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Published: October 1st 2018
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View of Pompidou from our living room
You can just see it if you lean out the window - two blocks down. We had another beautiful day in Paris, starting with our breakfast in the apartment, then taking the metro to the Musee d’Orsay. We stood in the security line for a short time, and quickly got into the museum. Immediately I liked the museum, housed in a former railway station. It was far less busy than the Louvre, and it was much easier to find our way around. The art was beautiful, and I found the place had a peaceful feeling about it. It really was lovely. We must have spent at least three hours roaming around, enjoying all the exhibits. It was pretty amazing seeing so many works of art that we’ve seen in books or maybe owned prints of (like Manet, Renoir, Degas etc). I especially liked seeing Degas’ sculpture of the ballet dancer because of a novel we read in book club about the artist and his relationship with the very young ballet dancers of the Paris opera.
After our visit to the Musee d’Orsay we took the metro back to the Marais, and stopped for lunch at a nearby eatery called “Au Coeur du Marais”. I had a vegetable tart (cheesy goodness) and a beer. Susan had
a croque madam (grilled ham and cheese with a fried egg on top) and a beer, and Mom had the quiche du jour and a beer too. It was a very nice lunch and the beer tasted good after a morning touring the museum. We finished with a coffee (I had a “noisette“ which is an espresso with a little hot milk).
I had thought we might go to the Pompidou Centre (museum of modern art) this afternoon, but by the time we finished lunch it was around 2 and we really weren’t up for another museum. So we decided to wander around the neighbourhood, something we wanted to do and hadn’t really done. We checked out numerous shops, and I ended buying two pairs of awesome shoes at this really nice shoe store (Susan got one pair). I also picked up a silk scarf (so did Mom), and I got a necklace at a store a couple of doors down (an angel wing pendant). The shop with cute Japanese cat paraphernalia that I had seen before was closed Sundays so I made a note to come back tomorrow. Mom wanted to buy some marcarons for a gift, so
we walked to the Pierre Hermes shop and each got a box of macarons.
We headed back to the apartment for a short rest before our Seine cruise. We had booked a Seine cruise with a glass of champagne for 6 pm (boarding at 5:30). Back on the metro we went, and found our way to the correct departure location (Pont d’Arsenal on the Saint-Martin canal) near the Bastille. The boat was a lot more basic than we thought it would be, but we still had a fun almost 2 hour ride on the Seine (and a glass of champagne, though it wasn’t nearly as good as the one we had at the Eiffel Tower). We went through the lock from the Saint-Martin canal to the Seine river, and then headed down the Seine. There was an interesting live commentary about the areas and buildings we were passing, and it was a different perspective seeing Paris from the river (particularly of the Musee d’Orsay which we had just visited earlier today). We passed the Eiffel Tower and there was much snapping of photos.
We disembarked about 7:45, and took the metro back to the Marais. We wanted a
Musee d’Orsay painting - Manet
I’m sure you’ve seen this one before - Manet’s “Luncheon on the Grass” glass of wine and a snack, so we stopped into the place right across the street, L’Amuse Guele. We enjoyed a bottle of Viognier (the waiter laughed when Susan asked if it was French - of course all the wine is French!) and a cheese/charcuterie plate with baguette. It was perfect. My cheese intake has increased a massive amount since I’ve been in Paris, but I figure there is no limit on cheese or wine in Paris. And we have been walking a lot (often over 20,000 steps according to my Fitbit).
Today was another fabulous day in Paris! Tomorrow Notre-Dame, Saint-Chapelle, and the Pompidou.
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Tuula
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Enjoying
I’m so enjoying your blog, feels like I’m there travelling with you. So glad you’re having such a good time and happy you’re both feeling better after your tummy issues