The Wordsmith: Marie Antoinette's prison and Arc de Triomphe

On the 8th day that we were in Paris we decided to head to the Conciergerie where Marie Antoinette was imprisoned before she was beheaded. This was an emotional day for me because her end was so tragic and she is my favorite historical figure. Afterwards we headed over to Notre Dame and then Shakespeare & Co. On the 9th day we traversed to the top of the Arc de Triomphe where we saw the tomb of the unknown soldier. That night we took a very romantic dinner boat tour of the Seine and saw all of the riverside monuments. It was so amazing!!!! One day I will go back to Paris. I will see the city again! We had such an incredible time and I am so happy that I get to share my travels with all of you and relive the trip again!

I hope everyone is having a good start to September!

31 August 2014

Billy Joe the Beetle

“FRANK! FRANK! IT HAPPENED FRANK, IT HAPPENED!”

“What happened Billy Joe? Calm down!”

“I saw the giants we here so much about! It came right up to me and almost smashed me! There were two of them, one stepped right over me and yelled. The other walked right up to me and forcefully shoved me! I flipped over onto my back. Luckily they didn't smash me but I had to wrestle with the ground Frank! I thought I was going to die there! I got right up and ran straight for the bar to tell you what happened.”

“There, there Billy Joe. Here have a mud beer and some grass patties. You will be okay.”

“Thanks Bob. I am tellin' you guys, the world up there it ain't for me. It's too dangerous. Those giants have never gotten so close. Who knows what's next with those things!”

The beetles sat in their bar and drank their mud beers as they discussed the perpetual problem of the human giants that roamed the lands the beetles lived under. The beetles would have to create new defenses and stay more low key in order to survive the giants reign of terror.

1 September 2014

The Light

I went to bed that night thinking all the world was well. I fell asleep hard and dreamt of so many things. There were happy dreams and nightmares but it was the nightmares that shook me awake. As I awoke I reached for my light to turn the demons away. I clicked it and clicked it but nothing turned on. Fear began to consume me. What if I was still dreaming? What if my nightmare was real? Everything around me was dark and silence filled every ounce of space. What would I do if I could never see the light. Frantic, I shook my husband awake.

“Help! I am scared and I cannot turn the light on! Help! It is so dark in here!” I yelled to him.

“The light is on, take your eye cover off.” he said as he rolled over and went back to sleep.

I guess my dreams were so excellent that I did not understand reason. I smiled at my fortune of not being trapped in my dreams and sauntered off to dream land again, only feeling a little bit embarrassed that I could not figure out the light.

The interior of the Conciergerie. The arched ceilings gave a very beautifully eerie feel to the prison.

Marie Antoinette before her death.

Marie Antoinette's initial cell. She was relocated to a smaller one after an escape attempt.

This is where the concierge sat and took names of prisoners and made sure they had food, bedding, etc.

These next few pictures are names of all of those lost during the French Revolution.

Marie Antoinette's name next to her husband, Louis XVI

A common cell

A rich person's cell

Marie Antoinette's symbol

The prisoners courtyard

Notre Dame!

It is truly so peaceful and lovely in these cathedrals.

This stained glass window was massive! The detail was just incredible!

A statue to the Saint Joan of Arc

It makes you feel so little

A map of the city in the 1800's I believe.

Scott is weird

They stamp your book with this when you make a purchase.

A poem about Santa on the metro

I read a book by Edward Rutherford called Paris and in it is a family named Bertrand. They fought during the Revolution and WWI & II. The book is based on actual historical events but with made up people so it was amusing to see the name at the Arc de Triomphe

In memory of those lost

So pretty!

This city is just never ending

Champs-Elysées

Sacre Ceour

I actually don't know where this was taken or how it landed randomly in here but it's a pretty view.

These are the stairs up and down the Arc de Triomphe.

And that is Scott :)

Names of fallen soldiers

The tomb of the unknown soldiers with a flame (that you can't see) that never goes out.

These next three are posted out of pure ridicule. This is not art it is just junk, let's be serious now. You can't just hang a string in front of wood and call that deep thinking art.

I mean come on! This was at the Modern Art Museum and it was ridiculous.

He is just so handsome!

After the we Americans were given our Statue of Liberty, a smaller one was made to keep in honor in Paris. The frame work of both was done by none other than Gustav Eiffel.