A RETURN TO PARIS~Part Two

I love planning our trips to Paris.  For months before we leave, "I go to Paris" via internet in search of restaurants, shops and sites to see.  Travel sites like Virtual Tourist and Trip Advisor are great sources of information, especially because of the reader reviews and comments.

Itinerary Trip Guide

As I collect suggestions and possibilities, I begin creating my "itinerary trip guide".  All the important information pertinent to our destination ends up in this little book.   It's an inexpensive small 4" x 6" photo album with about 24 sleeves.  Sometimes I arrange the itinerary by day; another time I arranged it by arrondissement.  There are pages with important phone numbers, airline info, emergency contact info, maps and even useful phrases in French.  I include useful conversions and hints for souvenirs or particular photos I want to take.   This little book is the most important tour guide I take with me.
And it helps to plan our next trip....I can easily see what we have or have not seen or done.

Staying in an Apartment

Our apartment building on rue du Louvre

Our one bedroom apartment on rue du Louvre.

Staying in an apartment is such a convenience and a good alternative to small Paris hotel rooms.  Most short term rentals can be reserved for as few as 3 or 4 days, but the longer you stay the better the price break.  We learned a lot from our first rental experience.  This time our apartment was located in a very convenient part of the city and the apartment itself was quite comfortable. The difference in finding an OK apt and a good apt is "knowing what you want and need".  For us, it was space, an elevator, proximity to a Metro stop preferably the #1 line, a nice sized bathroom with a place for all the toiletries, a washer dryer (if you are staying for more than 2 weeks this is very useful), room to walk around the bed, adequate storage, close to the Seine and have a nice sized TV.   These requirements really narrowed down the choices.  It is very important when searching that the website have lots of information and lots of photos....if either of these is sparse, BEWARE.   We were more than satisfied with both the apt and the agency, PariStay.

Paris Metro System

A handy Metro map is a must!  The Knopf Mapguide:Paris is so convenient.  It's 8 area maps and metro map all in one small (about 4"x6") book.  It fits so easily in your purse or travel bag.  I have used mine for 3 trips to Paris.  It's has that "used" look but I wouldn't use anything else.

The Paris Metro is incredibly easy to use and can take you to just about any part of the city.  I always try to plan a route avoiding the very large interchanges (correspondence) and making as few changes as possible.  If you are adventurous, try using the buses.  They are well marked, use the same tickets as the Metro, run often and you get to see something while you travel.  Also the Batobus on the Seine is useful.  It is a "hop on, hop off" boat which makes 6 stops along the river.  The stops correspond to some of the main sites (i.e. Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre Dame etc.) and you can get on and off as often as you want in a day.

Where Should I Stay

This is an important question if you have not been to Paris before.  This is where you should do a little "homework" and try to decide what you most want to see.  Paris is divided into 20 arrondissements (arr.) or neighborhoods and each one has it's own personality.

The arrondissements are numbered starting in the center of Paris and
spiraling clockwise and outward.

Arrondissements 1-7 are the most popular and include most of the historical sites of the city.  The cost of renting an apt or staying in a hotel varies, sometimes greatly, depending on which arrondissement you choose.  We've stayed in the 7th arr. near the Invalides (very quiet), the 6th arr. near Gare Montparnesse (rather out there), the 5th arr. near the river in the Latin Quarter (lots of activity, very crowded), on the Ile St.Louis  (very cramped room) and in the 1st arr. (the most convenient).  Because most of the sites you'll want to see are located in the center of Paris, it's easy to walk to them no matter where you stay.  One thing is true, in Paris you WILL walk~a lot.

I'd like to share some of my favorite photos grouped by Arrondissement.

1er arr.

The Louvre ~also adjacent to the Louvre
 is the Musee des Arts et Decoratifs.
The Louvre is absolutely a must see but beware, there is no way you can see it all in a day.

The beautiful Tuileries gardens extend from the Louvre
to the Place de la Concorde.  There are benches for resting and feeding the pigeons;
and there are several cafes as well.

Tuilerie gardens~also L'Orangerie, the museum where the
 Monet waterlily murals are housed.



Place des Pyramides~many organized tours depart from
this place. The statue is of Joan of Arc.



Place Vendome~just further on is the rue de la Paix
and some very exclusive shopping.

2nd arr.

Place de St. Eustache.  The "head" sculpture is popular with tourists
There is usually always someone having a photo taken.  It is quite large.



St. Eustache and the Forum des Halles, a pedestrian shopping area.

St. Eustache has free organ concerts on Sunday evenings.



Passage du Grand Cerf.  There are many covered passages in
the 2nd. arr.  They are beautiful.

Lively rue Montorgueil, a wonderful pedestrian area with lots of restaurants.

3rd and 4th arr. ~the Marais

The Pompidou Center~Museum of Modern Art

Pompidou Center

The Stravinsky fountain, next to the Pompidou Center.

Musee Carnavalet, the Paris History Museum (free).  This is absolutely a must see.
The museum is actually housed in 2 mansions.

There is so much to see in the Marais and the shopping streets are wonderful.  The 4th arr. also extends to the Ile St. Louis and Ile de la Cite.

Considering all this, you can see:  the extensive Picasso collection at the Picasso Museum,  the Musee des Arts and Metiers, it's science and inventions, the Hotel Soubise (the national archives) and the not to be missed Place des Vosges~a place of serenity with lots of restaurants in the arcades of the buildings that surround the park.

The Ile de la Cite is the oldest part of Paris with the beautiful Notre Dame and the lovely Square Jean XXIII behind it.

The Conciergerie

Also on the Ile de la Cite; Place Dauphine, the Deportation Memorial and the exquisite St.Chapelle with floor to ceiling stained glass windows.

From the Ile de la Cite, the Pont Louis-Phillipe connects to the Ile St. Louis.  The quais are beautiful, there is a park at the tip of the island and the main place, below, is surrounded by restaurants and cafes.

On the weekends the Pont Louis-Phillipe is a popular place to watch the street entertainers.

5th arr.~The Latin Quartier

The Latin Quarter is well known for the Sorbonne (university) and the Ecole des Beaux Arts (art school).   The streets are narrow and lined with ethnic restaurants and cafes.  It is full of activity; students and tourists alike.  At the Cluny Musee des Moyen Age you can see the "Lady and the Unicorn" tapestry and Gallo-Roman thermal baths.

The famous Shakespeare & Co. bookstore is located in the Latin Quarter.

The large Jardin des Plantes houses several museums including the Natural History museum and the Mineralogy Museum.  The gardens are lovely especially the rose garden in the spring.

The pedestrian street~rue Mouffetard is in this arrondissement as well.  Many shops, restaurants and markets line this avenue.  The Mosque de Paris should not be missed.  The exotic exquisite architecture and the serenity of the garden are well worth a visit.

Mosque de Paris.

6th Arr.

Jardin du Luxembourg

The most notable sights in the 6th arr. are the Eglise St. Germain des Pres, the famous Cafe des Deux Magots and the expansive Jardin du Luxembourg.  St. Sulpice, made famous by the "DaVinci Code" should not be missed; there is usually an organ concert on Sunday.

The Saint Germain area is elegant, the shops are wonderful; especially the shoe stores on rue du Cherche-Midi and the romantic Place Furstenburg.  A market street, rue Buci, is mostly a pedestrian area with many cafes and an Amorino gelato shop.

7th Arr.

The main sites are Les Invalides, Musee D'Orsay and the Eiffel Tower. The 7th arr. has an endless number of cafes, restaurants, patisserie, shops and a pedestrian area (rue Cler).  Personally, I think the 7th arr. is one of the nicest in Paris.  It has a casual, friendly ambiance.

The Eiffel Tower can be seen from many parts of the city.  It is truly a phenomenal structure.  It's possible to make reservations to go up to the 3 floors so that standing in line isn't as bad as it used to be.  There is a carnival-like atmosphere around the base of the tower.  On the west side of the tower is the large beautiful Parc du Champs de Mars, a wonderful place for a picnic or for viewing the Tower at night.  Across the river is the Trocodero and Palais Chaillot.  It is the best sight for photographing the tower.  There are also several museums in the Palais including the Marine Museum and the new Architecture Museum.

The Musee D'Orsay has a fabulous collection of Impressionist paintings.  The museum is actually a converted railway station that was going to be torn down.  There are a couple wonderful restaurants among the exhibits.

The golden dome of the Invalides can be seen for miles. It was built as a hospital for wounded soldiers. Today it contains the Church of St. Louis and the tomb of Napolean and the Musee l'Armee, a large military museum.

Napolean's tomb

I think we must end the tour here....and save some more of the this most beautiful city for another time.

Au revoir Paris~Jusqu'à ce que nous rencontrons encore.

Is YUPO for you?

I tried YUPO for the first time in a workshop over 10 years ago.  It was weird and I couldn't get the paint to do what the instructor was showing us.  I thought "forget this".

Yupo paper is a synthetic water-resistant paper. That means that when used with watercolor, your paint will dry only by evaporation and there will be no absorption by your paper (as would be with regular watercolor paper). The most important thing to know about painting with YUPO is that if you don't like what you see, you can wipe it off and start over.  It's the most forgiving of all watermedia surfaces.  Before you begin you must be sure there are no fingerprint smudges; any oil will act as a repellent and the paint will absolutely NOT adhere.  So handle paper carefully, and wipe with a paper towel wet with alcohol to clean off any oil or fingerprints.

 With YUPO water is the most influential element of your painting.

 You can achieve just about any effect you want.  The trick is find the right tool.  For the weeping willow trees, I started with a darker green and in various stages of drying made long streaks with a small round brush lifting off the paint.  I also scraped with the end of the brush. Other colors were added for variation.  I think it's important to go slow, not get too impatient or discouraged with what is happening on the paper.

This is titled "Beethoven's Fifth".  The notes are DA-DA-DA-dum.   I blocked in the reds, pinks and purples lifting the paper slightly to let the colors run together and downward.  When the reds were somewhat dry, I scraped the bars out with a credit card.  When the red was dry, I lifted out all the paint for the notes and added the blue.  the tales of the notes were the hardest, with a very light touch I added the dark blue-purple lines.     The appearance of a "face" in the top of the painting is a complete accident.   I didn't even notice it until I was done.

This painting was done using a lot of paint and little water.  I formed the clouds by adding just a little alcohol to semi dried paint.  You have to be careful when adding alcohol, you get a good reaction--it repels paint.    Texture can be added using a sponge.  Also splattering water on dry or almost dry paint will add texture.    These "tricks" should be tried.  The more you know what will happen, the easier it is to get the effect you want.  Just about any effect you can achieve on regular watercolor paper, you can try on YUPO.

This flamingo painting was done mostly wet, letting the water colors blend and flow together.  The background palms were also formed while wet.   When totally dry I lifted out the flamingos, then painted them with pinks and reds.
It may help to draw your subject on the paper, if you need guidelines, using a watercolor pencil of a color that will blend with you painting.

All the same techniques I have mentioned were used for the "Moorish Idols".  The water was very wet, many different colors allowed to blend and flow together.  Sponges were used to create the coral and sponges, then the fish forms were lifted out when the background was dry and repainted black, with yellow.  The white is the white of the paper.

Another important piece of advice.  It is easier to take paint off than it is to add it on an already dry color.  Glazing is virtually impossible.  If you try it, it must be with the lightest of touch.
I love YUPO.  It is a challenge but it allows me to paint in a totally different style...much "looser" and that is FUN!

Below are few artists that paint on YUPO,  check out their websites.
Pat Kamerath

Taylor Ikin
Janice Tingum

 

~The ART Group Goes to Spain~

When I lived in Denver, I took watercolor lessons from Dani Tupper.  Dani, an accomplished artist, began taking small groups on Painting Trips Abroad.  One of the first, in 1997, was to Spain & Portugal.  There were 7 of us...and what a time we had!

The Art Group Goes to Spain~as MaryAnn would say, "We're in Spain, y'all!"

I'd like to share this trip by way of the sketches from my journal.

We landed in Madrid, picked up our rental van then drove to our small pension in Los Hueros, a very small town in the hills outside of Madrid.  There was hardly a soul who spoke English but our place was great and everyone so friendly.

The first day was "museum" day.  We took the Metro into the city (we parked at the end of the line~at the Plaza des Toros, the bull ring.)  We walked to Joaquin Sorolla's home with lovely garden.

Sorolla's home and now museum.

Sorolla was unfamilar to me but his paintings are beautiful in the Impressionistic style.

Afterwards, we took the Metro to the Prado where we saw the "highlights" of the Museum.  Mostly Flemish and Spanish artists.  Francisco Goya was particularly interesting.  He had a long career and his subjects and style changed dramatically with the times and decline of his health.

The next day we visited the Royal Palace and then walked to the very large Plaza Mayor.  It is the central plaza of the city surrounded by buildings with porticos.  We sat, rested and ate here.

Plaza Mayor

After returning to Los Hueros that afternoon, we drove to Torres de Alameda another small village in the hills, where Dani had lived.   We stopped and had a sketching session outside the town.

We left Los Hueros the following day and drove through "La Mancha" country; the land of windmills.
We stopped in Chinchon for the Saturday market, then up to Campo de Criptana to see the windmills.

El molino de viento.  Windmill

We drove the winding road up to the Castillo de Consuegra, it was very (!) windy.  A group of 7 windmills stand on the hill above the castle.  We stood below the windmills and sketched; it was hard to keep your balance, it was blowing so hard.

My painting "Consuegra" from the sketch I made that day.

We drove on to our next destination, Toledo; the old capital of Spain.  Toledo is surrounded almost entirely by the Tajo river, creating a natural moat.  My roommate, Ann, and I lucked out and got the "room with a view".  The Domenico hotel was on the hillside across the river and our view was looking towards Toledo, which is a beautiful site.  I got up early the next morning and made this sketch.

Toledo from the Hotel Domenico.

I would have loved to have stayed another day in Toledo.  There is much to see.  We did tour the Alcazar, which appears in the upper right in the above sketch.  I sat in the courtyard and made the next sketch.  I had an audience watching me...it was a bit unnerving.

The courtyard of the Alcazar.  I left the fountain out.

Heading towards Portugal, we stopped in Caceres, Trujillo, Garrovilla and Merida.  Merida was quite interesting.  There are many Roman ruins throughout the town.  I loved the drive through Spain; it is so pastoral.  The countryside is dotted with olive trees, stone fences with wrought iron gates, red poppies in the fields, sheep, goats and ruins here and there.  Many photo ops.  I must mention that while in Spain, I used every word of high school Spanish that I could remember.

On to Portugal.

On the way towards Portugal we passed a horsedrawn cart with a family of gypsies.  Dani had mentioned that we might encounter gypsies on our travels.   We stopped to take photos and offered money in return.  The family and the horse looked in need of a good meal.

Our first stop was Evora.  A beautiful little village on a hill.  The streets were very narrow.  We made our way up to our hotel which was located on a plaza.  After unloading, an attendant took our van to be parked.  Not much room for cars here.

Painted headboards, similar to rosemaling.



Due to its well-preserved old town centre, still partially enclosed by medieval walls, and a large number of monuments dating from various historical periods, including a Roman temple, Évora is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  It's a wonderful place for walking and exploring and especially nice for artists.



Looking down one of the narrow alleys in Evora.



We learned early on that Portuguese, while it looks like Spanish, is totally different in pronounciation (it sounds more like Hungarian).  None of our Spanish background helped at all!  In the week we were in Portugal, I learned one word~gelo (ice).  We had to buy ice often for our picnic lunches.
We left Evora in the hills and drove down to Lisbon and the coast.  Our time in Lisbon was brief.  We drove up to St. George's Castle, that provides a beautiful view of the city and port. It is a large park in the ruins of the castle, very serene with many little "rooms" to explore. It's described as an "oasis of peace".  From the castle we walked down through the Alfama.  It is a village within a city made up of narrow streets, tiny squares, churches, and whitewashed houses with wrought-iron balconies adorned with pots of flowers, drying laundry, and caged birds. When we arrived at the bottom of the hill we had no idea how to get back up to the Castle; so, half the group returned in a taxi to find the van and the rest of us stayed in the beautiful park.  We wondered if they would know how to get back down to find us!
I sat and sketched while we waited.

We were picked up, then were off; up the coast to Estoril, a seaside resort. From there we continued north stopping at Cabo de Roca, the western most point of continental Europe (click on the site for fabulous photos).
We stopped in Sintra and toured the Palacio de Pena; a wonderful castle in the moorish style.

Placio de Pena~Sintra.

Obidos, a small quaint whitewashed village with fortified wall was next.  It was beautiful!  The bright and colorful bougainvillea and geraniums were so dramatic against the white buildings.  Obidos would be a wonderful place to stay.

We drove on to the coastal village of Nazare and saw the fishing boats, the fish drying on racks on the beach, the women gathering in the nets.  We ended our day in Leiria, our resting place for the night.  The next day we visited Fatima.  Most notable was seeing people making their way to the apparition sight on their knees.  The Basilica was beautiful.
On to Aviero another city on the coast noteworthy for it's seaport, beaches at Barra, beautiful tile work on the buildings and the canals and molicieros. Moliceiro is the name given to vessels that circulate in the Ria de Aveiro, the lagoon of the Rio Vouga. This vessel was originally used for harvesting of seaweed, but is now used more for tourism.  I was attracted to these colorful boats and tried to get a sketch in the rain...not very successful.

My painting of the "Molicieros" in Aviero.

Portugal is so very different from Spain.  It is rough and rugged.  Leaving the coast we passed marble quarries and even towns that were literally built with marble.  Just unbelievable.  Cork trees were prevalent too.
Heading west towards Garda we passed through Luso and the Bucacao Forest.  This place felt mysterious .  It was raining so everything was misty and muted ~ethereal.  It was one of my favorite sites in Portugal.

Sketched sitting in the van.  This path led into a wall of mist and fog.

The rain let up a bit and we walked in another area of the forest.  This was a beautiful
waterfall/fountain that continued up and up.  Fonte Fria.

This was the rose garden in the Carmelite Convent located in the forest.
I sketched this in a doorway so I wouldn't get wet from the constant showers.
It was a lovely place.

Our last stop in Portugal was the small town of Garda. The shopping was fabulous!  We had the chance to spend all of our escudos before crossing back into Spain.  The Portuguese pottery is so colorful and beautiful.
I took this photo before leaving.  I was fascinated by this workman.

Workmen repairing the cobbled street, block by block.

Making our way back to Madrid, we stopped in the walled town of Avila.  That night we arrived in Segovia. 
I loved Segovia.  Our hotel was on the main plaza across from the magnificent Cathedral.  It is an easy town to walk around in. The sites are amazing.  There is a huge Roman aqueduct, the first I had seen of that size.  The Alcazar was beautiful from every view point.  We stayed in Segovia 2 days~time for some sketching.

Sitting at the entrance to the Alcazar.

The Roman aqueduct.

We covered alot of territory in 2 weeks.  Spain and Portugal are quite diverse; both were friendly places to visit and very beautiful.
I will remember most the windmills, the red poppies, Segovia and especially making a new friend, Ann.