World Language Department’s 2008 trip to France!
Today we went to the Sainte-Chapelle. The Sainte-Chapelle is a 13th century Gothic chapel, situated on the Ile de la Cité in the heart of Paris. It was built to house precious relics, among them the Crown of Thorns which Louis IX bought from the Latin emperor in Constantinope for 135,000 livres. Much of the Sainte-Chapelle has been rebuilt, though two-thirds of its stained glass is original.
Today we visited the Mémorial de la Shoah in the Marais neighborhood. The Mémorial de la Shoah is the largest research and archive center on the Holocaust in Europe. The mission of the Mémorial is to teach people about the Holocaust and also give historians and the public access to archives. There is a permanent exhibit which investigates the history of antisemitism in Europe and there are also temporary exhibits which explore the many facets of Jewish identity and history.
After our visit we feasted at l’As du Falafal, a small yet reknown restaurant which serves - you guessed it! - falafal. We also checked out the Place des Vosges in the Marais. La Place des Vosges was built from 1605 to 1612 by Henri IV (who subsequently lost his life in a jousting tournament in the square), making it the oldest square in all of Paris. The Place des Vosges is a true square, embodying the principles of Renaissance city planning. Many French luminaries lived at the Place des Vosges, for example Victor Hugo, Théophile Gautier, and Alphonse Daudet.
Today we returned to Paris for the famous “free day”. Students decide in small groups to plan their day. Once the plan is ready (complete with the description of how they will get there) the submit their proposal to Mme. Jackson or me for approval and then they are off! A test of their French, their understanding of the metro system, and the opportunity to visit a final museum or site that they are interested in.
In the evening we met at Le Pont des Arts to have a picnic and listen to everyone’s stories.
Today we visited the Louvre in the morning and then took an afternoon TGV (train à grande vitesse) to Quimper where we were greeted by our host families. Seven days of intense French coming up!
Today we took the train to Auvers-sur-Oise, a quiet town not far from Paris that was a haven for many artists, among them Pissaro and Cezanne. Van Gogh spent the last two months of his life in Auvers-sur-Oise, seeking treatment from a rather eccentric doctor after a violent period of mental crisis and physical exhaustion. The doctor, Dr. Gachet, was also an amateur painter and friends with many painters of the time.
Auvers-sur-Oise is a town which lends itself to walks. There are window boxes of geraniums, hollyhocks framing the houses, and stray wildflowers growing out of crevices, cracks, and crannies in that oh-so-French-way. We walked up the path that leads to the cemetery where Van Gogh and his brother Theo are buried. The two tombstones are austere, simple, and wholly incorporated into the town cemetery. No neon lights or gift stores, thank goodness. On the way to the cemetery one passes by the chuch which Van Gogh painted and after the cemetery one can walk into the field where many landscapes were painted.
The church at Auvers-sur-Oise
After the walk we went to the Auberge Ravoux, where Van Gogh was pensionnaire during his brief stay in Auvers-sur-Oise. The Auberge was lovingly restored in 2002. Painstaking research was done to decorate the restaurant as it looked during la Belle Epoque; the menu is even from Mme. Ravoux’ journal! First we visited the house and saw Van Gogh’s small, plain room, and then we ate at the restaurant.
Next we visited the Musée de l’Absinthe. This museum traces the cultural history of the most popular drink in the late 19th century. Please visit the links on our home page to find out more about Auvers-sur-Oise - if you are interested in Van Gogh it is a must see.
Today we visited two important places tied to the Impressionist movement: the museum where many of the works are displayed and one of the neighborhoods that provided its subject matter. The Musée d’Orsay was a train station built to handle the influx of crowds coming to Paris for the 1900 International Exposition. It then served, among other things, as a mailing center for sending packages to prisoners of war during World War II. In the 70s it was scheduled to be replaced by a modern hotel complex when 19th century architecture enthusiasts saved it by putting it on the list of Historical Monuments. The Italian architect, Gai Aulenti, respected the original building (itself a work of art) when she created the current museum space. The Musée d’Orsay is dedicated to 19th and early 20th century art.
At night we went to the Butte Montmarte. The Butte (French for “hill”, not “butt”) looks over all of Paris. The spectacular view from the Basilique du Sacré Coeur has been featured in many movies, among them Truffaut’s classic Les 400 coups and the recent film Amélie. In the 19th century Montmartre was a poor neighborhood on the fringes of Paris. Poor people who had been displaced during the Haussmanization of Paris moved there, as did many artists and writers. It is here that Toulouse-Lautrec depicted his favorite dancers at the Moulin Rouge and his friend, comedian and owner of the theater the Mirliton, Aristide Bruant.
We started our trip by “going back to the source”: exploring the most ancient areas of Paris or “Lutèce” as it was known during Roman times. The Quartier Latin, named for the schools and universities in the neighborhood whose curricula were taught in Latin during the Middle Ages, is one of the few neighborhoods that escaped Baron Haussmann’s renovations. One still finds little meandering streets (the narrowest street in all of Paris, la rue du Chat qui Pêche is here) and the oldest restaurant in all of Paris, le Procope (founded in 1686!) in this popular, lively neighborhood.
First we visited the Arènes de Lutèce. This arena dates back to the first century. It was originally used for theater productions and could seat 16,000 Roman subjects! Many of those seats (called «gradins») no longer exist. The arena was “rediscovered” during the Haussmanisation of Paris in 1869 while they were constructing tramways.
Next we went to the Musée de Cluny. This museum of Medieval art includes on its grounds original Roman baths (called «thermes») that also date back to the first century. The Musée de Cluny is home to the world-reknown Dame de la licorne tapistries.
Finally, a walk by La Sorbonne, the oldest university in the world, founded by the Abbé de Sorbon in the 13th century. We found rue du Chat qui Pêche and ended our discovery of the oldest neighborhood in Paris at the little church St. Julien le Pauvre. This church was rebuilt in the tenth century as the original one was destroyed in 866 by the Norman invaders. From its garden one has a beautiful view of the Cathédrale de Notre Dame, built largely in the 12th and 13th centuries and a shining example of Gothic architecture. It is interesting to note the differences between the two and how in the space of a few hundred years engineering and design capabilities changed enormously.
Early to bed! We are all tired and it is only the first day…
