and seen the Mums and artifacts from the tombs, but the Spinx, well this was one piece of art I really enjoyed seeing. Then we looked over the various marble statues. The see the detail in the stone and to hear Elisabeth's description took me back in time. How could a sculptor really see the intricate designs in a block of marble. I really wanted to know the mind of the sculptor. The attention to detail was magnificent. The Peplos were so lifelike and flowing. It makes you hope this type of sculpting wasn't a lost form of art.
Here you can see Elisabeth describing the intricacy of the gown on the Greek gods. The Winged Victory of Samothrace, a depiction of the Greek goddess Nike. As you look upon this piece, you are drawn into the lifelikeness of water cascading on a flowing gown and how it clings to the skin, as the effects of water have on all types of fabric. How as many Greek sculptor capture this in a piece of marble, such a spectacular display of artistry.
Here we get a special glimpse into the basement of the Lourve, which exposes the stonework. If you look close enough, you may even see a door. Elisabeth's descriptions gave me a background of how the Louvre was bulit and helped to bring into light the many aspects of taking on a project this grand to display the truly remarkable works of art covered in dirt and submerged in the Seine River. Next in Paolo Veronese, Wedding Feast at Cana. 1562–1563. The magnificent painting, measuring more than thirty-two feet long and twenty-two feet tall, had once filled the entire far wall of the monks' dining hall. Then we have Leonardo Di Vinci's Mona Lisa, famous for no matter where you stand, her eyes are always looking at you. Di Vinci's artistry is unbelievable. Let's not forget The Regent Diamond, the largest diamond in the Louvre, weighing 140.64 carats. It's one of the most famous diamonds in the world, found in India in 1698.
And let's not forget the contribution of an Chinese-American architect I. M. Pei in 1983. Let's look at where we began again, as we moved through Carrousel du Louvre, you have the option of entering through this area, which is much more convenience. The lines were short and we were closer to the cloakroom and the facilities. I had an awesome time immersing in the history of France from Le Marias to the Louvre. We have two more days to go. I enjoyed interacting with the locals, I even got a chance to take someone picture for them. Later we went to Cafe des officiers near École Militaire and I got the Margarita Pizza. When dining in Paris, I became one of the locals and was able to enjoy the leisure of Parian life. We had no reason rush or hurry, I took in the sights, sound and Paris as a whole under the stars.
I'm going to take every picture I took and put it into an album to showcase all the wonderful pieces of art I was able to see in Paris. There were so many paintings and and historical artifacts. I believe there are over 550,000 pieces and only 35,000 on display. These include all the Archaeological finds, drawing, sculptures, and paintings.
It's like the Detroit Institute of Art, you can go every weekend and still not see all of the art in the building. It's less than 1/4 of the size of the Louvre and still draws me back every year, with the hopes of entire museum in a day.
It is said, "The Louvre is the Book in which we learn to read.” — Paul Cézanne