Blog #3: Wednesday Excursions and Little Adventures

Luxembourg

Before fulling diving into the experience at Luxembourg, I just wanted to mention how much I adore the effort put into all the greenspaces here. I truly wish we had this luxury back home. Aside from the Luxembourg Gardens, I have gone on walks within the general area of the Cite and it is so nice coming across lush parks unexpectedly. I just wish we had this back home because nature is so great for mental health. You would think that back in the States with our rampant mental health crisis the least that could be done is build a more natural environment, but no. Instead, we get urban sprawl and parks/playgrounds where the playground themselves are completely in the sun because it was designed to have all the trees on the perimeter. I digress and will discuss my thoughts and feelings about Luxembourg now!

First, I am glad to now know that the gardens are not named after the country, and were actually built predating the country’s founding in 1815. Now the gardens themselves are just breathtaking. I love taking nature/flower photographs so I was very happy to have such a prime opportunity to do that. Furthermore, the way the trees and the natural environment are integrated into the garden/park’s design is *chef’s kiss.* This is what we need back in the States! I also love how the gardens were designed to have axis points to see other sites such as the Pantheon, which I actually went to see today (7/7). Furthermore, the way the area was designed for so much recreational use for all ages was just amazing to see. Everything back home feels so separated based on certain age-related activities. As Prof. Smith pointed out, back in the U.S. you have completely separate playgrounds for kids ages 2-8, and then 8+, etc. It is just nice to see a space so free of barriers.

I wish I had had more time to explore the gardens once class ended so that I could figure out which part is “for me.” I definitely intend to go back though, I would love to find a nice shaded area to crochet and maybe listen to my audiobook. I can also do it on a nice, well-designed bench as we mentioned at the beginning of class that day. I hate coming across hostile architecture, so seeing a lack of it here is wonderful. I desperately need calming, natural spaces like this back home.

Musee Rodin and Mini Travels

After finishing up class in Luxembourg, I went on the MICEFA trip to the Musee Rodin. I have to be honest, before researching up on this trip I had absolutely no idea who Rodin was. Once I found out it was the sculpture of The Thinker, there was an “oooh” moment in my head. Seeing his work was absolutely amazing though. I got some really lovely photographs of a few of the outdoor sculptures, in particular Eve which I really loved. I must admit, I’m not the best at finding “deeper meanings” in art, but I can definitely admire the artistry.

One sculpture I want to make note of is The Arch of Alliance (pictured below), which was later referred to as The Cathedral. The space between the hands is said to represent the Gothic architectural lines that intrigued Rodin. While I was not observant enough to notice this upon first class, after reading the plaque, I can abstractly make out the gothic look Rodin was attempting with this piece. It reminds me of details such as the way the arched ceilings in Gothic churches curve into each other. I actually observed these details today when visiting the Church of Saint-Séverin.

Which, moving on a little more, I did some exploring around Paris after class and MICEFA excursions between Wednesday and today. As mentioned, I wandered into the Church of Saint-Séverin which was beautiful like most churches in Europe. One thing I noticed was that in one area of the church, there was ruched appearing wallpaper like what was in the Sainte Chapelle. I’m going to be keeping tabs on the places I see wallpaper like this because I want to find out more. With a quick Google search, no clear answer pops up so I’ll do some more digging. My current guess is it was done as a cheaper alternative to having actual fabric, curtains present, or just the designer’s choice, but I cannot wait to hopefully find out some more information.

Lastly, I wanted to briefly mention my visit to the Pantheon and how stunning it is and what an impressive piece of architecture. Not only is the main level beautiful with its stone carvings and many murals, my favorite is La Morte. I just love the way death is represented. Furthermore, the crypt? I was blown away at how extensive and expertly crafted it was, just stellar. Although, I find the Pantheon’s history hilarious in how many times it was tossed around between being a place of worship and secular. Like this poor building could not catch a break.