Spain and France Odyssey: Arrivee a Paris, l'Arc de Triomphe, le Louvre et Emma Neveu

A dream come true to be in this amazing city. By plane and train we arrived in Paris from Madrid. The train into Paris from Charles de Gaulle Airport is the easiest thing to do. After popping up from the subway it was just a few blocks to our apartment. We took a brief nap and set out to find some food and drink. We are staying in the Marais area of Paris, close to the Bastille (which is now simply a monument to 3 days in July which changed this country (sing Les Miserables)) and also very close to the Notre Dame cathedral and the river Seine. After exploring our neighborhood a bit we hopped back on the train to go explore the Champs Elysee and l'Arc de Triomphe. Part of our journey here in France includes a day trip to Normandy which we will post on this blog on July 4 which seems appropriate. The Arc de Triomphe certainly brings the the history of WWI and WWII (and other French wars) to our attention. At the base of the Arc is an eternal flame which burns over the tomb of the unknown French Soldiers of WWI. Opposite that is an inscription of Charles de Gaulle's appeal of June 18, 1940 which he broadcast on the BBC from London asking Great Britain and the United States to come to the aid of the French people. He also called upon the domestic resistance to not give in.

Excerpt from his speech:

"Pour la France est pas seule! Elle est pas seule! Elle est pas seul! Elle a un vaste Empire derrière elle. Elle peut aligner avec l'Empire britannique qui tient la mer et continue la lutte. Elle peut, comme l'Angleterre, utiliser sans limites l'immense industrie des États-Unis."

He ends his speech saying, "Quoi qu'il arrive, la flamme de la résistance française ne doit pas être éteint et ne sera pas éteint. Demain, comme aujourd'hui, je vais parler à la radio de Londres."

Translated:

For France is not alone! She is not alone! She is not alone! She has a vast Empire behind her. She can align with the British Empire that holds the sea and continues the fight. She can, like England, use without limit the immense industry of the United States.

Whatever happens, the flame of the French resistance must not be extinguished and will not be extinguished. Tomorrow, as today, I will speak on the radio from London.

His speech resonated around the world and it stirred emotions for us to read it under the Arc while watching an amazing sunset. It would be another 4 years until D-Day, but more on that tomorrow.

le Louvre:
WOW!
WOW, WOW, WOW.
Art overload. Yes, we saw the Mona Lisa but that was just a small part of the museum. My favorite was The Wedding at Cana by Italian painter Paolo Veronese. The painting is floor to ceiling and depicts the wedding where Jesus turned water into wine.

Zach loved the painting Liberty Leading the People by French painter Eugene Delacroix. Depicted in this painting is Lady Liberty carrying a French flag in one hand and a bayonet in the other. She is leading the charge for a new government for the people in the revolutionary war.

The Greek and Roman sculptures were a favorite of Kathy, especially Venus de Milo, or Aphrodite of Milos. Created sometime between 130 and 100 BC it is thought to be the work of Alexandros of Antioch. The marble sculpture is breathtaking as she stands 6' 8" high and takes up the center of a room of sculptures from the same time period.

The museum did not disappoint but once again, like the Prado in Madrid, our minds were fried after a few hours. Luckily, we had a lunch date!

We met our friend Emma Neveu in the courtyard of le Louvre for a mid afternoon lunch and glass of wine in the park. Emma has called Paris home her entire life, but she also has a home in Bellingham with Aunt Wendy and Uncle Brian. (They have made their house home to all our family and we call it our Bellingham home too). Emma was a student in Bellingham seven years ago and we met her when she was part of our extended family for two years during that time. Emma is made of awesome and it was great to catch up with her and hear about her time at the Cannes film festival which showed two short films in which Emma had roles.

Paris is beautiful.