Godz the Gimmick

AU REVOIR PARIS

2007-06-04T10:15:00.000-05:00

Well, the final day of my stay in Paris is winding down.

Yesterday morning I began by going to Sainte-Chapelle, which was built in 1248 and boasts the possession of the crown of thorns. The colors inside are dream-like, and the stained glass is like nothing I’ve ever seen elsewhere. It is small, but it possesses great architectural harmony. This is probably because it was built in only five years under the direction of one architect, unlike Notre-Dame which took over 200 years to build.

Then I walked over to the Latin Quarter and paid a visit to Shakespeare & Company (our rival used bookstore in Paris). There was no sign of George Whitman, or any of the aspiring writers he allows to crash there (not a bad gig as you have a view of Notre-Dame across the river). I know that George is in semi-retirement…maybe this doesn’t happen anymore.

I walked up and down the tiny streets and wide boulevards winding my way back along the Seine to my hotel. I took a nap and then headed to the Pompidou which is the museum for modern art here in Paris. I decided to have dinner at the top of the museum as I have heard it offers a beautiful view of the sunset over Paris and it did, but by the time my fancy meal was finished the museum was about to close. So I made it an early evening, returned to the hotel and fell asleep watching the only American TV show I have found so far that isn’t dubbed: The Office (with subtitles in French).

This morning it was a bit rainy, and since I wanted to get back to the Louvre, I did. The Metro has a stop that brings you in underneath the museum. For a limited time, the Louvre has a special showing of works by the greatest of all ancient Greek sculptors, Praxiteles. For this special presentation of his work they have gathered sculptures from all over the world, even the Vatican. It was amazing, but no pictures allowed—I snapped three before I was warned in French by a museum guard.

Since I missed the art of the Pompidou last night, that is where I went to next. It was much better than the Tate in London—more on par with the MOMA in NYC. There was a little of everything. As I understand it, there is no permanent collection—it constantly changes. What is particularly intriguing is how many new artists get represented there. I guess Paris has always been the place where new art is first recognized. Many years ago the poet John Ashbery began his career writing for “Art News” which covered many of those “new” artists whose names are now part of our common vernacular.

Tomorrow will be a long day of travel. Up very early and to the airport in Paris I fly to London where I wait two hours for my nine hour flight back to Miami. By the time I drive back home from MIA it will be 2:00 AM Paris time (8:00 PM Florida time). I have one day to recover from the jet-lag and then it’s back to work.

ONLY TWO DAYS LEFT IN PARIS

2007-06-03T02:03:00.000-05:00

Saturday was another busy day. I began by going up to Montmartre, which is the highest point of the city and upon which stands the Sacre-Coeur. This area was the place where the artists used to live as it was an inexpensive area. It is still a place where working artists produce and display their paintings. There are also many caricaturists who try to get you to let them sketch you.

From Montmartre I took a cab to the Orsay museum. This museum houses the French art of the 19th century. In other words, Monet, Cezzane, Degas, van Gogh, Renoir, Manet, Gauguin. The museum itself used to be a train station and is absolutely beautiful and fully restored.

From the Orsay I took the metro to the Opera district and walked around. Then I returned to the hotel where my tour group left for a dinner trip and an evening cruise down the Seine. I can understand why they call Paris the “city of lights.”

ANOTHER GREAT CITY

2007-06-01T22:44:00.000-05:00

I arrived in Paris Thursday morning and then took the Metro over to the area of the Pompidou Center which is a modern art museum with all of its pipes and ducts on its exterior. I took a walking tour from there over to the Louvre. This walking tour went through areas that one can only get to on foot. People live in every part of Paris, and in every part there is a little of everything. I saw cathedrals and tattoo parlors, palaces and playgrounds with children playing, grand fountains with magnificent statues in front of a McDonalds.

Friday was a very full day. I started by taking a bus tour of the city which made several stops including Notre Dame and the Arc de Triomphe, then I went to Versailles, and then I took a guided tour of the Louvre. Over eleven hours of non-stop beauty.

Much of the beauty of Paris, I believe, comes from the fact that Parisians have no qualms about combining the new with the old; modern art sculptures installed in the courtyard of a sixteenth century palace; stark glass pyramids built in front of the ornate Louvre; a tall metal tower installed in the middle of the city (Eiffel). All of these things cause(d) much controversy, but in the end the majority of the people here come to love them.

This if very different from London: the National Trust would never allow such incongruous alterations of its historical sites.

My hotel room is typically European and tiny which does not warrant a picture. Also there is no complimentary internet access at the hotel. I must pay 4.50 Euros for one hour of access, and that is only good for 24 hours and then I must purchase a new hour. So I’m writing these installments offline and logging on to upload them as quickly as I can. What follows is a random, but chronological selection of pictures.

BUSY DAY

2007-05-30T22:28:00.000-05:00

Because of the rain throughout the day, I decided to hit some museums. First I went to the British Museum wherein is collected a vast repository of artifacts stripped from the Empire over the centuries. Photos were allowed too. Then off to the Tate Modern, which is London's answer to our MOMA. Fantastic museum, but no pictures allowed. It was about 3:30 by the time I left the Tate and suddenly the sun began to show itself so I went to Westminster where I saw Big Ben, Parliament, and went inside the Abbey. Then I went across the street to take a spin on the London Eye--a 1/2 hour "flight" as they call it. Great view above the city.

I must be packed and ready to leave for Paris in one hour (6:00 AM) so here is a very small random selection from the 300+ pictures I took yesterday.

TOUCH OF HISTORY

2007-05-30T01:58:00.000-05:00

It was a beautiful day yesterday. First stop was Stonehenge where I took these pictures. I was worried that it would fail to impress me, but I was wrong. There is something about standing in the very presence of history from which our humanity touches the common desires and dreams of the those who created something lasting in the distant past. As we see in great works of art we may connect with that greatest part of the human spirit that reaches out beyond its given moment, and beyond our grasp to speak of its essence, except to say "I am not alone."

The second stop was Bath where I took the pictures below of the only Roman bath in the world that still has water in it. And the water in this one comes up from the only hot spring in England.

Today is my last day in England. Tomorrow I take the Eurostar for the 2 1/2 hour high-speed ride to Paris through the Chunnel. As it is supposed to rain most of the today I may end up visiting the big museums which (mostly) ban photography.

Thank you Amy for your nice email. It's good to know that you are enjoying the blogging.

POWER AND MAJESTY

2007-05-29T00:26:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post. It rained lightly all day on Monday which made outdoor photography a challenge. The first picture below is borrowed from another internet source to give a sense of the size of Windsor Castle. This is the preferred home of the Queen where she goes on weekends and holidays. There are several Rembrandts hanging among the enormous collection of art and artifacts, but this is actually a working Castle where the Royal Family lives and where many important ceremonies are held. No photos allowed inside though.

In the evening I went to see Equus which was much better than I expected. The stark minimalism of its stage elements focused more power upon the performances. Richard Griffiths, who played Martin Dysart, the psychologist treating the disturbed Alan Strang, was amazing. Daniel Radcliffe, who played Alan, was outstanding. I don't need to make a prediction that he will become a great actor--he already is one!

This morning I'm off to the town of Bath to see the ancient Roman Ruins there. Then over to Stonehenge. Luckily, the weather seems to have cleared up.

THEY CALL IT LIQUID SUNSHINE TOO

2007-05-27T15:00:00.000-05:00

I went to Oxford today and then to Stratford upon Avon where I stood in the room where W.S. was born. It rained all day. Cold and windy too. So not the best day for photos except under my umbrella when it slowed to a light drizzle. I'm nursing a sore throat so I'm not going to say much more but here are a few shots from Oxford.

By the way, is anyone reading these posts??? Please leave me a comment by clicking below.

TOKENS AND TREASURES

2007-05-26T14:09:00.000-05:00

I spent the morning taking a guided tour on board a bus. It was a good way to get a feel of where I might like to go in my spare time. The bus did make one stop at St. Paul’s Cathedral where I spent over an hour. Designed by Sir Christopher Wren and built in the 17th century, it has the most beautiful interior of any church I have ever seen. Unfortunately, there are no photographs allowed inside so I have borrowed the following interior photo from an internet source.

Since the street market on Portobello Road operates only on Saturday, I went to check it out. The road is very long, it just keeps going and going. You can get anything there. Fresh produce, antiques, books, clothes, and these parascope things in the picture.

There were vast numbers of people on Portobello Road today. At times it was impossible to move.

From one extreme to the other. I took the tube to one of the most posh shopping districts, stopped in at Harvey Nichols and then to Harrods.

Harrods is huge. I had not eaten lunch and it was after 3:00 PM so I went to the fourth floor where I had a traditional tea.

Harrod's owner, Mohamed Al-Fayed is the father of Dodi Fayed who died in the car crash with Princess Diana. Mohamad is convinced, as well as a great many Londoners, that it was a carefully crafted murder. According to Al-Fayed, Dodi was to give Diana an engagement ring the very night they died. That ring is now on display in the basement of Harrod's encased in a glass pyramid.

This little memorial is at the base of the "Egyptian Escalator" which has some very interesting sphynx-like carvings with the face of none other than Al-Fayed.

It is lightly raining now and rain is expected all day tomorrow. My trip to Oxford and Stratford may be a bit damp.

GREENWICH MEAN TIME

2007-05-26T00:19:00.000-05:00

Above are a couple of pictures of my room.

I will be taking a sightseeing tour this morning which, among many stops, will bring me to St. Paul’s Cathedral. Time for the wide angle lens.

Please feel free to leave comments as it would be nice to hear from all of you.

More when I get back.

LONDON CALLING

2007-05-25T16:11:00.000-05:00

I arrived in London this morning, took a cab to my hotel, found my room to be beyond expectations, dropped off my luggage, grabbed the tube over to Covent Garden where I saw the street performer pictured above surrounded by hundreds of spectators doing a slow motion dance that alluded (no doubt) to The Matrix.

I left Thursday evening via Miami International Airport and made my way through the many security checks (although later I would discover that the TSA cut the tiny padlock from my suitcase and left me a note inside explaining that it was in an effort to protect me and my fellow passengers from the terrorist threat). Although I rested on the flight I did not sleep. As I type this blog entry it has been about 32 hours since I woke up Thursday morning--so forgive me if my thoughts seem fragmented.

What little I have experienced of London, and of Londoners, leads me to believe that they are far more worldly and aware of particular realities than Americans. My observations are purely idiosyncratic, subjective, and taken through the surrealistic daze of a jet-lagged mind.

1) As I went shopping for some ground coffee to have in my hotel room for morning brewing, I discovered that the majority of products were "Fair Trade" branded coffees. In the USA I have rarely seen this branding except on one or two products at Starbucks. The Fair Trade brand identifies a coffee that was harvested by workers who were paid a living wage.

2)Londoners waiting to get on the Tube wait for exiting passengers to disembark before entering. This was not my experience in the subways of NY.

3) On escalators, Londoners who wish to stand keep to the right thus leaving a path on the left for those who wish to climb.

4) Street performers, like the one pictured above, are highly respected professionals who expect to get paid for their work. In the U.S. they are too often stratified as merely a notch above a homeless beggar.

Street Performer in Covent Garden:
"Thank you...thank you---now kids, ask your parents for a pound to give me. If they don't give you a pound then they don't love you...if they don't give you a pound then they're not your real parents."

More tomorrow after a good night of sleep.

Buoy

2005-10-22T08:36:00.000-05:00

Tolling in
cats-paw

that they rise

and settle under
the stiff blue

unnamed like

the realist in me set free to chance
the deniable

that they settle so

I give sway
to ruse.