30 Dec - decided to sleep in a bit since the Marmottan doesn%26#39;t open until 10am. Big mistake, the breakfast room was packed. With pushy people. RUDE pushy people. I%26#39;m not sure why but the pushy factor is getting to me this time. Call me naive or whatever but I wish people would at least make the pretense of being polite and stepping aside or saying %26quot;pardon.%26quot;
On the walk from the metro, it%26#39;s actually cold. All week I%26#39;d been chuckling at locals all bundled up when I was warm enough to walk around with my coat hanging open and my scarf tied to my bag. The museum itself surprised me with how small it was. And the paintings themselves made me a bit sad - they were all from the later years of his life when his eyesight was going or after he had surgery. I%26#39;m sure it sounds like a contradiction in terms but there was less.... definition? detail? Instead of a million little strokes there were large swaths of paint, and more white space. In all honesty, I didn%26#39;t really %26quot;get%26quot; the fuss about Monet%26#39;s water lilies until I went to Giverny last year. You could have heard the click in my head a mile away as it all came together and made sense. Upstairs they had the Camile Claudel exhibit which was also very good. I had just watched the film and have to say that Isabelle Adjani is just too beautiful for words. I don%26#39;t know what her source material was but as I looked at the sculptures I couldn%26#39;t help but remember how passionately she portrayed Claudel.
I head back out into what is now a pretty nasty snow storm and stop at one of the first restos, La Parc de la Muette, for coffee and hot soup because I%26#39;m chilled to the bone. Probably sounds gushy but it was the best onion soup I have ever had. Usually when you order %26quot;french onion soup%26quot; in my part of the world you get a bowl of beef flavoured liquid salt with wilted onions in it. This was a bowl of the richest broth with just barely crisp onions topped with croutons and cheese. I%26#39;m sure the croutons were cheating but it actually made it much easier to eat without trying to spoon-cut a baguette slice. Then for some reason I ordered a huge steak. I must have needed the iron and protien after 3 days of running around.
Musee Rodin was nice as well. Interesting to me because I%26#39;ve always prefered a more classical %26quot;greek statue%26quot; type of sculpture; my absolute favorite is Cupid %26amp; Psyche by Canova. So to see a more powerful style close up was quite the difference. The weather was terrible so I didn%26#39;t get to stroll the gardens, another %26quot;next time%26quot; for the list.
And so begins my elusive quest for the Musee de la Publicité. Perhaps I was just tired or being oblivious but I could not for the life of me find this place. I asked in 3 different stores and never got more than a general nod %26quot;a la gauche.%26quot; However, I did stop in the lobby of the Hotel Regina. By God if I ever take a %26quot;first class all the way%26quot; vacation I just may stay there. It%26#39;s in a ridiculously busy area but the lobby was so gorgeous and the Concierge was as polite and gracious as one could ever ask for. They had a doorman who%26#39;s only job was to push the revolving door so that Madame would not have to exert herself. Ironically, two other tourists (from Norway I think) ask me how to get to the Galleries Lafayette. Must be that approachable thing agian. Just as I%26#39;m giving up and heading back to the metro I see the %26quot;107 Rivoli%26quot; banner. But I%26#39;m too late, it%26#39;s 5:30 and too late to enter. Of course I am invited to browse the gift shop. I think perhaps I should get to the hotel and get to bed early for a change. I%26#39;m not the least bit hungry for supper, a crepe and coffee would be enough. I make my way back down rue Rivoli and buy the expected souvenirs for people at home then stop for my first (and only it turns out) nutella and banana crepe of the vacation and a steamed milk. Oh heaven divine.
And then I lose my mind again. It%26#39;s Friday night so the Louvre is open late and I decide to go in. After all, I%26#39;m this close to Canova, I might as well. I spend a couple hours wandering thru, looking at art I%26#39;ve seen before but this time I got the audio guide. It always seemed rude to be listening to the little recordings when I was with someone else. Finally, my subconscious sends a message to the top of my brain reminding me that I had told myself the only reason I would go to the Louvre this visit would be to see the Napoleon apartments that I had missed previously. I pause in the great sculpture hall (not of the proper name, it%26#39;s in the Richeleau wing with all the very large sculptures) when it happens again - cheesey swarthy guy #2 starts chatting me up. Unreal. Apparently there is a large contingent of swarthy men in Paris with a fetish for pudgy American tourist women traveling alone. I sit there wondering how he can not see that I%26#39;m being polite and am not at all interested in coversation when I finally get the chance to drag out the fake boyfriend (any of you girls care to suggest names for him?) and send swarthy guy on his way. The Napoleon apartments were gorgeous in that overly-elegant suptuous way and I can%26#39;t help but think, with all the money the kings and emperors spent, no wonder there have been so many revolutions.
I take a taxi home, tired and wary of swarth, but excited for New Year%26#39;s Eve and my dinner at La Coupe Chou. Finally I get to see what all the fuss and/or hype is about.
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Great report Grace! If you are into classical sculpture check out Bernini%26#39;s Daphe and Apollo at the Borghese next time you are in Rome. I swear, you can almost see her roots growing!
As for a name, I am rather partial to Fred, but if you want to be like a Parisian, a scolding look with puckered lips and a definite frown usually does the trick!
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%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;And the paintings themselves made me a bit sad - they were all from the later years of his life when his eyesight was going or after he had surgery. I%26#39;m sure it sounds like a contradiction in terms but there was less.... definition? detail?%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;
Whenever I see Monet%26#39;s work from his later years, when his eyesight was failing him, I tend to think of Dylan Thomas%26#39; %26#39;..Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night..%26#39;......%26quot;..rage, rage against the dying of the light..%26quot;.
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Bonjour Grace,
Thank you for writing such detailled reports, they do bring us to Paris with you, and I guess that they help you with the Post-Paris Depression. Looking forward to read the rest of Grace adventures in Paris.
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oh Phread! I LOVED the Villa Borghese. We ended up there by accident when we, oblivious non-catholics, tried to go to the Vatican on Epiphany. I was in HEAVEN! I definitely need to get back to Italy.
And Fred is a lovely name... :)
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Oh JUst Grace, you know I laughed( in a nice way) at your man troubles. You see the trouble is that you tried to be polite. My friend went to Paris and complained to me about the men always hitting on her, and as she is not a %26quot; sweet young thing of 99 lbs %26quot; I was somewhat surprised. Then I remembered her saying that all she had to do was smile at someone and they would approach her. NO NO , do not make eye contact. And do not smile at single men. And never start conversations with strangers!( well single men anyways)
I went to Paris this summer, and I encountered no oppressive swarthy men, LOL, of course I wear my %26quot; out in public face%26quot; which is no eye contact and a %26quot; severe %26quot; look if eye contact occurs by accident. Worked like a charm.
It goes against my friendly nature, but it worked!
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P,S. I love your trip reports!!!
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I%26#39;m also enjoying your trip reports.
As for the boyfriend names, I think you should choose something tough-sounding. Spike? Dracula?
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Joan - I thought I had a good game face but I guess not. I just can%26#39;t scowl at someone asking me a direct and (seemingly) innocent question. Maybe I%26#39;ll practice on people at work and see how it goes. :P
and thanks everyone for letting me know you enjoy this little series. I was afraid I was babbling on too much.
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Hi Grace....Really enjoy
your reports...will you take
us all with you wherever you
go? The details are great
and sometimes you make me
(at least) feel like I%26#39;m
there. Do you write for any
publications? You should!
We don%26#39;t do First-Class trips but because we were
with granddaughters (8 and
5) and their parents we
decided to forego the Left
Bank and cross the River.
We all stayed at The Regina
and believe me it wasn%26#39;t as
expensive as you might think.We were treated as
though we had all the money
in the world and I%26#39;d go back
in a flash! Wonder if the phrase %26quot;Allez-vous en!%26quot; still works when Le Swarthy
becomes too menacing. Keep
up the great posting...maybe
you%26#39;d like to do your Italian trip, too...just to
refresh your memory and give
us all a treat. Thanks!
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Grace...don%26#39;t know why it%26#39;s
printed this way. I would
call your boyfriend Richard
although Fred is good.
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