Monday: May 24

Jardin des Tuileries and the Musee Carnavalet

Two nice places. the Jardin des Tuileries, named after tile making which used to go on in the area, is a wonderful garden between the Concord and the Louvre Museum. It has a fine gravel "roadway" down the center and is planted on either side. Huge fountains adorn either end. Cafes are also present along with the various vendors. Because it is smack dab in the center of Paris, it is one of the most visited gardens in Paris. A great place to sit, relax and enjoy the time.

The Musee Carnavalet is an interesting museum; dedicated to the development of Paris. The collection got so big they had to take the neighboring "hotel" and combine the two. It has an extensive collection and much of it doesn't make a lot of sense unless you do some reading on the history of Paris (or Lutece) prior to your visit. Still it is very interesting. Be sure to see Napoleon's death mask - the last picture in the gallery.  Enjoy!

Jardin des Tuileries

The Jardin des Tuileries is a formal Paris garden that is stamped with history-- often of the bloody variety. The since-destroyed royal palace at Tuileries was stormed and pillaged during the revolution of 1789 and was later occupied by the last kings of France. In 1871, another revolution led to the arson of the Tuileries. Today, the remaining gardens are a major source of fresh air and greenery, and kids adore the carnival set up here each summer.

Much like the Luxembourg gardens, Tuileries is an Italian-style park marked by the influence of the Medicis family. The gardens are filled with dramatic statuary and perfectly-symmetrical shrubbery, reflecting the Renaissance preoccupation with bringing rational design to nature. Statuary by Rodin and Maillol can be admired amid elegant flowers and shrubbery just west of the Louvre, near the park entrance and around the "Grand Carré" fountain.

The Tuileries gardens stretch west toward Concorde and the Champs-Elysées and are the starting point of the "Triumphant Line": a nearly straight path leading from the Louvre to the Arc de Triomphe and the Grande Arche de la Defense west of Paris. Pomp abounds here, making for great perspectives.

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Tried the panorama stuff....worked well, I'm not sure if you'll like the photo though.

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Musee Carnavalet

The Carnavalet Museum in Paris is dedicated to the history of the city. The museum occupies two neighboring mansions: the Hôtel Carnavalet and the former Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint Fargeau. On the advice of Baron Haussmann, the civil servant who transformed Paris in the latter half of the 19th century, the Hôtel Carnavalet was purchased by the Municipal Council of Paris in 1866; it was opened to the public in 1880. By the latter part of the 20th century, the museum was bursting at the seams. The Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint Fargeau was annexed to the Canavalet and opened to the public in 1989.

Hôtel Carnavalet

In 1548, Jacques des Ligneris, President of the Parliament of Paris, ordered the construction of the mansion that came to be known as the Hôtel Carnavalet; construction was completed about 1560. In 1578, the widow of Francois de Kernevenoy, later known as Carnavalet, purchased the building. In 1654, the mansion was bought by Claude Boislève, who commissioned the well-known architect, François Mansart, to make extensive renovations. Madame de Sévigné, famous for her letter-writing, lived in the Hôtel Carnavalet from 1677 until her death in 1696.

Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint Fargeau

The Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint Fargeau was also built in the middle of the 16th century. It was originally known as the Hôtel d’Orgeval. It was purchased by Michel Le Peletier and passed on eventually to his grandson, Michel-Étienne. Michel-Étienne Peletier was a representative of the nobility in the Estates General (which was convoked by King Louis XVI in 1789 in response to public outcries about issues such as the failing economy). In 1793, Peletier voted for the execution of the king. He was murdered, in revenge for his vote, on January 20, 1793.

The collection

In the courtyard, a magnificent sculpture of Louis XIV, the Sun King, greets the visitor. Inside the museum, the exhibits show the transformation of the village of Lutèce, which was inhabited by the Parisii tribes, to the grand city of today with a population of 2,201,578.

The Carnavalet houses about 2,600 paintings, 20,000 drawings, 300,000 engravings and 150,000 photographs, 2,000 modern sculptures and 800 pieces of furniture, thousands of ceramics, many decorations, models and reliefs, signs, thousands of coins, countless items, many of them souvenirs of famous characters, and thousands of archeological fragments. . . . The period called Modern Time, which spans from the Renaissance until today, is known essentially by the vast amount of images of the city . . . There are many views of the streets and monuments of Paris from the sixteenth to the twentieth century, but there are also many portraits of characters who played a role in the history of the capital and works showing events which took place in Paris, especially the many revolutions which stirred the capital, as well as many scenes of the daily life in all the social classes.

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