/tags/paris.rss en-us Paris's Musée Picasso, located in one of the city's oldest districts, is entirely devoted to the works of the painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso. The Hôtel Salé, where the Musée Picasso is located, was constructed in 1656 by the architect Jean Boullier. Since 1985, the Hôtel Salé has been home to 156 works of sculpture and 203 paintings by Picasso. It was once the luxurious home of Pierre Aubert, a wealthy tax collector who paid for his home mostly from the proceeds of salt taxes, which he called “sale” after the French word for salty. The Musée Picasso is a French national museum that Picasso's family handed over to the state to pay for his estate’s taxes following his death. Pablo Picasso lived in Paris from 1900, after fleeing Franco's regime in Spain. The eponymous Musée Picasso houses many of his own works of art, and is also home to works by Matisse, de Chirico, Rousseau, Dégas, and Cézanne, taken from Picasso's private collection. Some of Picasso's prized tribal masks are also on view. The curators of the Musée National Picasso strive to present Picasso's work in a contemporary light. Popular caricatures of Picasso and his work are on display, as well as newspaper clippings, photographs, sketches and manuscripts. Curators of the Musée Picasso have attempted to present the collections in chronological order for a revealing account of Picasso's development as an artist. Visitors can follow Picasso's artist evolution from the Blue Period, to the Rose Period, and all the way through Cubism. The Picasso collections are displayed on the museum's first floor. Temporary exhibitions from other artists are displayed on the museum's second floor; and the third floor houses the research library, which is not typically open to the public. Works on display in the Musée Picasso include his 1901 “Self Portrait”; his 1911 “Man with a Guitar”; and later pieces such as his 1970 self-portrait, “The Matador,” painted just a few years before his death. Tue, 01 Feb 2011 02:01:26 +0000 http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/musee-picasso http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/musee-picasso Anyone who’s walked through the Marais in Paris—that ritzy, Right Bank neighbourhood that stretches across the 3rd and 4th arrondissements—will have seen the Centre Georges Pompidou. The Centre Pompidou, known to Parisians as the Beauborg (because of its location on rue Beaubourg) is one of modern architecture's greatest achievements, and home to some of the world's best modern art. The doors of its Kandinsky Library are open to students, researchers, and the general public, and its cinema offers regular screenings of avant-garde films. Centre Georges Pompidou looks the way it does for a reason: it's inside out! Architects Renzo Piano, Gianfranco Franchini, and Richard Rogers won this contract in a design competition in 1971. Construction was completed in 1977, and came with a whopping price tag of 993 million French francs. The structural elements of the building were originally colour-coded. When you visit the Centre Georges Pompidou, look for the green plumbing pipes, the yellow electrical conduits, the red safety and circulation elements (including the exterior escalator), and the blue climate control ducts. The Musee National d'Art Moderne at Centre Georges Pompidou is the largest modern art museum in Europe. The fifth and sixth floors house major exhibitions from artists such as Miro and Penone. Level four showcases a contemporary collection devoted to female artists, and you can see the work of artists such as Sylvie Fleury, Angela Bulloch, Adrian Piper, and Susan Hiller. The permanent collections continue on level five, and you can find some of the most important works of the first half of the 20th century: Cubism, Dadaism, Surrealism, Abstractionism, kinetic art, and even architectural design are represented. Currently, the Centre Pompidou's Musee National d'Art Moderne has over 66,000 works by over 5,700 artists, including Matisse, Picasso, and Le Corbusier. Outdoor exhibitions appear from time to time, and don't miss the nearby Stravinsky Fountain. Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:14:49 +0000 http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/centre-pompidou http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/centre-pompidou Imagine, for a moment, a rapidly growing metropolis that gains more citizens, but also gains more dead. The existing graveyards are almost full, and the citizens are suffering from disease due to improper burial practices and the use of mass graves. They need more graveyards, but they don't have room for them. What do they do?  For 18th century Parisians, the answer was simple—remove the bodies to a safer location. But where? Why not underground, into the vast network of subterranean tunnels, where, in Roman times, the limestone that built Paris was quarried.  The Catacombs of Paris are one of the world's most famous burial grounds, right up there with the Egyptian pyramids. These catacombs began as limestone quarries in the Roman era, when modern day Paris was still known as Lutetia. The decision to press these quarries into service as burial grounds came in 1786, when the growing capital found that its overflowing cemeteries were spreading disease among the citizenry.  The removal of bones into the quarries below the 14th arrondissement continued until 1814. Initially, many of the remains came from the Cemetière des Saints Innocents, located in the Les Halles district. Remains from the Cemetière de Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs were also moved, and removal always took place at night, accompanied by a ceremonial procession of priests.  If you're curious to get a glimpse of this macabre attraction, you're not alone, as people have always been interested in touring the catacombs. As early as 1787, the Lord d'Artois, who would become Charles X of France, toured the catacombs along with members of his court. Napoleon III visited them in 1860, and today, you can visit them too.  Though Paris's underground network of tunnels stretches beneath much of the city, tourists are allowed access to only a small part of it. While it is possible to sneak into the forbidden areas, you really shouldn't. It's illegal and dangerous, and you could get lost or hurt quite easily. Instead, stick to the 2 km route set aside as a museum. Here, you can see the bones of five to six million Parisians, some of whom lived hundreds of years ago, stacked up into often decorative arrangements. The tour is generally unguided, and takes about 45 minutes. Tue, 28 Sep 2010 03:09:28 +0000 http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/catacombs-of-paris http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/catacombs-of-paris If there's one thing that we know and understand about France, above all else, it's that not only do they love their food and wine, but they're great at making it. The soft touch of freshly baked bread for an evening meal, the mouth-watering taste of Crème Brûlée and the smell of freshly cooked chocolate Crêpes, all awaken the senses to what's becoming a universal love for French food. As French chefs have taken their cooking beyond French borders to extend to countries around the world, the taste of French cuisine now comes closer to home for many people. You no longer have to travel to the back country roads and small towns of France to enjoy authentic French dishes. In fact, with the rise of the information age it's now easy to find a nearby French restaurant, and also give French cooking a spin yourself. As the popular movie Julie and Julia depicted, cooking your first French meal is just a cookbook away. The truly ambitious look beyond the cookbook and take a cooking class in France itself. French cooking vacations are becoming popular experiences for travelers. The upside to these are that if you don't know the language, then you don't have to worry about being the only one who doesn't speak it. Many tour operators offer group cooking classes that make it both as fun and comfortable as possible. These cooking classes are becoming more like a culinary adventure, as it immerses travelers deep in their culture, while learning step by step how to become your own French cook. Given the new demand for foodie travel activities, you're now able to take cooking courses from more than two dozen operators in Paris alone. Schools typically offer half-day, full-day and multi-day cooking classes. You can be a pupil of a super chef, specialize in the organic or simply chocolate, partner with other industry professionals or even take a class with parents and children. Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:41:23 +0000 http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/french-cooking-class-paris http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/french-cooking-class-paris The Musee Rodin in Paris is the home of thousands of works of art by Auguste Rodin, a man considered by many to be one of the greatest and most revered artists in history. Undoubtedly his most famous work is a sculpture known as The Thinker. Copies of the work, large and small, are on display elsewhere, but there’s no better place to see the grand work of art than in Rodin’s own hometown of Paris, where he was born in 1840 to a working-class family. It is in Paris where he learned to become an artist, largely self-taught, and it is here, in what was once called the Hotel Biron, that he wished his work to be displayed. The largest collection of Rodin’s drawings and sculptures are on display in the house, but The Thinker is easily the most popular sculpture in a garden full of great works. So many people in fact go to the Musee Rodin to see The Thinker that it has become one of the most popular museums in all of France, boasting an average of 500,000 visits a year, just behind the Louvre, the Palace of Versailles, and the Musee d’Orsay. And possibly just as surprising, it beats out the famed Picasso Museum of Paris. The Thinker is the centerpiece of the 7.4 acre (three hectare) sculpture garden, which sits quietly in the heart of Paris in the shadows of the Hotel des Invalides where Napoleon is entombed. The Thinker was initially modeled for another fantastic Rodin sculpture in 1880, The Gates of Hell, at 27.5 inches (700 mm), but was enlarged in 1902 and put on exhibit – the first of his works to be displayed in a public place. It was moved though in 1922 from the Pantheon to its present home, which was also once the home of the artist, at the present Musee Rodin. A cast of The Thinker, originally entitled The Poet after Dante Alighieri, also sits at the tomb of Auguste Rodin at another home in Meudon, a suburb southwest of Paris. But it was at the Hotel Biron where he created his great works, all the while entranced with his surroundings. Rodin so loved the place even that he entrusted his collection and all rights to his works to the State on the condition that a museum be devoted to him at that site. The Parliament accepted his offer in 1916, but sadly he never saw his dream come to fruition as Rodin died two years before the museum’s opening in 1919. Just as Auguste had originally intended The Thinker to look down upon The Gates of Hell, so did he mean for it to serve as his headstone. And there, at the Villa des Brillants in Meudon, it sits as a memorial to one of the greatest sculptors and artists in history, forever looking down on contemplating its creator. But, surrounded by the city garden and other great sculptures of his like Monument to Balzac and Monument to Victor Hugo, it is in Paris, where Rodin loved to create, that it is best to contemplate his most famous work – The Thinker. Wed, 28 Jul 2010 23:23:20 +0000 http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/musee-de-rodin http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/musee-de-rodin Europe’s churches and cathedrals are celebrated for various reasons: breathtaking architecture, deep-seated history, and stunning stained glass windows. Religious convictions aside, Europe’s cathedrals house beautiful works of art and offer a chance for quiet reflection. Throughout my travels I’ve toured many impressive churches, but Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is a spire above the rest. The abundance of sights available in Paris can be daunting, especially if you are tight on time. If unsure where to begin, a shuttle boat called the Batobus which travels along the Seine River is a good start as it stops at eight of Paris’ main attractions: the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and the Notre Dame Cathedral, to name a few. As we approached Notre Dame Cathedral, the misty grey afternoon made the large Gothic building seem all the more sombre and imposing. It’s no wonder the Cathedral was the site of Victor Hugo’s dramatic and passionate tale, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." A stunning example of French Gothic architecture, the construction of the Notre Dame Cathedral began in 1163 and was completed in 1345. Notre Dame has suffered copious amounts of destruction over the years, beginning with discontented Huguenots who destroyed features they deemed to be “idolatrous” in 1548. During the French Revolution, Notre Dame Cathedral was re-dedicated to the cult of reason, and many of the treasures were destroyed or plundered. In 1845, a twenty-five year restoration program was instigated, returning Notre Dame Cathedral to its former glory. Three beautiful rose windows, originally constructed in the 13th century, are one of Notre Dame Cathedral’s most arresting features. A gift from King Saint Louis, the South Rose Window is nearly 19 metres in height and has 84 panes. The famous gargoyles are another impressive feature of Notre Dame Cathedral. Some are functional, serving as drain pipes to drain rainwater off the roof; others are only decorative, keeping watch over the city from atop the Cathedral’s towers. Because of its historical significance, architectural merit and stunning beauty, the Notre Dame Cathedral is a must-see sight in Paris. When I left the Cathedral, night had fallen. The façade and the towers were illuminated, creating a glowing silhouette against the darkness. I didn’t think it was possible, but Notre Dame Cathedral was even more beautiful by light of the night sky. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:56:31 +0000 http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/notre-dame-cathedral http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/notre-dame-cathedral The most famous twilight cabaret, the Moulin Rouge, was born during a time of cultural profusion in Paris. Situated in the historic Montmartre district, the Moulin Rouge resides among the seediest nightclubs in Paris—a diamond among gems. Although the Moulin Rouge may not be the seediest of its peer group, it is the oldest and the most kitsch. It recently celebrated its 120th birthday; and while the prices are steep (starting at €90), I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share in a 120-year-old Parisian tradition. The Can-Can was born at the Moulin Rouge, and during the performance cabaret dancers wear traditional "frou-frou" (a long dress with bunches of frills sewn to the inside of it). As time went on, the dancers realized how shorter skirts meant bigger audiences. A few went even further and removed their underwear. The vice police were then created to monitor the length of skirts and to make sure all the dancers were wearing underwear. It was a very coveted job. Nowadays, the Moulin Rouge dancers routinely wear underwear, which is on display all night long as the frou-frou skirts are donned only for the Can-Can performance. The costumes are basically absent of any upper part, and naked breasts are the accessory of choice. We got through the doors around 11:30 p.m. and were seated fairly quickly close to the stage. A bottle of cheap champagne was included in our ticket price. The Moulin Rouge show, entitled “Féerie,” lasted for about an hour and a half. It featured a troupe of a hundred artists and dancers, a thousand costumes of feathers, rhinestones and sequins all made in Parisian workshops, and lavish shimmering sets designed by Italian artists. The outstanding international acts included jugglers, ventriloquists, tumblers, miniature ponies, and a giant snake aquarium. Enraptured? Absolutely! The Moulin Rouge show ended with the famed Can-Can routine, and frou-frou skirts in red, white and blue engulfed the stage. The men took their turn among the women: kicking their legs into the air and doing back flips and the splits while howling the Can-Can signature shriek. The intense finale lasted for what felt like twenty minutes, but being happily engrossed, it could have gone on all night. Leaving the illustrious red windmill of the Moulin Rouge behind, we felt like glamorous cabaret patrons of old time Paris. As a cab pulled up to the curb the driver crudely asked us if we liked sex. This quickly reminded us of our decadent surroundings, and was a proper end to an improper evening at the notorious Moulin Rouge. Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:56:11 +0000 http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/moulin-rouge http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/moulin-rouge Standing tall in the heart of the City of Lights, the elegant stone edifice of the Sacre Coeur Basilica rivals only the Eiffel Tower in defining the Paris skyline. The dome top of the Sacre Coeur Basilica, which reaches over 200 meters high, is open to tourists and offers a view over all of Paris up to 30 miles away in every direction. As well as gaining an unrivalled view of the city, you can observe people from all walks of life that gather on the steps outside the Basilica and stream into the charming streets of Montmartre. A venerated pilgrimage site, Sacre Coeur Basilica welcomes thousands of tourists from all over France and around the world every year. Perched over Montmartre, the name signifies the ‘Mount of Martyrs,’ christened after Saint Denis (the first bishop of Paris dating from the 3rd century) who is buried at the Sacre Coeur Basilica site. The site of this huge church originally hosted an abbey which was destroyed during the French Revolution. The Sacre Coeur Basilica itself was approved afterwards in 1873, although construction headaches and World War I meant it was not consecrated until 1919. The Sacre Coeur Basilica’s Romano-Byzantine interior features a great mosaic entitled ‘Christ in Majesty,’ which is among the largest in the world. You can also see the beautiful stained glass windows and fine pipe organ. However, the highlight of the Sacre Coeur Basilica is the Dome, which reaches 83 meters high from within the church. Once you have taken in the view from atop the Sacre Coeur Basilica and weaved back down the many steps, enjoy a break at the bottom by riding the carousel featured in the famous movie Amélie. Afterwards, why not drop over to Place des Abesses and get something to eat while admiring the view of the Sacre Coeur Basilica. 'Saint-Jean' and 'Sancerre' are the Montmartre district's oldest and most popular cafes. Art fans will not want to miss nearby Place due Tertre, known as the city's 'Artists Square'. There you'll find the home of almost three hundred artists as well as samples of some of the finest art to come from Paris in recent centuries. By now, you'll have visited one of the world’s most famous holy sites and got a real sense of the beguiling beauty of the Montmartre district. Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:49:37 +0000 http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/sacre-coeur-basilica http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/sacre-coeur-basilica Climbing the Eiffel Tower, one the great charms of Paris, is a leisure best enjoyed in the spring. If, however, circumstances conspire in such a way that you end up in Paris’ 7th arrondissement between June and August, craning your neck at the confabulation of steel lace that stretches upward to its apex in the sky, it is a pleasure not to be refused. Climbing the Eiffel Tower is a difficult task even without the cloying heat of the summer months. Despite what seem like insurmountable obstacles and annoyances of a tireless stop along the Parisian tour route, the Eiffel Tower will not only raise your range of vision, but send your senses soaring. Built in just over two years for the Paris Exposition of 1889, the Eiffel Tower pioneered the tall trend, standing over 300m high. Gustav Eiffel’s masterwork was once thought to be the most odious thing since mouldy baguettes, but it’s long since cemented its place as crown jewel in the Parisian tourist industry. As such, the queues are already forming when the gates open at about 9 in the morning, and by around midday you’ll find yourself faced with a swarming morass of tour groups and hot tempers. Waits can be upwards of three hours on a sweaty July day before reaching the ticket booths. With 1671 steps, it might make you think twice about climbing the Eiffel Tower. There are three floors in the Tower, but the only way to get to the top is via the lift, saving your legs the forty-or-so minute walk up a hard iron staircase. Climbing the Eiffel Tower by foot, however, will mean drastically shorter queues. If you do decide to go au pied, remember to bring lots of fluids and stay hydrated. It’s a long and windy way up, and even though the Tower’s designed to take the Paris gusts, it has a tendency to sway and creak in a rather ominous fashion. Sways of up to 12cm can occur in the Eiffel Tower caused by wind. If you choose to ascend by the lift, you’ll be presented with a giddily surreal view of Paris beneath your feet. Literally. The elevator’s glass bottom is not for the vertiginous, but it gives you a stark appraisal of how tall the Tower really is. At the top of the Eiffel Tower send your sight wandering over the Champs de Mars, up the Seine and around to the Arc de Triomphe which, so imposing from the ground, looks squat and dense from this height. Gaze over the horizon at the green edges of Paris, and take in the skyscrapers and jardins alike. Then, when you’re done, close your eyes and listen to the wind howl around the iron girders. That’s the sound of history in your ears. If you’re in the City of Lights on honeymoon or just want to beat the crowds, consider climbing the Eiffel Tower for a late-night view of the city. The lifts close at 11pm each night, but the sparkling cityscape under the night sky is a magical experience. Time can get away from you when in the city of love, so if for some unforeseen reason you miss going up the Eiffel Tower, the view from the bottom is also one to relish, even after hours. A simple gaze up while directly under the Tower will gently fade away the hum of the surrounding nightlife and distance the trickle of tourists. Silent awe ensues, and thoughts of endless imagination occur. With a variety of places and ways to enjoy the Eiffel Tower, one of the simplest is often the most satisfying. A blanket under a quiet tree near the Tower; paired with a ripe local wine, brie and a crusty baguette, is a deliciously relaxing way to enjoy the view. Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:38:18 +0000 http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/eiffel-tower http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/eiffel-tower