May in Paris

You gotta love the month of May in France - it's full of holidays. Especially this year when the political holidays are added to religious holidays. The most important is probably the First of May when everyone has the day off. It is the "Fête du Travail" or "Labor Day" which we in the U.S. celebrate on the first Monday in September. Thousands of people take to the streets waving red flags.

The second week of May featured two more holidays:  The 8th of May, VE Day, marking the end of WWII in Europe and defeat of the Nazis. And the 9th of May was the Feast of the Ascension, a Christian holiday which always falls 40 days after Easter. Since Ascension always falls on a Thursday, it is common for people to take the Friday off (faire le pont) and to have a 4 day weekend. But this year, since both Wednesday and Thursday were holidays, and kids were out of school all week, lots of Parisians had two-day work week and a five-day weekend. Paris streets were quiet - except for tourist areas with endless lines of tour buses from all over Europe.

May 20th is also a holiday this year - Pentecost Monday (lundi de Pentecôte) - celebrated 50 days after Easter - another three day weekend. However, for those of us who are retired, every day is a holiday.

Ireland in photos

A few more favorite photos from our recent trip to Ireland . . .

Old Library in Trinity College

The Gap of Dunloe seen from pony cart

 

The lakes of Killarney National Park

Astronomical structures at Knowth

Passage tombs at Knowth

petroglyph at Knowth

Kylemore Abbey

Monasterboice

thatched cottage

If you'd like to see even more photos and videos  from our trip to Ireland, you can find them here at Patrice's Google+ site.

Dolmens and seaside villages

Ireland is also a land with a rich geologic and Celtic history. Yesterday we visited the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, and the Poulnabrone dolmen.

Today we spent much of the dayfollowing the coast of Connemara with its seaside villages such as Roundstone.

Ireland

We're in Ireland for an eight day vacation.
Visiting ruined castles,
 
 abbeys,
 
and, of course, pubs.

Photo of the day

Le Corbusier

On Sunday we visited one of Le Corbusier's iconic works, the Villa Savoye. Built between 1929 and 1931 as a weekend home for the Savoye family, it illustrates the "Five Points of New Architecture."

Stilts

By using stilts (pilotis), Le Corbusier created a "box in the air" construction with its base disappearing into the surrounding grass.

Roof Gardens

The flat roof becomes a useable terrace where flowers can be planted. The horizontal line of the building means it stands out clearly against the sky.

Open-plan

Reinforced concrete frees the interior of load-bearing and separating walls. The posts support the floors, allowing for an open-plan design. Light partitions are sufficient to separate the different areas.

 Free-floating facade

The facades were free of the load-bearing structure, and placed freely on the stilts. Their positions are determined by the views from the inside.

 Horizontal window

The non-load-bearing facades can have long windows, creating light and airy interiors, two qualities which were highly prized in the Modern movement.

  Paradise for photographers!

 

Architecture walk in Paris

On Friday afternoon we signed up for a guided visit of early 20th century architecture in Paris. We saw examples of the asymmetry, curved lines, and organic motifs of Art Nouveau (1890-1914):

 We then turned to Art Deco (1920-1940), which is characterized by straight lines, symmetry, bold colors, and geometric shapes.

 We also visited the Maison La Roche by Le Corbusier

 I spent the day thinking about my daughter-in-law, Rachel, who is an architect. I wish she were here to visit with us.

Tomorrow - more from Le Corbusier