Anyone not in RCL class can ignore this post, and please enjoy reading any of my previous ones!

I used one deliberation blog post to count for passion blog number 6, which can be found at our Think Tank website, here.

“We Stand For Organized Terror”

The International Spy Museum in Washington, DC is a museum dedicated to global espionage. It opened nearly 15 years ago, in July of 2002, and contains the largest collection of international espionage artifacts on public display.

Ceyeanide Eyeglasses

It is the only spy museum in the world that provides a neutral point of view and global perspective on the secretive, often invisible profession of espionage. Including counter-terrorism, counter-intelligence, covert action, and technological advancements in spying throughout history.

There are stories of individual spies, interactive exhibits, film, and models to uncover for the viewer the little-known about profession. And when entering the museum one can pick a spy alias  to memorize facts throughout the museum on your persona. At various points along your museum journey, you can take quizzes about your persona. And in the end if you remember everything correctly-you are a winner, fit to be a real life spy…

Other famous spy museums throughout the world tend to focus on a specific period of time or country, like Moscow’s KGB Museum and NSA’s National Cryptologic Museum.

What ‘s in the collection? Concealment devices, historic photos, films, cipher machines, cyanide pills inside of glasses, sabotage weapons, a fake dog feces transmitter, and lots of more obscure items.

The 750 artifacts cover history from the Greek and Roman Empires, the British Empire, America Revolutionary War, American Civil War, both of the World Wars, the Cold War, and up until the present day.

Next, let’s delve into some espionage history of the most recent and famous type- the Cold War. In the fictitious world, there was 007 James Bond, a Cold War secret agent.

The real world of espionage between the USSR and the United States during the Cold War was a subtler act. Normal, everyday jobs and action were the key to success of staying undercover to relay information.

Rectal tool kit. “The Interview,” anybody?

In America, there were the CIA, NSA, and FBI. The US does not have a clean and superior track record- we have supported coups abroad, assassination, and human experimentation, along with the typical surveillance of foreign/domestic agents. For example, the CIA plotted assassination for Fidel Castro, and funded Project MK-ULTRA, that used hallucinatory drug experiments on subjects without informed consent. Another interesting project was the CIA’s Project Stargate, that investigated psychic abilities and their potential uses in regards to intelligence and military assets.

In Soviet Russia, the Cold War happened during Stalin’s NKVD and the later replacement of the well-known KGB. In fact, Russian President Vladimir Putin began his career in the KGB. Russia had an advantage in these times of espionage in the Cold War, they had history and knowledge dating back to their first spying organization in the late 1800s. This is shown in how soviet agents infiltrated the nuclear technology program of the US, the Manhattan Project, enough so that they even obtained blueprints with ease. In 1945, Stalin knew more about the new atomic bomb than most American politicians!

Swinging bookshelves always lead to pleasant places in the movies, right?

The Cold War was a fascinating time of intrigue, which I highly suggest everyone to delve farther into it!

And of course, head to the International Spy Museum in DC to get a hands on look throughout the globe and times for the history of espionage.

Now that we’re done with our traipse into the rich cultural heritage of Europe, let’s head onto somewhere more local to me… New York City!

One of the entrances to the American Museum of Natural History

And more specifically, the American Museum of National History. I first ‘visited’ this museum through the movie, Night at the Museum, as it was the supposed setting of the movie (though the inside shots were actually from a variety of different sets.) And of course, Ross from Friends works at the museum in the earlier seasons. Nevertheless it’s always exciting to visit a place that’s famous.

Interesting gem/mineral from the museum collections

I actually went to the museum in 2014 while in Manhattan, NYC. I had a couple hours of free time away from my group, in which I went to Central Park, which is beautiful. I wanted to visit somewhere else though, and the Natural History Museum was nearby so naturally, there I went!

The exterior architecture is quite impressive, a mix of Gothic, Neo-Romanesque, and Beaux-Arts styles.

The museum was established almost 150 years ago, in 1869. Theodore Roosevelt Senior, father of 26th President Teddy Roosevelt, was one of the many founders of the museum. Today, the museum is now one of the largest in the world: twenty-eight connecting buildings, with forty-five permanent exhibition halls. And that large amount of space can only contain a fraction of the thirty-three million specimens and cultural artifacts the museum collections contain.

Easter Island head that was featured in Night at the Museum

With a huge collection like that, there’s something there for everyone, halls of: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, biodiversity, ocean life, fossils, earth & space, human origins, gems & minerals, meteorites, and more. As all large museums, it’s most efficient to choose specific halls to go to beforehand, to get the most out of the experience.

Two exhibits I spent the most time in were the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life, and the Fossil Halls, more specifically the two halls of dinosaurs.

Bones of huge reptiles of which we can only imagine what their skin texture and color looked like are displayed. Your mind is opened up to imagining a time long ago where these creatures went about the world. And of course, there is the well-known Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton, which again reminded by of “Rexy” from Night at the Museum.

Then, the hall of marine life, featuring a 94-foot long blue whale model. The blue whale is the largest animal alive today, and it’s really awesome to see how huge it really is It’s suspended from the ceiling, and you can see a new portion of the model wherever you go in the long elliptical room. The variety of marine life is astounding, especially when we have only explored a fraction of our oceans.

The life-size blue whale model

Cute-eyed seals

The American Museum of Natural History is a site unlike our previous travels into history, for what makes this place special is not its place in history, but the long, time period spanning journey in its collections.

The Paris Metro will be the last stop on our journey in history from my trip to Europe. So it is only fitting for this post to be about the Parisian subway system I used every day while in Paris. The metro in Paris is the fourth oldest in Europe, so of course there’s more to it than railway lines, tickets, and busy people.

The icon “Metropolitan” entrance.

Short Background History:

The first line of the métropolitain was completed in 1900, during the Paris World Exposition. Nowadays, there are 16 lines consisting of 132 miles of tracks! There are around 300 stations and  87 that offer connections between the lines. It’s even said that every building in Paris is within 3/10 mile of  a metro station.

An entrance to the underground.

Travel Experience:

I first used a subway system in New York City, what one would think of as a typical representation of them. But the Paris metro runs differently. NYC is a more modern city, with more straight lines and roads, and each subway line seemed to run in mainly one direction. On the other hand, Paris is an older city built on over hundreds of years, with a more curving city landscape.

When in Paris, we had to plan ahead to find intersecting lines for the shortest way to a monument we wanted to go to. And the terminology for the rides itself can be confusing. When you hop on a line the directions aren’t cardinal, you are either going towards one end of the line or the other. For example, Line 4 towards (stop) Porte de Clignancourt or Marie de Montrouge.

I also find it helpful that the names of the metro stops are related to their surrounding areas and/or monuments. It can be harder to miss a uniquely named stop than to mess up the street number of a stop. And each metro stop has a theme- usually a historical French figure. The Line 13 Varenne stop exhibits a replica statue of the Thinker, as the stop nearest to the Rodin museum.

As a disclaimer though, I’ve never lived in a city so I have limited experience with subway systems. But as a first time experience- the metro can be tricky without prior knowledge, but thankfully I had (theoretically) learned how to ride the metro in my high school French class beforehand.

Interesting Facts:

During the Nazi occupation, the Metro was a meeting place for the Resistance, and feared by German soldiers.

Only one metro station is named after a woman: Louise Michel.

Small dogs are allowed on the metro (and luckily enough I got to pet one as I was missing my dog while away.)

A Short Bit of Advice:

Lastly, a word of forbearance, keep your wallet, money and/or valuables in an interior pocket of a bag to keep it safe. One man in my group had his wallet in his pocket, even when warned not to do that. He got robbed of his credit card and around 100 euros when he was distracted by a disturbance on the train. For some more travel tips, click here.

Poster for the store “Printemps” in the metro underground.

Poster for the movie Fantastic Four.

The Roman facade shows the”mother country of France granting laurels to her great men.”

It turns out I forgot the Panthéon was actually the first site I visited in Paris! I almost managed to forget visiting the grave of one of my least favorite figures in history – Jean Jacques Rousseau, philosopher and lover of women’s equality (not).

The Panthéon in Paris is a church turned mausoleum for honored French men and women. A few well-known people buried in the crypt are Voltaire, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Emile Zola, Marie and Pierre Curie, and Jean Moulin.

The National Convention was the third government of the French Revolution.

The building was originally a neoclassical church built by Louis XV who said if he recovered from a grave illness he’d build a church in celebration. It seems like God wanted another church because King Louis recovered and the Sainte-Geneviève Church was built from 1764 to 1790. Shortly after, the church was secularized during the French Revolution, dedicated to the memory of important Frenchmen.

The newly changed building was rightfully named the Panthéon, with its Roman façade, Corinthian columns and dome, reminiscent of the famous Pantheon in Rome. Pantheon is Greek for “all of the gods.”

Later in the mid nineteenth century, the Panthéon played an important rule in a scientific experiment. In 1851 Foucault’s pendulum was installed, which was used to demonstrate the Earth’s rotation. That may not seem extremely impressive in our era, but that device measured something beyond concrete sight, in a time before the first gasoline powered automobile was invented.

Today, the monument is mainly visited for the crypt on the lower levels. To be buried in the crypt is a huge honor, so much so that only a parliamentary act for “National Heroes” can get one placed there. There are four women who were interred there. The first woman to be buried there based on her merit (and not just because she was married to an honored Frenchman, like Sophie Berthelot) was the innovative scientist Marie Curie!

Painting inside the monument. “Saint Genevieve brings confidence and calmness to the Parisians scared of the approach of Attila.”

When I walked around the crypt myself, I felt like I was indeed underground, but the smoothly carved stone walls were unlike the tunnels of the catacombs.

I made sure to stop by the tomb of Jean Jacques Rousseau and reminisce about his written contribution to reinforcing ideas of the domestic sphere for women, and unequal gender roles. Additionally, I visited the side-by-side tombs of Pierre Curie and Marie Curie, the chemist duo, pioneers in the study of radiation, and receivers of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903. Another was journalist and author Émile Zola, who helped to exonerate the falsely convicted army officer Alfred Dreyfus.

Voltaire: “Poet, Historian, Philosopher. He enlarged the human spirit and told him that he must be free.”

Statue and coffin of Voltaire.

Lastly, was the French Enlightenment writer and philosopher Voltaire. He inspires me the most, as he advocated for the freedoms of religion and speech, and separation of church and state in a time when those controversial ideas could get him imprisoned or worse.

As you may have noticed through the weeks, there are numerous places in Paris where tourists can visit tombs of famous French persons. But the Panthéon stands above all as the most influential persons in France’s history, and is definitely a place to put on your bucket list to visit!

The Royal Chapel of the Les Invalides complex.

The great military leader turned self-crowned ruler, Napoleon Bonaparte, was not short in height! I was shocked when I learned this in my AP European History class two years ago. Contrary to popular myth, he was of medium height for his time, around five feet seven inches. Where this myth started traces back to his military glory. During battle, he would go down to help the lowly foot soldiers, unlike contemporary rulers who would wait in the back mostly sending orders. They did not outright risk their life in war like Napoleon. This created a fondness from the soldiers, who nicknamed Napoleon, “little corporal.” So the term, a “Napoleon Complex,” is true in his overly-aggressive nature and large ego, but not the detail of his alleged shortness.

Above lintel of bronze door that leads to entrance of the crypt, reads from Napoleon’s will : I wish my ashes to rest on the banks of the Seine among the people of France whom I so much loved.”

And his large ego would not stay unfulfilled, even in death. His huge tomb at Les Invalides consists of six layers of coffins! One of soft iron, one of mahogany, two of lead, one of ebony (sorry, elephants), and one of oak. As can be seen from the photo above, these layers of coffins sure leave an impression of grandeur. I was very impressed that Napoleon’s final resting place lived up to his military, socioeconomic, and political prowess he achieved in life. In the circular gallery floors that look down upon the massive compilation of coffins, there are mosaics commemorating these greatest battles and feats.

Armour that reminds me of that of the Samuri warriors, from the earlier French warfare era.

Les Invalides is a complex that consists of a hospital and area that housed thousands of French veterans (only about 100 today), Church of Saint-Louis, a royal chapel called Dôme des Invalides, and largest military museum in France, Musée de l’Armée. In 1670, the Sun King, Louis XIV,  ordered the construction of the complex. In the years after, more buildings were added.

The first area of the complex I visited was the Musée de l’Armée. The museum contains treasures of French military history from the late Middle Ages up through World War Two. Seven collections house weapons, armor, works of art, and technology. The collections are extensive, but I admit I got bored seeing the same genre of war weapons room after room- I longed to visit the crypt next.

As I described earlier, the crypt and coffins defy expectations. Now, this elaborate crypt was not the initial home to Napoleon’s corpse, he was laid to rest on his island of exile, Saint Helen, in 1821. Nineteen years later, Napoleon III decided to construct his tomb under the dome of the Invalides. And fun fact– there is question as to whether Napoleon’s body really is in the tomb as historical record states that his body was in perfect condition when exhumed nineteen years post-death…

Emperor Napoleon bas-relief, connecting his excellence to that of ancient Roman emperors

Whether or not Napoleon’s bones reside in the layered coffins, Les Invalides is definitely a must-see stop in Paris!

What’s cooler than a cemetery?

The answer is a catacomb: a subterranean cemetery of galleries with recesses for tombs —usually used in plural.

Our next stop in Paris was down 130 steps into the catacombs, pathways filled with millions of human skeletal remains. The catacombs were originally limestone quarries emptied out over hundreds of years, before the French monarchy came up with a useful way to use this space. The tunnels stretch hundreds of miles under the city, but the section that is for tourism constitutes a mere 1.5 kilometers. Only 200 are allowed in at a time, lines form above ground on the street while people wait to descend.

There’s one way down into the catacombs, and one way up. They definitely are not for anyone claustrophobic, and I had contemplated chickening out for this reason. I’m very glad I didn’t, in my opinion the catacombs have enough space to comfortably walk through. Though if someone is 6 feet tall they might have to duck their head occasionally.

After the descent into the underground cemetery, the first couple minutes of walking yielded little to no bones. I began to regret the trek down, until suddenly there were bones everywhere: skulls, femurs, and every bone in between. The bones were from several Parisian graveyards and churches, transferred when the overcrowding of cemeteries could no longer be ignored. The Cemetery of Innocents, one of the largest in Paris, took two years to transfer the bones in 1786-88. Most of the other bones were transferred here from 1787-1814.

“Bones of St. André’s Church of the Arts. The 24th of February, 1794.”

Interestingly enough, during the turbulent times of the French Revolution (1790s), many were directly buried in the catacombs: members of the Swiss Guard, victims of massacres in 1792, and those beheaded in the Reign of Terror. Ironically, the bloodthirsty mastermind of the Reign of Terror, Robespierre, was reburied later in the catacombs. He would be in trouble if a zombie apocalypse occurred…

Rough translation: “Think in the morning that you way not make it to the evening, and in the evening that you may not make it to the morning.”

Throughout the catacombs there are stone signs that contain passages for contemplation. At the entrance, a sign reads : Arrête, c’est ici l’empire de la mort. Halt, this is the realm of death.  Also, there are many ways the bones are placed to form shapes of artistic intent.

A different kind of art takes place in the catacombs as well. A leaderless community called the Cataphiles sneak into the Paris underground, regardless that it’s been illegal to do so since 1955. They go underground to party, create art, do drugs, and virtually anything else. If you want to go this route, make sure to get a guide who knows his/her way around, you don’t wanna get lost and join the ranks of the dead five stories underground.

So if you have a free hour and don’t mind a temperature of 57 degrees, visit the catacombs. They’re a part of France’s history, more than piles of moved bones.

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Real life skull and cross bones

Sacré-Cœur on Montmartre. The name Sacred Heart references the heart of Jesus in his divine love for all of humanity.

What better to talk about before Valentine’s Day coming up in four days, than a church named “The Sacred Heart Basilica?”

Located on the only hill in Paris, named Montmartre (hill of martyrs), the Sacré-Cœur Basilica is connected to the myth of Saint Denis from last week’s blog. Saint Denis, the first bishop of Paris, became a martyr when beheaded on Montmartre, and proceeded to walk to the place of Saint-Denis.

But the reason behind the Church’s construction is in more recent history. In 1870, France was at war with Prussia, who had one of the strongest militaries in European history. A group of highly influential persons in Paris pledged to build a church there if France won. Sadly, Prussia defeated them, yet the National Assembly still authorized the creation of a church.

I mean, nothing says Valentine’s Day love like martyrdom and war, right?

Moulin Rouge, which is French for ‘red mill.’

A street of the Montmartre district, in view of part of Sacré-Cœur. The pristine color of the church is quite astounding. It would fade but every time it rains, calcite comes out of the stone and restores the pure white color.

On the way from Saint Denis to Montmartre and the Sacré-Cœur, I passed by the famous Moulin Rouge: birthplace of the can-can dance and home of the cabaret. I would not suggest going through this neighborhood alone, it was very seedy. Our tour guide had to tell a group of men who were talking and looking at us, that there were minors in our group. While that wasn’t entirely true, they then ignored us, not wanting the added trouble of anything to do with minors.

Quickly enough, I found myself at the bottom of Montmartre, not looking forward to the long walk up the hill. The panoramic view at the top definitely made the trek worth it, as well as the picturesque neighborhoods of Montmartre. Full of cafés, old world charm, cobblestone paths, and streets of quaint, touristy shops.

The pristine color of the church is quite astounding. It would fade but every time it rains, calcite comes out of the stone and restores the pure white color.

After spending a relaxing afternoon wandering around, grabbing a snack at a café, and buying souvenirs, it was time to go inside the Sacré-Cœur!

The inside nave of the church is freely open to the public. It has over 11.5 million visitors per year- France’s second most visited church after Notre Dame. The viewing dome and crypt below are available at a small price. And if my lack of pictures serves my memory correctly, no photography is allowed. Nevertheless the holy, quiet ambiance inside was surreal. For the religious it’s a place of pilgrimage, where the Eucharist has been adored day and night for 125 years! Also inside, there is a grand pipe organ, a plethora of colorful mosaics, stained glass windows, and Roman-styled architecture.

View from the top!

A short metro ride to just outside of Paris, brings us to our stop of the week: The Basilica of Saint Denis, the first place to bring about Gothic architecture that inspired the famous Notre Dame cathedral.
As amazing as Notre Dame is, I’m more inclined to believe the lesser known Saint Denis provides more interesting history and adventure…

Stained glass windows such as the Rose window in the middle, are essential to the Gothic artistic ideals of light.

Saint Denis, as anyone could guess, was named after a French saint. But Denis, also known as Dionysius, wasn’t any other boring saint. Legend says he was beheaded by Romans during times of Christian persecution (3rd century AD) at Montmatre, the sole elevated area in Paris. And then after the execution, he promptly picked up his head, and walked the ten kilometers to the site where the Basilica is today. It’s no wonder that the royals of France wanted to be buried alongside this bada$$ of a saint!

Heading (pun intended) towards the front of the church, the Gothic style is unmistakable: pointed arches, spindly columns, and  large windows, many with beautiful stained glass, to allow increased amounts of light inside. Gothic art placed a high emphasis on light, a symbol of the divine.

The church was finished in the 13th century but contrary to the Gothic style, it’s actually much older. Saint Denis dates back to 6th century, initially a royal abbey built by King Dagobert I. The abbey portion was later destroyed, so only the Gothic church remains.

Some remains, such as Queen Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI are in separate graves in the crypt below.

The abbey was entirely demolished during the French Revolution, for it had ties to the hated royals. But thankfully the Gothic church portion and a majority of the funerary pieces stayed intact. The church was revitalized around the same time as Notre Dame.

From 639 AD to 1824, it was the sole burial place of 43 king, 32 queens, 10 servants to the monarchy, and 63 princes and princesses. All but three of France’s monarchs are buried here. Saint Denis is the place to go if you love French royal history, it’s very surreal to know these grounds are where these historical figures are laid to rest.

Additionally, even with the large windows, the cathedral has a dimly lit, and somber ambiance to it. The floor level has numerous stone coffins and sculptures of their respective royals. Underneath the first level, lies the crypt. The crypt generally had older royals, with less extensive statuary.

Crystal urn holding the heart of Louis XVII (1785-1795), the young son of Louis XVI.

For instance, two key figures I saw were
Marie Antoinette and Loius XVI, shown kneeling in prayer. I find the irony in how both of them were beheaded, the same fate of Saint Denis. A few other royals I recognized were King Charles V, Henry II, Catherine de Medici, Blanche, Henry IV, and Louis XIV. One random, odd item that I noticed down in the crypt was this urn below.

Overall, Saint Denis is definitely a must-see in Paris. Not as many visitors come here as say Notre Dame, so it has a quieter, peaceful environment to immerse in the rich architecture, extensive statuary, and royal history of the tombs.

À bientôt

It’s the first day back of blogging, and it happens that our next stop is arguably the most famous monument in France: The Eiffel Tower!

It’s crazy to think how some Parisians get to drive under the Eiffel Tower!

The Wall of Peace, Paris.

My tour group had actually stopped our first day in Paris, by a viewing place where we could get pictures with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Almost every day the tower appeared in the skyline as I hustled to experience as much as possible.

Additionally, I got to the see The Wall For Peace, a very inspiring and unifying piece of artwork. (That’s the kind of wall we should be building in our country.) It was built in 2000, and modeled after the ‘Wailing Wall of Jerusalem.’ People who visit the wall can place messages of peace in chinks of the wall.

A couple days later, we went on a night boat ride on La Seine, the river that flows through Paris. The Eiffel Tower, towering above all in its vicinity, was lit up in beautiful yellow tones against the darkening sky. Nearly one thousand feet high, it was once the tallest structure in the world. Until the USA, no shocker there, debunked the Eiffel Tower in 1930 with the completion of New York City’s Chrysler building.

Tourist time!

Eiffel Tower as seen from the boat ride

But actually going up close to the Eiffel Tower wasn’t in the plans, oddly enough, until we gathered a group of us to visit it the next night. I got to go under the monument, and even touch the stone foundation blocks that held the metal legs. That was as close as I could get without paying to ride up in the tower.

Simply walking around and below this nearly 130-year-old monument was amazing to experience. The rich and controversial history behind the Eiffel Tower heightens my appreciation for it. For example: the fact that so many Parisians hated it initially, and that it was almost taken down twenty years after its completion! Who knows what the universal symbol for France would be then? Maybe a baguette, or beret, or a white flag?

In order to understand those two examples let’s delve into a short history of Le Tour Eiffel…

In the mid 1880s, France prepared to host the 1889 World’s Fair and celebrate the 100  year anniversary of the start of the French Revolution. The World’s Fair is the place to show off new technological advancement and invention. The French government held a competition of building plans for a monument on the Champ-de-Mars, a large green space in central Paris.

Eiffel et Compagnie (Eiffel and Company), owned by Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, won the competition. Interestingly enough, his engineer employee Maurice Koechlin, who had worked with him on the Statue of Liberty, actually came up with the plans for the tower. And another employee suggested the name Eiffel Tower, he might have been kissing up to the boss.

The Eiffel Tower sparkles on the hour at night

The four pillars are oriented to the points of the compass.

Yet many Parisians considered the tower to be an eyesore, a new, unavoidable addition to their beloved city’s skyline. Yet I imagine they learned to tolerate it, remembering it was only a temporary exhibit for 20 years. So in 1909 it was almost taken down, until city officials kept it to use it as a radiotelegraph station, especially during World War One shortly after. It’s almost unfathomable in contemporary times to think of a Paris without its Eiffel Tower!

Watch the Eiffel Tower twinkle below!