So Much to Do - Day 23

Song - Napoleon - Viva La Vida by Coldplay

April 30, 2018

 Having taken photos of window, doors and door knockers all over France, I find the best one right across the street from our hotel.  Not sure about the symbolism but I like the whimsy of it!

 Another rainy day in Paris so we decide to take an Uber over to the Musee Jacquemart Andre to see the exposition "Mary Cassatt - an American Impressionist in Paris".  After being dropped off on Boulevard Haussmann I decide that I need some meds for my cough which is keeping me awake most nights and walking to the pharmacy we passed these amazing flowers at a shop.

 I do love Peonies!

 This was the advertisement for the exhibit and unfortunately I was not allowed to take any photographs once inside.

 Inside the Musee Jacquemart Andre before getting to the exhibit.

 This is a painting of Mary's sister from a postcard that I purchased there.

 We decided that it would be nice to get our three son's some bread knives from Boulangerie Poilane.  I bought one for us many years ago and it's a very special knife.

 And right next door is the newly remodeled and expanded Comptoir Poilane which just happened to have an open table just as we arrived. It was pouring rain outside so it was nice to be somewhere warm and cozy.

 They serve tartines or open faced sandwiches both hot and cold on Poilane's famous bread. I don't know why but it tastes so incredibly delicious this way.

 Luckily we dropped our knives off at the hotel before heading over to Napoleon's Tomb at Le Invalides because........

 .....machine gun toting police were doing body scans and bag searches!

 Mr. B nor myself have ever been here before and while it was an amazing building, once was enough.

 The marble floors were richly decorated...........

 And the tomb is built of red quartzite and rests on a green granite base.

Several of Napoleon's family are buried here as well as important military hero's. Now we are off to E. Dehillerin to do some more shopping!

 Dehilleran's is a chef's store in the Les Halles area of Paris and noted for their fine copper pans.

Which I purchased a cute little shaped sauce pan that just spoke to me.  It has sloping sides that help hasten the process of reducing or thickening sauces!

Next door was a cozy bistro named Loup and since it was still raining, we decided to head inside for a glass of wine and to give our feet a chance to rest.
 

 We are seated near this massive rotisserie full of golden brown meat going round and round...
.

The chef decides that the Prime Rib is done and takes it into the kitchen.

 But returns with this little smiling piggy......

...that every time it went around it's little tail would go "plonk"......too much for me!

Le addition s'il vous plait!

Check please!

The hotel had made us reservations at Brasserie Lipp but we canceled because...well....they serve trotters.....

We had dinner around the corner from our hotel at Cafe Louise and it was perfect!

"You won't realize the distance you've walked 

until you take a look around and realize 

how far you've been."

 --Anonymous

Raining in Paris - Day 22

Song - Wish You Were Here by David Gilmour


This post is taken from my French travel journal and my trip through Southern France in April 2018.  For some reason my iPad and Blog were not communicating at the time so I was unable to write any posts. At home I am able to blog "post" travel! Thanks for joining me on the journey!

It was threatening to rain today so I figured that it would be a great day to spend indoors at the Musee d'Orsay but so did a thousand other people.......and this was the "no wait" line for those who already had a museum pass!

But once inside I was rewarded with beautiful art to warm my soul and stimulate my creative juices.....this is a detail from Le Pont d'Argenteuil by Monet.

Mary Cassatt's "Jeune femme cousant dans un jardin"....sigh....

And detail from Monet's "En norvegienne, dit aussi La Barque a Giverney".....enjoying the yummy colors in the sunshine!

Renoir's painting of "Jeune femme a la voilette".....just look at the softness of the veil covering her face.....

Close detail from Vincent Van Gogh's painting "Mademoiselle Gachet dans son jardin a Auvers-sur-Oise"

There is nothing like seeing the real deal - the colors and the brush strokes - there is energy here!

 "Les Roulettes, campement de bohemiens aux environs d 'Arles" also by Van Gogh

And beautiful detail from Edouard Vuillard's  "Le dejeuner en famille"

Garish and amazing quick gesture drawing by Toulouse-Lautrec painted on pieced canvases - once again you can just feel the energy radiating off the canvas.

And I will leave you with a sweet intimate moment in a detail from "Le bal de l'Opera" by Henri Gervex.

In the evening we dined at Le Recamier and enjoyed the best of souffles as well as fun waiters! Mr. B's first time there.....can you tell that he loved it?

"Art enables us to find ourselves 

and lose ourselves at the same time."  

--Thomas Merton

PS - My apologies for misquoting John Lennon on yesterdays quote: 
It should of read "Yeah we all shine on, like the moon, and the stars and the sun."
Corrected by my brilliant and sweet husband Mr. B!

Learning to Fly - Part Cinq

Song - Come Fly With Me by Frank Sinatra

ART - It's everywhere you look in Paris

Look up, look down and look all around.

**Hint: purchase a 2, 4 or 6 day Museum Pass at a small museum and then you won’t have to wait in the queue at the larger museums with long lines.

Musse d’Orsay - 7th Arr. -  It was once a railroad station and now houses a stunning collection of Impressionist art. 1 Rue de la Legion d'Honneur

And be sure you take a leisurely break in their beautiful tea room.

 

Louvre - 2nd Arr. - A former historic palace - it is amazing but too overwhelmingly big for me but it is so worth seeing the Winged Victory and the Mona Lisa or take a walking tour to catch the highlights. Rue de Rivoli

Musee Rodin - 7th Arr. - Opened in 1917 by the sculptor Auguste Rodin, the museum includes a lot of his work in the Hotel Biron, a small rococo palace and its gardens are amazing as well. 77 Rue de Varenne

Petit Palais - Richly decorated 1900 building, housing eclectic fine arts dating from Renaissance to 20th century. They will be having a temporary exhibition 'Dutch artists in Paris, 1789-1914' through May 13th - Avenue Winston Churchill

Musee de l’Orangerie

Museum with 20th-century European art collection, showcasing 8 of Monet's water lilies murals.

Jardin Tuileries

 Musee Carnavalet - 3rd Arr. -  Museum in neighboring mansions with Paris art & history exhibits focused on 16th & 17th centuries. Opened in 1880, the Carnavalet Museum features all types of art work, and through these it narrates the history of Paris from its foundation to the present day.

16 Rue des Francs Bourgeois

Musée Eugène Delacroix – 6^th Arr. - Sketches & paintings by enigmatic artist Delacroix, displayed in his house, studio & small museum. 6 Rue Furstenberg

Musee de Cluny - 5th Arr. - Turreted Gothic mansion housing vast collection of medieval arts, crafts & tapestries. 6 Place Paul Painleve

Musée Marmottan Monet - 16th Arr. - Art museum with a significant collection of work by Claude Monet, and other Impressionists. 2 Rue Louis Boilly

Musee Jacquemart-André  - 8th Arr. - A private museum that has occasional important showings.  Check first. They are having a exhibit of Mary Cassatt's work through July 23. 158 Boulevard Haussmann

"I really believe if you practiced enough 

you could paint the 'Mona Lisa' with a two-inch brush" 

-- Bob Ross