Paris Day 7: A hodge-podge of posh

After class today, I took the metro out to the Arc de Triomphe. Sadly, it was closed due to a strike, and I couldn't climb to the top. It is immense, formidable and grand, and I marvelled at the intricacy of the carvings as I walked around and through it. I paid tribute to the unknown soldier, and imagined what it would have been like to see the Allied forces parading to the Arc after the liberation of Paris.

Walked down the Champs Elysee, even stopping to shop. Okay, it was at the Nike store, for a top to wear dancing (I like the yoga/dance inspired athletic wear because of the dri-weave), but still!

I love the garden areas of the Champs Elysee. The trees are so green, and the flower beds are so pretty, that it's easy to disregard the cars and imagine that there are fancy carriages transporting the gentry for their afternoon cruising. Decided that the day was too beautiful not to indulge in a Nutella crepe.

I cut over to the side, and found the Laduree shop that Little Voice recommended for macaroons. So, I intended to buy four mini-macaroons. At the register, it seems as if the guy had put five in the bag, and then the register lady added an extra one, the reasoning is still a mystery to me. The macaroons were heavenly. Thank goodness they are small.

Wandered a little further, and came upon the Eglise Madeleine. What good luck! I'd seen an advertisement for a concert of Mozart's Requiem and Vivaldi's Magnificat, and had been meaning to look it up. The church is very large, much larger than the small one around the corner where I heard the Chopin concert. Anyway, I liked the sculpture at the top in front ... Christ in in the center, with many images on either side, but Mary Magdalene sits just to his left. I suppose it would have been more fitting to have her on his right. Whatever, I liked that there is a cathedral that honors the significance of her discipleship. She was a devout follower of Christ, and was the first mortal to whoom he appeared.

Went then to see the
Paris Story movie. Can't really recommend it, since I fell asleep for about 15 minutes, I think.

Also stopped by the Fragonard Perfume Museum. It would have been more interesting if they had had the English guide. But they didn't, and although I tried it with the Italian guide, I quickly tuned out. I sampled a few of the solid perfumes, but none of them appealed more than the perfume I got duty-free, so I left without spending any money there. I wish more fragrance companies made solid perfume ... it's so much more convenient than spray bottles! Much easier to pack, and one doesn't have to douse oneself, but can discreetly place a little bit at strategic spots.


Made my way back to the Place du Concord, and entered the Tuileries Gardens that lead up to the Louvre. Again, I love the trees. Eventhough there are many people walking and sitting and eating about, there is a certain air of seclusion and privacy as I meader through the tree paths. It's too bad I haven't a lover here. Or at all for that matter.

I finally get to the fountain pool at the end, and indeed, there are children shrieking over their miniature sail boats. I with I had Precious' knack with a camera. I love her picture of the colorful sailboats. I may have to ask her if I can make a large print of it and some of her other Eiffel Tower photos.

And then over to see Pei's pyramid that marks the touristy entrance to the Louvre. There are many people in line, and I am disinclined to enter at this time. Maybe a nighttime entrance when there are fewer people? I marvel at the juxtaposition of Pei's ultra-modern spaced pyramids, amid the baroque (I'm guessing here) surrounding buildings. I'm generally not a fan of ultra-modern anything, but I liked what Pei did. Only I wondered where they got the shot of Tom Hanks crawling over the Louvre at the very end. Don't worry if you didn't see the film ... it wasn't very good.

Continued walking through to the courtyard at the far end, and was charmed by a couple of classical musicians playing for pennies (or dimes, as the euro is so strong).

And then a short walk back to my apartment. Once there, I fuzzled about wanting to go out again for the concert. And the going-out-side won the debate.

In short, the concert was amazing. The Magnificat was performed by a 10 piece (or so) string orchestra, with a violin soloist who was, as the title reads, magnificent. Her fingers were so nimble that often I would see her fingers move down the fingerboard to the waist, and only then hear the music run up the scale. And the music! It gave me the thrills throughout my body that I had missed at the Chopin concert. The reverberation in the church was at times disconcerting. I counted it as about 3.5 to 4 seconds.

The Requiem (D Minor?) was superb. The conductor wore tails, and had the floppy, frizzy, gray hair that seems so appropriate for a man who pulls such excellent music from instrumental and vocal musicians. The Requiem was rich, vibrant, passionate and minor in the way I love. Again, thrills galore, on top of the shivering because it was so frigid in the marble church. My favorite part of the Requiem is the Lacrimosa. When I get home I'll have to get the cd's from Spork, who turned me on to the music in the first place. The music was performed by an orchestra, a large choir, and four soloists.

Wandered back to my apartment (no glistening this time!), and found a reminder that it was my turn to post at
The Exponent. If you haven't checked out our new site, you should give it a gander. Pilgrimsteps has put a momentous amount of work into customizing it, and it looks just fantastic. Here is my post, on Paris, of course!