Tales of Two Cities

Palais de la Porte Dorée

These folks were waiting, along with lots of other children and adults, for the gates to the Cité National de l'Histoire de l'Immigration and the Aquarium to open for the day.  Both of these attractions are located in the Palais de la Porte Dorée.  Guess which of the two these children will be visiting?

Me?  I was with a group of 12 adults scheduled to take a 1 1/2 hour guided tour of the Immigration Museum.

Le Palais is the only building remaining from the 1931 International Colonial Exposition, a glorification of the riches and wonders of France's far-flung colonies and possessions. As you can see, it is an impressive building with a beautiful, intricately carved facade (the work of Alfred Janniot), and was certainly worth saving.  

Following the Exposition, the Palais became home to the Musée National des Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie. (The aquarium remained.)

In 2003, the museum closed when its contents were moved to the new Musee du quai Branley, leaving a substantial amount of empty space in the building.

What to do with the vacated space? Use it for an immigration, museum, of course.  It seems logical and, to me, as an American, non-controversial, but the decision was not made easily and many questioned why such a museum was needed or relevant in today's France.

In the end, the project went forward and, in 2009, the Cité National de l'Histoire de l'Immigration became reality without fanfare.  There was not one major political dignitary in attendance at the opening ceremony. 

The museum is modest in size, content and scope.  Early on, it was decided that the time period to be covered by the exhibits should be limited to the most recent 200 years.

In general the exhibits are cheery and don't push the viewer to ask hard questions about the reality of life for those who left their homelands to live and work in France.  There was a very unsettling series of anti-semitic and anti-Roma posters, which, our young French guide explained, were exhibited to show the strong prejudices in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. 

Another exhibit was made of up photographs of immigrant men who had come to France for the work. What did it mean to them that they left their homelands in order to support their families and ended up living in  dormitories for years?     

(Our group looks at objects from immigrant life that evolved into decorative items.) 

Despite the guided tour and a lively disucssion afterwards led by a Wellesley College graduate working on a PHD about treatment of immigration in the upper grades of  French schools(teachers are not allowed to ask where a student's parents or grandparents came from), I have to admit that I simply don't understand the cultural sensitivity about the role of immigration in France's history. 

It is clear that the sensitivity exists, although it often comes across as a total lack of interest, but I can't get my arms around the "why."  It is easy in today's world to write it off as political correctness, a concept, as an American, I certainly understand. If everyone is first and foremost French it is rude to pry into information that might be understood to contradict that.  Also, exploring the past would undoubtedly expose still sensitive wounds resulting from the separation of Algeria from France and perhaps other painful episodes in French history.

Whatever the cause, there is at best an antipathy to, and at most an avoidance of, exploring the issues raised by France's immigration history.  Instead of enlightening me, the museum's exhibits left me more confused than ever.

 

(Statue of Athena at the Porte Dorée, which borders on the Bois de Vincennes.)

A History Lesson

  Until recently, I knew only that La Commune had been a brief, 19th century revolt by Parisian workers (les Communards or les Fédérérs) against the elected government. I was also aware that one of the final battles of the insurrection took place in Père Lachaise and that a number of the Communards were subsequently executed against a wall in that cemetery, known as La Mur des Fédérérs. 

An exhibit at the Hotel de Ville celebrating the 140th anniversary of La Commune provided a welcome opportunity to learn more.

La Commune officially began on March 18,1871 and ended on May 28 just over 2 months later.  During the final, bloody week ("La Semaine Sanglante"), thousands were killed and Paris was set aflame by the insurgents.

 

 

 

 

 

Although we had always understood La Commune to have been a revolt by extremists, the exposition suggested a nobility in the workers'  movement that is worthy of commemoration.  How much of the pro-Communards bias is due to the fact that the current Mayor of Paris is a socialist is hard to tell.  One thing is certain, however,  In some areas of the city, the support for the goals of La Commune 140 years later is evident.

(This photograph was taken in the 20th Arrondissement not far from the apartment where we stay in Paris.)

This political framework does not begin to explain the events of 1871, however.

I was surprised to learn that La Commune would not have happened as it did had it not been for the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, a war of choice started by Napoleon III that turned disastrous for France and for Napoleon's tenure as Emperor.

Two days after Napoleon III lost his final battle to the Prussian army at Sedan in the Ardennes, the Third Republic was proclaimed. National elections resulted in an Assembly Nationale eager for peace with the Prussians.  Despite the fact that France's capital had suffered much during the war and was still a city under siege, the citizenry passionately opposed capitulation.

When the President of the new Republic ordered removal of defensive canons from the hills of Montmartre, Parisians resisted with force resulting in many deaths on both sides  The legitimate government fled the capital for Versailles in the dead of night taking the military with it and leaving Paris to its citizens.

Staunchly in favor of workers' rights and passionate about not yielding the capital to the Prussians, the Parisians moved quickly to fill the void in local government.  An 83 member assembly was elected composed of workers, small business owners, journalists and members of other professions. A large number of those elected were in their thirties.  Laws were proclaimed improving the lot of workers (e.g., a prohibition on requiring all night work in bakeries).  La Commune, in all its idealism, was born.

Meanwhile, the legitimately elected government (now headquartered in Versailles and known as les "Versaillais") made peace with Prussia (ceding Alsace and Lorraine in the process). 

It was time to bring an end to the insurrection.  The Versaillais marched to the capital city and moved decisively against the insurgents. Following a deadly Semaine Sanglante during which the Versaillais fought the Communards in skirmishes and battles throughout the city, the Versaillais achieved their goal.  In the process, the Communards burned or destroyed many of Paris' important buildings and monuments.

Looking at the many photographs and period prints of Paris burning that are on display at the Hotel de Ville exhibit leaves one with a feeling of how impressive and overwhelming the destruction must have been during that final week.

The cost in lives was high: Tens of thousands of French on both sides of the insurrection were killed.

In the aftermath, some of the insurgents were executed.  Many were imprisoned or deported (including women and children). Nine years later, however, the government granted the Communards amnesty.

What to do with the damaged buildings and monuments was the subject of debate. In the end, it was decided that restoration was the answer.

 One exception was the Palais des Tuileries.  The impressive ruins of the palace that had been home to all of the 19th century kings of France were razed. 

There would be no more kings or emperors.

La Mur des Fédérés

Pere Lachaise Cemetery

"Where are We Now?"

 

140 years since the Paris Commune  .. and today?

Spring!!

Consensus

 

The French love consensus.  50% agree and 50% disagree.

If you understand this, you understand a lot about the French - and their sense of humor!!

Another sign in the same series (also bright red) announces that 95% of French people believe that the French are the best lovers.  When I first saw this one, I took it seriously.  Now I know better.  Then again, I don't have any first hand experience so what do I know?  Maybe it's true.

Saturday Afternoon at the Jardin de Luxembourg

Sun on a cold, late winter day warms the soul even if you still need a heavy coat and scarf to warm the body.

 Read about the Jardin de Luxembourg here.

 

 

Two Reasons to Smile

It was hard not to smile as we walked past St. Eustache yesterday.

Forsythia were in bloom ...

                                                                                .... and children were full of joyful energy!

Change in Routine

We took a different route to Paris this trip, flying Icelandair (instead of Air France) with a stop in Reykjavik (instead of direct).  The trip was about 3 hours longer, roughly half of that waiting at  Keflavik Airport to board our flight to Paris. We didn't get to "our" apartment until 2 pm (instead of 7-9 am), but it would have been 1 pm if there had not been a delay with our ride from Charles de Gaulle Airport into Paris.  

Overall, we were pleased with our experience.  The service on the plane was efficient and non-intrusive without being cold.  It made me feel as though I was wrapped in serenity as well as in the warm blanket we were provided. 

One real bonus of flying through Reykjavik was that we entered the European Union in Iceland where the volume of passengers is modest and so did not have to wait through the long lines at Charles de Gaulle in order to go through passport control. 

The cloudy weather kept us from the possibility of seeing the Northern Lights on the first leg of our trip, but shortly after we took off for Paris from Keflavik Airport, we flew into the sunrise.  It was quite lovely for a few minutes before the sun was hidden by clouds.

Despite the late start to our first day in Paris, we stuck to our standard first day agenda and checked out the status of the flora in the Jardin des Plantes before eating at Les Philosophes.

The gardeners were busy at the Jardin des Plantes tidying up flower beds and grooming the grounds. Many annuals are already in the ground and a few are beginning to flower. We were delighted to find a peach tree in bloom, It may not yet be spring in Paris, but the peach blossoms promise that it will arrive soon.

By the time we finally went to bed, we felt quite settled in our home away from home.

Excuses, Excuses

I don't suppose lack of time is a good excuse for falling so far behind on my blog.  But truthfully, the hours, days and weeks have been filled since our return from Paris at the beginning of June and somehow blogging has remained the next thing I'm going to do on my to do list. 

The one exception is my posting of at least one new photo of Emily each week. 

Just last week, Em spent two nights and three days with us in the city.  Our time together was filled with fun, frustration and learning on all sides.  I do wonder, though, how I cared for two little kids 18-months apart when sharing the care of one 6 year old is so exhausting!  (It can't be that 40 years can make that much difference, can it?)

 Earlier this month I did my first product photo shoot for a neighbor who has a growing business making and selling artisanal chocolates. She and I had a lot of fun and the task gave me the opportunity to learn a bit about macro photography.  Check out her blog here.  I can attest that her chocolates are to die for!

Also, I am continuing my daily photo project.  I've missed a few days here and there, but am pleased by how consistent I have been so far. The consistency is in the posting, I hasten to add, not in the quality of the pictures, which varies with my mood and the luck of the shutter.  See the latest photos here.

Since returning from Paris, I have been trying to master the newest version of PhotoShop (CS5) and to harness the power of LightRoom3.  While I have been using PS since CS2, LR is relatively new to me. 

Anyone will tell you that LR has a steep learning curve, and they are right. I have found LR3 to be a sophisticated and very complex program offering powerful database capabilities and surprisingly versatile post processing functions.

The road to understanding how to use CS5 and LR3 and developing an efficient work flow has not been an easy one and there have been times when I have been frustrated to the point of madness.  I am smitten though.  And the more proficient I become, the more enamored I am.  Perverse, I know. But  that is the way it goes with passions.

Yes, give me LR over whips and chains any day.  (Just testing to see if you are still reading.)

It is hard to believe that it was only 10 years ago that I got my first digital camera, a 3 megapixel Canon point and shoot.  Innocently, I thought that it would make picture taking simpler and, even funnier in retrospect, I thought that doing photography would be cheaper. I was intrigued by how nifty it would be to be able to take unlimited photographs without having to buy tons of film and pay for processing. 

The costs of migrating regularly to more and more sophisticated camera bodies and acquiring nicer and nicer lenses not to mention investing in better and better computer equipment and more and more advanced computer programs never entered my calculus.  

It didn't take me long to realize that I had much to learn, not just about taking photographs, which was a given, but about turning my photographs into a finished product. It is amazing how much intellectual, technical and artistic work is involved.  But the biggest surprise was how much I grew to enjoy the entire process. Taking and processing photographs has turned out to be one of the unexpected pleasures of my life.  

But I digress.  What I started out to say is that, despite the demands on my time (real and self imposed), Part Two of our adventures visiting Chateau d'Ecouen, home of the wonderful Musee national de la Renaissance, is coming soon.  I promise.  Meanwhile, you can read Part One  if you missed it.

Meanwhile, I leave you with this recent image of summer in the city.  Stay cool and enjoy the summer, wherever you are in the Northern Hemisphere.  For my Aussie and NZ friends, I hope your winter has been full of warm moments.

Self Portrait

Just joking.  I am in the picture, but it really isn't about me, as you can see.

This is Charles beside a portrait of his great, great, great ... etc. Uncle Ben in one of the windows of Le Procope, a restaurant established in 1686 and purportedly the oldest café in Paris.

Le Procope was frequented by Voltaire, Danton, Robespierre, Marat and  Charles' own Uncle Ben.  I think that Uncle Ben and Voltaire were the only ones of these well-known historical figures to die a natural death.

Now for the big question:  Is there a family resemblance? 

Ummmm.  Maybe something in the stance and perhaps the nose.  Otherwise, I don't see it.  Do you?