Well, we have really tried to made our final week in Paris count. Great weather (mostly), some nice sunsets over the river, a couple of unique museums, a church or two, more jazz at 38Riv, the marvelous Monet gardens at Giverny, and a canal/river cruise  (fair warning that this post is a bit video-heavy - of course they'll look best on a larger screen). It's with some sense of sadness that we are leaving Paris Monday after three months here, but we're excited about experiencing Ireland. I'll be posting updates from the Emerald Isle.

We've enjoyed some warmer, really beautiful weather this week. At sunset (lately approaching 9:30), we often walk out to Pont Louis-Philippe, about 30 seconds away, for a great view down the river toward Pont D'Arcole. Along with dozens of other people hanging out on the bridge, we took many sunset shots. I think the poor air quality in Paris contributes to the colorful sunsets, by the way...

Still on our quest for lesser-known museums, we went to the one at La Monnaie de Paris. Created in 864 (!), the Monnaie is essentially the coin mint in France. It also has other monetary functions, so everything they do is about money. We skipped the museum covering the more technical explanations of manufacturing coins, medallions, and decorative metals, and instead went through the exhibit L'Argent dans d'Arts - Money in the Arts. Very interesting, covering this subject from both the historical and modern-day perspectives. Be sure to enlarge the third picture to examine the detail of the satirical engraving/cartoon.

The Battle of Piggy Banks and Safes, Pieter van der Heyden, ca. 1550

The Pinault Collection at the Bourse de Commerce is an absolutely stunning collection of contemporary modern art - it's the best modern art we've seen in Paris. The Bourse de Commerce itself is a beautiful circular building originally built in about 1767 to serve as a grain storage and exchange facility. The highlight for me was a video installation called Presage, by Hicham Berrada, featuring projections on a screen perhaps 50 yards wide. Various reactive metals are dropped into a solution, with incredible results. Take a look at the video and the photos below - this piece of art is unreal! 

Another incredible piece must be seen via video to be fully appreciated! This one is called Waterfall, by Robert Gober.

And one more video - this exhibit is by Anicka Yi, called Biologizing the Machine.

From the somewhat extreme nature of the modern art at Bourse de Commerce, we swung to the opposite by visiting Monet's garden, house, and water lily-filled pond at Giverny. Eileen and I, along with our daughter Gillian and her friend Teddy, took a one hour train ride to the town of Vernon, where we rented bicycles and then cruised along a breezy five-kilometer path along the Seine under blue skies and soft white clouds, to Giverny. The bike ride was such a wonderful experience, rewarded by the overwhelming beauty of the gardens. As you might guess, I took way too many pictures... here are just a few, and a couple of fun videos.

   

  

Near the Bourse de Commerce is a huge gothic church, St. Eustache, probably the last church (of so many!) we'll visit in Paris.

Our boat cruise started on Canal St. Martin, went through three locks to get down to the level of the Seine (and went through a two-kilometer long tunnel, including underneath Place de la Bastille), then traveled on the Seine to the Eiffel Tower, turned around, and dropped us at Ile de la Cite, for a short walk home. It was great to get that somewhat different perspective of the monuments and buildings with which we've become so familiar, from the street view. Below is a picture of one of the locks, and another looking back at Pont Neuf (Paris' oldest bridge over the Seine). I've included a short video taken in the tunnel; you'll see the light coming from large air vents, and I like the reflection of that light from the canal water, dancing on the tunnel wall.

 

Oh, I almost forgot, in the plaza in front of Notre Dame last week was the Fete de la Pain - the bread festival at which the best boulangers are selected. Here's a clip showing the right way to convince your croissant dough to form that flaky crust...

BONUS VIDEO I have gone to our local jazz club 38Riv at least a dozen times, and I'm really going to miss it! It's been incredible to have consistent high quality jazz just a few minutes from our doorstep, available seven nights a week. 

My final visit there was Thursday night, and I saw this wonderful trio called Quartz. Here's a clip.

Ok then! That wraps up our three-month apartment stay in Paris - next week I'll be writing from Dublin, Ireland, as we start our seven weeks of moving around to a half-dozen or so different areas in that beautiful country.