TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, OUR LAST DAY IN PARIS

Charlie had done all the work necessary with Harsha, so we had the day for the two of us to tour about.  On Tuesdays a lot of the major museums are closed.  The Museum of Modern Art (of the town of Paris), however, is open, so that became number one on the list.  It's located on Avenue Franklin Roosevelt, which would take an hour to walk to.  We decided, in order to have energy to see the museum, and not over tax Chuck's game leg, we'd take Le Metro.

Our first activity was cafe creme and croissants with Geoff.  There were three local cafes we've gone to while we've been here.  Their chairs had different colors - yellow, red, and white.  The cheapest with the least nice coffee and croissants was yellow (the cactus).  The nicest was the white chairs which is where we went.  After breakfast we went the short distance to Hotel de Ville (town hall) where we got Metro 1 line to Franklin Roosevelt.

When we first got out of the Metro station we discovered we were on Champs d'Elysee.  Every major expensive clothing store, shoe store, and miscellaneous store was along our walk.  We found a lovely avenue that led to the museum, and found, the Canadian embassy - and more lovely shops.

The museum, itself is free, if we stayed with the permanent collection.  There was a special exhibit, so we decided, given we had the whole day, to see that too.  This museum is the place where a huge art heist took place a few years ago.  Major impressionist paintings were stolen (5 in all), with a value of millions of Euros.  The permanent collection was very nice.  We then trudged upstairs to see the special exhibit.  WOW.  The artist was called David Altmejd.  He's from Montreal, Canada.  I haven't seen art that I've liked as much as his works in a long time.  He's a sculpture that works with resin, plexiglass, quartz crystals, and lots of other things.  He had lots of figures of almost human form, and a huge piece called "the Flux and the Puddle".  I have a couple of photos of this wonderful work.

The photo above is just a piece of the huge sculpture

Many of the rooms had mirrored walls - the photo above gives a bit of perspective to the size of this work.

After our tour we had lunch at the museum cafe.  Then, because we were very close, we strolled across a bridge and wandered around the base of the Eiffel Tower.  Below are some photos of our stroll.

The outside of Le Musee d'Art Moderne

Charlie near the "Fields of Mars" Champs du Mars

Me

We were at the base of this.  Given the enormous crowds trying to get into it - I'm glad we were just there for the stroll.

We took the Metro back to Geoffs, and relaxed.  For dinner we went to my favorite local restaurant.  We kept referring to it as the restaurant near the doll museum - it's called Le Hangar.  The food is excellent - perfect way to end our Paris trip.

The next day, Wednesday, we took a taxi to Charles de Gaulle airport - flight to Chicago - through Chicago customs.  The immigration has been computerized and isn't too bad.  The customs was chaos.  We had to pick up our bags, go through customs (at every airport I've ever been to, this involves handing a declaration form to a guy and walking out).  In Chicago, there were two interminable lines that snaked around the outside of the luggage carrousels.  A couple of people were told they could go to the front because they had Global Entry.  The people behind us began to go too, and I decided it was our only way to make it to our next flight.  When we got to the customs man, he said that we weren't Global Entry, but didn't have the heart to dump us to the back of the line.  My obnoxious self saved us probably a half an hour.  We need to sign up for Global Entry too!  We made it to our California bound flight with about 15 minutes to spare.  We had to change terminals and go through the TSA line again (it was very strict in Paris).  Easy flight back.  Now we're home.  I believe I need a croissant.  I'll sit out on a chair and a tiny table on Garfield to recreate Paris.

BUSY MONDAY - OCTOBER 13.

After our breakfast - the usual - cafe creme and croissant, Charlie and Geoff wandered off to IPG, and I walked to the Musee d'Orangerie.  It's about a half hour walk from Geoff's condo.  From the Hotel de Ville, past the Louvre, through the Tuileries and into the museum.  The Tuileries is a lovely garden.  With ponds, trees, and works of art.

A view of the Louvre on my way to the Musee Orangerie

A pond in the Tuileries

Another pond

  The main focus of the museum is Monet.  There are two very large circular rooms with Monet's lily ponds surrounding you as you walk in.  Of the two, one of the sets of paintings is only of the ponds, the other set has trees and the ponds.  I like the second one better.

Downstairs, there are other exhibits.  They had an exposition of Edvard Bovard. I had never seen his work before, but it was quite nice.  The other section downstairs was the collection of an artist/art dealer  who's name I've forgotten.  The best parts of his collection were some lovely Renoirs and many beautiful pieces of African art.

The photos below are from my walk toward the Cluny

Working on a sculpture

Constructing a sculpture in the Tuileries

Modern sculptures in the Tuileries

A gardener - goat

After my tour, I retraced my steps and went back to the Cluny museum to get a children's book about castles in French.  Tough book - I should stick to Hungry, Hungry Caterpillar.  I then wound my way around until I found the restaurant that Harsha and Charlie were to meet me.  A southern Indian place.  We had lunch, and then went a few doors down to find Shakespeare and Company.  It's basically an English book store, but apparently, invites authors (or presumed authors) to spend the night.  Upstairs in this place is a piano, a bed, and an ancient typewriter - with walls lined with many books.  We were on the left bank, with views of Notre Dame - so we took a photo.

I think this one came out surprisingly well!

Charlie and I walked back to Geoff's.  After a brief rest, he and I wandered over to the Pompidou Centre to see the modern art on display there.  It was one of the few museum's in the area I'd never been to before - and only a couple of blocks from Geoff's.  There are two floors with lots of area and lots of works of art.  The lower of the two floors is very modern - constructions, videos, music - with an emphasis that war is bad - people die - wealthy countries wage war - kind of dull.  The top floor had modern and impressionistic art which was excellent.

Charlie's favorite painting from the Pompidou Centre - it's titled "The Lecture"

View from the top of the Pompidou Centre

After the museum tour we took another escalator ride to the very top of the place and were treated to wonderful views of Paris.  I'd like to do this visit on another day when I haven't spent all morning tromping through museum's.  We were a bit pooped.

Geoff made fish.  Dinner was very nice.  To bed.

SUNDAY, MUSEE D'ORSAY DAY

Saturday night, Geoff made wild duck.  It really is different than any duck I've had.  Smaller, tougher, I think I like regular puddle ducks for dinner.

On Sunday, Charlie was feeling much better, so after our croissant and coffee breakfast, he and I headed to the Musee d'Orsay.  The last time I was here, Sadie Medina and I had attempted to go to the museum.  Unfortunately, a fire broke out somewhere.  Smoke could be seen billowing out of the place, the fire department was called, and Sadie and I were tossed out.  Fortunately, we hadn't paid for tickets, so we were only disappointed.

I took a few photos of our walk to the Orsay.

This time, fortunately, no fire.  We got into the museum and spent a wonderful day.  The museum has three floors of art - most of which is impressionist art.  As we walked and looked at the paintings, we read the titles, and I translated either from the French I know, or more often, looking at my dictionary.

We ate lunch in the cafe there, which is in a spectacular setting.  We tried a French chicken and mushroom pie.  It was delicious - if not what we expected.  The English know pies - the French make lovely tarts.

This is a photo of the cafe.  The round window in the background is a large clock.  There are two large clocks visible from the outside of the museum.  This was one of them.

A photo of Mont Martre seen from the windows of the Orsay.

We really had a great time.  The best thing we did there was get there early.  When we first went into the museum, it was amazingly pleasant.  By the end (around 2:30 or 3 in the afternoon), we tried to go into the section that displayed Van Gogh, Picasso, and several other major impressionists.  It was so crowded that it bordered on the unpleasant.  There are signs everywhere telling people not to take photos.  Some character took a photo in this section with his iphone that made a huge flash.  I felt sorry for the guard in the area who had to squeeze through the crowds in order to tell this clown the obvious - no photos.

Geoff felt like eating out, so we went to a sidewalk place.  Charlie and I order Jose Bove hamburgers.  AKA hamburgers.

QUIET SATURDAY AT HOME

Charlie really wasn't feeling too well.  He stayed home for some extra rest.  Geoff and I went out for coffee and croissant.  Charlie is here to work with Harsha and Geoff - I'm here for the bread and general eats.

Geoff and I went to a Saturday market that is about a block and a half from his condo.  The vegetable stalls were much like the market at home - but the cheese, fish,  and butcher stalls were really spectacular. There were partridges hanging (in full feather) as well as wild duck.  There were also ducks, rabbits, and suckling lamb and pigs - in a form I more associate with things found at a butchers. Fish stalls here are really interesting.  With the exception of octopus, rays, and mackerel - a lot of the fish are Mediterranean and I don't recognize them at all.

We bought the wild duck, some fish, and some other miscellaneous items, and trundled back for a lovely lunch.  Charlie is on the mend.  We'll try to go to museums tomorrow.  One of Geoff's neighbors is playing piano - it reminds me of my French - one can tell generally what's being played - but it's halting and has many mistakes.

Resting for a day isn't a bad prospect.  Some views of Geoff's condo.

Geoff has a small ledge outside his living room/dining room as seen above.

Where I've been working while Geoff and Charlie rest.

PARIS - EVENTUALLY

Wednesday - Thursday - 10/8 - 10/9

We managed to get our tickets to Paris several months ago using air miles.  We had to fly through Chicago to get there.  Last week, some disgruntled airport control guy tried to burn down the control tower and managed to dismantle the Chicago's O'Hare flights for several days.  Fortunately, by the time  it was our turn to fly, all had been restored.  The flight was delightfully uncomplicated, and we arrived and could idle before we caught our next flight to Paris.  That flight was also painless.  Geoff had suggested we take a taxi from De Gaulle airport to his house.  Excellent plan.  Getting the train from the airport to the city is a bit of a pain in the neck, and not necessarily cheaper.  We arrived at Geoff's and managed to relax the rest of the day.  Our time is obviously not the time that is operating here.  We had a Vietnamese dinner.  There's a Vietnamese restaurant a few doors away from Geoff's flat.  We chatted then, more or less, slept.

Friday - 10/10

Charlie was to meet Harsha at the IPG (Institute de Global du Monde).  After coffee and croissants at a nearby cafe, we left Geoff to work at home and walked to the IPG.  Geoff's house is in the Marais District of Paris (right bank near the Pompidieu Center).  The IPG is on the left bank near the Jadin des Plantes.  A few photos of our walk

A view of Notre Dame from Ile St Louis (next island over from Ile du Cite where Notre Dame sits)

A look up river toward Tour Jacques

We waited for a bit for Harsha.  Once he showed up I left Charlie and walked to the Cluny Museum.  It's a wonderful, small, medieval museum famous for "The lady and the Unicorn" tapestries.  There are also some interesting medieval arts, weaponry, and church artifacts.

There are six Lady and the Unicorn tapestries.  One each for vision, taste, smell, touch, sound, and a peculiar last one for desire - the one seen above.

There were several panes of stained glass. This one of St. Martin really appealed to me.

After my museum trip I wandered back toward IPG and went into the Jardin des Plantes - a botanical garden.  Lots of joggers and several interesting plants.  There is a zoo as well, but I didn't really want to see it.  After a bit more wandering I had a jambon-fromage (ham and cheese) on a baguette sandwich.  

After lunch I decided to wander to see the Pantheon.  During lunch I discovered that it had been built just before the French revolution, and was completed the year the revolution began.  It ended up becoming a mausoleum.  There are several interesting people buried in there - Monsieur and Madame Curie (she's the only woman in the place at the moment) - Voltaire - Rousseau - Victor Hugo  to name a few.  Most of the people in there were French heros of the revolution who's names don't mean a lot to me.   Here's a view of the ceiling from the inside (the outside was being refurbished.)

The most interesting thing about the building was that it doesn't seem all that big from the outside.  I had envisioned a small place.  I was really surprised by how large it is on the inside.  I couldn't help but think about Dr. Who's Tardis.  

The view from the front of the place was also quite nice

I got back to Geoff's about 3.  This lion/dragon piece of a fountain was the best view on the way home.

Charlie showed up with Harsha around 6 pm.  Geoff and Charlie went out and found some Greek food for dinner.  We ate take-out (very nice Greek take-out) at Geoff's.