Day 20

After class, went with Pranali to collect things for lunch. Sushi box, baguette, cheese, tomato tapenade, strawberries, drinks, nutella, and crisps. Took our booty over to the Champs de Mar for an al fresco picnic and a great view of the Eiffel Tower. We even found a lawn that was ope. Of picnicking, and used my converted Marche Franprix bags for a ground cover. We gorged ourselves, and enjoyed the warmth of the sun and the cool of the shade.

Over to L'Invalides to explore the military. First we found the Louis XIV to Napolean III section. Amazing displays of military costumes, accoutrements, and video displays with troop movements and battles. We wandered haphazardly for a while, until we became more aware of the time! Hurried over to see the chapel, and to see Napoleon's tomb. Amazing that such pomp and splendor was given to one man, so recently. 

Then, we sped through the World War sections.cmade it through the entirety of the first, but only through 1943. It gave me the chills to see how far human kind has come in developing the tools of war. From pikes and swords, to guns and bombs, to chemical warfare. The most terrifying part for me was the display with masks and air purification systems for use in chemical warfare. So inhumane. I felt anew the detrimental effects of having a military force that only a small fraction of the citizenry participates in. So easy to send troops to war when one is not personally invested in any of those individual lives.

Finally, we were hurried out of the museum. It is so immense that it would take days to thoughtfully explore the museum. Days that I would rather devote to other subjects.

Over to the Rodin Museum. Unfortunately, it is undergoing some reconstruction/restoration, and only a portion of the Hotel Biron is open. However, most of my favorite pieces were still on display in the temporary exhibit, "Rodin, The Flesh, The Marble." Works such as The Kiss, The Hand of God, Lovers' Hands, and Monument to Victor Hugo. Quickly wandered through the truncated main collection, then spent the rest of the evening in the garden. 

Or, at least, that was my plan. However, I started to feel eaten alive by buys. Ugh. Went through the flesh/marble exhibit again, just to fix the pieces in my memory. It's amazing to me how Rodin was able to "free" figures in the unyielding stone. Especially given his penchant to leave large parts of the block unfinished, so that one can see the contrast between the raw material and the developed surfaces. The pieces appear so real. Also, being sculpture and not a two dimensional art form, the figures almost seem to jump out of the imagination. With Rodin's marble sculptures, I am able to suspend disbelief in a way that is just impossible with paintings. The only other place I have seen his work is at a museum in San Francisco. Seemed to take a while to get there by bus, and it was near the ocean and lots of trees. Must see if there are any Rodins in Los Angeles. That being said, he was a horrible womanizer. I feel great pity for any woman who was foolish enough to give her heart to this man. I wonder if Camille Claudel thought that their relationship was worth the heartache and insanity that ended up destroying her. Of course, it might have been a natural proclivity, but I'm sure that the tumultuous relationship "helped" bring about her decline and demise.

I should qualify that it's Rodin's marbles that I love. The bronzes don't really touch me at all.

A quick look in the gift shop. Again, nothing tempted me enough, given that I had just seen the glorious originals.

Took the metro back. Stepped off at the Clunny La Sorbonne stop to take some photos of the platform. Tile signatures adorn the ceiling above the platform. The only one I could make out was Robespierre. One wonders what his thoughts were as he sat in jail, and just before he was executed. Poetic justice? Or a profound sense of injustice and pride?

On a whim, I took the 10 all the way to Gare Austerlitz. I was surprised to see that the Jardin des Plantes was closed. A garden closed before dusk? In Paris? But, I wandered through the Tino Rossi garden instead. It follows the left bank of the Seine up toward the Arab Institute. The TR is an open air sculpture garden, but also an open air meeting place for people of all stripes. Lots of people picnicking on the lawns and semi-circular steps. I'd read somewhere that there was dancing along the Seine here in the summer, but saw none of it. Maybe it is on the weekend? Saw one sculpture in particular that reminded me of descriptions of primitive stone buildings. Some resourceful biker had decided that it made a particularly good post to which to lock his bike. 

All in all, it's been a beautiful day, and I was sad to find it ending. It seems like my days are rushing to a conclusion. And while I begin to yearn for the comforts of home, I feel a certain sense of panic at having my visit end.