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Published: July 21st 2008
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With our new relaxed attitude we got an even later start today for our grand finale--The Orsay Museum--home to a wonderful collection of Impressionist masterpieces, and something I'd been anticipating the whole week. It did not disappoint--and what a fantastic building! The museum is actually a former train station, built in 1900, saved from the wrecking ball in the 1970's, and turned into a museum in which to consolidate the scattered Parisian collections of art from about 1850 to 1915. I finally got to see some of my favorite works of art by Manet, Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh, Degas, etc. And best of all, the whole family enjoyed it! Thanks to our downloaded iPod tour, they finally understood the context in which these artist were operating and why their work represents a rebellion and a turning point in the art world.
We could have spent even more time there, but opted to return to the Louvre, since we felt a bit short-changed by our highlights tour there the other day. This time, we also had to be selective, and even then felt rushed. We put in a couple of hours skimming the surface of the 30 Egyptian galleries, and searching
the Northern European galleries for the Rembrandts.
Finally, exhausted, we treated ourselves to a snack break at Angelina's, a "tea house" on the rue de Rivoli, famous since 1903 for its thick hot chocolate (made by melting chocolate bars) and desserts. We sampled both, and revived, headed home. Not far from our apartment, we detoured into the Luxembourg Gardens, another place we passed frequently, had hoped to spend time in, but had not managed to. Just as we entered through the gates, the rain began--the first time in 5 days--a fitting end to our adventures!
After we packed, we headed for dinner at La Coupole, a Parisian landmark on Montparnasse Blvd, once known for its Bohemian patrons who painted scenes on the pillars to pay for their meals. Now the large, lively restaurant is half filled with well-dressed Parisians, half with casual tourists. Tuxedoed waiters prepare Grand Marnier crepes flambe at a center island and carry huge platters of fresh shellfish on mountains of ice to the lucky ones. Our meal was a bit more staid, but some food risks were taken in the appetizer department: Drew had goat cheese, Chris tried a smoked duck salad, and everyone
Dance at the Moulin de la Galette by Renoir
Considered to embody all the aspects of Impressionist art had a bite of my escargot. We did indulge in the crepes, though, to finish off our Paris culinary experiences.
Henry, Annie and Julia surprised us by showing up at the restaurant to "kidnap" the boys for a final night on the town. Just after they arrived, a man across the room, stood up from his table, raised his glass and shouted, "Silence, silence! I want to propose a toast to the next president of the United States, Barak Obama!" This was met with quite a bit of applause, after which we were speculating whether the toaster was French or American. Dave decided to go over and ask him. He turned out to be from Chicago and was a friend of Obama. He also introduced Dave to another member of his party, whom he said was a well-known composer. Dave thought he said "Phillip Roth", but since Roth is an author (and much older), I wondered if it was Phillip Glass. Alas, when we googled Glass, he did not match the description, so that remains a mystery...
The boys and friends left--rumor has it they taught Chris and Drew the salsa dance moves they had learned at a
class earlier in the evening--and Dave and I moseyed on home. Tomorrow we rise at the crack of dawn to spend a very long day of cramped planes and frantic connections--wish us luck! I'll sum up this whole adventure with a final blog from home after we recover.
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