Paris: Gobelins Summer School - Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe holds a very great surprise for me. The monument itself is impressive, evocative of glorious conquest.

One can best appreciate the greatness of this seeming unmovable structure when standing beneath it.

As we arrive, the daily ceremony pertaining to the first eternal flame in Eastern and Western Europe since the Vestal's fire was underway. I did not realize the significance of it till later.

The truly pleasant surprise to me comes from the stairway within, leading up to above the monument. It felt so organic, almost like live beating flesh, with blood coursing through, especially when viewed from below. It is vaguely reminiscent of spiraling sea shells, a reminder to me of bountiful life.

That such stark contrast can be found within the same structures is very intriguing. An angular, cold, hard and formal outer shell hiding a sinuous, warm, gentle and naturalistic interior.

Standing above the rock on an inland surrounded by wheeled contraptions from every end, I experienced another new sensation. I can't remember the last time I was in such a perfect height, overlooking a prime streets with busy traffic that everything looked like toys and models. It is hard to resist reaching out in an attempt to pluck the pedestrials or 'toy cars' from the streets.

The road towards the Louvre's direction.

The opposite direction, towards the more modern looking side of the city.

The least busy road out of the different branches of the 10 point star.

And the 2 towers - Eiffel & Montparnasse

I wonder what amazing view this vantage point will grant, on a cloudless day or at dusk and dawn.

Paris: Gobelins Summer School - Anatomy Museum

Jardin des Plantes is a heaven for those who are interested in natural history. While there are many museums, the only one I manage to visit is Gallery of Palaeontology and Comparative Anatomy.

I was very impressed by the exhibits. The sheer amount of skeletons there are just astounding. I have not seen as many bones in one place (except the Catacombs). The way they are positioned are truly epic. It is as though you are beset upon a stampeding horde of beast of all shapes and sizes, both aerial, terrestrial and marine.

I can see how this treasure trove has inspired Fred (one of our teachers in the summer school), and why the animation/art students would visit and sketch in such a place as this. There are even walk, run and flying cycles of various small animals, like birds, bats, jumping rats and turtles.

Above the great hall of beast, were the hall of those who came before. As I behold the fossils, the question begged asking that what has men imagined in their fantasy that has not already been created? One need not look further than these to see the shadows of monsters and aliens in movies old and new. Can one be called a character designer without mingling among these bones?

And outside the museum, stood the most amusing merry-go-round I've ever seen. Here, you have beast of nightmares, chimeras and hybrids. Not necessarily something you'd expect for a children entertainment contraption.

Walking among the remains of these magnificent creatures can remind us once more, that even the Ziz, Behemoth and Leviathan will fall.

13 - More Blue Skies

13 -
Thank you again for the clouds to part and a perfect blue.
Thanks for opening my eyes again, perhaps it is only in leaving that you can start believing and living.
Thanks for so many new sights, sound and smell.
Thanks that new adventures and discoveries never cease.
Thanks for the hill, the grass and the trees on Windmill Hill.
Thanks for a farm in the city that I've never seen.
Thanks for all that is to come, all that has been, and for this fraction of eternity.

Thank you for the favor and grace with so many people who means more than gold.

Thank you for giving me eyes to see.
Thank you for giving me things to see with my eyes.
Thank you for showing your glory once more, in the golden rays under cloudless sky.

Teach me to dance with childlike heart.

14 - Blue Skies

14 -
Thank you for the blue and cloudless skies, flocking pigeons and new sights.
Thanks for a hill upon which a friend from a faraway land has reminded me the little pleasures of everyday life.
Thanks for the frigid winds and warm summer sun.
Thanks for a tree growing sideways on the slope, yet blooming still.
Thank you then for a delivery safe and sound to come.

Thank you for how the blue above our heads receded to pale silvery white in every corner and the privilege of looking up with nothing between earth and sky, visible to the naked eyes.

Thank you for gracing us with Jupiter's glimpse.

Above all, thank you for holding out your hand.
So now, guide my steps to make the most of these precious days!

I need a willing and steadfast spirit for the task at hand.
Please consecrate it all again, for a new step.
Make all things new, clean and fresh.

Paris: Gobelins Summer School - Cité Universitaire

During the duration while I was in Paris, I stayed in the La Cité Internationale Universitaire de PARIS, a massive student village comprising of many different buildings, each representing different countries.

This is the Maison Internationale. The building greeting the main entrance.

This is the main entrance, from within, while standing on the doorsteps of the Maison Internationale.

Most of the summer school participants, including me stayed in the Franco-Britannique Building while some were assigned to the Belgium House across the lane.

This was my room on the ground floor. It is rather spacious compared to other student accommodations I've seen.

And a church building with character behind the compound of the enormous student village.

It is indeed a pleasant and very accessible place.

Paris: Gobelins Summer School - Notre Dame

Notre Dame is a fine and mighty building. However a friend of mine complained of how Disney somehow exaggerated it too much for the Hunchback movie.

While I have walked past it on many occasions, being in the middle of the city near St Michel square, I have only entered it once and that was not too long a visit. It is a very beautiful building to be sure. However, the crowds of tourists might have put me off slight.

The interior of the cathedral is dark and impressive, much like how its exterior looked at night. There are many treasures of remarkable workmanship within, from the elaborate stained glass to the more modern looking pulpit.

Somehow, the surrounding darkness only helped accentuated the glory of the cross, which I suppose is about such a House is for, in the first place.

In the cathedral's treasury, there are only a lot of wonderful and curious things usually in gold and decorated with other precious materials. Chief among my favorite is this golden dove.

This unassuming wardrobe is also special as it evoked a sense of being a portal to another world. Is there a winter wonderland, a witch or a lion waiting behind the door?

I was also greatly captivated by the candle lights, lit by the faithful. 1 or 2 may not be too spectacular, but when you have a rack-full of them, in many layers, they looked like an assembly of saints and angels giving praise to the Most-High.

Above all, beyond all the craftsmanship and treasures of our hands, this is my purest delight in my many passage through the cathedral's front courtyard.

In this, I see purity and innocence, and a sense of heaven unmistakably; something the majestic and splendorous House may pale in comparison with.

Paris: Gobelins Summer School - Eiffel Tower

This is the iconic Eiffel tower, the last tourist attraction that I visited in Paris.

It is interesting to visit the place 7am in the morning after Bastille Day. Just the day (and night) before, the whole area was filled with raving crowds. People from near and far, numbering in the millions, flood the area.

On the following early morning, with the gentle summer sun caressing the sleepy greenery, all is so still except for workers cleaning up the mess left in the previous night and dismantling the stage and stands for the parade and performances. Every now and then, you would see residents exercising and doing their morning walk under the tress and weaving in and out between the barricades put up for the celebration a day before. A few tents can also be seen under the tress. I even saw a few people huddled up in their sleeping bags in doorways and on park benches.

This is the eagle from the performances stage. I have been trying to look for a picture of it during the performances, when it was in its full glory.

And the front view. This is one big and majestic metal eagle indeed!

As I strolled away towards the metro station near the military school, four American lady tourists were walking towards the tower through the greens.

This was not quite how I expected my visit to the famed iron structure to be. No crowds, only five tourists (including me, in fact I don't feel like a tourist. I felt more like an observer), no excitement, no pesky people hawking souvenirs, no embellishment, but just people doing their work (cleaning up the place), and getting on with their everyday life.

However, I think this is an experience that is much more precious. An observation that I might not get otherwise, to be the witness of a celebration's aftermath. Perhaps to see a side of the Eiffel Tower that not many other tourists see, a side closer to 'reality' (if there is such a thing), bare, naked and honest.