Saturday, October 06, 2007
Bordeaux, France, 25 Oct 2006: Bacchanalia Burdigala
A Day Of Wine & Roses
Burdigala is the ancient Roman name for Bordeaux, famous for her climate, soil (perfect for growing grapes) and blended vintage wines. A total stranger to oenology, I went on a organized wine tour of three vineyards in the Médoc region: Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande and Château Lynch-Bages in Pauillac, and Château d'Arsac in Margaux. The wine-growing regions are divided by a strict classification system into appellations, each comprising adjoining vineyards that share similar microclimatic conditions, soil, grapes and wine-making art that impart unique identity and personality to the wine. So important is the impact of the terroir on wine quality, that each vineyard, or château, is rigorously ranked into first, second, third growths, etc in descending order of prestige based on this. Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande produces fine second growth vintages. The female owner injects her personal touch and love of beautiful things into the château: rose bushes lining the borders of the vine fields, painted wine barrels, extensive art collection exhibited on the premises, a handsome private residence. From the patio of the château, the famous tower of the premier cru Château Latour beckons alluringly from the distance while we sipped the proffered red. After lunch, we made our way to the fifth-growth Château Lynch-Bages, also in Pauillac. More libation rouge. It also boasts a museum of antique wine-making equipment. Our last wine tasting of the day, Château d'Arsac, sits on two different appellations separated by a foot path: Margaux and Haut-Médoc. Previously fallen on hard times, the vineyards and wine production have since been painstakingly restored by new owners, with the château grounds reinvented as an open-air modern art museum. Wine tasting, Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande |
Labels: art, Bordeaux, food, France, wine
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Paris, France, 6-8 Sep 2007: Three Days In Paris
City Sights In Black & White
Day 1. 5pm. Musee d'Orsay. From Tuileries metro, walked through the gardens, crossed River Seine on the lovely slender Solferrino bridge. Long queue at the museum discouraged entry. Pity. 6pm. Went to Montmartre. Stopped at Abbesses metro. Did not take the elevator. Instead scaled the spiral staircase decorated with colourful murals of Parisien scenes. Crowds gathered to enjoy the panoramic view of Paris from the steps leading up to Sacre Coeur cathedral at the peak of Butte Montmartre. 10pm. Strolled along the banks, and enjoyed the quiet of, St Martin's canal in the untouristy 10th Arrondissement. Stood in the middle of one of the canal's many bridges as a cool refreshing breeze wafted over gently. Day 2. 10am. Friday street market metres away from the apartment building in the 11th Arrondissement. Quick look at the stalls. 11am. Marais walk. Along rue de Turenne to Place des Vosges, one of the most beautiful squares in Paris, perfectly symmetrical and stately. Nearly noon. Back to apartment for lunch. 1pm. Latin quarters. Visited Luxembourg gardens. Weather was excellent, people lounged around, soaking up the sun. 3pm. Walked to St Sulpice cathedral (of Da Vinci's Code fame). Almost empty, north tower under restoration. Short visit to St Germain des Pres. 4pm. Walked through the grounds of the huge Louvre Museum, to the Palais Royale. Time stood still as gentlemen engaged in the silent game of petanque. 5pm. Walked to Notre Dame. Toured the gothic interiors. Then ... Berthillon ice-cream (chocolate, strawberry, praline with orange, raspberry) at No.31, Ile St Louis. Absolutely yummy. 6pm. Beauborg walk. Saw Georges Pompidou Centre. Enough. 7pm. To Eiffel Tower. The best approach ever was from Trocadero metro. Come out of the station, turn left and suddenly the tower plopped right into the field of view. Unrivalled vista. 8pm. Montparnasse. Met some new friends for dinner of moules et frites. 10pm. Streets of Paris filled with rollerbladers. Cars had to wait for more than 10 minutes for the whole train to pass. Incredible. Day 3. Am. Meeting at KNOE, Kremlin Biscetre. Fruitful discussions. Lunch of excellent Pho at Pho 14. Avenue de Choisy, near Tolbiac metro. Pm. Shopping at Galerie Lafayette. 8pm. To airport. |
Monday, September 10, 2007
Paris, France, 7 Sep 2007: Abbesses Metro
Upstairs, Downstairs
The Abbesses Metro station in the heart of Paris' Montmartre district is famous for the art nouveau entrance as well as the wall murals decorating the staircases that go more than 30 metres below ground level. It was recently extensively renovated. Colourful cartoons of Parisien scenes line the walls of the ascending stairwell (left column) while photographs of the Montmartre area are seen in the descending stairwell (right column). These eye-catching murals offer more than enough inducement to skip the elevator and take to the stairs. However, the effect and ambience are very different from the original murals before the latest revamp. I personally prefer the old look ... but what do you think?              |
Labels: art, France, painting, Paris, transport
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Paris, France, 24 Dec 2003: Notre Dame de Paris
Christmas Eve Mass
     Christmas Eve. Crowds pack into the cavernous Notre Dame Cathedral for Evening Mass. As the congregation waits eagerly in anticipation, the altar cross becomes brightly illuminated, drawing all attention to the Pieta at the base of the cross. |
| After the service, the men and boys' choir sings a plaintive French carol as the congregation files out of the pews. Some linger on wistfully. |
| Outside, Notre Dame's mighty bells toll resoundlingly. More worshippers crowd into the square in front of the cathedral doors, all queueing patiently for coveted seats to the Midnight Mass. |
Labels: architecture, event, France, music, Paris, religious site
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Paris, France, 14 Dec 2003: Musee Louvre
Les trois dames et plus
 Musee du Louvre is the largest repository of antiquities and art in the world. Restoration of the august institution met with initial public outcry, but I M Pei's pyramids soon became the Louvre's favourite icons. The understated underground entrance atrium and brilliant light-filled courtyards in the Richelieu wing - Cour Marly and Cour Puget - are the architectural centrepieces from which collection-rich galleries radiate.  |
 Three pieces - da Vinci's Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace - are the Louvre's undisputed mistresses. Priceless. Enigmatic. Ethereal.   |
 Greek statuary line the sculpture gallery. Renaissance sculptors recapture Grecian artistry. Michelango's Rebellious and Dying Slaves convey a life-like contrast in curtailed muscular tension and flaccid resignation. Poetry in marble.    |
  Antiquities from Egypt and the Near East, bounty from Napoleon's Egyptian expeditions, are a collection highlight. Hammurabi's Code is one of the first recorded wriiten laws, preserved in Sumerian cuneiform script on an imposing stela. Awesome.  |
Labels: architecture, art, France, ladies, museum, painting, Paris, sculpture
Paris, France, 13-30 Dec 2003: Tour Eiffel
Steel, Lights And Magic
   Eiffel Tower is the crowning glory of Paris' Left Bank. For a dramatic approach to the Eiffel Tower: take the metro, exit Trocadero station, bear left. The tower springs into immediate view unexpectedly. The impact is unforgettable. Champs de Mar - Fields of War - stretches south along the axis that extends from Palais de Chaillot across the Seine to Eiffel Tower, leading to the Peace Monument and Ecole Militaire at the other end.    |
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 At night, Eiffel Tower transforms into an illuminated jewel box. A beacon at its pinnacle beams proudly into the dark sky, drawing admiring gaze from near and far. The best view is from the terrace of the Palais de Chaillot. The audience waits with bated breath. On the hour, Eiffel Tower sparkles into live. All eyes stay glued as a scintillating light show play out in front of an appreciative audience. |
Labels: architecture, France, lights, Paris
Paris, France, 16 Dec 2003: Butte Montmartre
Sacre Coeur And Surrounds
    Sitting magisterially on the summit of Butte Montmartre, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart - Sacre Coeur - dominates the the northern Parisian skyline. From her feet, the vast city of Paris spreads out interminably into the horizon.  |
  Montmartre was the bohemian hub of French painters and artists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Place du Tertre, a short stroll from the Basilica, breathes the vestige of this artistic heritage: the square is now inhabited by a plethora of street artists and caricaturists. |
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   Nearby Abbesses metro station is famous for the Art Nouveau entrance and the spiral staircase flanked by colourful art murals that leads to rail tracks 30m below ground level. |
Labels: art, France, Paris, religious site, transport
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