Notre Dame de Paris

As a Paris virgin, the Notre Dame was high on my to-do list, and did not disappoint as I became one of its 14 million yearly visitors. For 850 years old the Notre Dame looks pretty damn good. The Notre Dame Cathedral was one of the first Gothic cathedrals, with construction beginning in 1163 and spanning most of the Gothic period, until 1345 when it was finally completed. It is one of the largest and best-known cathedrals in the world, and is generally acknowledged as one of the finest examples of Gothic Architecture.

Its site at the Île de la Cité, a small island right in the heart of Paris, has always been the city’s religious centre dating back to the Celts and the Romans. Daily religious masses continue regardless of the hustle and bustle of the constant tourist traffic throughout the day, so try to avoid the major Catholic holidays when planning your trip.

The frontal west facade features the two tall bell towers, and three portals of differing sizes, adhering to the traditional Gothic ideals. The Notre Dame was one of the first to use the Flying Buttress, and is decorated with three stunning Rose Windows.

Above the entrances is the Gallery of Kings, 28 statues of Judean kings, and higher, the famous gargoyles and grotseques, guarding the entrance, funnelling rain water and making friends with Quasimodo (haha).

In fact, it was Victor Hugo’s novel Notre Dame de Paris (known more to us as The Hunchback of Notre Dame) that we need to thank for the survival of the Notre Dame. During the French Revolution, the Notre Dame suffered desecration, and most of its sculptures, gargoyles and religious imagery was either damaged, destroyed or removed, and the whole cathedral had been left in a state of disrepair. It was only after the publication of Hugo’s novel in 1831 that Parisians realised that the Cathedral needed to be rescued, beginning a 20 year restoration.

We took the Metro straight to Cité in an attempt to get to the Cathedral as early as possible, (there is no entry fee, and by 10am the queue already begins to stretch right around the circumference of the cathedral). But after we had taken in as much as we could of the cathedral, we took a stroll towards the Left Bank via the Pont de l’Archevêché. After the Pont des Arts was cleared of its padlocks in 2010, couples began to place their love locks on this bridge instead, tossing their key into the Seine to symbolise their unbreakable bond (that is until city workers cut them off to prevent more pieces of the bridge falling away under the weight of everyone’s love). The bridge is almost entirely covered in the little multicoloured locks, and it is a lovely sight to see, regardless of the street sellers who patrol the bridge with their unromantic multipacks of cheap padlocks, sold on for what I imagine is a considerable profit for those poor souls lost in love who did not come prepared.

Notre Dame Cathedral

Place Jean-Paul II

Île de la Cité

75004, PARIS

Metro Line 4, Stop: Cité

8am – 6:45pm Mon-Fri

8am – 7:15pm Sat and Sun.

A stroll around Rome

One of my favourite things to do in Rome was to do nothing. This might sound a bit mad, as I am usually the type of person who enjoys a go, go, go trip, hoping not to miss anything out, but as this was my second time to Rome (and I think only the second time I had ever been to the same foreign place twice), I felt none of the pressures that exploring a city for the first time tends to bring. I was free to wander aimlessly and sit outside restaurants, people watching in the sun for however long I fancied it.

Rome has over 900 churches, so you pass one virtually every couple of yards you wander. Most of them are open all day, are free to enter and house beautiful works of fine art.

And it was good to just take in all the little things you wouldn’t usually get the chance to notice. Like this chap:

Roman Holiday

Although our trip to Rome was first and foremost to attend the beautiful wedding in Manziana this was the bf’s first visit to the eternal city, so we basically set ourselves the challenge of how many things can you see in Rome in one day. Frankly, I was surprised at how much we managed to pack in, all on foot. Rome is smaller than you think, and pretty much all of the main tourist sites are within walking distance of each other. But, at the same time, it is not the easiest of cities to navigate, so best to set out on your Roman adventure with the prerequisite that you will get lost, and when you do, you will sit yourself down outside a restaurant/on a bench in a piazza; to enjoy some antipasti/wine/gelato and take a well-earned break to watch the world go by. 

Naturally, the first stop was the Colosseum, needing no introductions.

And then a hop across to the Arch of Constantine.

Erected in AD 315 to commemorate Constantine I’s victory at the Battle of Milvian Bridge, the arch spans the Via Triumphalis, the route taken into Rome for returning victorious emperors.

The most recent of the three remaining imperial triumphal arches in Rome, (the others being the Forum’s arches of Titus and Septimus Serverus), the arch is one of the most well preserved Ancient Roman monuments (probably due to Constantine’s conversion to Christianity).

The Arch of Constantine is one of the most well-studied monuments in the history of art and architecture. As well as depicting the Battle of Milvian Bridge itself, the Arch’s generous use of spolia (recycled pieces of art taken from monuments of the past) originally depicting previous emperors Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius and Trajan, strategically altered to now depict the face of Constantine instead. In this, the Arch becomes a piece of political propaganda for Constantine, showing himself as benevolent and charismatic, as opposed to a divine ruler.

From there, it was a short walk across to Palatine Hill. Rome is built on seven hills, and Palatine is the birthplace of the city, both historically (people have lived on the hill since 1000 BC) and mythologically. The name Rome is said to come from Romulus, who was found along with his brother Remus in a cave by she-wolf Lupa, who kept them both alive until a shepherd named Faustulus found them and raised the boys with his wife. When Romulus grew up, it was on this hill that he decided to build the city of Rome. Due to it’s proximity to the Roman Forum, atop of Palatine Hill was the place to live for the rich and powerful, Augustus himself was born on the hill, and the area was eventually completely taken over by the Emperors.

As it is a hill – make sure you have your walking shoes on! The walk to the top to the beautiful Farnese Gardens and Livia’s House is quite taxing in the heat of the sun, but the view of the city from the top is well worth it.

From here, walk down to the Roman Forum to marvel at the ruins of Ancient Rome’s centre of public life. Although quite badly labelled, do your research before hand, and use your imagination to evoke the triumphant processions, public speeches and criminal trials which would have taken place in this valley between the Palatine and Capitoline hills.

Buy a combined ticket to the Forum, Palatine Hill and the Colosseum, which is valid for 2 days from the ticket office at any of the three sites (although Palatine tends to have smaller queues). Entry is €12.00 for adults and €7.00 for concessions. Alternatively, schedule your trip around the first Sunday of each month when admission is free!

The Pantheon

This trip was my second time to Rome. my first, the aforementioned school trip was a packed itinerary, and getting any free time from the teachers was like getting blood from a stone. I remember being given a choice by one of the teachers, “You can either come with us to the Pantheon, or you can  have some free time and we will all meet back at the hotel”. So, what did the 15 year old me decide to do? Go get ice cream. Yes, I passed up the Pantheon for a scoop of Pistachio.

I remember my friends who has chosen the other (better) option coming back to the hotel and declaring that the Pantheon was the greatest thing they had ever seen in their lives etc etc. I remember thinking that they all my have been bullshitting in some strange attempt to make us jealous of how mature and cultured they had become by taking the educational option.

It was only when I came home and actually Googled the Pantheon did I start to think that I had made a poor decision.

Then, one of my first modules in History of Art at Uni was entitled ‘Reinventing Antiquity’, focusing on Ancient Greek and Roman Art and Architecture. I remember being sat in seminars feeling lucky (and a bit smug) about the fact that I had already see the Laocoön, the Apollo Belvedere and their peers. The smug feeling lasted right up until we spent 2 weeks studying (have you guessed?) the Pantheon. Smug I was no more. I could have actually kicked myself if physically possible.

I vowed, never again would I let my stomach take priority in such a situation.

So when my boyfriend came home announcing that we were off to Rome the following week for his Italian cousin’s wedding, all I could think was “must go to Pantheon to correct childhood mistake”.

The Pantheon (the Greek adjective meaning “honour all Gods”) is the best preserved Ancient Roman monument. In fact, no one really knows how it survived the Barbarian raids which left all the other Ancient Roman monuments in ruins. The most fascinating and famous fact about the Pantheon is its giant dome with its hole in the top. It remains to this day the largest unsupported dome in the world, and inspired countless artists and architects including Michelangelo and Brunelleschi. The hole at the top of the dome is often referred to as the ‘eye’, creating a link between the temple an the gods, and providing the only light source for the building. The Pantheon is so well preserved that it is not difficult to imagine what it would have looked like in all its ancient glory. And although it will cost you a small fortune, you have pull up a chair outside one of the cafes in the Piazza della Rotonda to just sit and stare for an hour. And, it is just as impressive at night. I know this because in a desperate attempt to make up for my daft teenage mistake, I visited the Pantheon every single day this time.

Piazza della Rotonda

00186 Roma

Italy

An Italian Wedding

Recently, I was lucky enough to attend what will surely be one of the most beautiful weddings I’ll ever witness. Probably the most last minute trip I’ll ever plan, we decided to head over to Rome for my boyfriend’s Italian cousin’s wedding with a week to spare before the date. Finding somewhere to stay, coordinating six people on different flights, and hunting down something to wear all in the space of seven days was, as you can imagine, a bit of a nightmare, but undoubtedly worth it. My first wedding abroad, I was pretty excited, but the whole day blew all of our expectations out of the window.

As I learnt over the course of the time we spent with the family, the Italian national pass-time is simply milling around. I have never met a group of people who mill around more than the Italians. The whole day was spent on ‘Italian Time’, and the wedding ceremony, which our invitations stated was to begin at 10:30am, finally started at around midday. One positive about all the milling around was that I had plenty of time to meet all the family, and take some photos of our stunning surroundings.

The wedding venue was the Chiesa Della Madonna Delle Grazie, or for us non-Italian speakers (I was one of VERY few) the Church of Our Lady of Grace, in Maznziana, a town located about 40km northwest of Rome. The tiny chapel, set in the 12 hectare private estate of Borgo Le Grazie, was built in 1400. Most of the congregation gathered on the steps of the church, or outside in the grounds for the ceremony, as only the oldest of women and those with the tallest of heels were privileged enough to gain one of the dozen pews.

 The wedding reception was set in the restored villa on the estate, with various rooms, beautiful gardens and a pool.

Having had no breakfast in the rush to get to the train station, plus the long morning and the delayed ceremony meant we were all starving, and the selection of antipasti and post-wedding drinks was more than enough to satisfy.

Arranged in stalls around the garden, it was hard to decide where to head first.

The buffalo mozzarella was like nothing I’d ever tasted before.

Feeling stuffed from our over-indulgence on parma ham and caviar bellinis, it was time to make our way onto the villa’s terrace for the main wedding breakfast.

 Each of the tables were named after songs chosen by the bride and groom, and being the English contingent, our table was naturally called ‘God Save the Queen’.

Our first course was a shellfish ravioli served with courgettes and fresh clams.

 Followed by trofiette with roasted cherry tomatoes, pesto and buffalo mozzarella.

 Next was a sea bass roulade stuffed with shrimp and with a poppy seed crust (and my favourite!).

The rest of the afternoon was spent feeling stuffed, and toasting the happy couple with copious amounts of champagne and Grappa (and trying not to fall in the pool and make a poor first impression).

Braccianese Claudia Km 29,100
00066 Manzanita

http://www.borgolegrazie.it

Glenn Ligon: Call and Response

Last week I was lucky enough to attend the opening of Glenn Ligon’s new show Call and Response, at the Camden Arts Centre.

Ligon’s work first came to my attention during my History of Art and English Literature Undergraduate degree, and I was taken by his use of the written word in his works. So much so in fact, that I ended up basing my entire dissertation on his Runaways and Narratives pieces, which took their inspiration from the Slave Narratives of the 18th and 19th centuries.

As well as appropriating the works of the African American literary canon, Ligon’s influences come from a wide range of sources including the visual arts and popular culture, and address topics of race, sexuality and language.

As his first exhibition in the UK in a public gallery (his works have previously only been shown in the Thomas Dane Gallery in St. James’s and his works owned by Tate Modern appear to have been on loan for as long as I can remember), I was excited to see the new works created for the exhibition up close and personal. I managed to bag myself a ticket to the opening, which included an introductory talk from the man himself. After spending 6 months of my life writing, and even talking to my friends, exclusively about Glenn Ligon, to say I was excited was probably an understatement.

The format of the introductory talk was an informal, yet informative, conversation with Mark Godfrey, Curator of International Art at Tate Modern, filmed and broadcast live on the Camden Arts Centre Website. The talk took place inside Gallery 1, which housed the largest of Ligon’s works on offer. The piece, entitled, ‘Come Out’,  is two large silkscreens taking up almost the full length of two opposing walls. In a similar vain to the monochromatic text paintings which helped to establish him, the silkscreens use the phrase “come out to show them” printed and repeated over and over again until almost reaching the point of abstraction. The phrase itself comes from a 1966 work by minimalist composer Steve Reich, also entitled ‘Come Out’. Reich was asked to create a piece which was to be performed at a benefit for the retrial of the Harlem Six, the six black youths who were arrested for murder during the Harlem Riot of 1964. Out of the six, five were later exonerated. In the piece, Reich uses a recording of a testimony given by Daniel Hamm, one of the innocent boys whose injuries were ignored by police. Reich re-recorded the phrase, replaying them over the top of each other, and then letting them slip out of sync to create a rhythmic, abstract effect that is repeated on Ligon’s silkscreens. Ligon told us that this was the first time he has used music as a direct source for one of his artworks.

In the full phrase, Hamm says “I had to, like, open the bruise up, and let some of the bruise blood come out to show them”, describing how he had to punch his bruises to exaggerate them, as the police were ignoring his injuries. But in the recording, instead of bruise, he says blues due to a slip of the tongue. Ligon says he was intrigued by this mistake and used it as the basis of his neon work Untitled (Bruise/Blues). This piece, housed in a second, smaller gallery uses two large neon works depicting the words Bruise and Blues facing opposite each other. Using Ligon’s typical black neon, and a blue light reminiscent of the blue of flashing lights of police cars, the two words hang from the vaulted ceiling of the original library of the building. The lights flash on and off intermittently, and the words face away from each other. When chatting to the artist himself, he told us that the work was created with the room it would be house in in mind, and during the initial hang he ha his reservations on the size of the piece. His first concern was that the neons were in fact too small for the space they were to be presented in. The result is, in my opinion, the most successful and engaging of the works on display in the three galleries.

The final of the three works is not based on Reich’s recording, but instead, the comedian Richard Pryor as his inspiration. Seven screens of differing sizes are hung from the ceiling in a dark room, showing clips from Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip, recorded in 1982. The clips are silent, and focus intensely on the gestures made by different part’s of Pryor’s body. The screens flash on and off, encouraging viewers to move around the room to take the piece in. Although video itself is an unusual medium for Ligon to work in, Richard Pryor is a subject to whom the artist returns time and time again. Ahead of his times, Pryor’s jokes were strong critiques of race relations, sexuality and US history, the same subjects which Ligon himself finds most interesting.

When asked by Godfrey about the use of the phrase ‘come out’, and any connections with Ligon’s own homosexuality, the artist told us this was ‘simply a happy coincidence’. This is comment typical of Ligon, himself a black, homosexual artist who manages to address concerns of race and sexuality from a personal perspective, without appearing at all narcissistic.

Until 11 January 2014

Free Entry

Camden Arts Centre
Arkwright Road
London NW3 6DG

Tuesday to Sunday:
10.00am – 6.00pm
Wednesday:
10.00am – 9.00pm
Closed Monday

The Souks of Marrakech

Navigating the Souks is notoriously hard. Although we’d heard that it is almost impossible not to get lost on your first day, and our lovely Riad Cherihane hostess Nezha had sat us down at our first breakfast and provided us with an various in depth maps, with highlighted signposts to look out for on our way to and from the Jemaa, and her mobile number in case we managed to get ourselves truly lost. Excited, and armed with our maps and guidebook, we set off to explore, abandoning our recommended route within about 10 minutes, and after looking at various lamps and teapots, we soon realised we had absolutely no idea where we were. We decided just to keep wandering because it was all part of the fun. After about 2 hours of wandering, and still not being able to manage to find our way back to the Jemaa, or the Riad, we realised that our Duke of Edinburgh map reading skills were absolutely useless in the labyrinthine medina. Even the most seasoned traveller would have found it hard to simultaneously try to work out where you are on your map, and fend off the dozens of young men and boys who take one look at you and realise you’re one absolutely screwed tourist, and an easy target for their ‘helpful directions’. If you really have absolutely no idea where you are (like us), and you have even ran out of things to argue about (like us), try to make your way to the edge of the Medina, and find a taxi to take you back to your Riad. You may feel as though you are giving up, and you’ll kick yourself when you realise where you are, but anything is better than walking around in circles. The next day, we followed our map, and made a note of things we could use as sign posts along the way.

It can be hard not to just jump straight in and start buying as many painted bowls, hamsa hands and petite tagines as you can carry, but first, make a visit to the Ensemble Artisinal, on Avenue Mohammed V, and opposite the Cyber Park. This small, government-run complex of shops and stalls selling the traditional arts and crafts products seen all over the Souks, has fixed, fair prices, and is a good place to start to make an idea of what the reasonable price is to pay for the items you want to purchase. You can even watch local young people in craft workshops, and as the salesman tend to be the craftsmen, you can pick your items up made-to-measure.

After a long day shopping, make sure you stop off at a rooftop cafe and pick up some traditional Moroccan mint tea. Locally known as ‘Moroccan Whiskey’, you’ll see lots of locals socialising over a cup or two, and watching the waiters pour it in the cafes is a show in itself.

Cafe Arabe, Marrakech

On our last night in Marrakech, we decided to treat ourselves and head to Cafe Arabe. We had walked past the restaurant every day on our way to the Jemaa, and after our last full day which was spent relaxing around a pool, we thought we’d finally pay the place a visit, and we definitely saved the best til last. The owner is Italian, and this is reflected in the menu, with a mix of Italian antipasti, and traditional Moroccan tagines, and a fantastic selection of wines.

To start, we got a Moroccan Salad and some olives (naturally).

He went for Tagine Mech Mech, which was lamb, sweet apricots and nuts. The portion sizes were ridiculously big. It was as if they had thrown half a lamb in there.

I went for the Tagine Kefta, which was lamb meatballs, tomatoes and eggs.

The service is fantastic, and the only downside was the provided in the combination of a TV and the football. The first part of our evening was spent like this:

To be expected really! So I amused myself by exploring the place. The building housing Cafe Arabe used to be a ‘Foundouk’ or merchant’s inn, where tradesman would stay when visiting the Souks. You ca choose to sit in the pretty walled courtyard, or the roof terrace with it’s amazing views of the city and watch the sun set. The whole building is beautifully decorated in a traditional style.

And we finished it with the customary ‘Moroccan Whiskey’. I could honestly drink the stuff forever.

A perfect place to spend an evening after a day exploring the Souks.

Cafe Arabe

184 Rue Mouassine

http://www.cafearabe.com

Open Daily 10am – midnight (food served from noon – 11pm)

Henna Cafe, Marrakech

In every direction you look in the Jemaa El Fna , and at every time of day, you can guarantee you will spot ladies waiting to adorn your hands and feet with their henna pattern. If you want my opinion , stay clear of them, a lot of them (not every, but almost all I saw) use black henna, which in some cases can cause nasty allergic reactions, and have a tendency to overcharge you, hoping you are new to Marrakech and having got into the sing of things yet, or you are just plain stupid and willing to spend £45 on something which is likely to have washed off by the following evening. Be firm when these ladies approach you, and don’t stick around if you’re not interested (even if you are just trying to enjoy your orange juice and mind your own business like I was). One lady was actually quite aggressive towards me, even though I firmly told her I wasn’t interested, and to my horror, grabbed my arm and started drawing on me. She eventually got the message that the last thing I wanted was a “pretty little flower” even if it was “for free for free”, and wiped the henna off me leaving my with an unsightly smudge in an unfortunate colour right across my hand which stayed there for the next 48 hours.

Of course, not all of these women are out to rob you, but if you want to be sure of a guaranteed price, and know where your money is going then I suggest taking the short walk from the Jemaa to the Henna Café. Henna Café is a social enterprise, where all profit from the café on the roof (which serves food just as beautiful as the patterns they paint on your hands), go to the local community and to the school underneath, teaching young women English, and a vocation in henna. Tourists are welcome to attend the henna workshops too, for a suggested donation of 200dh They even give you after care guidance, a sugar and lemon juice seal and a little mitten to protect your artwork for the first night in bed.

 A little hard to find at first (we relied heavily on our map), but worth the trip, as my boyfriend actually managed to enjoy himself as well as he sat using the free wifi and drinking copious amounts of mint tea. And there was a lovely tortoise to keep him company whilst my hand was painted.

Henna is priced between 50-500dh

http://www.hennacafemarrakech.com/

93 Rue Arset Aouzal

0656 566374

Daily 11am-8pm

Jardin Majorelle

You’ve guessed it – the Ville Nouvelle is the modern half of Marrakech, but seems a million miles away from the Medina. It was actually nice to get out of the chaos for a couple of hours on our search for a bottle of wine and some swimming trunks. It is ridiculously hard to buy alcohol in the Medina, and I “accidentally” threw my boyfriend’s old trunks away. When you find your wine, don’t spend 10 minutes standing in the aisle of the supermarket rehearsing how you ask for a corkscrew in French because no such thing exists and the man stacking the shelves will just have a chuckle at your misfortune. Or so that happened to me anyway.

Anyway, trip to the Ville Nouvelle would not be the same without a pit stop in the stunning Jardin Majorelle. If you exit the walls of the Medina in the north western corner, near the madness of the bus station, then the oasis of tranquillity that is the Jardin Majorelle is only a five minute walk away. This is no exaggeration – stepping into the gardens is like stepping into another world. The hustle and bustle of Marrakech disappears. The noise of speeding motorbikes and frantic haggling is replaced by the song s of the 15 species of birds who call this miniature paradise home. I can’t really say I’m one for walking around manicured gardens, but this place really is stunning. We ended up spending almost double the time we planned wandering aimlessly along the terracotta pathways shaded by tall trees and plants from every corner of the world.

Originally the project of Charles Majorelle, a French ex-pat artist during the 1920s and 30s, the garden fell into ruin, until it was rescued from developers in 1980 by Yves Saint Laurent.

Although surrounded by lush greenery, if the gardens were a colour, they would definitely be Majorelle blue, the colour trademarked by Charles Majorelle that adorns the walls and vases and walkways of the garden, and was inspired by Morocco itself an the Berber culture. Everywhere you look you can see this distinctive colour peaking out from behind the leaves. It was so lovely that we bought a small tin of Majorelle Blue paint to bring home in an attempt to one day try and recreate what we saw (obviously we don’t have very high expectations for our own garden, buy god loves a trier).

The garden also plays home to Berber museum, bookshop, and the ‘Love Gallery’, which showcases Yves Saint Laurent’s collages which were sent by the designer each year to his friends and clients as New Year’s greetings.

The Jardin Majorelle is most definitely a must-see in Marrakech. Just don’t expect to make a flying visit when it is so easy to get lost amongst the waterlillies and shady palms.

Entrance – 50 dhs (and worth every penny)

October 1 – April 30: 8 am – 5:30 pm

May 1 – September 30 : 8 am – 6 pm

The month of Ramadan: 9 am – 5 pm

Rue Yves Saint Laurent
Marrakech, Morocco