Thursday, July 5th 2018
Paris, France
Around 10am CES we are finally getting out of bed for our first full day in France. I am slightly groggy, but my melatonin is really helping. We start our day by picking a random sidewalk cafe. The menu is all pastries, so we opt for something called cafe creme, which is basically coffee with steamed milk. We are in the Saint-Germain-Des-Pres neighborhood. The streets are narrow and several locals pedal by on their bicycles carrying things like flowers and bread. This is scene straight out of a movie. We are so charmed that we order another round of coffees.
Around 12noon we finally get our day started at the Musee d’Orsay. Walking through the entryway is a truly stunning experience. The museum is housed in an old, gutted train station. Most of the space is open and flooded with natural light. The main hall is predominantly old, marble statues. There is lots of open space and the opulence of the statues plays well with the utilitarian frame and concrete floors of the old train station.
The museum is 2 stories and has galleries running along either side of the main hall on both floors. There is also a huge metal clock, near the front, which used to be part of the original structure. We spend a little over 2 hours browsing most of the rooms. We are so overwhelmed with important art that we can’t fully react to most of it. This is what wine aficionados must feel in Napa.
I notice there is an overrepresentation of dogs in French art. I mention this to Sarah and she says that dogs are important. I think that cats are important too, but I keep that thought to myself. Just as we are about leave, Sarah waves me over and points at a painting of a cat. Le Chet Blanc. Wow, that cat looks just like Cal. He even has flat ears. I explain to Sarah this is incredible because Scottish Folds were not recognized as breed until 1961 and even then, they were mostly in Scotland. Well, this made my day. On the way out, I buy a refrigerator magnet to commemorate the moment.
The museum is 2 stories and has galleries running along either side of the main hall on both floors. There is also a huge metal clock, near the front, which used to be part of the original structure. We spend a little over 2 hours browsing most of the rooms. We are so overwhelmed with important art that we can’t fully react to most of it. This is what wine aficionados must feel in Napa.
I notice there is an overrepresentation of dogs in French art. I mention this to Sarah and she says that dogs are important. I think that cats are important too, but I keep that thought to myself. Just as we are about leave, Sarah waves me over and points at a painting of a cat. Le Chet Blanc. Wow, that cat looks just like Cal. He even has flat ears. I explain to Sarah this is incredible because Scottish Folds were not recognized as breed until 1961 and even then, they were mostly in Scotland. Well, this made my day. On the way out, I buy a refrigerator magnet to commemorate the moment.
It’s 3pm now and we are officially hungry. Sarah has researched a few restaurants and suggests one in Hemingway's old neighborhood. I agree and we are quickly seated. The menu is mostly sandwiches, but I find a quiche and an appetizer that seems to be mostly cheese. Sarah orders the lox and almost 30 minutes later, we’re served lunch. I’m pretty happy with my meal. It’s getting to the end of lunch service, but we both insist on coffee afterwards. Our server begrudgingly obliges.
Next we walk over to the Luxembourg Gardens, which is spectacular. There is lots of open space, combined with statues, fountains and perfectly manicured plants. I notice some metal chairs sitting next to the fountains and statues. These chairs are not attached to the ground and in LA they would be stolen immediately. The French are clearly more responsible. I also notice the silence. We can actually hear the wind rustling the small plants near the main fountain.
After contemplating silence and chairs for about half an hour, we walk over to Notre Dame. The building is enormous and covered in detail. We think about going inside, but the line spans the entire courtyard. Sarah mentions the Sainte-Chapelle, where we are met with a much smaller line into a much smaller church. This works. The Sainte-Chapelle is little and totally over the top. The first floor is a mix of small stained glass windows, informational panels, some statues, a shrine and a little gift shop. The second floor is almost completely stained glass with a high vaulted ceiling. The room is crowded, but almost completely silent. This place is so cool.
It’s nearing 7pm and it's time for us to head back to the hotel to change for dinner. We are meeting one of Sarah’s friends by the river for a pre-dinner drink. Jacqueline texts Sarah a place to meet, which ends up being one of the main floating bars on our side of the Seine. I am pretty excited, since I’ve been wanting to drink wine on a boat ever since we got here. Sarah and I arrive early and order a round while we wait. We aggressively try to get a table on the front patio. After about 10 minutes, we are successful. When Jacqueline arrives, she immediately buys us another round. I like her already!
After a drink at the bar we walk around the river for a little bit and eventually end up buying one more round from a walk up window. It’s getting close to dinner time and we all discuss what we want. Jacqueline is eating vegetarian so our original plan of steak and fries is not going to work. Jacqueline explains about a new restaurant on the right bank that is attached to a gallery. It sounds very fancy and comes highly recommended from her husband, who is a sommelier. We are in.
We don't have a reservation, but end up being seated immediately. We start out with wine, cheese and clams. For the main dish, I am completely overwhelmed and end up ordering a chicken burger. It tastes good, but I wish I would have been more creative. For dessert we compromise and end up with berries with cream and flourless chocolate cake. It’s good, but a little too much. After dinner, Sarah and I slowly amble back to our side of the river. We opt for nightcap on the river. We enjoy great conversation and a view of the Ponte Alexendre III (which is a bridge so ornate that I can’t decide if it funny or beautiful).
Around midnight we wander back into our hotel. Again, we agree to late start for tomorrow.
