Paris Archives - Heather Classen

Posted on July 25, 2020February 5, 2021 by Spatial H

June 29 – Paris Last Day : 2019 France Trip Memories

Mosaic at Petit Palais, Paris, June 29, 2019

On our last day we visited the Petit Palais Musée des Beaux Arts de la Ville de Paris. So much art to see all over the city. Taking a day in between art outings really helps you take it all in.

Petit Palais Musée des Beaux Arts de la Ville de Paris, June 29, 2019

The front entry way was lovely, of course.

Inside Petit Palais Musée des Beaux Arts de la Ville de Paris, June 29, 2019

The Petit Palais has art from many different periods. This art nouveau portrait is “Woman wearing gloves” by Charles-Alexandre Giron.

Portrait of a Woman, Petit Palais Musée des Beaux Arts de la Ville de Paris, June 29, 2019

A book of printing samples.

Fabric Samples, Petit Palais Musée des Beaux Arts de la Ville de Paris, June 29, 2019

A delicate brocade wrap.

Pretty Wrap, Petit Palais Musée des Beaux Arts de la Ville de Paris, June 29, 2019

A behind the scenes painting of a music party.

Painting by Camille Roqueplan, Petit Palais Musée des Beaux Arts de la Ville de Paris, June 29, 2019

The CSO had just played the Symphonie fantastique by Berlioz before my trip. I was delighted to see the original score in the museum.

Original Score by Berlioz for Symphonie fantastique, Petit Palais, Paris, June 29, 2019

Portrait of Hector Berlioz, Petit Palais, Paris, June 29, 2019

This one is so peaceful.

"Soir antique" by Alphonse Osbert, at Petit Palais, Paris, June 29, 2019 — “Soir antique” by Alphonse Osbert, at Petit Palais, Paris, June 29, 2019

Jean d’Arc est partout.

Jean d'Arc, Petit Palais, Paris, June 29, 2019 — Jean d’Arc, Petit Palais, Paris, June 29, 2019

Art Nouveau furniture.

Outside after the museum, a view of the Eiffel Tower.

View of the Eiffel Tower from Petit Palais, June 29, 2019

In the evening we got last minute tickets to the Assassin’s Creed concert at the Palais Des Congres in Paris. The symphony played over classic Assassin’s Creed gaming video from the various games. The composer came out for a bow at the end. Such a great way for this gamer musician to wrap up vacation.

Assassin's Creed in Concert, Palais Des Congres, Paris, June 29, 2019 — Assassin’s Creed in Concert, Palais Des Congres, Paris, June 29, 2019

Thanks for looking at all this. I’m writing this a year after the fact during the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, like everyone else we are largely quarantined to quell the spread of the virus. Herd immunity was something I didn’t know we were taking for granted. Hopefully soon science will get us to a place where we can gather in sports arenas, museums, and at musical events again. Be well, everyone.

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2019 France Trip Memories

Posted on July 25, 2020February 5, 2021 by Spatial H

June 28 – USWNT v France Quarter Final : 2019 France Trip Memories

US and France take the field for the World Cup Quarterfinal in Paris, June 28, 2019

Attending the Quarter Final game of the 2019 Women’s World Cup at Les Parc des Princes in Paris was, no doubt, the highlight of this adventure. The US Women’s National Team had two more games to win after this one, but somehow this one felt like a final with the French team playing in the French capitol to a very excited crowd.

The games were all very family friendly and each game had bunches of cute little soccer fans.

Little French Soccer Fans, USWNT v France, World Cup Quarterfinal in Paris, June 28, 2019

Timbao Percussion Group played outside the stadium and set the pulsating tone for the arriving crowd.

Timbao

We arrived at the stadium early for this one so we didn’t miss a thing.

“The Outlaws” US Soccer fan club arrived en masse.

The US Women’s National Team warmed up before the game in blue.

The starting line up was announced.

A video from the crowd’s point of view before the game. The stadium was intermixed France and US fans in red, white, and blue.

The players marched out in the pregame pageantry.

An image of a woman was unfurled during the opening ceremony.

And play began. USWNT in white and the French team in blue.

Megan Rapinoe got a goal pretty early on. A magical penalty kick, the video is in the highlights video at the end of this post.

We sat behind these two. The French woman on the right was a super polite fan, the US man on the left could hardly stay in his seat he was so excited.

This video shows how sitting behind these two went for the whole game. The French woman is a saint, btw.

The French team keeping the pressure on with this corner kick.

Definitely the most media of the games we saw.

Btw, “Dare to create”, what does that mean? How about just “Create”. Maybe something was lost in translation.

The French had a penalty kick.

Ettie, the FIFA mascot, made her appearance at the half.

A panorama gives a feel for the place. The entire audience was excited for the game, good sportsmanship and camaraderie all around.

Dunn throws in.

A Megan Rapinoe corner kick.

The arena was almost at capacity.

The audience around the broadcaster’s booth.

Both sides had huge support in the stands, the stadium was pulsating.

The barricades and guards were the same setup at all the games.

Red, white, and blue.

The US won 2:1 leaving the French out of the finals.

The US team huddled as the saddened French team found their way together.

There was always this mini huddle after the large team huddle.

And the heartbroken French grouped up for a post mortem.

The fans left the stadium in a festive mood. The crowd showed good sportsmanship over a game well played. I was concerned that people might get nationalistic and combative, but I never saw it happen. People just loved the light-hearted nature of how the Women’s World Cup was played.

The FIFA highlights real:

One more day left, a museum visit and Assassins Creed (yes, the video game) Live in Concert.

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2019 France Trip Memories

Posted on July 11, 2020February 5, 2021 by Spatial H

June 27 – The Louvre : 2019 France Trip Memories

Musical Interlude, at the Louvre, June 27, 2019

June 27, 2019 was the day before our last soccer game in France. We spent it at the Louvre. These are the pieces and experiences that struck me the most.

Spring term of 2019 I took a pen and ink class at the MFA in Boston. We learned exactly this technique of using standard tan colored paper stock, and lightening and darkening the illustration with black and white ink. I absolutely love working in this style myself, and was pleased to see a whole gallery on the hallway into the main part of the Louvre dedicated to examples of this type of work.

Pen and White and Black Ink at the Louvre, June 27, 2019

Next we viewed the ancient Egyptian art. These blue hippos are the best, you can see examples of them in Providence, RI, and New York. Of course there’s one here.

Ancient Egyptian Hippo at the Louvre, June 27, 2019

These carved wall reliefs are just beautiful. The Brooklyn Museum has a display showing how the artisans created them, if you’re nearby and curious.

Ancient Egyptian Wall Relief at the Louvre, June 27, 2019

Ancient Egyptian Carving at the Louvre, June 27, 2019

Ancient Egyptian Sculpture at the Louvre, June 27, 2019 — Ancient Egyptian Carving at the Louvre, June 27, 2019

Below are snapshots of the same piece from two different angles to see how the carving is recessed in the stone.

Egyptian Carving at the Louvre, June 27, 2019

The Ancient Persian art was next after the Egyptian galleries. They also use the aqua colored glazing that the Egyptians mastered with those hippos. The three following images were quite large on the wall, these photos don’t show their size properly.

Ancient Persian Tiles at the Louvre, June 27, 2019

I wish I got a photo of the information card for these signet rolls below. They are thousands of years old, and I believe they are used for commerce. The Harvard Art Museums have examples of these cylinders. The designs are clever and repeating. Nothing new under the sun, people always needed their brands with eye catching designs, even four plus thousand years ago.

Ancient Signet Rolls at the Louvre, June 27, 2019

From Egypt to Persia to Europe. The word is 12,000 people visit the Louvre a day in normal times. I believe this 100%.

We made our way to the lunch café overlooking the center courtyard.

Next, the Mona Lisa.

the heck?

View of People Viewing the Mona Lisa, June 27, 2019

Grab a snapshot as you shuffle by in the crowd to prove you were there.

Jean d’Arc is everywhere and I love it.

Jean d'Arc by Ingres, at the Louvres, June 27, 2019 — Jean d’Arc by Ingres, at the Louvres, June 27, 2019

Arcimboldo depicted the four seasons as people made entirely of food.

Arcimboldo's Seasons of Food at the Louvre, June 27, 2019 — Arcimboldo’s Seasons of Food at the Louvre, June 27, 2019

Musical instruments!

I feel Iike this was a dream I had.

SOoooooo much lovely art.

European Gallery at the Louvre, June 27, 2019

Dramatic clothes.

Portrait of a Spanish Woman by Mazo, at the Louvre, June 27, 2019

Pssst, I like this Da Vinci more than the Mona Lisa.

St Anne by Leonard da Vinci, at the Louvre, June 27, 2019

This artist’s work felt very modern to me. Though this may be what the Mona Lisa changed about art, adding the fogging.

Painting by Francesco Marmitta at the Louvre, June 27, 2019

This fella had a bad day, but isn’t the artwork amazing?

Temple Presentation by Bergognone, at the Louvre, June 27, 2019

Gilded Fra Angelico pieces take my breath away.

Angel of Adoration by Fra Angelico, at the Louvre, June 27, 2019

again, the heck?

Painting by Sassetta at the Louvre, June 27, 2019

I was surprised to see this work below. While working on CSO posters I snarfed the image of these demons for the background of the Angels and Demons concert poster.

Maitre Des Anges Rebelles, St Marin partageant son manteau, circa 1340. At the Louvre, June 27, 2019

Winged victories come in all sizes.

Mini Winged Victories at the Louvre, June 27, 2019

Winged Victory at the Louvre, June 27, 2019

Thought this one was lovely.

Portrait by Fragonard, at the Louvre, June 27, 2019

Queens have nice fabric.

Louise Tocque Portrait of French Royalty at the Louvre, June 27, 2019

Look at the varying levels of interest and boredom in this painting. So great.

The Lecture of the Bible, Jean Baptiste-Greuze, at the Louvre, June 27, 2019

Right about when we saw this view we realized we were maybe halfway through what was on display and decided we needed to come back and visit Paris for maybe three months and go see all the art. But this day we were done.

Next: quarter final game day.

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2019 France Trip Memories

Posted on June 29, 2020February 5, 2021 by Spatial H

June 26 – Paris Lumiers & Pompidou : 2019 France Trip Memories

Atelier des Lumières, Paris, June 26, 2019

June 26 was a day to sight see. A fun video projection place, L’Atelier des Lumières, and a visit to theart museum, the Centre Pompidou.

L’Atelier des Lumières is still running this year even with the pandemic according to their website. They change the shows periodically, and alternate throughout the day. We were there for a Van Gogh display followed by Japanese art. I kept the perspective of my photographs the same to show how dramatic the changing video was. These photographs of course don’t do the experience justice, if you find yourself in Paris this is a must see experience. It is the perfect thing to do when maybe it’s too hot outside, or maybe you’re exhausted from touring and you need a gentle, low energy Paris experience.

Rejuvenated by the video projection show we made our way to the Pompidou art museum, stopping at the Lil Weasel yarn store along the way.

Lil Weasel Yarn Store, Paris, June 26, 2019

Lots of great modern art in the Pompidou. There was a photography show, as well as contemporary modern art, one of the many art museums to add to your list when you visit Paris.

The Centre Pompidou, Paris, France, June 26, 2019

A northern view of Paris from the Pompidou hallways.

This Venus statue is tens of thousands of years old, it really stood out in comparison with the contemporary art on display here.

Ancient Venus Statue at The Centre Pompidou, Paris, France, June 26, 2019

After dinner at another great Paris restaurant we walked back to the hotel along the river. Parisians weathered the heatwave by gathering down at the river on this regular week night. Bottles of wine and water were politely piled up at the trashcans, as people watched the sunset. People were sitting on the river bank for the entire length of our walk back.

Another lovely sunset back at the hotel bar.

Paris View from the Citizen M Hotel, June 26, 2019

The next day, June 27, is dedicated to a visit to the Louvre museum.

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2019 France Trip Memories

Posted on June 19, 2020February 5, 2021 by Spatial H

June 19 – Scotland v Argentina : 2019 France Trip Memories

Half Time Fun with Lettie, Scotland v Argentina, Paris, June 19, 2019

Didn’t plan for it, but ended up getting front row tickets for the Scotland v Argentina Women’s World Cup Soccer game at Parc des Princes in Paris on June 19, 2019. The two teams were vying for a third place slot in their group to possibly make it to the knock out stage. Long story short, Scotland blew a 3 – 0 lead to end up tied with Argentina 3-3, ultimately neither team making it to the knock out stage.

For us it was a practice run on attending soccer matches in France. This game was at the Parc des Princes in the south western part of Paris, we had tickets reserved for the winner of group F: USA, Sweden, Chile, Thailand versus likely France in a week’s time at this same venue.

Our seats were in the front row looking down the line at the goal. The opening ceremony is always a treat as they always have children participating. Look at all the empty seats! Such a great game tho.

Scotland v Argentina, Parc Des Princes, Paris, June 19, 2019

The first half of the game Scotland dominated 3:0.

The field gets watered at halftime. Another warm evening.

Half Time, Scotland v Argentina, Paris, June 19, 2019

Lettie, the mascot, plays with the children during the break. They gave a bunch of tickets to school children for this game to fill the seats. A teacher saw us looking lost at the bus station and had us follow her and her group so we could find the venue. Again, a great dry run for the group winner game later on.

Lettie the Mascot at Half Time, Scotland v Argentina, Paris, June 19, 2019

After halftime Argentina worked their way back from 3:0.

Argentina fights back, Scotland v Argentina, Paris, June 19, 2019

VAR was a huge part of Women’s World Cup 2019 in France. Not sure what FIFA was thinking. So often the games were stopped so referees could review video in the back.

"VAR" takes over the game, Scotland v Agentina, Paris, June 19, 2019 — “VAR” takes over the game, Scotland v Agentina, Paris, June 19, 2019

Basically there was a new rule for the game that the goalies had to stand exactly on the line as the penalty kick took place. Here’s an article at CNN about Hope Solo’s take on it.

Ref tells Goalie to stand on the line, new rule for Women's World Cup play, June 19, 2019 — Ref tells Goalie to stand on the line, new rule for Women’s World Cup play, June 19, 2019

Argentina missed the first kick, VAR came back saying the goalie stepped off her line so they retook the kick.

Penalty Kick from Argentina, June 19, 2019

The second penalty kick take went in, Argentina tied the game 3-3, ultimately keeping Scotland out of the knockout stage.

Argentina Ties with Scotland 3-3, June 19, 2019

After the game we exited the stadium right where a Scottish bag piper was leading fans out of the stadium. This is my video of the piper, who, if you think about it, packed his bagpipes for travel from Scotland to Paris to lead a dirge of fans out of the stadium after a heartbreaking day for Scotland.

This video below is the FIFA highlight reel for the game.

Next in our travels was a train ride to Le Havre to see our first USWNT game.

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2019 France Trip Memories

Posted on June 19, 2020February 5, 2021 by Spatial H

June 19 – Paris City Tour : 2019 France Trip Memories

Women's World Cup posters in Paris, June 19, 2019

First full day in France, took a bus tour. We saw and photographed a lot of the famous landmarks during this tour, but I’m not going to focus on the typical guide book stuff if I can help it. The photos I’m sharing here are more about my impressions of the Paris as we worked our way around.

Didn’t climb the Arc de Triomphe, but these people did.

Tourists on the Arc de Triomphe, June 19, 2019

Photo from a tour bus of marked off photo line for tourists at the Arc de Triomphe. Paris in a nutshell: tourists, photos, traffic, and more tourists.

Traffic Island for Tourists to Take Photos in front of the Arc de Triomphe, June 19, 2019

One of countless rideshare electric scooters in front of the Eiffel Tower. Definitely ended up using these scooters after a while as it was 95 degrees most of the time making walking and the subway a less attractive way to get around the city.

Read the names across the top – the Eiffel Tower is a monument to science! I had no idea before this bus tour, somehow that’s not usually highlighted when spoken about.

The statuary on top of the National Academy of Music is quintessential French. Love it.

Still More Statuary at the National Academy of Music, Paris June 19, 2019

Statuary at the National Academy of Music, Paris, June 19, 2019 — Still More Statuary at the National Academy of Music, Paris June 19, 2019

Architects sign the buildings in Paris, why doesn’t this happen everywhere? The varied decorative features on the buildings were lovely, couldn’t get enough.

Building Decoration in Paris June 19, 2019

Architects Sign Buildings, Paris, June 19, 2019 — Building Decoration in Paris June 19, 2019

This is one of my favorite photos, people are the same everywhere. Can’t have a cherub in a fountain without turning it into an anarchist with a curly mustache.

Anarchist Cherub Fountain, Paris, June 19, 2019

This Ferris wheel was in varied states of construction during our time there.

Assembling the Big Wheel at the Place de la Concorde, June 19, 2019

Mosaic street art dotted the city. Here are two of the many we saw.

Mosiac Street Art, Paris, June 19, 2019 — Mosaic Street Art, Paris, June 19, 2019

This “Religieus” cream puff was gluten free. I think about this cream puff a lot, I’m not gonna lie.

This is Gluten Free, Paris, June 19, 2019

Paris streets as seen from the top of a tour bus.

Police on Bikes, Paris, June 19, 2019 — Paris Street, June 19, 2019

Support for women’s world cup soccer wasn’t ubiquitous, a few Parisians we spoke to didn’t even know it was going on. But graphic art posters like these were spotted here and there around the city.

We found ourselves speaking to some Scottish soccer fans in a pub, turns out the Scotland team was playing Argentina this night right in Paris. We went onto the FIFA website and got ourselves front row tickets. The stadium wasn’t sold out from lukewarm interest in the game, but we went as a trial run to see how attending these games works so we were savvy for the US games. Turns out we had a great time, that’s my next post.

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2019 France Trip Memories

Posted on June 18, 2020February 5, 2021 by Spatial H

June 18 arrival : 2019 France Trip Memories

Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, June 18, 2019

A year ago I took the best vacation ever: to France to watch the women’s world cup soccer matches in different cities across the country, and I am reliving the trip this year by posting memories with photos every day, to document all the great experiences in a travel journal that I didn’t get together last year.

We flew direct Boston to Paris, checked into our hotel which was a little bit away from the city center and the sites. After we rejuvenated with a nap followed by an Indian meal nearby, we jumped directly onto the metropolitan subway to figure out how to make our way around on public transportation. We headed for the center even thought it was late in the day.

Right away we found ourselves at Notre Dame cathedral. It was just two months since the date the building burned. We arrived June 18, 2019; the fire happened April 15, 2019. The area around the cathedral was cordoned off for safety and construction work, including the walkway down next to the river. An abandoned ride share bike, left on the river walkway and covered in ash, can be seen in the photo below. The cathedral looked lovely regardless of its trouble.

Abandoned Bike Share in front of the recently burned Notre Dame Cathedral, June 18, 2019

The gargoyles were still impressive against the sky.

Gargoyles on the recently burned Notre Dame Cathedral, June 18, 2019

Tired from our first day of travel we wandered across the river and found the English language bookshop and cafe, Shakespeare and Co. Perfect for a caffeine pick-me-up to get ourselves back to the hotel.