February 27, 2023
Our first few days in Paris!
From our lunch at Michelin-starred La Dame du Pic, this is a beautiful rare-cooked piece of duck, painted with fois gras and encased in a pastry shell.
As we were getting ready to leave, the kind wait staff said we could stay longer if we wanted, because there was a “manifestation” out in the street (I thought, a parade of ghosts, or something?). Turned out it was a rather raucous protest march, not really sure what it was about, exactly, but anti war I think. Signs said “UK, US, NATO out of France” and “Frexit” Then one guy from the protest comes up to me, holds out his hand and says something that sounded like “Cocaine for your president?” I might have mis-heard him. In any case, I declined.
Loved the Musee D’Orsay, which features art from the mid-1800s to the early 20th century. The beginning of the ‘modern’ movement in art. Lots of impressionists, including Van Gogh, who’s famous Starry Night was really spectacular to see in person. Also loved the exhibition of art-nouveau furniture and accoutrements.
Here’s the view from one of the windows in the dining/living room of our apartment. That’s the Seine running by in the center – we’re on Ile Saint-Louis, one of the two islands there, so it’s really only half-a-Seine. See the two square towers peeking over the top of the building? That’s Notre Dame, which of course is undergoing major repairs after the fire from a few years ago. I managed to keep the large crane and the temporary construction buildings out of the picture!
We’re eating well, walking a lot, and just absorbing the city. The weather has been nice, although quite chilly in the 30s overnight and topping out in high 40s during the day. No rain, like you all are getting there!
More soon!
~ malcolm
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March 4, 2023
Well, we’ve had several beautiful, very sunny or at least partly sunny days here in Paris, but today it’s clouded over again, and rain is expected next week.
Also expected next week is a strike of 130,000 public workers, including transportation. The French government wants to push the retirement/pension age to 65 from its current 62, and people are not happy about that. I’ve also seen a sign in English that says “inflation: 10%...proposed salary increase: 2%...you do the maths.”
Fortunately, it’s a well-publicized, scheduled, and likely one-day (or maybe two, who knows?!) strike, so everyone can make plans to adjust (although we first heard it was going to be on March 7, then we heard on the news March 15, now we were told by a local it's March 7…). Anyway, we said we wanted to experience everyday life in Paris, and strikes are certainly part of that, so we’re not complaining (yet).
Here are a few new pics you might find interesting. Sorry if I got a bit carried away with my narrative...
Early this week we went on a walking tour of Ile Saint-Louis and parts of the Marais district with a local volunteer guide. We met Dominque, a retired banking IT guy, at the Cite metro station, (which is a great example of art nouveau design. He is very friendly, with a good sense of humor, and was happy to describe points of interest. A highlight was one of the last sections of Paris’ fortifications/walls from the 12th century. Also showing what’s left of La Tour Montgomery. The remaining wall section is partly enclosing an outdoor basketball/sports area.
We absolutely loved the Musee Carnavalet, which takes you through the history of Paris, and I mean from its prehistoric beginnings. Really fun and informative and filled with great exhibits. Here’s a picture of an old street sign, the name just tickled me – Bad Boys Street (apparently there were butchers on that street…why they were considered “bad” is not exactly known).
One of only two notable remains of the Gallo-Roman era in Paris is Arènes de Lutèce, built between the 1st and 2nd century AD, where up to 15,000 people watched all the usual Roman “games.” Now, it’s essentially a family park, for picnics, or with kids running around throwing balls down the stairs or seating areas. The other remaining site is at the Musee Cluny (one of our favorites) which is on top of Roman baths, and which we’ll visit soon (bathing suit optional).
The Museum of the Liberation of Paris ended up being a really fascinating, and emotional experience, the exhibits follow the lives of several of the key players in the French resistance during the 4-year Nazi occupation of Paris, through the liberation of that city. One of the things that really stuck with me was the collaboration of the Vichy government, and the unbelievable propaganda that was produced to manipulate the general population into ‘accepting’ the occupation and the new way of life. This picture is of a poster – probably the least offensive and racist item of propaganda there – which exhorts people not to partake of the black market, as a “crime against the community” – on pain of death. I knew the Vichy was collaborating but really didn’t know about the government’s blatant complicity in rounding up Jews of Paris, including thousands of kids, and handing them over to the Nazis… and much of the propaganda is pointed at a bright and happy future when “there will be no more Jews!”… Just shocking. I learned a lot.
At the top of the 59-storey Tour Montparnasse, an otherwise blah typical ‘modern’ office tower, there is a terrace with a 360-degree view. Really fun to look around and find various landmarks. In this pic you can see Notre Dame toward the upper left (cranes, scaffolding, and all). To the lower right is part of Luxembourg Gardens. Toward the middle center, zoom in – can you see the orange construction crane? If you look from there to the right, past two very white buildings (which are temp construction buildings), directly above the second one is our apartment building…no? not too excited about that? Oh well, we thought it was pretty cool to see “our” place…
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March 11, 2023
Hello again from Paris!
The French public workers’ strike started last Tuesday. It didn’t really affect us (we avoided using the Metro); although as of Friday on some major streets there is a lot of garbage piling up (and flying around in the significant wind we had). But on our little street on Ils Saint-Louis, the garbage/recycling was picked up, so…not sure exactly what’s going on with that. My understanding is that the strike is still going on, so we’ll continue to avoid the metro, for now, and watch out for those "manifestations" in the streets.
In addition to a windstorm yesterday, this week we have had some significant rain (and it’s welcome, as I’m told France has been in a drought). For a while, snow was forecast for early this morning (we initially set an alarm for 5 am so we could see it), but unfortunately it didn’t appear. We managed to wander quite a bit in between the wind and rain and avoided most of the wet weather. The other evening, though, I did have to run from our local boulangerie to our apartment, protecting the baguette (and two pain du chocolate) at all costs.
A few highlights:
This statue in Jardin des Tuileries sums up, I think, the general attitude when it comes to strikes here - “mon dieu, another strike?” The park is indeed very nice, although there is a lot of construction fencing reducing the areas where we can walk (in fact a fair amount of construction is going on throughout the city, much of which is likely related to spiffing things up for next year’s Olympic games).
Three museum visits-
The Musee des Arts et Metiers – more or less a sort of science and technology museum (although ‘arts et metiers’ literally translates to arts and crafts…this was anything but! Not a bit of glue, pipe cleaners, or construction paper). Incredible, and overwhelming, we’ll come back for more another time. Everything from early clocks and orreries, to computers, sound technology, historical cameras, cars, and more. Here’s a pic of a tiny electric car built here in the early 1940’s – electric! And, this rocket shaped electric car was built in 1899, and was the first road vehicle to reach 100 kph, with a bunch of 2v batteries. Apparently, both had a prohibitive charging time and minimal range (you think? We’re STILL fighting that battle), but still…I had no idea.
Then there is the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (near Tuileries). What drew us to this one was their temporary exhibit on the critically important historical period of…the 1980s. Ok they have a lot of other really great exhibits from earlier times, but the 80s stuff was, well, hilarious. All from the French perspective off course. One room ran videos of 1980’s commercials, and they are wild, from cars to fashion to household products to music…and the hair, omg! Here's a shot of some of the fashion.
Just in passing, there’s apparently a Louis Vuitton ad campaign of some kind going on, and the visual is big 3D splotches of paint on a building, and a giant woman with a paintbrush. I dunno…but it was interesting. We will soon go to the Louis Vuitton Foundation art museum, which looks to be very interesting, the building designed by Frank Gehry…google it.
Also in passing, we enjoyed this nest filled with whipped creamy goodness, at a Lebanese patisserie – painfully delicious! And one more random item, on the Pont Saint-Louis leading to our neighborhood I shot this pic of kids feeding these two swans. When I looked closer I thought, wtf is that a turtle on that short wall? Did some research, found that turtles are not unknown in the Seine…the next day we walked down there, and of course it’s a sculpture (wood, at that).
Last night (Friday) we attended an astonishing cello and piano performance at an ancient church on the left bank, Saint Julien-le-Pauvre (adjacent to which is an acacia tree planted in 1601; it’s still alive and standing, with a bit of support). These church concerts are wonderful, we’ll line up more very soon, there are a lot of them. I must give the musicians credit – Charbel Charbel (?) on cello, and Philippe Alegre on piano. Some of the cello passages brought tears to my eyes. Check out this short video.
I added one more artsy picture I took, I just liked the angles of the railing down to the river.
Hope you enjoy these pictures!
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March 18, 2023
Hi, all! Today we’re taking it pretty easy, it’s been a full week, lots of wandering (including into ‘off the tourist path’ areas), museums, and…yes, more good food and music. Also, I seem to have developed a cold (I just tested, and no it isn’t covid, just a good old fashioned cold – in fact the first I’ve had since last time we were in Paris in 2020).
Well, we found out why our particular area is not overrun with garbage, as so many other areas are. It turns out that maybe 1/3 of the arrondissements are served by a private garbage/recycling contractor – not the striking public workers. So we’re getting regular pickup, while other areas are getting piled high (see pic 1). Then as you're walking you cross into another area, and suddenly it’s clean again.
Yes there have been protests, bonfires, and tear gas…nothing near us. And, we have learned that some of what you may see on social media (and some news?) is actually footage from protests last year or even 2019-2020, presumably re-posted to further inflame and inspire protests?
Not to diminish the seriousness of the issue here! As you may know Macron took action (what I think we can sort of compare to an executive order by a US president, although in France it’s part of the constitution) to push through his retirement/pension plan without going to a vote of the assembly (where it likely would’ve failed). People are pissed, there will be more striking and more protests, without a doubt. And it looks like there may be a vote of no confidence on Macron as early as Monday, and if it passes then (as I understand it) his cabinet and prime minister will be out (he’ll stay, and presumably have to re-build his government).
One more political thing – we were walking home the other day and heard loud music and chanting, we see flags waving down the street, and we decide to go take a look. A truck passes us, again filled with flags, lots of music and chanting…then we came upon a protest of sorts in front of City Hall. Suddenly realizing that the flags are not French at all, but Iranian (ohhh, red, white, and GREEN), and the relatively small protest is against the Iranian government “Free Iran - Women Life Freedom" – well you can’t argue with that. Then…later we see a much smaller gathering of motorcycles, like a half dozen, along with the apparently ubiquitous truck filled with flags and loudspeakers. Turns out this was the (and I kid you not) “French Federation of Angry Bikers.” Not at all sure what they’re angry about.
Enough politics for now!
Here's the lobby of our apartment building, as we’re getting ready for a jaunt. Just for the record, I am NOT wearing a beret, it's an English (well, Irish) driving cap! Spring is most definitely in the air, we took a nice long walk in Jardin Tino Rossi, along the left bank of the Seine. The park features a number of outdoor sculptures, some great gathering areas, it’ll be nice to come here when the weather is warmer. The nice flower is reminding us that spring is nearly here.
We splurged on another haute cuisine meal, for lunch at Auberge de Nicolas Flamel (yes, of Harry Potter fame, and a real person). The 1-Michelin star restaurant is in the house he built in 1407, making it the oldest house in Paris by most accounts. Shown below is the 'amuse bouche' which is a little something from the chef, before the actual menu starts (Jerusalem artichoke tarte tatin; abalone; steak tartare). The other picture shows the original timber beams inside the restaurant.
The food is wonderful, the service, the ambiance, the service – all absolutely top notch. But may I confess to you that I’m not really sure I actually enjoy it “more” than some of the non-starred restaurants we’ve also visited (which of course are most of the ones we’ve gone to!). In a way, one feels obliged to gush about the high-end restaurants because of the price, right? Well, both types of restaurants are great, and we’ll go to more of both…but mostly the regular neighborhood variety. Plus what I cook here at the apartment, of course, it's so much fun to shop and cook here!
There are these ‘secret’ concerts that are put on through sofarsounds.com, where you don’t know the actual artist, or even the style, until they actually start performing, you don’t know the location (other than the arrondissement) until the day before. So this one was pretty cool, it was held in a former book printing house that is now used for events, called Le Shack. There were few chairs, so most everyone (including us old folk) had to sit on the floor (they advised bringing cushions, which we did). Most of the audience was 20-40 years old, it seemed. There was a solo singer w/acoustic guitar, quite interesting, and the next was a really fun, emotive, and engaging singer calling himself YADAM, who sang in Spanish (after introducing songs in French and a little English). Accompanied by a guitarist. YADAM is making a name for himself, google him! Anyway, with legs stiff and back starting to ached, we passed on the third act. We will do this again! This pic is from the 2nd (no, FIRST!) floor balcony looking down on the floor.
This week we visited what may be our favorite museum, the recently-refurbished Cluny Musee National du Moyon Age – almost all medieval stuff, and just a great experience. Home of the famous tapestry The Lady and the Unicorn. And, since the last time we came here, they’ve opened up the area underneath, the Roman baths/frigidarium (see pic). So cool. This is one of the two remaining significantly preserved Roman sites in Paris (the other is the arena we saw a couple of weeks ago).
We also went, for the first time, to Les Invalides, the site of Napoleon’s tomb. Astonishing building, with gold covered dome, you’ve seen it in many pictures I’m sure. The picture here of the tomb, I took with the panorama setting on my iPhone, and shot it sideways so you can see the tomb, and the interior of the magnificent dome. Also here is the Musee de l’Armee, so we got more than our fill of cannons, suits of armor, unbelievably artistic flintlock rifles and pistols…also some neat bronze age stuff (and even neolithic ‘weapons’ i.e., pointy rocks).
And, the Picasso museum. Oh my. I have a newfound respect and appreciation for his work, having now seen much of it, through his various phases, in order. Pretty incredible.
The Promenade Plantee is a refurbished section of old, unused raised railway line that’s been converted into a nice walking path – this actually preceded the High Line in New York. Enjoyed that stroll, and also the Viaduct des Arts, which are workshops/retail stores at ground level in the viaduct structure over which the Promenade passes. All kinds of workshops in which you can actually participate, like…chocolate making? We’ll be back. Oh, Eileen may do a stained glass workshop, that we found elsewhere.
And of course I went to a couple of jazz shows (only two this week!), one was the incredible Chris Potter (sax) whom I’ve seen many times. He was great, the problem was the club – not a tiny place at all, but few seats and so ¾ of the crowd was standing, which is not great (flashback to every 1970s concert I went to!). At one point some in the audience just started grabbing chairs that were stacked right behind me, and then more and more did that…10 minutes later, the club staff went around and retrieved all those chairs and re-stacked them (right behind me). I guess they can fit more with standing room, than with chairs, but it was not comfortable (I had a sort of bench seat but with everyone in front of me standing, well I had to stand on the bench seat). But from that vantage, I scoped out where I’ll set next time, and get there very early… Also enjoyed another fine show at 38Riv, a good quartet – much more comfortable than the other club.
À bientôt!
malcolm & eileen
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March 25, 2023
First things first: Macron survived the vote(s) of no confidence (vote de defiance), and went on television on Wednesday to start to try and smooth things over. So far, it's not working, uncertainty and renewed protests continue…
1-Early this week we went to Sacre-Coeur/Montmarte, and it is of course a magnificent location, with some incredible views of the city, and the building is remarkable. I must say that the center of the area near Sacre Coeur, the Place de Tertre, is quite overwhelmed with tourists and touristic stores and restaurants (= overpriced, and catering to…what do I mean…the “typical” tourist appeal? You know, Eiffel Tower swag, gaudy Arc de Triomphe tea towels, and the like?). Even this early in the year it was teeming, so there’s that. There’s also a little rubber-wheeled train that takes people up the hill…really. (plus the funicular) Ah well, it’s unavoidable.
With that said, we did enjoy browsing the 15 or 20 artists doing portraits and caricatures (and other fine art, which was pretty cool). Of the portraits, some were very finely detailed, others rougher, some modern-ish, and some cartoonish. We came across a water colorist, and his nuanced, understated brush strokes appealed to us, so we sat for a dual portrait – see pic 1. What do you think of it? We think it’s a keeper and a nice memento. And no, we didn’t pay more to look younger in the painting, but it does knock off a few years. Here also are a couple of pictures of the Sacre Coeur area – I tried not make my pics too typical (well, I take those shots, too, but am not sharing them with you!), so there are slightly different angles or elements in the composition.
That evening I went to New Morning Jazz Club. As I mentioned before, on a previous visit to this club I ended up having to stand on my bench seat to see in front of all the standees who came in. So this time, I planned to get there early – and of course my Uber managed to get stuck behind a garbage truck (perhaps the only garbage truck in the area actually picking up garbage?!)…and it’s only semi-automated, mostly manual by the 4 guys on the small truck so it’s slow. After a few minutes I realized we were very near to the venue, so I got out and walked. Got there early enough to, thankfully, have a nice seat for the entire show. Then of course I scoffed at all the standees for not learning the proper etiquette for getting a seat! (I believe a scoff in France is basically just a rolling of the eyes accompanied by a grunt…)
After the show at about 10:15 I decided to just walk home, only about 1.5 miles, keeping an ear out for any chanting or yelling so I could avoid protests, if any. I felt safe walking down Rue St Denis at that time of night, there are so many people out and about, all happy and going places, on a Tuesday night. (BTW I accidentally discovered that the pedestrian section of that street is apparently the sex shop area…and I had no idea that such, erm, “items” could be fashioned in the shape of the Eiffel Tower…)
I did see a whole lot of gendarmes – long lines of blue-lighted police, plus at least a dozen police motorcycles, each with two officers on board, screaming up and down some streets, and at one point blocking off an area. Sirens all over. But no sign of any protestors. Since then there have been night protests that are starting to get violent.
The other day I went for a bit of grocery shopping, and did actually run right into a big march/protest, signs, balloons, chanting, singing, even a marching band. It did not feel threatening at all, more like a parade? It passed by and I took a few pictures. Turns out they were converging on Place de la Bastille, from multiple directions, so I ended up kind of going against the stream (I was not the only one) to get to my destination. At one point going near a school I saw that the teachers had brought out the young kids to witness the protest – which I think is a great thing for kids to see!
St. Severin church – nice stained glass, including some that was produced in the 1960s, and is rather abstract! Apparently representative of various biblical concepts. Also found they have some nice classical concerts here.
Eileen read on someone’s FB post about an exhibit at Forney Library (aka the Hotel de Sens – I mentioned that beautiful gothic building before, with the cannonball stuck in the side). This artist Jeanne Malivel, died at just 31 and was really on the cusp of art deco stylings. Specializing in woodcutting/printing then to furniture and dishes and more. Very nice. We particularly liked this clock.
The Crypte Archeologique is underneath the plaza in front of Notre Dame, containing significant remains of Roman baths and associated rooms, and even a stone dock of sorts - “you’re standing where the edge of the Seine was in 400 AD, 55 meters from where it is now.” They do a good job of integrating some video stuff, as in the ‘dock’ picture showing the river and activity in the background. In the other pic, you can see the remnants of a bench at the back, where they sat in one of the hot (or cold) rooms. It also includes a lot about the construction of Notre Dame, the influence of Victor Hugo’s book on raising public awareness of the need to protect it, and more. Very cool place, highly recommended.
We went to the "other" English language bookstore (the first being Shakespeare & Co) - this one is Abbey Bookshop, and it is truly stuffed with books - including along the tiny staircase leading to the basement, also filled. Throughout the store, one customer would have to press up flush with the rows of books for another to pass behind them. Not sure about the fire codes here...
Added one night picture, just like the play of lights in the river, and the spotlight from the (unseen) Eiffel Tower.
Today, we’re excited that my sisters Polly (Marietta, GA) and Melissa (Roseburg, OR) arrive for a week’s stay with us, after which they’ll go to a hotel for another couple of weeks, so we’ll be hanging with them. Then we have a steady flow of visitors staying with is over the coming weeks.
~ malcolm
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April 1 2023
Well, the garbage strike has been called off as of last Wednesday, and the impact was almost immediately noticeable. Areas that had chest-high garbage piles are getting cleaned up, with shopkeepers following on to wash and sweep away any residue (“residue” is French for “a bunch of remaining shit on the ground”). It surely makes our wandering more enjoyable!
Eugene Delacroix museum – it’s in his former house and workshop, with a lovely garden - another of the small museums we like so much, very personal spaces, uncrowded, easy to spend as much or as little time as we want. The first pic shows my two visiting sisters in the very pretty, small, Place de Furstemberg, where the museum is located. Also shown is a shot of the garden, and one of Delacroix’ lithographs (although he’s better known for paintings, like “Liberty Leading the People” in the Louvre) – I found it funny. It’s a caricature for an arts newspaper, showing composer Rossini with sheet music sticking out of his pockets, holding up characters from his operas. Delacroix later wrote in his journal about Rossini's music: 'ornamentation dominates expression.’ Snarky!
What can I say about Angelina’s, the 1903 bistro famous for its pastries? We had a nice brunch there with Maggie (our niece) and her husband Walter. It started with, oh, a dozen or so mini croissants, baguettes, and pain au chocolate, (plus tea, coffee, and a ‘healthy cocktail’ of orange juice, carrot juice, and ginger). That was just the beginning, next was the main course (in my case, eggs benedict with avocado), and then a…dessert course. Mais oui! For me, it was caramel French toast (do they just call it “toast” in France?). Because this place does kind of cater to tourists, the waiter offered a doggy bag for the leftover pastries - a sachet when I asked what it's called in French, as taking away such leftovers is generally unheard of in France! A delightful caloric splurge.
Eileen stayed home one day and I wandered off to visit the Paris Museum of Modern Art, and also the Petit Palais. At the modern art museum I learned about a 1930s art movement I’d never heard of, “Abstraction-Creation” which had the goal to “join forces in the face of public and critical indifference or rejection” to their work in “a non-figurative vein, rejecting any explicit reference to the visible world.” Here are three beautiful examples.
At Petit Palais, there’s an incredible array of sculptures, paintings, objects, furniture, and more, centered on a lovely garden (including palm trees) where I enjoyed a nice lunch. The next pic is of a “clock of the monkey orchestra” – zoom in and you’ll see that all the little figurines are monkeys. Creepy, yet…well, just creepy. The miniature pipe-organ pipes apparently don’t do anything, the entire thing is just a clock.
On my walk (which, btw, totaled seven miles, including in-museum steps), I came across Place Vendome and its monument to Napoleon I. The square itself is lined with only the top notch exclusive retailers – Cartier, Van Cleef and Arpels, Piaget, Hublot, Dior, etc. Waiting for their shopping passengers were lines of black Mercedes, with drivers standing by…And near there, as shown in the pic, was another artistic Vuitton building covered with round convex mirrors. Very odd and engaging, and I paused for reflection…
I also took a bunch of pics of Pont Alexandre III, probably Paris’ most beautiful bridge. I’ll leave you with just one. And I accidentally came across an exact replica of the flame of the Statue of Liberty (made at same time as the one the French gave the US), which happens to be just above the overcrossing where Princess Diana met her demise (and the area around the flame remains inundated with odes to Diana).
Don’t get me started on the Rodin Museum. The audio guide took us through his entire career. To see the progression of his works was really spectacular. We spent quite a bit of time there, including in the sculpture garden where his largest and most famous pieces sit (the thinker…etc.). The whole experience was just stunning. And we also really enjoyed his earlier works which, while a bit more traditional, were somehow smoother and more lifelike than his famous more rough-hewn pieces (which carry a sort of different kind of emotion and gravitas). The audio guide included a lot of “in his own words” segments from his journals and letters, giving great insight into the controversies, failures, challenges, and huge in-his-own-lifetime success of this artist.
Yesterday we went to Jardin des Plantes, a large park with a zoo (which we’ve seen on a previous trip – it’s very old and kind of sad), massive grounds, gardens, and a couple of museums. Our primary goal (our neighbors in San Jose will appreciate this) was to find a very old and gigantic Ginkgo tree, which we saw on a visit in 2005. Turns out, though, that the entire park area was closed for safety reasons due to the extreme wind. So after lunch nearby we went through the Grand Gallery of Evolution – mainly for kids, with lots of bones and taxidermy animals. Fairly interesting, and a great building, as shown in this pic. Finally, a walk home in the rain. A great week!
Bonus pic! Walking toward Pont Alexandre III, I saw two visual elements I’ve not seen together before – the onion topped domes of a Russian orthodox church, and the Eiffel Tower. So here they are, together at last!
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April 8, 2023
Last Saturday, I went beyond our usual walking areas, more-or-less to the south of the Eiffel Tower (which was still in sight), where I was double-checking a Metro/RER routing for a future jaunt. Came across the very pretty Pont Mirabeau, completed in 1897 (so, not that old by local standards!). If it’s like other metal bridges I’ve seen over the Seine, it may actually have brick arch supports underneath (I did not get an opportunity to confirm that). While doing a little wandering in the area, I went into a remarkably new (1930s) church, which had some very different and interesting stained glass.
Still later that day, on one of my usual jaunts to the Monoprix (mostly groceries here, but also clothing, cosmetics, garden supplies, books…an interesting combo) in La Marais district, I saw a nice stone archway leading off of Rue de Rivoli, marked Hotel de Sully (you may know that hotel here generally refers to a “hotel particulier,” essentially what was a private mansion). When you’re walking in Paris, that’s exactly the kind of thing that you need to investigate! So, I went through and entered a beautiful large cobblestoned courtyard. Another passage and doorway (which included entrance to the headquarters of the Center des Monuments Nationaux) led to a beautiful garden area. This was all built in 1625 as a private residence, by the way. Then I noticed yet another passage and doorway off to one corner, went through and emerged directly into the famous Place de Vosges, one of the most beautiful squares in Paris. Mind you, I had no idea about the mansion or the gardens, or that it led right to Place de Vosges, so this was a spectacular discovery (to me)!
The weather most of this week has been incredible – blue skies with puffy clouds, chilly temperatures, just a bit of drizzle now and then. Great for wandering, especially right along the river path (no cars). People are now lining the river when the sun is out, through sunset and into the (comparatively) warm evening and night.
With a lunch invitation from our local friend Stephan, we made the trip by Metro and RER train to the small town of Velizy and had a wonderful time. We had struggled with what to bring as a gift (a web search took us to a “So, You’ve Been Invited to a French Household for Dinner” article with recommendations – we went with a small box of chocolates from one of the chocolatiers which are as ubiquitous here as are Starbucks in the Bay Area). It was very fun conversing about everything from music (which is my connection with Stephan) to politics (both French and American) to our kids (and their grandchild). Oh yes, there was sparkling wine before lunch and red wine with lunch, making for a pleasant train ride home.
A day trip last week with our guests Greg and Liza was perfect – we toured the grounds and buildings at Fontainebleau and Vaux-Le-Vicomte. Both represent the epitome of French opulence, but are a bit off the beaten path of the bigger, more famous chateaux. I’ve included a few pictures which speak volumes… At Vaux-le-Vicomte the audio guide was in 3D sound, and told the site’s story with voice actors and sound effects. More than once, I heard footsteps behind me moving to the side of me, causing me to turn to get out of the path of the apparent oncoming person, to find that it was all in my head(phones).
Some of you may recall that we tried to visit what we remembered as a giant Ginkgo tree at Jardin des Plantes, but the entire park was closed due to heavy wind. We went back there this week, and found the (estimated) 50 foot tree, but were more enamored with the blossoming trees and tulips. A beautiful day and many photos!
BTW, we’ve also ‘discovered’ a few more restaurants and I’ve come to the conclusion that you simply cannot get a bad meal in Paris. We will keep trying though!
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April 15, 2023
This week we had a great visit to the Institut du Monde Arabe museum, which features an extensive selection of Islamic art. One of the really interesting aspects of this museum is that they intersperse pieces of contemporary Islamic art throughout the exhibits, wonderfully contrasting with the historic pieces. In fact, I’d love to see a museum devoted entirely to modern, contemporary Islamic art. At the top of the 9 story building is a newish restaurant, Mima-Ziryab, with really excellent food in a very classy middle-eastern atmosphere, and an outside terrace with nice views to the right bank.
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Upstairs was a complete overview of Marie and Louie and their demise. Plus, Marie’s correspondence (to and from her lover) including some written in their secret code (the key to which has been known for a long time, so..no secrets there!). In certain other letters, Marie carefully wrote-over/redacted certain phrases. Only recently has the technology been available to separate the redacting overwriting from the original writing (apparently based on the contrasts of the metals in the ink) to reveal her passionate – and often frightened – musings. Then there are a few actual keys to La Bastille which were somehow preserved after that building came down in the revolution.
In some rainy weather this week (after a few days of beautiful sunny days) we made it to the Musee Marmottan Monet, which houses the largest collection of Monet paintings in the world. If you’re a fan of Monet, well, no more needs to be said, other than this is the absolute HMM (holy mecca of monet). Not to be confused with his brother Leon (really!), who has some paintings at the Musee du Luxembourg (gardens). I was also impressed with the significant amount of modern-ish (1930s) art, some of which was really quite a bit before its time…
Of course, window shopping is an important and critical part of wandering around in Paris – somehow we tend to gravitate toward pastries… We also like to drop in to churches that we haven’t seen before, so one day we walk through the doors of Eglise Notre-Dame-des-Blancs-Manteaux, and were happy to hear the organist practicing on the massive pipe organ. Time to sit down and take in a solo performance just for the two of us.
Lastly, here’s a pic of the hotel that I think we might stay in on a future trip, it fits, right?
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April 22, 2023
Last Saturday evening we made it to the Ile Saint-Louis Paul Rey Theater, one of the smallest theaters in Paris (maybe 30 seats?) for a very fun classical performance featuring piano, clarinet, and cello. The theater is tucked away behind a double wooden door on the street right on the Seine, through a leafy, 1600s-era partly-covered entryway. Just so quaint and character-filled! The performance was wonderful, an unforgettable experience. We may go there again, for the right show at the right time (they have music but also a lot of theater and spoken word stuff, which is, sadly, beyond us). I somehow didn’t get a picture of the interior, so we will have to go again!
After that delightful show, I unfortunately began feeling under the weather from what I thought was food poisoning but more likely was a stomach flu – since my visiting brother-in-law subsequently had the same symptoms…which were not pleasant! So, I was relegated to bed in recovery all day on Sunday; not the way I wanted to spend my 65th birthday, but at least I was in Paris!
I felt well enough on Monday to keep our appointment at the Louvre Museum. In advance, we decided we were not going to try to do too much, focus on just a few areas – all the more important with my relative lack of energy after my long weekend. In that, we succeeded, and stayed about five hours. We may go back another day, for a second round…really enjoyed the sculptures on the lower level atrium (Cour Marly and Cour Puget), and other levels of the Richelieu wing, and covered some northern european paintings sections of the Sully wing, too (I loved The Temptation of St. Anthony – if you zoom in, you’ll see a whole lotta very strange temptations going on…). Enthralled by the ancient Greek area, and discovered the Islamic arts area (which rivaled what we had already seen in the Institute du Monde Arabe a couple of weeks ago).
After lunch (which included a decadent Mont Blanc dessert) we needed a walk, so continued into Luxembourg Gardens, where the spring bloom is well underway.
This week I attended a great concert at the 6,000 seat La Seine Musicale (a wonderful venue way out toward Boulogne-Billancourt area), and also a superb jazz show at 38Riv. Lots of inspiration from all the music in which I’m steeping myself – and a lot more to come.
~ malcolm
PS: I added a short video of the nearby marche, very busy this Saturday morning!
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April
29, 2023
Earlier
this week with our friends Bob and Mary we wandered a bit through Le Marais,
ending up at an art show which I had seen advertised in a small community
magazine. It promised over 100 artists, and that some portion of the proceeds
would help kids. Held at an interesting event venue, Le Carreau du Temple, it
was indeed filled with artists and their wares (all over the artistic map) and
many people – mostly French as far as I could tell. Truly an event that was off
the beaten path, for a tourist. Here’s a video of an artist creating a piece,
inspired by a dancer performing at the same time, and what I think is the final
product; plus a pic of an oil painting we really liked.
Right
next to the Paris Museum of Modern Art, which I had visited earlier, we went to
the Palais de Tokyo, for some contemporary modern art (nothing to do with
Tokyo, apparently named after the former name of the street its on). One of the
exhibitions focused on AIDS and its impacts, in some ways tying it to the
recent pandemic. On the website and near the display it was noted by the museum
that “Some works are likely to offend the sensibilities of the public.” It was
really significant social commentary/activism expressed with large-scale
photos, banners, videos (and sheets with blood-red paint at the bottom...). The
other big exhibit was by an artist named Mariam Cahn, which had some really
interesting large-scale pieces.
In our
wanderings mid-week, we somehow found ourselves near the Galleries Lafayette
department store with the amazing art nouveau design and dome, built in 1912.
So in we went – we were just two of the 37 million annual visitors to this
store. Yes, it was crowded, we took it all in, did some window shopping. I did
find a pair of shoes I liked, but at over 250 Euro (that’s per shoe, btw), I
decided to pass. We made our way to the rooftop terrace for a fine view across
the city. The dome is really spectacular – highly recommended. BTW in the pic
of the dome that appears to be some kind of a fashion catwalk sticking out from
the side. Guess we missed the show?
A
lesser-known museum we visited was Musee Jacquemart-Andre, which houses the
collection of Edouard Andre in his mansion on Boulevard Haussmann. It was built
in 1876 by an architect who had been passed over for the project to build the
fabulous Garnier Opera House – and this mansion was reportedly part of his
revenge. It’s really beautiful, with over-the-top opulence. The art collection
is also stunning, filled with sumptuous works. A special exhibit of the work of
Giovanni Bellini provided many great examples of his incredible art of the
middle ages (he lived from 1435-1516).
On
Thursday we walked a few kilometers to Musee Gustave Moreau (with several
detours, including into a handful of the really fun covered shopping passages).
Moreau painted from the mid- to late-1800s in a style that is really a bit
unusual, at least in our experience. We learned he’s referred to as a
“symbolist” and he largely focuses on images out of mythology. If you can zoom
in on the pic here, you’ll see the very unusual detail he includes.
Finally, we visited St. Chapelle, the
incredible church on Ile de la Cite, containing some of the world’s most
breathtaking stained glass. We’ve been in it before, years ago – well worth
another visit. It was a bit of a cloudy day when we arrived – still great, but
as we were leaving we saw more sun starting to come out from behind the clouds
and further light up the glass, so we went back up to the main chapel for more.
Fantastic!
~malcolm
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