June 6: The 2008 “Cousins' Tour” begins
Carmen arrives in Paris, still feeling like it's all a dream
Musician singing classic French chancons on the Metro from the airport into Paris
Even ordinary brick apartment buildings are tricked out in Paris
Lesley's first, long-awaited mocha eclair
An unusual French product
There's no shortage of calories in Paris!
Lesley always travels with duct tape, bungee cords, and Ziplok bags.
Giant Ziploks make great manual washing machines when sink has no stopper
Successful make-shift mini-fridge in 40-degree Paris
It's a good thing we walked almost nonstop in Paris...
Excellent young classical violin player in underground Metro station
The magnificant Louvre Museum
Louvre pyramid
This is Valhalla, for an art teacher
One of the three wings of this massive museum
Lesley at the Louvre
The “Winged Victory”
Many of the photographs of famous art works are for Carmen to show her students in El Salvador
Such a little painting for such a big fuss...
The scale on some of these is massive.
Carmen and Mona
Okay, I'm underwhelmed with her...
Awwwww...
Hallway in the Louvre: even the buildings themelves are art forms
Her image is all over Paris
I haven't a clue what it is, but I liked it.
“Please, sir. I want some more.”
Lizzie Borden?
This part, alone, is at least 10' tall
This has always been a favorite of mine...
and so has she.
Glorious stonecarving
Carmen and Venus
“I bet this statue would be worth a lot, if it weren't broken!”
Jessica's favorite: Athena
Stonework from the original Louvre
That looks familiar...
An on-site artist gave Carmen his drawing.
I love the feet.
Samll church in Paris (St. Michael's, maybe?)
Children's after
Montmartre cemetery in Paris
Crypts build under the bridge
Paying her respects?
Resting in peace
Maybe she was known for her challah bread?
A touching plaque for a music teacher
Grave of Alexandre Dumas (wrote “Count of Monte Cristo,” “Three Musketters,” etc.)
Dumas
Degas, painter of tiny dancers
Carol loved his art and will share his grave
European cemeteries are so much more interesting than ours
Creative way of identifying who's sharing a grave
Carol was a flutist who loved to play his Symphonie Fantastique, so she'll share his grave, as well.
Carmen's students would love for her to paint her car like this one.
You can't escape art in Paris.
A top and roll bars on a motorcycle?
The last remaining windmill in Paris sits stop a restaurant now.
Lesley's favorite sculpture in Paris.
The dollar is terrible against the quro right now. Ice cream is $9.65 in this ordinary, streetside cafe.
Colored scarves
A 19th century cafe in Montmartre, now an art gallery.
The beautiful Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart) Cathedral in Montmartre
My favorite place when I first came to Paris, on a singing tour, in 1966.
I just love a good gargoyle!
Architectural detail on Sacre Coeur
Another side of Sacre Coeur
Carmen and Lesley spent many pleasant hours wandering around in souvenir shops. Andi, a nonshopper, was very tolerant.
Carousels are all over in Europe.
Carmen quickly mastered the Paris Metro system and seved as our guide.
The old palace in Paris
Carmen's first view of the Seine and its bridges.
One of the bateaux buses (“boat buses”) that go up and down the Seine.
Lunching beside the Seine
Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral
Notre Dame
Mass at Notre Dame commemorating the 350th year of the Catholic missions
Detail on Notre Dame
Life-sized statues go all the way around outside of Notre Dame
With over 2500 bishops, 20+ archbishops, and 3 cardinals inside Notre Dame, we sat outside for mass.
Clergy came from all ove rhe world for this celebration.
Priests, bishops, archbishops, and cardinals poured out of Notre Dame for more than a half-hour after mass.
Paris teens escorted the international delegations
Story-telling details on Norte Dame
Before their parishoners could read, churches used paintings and sculptures to teach.
Sun setting over the Seine
Seen in Paris just days before her rescue.
Carmen called this the “Hotel de Cruella de Ville”
Funny “Equip yourself with the essentials” ad seen in Metro stations
Colorful Metro station
Section of “occupant list” at the Cemetiere du Pere-Lachaise
French novelist Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, author of ”Gigi“
Composer Rossini
Anicet-Bourgeois, French playwright and friend of Dumas.
Holocaust memorial at Pere-Lachaise cemetery
Detail of holocaust memorial
Paul Baudry painted portraits and nudes
Thomas Couture, French historical and portrait painter
He designed his gavestone so that he would be able to see his wife's face through eternity.
Nobody we knew - just a cool monument
Vincenco Belllni, quintessential composer of “bel canto” operas
Chopin's grave
There's a tradition of leaving a red rose on Edith Piaf's grave.
I left some of Carol's ashes with one of her favotire singers from the WWII era.
Amedeo Modigliani, painter and sculpter
It's also traditional to keave a lipsitck “kiss” on Oscare Wilde's monument.
De only defacing I saw were de kisses on de face.
Some of my mom's favorite actors
Surely everyone knows who she was...
A very cool grave marker for a sailing enthusiast
Jean Auguste Ingres, a French Neoclassical painter
Isn't a cemetery a wonderful place for whimsy?
Allen Kardes
Pseudonym of Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail, founder of the Spitritism movement
French romantic artist and chief rival of Ingres and the Neoclassical artisrs
19th century French novelist and playwright
In Provence, the cicada, "La Cigale," is a sign of good fortune and its image is seen everywhere.
Charles Demorny, French politician, brother of Napoleon III
French romantic composer who wrote the opera, “Carmen”
Theodore Gericault, painter during Napoleon's rule
The Doors' Jim Morrison, whose gravesite has been virtually destroyed by fans wanting to have a piece of it.
Heloise and Abelard, two of history's most famous and tragic lovers, “reunited in the tomb.”
Gioachino Rossini, Italian composer who wrote “The Barber of Seville” - and 38 more operas
Alfred de Musset, poet: "How glorious it is, but how painful it is also, to be exceptional in this world!" (from La Merle Blanc, 1842)
The most amazing “cimitiere” I've ever seen
Bridge over the Seine
Carmen in Paris
Pegasus
L'Arc de Triomphe, world's largest triumphal arch, commissioned by Napoleon
We rode the “Batobus” up and down the Seine
Sightseeing boat on the Seine
Paris, seen from the top of the Eiffel Tower
Spreading ashes from top of Eiffel Tower
The Seine, seen from top of Eiffel Tower
Paris is a huge city, with more than 10 million people in the “metro” area
Carmen at top of Eiffel Tower
The Seine
Alexandre Gustave Eiffel
Thomas Edison visited Eiffel at the apartment in the Eiffel Tower
Eiffel built an apartment for his daughter, Valentine, and her new husband at the top of the Tower.
She reminded Carmen and me of my drumming teacher.
Looking down at structure inside Eiffel Tower
Lesley at Eiffel Tower
Carmen's proof that it really wasn't just a dream
Waiting to meet up with the rest of the group
Carol always wanted to see Paris and the Seine, so I scattered some ashes here, too.
The Batobus was a great way to get from the Louvre to the Tower.
The Louvre seen from the Seine
Great ”flying buttresses“
Carmen with the Louvre in the background
I love the architecture of the Louvre
There's art everywhere to be found in Paris
Carmen at a little outdoor bistro in Paris
Note the order of the keys. European keyboards will drive you to drink, especially at nearly $6 for 15 minutes at an Internet cafe.
Carmen thought this sign in our hotel was funny, because “chambre” means “rumor” in Spanish.
Detail at Notre Dame Cathedral
If you stand on this plaque (geogaphical center of Paris), you'll come back there someday, they say.
More of my gargoyles
The cousins
Lauren, Meredith, and some of “our” other great kids at Notre Dame
Gauguin's “Et l'or de leur corps”
I have no idea who painted it, but I loved this one.
Van Gogh's “Portrait of Paul Gachet”
One of van Gogh's self-portraits. Sad that he never sold a single painting while he was alive, except to his brother, Theo.
van Gogh's ”La Meridiene“ (The Siesta)
van Gogh's painting of his room, which we later visited
Carmen loved Monet's huge waterlily paintings
Monet's painted a lot of irises, too.
Carmen's art students will recognize this favorite
The old artists' village of Montmartre and Sacre Coeur cathedral
One of my favorite Impressionist paintings
Betcha know this gal.
Cast in silver!
Scale model of one area the enormous Lourvre
Ingres' “La vierge a l'hostie”
Lighting a candle for a friend's mother at Notre Dame (my personal beliefs are irrelevant here - it's hers that matter.)
Notre Dame de Paris
African immigrants in Paris protesting their poor treatment by the French government (find the djembe!)
A terrific balafon player in a Paris Metro station
Cleaning the outside of the Batobus window before embarking (for clearer photos, of course.) Doesn't everyone do this?
Paris sunset (unedited)
Photo taken from a boat on the Seine, jsut after sunset
These boats have no room to spare passing under the bridges on the Seine
No color enhancement: this is how it looked at 10:30 PM
Twinkling lights on Eiffel Tower (10 minutes every hour at night)
Carmen by one of Monet's waterlily paintings at the Orangerie
Example of Monet's brushstrokes for Carmen's students
I love what she's playing with!
Interesting style!
We saw a number of musicians and bands playing in the various Metro stations
