Yesterday we went about taking in two major museums. Yes, it was crazy and yes, we did it anyways. Plus, we had an extra added bonus of a photography show which I will get to later.
But, more importantly I'd like to report on my month-long quest to find the best viennoise au chocolate in the city. I discovered these for the first time on this trip. Who cares about pain au chocolate when you can get a viennoise! It is basically a brioche dough studded with chocolate chips and shaped like a tiny baguette which makes it perfect for dipping in coffee/tea. After many entries, the winner is from Huro bakery right up the street from the apartment. While it's not my "regular" bakery, I will go there for this treat now that I know it's the best. A slight detail though....the winner is actually made from baguette dough and NOT brioche dough so it's not technically a viennoise but it's the same shape and has chocolate so I included it in my competition. Plus, it's not buttery like the traditional version which makes it "light". How's that for rationalization??? It was chewy, crunchy and soft all at the same time loaded with tiny bits of bitter dark chocolate. This ranks #2 on the best things to eat in Paris after the falafel of course. OK, we can now move onto other adventures.
Our first stop of the day was at a Paris based jewelry shop that we both love. We have purchased pieces back home and looked forward to seeing the shop here. It's located just next door to St. Eustache church with my favorite outdoor giant head and hand sculpture. Larisa bought not one, not two, but three lovely rings (one is a gift so don't get too worried) and then we were on our way to museum land.
We walked to the Musee D'Orsay which seemed like a really good idea at the time. We later learned that was probably not the best decision because let's be honest, we only have so many steps we can take in a day and we should have saved them for INSIDE the museum. More on that later too.
The Musee D'Orsay is housed in a gorgeous old renovated train station. It used to run trains from Paris to Orleans which is why there are the letters "PO" all around the top of the building. I learned this because I was actually listening to the tour guide on the boat trip the other day.... I generally find the museum buildings more interesting than the art that is housed in them so I spend a lot of time looking at the layout, exhibition design etc. This place is a beauty and very comfortable for visitors. We were very lucky because it wasn't very crowded and could maneuver easily. The Spectacular Art of Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904) was the special exhibition and I admit, I have never heard of this guy before the visit. He was a contemporary of the Impressionists however he was much more of traditional realist painter and was therefore shunned by the then-new-wave impressionist artists. Gerome's work is extraordinarily beautiful, especially his portraits. He later moved into sculpture and mastered that as well. We walked through all the exhibit rooms and enjoyed our time.
We then headed out to find a lunch spot (although it was already 4:00) and take a rest before we tackled the Louvre which stays open late on Wednesday nights and offers a discount entry fee. We walked away from the museum to avoid the touristy spots and found a nice little cafe right along the river. It was warm and cozy - just perfect for a cold day. We were seated next to a table of 3 folks speaking English. Remember how we all sit very close to one another here? Well, it enables great eavesdropping which of course we did. One of the gents was about 80 years old and French and spoke perfect English. The other man was Japanese and maybe in his 70s - also spoke perfect English. The third person was a British woman in her 60s and very well put together. After listening in for a bit we figured out that the French man was a collector, the Japanese man was a photographer and the British woman was the photographer's agent/manager. Their conversation was fascinating as they were discussing artists they knew from the 60s and 70s who have since died. Another very distinguished looking woman came up to the table and knew the art collector but seemed very interested in meeting the photographer. Hmmmm....he must be important. As they were finishing up their conversation we heard them say they had to get back because people were expecting him at 5 for a book signing. Larisa was good enough to ask the British woman (BW) as they were leaving if the gentleman had an exhibition in town and sure enough, he had a show at a gallery just across the street from the cafe. BW said, "You should come by and see it" and of course we did. Keep in mind at this point we had no idea who this guy was, just some random Japanese guy in a cafe so far.... The gallery was tiny and very crowded by the time we got there. It turned out to be an exhibit of Eikoh Hosoe's work. Still didn't know who he was but his photos are gorgeous. Sensual black and white photos; staged dramatic scenes and one very famous portrait of Mishima that was taken just before he committed suicide. It turns out that this photographer is very well known around the world and has a huge following. While we couldn't afford any of the photos but we were able to each purchase a poster and had them signed. What a lovely serendipitous treat it was running into these folks at the cafe!
We then headed off to the Louvre for more artistic adventures. By this time we both started complaining (lightly) of our tired feet. However, we carried on like champs. As you know, the Louvre is HUGE and is impossible to see in one visit so we figured out which areas we wanted to see. For me, it was the Northern painters as I had seen the Italians before including the Mona Lisa. There is room after room after room of gorgeous huge paintings - mostly Christian in nature along with a few portraits. We wandered into a temporary exhibit which paired "old master" portraits with more modern and contemporary pieces by artists such as Picasso and Nan Goldin. I admit this was my favorite along with seeing "The Death of Marat" for the first time. Absolutely stunning.
Well, by now the two of us could barely walk any further and spent more and more time taking advantage of the seats in the galleries. We decided it was time to go home and rest like a couple of old ladies. We even splurged for a cab and nixed the train due to all of the walking up and down stairs that would entail - sheesh!
We had a late night dinner of cheese and leftovers and stayed in for a rousing game of "words with friends" on our iPhones. Yes, Paris is an amazing place but with only so many steps one can take in a day, you have to pace yourself. Only 2 more days left of adventures in Paris and then we head home to our sweeties. I am getting sad thinking about leaving this beautiful city but happy that I now have another place that feels like home.
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