This Saturday, some of my closest friends and I went to the Musée d’Orsay. In addition to exploring all the beautiful paintings and sculptures on display, we could not miss seeing the iconic clock on the top floor. The vista of Paris from the clock is amazing, with stunning views of the River Seine and La Basilique du Sacré Cœur, amongst many others. Here are just a few of the photos I took.
The current exhibition at the Musée de Cluny offers a journey through time and space during the Middle Ages. ‘Voyager au Moyen Âge’ (‘Travelling in the Middle Ages’) hosts a variety of key aspects of travel in the Medieval period. As one walks around the exhibition, which is currently on show in the third-century Gallo-Roman thermal bathing hall, you are presented with different types of traveller, from the merchant to the pilgrim, the prince to the artist. Furthermore, the exhibition highlights the diverse reasons for travelling during this time, encompassing specific issues such as the aspiration for knowledge, the need to demonstrate visibility within specific societies and the journey of the afterlife. On show are a selection of varying objects, including tapestries and reliquaries taken on travel, to illuminated manuscripts illustrating maps of various countries. Probably the most notable artefact is displayed right in the centre of the exhibition – the fragments of a medieval boat which have been recreated to provide a tangible sense of the physical nature of such journeys and what they may have entailed. Overall, …
Yesterday was a day of unity and defiance in Paris, as nearly four million people joined in France’s biggest rally in history. The purpose of the march was to pay respect and remember the victims of the attacks this week, to show solidarity, and to show the nation’s values of liberté, égalité, fraternité. I am truly honoured to have been able to be part of this moment in history, and my own experience of the march was unforgettable. As we waited to walk, the atmosphere in the Place de la République was extraordinary. This was really an occasion of harmony, as people of all ages, religions and nationalities were part of the rally. Adorning the crowds were messages of ‘Je suis Charlie’ and ‘Nous sommes Charlie’, not only in French but in various other languages including Arabic. Other declared ‘Nous some la République’, ‘Je suis Musilm’ and one noticeable sign I saw, read: ‘Je préfère mourir debout que vivre à genoux’ (‘I’d rather die standing than live on your knees’). There were also hundreds of …
At 11am on Thursday 8th January I decided to go to the Place de la République, where the night before vigils took place for those whose lives were taken away the previous day during the Charlie Hebdo attack. Surrounding the monument at the centre of the Place were many tributes, which included candles, pens and flowers. Furthermore, as I walked around it was hard to not notice the repetitive inscriptions of ‘Je suis Charlie’ on the ground. What was poignant was that these sentences were not only written in French, but in a variety of languages including Arabic. It was incredibly moving to see the what was left from the previous night’s gathering, and below are some of the photos that I took. This Sunday I will be attending a Marche Républicane to pay hommage to the victims of all these attacks. (See more on my Flickr album here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/roisingrace/sets/72157649782372850/)
For me, like so many, Christmas is all about spending it with your family and loved ones. Before heading back to England for the Christmas holidays, I blessed to have a visit to Paris from my parents and brother. We had a fantastic weekend, and it was a great start to the holidays. Our weekend adventure took us all over Paris, including the roof terraces of both Printemps and Galeries Lafayette, and all around Versailles. Below are just some of the photos taken by my Dad during this whirlwind weekend. And with this I bid Paris a fond farewell for two weeks, and head home to England for Christmas – Merry Christmas everyone!
Róisín Astell 