A quick visit to l'Institut du Monde Arabe

Before starting out, A. received a gift in the mail: a letter from one of his friends at home. He was happy - I think this is the first time that he's actually had a letter addressed to him. Magazines, junk mail, sure. Not a letter, though.  Master of texting, email, and skype, he was a bit at a loss with the actual paper, and took his time turning the envelope gently in his hands before finally carefully opening it.

This made me think of what our speed has done to us. Do we remember what we have said and done as well as we did when we paid attention to our handwriting?

When we were in China, we learned about the importance of calligraphy. Excellent, artistic writing is highly valued, and considered to be a mark of one's place in society. Our visit to the l'Institut showed us that Arab societies value calligraphy just as highly. I have heard, although cannot confirm, that this is because the Coran, as the direct word of Allah, is the basis for all written word, and messy handwriting is not dignified enough for 

The outside of the museum was fascinating: pieces of metal that open and shut depending on the position of the sun. Inside, we needed to take an elevator to the 7th floor to begin our visit. I have never visited a museum where the visit begins in the air, and one walks down to continue the visit, as is the case here, but I must say that it totally makes sense. No going up!







The elevator was equally stunning, and although I don't think of myself as being height-adverse, I had to tell myself that it was safe.  (If you click on the picture, you'll have a better idea of what it looked like from the inside of the car.)

The museum itself was worth about a 45 minute visit. The highlight was a video of different men playing instruments: drums, lute, an instrument that resembles a trumpet with fingerholes, but sounds like a double reeds, and a plucked string instrument similar to a dulcimer. There were many interesting objects from the last 3000 years, but unforunately the explanations were written on the wall of the glass cases that protected the artifacts and were extremely difficult to read. We arrived just after a free tour of the museum had set off: I would imagine that this tour would be the best way to really see the museum.



The 9th floor is open to the air and to the public. There is a restaurant where you can order a 15 euro cup of tea (not this visit!), and fantastic views of the eastern part of Paris. A. thought this was the best part of the visit, and I agree.



Notre Dame from the back, with the sculpture of St. Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris in the foreground. This carving is on the Pont de la Tournelle, and was sculpted by the Franco Polish artist Paul Landowski- perhaps better known for the huge Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio.

 A view of Ile de la Cite... some of Paris' most exclusive mansions.

Moving in closer, a building is offset from the Seine by a small garden. The dome of the 17c. Jesuit church of St. Paul in the Marais is in the background.

 Here is a closeup of the roofs looking over towards l'Hotel de Ville (Paris' City Hall.) During the Middle Ages, the river went right up to the edges of the gardens that surround this building.

At the end of the day, it is nice to find a free, clean place to use the toilette. You push a green button on the outside, the door opens, and you enter to do your business. After you leave, the inside is sanitized with a clorine-smelling solution. (Eau de Javel was invented in Paris, after all!) A. tells me that there is a sign on the inside saying that if you stay longer than 20 minutes inside, you will become the victim of disinfection. I suppose this is a way of keeping homeless people from using the toilet as a temporary shelter. And there are many homeless people here, unfortunately, and surprisingly.