New topic Photos

[humbert]

Note that I will be on a business trip in the 6th arrondissement of Paris this week. I'll take a few photos if I can.

How different are the arrondissements one from each other?

[scarface]

Note that I will be on a business trip in the 6th arrondissement of Paris this week. I'll take a few photos if I can.

How different are the arrondissements one from each other?

Well, they are very different, in terms of size, population and landcapes. Western Paris (the 16th, the 8th, the south of the 17th and the south of the 18th arrondissements and its centre (the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th arrondissements) are much wealthier than the other arrondissements. These arrondissements are touristic areas too.

The 7th arrondissement, the city's wealthiest (the Eiffel tower is located on this arrondissement) has an average household income more than three times that of the 19th, the city's poorest.

When you visited Paris, I bet you haven't been to the north-eastern part of the town - in the 19th or in the 20th arrondissements, or in the area of la Chapelle in the 18th arrondissement (this is where the "Crack hill" is located) - because few tourists go there.

[scarface]

Tonight, I'm going to share a few photos taken in Paris last week.
Note that to see the image full-size in Firefox, you can click right on them and open them in a new tab.


A few photos taken in the Louvre.



In order to skip the line, I posed as a VIP and it worked: I was well-dressed, and I was speaking French it is the most important I think (each time a guide asks you a question in Paris, it's in English, and they are surprised when you are answering in French). Note that the Mcdonald's of the Champs Elysées is the only Mcdonald's in France where they take the orders and serve the customers speaking both French and English (when I'm answering in French, they are surprised because probably 80% of the customers are foreigners).


The Winged Victory of Samothrace, or the Niké of Samothrace, is a votive monument originally found on the island of Samothrace, north of the Aegean Sea. It is a masterpiece of Greek sculpture from the Hellenistic era, dating from the beginning of the 2nd century BC. It is composed of a statue representing the goddess Niké (Victory), whose head and arms are missing and its base is in the shape of a ship's bow.
Winged Victory has been exhibited at the Louvre Museum in Paris, at the top of the main staircase, since 1884. Greece is seeking the return of the sculpture.






In the midnight Blue room known as Salle des Etats.

Maybe some of you have seen this painting before.
The Mona Lisa is a half-length portrait painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance. It has been described as "the best known, the most visited and the most parodied work of art in the world. The world's most famous painting needs a space big enough to welcome its many admirers. It is therefore housed in the Louvre's largest rouge, the salles des Etats, Which is also home to other remarkable paintings such as The Wedding Feast at Cana by Veronese.





The Wedding Feast at Cana (Nozze di Cana, 1562–1563), by Paolo Veronese, is a representational painting that depicts the biblical story of the Wedding at Cana, at which Jesus miraculously converts water into red wine. The pictorial area (67.29 m2) of the canvas makes The Wedding Feast at Cana the most expansive picture in the paintings collection of the Musée du Louvre.






In The Red Rooms, which derived their name from the colour of their walls, are home to some of the largest paintings in the Louvre, including masterpieces by the greatest 19th-century French painters from David to Delacroix.


Andromache Mourning Hector is a 1783 oil painting by Jacques-Louis David. The painting depicts an image from Homer's Iliad, showing Andromache, comforted by her son, mourning over her husband Hector, who has been killed by Achilles. This painting, presented on 23 August 1783, brought David election to the Académie Royale in 1784.



The Death of Marat (La Mort de Marat or Marat Assassiné) is a 1793 painting by Jacques-Louis David depicting the artist's friend and murdered French revolutionary leader, Jean-Paul Marat



The Death of Sardanapalus (La Mort de Sardanapale) is an oil painting on canvas by Eugène Delacroix, dated 1827. The Death of Sardanapalus is based on the tale of Sardanapalus, a king of Assyria, from the historical library of Diodorus Siculus, the ancient Greek historian, and is a work of the era of Romanticism.



The Raft of the Medusa
Unusually for his period, Géricault began to work on this huge painting without having been commissioned. The resulting composition was a history painting, but based on a recent event rather than a 'prestigious' historical subject. The figures in the scene are not mythological heroes or brave warriors, but victims of a shipwreck, forced to resort to cannibalism to survive. The painter chose the bleakest moment, when they saw the ship that would eventually rescue them sailing away in the distance.
This painting, first exhibited in 1819, was more than just a depiction of a tragedy. After the fall of the First Empire in 1815, the Bourbon kings had returned to power and the shipwreck discredited the newly restored monarchy: the captain of the Medusa had obtained his position on the strength of his connections with power rather than his competence; in fact, he had not sailed at all in the past twenty years! Unable to prevent the ship from running aground, he left part of his crew to drift on a makeshift raft.



Grande Odalisque is an oil painting of 1814 by Ingres depicting an odalisque.



The Intervention of the Sabine Women is a 1799 painting by the French painter Jacques-Louis David, showing a legendary episode following the abduction of the Sabine women by the founding generation of Rome






The Athena of Velletri or Velletri Pallas is a type of classical marble statue of Athena, wearing a helmet.



The red figure calyx krater is details a scene representing the gathering of the Argonauts. You can see Castor wearing a pilos-like helmet. This prominent pottery medium was made in Athens (460-450 BC)






A visit to the Pantheon in the 6th arrondissement of Paris



the coronation of Charlemagne


the baptism of Clovis


Attila and his army are marching across Paris


The martyrdom of Saint Denis










A few photos taken from the top of the Panthéon

View to the west. You can see the eiffel tower and the skyscrapers of La défense.


View to the south west. You can see the Montparnasse tower.


View to the north. You can see the renovation of the cathedral Notre Dame


View to the north east. You can see the TV tower of Romainville and the black twin towers of Bagnolet


View to the east. In the distance, you can see the Vincennes woods, and then some skyscrapers. They are probably located in Champigny sur Marne and Nogent sur Marne (the inner suburbs of Paris)






A few photos taken In the 6th arrondissement.

The Luxembourg gardens
Situated on the border between Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Latin Quarter, the Luxembourg Gardens, inspired by the Boboli Gardens in Florence, were created upon the initiative of Queen Marie de Medici in 1612.




A protest for Palestine near the Senate


The famous bar La Rotonde


A statue of Balzac on Boulevard Raspail


A tramp on the Boulevard du Montparnasse

[humbert]

Pics from Paris. Where are you living now? I thought you were somewhere near Annecy.

I don't know anything about art and humanities. When I visited the Louvre back in 2007, I went because I wanted to see the Mona Lisa for myself. It was behind (I assume) bullet-proof glass and there was a red rope around it preventing people from getting any closer. I did not see many of the other exhibits in the pictures you uploaded. Either I missed them or they weren't there at the time.

Here's an interesting question. How did the Mona Lisa and other artworks survive WWII? As I understand it Göring looted most of them. I'd think the Mona Lisa would have been his first target.

With respect to Notre-Dame, any idea when the restoration will be finished? Can they make it as good as new, or were many things lost forever. BTW, was Napoleon's crown at Notre-Dame or somewhere else?

[scarface]

Pics from Paris. Where are you living now? I thought you were somewhere near Annecy.

Annecy? Well, I wish I were there, this town is beautiful. Currently, I live in the suburbs of Grenoble. I only spent a few days in Paris (my hotel was in St Denis, but I went walking to the centre of Paris each day - It was a 2,5 hour long walk).

I don't know anything about art and humanities. When I visited the Louvre back in 2007, I went because I wanted to see the Mona Lisa for myself. It was behind (I assume) bullet-proof glass and there was a red rope around it preventing people from getting any closer. I did not see many of the other exhibits in the pictures you uploaded. Either I missed them or they weren't there at the time.

"The exhibits" your are referring to are pretty famous. Actually, I only took photos of the most famous paintings. I couldn't take a photo of the painting "Liberty Leading the People" though, since it is being restored.

I guess you were more interested in the Italian renaissance painting. Maybe you have seen the painting known as Bacchus, originally Saint John the Baptist, which is a painting in the Louvre, based on a drawing by the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci. It is now attributed to Francesco Melzi, while in Leonardo's workshop.

Here's an interesting question. How did the Mona Lisa and other artworks survive WWII? As I understand it Göring looted most of them. I'd think the Mona Lisa would have been his first target.

With respect to Notre-Dame, any idea when the restoration will be finished? Can they make it as good as new, or were many things lost forever. BTW, was Napoleon's crown at Notre-Dame or somewhere else?

I have no clue.


Note that new photos taken on top of the Pantheon were added in the previous message.

[humbert]

Annecy? Well, I wish I were there, this town is beautiful. Currently, I live in the suburbs of Grenoble. I only spent a few days in Paris (my hotel was in St Denis, but I went walking to the centre of Paris each day - It was a 2,5 hour long walk).

I was looking at some pics of Annecy and indeed it's gorgeous. I know someone who spent a month there on a fellowship. She told me about bathing in Lac d'Annecy. Now I see it on the map.

You made a 2½ hour walk in Paris? I rode the Paris Métro, and honestly it's excellent. Why the walk? Are there no Métro lines where you were? BTW, Parisians are nicer than everybody gives them credit for.

I don't know if I asked you this before. What part of France are you from?

Now that I have you here let me ask: what's this talk about Macron wanting to send French troops to Ukraine? I applaud his desire to help the Ukrainian people, but honestly, is he crazy? The war in Ukraine has become a never ending war of attrition. At this point the only way to end this thing is to kill Putin. Maybe he should send in an assassination team to do the job, assuming it's doable.

[scarface]

I was looking at some pics of Annecy and indeed it's gorgeous. I know someone who spent a month there on a fellowship. She told me about bathing in Lac d'Annecy. Now I see it on the map.

Well, in fact it's probably not the most beautiful town on the shores of lake annecy.
Duingt is a town located on the western side of the Annecy Lake and is nicknamed "the pearl of the Lake".

You made a 2½ hour walk in Paris? I rode the Paris Métro, and honestly it's excellent. Why the walk? Are there no Métro lines where you were? BTW, Parisians are nicer than everybody gives them credit for.

Actually, the first day I took the RER B (La plaine Stade de France to Châtelet) to go to Paris, but I walked back to the hotel. It's good for my health. From the Luxembourg gardens to Saint Denis, it's a 2½ hour walk indeed.

I don't know if I asked you this before. What part of France are you from?

From the Drôme Department. At least this is where I grew up. But my mother had Alsatian origins.

Now that I have you here let me ask: what's this talk about Macron wanting to send French troops to Ukraine? I applaud his desire to help the Ukrainian people, but honestly, is he crazy? The war in Ukraine has become a never ending war of attrition. At this point the only way to end this thing is to kill Putin. Maybe he should send in an assassination team to do the job, assuming it's doable.

I don't know. I'm not ready to go to Ukraine yet. I'm waiting for Putin to calm down.

[humbert]

From the Drôme Department. At least this is where I grew up. But my mother had Alsatian origins.

I looked that up on Google Maps. Were you born in Valence or some other city or town? I was confused about where your mother was from until I remembered it was from the Alsace region which is near the German border.

I don't know. I'm not ready to go to Ukraine yet. I'm waiting for Putin to calm down.

I don't think you'll be pulled of the street and sent to Ukraine any time soon. You're a little too old for that. As for Putin calming down, I don't think so. If he loses he's out of power. He bet the house on this one.

If you want to see who you are talking to (I took this photo tonight...and I can't believe I have so many wrinkles)
Nobody ever saw me on the forum. I'll remove this photo later.

Hehehe... bright blue eyes and a Jewish nose. Good thing you weren't around during the war. The Führer would have sent you to Auschwitz or something  - unless, of course, you're not circumcised. Also, I'm not seeing wrinkles anywhere. I kept a copy of your pic and added it to a folder where all my friends are.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu-n22G7lhM&t=46s

What is that cross with the strange music?

[scarface]

a Jewish nose. Good thing you weren't around during the war.

I have a big nose but not a crooked nose. And as far as I know, I have no Jewish ancestry.
Maybe you should keep these comments to yourself. Jews with crooked nose, Arabs portrayed as thieves, charlatans, and Blacks perceived as strong but intellectually dull are common stereotypes without scientific basis.

What is that cross with the strange music?

Just an electro music track. I put another clip...

[humbert]

I have a big nose but not a crooked nose. And as far as I know, I have no Jewish ancestry.
Maybe you should keep these comments to yourself. Jews with crooked nose, Arabs portrayed as thieves, charlatans, and Blacks perceived as strong but intellectually dull are common stereotypes without scientific basis.

You misunderstand.

My comment was not based on racism but because of the fact that the Fürher and his buddies all believed Jews had big noses. You've seen their propaganda on World War II documentaries many times. If you were alive at the time it's possible that you may have been mistaken for a Jew because of your nose.

I am, of course, aware of the stereotypes that exist. Let's look at a few:

 - Roma people (i.e., gypsies) are thieves and charlatans
 - Arabs are fanatical Islamic terrorists
 - Puerto Ricans are stupid
 - Cubans talk too much sshit
 - Women who aren't virgins are whores and unfit to be wives
 - Parisians are rude
 - Mexicans are brown-skinned parasites

There are more but I can't remember them off the top of my head.

Get the point?