Over the course of 4 days, my parents were able to visit me in Paris, and we had a wonderful and relaxing time exploring various museums, parks, and places. For my family, Paris is our favorite city to collectively visit, and since we had all been here before, we were able to enjoy Paris at a leisurely pace. Here are several photos commemorating our time together, and I can't wait to explore Paris again as a family hopefully in the near future!
Day 1: Parent's arrival, Parisian Islands and Marais Walking Tour, Picasso Museum Visit (not pictured)
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| On the Pont Neuf, which connects Ile de la Cité to the Right and Left Banks of Paris |
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| At Place Dauphine, the site where Ben and I got engaged |
Day 2: Louis Vuitton Foundation Visit to See the Claude Monet and Joan Mitchell Art Exhibition, PSG vs. Lille soccer match (#epic), Walk in the Jardin de Luxembourg
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| The Louis Vuitton Foundation, an art space designed by Frank Gehry |
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| Joan Mitchell, a prominent American artist for the latter half of the 20th century, was greatly inspired by the paintings of nature by the prominent impressionist painter, Claude Monet, and this exhibit showed their paintings together to show the dialogue, interplay, and connection between their works of art |
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| On the top of the building with the Bois de Boulogne and Paris in the background |
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What an incredible match! Kylian Mbappé, one of the best players in the world and on PSG's squad, scored a truly athletic and graceful goal during the first 15 minutes of the match, followed by a goal by Neymar, another superstar. Then, Lille scored 3 consecutive goals to take the lead away from PSG. This game was a must win for PSG given their string of losses and reported morale issues. In the 87th minute (out of 90 minutes total), Mbappé scored another great goal, which tied the game at 3-3. In the 95th minute of the match (thus 90 minutes + 6 minutes of added time), PSG was awarded a free kick just outside of the penalty box. Lionel Messi, considered to be one of the greatest soccer players ever, scored by curving the ball off the defense and into the post so that it bounced past the Lille goalkeeper.
The crowd went wild!
PSG ended up winning 4-3 in a spectacular comeback! |
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| We were lucky to be joined by my dear friend and former college teammate, Nadia, who currently lives and works in Paris! |
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Nice selfie of us at the game
(Mom/Kathleen was present, I promise!) |
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| Walking around the Luxembourg Gardens |
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| Enjoy a tarte au citron from Maison Mulot, one of my mother's favorite boulangeries! |
Day 3: L'Orangerie, Tuileries, Gallérie Dior, and the Petit Pontoise Restaurant
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L'Orangerie is home to Claude Monet's famous water lillies canvas, which cover the walls of two oval shaped rooms in a museum found in the Tuileries gardens. Monet painted 4 canvas during the spring/summer times, which adorn the walls of one room, and the other 4 canvas during the fall/winter times, which adorn the walls of the other room. By varying the seasons, the viewer can observe the different in color and lighting between the two rooms and truly marvel at how sublime nature can be.
Monet painted over 600 paintings in his lifetime, 300 of which were scenes of his garden and lily pond at his home in Giverny, France.
Monet and the city of Paris designed the space and design of the L'Orangerie together in the 1920s, shortly following World War 1, and Monet painted these paintings with the intention of donating them to the city of Paris. For them, these paintings of water lilies were a symbol of peace, and these rooms were designed to allow for a space of reflection and contemplation within the hustle and bustle of Paris. |
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| L'Orangerie is my mother's favorite museum in Paris. Look how happy she is! |
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| This photo best captures the oval shape of the room and paintings |
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| The Tuileries Gardens, captured on a magnificent February morning |
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| To visit the Gallérie Dior, we walked along the Seine River. You can see the Pont Alexandre III and the Eiffel Tower in the background! |
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| La Gallérie Dior is a fashion history museum that details the life of the prolific fashion designer, Christian Dior, as well as highlights his original designs and those of his many successors over the decades. This museum was artfully curated as the viewer not only learned a lot about Christian Dior, but also how art, history, and the man himself inspired his successors' designs over time. We thoroughly enjoyed our time at this museum and would be happy to accept donations from it at any time! |
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| I could't help, but notice that this dress was called Charlotte, which is the name of my grandmother. I know that she greatly enjoys Christian Dior's designs, and I thought about her often during the tour! |
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| For our final dinner together, we went to Le Petit Pointoise, my mother's favorite French restaurant, and we had such a gloriously delicious meal: foie gras, Camembert cheese, white fish in a vanilla sauce, tender beef, tarte tatin (apple tart), and a flourless chocolate cake! |
Day 4: Final Walk around the Latin Quarter (before my parent's early afternoon departure to Prague)
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| Walking inside the newly renovated Saint Germain des Pres Church |
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| Notre Dame (still under construction unfortunately following the 2019 fire) |
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| Walking along the Seine |
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| At the Jardin des Plantes (or Botanical Gardens in English) |
