Arte and Montmartre

Minord Loup: bienvenue aux arrivants

Francisco Koolhoven: hi everyone!

Lavia Lavine: Hi everybody!!! :D :D :D

Alex Salamander: <bonsoir

SoA BAD: hello all

Tristan Dehaie [fr→en]: Good evening everyone :)

Draghan Marksman: Glenn is here !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The gradual rez of the crowd, outside the SV3D Louvre

It was a typical day in the neighborhood of Opensim, yet another HG Safari tour, this time a return visit to SV3D, a mostly Francophone grid, run by the terrific Minord Loup. Not a huge place, and the region we were due to land on LeVieuxParis (HG address as always at the end of the post) is abundant with textures, so it was reasonable to think that it might be a while before anybody really saw anything. There were upwards of twenty people on the sim, quite a few had to relog, but the overall effect was excellent. A golden hour in the gilded age of old Paris, in company with several SV3D friends, in particular our host the builder Glenn Dayafter.

Glenn Dayafter

Glenn Dayafter:  Welcome to Le Vieux Paris !  Paris at the turn of the century — where art, imagination, and nostalgia meet. Le Vieux Paris recreates the city between the late 1800s and early 1900s, a time when creativity and curiosity filled every street and café.

Tosha Tyran: sounds great

Alexey Kazarovic: /me claps

Glenn Dayafter: The idea was born two years ago, and since then, the sim has slowly taken shape — a labour of love, inspired by research, art, and the spirit of old Paris. Today, it is almost complete, waiting for us to explore.

Dings Digital: wonderful... it must have been hard but fulfilling work

Cherry Manga: textures are insane! ♥

Pierre Segrov: Bonsoir toutes et tous !

Thirza Ember: how many regions have you built, Glenn?

Glenn Dayafter: I have built 3,  Bled which we visited before, my own sim - somewhere anywhere, and this is the latest. First we will enter The Louvre Museum — Explore its detailed interiors, from elegant exhibition halls - La Galérie Médicis, Le salon carré, to the richly decorated apartments of Napoleon III. At the heart of Le Vieux Paris stands the Louvre, symbol of art, grandeur, and the refined spirit of the Belle Époque. Step through its doors and find yourself in another age — one of marble corridors, gilded ceilings, and the gentle hush of admiration.

Thirza Ember: these are the statues of hypergrid people, whose clothes didn't arrive

Glenn Dayafter: hehe Yes I put these here especially to make you feel at home

Tosha Tyran: and who died of shame, hehehe

Thirza Ember: why did you pick Paris Glenn?

Glenn Dayafter: It was a conversation that I had with Josh [aka Draghan] and later with Minord

Dings Digital: what a nice place to work

Alexey Kazarovic: ok... I have no words... WOW

Taarna Welles, herself a work of art, admires the pictures.

Glenn Dayafter:  Within the Louvre, you’ll find the Salle Médicis, a quiet sanctuary devoted to the celebrated cycle of paintings by Peter Paul Rubens, created in honour of Queen Marie de Médicis. Here, the soft gleam of marble contrasts with the drama of Rubens’ vast canvases — scenes of triumph, ceremony, and divine allegory that once adorned the Palais du Luxembourg.

Star Ravenhurst: I am impressed with the remodel of this building. The art presentation is nice too.

Glenn Dayafter:  In Le Vieux Paris, this gallery has been lovingly re-imagined to capture that sense of baroque splendour. The walls glow with warm tones, and every frame seems to breathe with the grandeur of seventeenth-century art. 

The ever glowing owner of SV3D, Minord Loup

Glenn Dayafter: Stand a moment beneath the painted queens and gods, and you might feel the echo of history — the power, the vanity, and the passion that shaped a dynasty.  It is a room for contemplation, for beauty, and for stepping quietly into the golden age of French art.

Dings.Digital: yes, they really do glow. wonderful experience

Tosha Tyran: How beautiful!

Thirza Ember: ok when can I move in?

Glenn Dayafter: Let's move through to the apartment of Napoleon. Step into the splendour of the Second Empire, where every surface gleams and every detail speaks of luxury and ambition. The recreated apartments of Napoléon III invite you to wander through three exquisite rooms — the sitting room, the dining room, and the office — each capturing the taste and refinement of an emperor who adored grandeur.

Thirza Ember: I'm glad I don't have to dust this place

Cherry Manga: :D

Dings Digital: does he have wifi?

Tosha.Tyran: I am already glad that those pictures dont watch me all the time :D  imagine, wherever you go some ole general has his eye on you

Thirza.Ember: was it difficult to get the proportions right?  It can be hard to make a place big enough for avatars to cam, but not so big that we feel like mice.

Glenn Dayafter: Sometimes yes, I often have to stand right by something to get it the right size :)

Tosha Tyran: ah, I think even in RL you are dwarfed by these buildings... but really, the build is gorgeous

James.Atlloud: truly

Alexey Kazarovic: I'm astonished

Thirza Ember: did you have to do a lot of research Glenn?

Glenn Dayafter: I did quite a bit of looking at pictures of Paris from that era yes

Pierre Segrov: the era is 1905 , exact ?

Glenn Dayafter: It is around 1890 - 1910

Thirza Ember: I'm amazed that all the pics seem to rez

James Atlloud: Oh yes, the painting textures are super fast!

Glenn Dayafter: At the heart of the Louvre lies the Salle Carrée, a grand chamber where light and reverence meet. Beneath its gilded vaults once hung the jewels of French painting — masterpieces by Leonardo, Raphael, and Titian — watched over by generations of admirers who came to lose themselves in their beauty.  In Le Vieux Paris, this room has been recreated as a tribute to that quiet majesty. The paintings draw the eye upward into centuries of art and devotion. Here, time slows. The murmurs of the crowd fade, replaced by the stillness that only great art can command.

Thirza Ember: how long did it take you to paint all these pictures Glenn?

Cherry Manga: hahaha

Glenn Dayafter: I have been painting them since I was 5

Draghan Marksman: I remember Glenn started the Mona Lisa in kindergarten

Thirza Ember: congratulations also to Minord for making this grid so strong all these Safari people, and the grid has not crashed

Taarna Welles: Glenn question: what script is used all textures are rezzed in one go?

Glenn Dayafter: OK, lets make our way outside

Cherry Manga: beautiful view

 Thirza Ember: a trip to Paris without the traffic, the weather, and the prices!

Glenn Dayafter: Le Quai et les Bouquinistes  Along the banks of the Seine stretches the quai, a place where time seems to linger between pages and passing clouds. Here, the bouquinistes — those beloved guardians of second-hand books — open their green boxes each morning, revealing treasures of poetry, prints, and forgotten lives. 

 Dings Digital: I would be lost among the books. Today I received my copy of Cyrano de Bergerac's love poems :)

Thirza Ember: nice

 Glenn Dayafter:  In Le Vieux Paris, the quay has been lovingly recreated, echoing the quiet bustle of the real riverbank. You can browse the worn covers of old novels, leaf through engravings, or simply watch the city’s reflections drift by on the water. A few steps down to the river, the Guinguette invites you to rest — perhaps with a glass of wine or a coffee — as you listen to the hum of conversation and the murmur of the river.

Mme bouquiniste, Cherry Manga

Glenn Dayafter: I can recommend having the music on which is a Station playing French music from the era found by Minord.

Tosha.Tyran: yes! And I love it!

Draghan Marksman: It's actually Minord who is singing

Glenn Dayafter: hehe... He is very good

Glenn Dayafter: l’Île de la Cité, the ancient heart of Paris — a place where the stones remember centuries of devotion, learning, and quiet power. Beneath the shadow of the cathedral, the air seems to carry both incense and ink, echoing with the footsteps of scholars, priests, and poets.

Pierre Segrov: which cathedral ?

Glenn Dayafter: Normally it is the Notre Dame, but I haven't built that yes, so it is this one.

Pierre Segrov: Notre Dame de Paris is a basilica

James Atlloud: Our local sports team play a university we call "Noter Daime"

Minord Loup: vous retrouver ici le Lycée du Général Draghan lol

Glenn Dayafter: Here stands the Lycée Drahan Marksman, a recreation of a Parisian secondary school from the late nineteenth century. Its classroom recall the strict grace of the era — rows of wooden desks, maps of distant colonies, the faint smell of chalk and ambition.  This corner of Le Vieux Paris celebrates the world of ideas — the discipline, curiosity, and dreams of a generation that shaped the new century.

Thirza Ember: What does Draghan teach? Singing?

Draghan Marksman: I am teaching Mewing, I am a neko

Minord Loup: Draghan assis toi a ta place lol

Thirza.Ember: James goes to the corner

 James Atlloud: yes, yes, I do as I am told

Lavia Lavine: LOL I forgot my homework

Dings Digital: les garcons!

Taarna Welles: he he he

Thirza Ember: The magic of virtual worlds, it's astounding how a really well researched and build region can get under your skin... on my tv Chromecast, it shows pics from around the world, and every time I see the island of Bled, I think 'i have been there' but actually, I have only been there on this grid, SV3D... it's a powerful tool, opensim

Petlove Petshop: very true!

James Atlloud: Oh yes Thirza - that is the power of opensimulator.

Thirza Ember: it's a great way to see the world

Petlove Petshop: and to study

Glenn Dayafter: Here we are at the Eiffel Tower and this is the part which is least developed

James Atlloud: huh, it looks largely developed

Glenn Dayafter: My plan is to put some things to see and do on the different stages but I have not yet decided what.  Any ideas would be welcome

Thirza Ember: the catacombes!!

Alexey Kazarovic: le quartier latin

Petlove Petshop: Telescopes with interesting views built in, roasted walnut vendors,  singing waifs for small change...  lol

James Atlloud: yes, street folk

Glenn Dayafter: more pigeons perhaps. Let's go to the park

Glenn Dayafter: Beyond the busy streets lies this park, a world apart — green, tranquil, and full of secrets. This is where Parisians of the Belle Époque might have strolled on a Sunday afternoon, seeking fresh air, laughter, or a quiet bench beneath the trees.  It has been created as a landscape of surprise and contrast. Wander its winding paths and you’ll find a restaurant tucked among the trees, a cave where the air cools and echoes softly, and a spooky derelict house whose shutters seem to whisper their own forgotten story. Nearby, a carousel turns slowly to the music of another age, while a circus tent glows with colour and nostalgia. 

Tosha Tyran: what a wonderful place this is

Thirza Ember: the statues are all lovely, also they are copy!!

Glenn Dayafter:There are many cosy corners to sit, reflect, or capture the perfect photograph — moments of stillness framed by light and shadow. Each turn reveals a new scene, a glimpse of joy, or a trace of melancholy, as if the park itself were alive and remembering.

Thirza Ember: I have a general question,  which is more difficult, to make a city build, or make a country build?

Glenn Dayafter: I think a city is harder, just in terms of what is available to use, I like doing the parts with lots of detail inside the buildings, finding the right furnishing and making special pieces, you will see when we get to the bars and so on

Thirza Ember: we never asked you if you live in France, Glenn is that why you make so many french builds?

Glenn Dayafter: I did live in France, but now in England... and it is the influence of Draghan and Minord

After the park we were back on the Grands Boulevards, doing a spot of window-shopping, 1890's style. From there, it was a short and memorable walk to Place du Tertre, the famous hillside Montmartre square beloved of tourists and painters.

Francisco Koolhoven: that was an interesting trek over the river

James Atlloud: also rubber-banding for me - ended up in the sea!

Thirza Ember: I did some rubber banding myself, but it's good for the hips, so I don't mind

Tosha Tyran: it is wonderful to see Paris - and Montmartre - without tourists... well, except for us :D

Prodyck Theas: without cars

Thirza Ember: You guys should have a French Festival, it would be such a fun way to learn more about french culture and history

Glenn Dayafter: La Place du Tertre — the soul of Montmartre, where art, conversation, and memory intertwine. Here, easels line the cobblestones, and the scent of coffee and turpentine mingles in the air. Painters, poets, and dreamers have gathered for more than a century beneath the trees, each chasing the light that made Paris immortal. Gertrude Stein, Hemingway, and to my left you will see the 'cabinet' of Belko Rau, eminent 'Psychohterapeute'

Draghan Marksman: Le Néant is particularly impressive

James Atlloud: oh wow - such detail inside!

Dings explores the spooky interior

We ended our tour in the garden of the Moulin Rouge with its giant gilded elephant. There's plenty to discover here too - see if you can find the secret room!

Glenn's imagination alongside his prodigious research has made one of the most memorable 'snapshots' of a place and time that we were all very sorry to leave.

Francisco Koolhoven: Fantastic build Glenn, thank you for showing it to us!

Cherry Manga: incredible work, congrats!!

Glenn Dayafter : Was really is a pleasure to show you

Tina Bey: encantador!!!

Yara Eild: yes fantastic :-)

eva Nowicka: a great work

Dings Digital: thank you, that was fun and wonderful

Star Ravenhurst: Thanks for the tour. Stunning build!

Alex Salamander: très bien

Belko Rau: We like this place lot

Draghan Marksman: A massive round of applause for Glenn (and some catnip for me) please !

HG Address: sv3d.fr:8002:LeVieuxParis