Paris

According to saying “To see Paris and die”, I shouldn’t survive my visit this November, especially during the SNCF transport strike. But I did – despite the event chart which was rather bad for travelling, with afflicted 3rd house and new Moon in Scorpio:

Although I initially planned to take my bike for the trip, once I had seen that afflicted Moon, falling into my natal 2nd house of possessions, I expected property loss and changed my mind. With such promises taking bike would be too risky. Not only Moon was afflicting natal 2nd house, but also detrimented Mars, which rules natal 7th house of other people, was transitting 9th house of travels. Even worse, it was turning retro on the week of the trip. This didn’t promise a friendly welcome.

The indications were very alarming, but the conference call had been accepted, tickets bought, and well, Paris was waiting. Jupiter in Sagittarius in 5th and strong Venus on IC (end of matters) promised protection.

I haven’t got photos from the hydrometeorological conference I was attending, but here are some from the Louvre:

Liberty Leading the People by Delacroix is one of my favourites

Of course Mona Lisa is not to be forgotten, Louvre’s The Must

Botticelli is so easy to recognise, what a wonderful style

They say he was born on March 1, “1444 or 1445” – just cast two charts and see what is correct (I believe 1444).

King’s apartments are too heavily gold, really:

Napoleon’s style was more elegant, what a nice throne:

After close inspection of Venus

I think I know how her hands were placed in the initial project!

This photo of the Louvre square was taken through window glass, apologies for distortions

The evenings were dedicated to museums, from Saint-Chapelle

to sewage system

And then… then the strike started, with cancelled trains, paralised metro, but there was still lots of things to walk to and see, such as Chans-Elysees

Moulin Rouge

Sacre-Coeur

and the place where Stendhal wrote “Red and Black”, which I found by chance, in Rue de Richellieu

What was then? Cinemateque with dress of Vivien Leigh from Gone with the Wind, street hooligans, Saint-Denis, great transport trouble, Ceramics museum with Napoleone parade set, and much more... And at the end my Casio G-Shock watch was stolen from the luggage in the airport. Good that bicycle was at home.

The dry residue of the trip is indeed the unforgettable art - Venus in Libra on IC, remember?