I did also other travels around the world.
Pictures of New York from the last year as well
as Three weeks in Japan (in German) from 2003.
The latest trip was 1 month in China, but the
travel diary is not yet complete.
3 Months Paris
I'm currently studying at Institut Henri Poincaré in Paris, France.
In my free time I'm doing sight seeing in Paris and enjoying la Vie
Francaise.
Table of contents
Mon Jan 8th, 2007: Arrival
I arrived via night train. 7:00am in the morning is a bit early to
explore Paris. Unfortunately I could not find the Rue P&M Curie on a
map. Fortunately the taxi driver knows where it is and after a 10minutes
ride I exit the taxi at 11 Rue P&M Curie, for only 10Eur. Later I figure
out why I could not find the home page of the
IHP in the internet, French Institut
is written without a final e. On the home page there is also a description
how to reach the IHP. Once in my life I'm the first one in the institute.
Soon after 8:30 the secretaries and other travelers arrive.
Today's plan is la Tour Eiffel
and the Museum of Asiatic arts Guimet. I take the metro No.6 to Place
Trocadéro. From here one has a good view on the Tour Eiffel (see
left). But now capture the tower! After 40minutes queueing up I get into
the tower. To the first platform I want to walk. After 5min I have the
first great view over Paris. The weather today is cloudy and a little bit
windy, but nevertheless a great view. The man at the elevator tells me that
I have to walk also to the second level, well then. In between the batteries
in my camera die, so I cannot take many pictures.
One picture I took is this one of the
Palais Chaillot on Place Trocadéro.
The second part of today's tour is the Museum of Asian
Art. This museum
is based on a collection from M. Guimet. I have already seen a lot of
Chinese history in the Metropolitan Museum in
New York. Therefore I'll stick to the other exhibitions given there. It
starts on the basement with an exhibition about Afghanistan. On the first
floor it continues with India and Cambodscha. Further it moves on to
Vietnam.
we continue with Indonesia and Thailand. And last but not least there are
some extra floors for exhibitions about China. Unfortunately it is already
too late to visit them.
Tomorrow Thinh will arrive. There is an exausting conference week ahead
of us.
Thinh, Adrian, and me do a small excursion in the
evening. We walk towards the Seine and take a short visit of Notre Dame.
One should come back in the day when one can also climb to the top and take
some pictures of Paris as well as the Gargoyls on the roof. We also pass the
Latin quarter where Adrian gives a small performance of Tangos in a
bar.
Sat, Jan 20: Louvre
Today's weather is moderate, so
I decide to go to a museum. After a long
week of mathematics there can be a long day of exhibition. I prefer
paintings the most, so I go to the Louvre
to see the French painters. The Louvre mainly contains paintings from the
18th and 19th century. Of course Mona Lisa (la jaconde) is an Italian master
piece by Leonardo da Vinci.
After 3 hours of viewing and photographing
pictures I have enough for today and leave the galeries in the Louvre. Also
the outside is a beautiful arrangement. Right off the Louvre there is Arc
de Triomphe du Carousel in front of the Tuileries garden. The garden itself
is a very green but strictly linear arranged area. It also has some statues
(look to the right).
I continue to the west side at the Comedie
Francaise and the Palais Royale. Then after a walk in west direction I see
the Opera Garnier. It has golden statues on the roof and the interior is
also nicely decorated. After returning to the Comedie Francaise I walk in
northern direction to Saint Germain l'Auxerrois. Its bells rang in 1572 to
massacre the Protestants in the Bartholomeus Night (see the clock tower to
the right). Since it is raining in the end, I decide to go home. It was an
interesting day in Paris. There is also a second tour to the Louvre.
This weekend I did it
the other way. Saturday I sleept long and mainly stayed at home. Sunday I
decided to visit the area around the townshall (Hotel de Ville). One takes
the subway RER B four stations from Cité Universitaire, where I live
for 580Eur per month.
Along a small road to the church Saint-Merri,
which has a nice gargoyle. 50m further and I hit the strange building you
can see to the right. Centre Pompidou is the Museum of Modern Art in
Paris. This is where I spend the next 4hours. I see all kind of modern
art, an exhibition about the motion of pictures, a short report about 13 days
of the life of Picasso, and an exhibition about Yves Klein. The
photographies on the first floor is where I start. The most interesting
pictures are some made with flames. Y. Klein took a flame and touched
paper carton. The pictures are in colors orange, brown and black. After 4h
watching and walking around I am exausted and look for something for
dessert. In the galeries in front of the Centre Pompidou I can find what I
have been looking for.
Another open point is Sacre
Coeur. So today I went to Montmartre. Sacre Coeur was erected 1877-1923 after
surrender in the French-German war and abolition of Parisien
commune. It should be a symbol against the sinful life present on the base
of Montmartre. From here I walk towards Place du Tertre, where many
craftsmen have put their easel.
I continue at the Museum
Montmartre where one can have a small glimpse into the turbulent life here
at Montmartre.
On my way I pass at
Cabaret de la Boheme. This was famous for its nightlife where many
craftsmen like Picasso, Utrillo, or Van Dongen were often seen guests.
Finally I go down the hill passing Lapin Agile and Place des Abbesses. Rue
Lapin Agile ends next to the famous Moulin Rouge, a mill with red wings. In
fact it has never been a mill, but another place for the wild nightlife of
Paris. Finally a woman tries to convince me to enter one of the night bars
for 20Eur, but I refuse. I'm not Picasso, so maybe these etablissements are
not for me.
This weekend is the first weekend in February. Therefore today most of
the Parisian museums are free. So I have to go to a museum. I decided on a
second tour to the Louvre. Last time I have seen
paintings, so today I want to see the sculptures. It starts with an
exhibition of Italian pieces from the 18th century. Then I pass the Egyptian
sculptures. In between some greek pieces.
After a while I also find an exhibition about Iranian art. And another
about Islamic art.
The museum closes at six, so at the end I have to hurry.
This Sunday Quartier Latin. The
quarter has its name from the
many Latin speaking students. I start at Notre Dame and pass the church
Saint-Séverin. Then I turn into another museum, Musée de Moyen
Age at Hotel de Cluny. There are many wood arts, scultpures as well as
triptychs. After two hours I continue passing the Panthéon (to the
right) and Saint-Étienne-du-Mont.
I pass through many small streets
and stop at a bakery to have something for lunch. Then I go to the Institut
du Monde Arabe. From the roof (9th floor) one has a great view over Paris.
It is a bit cloudy but I can take a picture of Notre-Dame. Then I walk along
the Seine passing some sculptures (Musée de la Sculpture en Plein Air)
and arrive at the Jardin des Plantes, where I met this funny dragon (to the
left). This garden is also strictly rectangular, with long rows, like
Tuileries in front of the Louvre. The museum of Nature's History has some
parts of the exhibition closed, so I decide to go there another day. Finally
I stop at the Moschee (to the right). Then I walk back to the institute and
end up at Denfert-Rocherau. I have dinner with some mathematicians in the
Quartier Latin. A relaxing day.
Last weekend I had to cure
my cold. This weekend is another weekend to
visit Paris. I decide to visit Marais, the Jewish quarter. The tour starts
at the Centre Pompidou, which I have visited on Jan 28th.
I pass the Archives Nationales (to the left) and Musee de la Chasse et de la
Nature. I further pass the museum Picasso which I have already visited with
Adrian and Thinh. Unfortunately I forgot my camera.
I continue to the
museum Cognacq-Jay and stop at the museum Carnavalet.
There is a big
exhibition about French history and rulers and riots in Paris. After two
hours I continue the city walk. I cross the Place de Vogeses and Hotel
Sully. I continue to the Place de la Bastille, where 1789 the French
Revolution took place. The Bastille itself, a prison, has been destroyed
during the revolution. I turn into Quai des Célestins and walk along
the Seine back to the Hotel de Ville.
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