Museums : A sampling

My limited time in Paris only allowed me to visit 3 museums. But only a glimpse. More time is needed to appreacite all of the artworks. From the outside...

Louvre : the largest art museum in the world. Opened its doors to the public in the late 18th century. It may take you a week or more if you want to really see all the artworks and appreciate them entirely.

Rodin museum : celebrates the work of August Rodin who donated all of his work to the state of Paris. You can find various sizes of his classic work : The Thinker.

Musée d'Orsay : my favorite for it houses the great works of impressionist painters. I enjoyed this museum much more than Louvre since I was able to take my time and admire works of Van Gogh, Seurat, Monet, Manet, Degas, etc...

Majestic gardens

Some gardens that I visited. All of them beautiful. I realized that I prefer nature.

Garden at the Rodin Museum. A place where you reflect while appreaciating sculptures scattered all around you.







One of the many gardens surrounding the Chenonceau garden. Beauty if nature combined with human creativity.

Luxembourg Garden: a beautiful 25-hectare garden.








Promenade gardens towards the Eiffel Tower. Taken atop the tower. A long walk but worth it.

A perfect example of French style garden architecture: the formal, carefully ordered, and perfectly landscaped gardens at Versailles Palace.

Castles in Paris: See the interiors

Visiting several castles in France entails a look inside the lives of famous kings and royal families. I attached here a few pictures to show how intricate were the designs, how big the rooms, and how lavish the furniture.

I noticed that beds seem to be very small compared to what we have today. Were they smaller in height? Or do they just prefer to curl up in bed?

A statue gilded in gold created just to hold a chandelier. Talk about lavish.

A hallway full of animals' antlers. Try to visualize. Many horses. A pack of hunters. A king surrounded by his court. Ladies of royal blood garbed in extravagant clothes, having tea in the garden while waiting for their husbands and paramours to come from the long hunt. An excitement-filled hunt in a forest filled with game. Everyone ready for the kill.

Take some time to look up the ceilings and see the detailed designs. See artworks every time you look around. No wonder they need large spaces for gardens. They were necessary to remain sane.

Walk through another spacious hallway and imagine you pass through this way each day. Hmmm... it is not only the garden that you need strength to walk, even inside your house.

Want to see a particular country in the world? Check out their "little globe."

Surround yourself with pictures of your ancestors. A reminder of their past exploits.

With stained glass windows inside the castle, it may seem like you are in a church.

Ready to go to war? Get into an armor. I've always thought that a battle with swords is much better than guns and canons. In a certain perspective, this kind of fight is more equal ... a fight that entails skill of prowess and mind.

Just a short glimpse into their lives ...

Where the kings lived

Five castles in a span of two weeks. A way to see how the kings of France lived their lavish and ceremonial lives. These pictures are all from the outside, set in wonderful views of the sky.

At the city where I had my training, I was able to visit the Chateau de Vincennes. According to history, it constructed in the 14th century by Charles V and it is one of the biggest and best preserved castles in Europe

On a free day, I grabbed an opportunity and joined a guided tour to the Loire Valley, a place filled with numerous castles from different centuries. I was able to visit three.


The first: "Château de Chenonceau" ... or the " perfect " Loire Valley Castle in the harmonious setting of river Cher. It was said to be shaped by women such as Catherine Briçonney, Diane de Poitiers, Catherine de Medici, Louise de Lorraine, Madame Dupin, Madame Pelouze ...

A great expanse of land with a maze, a vegetable garden, a farm, and a wooded area. A beautiful place!

The second castle : Cheverny, held to be the Loire's most magnificently furnished château. It is still inhabited by the original family. Its design was inspired by the Luxembourg Palace in Paris.

The third: Chateau de Chambord. This is the largest of the Loire castles, a sumptuous Renaissance Palace, and creation of the King François I.

No trip to France is complete without a visit to "Versailles Palace" or the "Palace of Versailles". This "immense palace" of the Louis XIV represents the most prestigious monument of the 17th century French Art. King Louis XIV or the Sun King transformed his father's hunting lodge into the most impressive castle of all time. A golden palace surrounded by immense gardens filled with numerous fountains and statues.

My best friend in Paris

Walking can be hell. And Paris is a city where you are meant to walk.

Good thing my mother "forced" me to bring my rubber shoes. Otherwise, something might have died while I was in Paris. My feet.

During the training, I had to wear my leather shoes. And one day, two of my classmates and I decided to visit the Vincennes Woods. I've seen the place in the net. It was supposed to be very nice. And so we must go visit it.

We asked some people for direction and they said that it was a 15 minute walk. And so we start walking. We saw the little park. It was beautiful. All green and fresh. A little window to what Eden might have looked like.

Walk. Walk. Walk. My internal clock tells me that we have exceeded the 15 minute mark. Yet, from afar, I cannot see even a hint of its gate. I hear my feet beginning to complain. I try not to listen.

Some old men were stooping down to get some water from a fountain. We asked again for direction. 15 minute walk again, they say. Later on, I learned that when they say 15 minutes, it means 30 minutes or more to us.

And so we plodded on. My poor feet. Walk. They are crying. I think I am almost limping. Walk. We saw a path. It does not lead to our chosen Woods.

It will be dark soon. My colleagues noticed that I am beginning to slow down. They asked me if I want to continue. My poor toes decided for me. I told them we should head back. But I asked for a few minutes of rest. Good thing. Otherwise I might have crawled back.

The next day I was wearing my rubber shoes. It became my best friend.

While walking along the Montmartre area and going up the stairs to see the Sacre Coeur Basilica.

While enjoying my promenade from Louvre to the Triumphal Arch (two or three metro stations between them.., just to illustrate the length of my walk) and passing through the long Tuileries Gardens.

While strolling along the streets of Latin Quarter and finally having a conversation in English... with my former French teacher!

While feasting on artworks inside various museums and walking their long corridors such as the Louvre with its 260 meters exhibition space.

I now miss my long jaunts in Paris. Everytime you take a step, you will find something interesting, if not for its beauty, then for its being different. Long walks with fresh air. Solitary yet not lonely. Take a dose each day, with your rubber shoes.

Filipinos in Paris

In some ways, it felt like I did not leave Manila. Only because I was welcomed by several Filipinas on my first week-end in Paris. Two, I already know quite well since we were former classmates in Business French. The others I've heard of. In many ways, it was home away from home.

During my entire stay in Paris, I met other Filipinos. A friend from a previous job. The colleague of a former French client. Friends of friends. Riding the metro or walking around, I cannot help but notice faces that seem to be so familiar to me. They have the imprint of the Filipino blood in them.

I learned that there are around 25,000 Filipinos working in Paris alone. Sadly, many do not have the official papers to work there. I listened to their stories. Mostly bitter-sweet ones because they are away from their family.

They work hard. And they earn a lot. Start early and often finish late into the night. They get extra work during weekends or weeknights when there are special events.

They say that they are better off here compared to others who are in the Middle East or even the United States. Here, they get a lot of help from the government. They get medical aid, insurance and they are assured that their rights are respected. They get to send money to their families back home. Buy properties, build houses, send their children to school.

But those pleasing tales are laced with tears, loneliness and estrangement. One, who can't go home, hasn't seen her son for the last five years. Another gets to see her daughter only for one month of each year, the only time she can go home, for the last 17 years. One mother prefers not to go home because her husband just uses her children to get money from her. Many, I believe went there to earn some money and then became trapped with the feeling of security ub earning a lot of money.

They shared life stories of other Filipinos, many I could no longer rememeber. What struck me though is that they were all willing to bear so many sufferings in order to earn enough money.

I ask myself : am I willing to do the same? To be away from my family to earn money? Am I ready to pay the price of not knowing my children or fear the possibility of a husband that will betray me?

In my mind today, I could say that I would rather live a simple life together with my family than be far from them to earn a lot of money. But then, I do not know what they are really going through. Maybe I would do the same. Maybe not. Hard to say.

My prayer though is that I need not do the same in order to provide for my future family. God is gracious. He would provide.

Paris : from my eyes

Let me share my story through the pictures I have taken in Paris...

Walking along the River Seine, I had to take this beautiful picture of the Eiffel Tower.

1. What do I love best in Paris? The sky, the constantly changing sky. It has character. It has beautiful colors. The wind, when it blows, creates different images in the heavens.

Imagine yourself getting married in Paris, at the garden in front of the Eiffel Tower!

This is what the happy couple is doing on a Sunday afternoon. Very romantic!

Atop the Bateau Mouche, I had an hour-long tour along the river Seine. Very important, since I got to see all the magnificent structures. A very good and sunny day it was, unexpected many said, but I know it was expressly given to me by God.

I saw many people dotting the river side... just plain lying down and soaking the heat of the sun. It was supposed to be dark and raining. Instead I got the gift of a glorious day... just right for a tour.

One of the impressive bridges along Seine. The statue, I was told, is meant to indicate the water level in the river. Notice the wooden crates under the bridge? Sorry to dispel the euphoric image of the city of lights but Paris also has its share of problems : the SDFs or sans domicile fixe... the homeless.

In front of the Opera, while waiting for a friend, I couldn't resist. I had to take a picture of the city of lights. Just the right site for lovers to walk, while holding hands.

I followed my former teacher's advice. I went up the Montparnasse Tower and had a wonderful 360 degrees view of the city. At 7:00 in the evening, as the sun began to set, I appreciated the beauty of man's creative handiwork basked with the divine light from God's creation.

Some more on the next blog...