First off, sorry for the hysterics yesterday. It was a scary day. My domain name was set up to be automatically renewed- with a card I had to cancel long ago and forgot about- and the notifications from Google went into my junk folder. So right when it expired, the lovely GoDaddy.com put it up for auction and sold it yesterday for $700 without my knowledge. I think I have retained it though, legally I have a week to reclaim it after sale and the process has been initiated, so please cross your fingers that all works out. If there is any issue with this domain though, please note that the blog would automatically be transferred back to the old blogspot address of www.elementstyle.blogspot.com should anything happen. I don’t want to loose all my amazing readers I’ve worked so hard to gain! Thanks for all your concern. Also, I know that the page has been loading slow- I’m in the middle of having the blog redesigned to be better and faster so you all can enjoy it more easily! Reveal to come later this month!
Now, back to important things. Like Paris. These are the last of the photos I have to share from our cultural adventures at the Louvre,Musee d’Orsay, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and other architectural splendors.
First off, the Eiffel. It is HUGE. Really huge, and it causes you to just be speechless in amazement pondering the actual construction of the thing. I captured this little boy who expresses it just right. We went to the top (froze our butts off) and marveled at the lack of skyscrapers in Paris. It was beautiful.
Ahhh, the Louvre. We went straight off the overnight flight from Boston. It is the most massive museum I’ve ever been to and it was almost too overwhelming!
We waited in this line at 9 am and then made a run for the Mona Lisa since I know it gets crowded fast. you can;t get close and it’s a bit underwhelming in it’s size, but it still amazed me.
I noticed a lot of a certain color scheme in a lot of the art that I just loved- greeny turquoise, bright red and pinks. I would love to do a room based on these colors! I simply adored these works…
Big enough for ya?
this hall was mind blowing. The level of detail work on the ceiling nerly made me fall over! Not to mention these doors and the fantastic jeweled goodies inside the room!
You are going to laugh at my lack of cultural depth on this one, but when I saw all this jewelry the first thing that came to my mind was “This looks like Banana or J.Crew!” Perhaps Jenna Lyons gets inspiration from such historical collections?
This sculpture left us in AWE. We stood looking at it for some time. The ability to carve marble into “cloth” like that is just beyond my comprehension.
Outside the Louvre is the beginning of the Jardins des Tuileries which is truly spectacular- with it’s rows of trees, carosel, sculptures and cafe carts….
An example of masterful city planning- you can see all the way to the Arc de Triomphe!
In the Marais we came upon one of the most beautiful agrdens I’d ever seen…
Everywhere you turn is another work of amazing architecture! Above is the Palace Vendome.
This building was covered from top to bottom in growing green plants. And the Arc, well, it speaks for itself!
The Musee d’Orsay came on our last full day and we were BEAT. But we did as much as we could and I wish we had had more energy and time to take it in because the art is just spectacular!!! There was a huge model of the museum at the entrance and you could compare the real deal to the miniature…
There also was a massive model of the Paris Opera House that is any girls dollhouse fantasy! :)
The level of detail makes you think “I’d go crazy doing that!” And then you notice underfoot, under glass, is this gigantic model of Paris! They must have gone blind putting that thing together!
Oh yes, and the art….
I fell in love with this painting. The patterns and colors just made me swoon. And I found it really lovely and interesting that each gallery was painted a different color- even as bold as purple- which isn;t typical of a lot of museums and it was clear the colors were so carefully planned to make each grouping of art really stand out.
Oh, you know how I love pink walls! This color scheme reminded me a lot of Miles Redd’s work, actually!
The Impressionist gallery is unrivaled. Andrew was aprticularly excited to see Van Gough’s painting of his bedroom since as a little boy his mother decorated his room based on this work!
After all that, we needed a break and this picture captures me at my happiest- in a little outdoor cafe, with wine and a croque monsieur in the sun!
For our last dinner we went back to where we started, over looking the Louvre at an incredible table at Cafe Marly and toasted the splendor of Paris!
I hope you all enjoyed my three day tour of Paris! It is going to be a trip that stays in my heart for a long, long time. Until I can return. Tomorrow tune in for my post about what I learned about dressing from watching all the amazing women of Paris!
And a happy anniversary to Andrew, my very funny and tolerant hubby of 4 years today. Check out our spread from Inside Weddings here to see what a gorgeous day it was!
your wedding looks absolutely stunning. i love your choice of colors and all the coordinating stationery and floral elements. very, very special looking. congratulations on your anniversary! my two year anniversary with my husband is coming up. i actually did a post about our wedding you might like, since it seems like we share some of the same sensibilities about seasonal and location-specific choices:
http://honeyliving.blogspot.com/2009/03/affair-to-remember.html
Erin you packed so much into three days. What a fabulous trip.
Happy Anniversary. I just looked at your beautiful wedding photos and read the attached story and found myself getting all teary at the sweet story your dad told at the reception. It is so dear.
And the hummingbird above you during the ceremony? Only in the movies.
Enjoyed seeing your views of Paris (especially your previous post of colorful shots from the streets – just beautiful!). Today's photo of the carved marble sculpture is amazing, too. I love how you can see the bright red sign from one of the shops across the way just below the statues arm. Old world meet new world! So unfair that you had to return from your architecturally historical journey to face modern day technical problems with the blog. Hang in there!
Erin – first & foremost I am pulling that all is worked out with godaddy. I couldn't believe the news, & I am sorry for all the turmoil it's caused. Second- happy anniversary to you & your husband. I can't wait to see your wedding pictures. It was very fun to see Paris through your eyes. Your photos were terrific and such fun. Paris means so much to us all. One photo stirs memories not like any other. Have a happy day & thanks for sharing with us all.
Xx deb
Lovely Paris shots and Happy Anniversary. Stinks that your Paris vacation haze had to be brutally jolted by this blog domain insanity. Ugg.
P.S. I am getting married new Saturday and am beyond excited. I can't believe it is finally here!
Lovely pics- you are lucky!
While the Louvre is amazing, I love the Musee D'Orsay- that's one of my fave museums I've ever been to (US and Europe!).
Happy anniversary Erin!
I've enjoyed all your amazing pictures of Paris — I haven't been since h/s and now you have me itching to go back an enjoy it as an adult!
Erin, I am crossing my fingers that everything will work out with your domain name. Your pictures are so great. As amazing as the Louvre is, I absolutely adored The Musee D'Orsay.
Your wedding was beautiful! Incredible even. And thank you so much for sharing your Paris photos. I've never seriously considered visiting Paris until I read your recent posts and saw your awesome photos.
Good luck with the domain issue!
Gorgeous pictures and yes…I think looking back helps alot of designer's going forward (jewelry). Shudders down my spine re your domain name. Thanks for the painful warning. Best wishes. Trish
Shoot, you are making me want to get on a plane and return to Paris! I studied there, visited with girlfriends (not recommended), attended world cup, honeymooned there…ah, I need to return!
Thanks for all the great images igniting great memories!
Janell
p.s. good luck with your site name issue. What a pain…
Do you know the name of the painting that is on two canvases? One vertical and one square? I've never seen it before, but I am in love!
Also – did you know that the Paris Opera House was the basis for opera house in Phantom of the Opera. I always found that interesting. It even has waterways under it like in the movie… I never got to see it while I was there, but that's on the list for next time.
Thanks for sharing your beautiful pictures! The post title had me worried you weren't going to do the fashion post, and I'm most looking forward to that one! Haha. Glad you had a great time.
You're killing me Erin- we took our (then 4 yr old) daughter to Paris last fall and took so many incredible photos only to get home and realize that our card was faulty. I took it to a local camera shop to try to retrieve the pics and they could only pull about 4 for us. We took pics of our little girl at the Eiffel Tower in various shots (hoping for a holiday card photo) and NONE of them came back. Lucky for us our friends that met us there took some pictures so we ended up with about 24 photos in all.
Anyway, your photos are incredible and I'm looking forward to your post tomorrow about Paris/French fashion!
Happy Anniversary!
So sorry to hear about all the blog drama – who knew domain-keeping was such a hassle?!
Fab pics of Par-ee!!
I thought this was pretty cool, and since you just got back from Paris you might enjoy…
See article information below the link.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/markandrewwebber/3687793524/in/photostream/
"After six months of research and a seven day trip to see the city in person, Mark Andrew Webber has spent the past two months carving an enormous linocut, typographic map of Paris.
He hasn't made prints yet, but plans to try soon. So you've got from now until then to find a wall big enough to hang this tribute to swashes and baguettes.
See more photos and closeups of the completed map in Mark's flickr stream."
Your readers will find you no matter where you are.
Paris is such an artistic place. Both the interior and exterior is an art exhibit, featuring creative architecture and amazing designs. Congratulations on the anniversary!
Nicolette
http://www.furnitureanddesignideas.com/
Wow Erin. I have never read an accounting of a trip to Paris that made me want to GO THERE NOW like yours does! Beautiful pics and love the way you tell the story. Thanks for sharing with us.
what a colossal pain in the neck, not to mention terrifying, morally repugnant, and just plain frustrating!! quite the snap back to reality after such a great trip, i'm sure. glad to hear it's working out though,and hope you and andrew are doing something fun for your anniversary!
Loved all the photos, beautiful Paris and your even more beautiful wedding!!!
I will be married for 12 wonderful years on Sunday and we celebrated our 10th in Paris. :-)
Kerry
Congrats on your anniversary! (today is wedding anniversary too!) Your wedding looked stunning and I love the car!!! Glad to see your blog is back! We are planning a trip to Paris for our 5 year anniversary (can you tell how excited I am to go since it's 2 years away and I'm already starting to get ideas???). Me and hubster are reading your blog together and checking out all the places you went :-)
Incredible vacation Erin, I felt I was with you every step of the way! I have been an avid reader for awhile now but never posted, my heart skipped a beat when you almost lost your blog, panic set in too! Glad you are back in biz, love your style,outlook on life and amazing topics you cover.
Looking forward to reading more from you. Congrats on your anniversary~Tootles
Gorgeous pictures! I love Paris and want to get back there soon. I am glad the domain thing worked out. What a scare though – UGH!
Oh my GOODNESS, you cannot post things like that for crazy hormonal soon-to-be-brides! I am still in tears over your Dads sweet toast! What a beautiful day! You look gorgeous and the hubs ain't so bad either! Congratulations on four years of marriage, and I am glad you got your domain back. Don't know what I would do without you on the blogosphere.
xo
Bailey
peppermintbliss.blogspot.com
Beautiful trip – an art history lover's dream, and gorgeous wedding! Congrats on getting your domain name back. Great things in life are always worth fighting for. Keep up the great work and I'll be following. :)
Looks like you had an amazing trip. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful photos! I especially love the artwork pics :)
Get out!!! I totally remember drooling over your wedding in Inside Weddings (my Bible during the wedding planning days, circa 2005-06). I ripped out the picture of your cake, even, to show the hotel! GORGEOUS wedding… one of my faves.
OK, now that we're done with that, thank you so much for the Paris recaps! We'll be there over the holidays and I'm really enjoying seeing where you went/what you saw.