Musee Marmottan Monet

Sunday, April 22, 2012

The sun was shining most of the day…but we got caught in one rainstorm!  Our morning was busy at the local Laundromat…we did three loads of wash in preparation for our move tomorrow.  That took most of the morning; but Jim stayed with me and we both read our books so the time went pretty fast.  The place was very busy with locals and tourists doing their weekly laundry.  We’ve been washing things out daily but needed a real laundry day before starting the next part of our adventure.

At noon we caught the Metro to the 16^th arrondissement to visit the Musee Marmottan Monet.  The Marmottan family was wealthy and collected enough art to create a museum out of their home.  Monet’s son donated all of his collection that he’d inherited from his father to the museum and it became one of the greatest single collections of Monet paintings.

When we arrived we discovered that we had an additional bonus in store; there was a special exhibition of Berthe Morisot’s work.  She was one of the first of the female Impressionist artists.  They had collected her works from major museum all over the world for this exhibition.  We spent nearly two hours viewing the works of two major impressionist artists.  

We walked through the park to the Metro station and headed back to the apartment to find some lunch.  We’ve been trying to use everything before we leave so have decided to purchase something pre-cooked.  Oops…it’s after 2 pm and since it is Sunday…everything is already closed.  So we picked up our computers and headed for McDonalds.  Had some sandwiches but the Internet is still not working for us.  So, when we finished we walked to our park and just as we were connecting…the rainstorm hit!  We rushed out of the park with everyone else and headed home with our umbrellas pinging as the hail bounced off of them.

About 4:30 pm we again set out for the Metro; this time to Les Halles and St. Eustache; arriving just before 5:30 pm when the Organ recital began.  We enjoyed a wonderful half hour of Mozart played by the organist on the huge church organ.

At 6 pm…the concert was over, more than half of the people left and we stayed for the 6 pm high Mass.  There were six priests celebrating the Mass; the wonderful organ and a cantor that brought tears to your eyes he was so good.  A wonderful experience completed after Mass with another five minutes of “rifs” ….improvisions… by the organist. 

Paris en Musique….

Saturday, April 21, 2012

As you see, we took a day off yesterday.  I spent most of Friday with my feet up fighting off the sniffles…I’m much better today for having stayed down yesterday!  Jim walked to the park yesterday morning to use the free wi-fi; couldn’t get a thing.  And it rained while he was there…actually it was so cold…it hailed!  Notice the photo I took of hail on our window ledge.  He came back very frustrated and I realized I’d forgotten to turn his wireless connection on before he left!  Oh my…so in the evening I bundled up and we walked back to the park after dinner for some wi-fi time.  Other than being very cold it worked fine.  I try to upload photos and videos there as those two data projects eat up the time very rapidly on my USB 3G port that we purchase time for on the Internet.  The park lady actually had to tell us it was time to leave…they close the park at 8 pm this time of year!  I wondered why everyone had left?

Notice the second photo of the pigeons…they were all huddled together on one of the many vents that has warm air trying to stay warm.   Yes…it’s a cold and wet spring in Paris but we are still having the time of our life!

Today was cold but sunny weather.  Instead of walking so much we’re going to ride the Metro between our stops today.  We left about 11 am for the Metro and our first stop was at the Tuleries Metro for a short walk to Galignani Bookstore on the rue de Rivoli…very close to the Hotel Meurice.  Jim wanted to purchase another book by Stephen Clarke to read on the trip.  This bookstore is known to have a large selection of books in English.  He actually ended up purchasing two of them 

Back to the Metro and on to our second stop:  St. Paul’s in the Marais…the 3^rd arrondissement.  We were headed for an exhibit that our friends here in Paris, Maeliss & Nicolas recommended.  A history of music in Paris called “Paris en Musique” in a very old public building at 24 rue Mahler.  This is a public library now and was built in the 16^th century and was at various times a prison and also a palace.  Plus the exhibition hall next door.

We discovered that the exhibit didn’t open until 1pm so we decided to backtrack and visit the church of St.Paul & St. Louis a couple of blocks away.  But, before turning around we went to the corner of the building to take another look at a very historical watch tower…built more for decoration than functionality…it is a beautifully preserved piece of history.  There were four people standing on the corner also…looking at maps.  We asked if they were lost and wouldn’t you know … they were Americans.  One thing led to another and we had a good five minutes of fun with two couples from Charleston, S.C. on their third of three days in Paris before they leave in the morning for the south of France.  They were looking for a store that sold wax jackets from England or something and we began to share information.  Part of their trip is a boat cruise down the Midi River which we did in 1999.  Before parting I took a photo for the blog and also exchanged cards…one of the ladies was sure she’d seen my blog on the Internet…if true…small world isn’t it.

After a nice visit at the church we returned at 1 pm for the exhibit and were pleasantly surprised when they only charged us the reduced tariff…we saved 2 euros!  Perks for getting old!  Usually reserved for EU citizens we’re always thrilled when we get the benefit.

It was a beautiful and well presented history of music of the early twentieth century using photos, posters, sheet music and headphones for you to listen to the music of specific artists.  Well worth the hour that it took to view the exhibit.

Back to the Metro system and we were off to Montmartre.  Went all the way to the back side and walked back up Lamarck…the same way we’d exited the area two days ago…looking for a hotel that Jim wanted to find.  It is called L’Ermitage Sacre Coeur Hotel.  A very small hotel on the back side that it very quaint and looks like a great place to stay…but you have to book ahead as there are very few rooms and they are generally booked months in advance.

We walked all the way up to the top; stopping to visit in a small garden park and then began looking for a particular statue that I’d seen in a photo on the Internet.  Never found that but did continue past the Montmartre Vineyard; The Rose House, The au Lapin Agile and finally the Moulin de la Galatte.  We saw the Carmelite Convent where our granddaughter stayed for a night last year on her trip to Paris from Germany where she was on a mission with the church.

Continued walking down until we reached the Abbesses Metro and once again boarded the train for our final stop for the day.  We were off to the 6^th arrondissement to see the small museum called Mussee Zadkine located very near to the Luxembourg Gardens.   Sad to say…it is closed until June 2012 for renovations.  But it was suddenly clouding up and we rushed back to the Metro amid drops of rain but never opened our umbrellas.

Arrived back in the 15^th and stopped at the Monoprix for prepared hot food to take home for dinner.   It was nearly 6 pm and we hadn’t eaten since breakfast!   Finally had to open the umbrellas on the final dash home but it soon dried and after a delicious dinner we walked to the park for some free wi-fi time.  While there a French lady stopped and asked if she could take our photos…we chatted for a while and I’m hoping that she will send us the photo.  She said that she thought we were “so cute” sitting there on the park bench typing on our computers!  I’d left my camera in the apartment or I would have had her take a photo for us also.  She was very interested in our small laptops…she thought there were IPads because of their size.  We have really enjoyed the French people but then we always do.  

Dessert after we arrived home was a small glass of our liquore and  half of a chocolate bar while I typed my journal.  We talked with Terry and Linda tonight…hard to believe we’re only got a few days until they arrive.

I thought you'd enjoy this video that Jim took two days ago...we were just behind the Opera Garnier; in front of the large department store called Galerie Lafayette.   It was a marvelous experience and as a friend who visits France regularly said...definitely a cut above what we usually hear on the streets.  Enjoy this small clip...

The Opera Garnier….

Thursday, April 19, 2012

We had a late start this morning and it was noon before we were up, finished breakfast and cleaned up the apartment. But at soon we were out the door to a cold but beautiful day with sunshine. We did however have the umbrellas in the backpack along with cheese & salami, half of our daily baguette left from dinner last night and a beer to share for lunch somewhere during the day. We purchase our baguette originale each evening before dinner on the way home.

Our first stop this morning was the Opera Garnier; our first view as we came up out of the Metro! What a stunning vista…now to see if we can tour it. Our one and only visit was a number of years ago…you can only visit when the ballet is not in practice or performing. The operas moved from this venue when they built a new opera house at Place Bastille.

We looked all over the doors at the head of the stairs in front and nothing was open…we have always entered from the front. There were signs pointing for an Entrance on the side and we kept following the signs until we were all the way around at the back. Voila…they’ve moved the entrance for tourists to the back. We saw an open gate and walked in…no real signs saying that this was the entrance; Jim was brave enough to walk through on the red carpet and sure enough…we were able to purchase tickets for an unaccompanied tour for 9 euros each. Steep price but oh so worth it once we found what it purchased. We had free run of the place except for backstage! Even got to sit in a seat and view the stage and magnificent ceiling mural by Marc Chagall that surrounds the eight ton chandelier. The Opera was built in the late 1800’s in the belle époque era and you’ll delight in the grand staircase entry to the boxes in the photos.

There was also an exhibit on J. Massenet, one of the most famous composers of operas and symphonies that made it all a very memorable experience. We checked in the gift shop for some of the special honey from the beehives kept on the roof of the Opera House; but alas, they were out. They told us that if we went to the Gourmet Shop in the Galleries Lafayette; they had honey there made from hives in Paris. The cost of a small jar is fifteen euros so I think I’ll pass but it is an interesting possibility.

We headed for the Galleries Lafayette behind the Opera…not for the honey….but to climb to the roof for some views. Hoped to see the bee hives…not sure if we saw them or not. The roof has changed…they had artificial grass and seating…new since we’ve been there. But the sun is shining and the views were wonderful of the city of Paris from the 7^th floor.

Heading west we passed several more of their buildings as we walked towards the other big department store in the area: Printemps. This one also has great views from the rooftop…actually a better view but it doesn’t have the wonderful glass ceiling over the central part of the store that Galleries Lafayette has.

Suddenly we could hear music…there was a classical pianist playing outside of the final building for Galleries Lafayette; it was amazing. I hope to post the video that Jim took on Facebook this week. He was making lots of money!

When he finished we continued on to our second site for today; the Chapelle Expiatoire. This is a lesser known park that houses the mass burial grave for all the royal bodies that were taken from the Cathedrale of Sainte-Denis during the revolution. It is also the original graves for Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI. They were there for twenty-one years and then moved to their final graves at Saint-Denis Cathedrale.

We sat in the park there and ate our lunch after viewing the chapel and grounds. It was nearly 3 pm by the time we left and started walking towards Montmartre. We shed our coats and put on sunglasses as we walked up the hill past the Gare St Lazare and then the Place de Clichy.

Soon we were walking over the bridge that divides the Montmartre Cemetery; about that time it began to look like rain! We continued up the back side of Montmartre on Avenue Junot. Found the bust of a lady and then the Hotel Particular. This hotel has no sign and you have to know what you’re looking for. If you want to go to the bar of the hotel for a drink….you have to make a reservation first. On we went…saw the sculpture of a man coming out of the wall…and then suddenly it began to rain! Thank goodness we had our umbrellas.

The rain had stopped by the time we reached the restaurant area at the top of the hill. We walked through the artist area and over to Sacre-Coeur for a visit before heading down the other side. We walked along Larmack to the back and found our Metro at the station called Larmack Caulaincourt. We saw some great and different views of Sacre-Coeur from these streets. I particularly wanted to see this station as in the floods earlier this year we saw a photo of water rushing down both sides of this station on the stairs….it looked like a waterfall!

Home by 6 pm we fixed lasagna, salad, bread and wine and then walked to the park for some computer time before they closed the park at 8 pm…we were the last to leave.

It’s been another terrific day in Paris!

French Elections on Sunday…

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

The Metro walls are covered with posters; the television advertisements are as numerous as those in the USA….this Sunday will be their primary and then they have their final election in May. I really don’t think anyone is very happy with the choices!

This morning started early as I woke before 6 am and worked on my computer until Jim was up. After breakfast he went to the weekly market where he found the best price for an inexpensive umbrella…but at least he has one that is not broken. It got lots of use again today as the rain continued on and off all day and has really been coming down heavy tonight.

We left by Metro about 11 am and headed to the 8^th arrondissement to see the Russian Orthodox Cathedral that was featured in the “Midnight in Paris” movie; and the beautiful golden domes on the roof. We were fortunate enough to find it open and were allowed to walk inside for a quiet visit before heading back to the Metro.

We exited the Metro at the Champs Elysees Clemenceau and dodged the raindrops as we crossed the broad boulevards heading towards the Grand and Petit Palais. I thought that the current exposition of photography work was being held in the grand halls of the Grand Palais; but no, it was in an adjacent hall and the large grand hall was empty and not available for us to enjoy. Took some photos through the doors and then walked across the street to tour the Petit Palais’ permanent collection.

I think nearly every famous artist has at least one piece of work displayed in this grand building that is free to walk through for everyone. We so enjoyed finding the little treasures tucked into the various halls of this beautiful building that was built in 1900 for the Universal Exhibition. Designed by Charles Girault, it blends traditional and modern architecture.

My favorite painting was by Monet and generated the comment that named a period of art…Impressionism….a well known critic at the time sarcastically said that “it is a mere impression of the sun rising over a harbor”; hence the famous term “Impressionism” was born.

We left about 2 pm and began walking down the Tuleries towards the Louvre; the wind was worst that the rain so we walked with closed umbrellas. I snapped a photo of the Grand Arche of Defense behind the Arc de Triomphe as we crossed the broad Avenue des Champs Elysees.

We noticed that the Ferris wheel and carnival are not in the park…they must take them down for the winter.

When we reached the Louvre we walked crossed over to the Rue de Rivoli and joined the mass of people dodging the wind and rain by walking under the covered walk ways until they finally ended and we moved over into the Les Halles area; the former major wholesale market in Paris, mainly for produce and meat.

Suddenly we saw a huge construction site and behind it a massive cathedral with flying buttresses. Checking the map we realized that it was Saint-Eustache…another site on my list of things to see. It was right next door to the Les Halles market. Built from 1532 to 1640 it is one of the largest Cathedrals I’ve seen; much wider than but not as long as Notre Dame. When the Les Halles Market was moved in 1969, the life of the neighborhood changed; the church has been very involved in the building of a cultural center on the market site. Construction has just begun and will last until the end of 2013. Underground the four story Les Halles shopping mall is huge and right next door to the church. We walked through it towards our next site.

At 20 rue Etienne Marcel there is a medieval tower called “/Tour Jean-Sans-Peru”. It was designated a protected building for historical purposes 155 years ago and was only opened to the public in 1999. It was a history lesson from start to finish as we read the history on each floor as we climbed the five flights of stairs to the top of the tower that was built next to one of the remaining towers of the Philippe Auguste city wall built in 1190. It’s only open for tours a few afternoons a week…this was our second trip…but well worth the time when you’re next in Paris.

By this time it was 4:30 pm and we were ready to ride the metro home to the apartment. We do love the Metro…we can be home rapidly from anywhere in the city for 1.70 euros each. Can you imagine what a taxi ride would cost!

We had dinner in the apartment and then tried the Internet at McDonalds without success…so we’re back at the apartment on our own time. I’m also trying to find an Internet Café to print a document…..they used to be on every corner…so far I’m not having much luck!

One note of interest you might enjoy is the fact that many adults here ride “razor” scooters around the city and even in the Metro halls. And I’m not just talking just about teenagers…there are adults up to fifty years of age riding them. Sometimes the whole family will be out together, each on their own scooter.

A bientot….

Musee Day….it’s raining….

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Jim fixed us breakfast this morning and I got on the telephone to confirm our reservations for next Tuesday to pick up a car at Charles de Gaule Airport. Yes…it will be waiting for us. We just need to call them when Terry & Linda arrive from the USA and we’ll soon be on our way to the south of France…hard to believe it’s the beginning of our last week in Paris…but we’re excited about starting the second part of our trip with friends.

The weatherman told us it’s going to be 90% rain today; and he was so right. But we prepared well…put our laptops inside of plastic bags…tucked them inside of our backpacks and put a small lock on the zippers. Umbrellas went into an outside pocket and we were out the door by 11 am. Caught the metro to the 3^rd arrondissement and started our day. This is the first day that we have carried our laptops with us all day…planning to use them at some point in the day.

We had a list of sites to find; a store called Merci…found it but the large letters on the walls had been replaced…it was very modern. We enjoyed looking into each of the store windows along the street and found some interesting displays. One had a six foot silver fork in the window! Another was a whimsical display of Alice In Wonderland’s dinner party.

Soon it started to rain so we took the umbrellas out and continued on our way. Jim definitely needs to purchase a new one at the street market tomorrow. He has two broken spokes! We saw an interesting gate with a French horn over the doorway…entering we found that we had accidently located the first of our parks on the list…this one was called Jardin Saint-Gilles-Grand-Veneur; a beautiful quiet spot to read in on a nice day. From there we finally found our bearings and soon located another parc by the name of Square Georges-Cain. This one had fragments from the Tuileries Palace that was destroyed during the Revolution. Across the street was the Swedish Cultural Center. We didn’t know at the time but the Square also backs up to a wall of the Musee Carnavalet.

Walking along the major streets during the day we passed multiple restaurants with people eating outside…the cold and rain did not affect them as there are heaters outside 90% of the restaurants. They are spaced every couple of tables for those who want to eat outside; actually the favorite spot for people watching.

We first headed for the Musee Cognacq-Jay on rue Elzevir; another private home turned into a Musee to display their private collection and home. This one also had a special exhibit of beautiful snuff boxes from the Rothschield collections. Jim was thrilled when they charged us the reduced tarrif…reserved for EU senior citizens; it’s rare that this happens.

It was pouring rain drops when we left about 2 pm and headed for the Musee Carnavalet; a museum that houses the history of Paris! We enjoyed over two hours in this marvelous…and free….history lesson.

We walked from there to the Place des Vosges for a stroll through the Victor Hugo Maison. When we finished we noticed a shelf along a wall near the coat room and a girl on her IPhone…yes…wifi was available there! I thought it was as I’d seen a symbol on the building as well as the park on the Internet this morning when I was researching hotspots for Paris’ public wifi in the 3^rd & 4^th arrondissements. The rain had so far prevented us from sitting in a park to use our computers. We pulled out our laptops, powered up and spent half an hour standing there on our computers. It was 5 pm when we put them into our backpacks and headed back outside.

We walked over to the restaurant where we had made reservations for dinner at 7:30 pm to check it out as it looked very closed earlier in the day. This time we found someone and they said they’d be open for dinner at 7:30 but he could not tell us anything about our reservations??? This was on Jim’s bargain card of two for one with a company called Restopolitan. Before leaving home he’d found it on the Internet and ordered a card. For $20.00 we could have a free meal for each meal we purchased. We have thirty days to use the card as often as we want and there are restaurants all over France involved in the program. We go online to make the reservations. You can select the type of restaurant food and price range; we’ve used the under thirty euros and have now had two delightful dinners for about 40 Euros each including the wine.

Still raining and I was getting kinda cranky…so Jim sprung for Starbucks. It was absolutely packed and we managed to get two seats in the basement. Jim purchased a chocolate and a coffee for us and we again powered up the laptops. Could not get them to connect so worked on photos instead and just before we left I tried again and did manage to get online then. Starbucks, like McDonalds is free in Europe. By this time Jim’s computer was dead and it was time to go back to the restaurant. So nice…the rain had finally stopped.

Our restaurant was called Les Elles on rue Ferdinand Duval, a tiny street off of rue de Rivoli in the Marais. It definitely had a Vietnam look from the décor and only had twenty four seats. We also knew that it was new to the program. Arrived at 7:15 pm and a lovely lady invited us in…the chef in the kitchen said not a problem…”no charge for being early”! She definitely seemed to be in charge of the restaurant. Others began to arrive and soon the restaurant was buzzing with activity! Jim had canard and I had crab…both were delicious! The chef stopped several times as she walked outside regularly for her cigarette break; always stopping at various tables to check on her guests.

We’d chosen to have the plat and dessert instead of the entre and plat that we’d had at the first restaurant last week. So, we each enjoyed a “sweet nothing” presented with flair at the end of our meal. When we asked for the check…it was for the full amount. When questioned, the chef/owner came out and apologized saying that it was the waitress’ first night and she didn’t know about the program we were using. As we prepared to leave the owner again came over and gave us each a hug and French kiss on each cheek, making sure we were pleased with our dining experience in her restaurant. Jim asked if she was French, and she chuckled as she said “yes…good morning Vietnam!” What a delightful experience. I’ve read that in France you are not the customer…you are their guest and should expect to be treated as one.

Both of our dining experiences have been wonderful and the owners took time to introduce themselves to us. If we didn’t have the apartment we’d probably use our card more but it’s so nice to also purchase our groceries and eat at home most evenings.

We walked in the crisp cool air towards the Pont Marie Metro station; enjoying a view of the jarden of the Hotel Sens…the library that we visited last week in one of the few medieval houses that have survived in Paris. By the time we arrived home it was 10:30 and time to call it a day!

Monday in Paris…

Monday, April 16^th, 2012

Many stores and tourist sites are closed on Monday; we’ve decided to take a day off also! We’re staying in the neighborhood for the day. Slept in until after 9 am; had a leisurely breakfast and then worked on my blog and photos from yesterday while Jim watched television after fixing our breakfast. He has learned to change the antenna and is very pleased with the reception. About 11 am we were ready, computers were charged, and we bundled up for the short walk to the McDonalds to use their free wifi. It wasn’t working yesterday. This morning Jim purchased a coke for himself and a petit coffee for me while I worked at getting online. No luck!

We finished our drinks and Jim suggested we walk to the Parc Violett and try the free wifi that the city of Paris provides. We were there once and had no luck. I stopped at the Orange Store along the way and purchased another 25 euros of time for the USB just in case while Jim continued walking towards the park.

When I arrived his computer was trying to connect and sure enough it was working! I also connected on my computer and we each had two hours of free wifi! It was cold and the children playing nearby bothered Jim a bit (because of the noise as he was trying to concentrate and also see the screen which is not easy in bright sunlight). I began uploading photos and Jim’s video of the Eiffel Tower at night. Everything was very fast and good other than the problem of seeing the screen in the bright sunlight. And, it is very cold…especially when the sun dips behind a cloud.

But we spent a wonderful two hours in the park…or nearly two hours as Jim’s battery depleted after just over an hour. Some French boys, playing ping pong nearby, came to ask us the time; when we asked for English…they asked a second time in perfect English!

Closing up the computers we headed back for the apartment…about a ten minute walk from the park and left our computers charging while we took off on another adventure after grabbing a couple of cookies. We went to the bike racks a couple of blocks away and using my new American Express card that has a chip embedded in it; we attempted to rent a bike from the Velib bicycle program run by the city. This was our second attempt. On Saturday we spent some time watching an American work the machines…he’d been at it an hour when we arrived and was finally successful. We all stood and watched an Italian couple successfully work the machine and then the American did his card and it worked. That gave us additional confidence this afternoon when we tried it again.

Everything seemed to be working but it did not give us a ticket and suddenly the machine said out of service. So off we went with much more confidence to another station and voila, it worked! Suddenly we had a bike and nowhere to go. We practice riding up and down under the metro until we felt confident and then checked the bike back in. Initially, they tell you that if a bike is not returned…your credit card will be charged 150 euros…and the single day pass was 1.70 euros plus any time charges for over half an hour. The first half hour is free. Now to check our credit card to see what they actually do charge us.

Filled with success we headed to the nearby Monoplix for some grocery shopping and then back to the cozy and warm apartment for some relaxing time and an early dinner. We may go walking tonight and I may add to this before sending…not sure. For now I’m going to use my secure USB connection and check the credit cards and bank balances.

Jim fixed us a snack of fresh baguette bread with our very tasty olive pate, some potato chips; we finished Nicolas’s liquor and then opened our new bottle of wine. In about an hour he is going to fix the other half of the pasta that we found in our cupboard when we arrived along with tea, sugar, and a few other things plus they’re left us two bottles of wine. It’s been a fun and relaxing day….and….no rain!

Later…back at the park….added the dinner photos and will send today’s blog.