Home again

We are back from France, having had a wonderful time and getting out before strikes, riots, terrorists, etc. could spoil our fun.  But watch this spot because Chautauqua is going to EGYPT!!!!!

What do the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty have in common?

Actually, they have several things in common.  Both were designed in France by Frenchmen.  And both were constructed by Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel!

The Statue of Liberty was a gift to the People of the United States from the people of France to celebrate our county's 100 birthday.  The statue was designed by a French artist named Bartholdi in 1875.  Its real name is "Liberty Enlightening the World".  Although Bartholdi designed the look of the statue and participated in its construction, he needed the help of Mr. Eiffel to design the structural support that would hold the statue up and make it able to withstand both extremes of weather and millions of people visiting it.
Bartholdi made two smaller models of "Liberty", both of which are in Paris.  One is in the Luxumbourg Garden, which Pops and I have walked through several times.  The other is in another part of Paris, not far from the Eiffel Tower.

The statue really was a gift of the French people, since it was funded in large part by donations from ordinary French citizens.  Even the children of France raised money to pay for the construction of the wonderful gift to the country they had never even visited.  France paid for the cost of the statue, with the agreement that the United States pay for the building of the pedestal on which it stands.  Not everyone in the US thought this was a good way to spend money, but fortunately enough donations were received and the pedestal was built on what is now called Liberty Island.  The statue was built and transported in pieces and was finally assembled in 1886.  Mr Eiffel was then free to work on his next project, the building of a tall iron structure to be the centerpiece of the World Exhibition held in Paris in 1889! 

The Eiffel tower was the tallest structure in the world when it was built, but it was not intended to be permanent.  It was supposed to be torn down in 1909, but it was saved when it became useful as a broadcast tower.  Here is a great link to learn more about the Eiffel tower.
http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/teiffel/uk/

See you guys soon!

MPZ

More Impressionists

I received an e-mail from Heather Parker saying that you are working on Impressionist Art in her class again this year.  I can hardly wait to see the results.  It would be hard to beat last year's work!

We also went to visit another important place in the history of Impressionist Art.  The guys who went up north with me last February may remember that I wanted to visit an art museum in Washington, DC. (Of course, "snowmageddon" changed that plan!) The Phillips Collection is in a mansion near Mrs. McCauley's daughter Sara's house.  In the Phillips there is a painting called "The Luncheon of the Boating Party", by Pierre Auguste Renoir.  Renoir was one of the most famous Impressionist painters and he did most of his painting in and around Paris.  The "Luncheon of the Boating Party"  is a painting of a group of people enjoying lunch at a restaurant along the river Seine, supposedly after they had just been boating.  The restaurant was called Maison Fournaise, and two of the people in the painting are leaning on a railing and are the son and daughter of the people who own the restaurant.  The other people were friends and acquaintances of Renoir who agreed to pose for him.  That was quite a committment, because it took Renoir almost all summer to finish the painting!

Luncheon of the Boating Party

How does Mr. Z look as Alphonse Fournaise?

This is me as Alphonsine.  Try to imagine a hat.

This is the balcony where the group of models gathered all summer.

Today we plan to go to the Musee D'Orsay and a few other museums that are famous for impressionist collection.  However, those plans may change since there is a huge strike in Paris today and not many buses are running.  We may decide to walk to the museum, but we are not sure if it will be open.  I'll let you know what happens.  Meanwhile, I miss you guys and can hardly wait to see your Impressionist Art!

Impressionists

Last year, one of my favorite art projects with Heather Parker was the classes on Impressionist art.  Those were the beautiful pictures that you did that later were auctioned at the Empty Bowl Preview night.  Several of you chose to copy paintings by Monet, who was one of the first painters to paint in the Impressionist style.
In fact the name Impressionism came from a painting he did called Impression -Sunrise.  Art critics at first didn't like this style, saying it was hard to tell what the painting were, they were just "impressions" of things.
Monet and his friends who liked this style and began to use it more and more had the last laugh, since they are all famous now!  The painting by Monet is now in the Musee Marmottan, which Pops and I visited last week.

Impression - Sunrise

We were on an Impressionist roll then, so we decided to visit the place where Monet did a lot of his painting. Claude Monet lived in a town called Giverny, which is about 50 miles from Paris.  He had his second wife had 8 kids between them so he lived in a large house with a huge yard.  His two favorite things were gardening and painting, so his yard was filled with gorgeous flower gardens, paths, and ponds.  He wanted his garden to be like a painting, with the colors blending and something blooming almost all year round.  Many of his paintings were done in his garden. including huge murals of water lillies.  Believe it or not, it was unusual for painters to paint outside before then.  Most painters stayed in their art studios and while they may have gone outside to sketch or observe things, they did all their painting inside.  That Monet was really a rebel!

Monet's home in Giverny is beautiful.  Even though the gardens are over 100 years old they are still gorgeous.  We took a tour of his house, which is pretty big - of course, there were eight kids living there!
Unfortunately, we couldn't take pictures on the inside, but I bought some postcards to show you.  His kitchen looks a lot like Mrs. McCauley's!

Place de la Concorde

A few days ago I posted a picture of Place de la Concord, promising that I would tell you more about it later.  Well, here it is...

Place de la Concorde is one of Europe's most magnificent and historic squares. It is in the shape of an octagon, with buildings on only one side.  Construction began in 1748 and took fifteen years to complete.  Its purpose was to provide a beautiful setting for a statue of King Louis.  The square was first called Place Louis XV.  It turned out to be a very unlucky spot.  In 1770 a fireworks display held here to celebrate the wedding of Marie Antoinette to future King Louis XVI turned deadly when one hundred and thirteen people were trampled to death in the crowd.

Nineteen years later the French revolution began and the square was renamed Place de Revolution.  Revolutionaries tore down the statue of the king.  In its place they erected a guillotine, which was used to behead 1,119 people, including both Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette!

After the revolution, the square was renamed Place de la Concord, hoping that it could become a monument to peace.  Additional statues and fountains were added, all of which had something to do with the beauty of France.  However, the center piece of the square, the Luxor Obelisk has little to do with French history.  Obelisks are tall, tapering monuments, with a top in the shape of a pyramid.  Many were built in ancient Egypt, then transported all over the world.

Luxor Obelisk

The Luxor Obelisk is made of pink granite and stands over 73 ft high.  It is over 3300 years old and stood for centuries at the tomb of Pharaoh Rames II of Egypt.  It is covered in hieroglyphics that tell of the glory of his reign. Egypt gave it and another obelisk to France as a gift in 1829 and the French Government was relieved to be able to place something non political in this tragic square.   However, getting the 220 ton monument to France from Egypt was no easy matter.  The transport took over three years and raising the obelisk in the square was a grand event witnessed by over 20,000 people!  In order for future generations to appreciate the effort that went into bringing this obelisk to Paris, the story of how it was transported and raised is engraved in the base.  The second obelisk never came to France.  It remained in Egypt, although it was considered the property of France. A few years ago France officially returned it to Egypt (Even though it never left!)

At the same time that Egypt gave this obelisk to France it also gave one to England and to the United States.  The obelisk in England sits along the Thames River in London, while the one in the US is in Central Park in New York City.

Central Park Obelisk

Most of us have also seen another famous obelisk in the United States.  Think about it before clicking this link.  www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc72.htm

I think it is amazing how things connect.  Chautauqua has been to London, DC, Paris, and maybe soon Egypt.  I think we should add obelisk to our website!

More about Heidelberg

I am happy to report that Heidelberg was much more "disability friendly" than Paris.  In the "Old City" the streets were cobblestone or brick, which would make wheelchair travel difficult, but not impossible.  Some, but not all of the shops and restaurants were accessible, but most of the restaurants had outside seating.  This was perfect for this time of year, but I suppose is not ideal in winter!  However, the buses had ramps and wheelchair sections. We saw a number of people in wheelchairs using them without difficulty.

The newer part of the city seemed to be even more accessible.  Streets included curb cuts, and the train station included accessible bathrooms. We spent most of our time in the city in the Werkstattens, which of course were completely accessible.  I will get more info on the rest of the city and report back.

Heidelberg

This past week Mr. Z. and I took a train trip to Heidelberg, Germany.   We traveled using the TGV, which is the French high speed train.  After traveling so quickly through the French/German country side, the last leg of our trip, a bus ride from the train station to our hotel, seemd like a "turtle" pace!  We stayed in the section of Heidelberg referred to as the "Old Town".  The buildings were several hundred years old and extremely picturesque.  Much of Germany was destroyed during World War II, so it is very fortunate that this beautiful and historic part of the city was undisturbed by bombs.

A typical street in the "Old City"
of Heidelberg.

"The Old Town" sits on the Neckar River, and mountains rise both across the river and at the edge of the city.  In fact many homes and buildings are nestled in the trees on the mountainside.  The most famous is the Heidelberg castle, which can be scene from just about anywhere in Old Town.  The castel was first built in 1214 as a fortress.  Looking down the mountainside and across the river, it was easy to see any enemies coming and almosst impossible to capture.  It did not become a royal residence until after 1398. (That's almost one hundred years before Columbus sailed to America!) Over the centuries, new buildings were added to the complex, but many were destroyed by wars and fires.  It has not been inhabited since 1680.   Enough of it is still standing (as you can see from the picture) that it is possible to get a glimpse into what life must have been like living in this magnificent castle.  There is lots more to know about the Heidelberg castle - check it out on the internet! Here is a good link. http://visit-heidelberg.com/tours/castle.htm

Heidelberg Castle

 Although it is possible to reach the castle walking up the mountain, the most popular way to get there is by "funicular".  A funicular is a cable system used to go up and down hills.  Two cars sit on parallel tracks and are attached to each other through a pulley at the top of the hill.  The weight of one car going down the track pulls the other car up the hill, usually with some mechanical assistance.  The cars take turns going up and down, pulling each other along.  (Pittsburgh has two funiculars, called "inclines" locally, that take people from downtown Pittsburgh to a residential area above the city)

Remember us?  Here we are standing outside the Castle.

Looking down on the city from the castle

While we were in Heidelberg we visited several Werkstattens.  Werkstattens are a combination of a school and a worksite for individuals with disabilities.  At age 18 a person is entitled to attend a Werkstatten for vocational training and assessment.  For the first two years the students have the opportunity to practice life skills, as well as try out several vocational opportunities.  Some people learn how to operate machinery, others learn landscaping skills and still others learn how to assemble and pack materials for shipping.  After two years, in some cases sooner, the students choose which job they prefer and go to work!  Those who are more severely disabled continue to come to the workstatten, but spend the day in a classroom or recreational area.  At the Werkstattens we visited, the employees were making parts for printing presses, then packaging and shipping them.  The German government requires all companies to hire some people with disabilities.   Many companies, such as the Heidelberg Printing Company, meet this requirement by having a contract with a Werkstatten.  The companies pay the Werkstatten to produce parts or provide a service.  Sometimes they loan the Werkstatten the money to buy the equipment needed to make the parts, but the Werkstatten must pay it back within a few years. The managers at the Werkstatten provide the supervision and "quality control" for its employees.  Employees (students) are paid by the Werkstatten.  Once a person has gone to work at a Werkstatten they can stay until retirement age of 65!  Many employees live in nearby supervised housing, but it is not required. 





These women are assembling a packing box which will ship
parts of the printin press assembly.

This man works a machine that creates parts
for a printing press.



Market Day and Cooking Class

One of the most interesting and enjoyable things I have done in Paris is to go to an outdoor market.  There are many of them around the city -  most are open three days a week.  They are set up on city streets, so they need to be put up and taken down each time they are open.  Mr. Z and I watched one closing in our neighborhood last week.  Food and merchandise have to be put away, tables wiped and broken down, lights dismantled, booths taken apart and loaded into trucks.  The workers have quite a system, everyone seems to have a specific job.  It reminded us of Chautauqua students at the Bay Cafe!

Shopping in the markets is a blast!  Some markets are small, but others are like an outdoor Walmart!  People come to them for the most part for fresh meat, fruits and vegetables, but you can find almost anything there.  Converse All Star shoes seem to be a very popular item!

Last week I took a "Market and Cooking Class" from some Americans who live here in Paris.  My day started by walking to the Metro Station and traveling a few stops to another part of Paris.  I was met there by Richard, who is from New York City, but moved to Paris about five years ago.  There were two other people in the class - a husband and wife from Ottawa, which is the capital city of Canada.  (They had their 11 year old son with them )  Together we walked through a huge market, selecting fresh ingredients for  our lunch.  We then walked to the home of Chef Charlotte, who lives in a townhouse close to the Eiffel Tower.  Charlotte was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, but has lived in Paris for over twenty years.  Together we cooked a delicious lunch of duck, roasted figs, potatos, salad, roasted tomatos, and a glutein free chocolate cake!   Mr. Z showed up just in time to eat!  We had a great time, talking and learning about Paris life while we cooked and ate.  I invited the Canadiens to come to PC, since it seems like the rest of Canada is there all winter.  Charlotte mentioned that she may be looking for a house sitter next summer so that she and her children can visit South Carolina for six weeks.  I volunteered Chautauqua and she seemed interested!  Who knows?

Things I have learned so far

1. I never, ever, ever want to drive in Paris.  Traffic is crazy - cars, bikes, motorcycles, city buses, tour buses- all traveling quickly and close together. The great news is that you don't need to drive. The buses and metro will take you all over Paris.  if you want to go into the Paris suburbs you can take the RER trains, which can be reached by bus or Metro.  Also, there are bike stands throughout the city where you can swipe a credit card and unlock a bike to use for half an hour for one Euro (about $1.40).  When you are done you just park it at another bike stand!  Walking is also very easy here because it is flat for the most part and there is lots to look at as you walk.

2. I have not seen a single wheelchair on a bus, although there is a section for them.  In fact I have only seen three or four people in wheel chairs the whole time we have been here... Only some of the buses have the hydraulic system I mentioned.  You have to look for a "handicapped" symbol on the front of the bus to know whether or not it can accommodate a wc.

3. Some restaurants will give you free water.  You can't just ask for water (l'eau) you have to ask for a "carafe d'eau".  Otherwise you get the bottled water which costs about $6 a bottle!

4. Paris is not very accessible.  Most of the bathrooms in restaurants are up or down steep steps.  I have not seen any elevators in the Metro stations.

5. Dogs are allowed just about anywhere.  We have even seen small dogs sitting at the table in restaurants!  It seems as if every French dog is very well behaved, though.  Guess Tilghman and Rhett will never see Paris.

6. Most Parisians seem to speak at least some English.  Even the children.  How sad that so few Americans learn other languages.

7. Paris is probably the most beautiful city in the world.  Most of the buildings are hundreds of years old and have beautiful stone work and iron railings and balconies.

8. ALL the bus stops have benches and route maps.  Most have shelters. Just like the Bay Town Trolley stops - NOT!

The Bastille

In the United States we celebrate our Independence day on July 4.  Here in France, there is a similar holiday celebrated on July 14, which is called Bastille day.  The French did not declare independence from another country like the American colonists did.  However, the success of the Ameican revolution helped inspire French citizens to overthrow the monarchy that then ruled France.  At the time of the French Revolution the King was Louis XVI and the Queen was Marie Antoinette.  The royal court included thousands of their family and friends, all of whom lived in extreme luxury, supported by the tax dollars of the ordinary citizens in France. (Remember the pictures of Versailles?)

 If a citizen did anything to anger the king, all the king had to do was issue a "writ" and that person would be imprisoned.  However, even in prison treatment was not equal between rich and poor.  Rich prisoners could by a spacious cell and even host dinner parties!  The poor were thrown into prisons like the Bastille, which was dark, damp, and disgusting.  Prisoners often drowned when the Seine River overflowed and flooded the building.  In 1789 the prison did not hold many prisoners, but it was being used to store weapons and ammunition for the king's army.  The citizens of France stormed the Bastille on July 14, 1789, freeing the prisoners and seizing the weapons.  This is considered to be the start of the French revolution.  Three months later they marched on Versailles, capturing the king and queen.

The prison was torn down in 1792.  The stones from it were recycled to build one of the many bridges that cross the Seine River.  The Colonne de Juillet stands where the Bastille once stood, although it is not a monument to the Bastille, but to French citizens who lost their lives in a later uprising.  Perhaps the French citizens don't want a reminder of such a horrible place.

Tuesday

We did the tourist thing today and rode the open air bus through Paris.  Here are some pictures I took; I will tell you more about each site and some others in later posts.
Ms. Mary Pat

This, of course is The Eiffel Tower.  Lots more about that later.

This is the front of Notre Dame Cathedral.  The two towers on the top are the bell towers made famous in the book, and of course Disney movie, "Hunchback of Notre Dame" . 

This is the square in front of the Louvre Museum.  The museum is the old building in the picture and extends several blocks in a giant "U" shape..  It was built in 1190 as a fortress to protect Paris from Viking raids.  In 1360 King Charles V transformed it into a Royal residence.  It was remodeled by King Francois in about 1515 to make it a more lavish home for French Royalty.  Subsequent kings made additional changes and it was the childhood home of King Louis the XIV (The Sun King) before he moved to Versailles.  After the French revolution it fell into disrepair and even became a gambling house. (Pretty big for a casino!)  It became a musem in 1793 with a colection of eight pieces of art.  Now it has over 30,000 pieces!   The glass Pyramid was built in 1989 as the main entrance.  It is very controversial.  Many people think it is too modern looking and does not fit in with the rest of the museum.

We will be going to the Louve on Sunday, when admission is free and will send you pictures from inside.

This is a very bad picture of the Obelisk in the center of the Place de la Concord.  It has a great story, which I will add tonight.

Saturday

We ventured outside of Paris Saturday night for a trip to the Chateau Versailles.  Versailles was originally a hunting lodge used by French royalty when they wanted a break from their royal duties.  However, King Louis XIV had a grander plan.  In 1661 he began construction of a huge Palace, spending a enormous amount of money.  Eventually Versailles included a spectacular main castle, two smaller castles, almost 2000 acres of gardens filled with statues and fountains, a long canal, and a small hamlet, where Queen Marie Antoinette pretended to be a shepherdess and took care of sheep!  The site is truly magnificent, but the French citizens were not happy that Louis the XIV and the next two kings spent so much tax money on Versailles when the people of France were starving.  In 1789 a mob of angry citizens invaded the castle and forced the royal family back to Paris, where they were imprisoned and eventually beheaded!  This was one of the first events in the French revolution.  Now Chateau Versailles is an opulent museum.  When you walk through it and see the extravagence and excess, it is easy to understand why the ordinary French citizen was outraged.

On Saturday night we watched a demonstration of music and dancing as it would have been done by the Royal Court in the seventeenth century.  Then we went outside to  see a spectacular sound and light show that showcased the many statues and fountains throughout the garden.  It was a fantastic evening. 

Here are two of the dancers in period costume.

Looking down the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles.

Here is a link to a video of the Chateau

Here is a sample of the French dancing done at the Chateau

Fountains, lights, fireworks - even better than Disney!

Part of the Outdoor light show.

Our First Full Day in Paris

Today was spent walking around the neighbor and doing a little exploring.  After buying breakfast at a "patisserie", which is a French bakery, we sat at a bench and watched all the city activity around us. We decided to do a bit more exploring, so decided on a bus trip across town.  We had trouble finding the desired bus stop, and watched with dismay when the bus we wanted pulled away from the curb while we were still half a block from the stop.  The good news is that the buses come by about every 10 minutes, so we didn't have to wait long for the next one. 

We noticed that some buses, but not all, have wheelchair access.  The bus pulls close to the curb and a hydraulic system lowers the right side of the bus to bring it closer to the curb. A small ramp extends from the doorway to the sidewalk. The driver raises the bus before pulling away from the curb.  It is much faster than having the driver get out, lower a lift, then raise it back up.  We saw a similar system on buses when we went to the Hong Kong Transed conference.  Maybe this is the wave of the future!

I have learned an expensive lesson today.  I asked for water in a restaurant and was served a small bottle of water that cost almost $5!  A soda costs the same! No refills either, guys!  If sodas were that expensive in the US, we would all be much healthier! 

I am looking forward to seeing artwork from today's Seaturtle class.  Keep meet posted on the activity of the CLSC.

We are here!

Hi everybody!

We have arrived in Paris after a long day of traveling.  Our flights were very smooth - just like riding the Bay Town Trolley!  We left Wednesday morning from the new airport and flew to Orlando with no problems.  We then caught a flight to Montreal, Canada.  We were supposed to wait about an hour in Montreal for our flight to Paris, but our plane was delayed in arriving from Vancouver, which if you check the map you will see is on the west coast of Canada.  The reason for the delay was that there was a medical emergency on board and the plane had to change route to take a sick passenger to Alaska!  By the time it evacuated that person and got back on track, the plane was almost three hours behind schedule.  It did not make a difference to Mr. Jay or me, since we were in no hurry.  Other people on our flight, however, had connections to make in Paris to go on to someplace in Russia.  When our plan landed in Paris, they had to rush off.  I don't know if they made their flight or not.  But isn't it interesting to think that somebody got sick near Vancouver and it affected people almost half way around the world?  You just never know what "ripples" you send out.

We are now in our apartment on the Left Bank of Paris.  We are across the street from Notre Dame Cathedral, although we cannot see it from inside our apartment.  We are in a neighborhood Mrs. Mccauley would love - apartments, stores, cafes, and lots of people walking around.  We are very close to a Metro stop, so we will be using it quite a bit.

We can hear live music from a cafe down the street and we feel as if we are in a movie.  Wish you all could be here with us. 

This is the courtyard we overlook.

Ms. Mary Pat

The black door is the entrance to our apartment
building.  If someone buys the "I love Paris"
t-shirt hanging out front, I might not find my way
home.

The view from our front door.
Notre Dame Cathedral

Getting Ready to Go

Hi Chautauqua!

This is just a test to make sure this blog is up and running.  I am busy packing and planning.  Watch this space for updates from Europe!

Ms Mary Pat