Fête, Parks and Art

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10ème arrondissement, art, Ayoung Kim, Bart van der Leck, Caminito, Canal Saint-Martin, Délices de la Lune, Doanier Rousseau, Fashion Week, Fashion week models, Fête de la musique, France, Henri Rousseau, In This Vessel We Shall be Kept, Jacques Grinberg, Jane Café, La Baraque A, Le Petit paysan en bleu, Les Nymphéas, Marais, meals, Men's Fashion Week, models, Monet's Water Lillies, Musée d'Art moderne de la Ville de Paris, Musee d'Orsay, Palais de Tokyo, Parc Montsouris, Parc Sainte-Périne, Paris, Paris Fashion Week, Paula Modersohn-Becker, Seurat, water lillies, weather

Tuesday was June 21, the Fête de la musique, a summer solstice street festival that’s a big deal in Paris and some other francophone countries. I have had a good time at the festival since I first stumbled on it in 2011, including barhopping with Jared W, Geoff and Hugues in 2013 and doing it on my own in 2014, with the most amazing time being last year (2015) when I enjoyed it with Sawyer and Seth.

This year I was on my own again. Instead of focusing on the Marais, as in prior years, I decided to stroll over to the 10ème arrondissement, around the Canal Saint-Martin, to see what the festival was like over there. La Baraque A is a mild-mannered coffee shop the rest of the year, but it hosts an electronic dance party for the Fête. The music was just starting up when I arrived so I had a beer on the terrace of a café, then strolled further on.

La Baraque A hosts a dance party at la Fête de la Musique

When I looped back later it had become quite a scene: La Baraque A Dance Party in Full Swing.

There were similar crowds outside restaurants and bars all around the quarter, in each case racially mixed, often multi-age, but with a consistently lefty/hip/hippie vibe. I didn’t notice much of a Muslim presence, and I suspect that this is the Achilles heel in the “melting pot” character of the neighborhood.

Blues at Jane Café in the 10ème on la Fête de la musique

I found the 10ème quite sympa, and I would consider staying there another year. But after a couple of hours on my own I headed home and got a good night’s sleep instead of partying until dawn.

When I got to Paris this year I noticed a new restaurant on rue des Petits Carreaux, Caminito, an Argentine bistro. I passed it by initially since South American cuisine is largely red meat, which I try to avoid.

Caminito on rue des Petits Carreaux in the Village Montorgueil

But on Wednesday I noticed that the plat du jour was fish so I had lunch there, which I quite enjoyed.

Pollock lunch at Caminito

That afternoon I headed out to find a park to do some reading in. I first went to a completely new area, Parc Sainte-Périne in the 16ème, but it just seemed like an enormous playground. Great for bourgeois kids but not inviting to an adult reader. Disappointed in my exploration I hopped the tram over to tried-and-true Parc Montsouris in the 14ème. I had brought an umbrella just in case and found that I needed it at times even though there were also welcome intervals of sunshine. This year’s summer started out looking a lot like its spring!

Rainy moment at Parc Montsouris

Raindrops on a rose at Parc Montsouris

The temperature had gotten up to 80 on Wednesday and on Thursday it was actually hot for the first time this year — high 80’s! Instead of sunbathing my thoughts turned to air-conditioning, so I decided to check some museums off my list. I had expected to visit the Musée d’Orsay a few weeks earlier with Sherard, but the Great Flood of 2016 put paid to that idea. Consequently, I headed over to see the Doanier Rousseau exhibition, and revisit the permanent collection. The title refers to the fact that Henri Rousseau started painting as a weekend hobby while working as a customs agent. I was mostly familiar with a few of his weird jungle scenes, and an iconic image of a family in a carriage.

I hadn’t realized, however, that he was self-taught, and was (initially at least) more of a folk painter than a professional artist. His portraits have that weird quality of looking straight out at you that you see in the works of American folk artists. He did have a good eye for color and could put paint on the canvas, but those skills alone wouldn’t have gotten him anywhere. What made his reputation was the weird and wonderful imagination that populated his jungle pictures. He never left Paris but had a rich vision of a fecund and brutal imaginary world.

The permanent collection of the Musée d’Orsay is always a delight, especially the impressionists on the 5th floor. I always notice something I hadn’t appreciated before, in this case a blurry little portrait by Seurat:

Georges Seurat, Le Petit paysan en bleu, dit aussi Le Jockey, around 1882 at Musée d’Orsay

I was also reminded of the fact that real people can be at least as fabulous as those depicted in the artworks.

Real person at the Musée d’Orsay

The Orsay admission also includes the Orangerie museum in the Tuileries, so I walked over there and revisited Monet’s two immersive waterlily rooms, as well as the impressive impressionist and post-impressionist collection on the lower level.

Monet, Les Nymphéas (water lillies) at l’Orangerie museum

Monet, Les Nymphéas (water lillies) at l’Orangerie museum

One observation I’ve often made about the finest impressionist art is that you can appreciate most any small section of brushwork as an abstraction as well as enjoying the entire work from a distance. I finally got around to posting a photo set putting forward this idea: Impressionism Far and Near

Thursday evening I had a Breton meal at an old favorite, Délices de la Lune on rue Poissonnière. (I was surprised to see that the Fork offers a 40% discount for advance bookings. This seems like gilding the lily since their prices are so modest anyway!)

On Friday I decided to check out the new shows at the edgy contemporary art museum, Palais de Tokyo, which I have sometimes loved and sometimes loathed. Although I liked several of the shows I saw there in mid-May the current crop left me stone cold, except for a few individual pieces and a wonderful sonic work by Ayoung Kim called “In This Vessel We Shall be Kept”. The concept of the work is crazy but remarkable: We are asked to take refuge in an ark against another great flood, but the ark in question is the Palais Garnier!

Ayoung Kim, “In This Vessel We Shall be Kept” (detail)

There are some graphics explaining this conceit and giving the text of an immersive choral performance, which is the heart of the work. These texts are from various sources, including the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Bible and the Koran, which all exhort a chosen few to build an ark to survive a flood. You experience the choral work in a comfortable seat in a dark room, surrounded by eight speakers. I posted a clip to give you a taste, but you need to hear it for yourself!

As in prior years, I stumbled on some Fashion Week models at Palais de Tokyo; cute and emaciated as always, but this year with strikingly kookie hairdos.

Models at Palais de Tokyo

Model at Palais de Tokyo

Since it’s right there and free (except for the temporary shows) I also stopped in to the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. I ended up paying for two of the shows, which were both pretty good: Paula Modersohn-Becker and Albert Marquet. Modersohn-Becker’s early portraits had a naive aspect reminiscent of Henri Rousseau, but her skills advanced rapidly, until her untimely death. Photos aren’t permitted in the shows, but I noticed this grisly little picture in the permanent collection, which is quite good even though overshadowed by the Pompidou.

Jacques Grinberg, l’Enfant (the child), around 1963, at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris

And this eerie group scene:

Bart van der Leck, Au Marché, 1913, at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris

A Flâneur is Born

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4ème arrondissement, Alésia, art, Belleville, Boulangerie, Café de l'Industrie, Carrousel du Louvre, flâneur, FNAC, France, Haussmann building, Le Verre Siffleur, Louvre, Marais, meals, Musee d'Orsay, Paris, Sherard, Uniqlo

Wednesday was Sherard’s last day in Paris so we were thrilled the night before to see that the Louvre would reopen! We got up early — for us — and arrived shortly after it opened. Unfortunately, there was already a huge, raucous line. I searched online for a way to jump the queue, and was pleased to discover that the same strategy I had used other years for the Musée D’Orsay also works for the Louvre. In both cases the bottleneck is the security line, but both museums have a much shorter security line for people who already have tickets. You can buy tickets ahead of time on line or at FNAC or many tabacs, but if you wait until the last minute there’s a tabac that sells Louvre tickets right in the underground Carrousel du Louvre where we were waiting. The express security line for people with tickets is up at the glass pyramid so once you have your tickets you go there and sail past the normal security line. I was proud of having worked this dodge but I could see that Sherard was still repelled by the mob scene. I asked which galleries interested him most and when he left it to me I led him to the Mona Lisa, which I assumed he would want to see, even though it attracts the worst sort of paparazzi crowd. After that I spied a few paintings I liked but I could see that Sherard was still not into the experience.

Portrait of a Man Holding a Statuette by Bronzino, Florence, 1503 – id. 1572

Over morning coffee Sherard and I had a heart to heart talk. The upshot was that all he really wanted that day was to buy two items he had seen on earlier walks: (1) a rug he had admired during our walk through the Belleville and Couronnes neighborhoods and (2) a small painting he had liked at a gallery in the Marais. I was proud of Sherard for asserting what he really wanted in the face of the conventional expectation that one has to see the Louvre!

We got the hell out of there and headed east. The problem was that neither of us remembered exactly where he had seen the rug, so we retraced our steps: up rue de Belleville, then over to the Parc de Belleville and back down from there. Along the way we saw several pieces of street art that Sherard liked way more than anything he had seen at the musty old Louvre.

Street art in Belleville

Street art in Belleville

[Click here to download an enormous pano of the piece above.]

Just as we were about to give up on the rug, back at the Boulevard de Belleville, I noticed some Muslim stores on rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, and sure enough, there was the rug! Sherard bought it for a song, and the first of our missions was accomplished.

After lunch at the Café de l’Industrie — a sentimental favorite from my first year — we headed over to the Marais.

Sherard’s lunch at Café de l’Industrie

There was a moment of anxiety at the gallery when the painting Sherard liked was no longer on display! But after he asked at the counter the clerk brought out many similar pieces and Sherard left as the happy owner of a colorful semi-abstract portrait. Both missions accomplished, we happily strolled home through the Marais.

Uniqlo store in the Marais, in a former foundry

Sherard suggested that we eat dinner in a completely non-touristy neighborhood we had not yet visited. I took a deep breath and proposed Alésia, a typical if unexciting neighborhood in the 14ème arrondissement. I had no specific place in mind so we simply explored. Needless to say, this warmed the cockles of my flâneur heart!

Lovely Haussmann building in the 14ème arrondissement, near métro Alésia

Boulangerie in the 14ème arrondissement, near métro Alésia

The restaurant we settled on, Le Verre Siffleur, turned out to be friendly and rather stylish as well as offering a good meal at a reasonable price.

Bob’s dinner at Le Verre Siffleur, in the 14ème arrondissement

Among our pleasant conversations there was one with a young man from Dijon who gave me his number and invited me to visit his city for a few days. Sherard noted that something similar had happened with an artist earlier in his visit, and asked me whether this sort of thing occurs to me often. I responded, “Only in Paris!”

We ended the evening, comme d’habitude, with cocktails at Experimental Cocktail Club. The bartender was charmed when we mentioned our afternoon in Belleville, which she “adores.” But when we mentioned our excursion to Alésia she said, with a visible shudder, that she “never crosses the river.” Just like crossing the Charles River between Boston and Cambridge!

Mot du jour: « comme d’habitude », “as usual”.

The Great Flood of 2016

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Arturo, Crue de la Seine, Flood, France, Louvre, musée du quai Branly, Musee d'Orsay, Paris Flood, Paris Flood of 2016, Pont de l'Alma, Seine Flood of 2016, Sherard, Square du Vert-Galant, Zouave, Zouave du Pont de l'Alma

On Friday morning we finally realized — too late — that the flooding we had noticed on Wednesday was the real thing. The Seine was already the highest it had been in more than 30 years, and was still rising! Both the Louvre and the Musée D’Orsay were closed indefinitely, so staff could focus on moving precious artworks from endangered galleries to higher levels. So much for Sherard’s short list! I proposed a list of second-tier museums that were still open — still fabulous, but not quite in the same class. Sherard suggested that we choose the one most likely to close next so I ruefully proposed the Musée du Quai Branly (which I have previously dubbed “the primitive art museum that dare not speak its name”). We walked over along the banks of the Seine so we could take in the scene.

A few pics of the flood:

The Square du Vert-Galant at the point of the l’île de la Cité, completely underwater during the Great Flood of 2016

Inundated restaurant on the bank of the Seine during the Great Flood of 2016

Pont au Change during the Great Flood of 2016

Seine floods are customarily described by how high they rise on the statue of a Zoave on the Pont de l’Alma. Normally he is high and dry, but today he was wading in up to his thighs. For comparison, the 1910 flood came up to his shoulders!

Zouave du Pont de l’Alma in the Great Flood of 2016

Tout Paris looking at the Great Flood of 2016 from the Pont de l’Alma

The flood peaked early Saturday morning at 6.1 meters, just shy of the 1982 flood level, and the second highest since the catastrophic flood of 1910 (though 2-1/2 meters lower) [link]. Paris is acutely aware of its exposure to flooding; shortly before starting the trip I had read an article about a massive flood response simulation that was conducted in March. Some mitigation measures are feasible but there is basically nothing Paris can do to prevent another flood comparable to 1910 if it rains enough.

Paris – After the Top Ten Sights

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Alcohol, An Hour from Paris, Arc de Triomphe, Bastille, Bercy Village, Bois de Vincennes, Canal Saint-Martin, Catacombs of Paris, Château de Vincennes, crime, day trips, drinking, Eiffel Tower, Grand Palais, Institut du monde arabe, Jardin de Luxembourg, Jardin de Reuilly, l'Oasis d'Aboukir, Latin Quarter, L’Étoile Manquante, l’officiel des spectacles, LB Café, le Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, le musée du quai Branly, le Musée Jaquemart-André, Marais, Metro, Montmartre, Montorgueil, mugging, Musée Carnavalet, Musée d’art moderne, Musée des Arts et Métiers, Musée Rodin, Musee d'Orsay, museums, Opéra Garnier, Open Café, Palais de Tokyo, Palais Royal, Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, Parc Floral, Parc Monceau, Parc Montsouris, Paris, Pariscope, Passy-Auteuil, Petit Palais, pickpockets, Place des Vosges, Pompidou, Pompidou Center, Promenade plantée, Public Drinking, Rosa Bonheur, rue de Charonne, rue Montorgueil, safety, Seine

The Top Ten Sights

[If you just want to see what my life in Paris has been like you can skip this post.]

On your first visit to Paris, like everyone else, you will go up the Eiffel Tower.

Iconic!

You will go to the Louvre and take a snapshot of the Mona Lisa.  You will gaze in awe at the facade of Notre-Dame. You will have an ice cream made by Berthillon on l’Île Saint-Louis. You will take a Bateau Mouche tour of the Seine. You will stroll along the Champs-Elysée up to the Arc de Triomphe.

Arc de Triomphe

You will eat a soggy crêpe at a stand in the Latin Quarter. You will climb the south slope of Montmartre up to Sacré Coeur and be dazzled by the view.

In all of those places you will be surrounded by other tourists doing exactly the same things, clutching their maps and mobile phones to ensure that they never stray from the well-worn Tourist Track.

Not only will you do these things, you must do them, and you should do them. Why? Because these places are iconic, and your friends would never forgive you if you didn’t. Because that’s what it means to go to Paris for the first time. And, last but not least, because they’re fabulous. It is not tragic that everywhere you go those first few days will be excruciatingly touristy. It’s normal.

Every travel book will tell you how to see the top ten tourist spots over your first few days, and I leave this task to them. But when you have gotten this out of your system — after your first few days, or on your second visit — read on. This post is about what to do after you’ve seen the top sights.

Getting Ready for More

First off you will need some technology. Get the RATP app, the Métro app and the TripAdvisor City Guide app that I describe in my Getting Into Paris post. These will help you get around and enable you to stray as far as you like from the beaten path without anxiety. And if your battery runs out just stroll for a bit until you run across a métro station. They all have detailed maps with a red dot labelled « Vous Etes Ici » (You Are Here). While you may have to change lines once or twice there will always be a station within a few blocks of your hotel.

Next, find out what’s happening in Paris. One excellent resource is the City of Paris English web site at this link (and there’s lots more on the French language site). For under a euro you can pick up a copy of Pariscope or l’officiel des spectacles at any newsstand (they come out on Wednesday). The text is in French but you should be able to puzzle out most of the listings even if you don’t read the language. Look in particular for exhibitions at the Grand Palais and Petit Palais.

Last but not least, shift gears. You are no longer checking off “must-see” sights. It is not important that you see the eleventh through twentieth best things in Paris. What you want now is to have some personally rewarding experiences, connecting in one way or other with this big, complex and fascinating city. Slow down, let your blood pressure drop a few points, and look up from your maps! What aspects of the city do you want to explore over these next few days?

Indoor or Outdoor?

The first big question is whether you’ll be exploring outdoors or looking for something under a roof. This obviously depends on weather as well as your own preferences. My one additional observation is that Paris can be lovely in the rain if you have the right gear to keep warm and dry, and you’ll want that gear anyway to get to an indoor destination if it’s raining.

Indoor Options

These are just a few suggestions out of a myriad of wonderful indoor options. Do two things in each case on line before you set out: Check the opening days and hours, and see what special exhibitions are on offer.

• Musée d’Orsay
  This wonderful museum is on many top-ten lists, but if not it certainly deserves top consideration as your next indoor destination. Buy your tickets on line or at a travel agent to avoid the ticket line, which can be more than an hour long. When you enter go left and take the elevator or escalators up to the fifth floor, to start with the Impressionist masterpieces. There’s plenty more on lower floors but you don’t want to risk getting tired before you reach the top.
• Pompidou Center
  The Pompidou is fun to look at since its structural elements and mechanical systems are on the outside, color coded. But it also has a great collection of modern art, an ok collection of contemporary art, and interesting rotating exhibitions. Your ticket also lets you see whatever is going on an the French first floor, opposite the escalators to the main floors. And whatever you do, check out the view from the top floor.
• Musée des Arts et Métiers
  If you like machines and technology allow a half-day for this enormous grab-bag of mechanical stuff, ranging from tiny scientific instruments to giant steam engines.

Musée Carnavalet

1. This is the museum of the history of Paris. It’s also a marvelous grab-bag — of art, furnishings and memorabilia. Like all the City of Paris museums, it’s free, and closed on Mondays. But note that until the end of 2019 collections from the French Revolution, 19th century and the Belle Époque are closed for renovation.

• Opéra Garnier
  Strangely, I’ve never taken the tour of this utterly gorgeous building, but friends tell me it’s excellent. (I have been to several performances in the new opera building at Bastille. It’s a great space but you must reserve in the first few days tickets go on sale to get affordable tickets.)
• Catacombs of Paris
  These vast underground tunnels are where the bones are stashed when construction work wipes out a cemetery, most notably by Haussmann’s renovation of Paris in the mid 19th century. It’s ghoulish but fascinating. I’ve described the experience thusly: Ten minutes of “When do we get to the bones?” Ten minutes of silence. Then half an hour of “When do we get to the end of the bones?”
• Other Museums
  There are a hundred museums in Paris!  Among those I’ve enjoyed are le Musée Rodin (which needs good weather because at least half the masterpieces are in the extensive gardens), the odd and wonderful le Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, the informative Institut du monde arabe (which offers a great view from the roof even if you don’t want to buy a ticket to the museum), the primitive-art-museum-that-dare-not-speak-its-name le musée du quai Branly, one of several house-museums, le Musée Jaquemart-André, the city’s answer to the Pompidou, the Musée d’art moderne, and the adjacent — wild and wooly — contemporary art museum, the  Palais de Tokyo (but confirm first that the exhibitions are open). Some are quite obscure, but nearly all will reward your time. How about trying a museum that isn’t in the guidebook, or even in this post??  A full list is at this link.

Outdoor Options

• People-Watching from a Café
  This is one of the most delightful things you can do in Paris. You can do it almost anywhere, but here are some of my favorite spots.
  • My favorite street for people watching is rue Montorgueil in the 2e, and my very favorite table is at the LB Café with a view down rue Tiquetonne as well as up and down Montorgueil. You will see all sorts of people, from stylish youths to women pushing baby carriages, to still-elegant retirees. Some foreign tourists — increasing every year — but still mostly French. Order an expensive coffee or kir and nurse it for an hour or two as you take in the passing parade!  Then become part of the parade yourself as you stroll up to the top of the street, beyond the arch, to check out the L’Oasis d’Aboukir.
  • A close second, though much more touristy, is L’Étoile Manquante on rue Vielle du Temple in the Marais, at the intersection with rue Sainte-Croix-de-la-Bretonnerie. Or if you want a stronger gay flavor, the classic Open Café on rue des Archives.
  • Another busy and stylish place is Bercy Village, a posh shopping area at the Cour Saint-Émilion métro stop.
•  Stroll Along the Promenade Plantée
  This is a linear park along the top of a disused railway viaduct – the (earlier) Parisian version of New York’s High Line. Depending on the season it has beautiful flowers, and always offers commanding city views. The elevated portion ends with a pedestrian bridge over the green center of the Jardin de Reuilly, a favorite sunbathing spot. You can plan lunch at le Janissaire, then continue another mile or so along a portion of the tracks that ran through a depressed cut. Or you can window shop your way back to Bastille by dozens of artist studios and art-related stores that have been created in the arches of the viaduct.
• Have a Picnic
  There are so many great parks to choose from!  A few of my favorites are:
  • the lovely little Place des Vosges and the similar garden of the Palais Royal
  • the big and beautiful Jardin du Luxembourg
  • posh little Parc Monceau
  • large and hilly and un-touristy Parc Montsouris
  • spectacular though somewhat remote Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, which has the wonderful ginguette Rosa Bonheur in the top corner (near métro Botzaris), and the delightful little Temple de la Sibylle overlooking its man-made lake.
  • The Bois de Vincennes on the east side of Paris (like the Bois de Boulougne on the west) is dauntingly enormous, but there are great things to do there: rent a boat on the lake, visit the gorgeous Parc Floral, go to the brand-new zoo, tour the Château de Vincennes, etc. Just make sure the métro stop you go to is within walking distance of the part of the park you’re aiming for!

  But don’t limit yourself to parks. There are other lovely spots to picnic.

  • The banks of the Seine are classic spots for a picnic, especially around or in the vicinity of the two islands at the city’s center. Just go down one of the flights of steps and find your perfect spot.
  • Another favorite place to picnic is along the banks of the Canal Saint-Martin in the 10e. Most charming is the section from rue du Faubourg du Temple (where it emerges from its long tunnel) up to the bend when it turns towards the east.

  Everyone seems to have wine or beer with their picnics, except in parks where a sign specifically prohibits alcohol, but the legal picture in theory appears to be quite complex. My thought is that if others are drinking in the same area and you aren’t rowdy you are unlikely to get more than a warning. In particular there doesn’t seem to be an “open container” law like in the U.S., just prohibitions on actually drinking in public.

• Take a Walking Tour
  Strangely, I’ve never taken an organized tour, but it should be worthwhile. There are good self-guided walking tours in the TripAdvisor City Guide app mentioned above, and if you speak French and have data on your mobile there are fascinating (albeit uneven) self-guided tours at ParisInconnu.com that I enjoyed in 2014.
• Get Lost on Your Own!
  This is my favorite thing to do in Paris. You always find something interesting, especially if you’re willing to divert from your original plan to do down a curious alley or investigate an attractive patch of greenery. Here are some possible areas to try, but don’t let this list limit you. In each case zig-zag through the area, exploring side streets, arcades (passages) and alleys as well as the main street.
  • Le Marais, 4e
    The lower Marais, the 4e arrondissement, is a classic area for strolling — and getting lost. There are plenty of restaurants and shops, open even on Sunday. The busiest and most touristy area is north of rue de Rivoli but I recommend a quieter stroll also on the other side of rue de Rivoli, including the little pedestrian area called Village Saint-Paul.
  • Montorgueil, 2e
    This is a nest of narrow pedestrianized streets chock full of shops, restaurants and bars.
  • Latin Quarter, 5e and 6e
    There are curious walking areas in every direction from the fountain of Saint Michel. Notice the throngs of tourists to the east. Check out the many bookstores downhill from Odéon. Stroll up past the Sorbonne to the Panthéon, then continue down to the charming old market street rue Mouffetard.
  • rue de Charonne, 11e
    This is a hip and slightly edgy area. Be sure to go up and down the side streets!
  • Montmartre, 18e
    Lots of tourists, but also lots of fun windy streets. Be sure to explore the north side of the hill as well as the busier south side.
  • Passy-Auteuil, 16e
    Yes, this is where the rich people live. And indeed there are sterile canyons of wealthy apartments. But some of those buildings are gorgeous, and there are some nice restaurants and bars there if you can put up with locals dripping with money and privilege (and English). Start at with a coffee at posh La Gare, at métro La Muette.

  I never worry much about safety in the daytime – you can basically go anywhere within the Peripherique highway (which you can’t cross without noticing!) At night you might want to ask your hotel if you plan to stray far from the touristy zones, but even in the dark much of the city feels quite safe. The type of crime you’re more likely to encounter is a pickpocket or mobile-snatcher on the métro, at a railroad station or in a crowded museum or other tourist area, though kids from the rougher suburbs are reputed to go in for street robberies now and then. There are also scams such as petitions, shell games, gold rings, etc. that you should just ignore. Paris is beefing up its police presence to reduce crime against tourists.

Day Trips Outside of Paris

In the unlikely event that you run out of things to do in Paris proper I am a big fan of the guidebook, An Hour From Paris. I’ve done a dozen day trips from it over my years in Paris, each accessible by train:

• Chantilly
• Château d’Écouen – Musée national de la Renaissance
• La Ferté-Milon and a 4-1/2 mile walk along the Canal de l’Ourcq (wonderful)
• The Jean-Jacques Rousseau museum in Montmorency
• Parc de Sceaux (only 15 minutes from Paris)
• Crécy-la-Chapelle (wonderful tho requires a train change)
• Conflans-Sainte-Honorine and Andrésy (wonderful)
• Champs-sur-Marne (where the château has now reopened)

Eating!

Last but not least, Paris is a paradise for food. My own forays have only scratched the surface but you can check out Dining Off (and On) the Beaten Path if you like. The TripAdvisor City Guide has suggestions and reviews. You might also like the The Fork site or app, which allows online reservations and also offers discounts.

Art, Science, Food and Pride

Tags

2014 Paris Gay Pride, art, blood alcohol, drinking, food porn, La Marche des Fiertés, Le Duplex, Marais, Mary Celeste, meals, Metropolitan Restaurant, Musée des Arts et Métiers, Musee d'Orsay, Paris, Raidd Bar

On Friday we visited the Musée d’Orsay, which I had seen with Jason in May (as well as in prior years). I was pleased, but not surprised, to find that the emotional charge of seeing the museum’s masterpieces was just as delicious a month later. At some point I can imagine becoming jaded — that old Cezanne again? — but two visits in one sojourn is nowhere close. My reaction resembled how I relate to the art works in my home in Cambridge: they give me pleasure each time I see them, even if that’s several times a day. Photography is prohibited in the museum now but here is a shot of tourists unconsciously echoing statues on the plaza.

Tourists unconsciously echoing statues on the plaza of the Musée d’Orsay.

As we got home we noticed loud music at a square two blocks from my apartment, so naturally we strolled over to have a look. It turned out to be the rehearsal for a fashion show planned for an hour later. This was my favorite of several snapshots.

A parade of models just down the street from my apartment.

Friday evening we had one of the best gourmet meals of my stay, at Métropolitan on rue Jouy just around the corner from my apartment. I’m delighted that Jaime’s visit occasioned me to try it, and just a bit sad that I didn’t know about it before. Our three-course meals, with a couple of drinks and coffee, were about $100 each, so it’s not for every day, but I would certainly have steered Jason there if I’d realized how good it is.

Jaime with his main course at Métropolitan, amidst an agreeable group of diners.

Bob blissfully contemplating his main course at Métropolitan.

Métropolitan, just around the corner from my 2014 Paris apartment.

After dinner we walked up to the haut Marais to see if we could get in to Candelaria, the hip bar that Alexis had introduced Jason and me to in May. It was full, but the doorman kindly pointed us to another cool place, Mary Celeste, a few blocks away. We had some stylish cocktails amidst a stylish crowd, then strolled over to my favorite gay bar, Le Duplex. It was crowded and convivial, although we didn’t get into any memorable conversations. Just for fun I bought a little pocket blood alcohol monitor, which reported me at .09 when I got home. That’s over the usual limit for driving in the U.S. but I wasn’t noticeably buzzed, nor did I have a hangover. (I haven’t had one in years, as a matter of fact.)

On Saturday we awoke (quite late) to a rainy day. We spent most of the day at the enormous and marvelous Musée des Arts et Métiers, which is a collection of scientific instruments and devices and technological artifacts that beggars description. I’ve previously posted a photo set, which I will augment with this years pics, but here are a few glimpses.

Jaime with a little statue of liberty at the Musée des Arts et Métiers, in a former abbey.

One of dozens of exhibit halls at the massive and marvelous Musée des Arts et Métiers.

Bob with the “Motorized Bat” in the musée des arts et métiers in Paris. (It never got off the ground.)

Saturday was Paris Pride (La Marche des Fierités) so after the museum we walked over to Place de la Républic, where we were pleased to catch the tail end of the parade, as well as being part of the moist but nevertheless festive crowd.

Bob with his new best friend at Paris Pride.

At the end of the 2014 Paris Pride Parade (La Marche des Fiertés), at Place de la République.

After dinner at a local place on rue Faidherbe (because we couldn’t get in to any of the upscale places that had been recommended by one of Jaime’s friends) we regrouped at home, then went out to Raidd Bar, famous for its nightly shower shows (recorded in an earlier post). It was a scene!

Raidd Bar on the evening of Paris Pride (La Marche des Fiertés).

Hélas, there was no shower show, but there were go-go dancers, and the mostly-attractive crowed in the absolutely jammed bar was a perfectly adequate substitute.

Mot du jour: mannequin. Model.

Gerry’s First Two Days

Tags

art, bordel, Café de la Paix, Experimental Cocktail Club, L'Absinthe Café, L'Entracte, L'Open Café, Le Bouï-Bouï, Les Mots a la Bouche, meals, Montorgueil, Musee d'Orsay, Open Café, Place des Vosges, RER, RoissyBus, rue Quincampoix

Gerry arrived as scheduled on Monday morning. Not only is this his first visit to Paris, but his first trip to continental Europe (not counting a few days in Iceland).

He came into the city, at my suggestion, by RoissyBus to L’Opéra, and I met him for coffee and croissants at the fabulous Café de la Paix.  While this worked out eventually, there were two problems.  First, there was a chaotic mob scene — un bordel — getting onto the bus, and Gerry had to stand the whole way.  The bus is in theory more tourist-friendly but I’m going back to recommending and using the RER train, even though the stations can themselves be confusing.  Cabs cost about 50 euros, so also a viable if pricey option.  Secondly, Café de la Paix was a poor choice for a rendezvous: the terrace didn’t open until after 9:30, it wasn’t visible from the RoissyBus stop, and it’s snooty and overpriced.  It would have been smarter to meet at L’Entracte.

After Gerry settled in to the apartment we set out on a flâne, which, as luck would have it, led us to a charming lunch at my old favorite, L’Absinthe Café.  At one point the waiter switched to English, but after I expressed a preference for French he gave my use of the language a cheery semi-compliment: that he was able to understand everything I said.

We crisscrossed the Marais, with obligatory stops at L’Open Café and the gay bookstore, Les Mots a la Bouche (“the words to the mouth”).  The Place des Vosges was lovely as usual:

Place des Vosges, September

For dinner our first night Gerry chose a restaurant just a few blocks from my apartment that I had passed many times but never eaten at. We both loved Lézard Café , at the intersection of rue Tiquetonne and rue Étienne-Marcel: The location is lively but not noisy; service, servers and the other diners were delightful; the food was tasty and well-presented; the wine was luscious; and everything was reasonably priced. A new favorite!

We rounded out the day with a couple of creative cocktails at Experimental Cocktail Club, just a few doors down from my place.  I was pleased to be greeted by one of the owners as if I were a regular!

Experimental Cocktail Club – Old Havana, Candle and Menu

After a somewhat slow start, due to Gerry’s jet lag, we set out around 2 pm on Tuesday for the Musée d’Orsay.  I was pleased to find that the impressionists had been moved back up to the top floor.  It seemed as though quite a few more were on display than I remembered from last year, when they were off the main hall.  The lighting and presentation was exquisite, and I was blown away as always.  Once a year is not too often to revisit these glorious paintings.

We walked back via the banks of the Seine.

Gerry with the Musée d’Orsay

Gerry particularly enjoyed the locks placed by lovers along the Pont des Arts.

Lovers Locks on the Pont des Arts

I took us home by a different route through the Marais, then up a cute little street in Beaubourg, rue Quincampoix.  There we encountered, on a Tuesday evening, not one but two gallery openings, vernissages.  We really liked the art at the second one, and as one might expect the wine was also excellent.

Gerry and Bob with works by Caroline Coppey at Galerie Alexandre Cadain

We had dinner at a quirky and charming little place in my neighborhood, Le Bouï-Bouï, which I have enjoyed on several occasions.  While the possibility of further adventures was mentioned we decided to make it a (relatively) early evening.

Mot du jour:  bordel, a bordello or, more commonly, a chaotic mess.

Farewells and a Day in the Life of a Tourist

Tags

exposed beams, L'Hédoniste, La Perla, Le Train Bleu, Marais, meals, Musee d'Orsay, Paris, poutres, poutres exposée

This week has seen several farewell events. Each has been warm and sweet and just a bit sad. You never say adieu in French — always au revoir or something even more casual. Usually you will see the person again (the literal meaning of au revoir), but parting reminds you that there will inevitably be a time when you won’t.

Jeff scheduled his farewell party for Monday night so instead of trying to find another good night in an increasingly busy week I tagged along with his plan, at La Perla, a Mexican restaurant in the Marais. This worked out well since several of our friends hit it off. The event was announced to run from 7 to 9 so my literal-minded friends left for other engagements around 9. But it turned out that Jeff and his friends had no intention of winding down.  I had already had two large beers — which is a lot for me — so I was ready for dinner.  Jeff’s friends had other plans, however! They ordered a pitcher of margaritas and filled my glass. The combination of alcohol, sugar and salt proved irresistible, and they kept the pitchers coming until we were all a bit bourrée, and the staff had put the chairs up on the other tables as a subtle hint that they were ready to go home.  I never did eat anything except a few chips!

Bourrée at La Perla

Here are the photos of our bien arrosée soirée:  [Photo Set of the Farewell Party]

Tuesday I decided to spend as a true tourist — I went to the Musée d’Orsay to see the Manet exhibition and to reacquaint myself with the excellent permanent collection.  I realized that there is a shorter line for people who have bought tickets in advance but I stood in the regular line — for an hour and a quarter under a scorching sun — in order to have the full tourist experience.

The Line at Musée d’Orsay

A pushy French woman tried to cut in behind me but I joined forces with an American family to send her packing, though not without first grabbing her photo:

French Woman who Cut the Line at Musée d’Orsay

(We did notice that she got away with the same trick a few dozen people later but I dissuaded the American girls from calling the police.)

The art was indeed lovely but waiting in those long lines was enervating, and you could see that most of the (other) tourists were there to be there rather than because they got anything much from the art. I sometimes felt that I was holding up their aimless circulation when I stopped to appreciate a piece.  This got me thinking about why people travel like this at all.  Can it be a good experience? For many I suppose it’s just something one does because it’s the done thing. And there’s really nothing to be done about it, because if you directed the herd anywhere else that place would be trampled as thoroughly as the present tourist tracks. All you can do is enjoy travel yourself in your own way, and once in a while invite someone to join you.

Tuesday evening was a special farewell dinner indeed!  My Parisian friend Jacques took me out to what may well be the most beautiful restaurant in Paris, Le Train Bleu, in the Gare de Lyon.  I was astounded by the decor, impressed by the impeccable service, and well satisfied with the meal.  As always, Jacques was a warm and engaging companion.

Jacques at Le Train Bleu

Impeccable Service at Le Train Bleu

Here are all the photos, including the food and many shots of the stunning interior:  [Photo Set of Le Train Bleu]

Wednesday was mostly spent cleaning, packing and checking out — the inevitable overhead of travel.  For the third time I cleaned a Parisian apartment intensively but the owner (or in this case agent) made no show at all of looking around, much less counting the silverware.  The lesson another time is that people are pretty casual about this, and they bring in professional cleaners to get the place ready for the next tenants so it’s not important for you to bring the place to a high gloss of cleanliness.  Here is a set of photos of the poutres apparentes (exposed beams) in my apartment, as well as views out the windows, including three that I took early this morning, before the streets began to fill. [Photo Set of 59, rue Saint Sauveur]

Wednesday evening Lisa and her partner Ali came over.  They brought a bottle of champagne, which we enjoyed thoroughly.

Lisa and Ali

Bob and Lisa

Then we walked down the street to a restaurant that the owners of my apartment had recommended in May, but that I had never eaten at, L’Hédoniste.  We had a fine meal, with excellent service.  Just after we ordered desserts I realized that I had left my mobile back at the apartment, so Alexis, who had been hoping to join us, had no way to reach us! I ran out of the restaurant and fortunately ran into Alexis just as he was arriving at my apartment. He joined us for dessert and a quick visit to 59, rue Saint-Sauveur before we all parted. It is sad to say goodbye, but I can look forward to seeing Lisa and Ali again in August at our family reunion in Iowa.

Mots du jour:  (1) bourrée. Not completely drunk but quite tipsy.  (2) bien arrosée. Literally “well watered” but actually “well alcohol-ed.”

Les îles and Musée d’Orsay

Tags

île de la Cité, île Saint-Louis, Mémorial des Martyrs de la Déportation, Musee d'Orsay

L’île Saint-Louis and l’île de la Cité are islands in the Seine at the historic center of Paris. L’île de la Cité, where Notre Dame cathedral is located, is the original cradle of the city, known in Roman times as Lutèce. Apart from Notre Dame, and Sainte Chapelle, it is mostly occupied now by imposing and rather sterile government buildings. L’île Saint-Louis was created by enlarging a smaller natural island in the 14th century. It is mostly residential. It retains a relatively quiet atmosphere even though it also has many tourist-oriented shops and restaurants.

Jaime and I started our day by wandering around both islands, eventually getting lunch on L’île Saint-Louis and eating it in a little park on the eastern point of L’île de la Cité, behind Notre Dame. We noticed a sign for a memorial to the people who were deported from France by the Nazis, Mémorial des Martyrs de la Déportation. On other occasions when I had been there it had been closed, but today the gate was open and a guard was controlling access so we went in. You enter the small site through a narrow stairway, then you reach an inner area through a narrow gate, both claustrophobic features evoking the experience of confinement.

Deportation Memorial, ’île de la Cité.

Inside there are symbolic cells, with bars, and in the center a long corridor lined with 200,000 lighted crystals memorializing those who were deported and killed (mostly Jews but also including others the Nazis considered undesirable, including homosexuals). To my own surprise I was moved to tears.

200,000 crystals represent those lost. (Deportation Memorial, ’île de la Cité)

Our afternoon was at the Musée d’Orsay.  Even though I had spent several hours there with Jason I still saw lots of new art, including an exhibit on Crime and Punishment that was colorfully grisly.  And it was all new to Jaime.

Dinner was at a charming if touristy restaurant on L’île Saint-Louis named L’ilot Vache with friends of his sister, who proved to be ladies of a certain age whose travel credentials eclipsed even our own. We ended the evening with a companionable glass of wine with my Parisian friend Hugo.

Maison Deyrolle and the Musée d’Orsay

Tags

art, cancer, Deyrolle, Monet, Musee d'Orsay, taxidermy

Jason and I started the day with a leisurely stroll through historic Paris: Montorgueil, Hôtel de Ville, Notre Dame, Latin Quarter, Luxembourg Gardens, blvd Raspail, rue du Bac.

We were both amazed and delighted by Maison Deyrolle at 46 Rue du Bac. The large second floor is like a museum filled with stuffed animals and birds, butterflies, beetles and other scientific specimens. We resisted the temptation to acquire an adult polar bear, for 45,000 Euros. Photos are not allowed but there are some nice images at the link above. After enjoying the historic ambiance I was stunned to learn that it had only recently reopened after having been ravaged by fire in 2008. Somehow they managed to replace much of the collection and restore the flavor of the place. Truly a Parisian treasure.

Lunch was at a restaurant that turned out to have lots of atmosphere: Les Ministères:

Jason lunching at Les Ministères

It looked as though we were the only tourists in the place; the other diners seemed mostly to be having upscale but not overpriced business lunches.

We then went to one of the finest museums in the world, the Musée d’Orsay. The fifth floor galleries are closed for renovation but the jewels of impressionism and post-impressionism have been moved down to the first floor where they are just as impressive. My only regret is that last month a rule was imposed prohibiting photography, even though photos without flash have in the past always been allowed. The reason is that too many people were leaving their flashes on and endangering the art. So, sadly, these fools have spoiled my ability to take appropriate photos. This photo from two years ago will have to serve:

The Regatta at Argenteuil, Claude Monet, c. 1872

This particular painting has a special meaning for me. More than a quarter-century ago, when I was 35, I was diagnosed with testicular cancer. The first operation was easy, but when the ensuing tests were equivocal I chose to have a second operation, to remove a bunch of lymph nodes. This one was a big deal and left me quite reduced. It didn’t help that the print on the wall of my hospital room was a dark, depressing view of Venice. One day, however, an elderly volunteer came by wheeling a cart. She asked me if I would like a new picture, possible because the prints were on cards that slipped into permanent frames. After reviewing her selection I chose this sunny Monet as a symbol of my hope for full recovery. I will always be grateful to that volunteer, and to Monet, for the pleasure they brought into my life at that dark hour.