We began our day by transferring from one metro line to another to get across the Seine to the Invalides stop a few blocks from the Rodin museum. The Beaux Arts building, formally the Hôtel Biron, was purchased by Rodin at the turn of the century. He turned the ground floor into studios and later donated it…
Larger than Life
Post by Ella Rodin’s realistic and giant depictions of the human body never cease to confound. The sense of tension in nearly every piece rarely fail to evoke emotion. Horror in the case of the Burghers of Calais when you know these six sacrificed themselves to King Edward III for the “greater good”. Passion when gazing…
Discord in the Cemetery
Today, we visited the ever popular cimetière du Père-Lachaise. Grubb was aiming to find the final resting places of several notable historical figures such as Marcel Proust, Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison. The cemetery is huge, divided into…well…divisions. Numbered. One to somewhere in the 90’s. No, it’s not a grid. It’s like a kids drawing…
Loose on the Left Bank
The only ticketed item we had in store for us this Saturday (9:30 AM) was the Cluny Medieval Museum on the Left Bank. (The Left Bank named for the side of the Seine you’re on in the direction the river is flowing.) And, mirabile dictu, we were on time! It was too early for the crowds to start showing…
Unicorns and Sundials
Ahhhhh. That’s a big sigh of relief. No Louvre, no Versaille. We started the day at the Musėe de Cluny, specializing in medieval art. Not big on the “must sees” for most folk. Except Grubb. Plenty of room and quiet to enjoy the art. No one wanted a selfie in front of a carved wooden altar…
Snails, salmon, duck
Dinner tonight somewhere off Saint Germain, not far from Notre Dame which is where we were when we got hungry. Shared starter: Escargot (snails) in a buttery pesto sauce. A first for Ella. Quite pleasant. On the right side of the plate you can see a clamp-like device that lets you hold the shell while you dig…
La Gloire
Friday we took the train to Versailles. We joined the passengers getting out at the final stop to take the short walk up a tree-lined street that led to the parking lot outside the palace. Gold-tipped gates were the first clue that we were approaching the Sun King’s domain. Inside the gates, the palatial spread of…
Quest for the dodo
The dodo? At 103, mom decided learning to play the piano would be a nice challenge to add into her life. My brother, Mike, found a guy on Facebook marketplace and took her to look at a small selection of pianos. The next day, said piano was delivered. I dug into my old piano bench…
You asked…AI answered
Why so crowded in off season? Is there even an off season anymore? From Google’s Search Labs | AI Overview. “Major tourist areas are increasingly crowded during the “off-season” due to a combination of factors including the rise of remote work, increased accessibility through low-cost airlines, the impact of social media promoting popular destinations, and…
Local French dining
Tonight we headed for French cuisine right down the street at Le Robinet d’Or Restaurant & Bar Canal Saint Martin. I had roasted Camembert with honey to start and creamy risotto with scallops for my main. Delicious. Grubb had cassoulet of scallops in cream to start and flambéed kidneys with roasted potatoes as his main. Served…
Ella’s best of Versailles
Why is it that seeing things in a swarm of jostling, packed-in crowds is so enervating? Versailles was no less crowded than the Louvre and far different from the last time I visited. As I scanned the crowds, it was clear very few people seemed to be stopping to enjoy the many palatial rooms. As we…
Tromping the Champs
After following countless Sortie signs leading us down endless corridors lined with casino-style shopping outlets, we escaped the monumental confines of the Louvre and had a café brunch of eggs Florentine before heading into the Tuileries park… …along with a stream of people half of whom, in my opinion, should have been in school. Green metal…
LOONY LOUVRE
It was a quick metro ride from where we’re staying to the Louvre. It was easy finding the entrance to the museum—just follow the swarming humanity. The Louvre is laid out like a large limestone palace enclosing a large courtyard. I expected touring this monstrosity to be taxing when it came to attention span because there’s too much…
Stravinsky for the win
Jam packed day along with jam packed streets. We began the day at the Musée du Louvre (Grubb will post about that, um, “experience”), twiddled through the Jardin des Tuileries, strolled the Champs-Élysées, eyed the Arc de Triomphe, hopped a metro to the National Georges Pompidou Centre of Art and Culture (being a spur of the moment choice,…
Thieb, a Senegalese treat
Yesterday, after our smooth arrival, we walked the streets for a few hours, perusing menus at various cafes until our eyes crossed and vision blurred. When we were at the end of our energy rope, we dottered inside a Senegalese eatery collapsing on a couple of metal folding chairs. Our friendly waiter explained the options. Thieb…