Monday, June 2, 2014

L'église de Saint Sulpice, du Jardin du Luxembourg et le musée de Cluny

Our Sunday needed an opportunity to attend mass, for our new guests, Bob and Beth, so Vicki put together an itinerary that included the church of St. Sulpice, and its great organ, the Luxembourg Gardens, the Cluny Museum, and assorted other Left Bank sights. (More on St. Sulpice, from 2012, is at http://roadeveron.blogspot.fr/2012_06_01_archive.html.)
The great organ at St. Sulpice; Widor's organ, during his 63 year tenure at
St. Sulpice, the greatest of symphonic organs















Touristed to death...no more visits to the organ loft during concerts and
"auditions"; but then I agree with Wagner, that watching musicians play
really detracts from the music; thus the entire orchestra at Bayreuth is
submerged beneath the stage...but I digress




















So while Bob and Beth attended the mass, Vicki and I walked around a bit in
the area...passing first a wall reciting Arthur Rimbaud's Le bateau ivre

















Thus; a famous poem by an infamous poet; demonstrates, some say, that poetry
can express things that prose cannot















Then on into Luxembourg Gardens, which, by 11 in the morning was in fullest
swing; here one of several Tai Chai classes practices zombie-walking

















Ann of Austria looks on as others practice with their sticks; memories of the
Peoples' Park in Shanghai...
















Other than general sight-seeing, our visit to the Gardens was a reconnaissance
for Penelope's visit in July 
















Thus















Medici Fountain...Maria Medici















Odeon















University Rene Descartes...GO CARTESIANS!!!















Muralists doing their thing (shame on you, Ben and Jerry)















Obviously we're in the nicer neighborhoods

1 comment:

Rebecca said...

What beautiful boats--Penelope will love those.