The Louvre. It is the most famous art museum in the whole world. I was so excited about visiting and seeing amazing works of art!
More than eight million people visit each year to see a collection that has been growing since the late 12th Century. Originally the Louvre was a residence for French Kings and Queens. When King Louis XIV chose the Palace of Versailles for his main house in 1672, the Louvre was used for many things but it always housed the royal collection of art. The collection grew and grew and now includes some of the most important pieces of art in the world.
Recently the Louvre was made even more famous because the movie The Da Vinci Code was filmed in its galleries.
Some of the famous works of art that are on display include:
Winged Victory
The Mona Lisa
and Monet’s Water Lillies
Be sure to check out my Paris Album on the More Pictures page to see my other amazing photos from the Louvre.
Have an Adventure Every Day!
Affectueusement,
Dewey
P.s. Use a research webpage to find another fact about the Louvre or the name of another piece of art that is part of the Louvre collection. Leave me a comment with the information you found!
May 18th, 2009
What a big day! Two amazing places that are each the setting of two of my favorite movies!
This is Notre Dame Cathedral, a church that has more history than most buildings in the world! Construction started on the church in 1163 – more than 846 years ago – and was finished about 1345. One of my favorite books-turned-movie is set here. The Hunchback of Notre Dame was written by Victor Hugo in the early 19th century and set there because he loved the church’s architecture. People all over France became interested in Notre Dame and even contributed money for its restoration because of Hugo’s book. Look up Notre Dame on Wikipedia to read some really cool information about it!
This really cool building is the setting for another of my favorite stories “The Phantom of the Opera”. This is the Palais Opera (or “Opera Palace”) built in 1875 under the supervision of Emperor Napoleon III. It is one of the greatest building built in that time – and is still one of the most loved building in all of France. In 1896 one of the counterweights holding the massive chandelier broke and the chandelier came crashing down killing a person. The tragedy inspired Gaston Leroux to write his novel ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ in 1909. The novel was turned into an opera and the opera was made into a movie.
Stay tuned! I have bunches of Parisian adventures left to share!
Have an Adventure Everyday!
Affectueusement,
Dewey
May 14th, 2009
Les Halles (pronounced “le – al”) has a huge spot in the history of Paris. It was an outdoor market place built in 1183 and was remodeled in 1850 to include huge glass and metal buildings. Then in the 1970’s it was replaced with an underground shopping center. It’s nickname is “the stomach of Paris”. One of the really cool things about it is that there is lots of art, sculptures and fountains in the area. It makes it a very nice place to shop!
This is one of the huuuuuuuge sculptures I saw at Les Halles. I wonder if he’s supposed to be napping?
Have an Adventure Every Day!
Affectueusement,
Dewey
May 13th, 2009
I’ve never seen anything so cool! The Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889 as a landmark for the World’s Fair that Paris hosted. Did you know that it was almost built in Barcelona, Spain? The city leaders in Barcelona didn’t like it, so the French said it could be built in Paris!
It is 1,063 feet high and was at one time the tallest building in the whole world. I know that in movies set in Paris you can usually see the Eiffel Tower out of the window… but really, it isn’t like that. In Paris, most buildings are under 7 stories tall, so there are very few buildings that you can actually see it from.
At night, the tower is lit up using over 3,000 lights. The brightly lit tower is partly why Paris is nicknamed “The City of Lights”. There are about 25 known replicas of the tower all over the world from Kazakstan to Texas! Monsieur Gustave Eiffel sure knew what he was doing! I wish I could have told him “Merci” for building such an awesome structure!
Have an Adventure Every Day!
Affectueusement,
Dewey
May 13th, 2009
Very soon I will be taking a trip very far away! Try to guess where I’m headed…
I’m going to be visiting a European country with a rich history. The city I’m staying in is know as “The City of Lights”. The World’s Fair was held there in 1900 and many famous movies have been filmed here. Think you know where I’m going? Leave me a comment with your best guess! First person to correctly identify the city and country gets 5 tickets.
I can’t wait for my adventure!
Love, Dewey
Congratulations, Victoria! You guessed correctly! Next time I’ll have to make the clues a little harder. Please remind Mrs. Gentis that she owes you 5 tickets from me. -D
May 4th, 2009
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