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| Louis XIV, the Sun King, Le Roi Soleil on a sunny morning at the Place des Victoires. |
In the early morning hours, I walked the streets in our neighbourhood searching (in vain) for an open bakery shop.
I found, however, this Jesuit church Église Saint-Roch instead, –
– and these old cobbler's and printer's shops built into the church wall.
Every sidewalk gets an effective shower at daybreak.
After an improvised breakfast I travelled to the southeastern suburb Vincennes to visit Château de Vincennes. This is one of the most impressive and largest castles in France, and one that has played an important role in the history of France. It has also been the residence for many Royal families.
The medieval castle was built between 1340-1410.
The 52-m-tall keep is the highest, still standing, stronghold from the Medieval age. From the early 1700s and until 1944 the keep was used as a prison. One of its "lodgers" was Denis Diderot (1713-1784) a famous philosopher, art critic, writer, co-founder of the Éncyclopédie and a frequent guest at Le Procope, the world's oldest café.
In 1749, Diderot was put in solitary confinement at the Château de Vincennes because of this small book of his: Lettre sur les aveugles à l'usage de ceux qui voient [Essay on the blind for the use of those who see]. The subject of the essay is a discussion of the interrelation between Man's reason and the knowledge acquired through perception (the five senses).
Within the perimeter of the castle lies the beautiful church Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes –
– built between 1380-1480 using a simplified version of the drawings for the Sainte-Chapelle on the île-de-la-Cité.
After an extended siesta we went to visit Musée Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac.
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| The green space with light sticks underneath the museum on stilts. |
This fairly new and strangely formed museum, designed by Jean Nouvel, exhibits culture and civilizations from all continents, except Europe and Antarctica.
This mud mask brought back memories about David's experiences amongst the wild mud men in the PNG jungle.
The artwork by the Aboriginals has got some very attractive patterns and colours.
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| Maxime Noiré, 1900. Le Sahara. |
Among the many paintings from France's former colonies this one was my favorite.
By 9 p.m. we left the museum and walked across the Seine to Trocadero. Here we waited a while in the warm spring dusk until somebody switched on the Eiffel Tower's evening light.
Then at 10 p.m. the flickering lights went on for 5 minutes –
– and it looked like this !
A worthy finish of a good day and a long and fine sojourn
in the city of lights.
