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…