Printable View
http://translate.googleusercontent.c...oCU9-eeUWvaOJw
Since we're celebrating anniversaries, I thought I'd post this.
Hmm, can a mod change "Frence" to "France" please? I swear it wasn't my fault.
Thanks Hosa!
Different link: http://historytodaymagazine.blogspot...niversary.html
la france you barbarian
Hey now, this is a positive thread. Niceness is ruthlessly enforced.
But I already like the FrenchQuote:
Originally Posted by Vladimir
Best thread title ever! (Mistakes and all - which add to the charm! *)
I rather like the Eiffel Tower. It belongs to the city. It is as much a symbol as the Pyramids are for Egypt, or the Colloseum for Rome. The Egyptians would've been dissapointed that of all of their remarkable structures, it would be the bland pyramids that would be remembered. The same probably goes for the Colloseum. Which was a banal sports stadium in a city of temples and wonder. Paris is full of hôtels, palaces, churches, domes, a sumptuous opera and city hall. (Plus the greatest bit of Paris - the Luco). But for all of that, it is a temporary structure of iron, with no other purpose than to show off a bit, that is associated most closely with Paris.
It had a real 'wow' factor when it was build. We are all used to scyscrapers, to massive 747's flying over entire oceans. But back in 1889, a 324 meter tower was awe-inspiring. But the novelty wore off quickly. For much of the twentieth century the tower was hated by Parisians. Said to destroy the skyline, to disrupt the uniformity of the Parisian style. The beauty of Paris is not just the monuments. It is those thousands of Hausmannian buildings. All carved from the same stone, build according to the same scheme. Those streets upon streets that look like palace wings.
Nowadays, the Eiffel tower is cherished. As so many cultural artifacts (fashion, design, music, architecture) it has come full circle. From fashionable, to ridicule, to re-appriciation and symbol of an age. It is now seen as a great symbol of 19th century sense of progress. There is also an appreciation for the beauty of the structure itself. For its size it is remarkably delicate. For several tens of thousands of tons of steel, it does not look brutal, or heavy. It looks lightweight, slender, elegant.
(But of all the remarkable structures that were build for World Expositions, why oh why did they chose to leave the Eiffel Tower and the Chaillot Palace standing, while destructing those entire cities that were erected! :cry:)
*Edit: Are you sure France is a phallic symbol? :sweatdrop:
There was one famous french critic who ate supper in the tower every night because it was "the only place in the city from which he couldn't see it" :laugh4:Quote:
Originally Posted by Louis VI the Fat
Have you ever seen the Eiffel Tower, Vladimir?
And Fragony, you are a francophile and have a keen knowledge of all things French. What do you think of it.
[/No way I'll let this excellent opportunity to discuss the grandness of Paris die off before even making it to a second page....]
~~-~~-~~-<<oOo>>-~~-~~-~~
Paris, Paris.
No. New York is about superlatives. Why be NY when you can also be NY, NY? Paris, by contrast is unique. Only Paris. So:
Paris.
https://img10.imageshack.us/img10/83...iffel100th.jpg
Try to do this nowadays...
https://img10.imageshack.us/img10/84...sneauparis.jpg
Man taking his lunch for a walk.
https://img10.imageshack.us/img10/68...r20eiffel2.jpg
Liberté, liberté chérie!
https://img8.imageshack.us/img8/5448...elenlibert.jpg
A city whose reason to exist is the pursuit of beauty.
https://img8.imageshack.us/img8/7355...oureiffel5.jpg
Woman with umbrella. Unlike the first picture, which I assume is staged, this one isn't. The woman with umbrella is a random passante. She could be anyone. Yet, her very presence adds to the artistry. Is the artistry. Her visit makes the art, the art wouldn't exist without her presence. Paris is not a museum, there to be admired. Paris is an active museum, the visitor is part of it, makes the city. Paris exists only in the eyes of those that love it. Exists for them. Paris belongs to the world. A city that falls in love with everybody who falls in love with it.
https://img40.imageshack.us/img40/15...9020616441.jpg
Pictures by Robert Doisneau and Willy Ronis. My favourite photographers of Paris. The theme I've chosen is 'water', as can be seen from the rabbit.
God, I love France
Paris is indeed a beautiful city, but if I were Parisian, I'd put explosive charges beneath the Eiffel Tower and blame it on the terrorists.
Well, this would cut us from receiving a batch of radios. I like radio, therefore the eiffel tower is a necessary evil :laugh4:Quote:
Originally Posted by Sarmatian
I was thinking about that this weekend. I haven't, and might not see it even if I visit Paris. Normal tourist things don't interest me. Think of all the New Yorker's who have never been to the statue of liberty. If I were to visit Paris, I'd rather spend my limited time eating at small cafes, drinking locally produced wine, and spending time with friends. I can experience enough of the popular things because they are so popular; I'd rather experience the city itself and feel more like a local. I'm also very interested in the quaint, nondescript areas of the countryside.Quote:
Originally Posted by Louis VI the Fat
If you walk along the Seine river, you'll have tough time missing the Eiffel tower. It's not that big, by modern standards, but most of the town is limited at 37m height, so you can not really miss it(unless there is fog). Though it would be perfectly valid to avoid the 2/3 hours of queue for visiting the lady.Quote:
Originally Posted by Vladimir