Scenes Of Paris

A Visit To The Louvre

Today’s main activity was a lengthy visit to the Louvre. This great museum has the world’s largest collection of objects. (The second largest museum is the British Museum, and the Hermitage is number three.) So of course we could not see everything. After Jim photographed the famed ancient Greek sculpture “The Winged Victory of Samothrace” we headed to the Italian paintings, to see the great Renaissance masterpieces by Fra Angelico, Botticelli, Leonardo, Titian, Veronese and Raphael. The ‘Mona Lisa’ is now protected by a double railing as well as a plastic wall, but it’s still possible to enjoy the most famous lady in art. After the Italian collection we saw the Spanish, Flemish, Dutch and Germans, and the huge trove of French paintings from the Renaissance to 1848. This included enormous canvases by David, Baron Gros, Gericault and Delacroix. Jim took photos of some of his favorite works, included not only the ‘Mona Lisa” but also treasures by Caravaggio, (“The Fortune Teller”), Raphael, (Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione), Delacroix (Liberty Leading the People) and Vermeer (The Lacemaker.) He was also greatly impressed by the buildings of the Louvre itself, much of which used to be a royal palace for many centuries. After the tour we returned to our St-Germain des Pres neighborhood for a brief lunch at the famed literary spot the Café de Flore. Tomorrow, it’s on to Strasbourg in Alsace. –Dan

Scenes Of Paris

CULINARY DELIGHTS near Le CHAMPS de MARS

Many people on Jim’s SBH online (a St.Barth’s website) were kind enough to offer suggestions for places to dine in Paris. Thanks to Lyn Juliano, we had the great pleasure tonight of eating at Le Violon d’Ingres, where the chef is the deservedly well-known Christian Constant. We started by ordering a bottle of 2009 Jean-Luc Colombo’s syrah, called Les Fees Brunes/ Cruzez Hermitage. This wine started out well, but after a half an hour it breathed into perfection. Meantime, we nibbled on amuses bouches of Cavendish and puff pastry. For an appetizer Jim ordered the spider crab jelly with creamy rock crab & a fresh herb infusion; this marvelous dish also contained two different types of caviar. It was a creamy delight and (please judge by the photo) served in a spectacular presentation, complete with the crab’s shell and claws. I enjoyed the poached blue lobster with new season vegetables, a salad prepared in a delicate horseradish dressing. For the main course Jim enjoyed another red color spectacular: fillet of red mullet served with a tomato, mozzarella and basil tarte, which lay atop phyllo pastry. Both the side dish and the fish were light and yet full-textured. My langoustine raviolis were topped by a frothy shellfish bisque and covered a light and soupy tomato concasse, which perfectly complemented the langoustine flavor. Desserts followed. Jim’s Millefeuille Christian Constant was a delicate version of a Napoleon, while my Grand Marnier soufflé with its caramel sauce came out piping hot from the kitchen. Complementary madeleines (immortalized by Proust in his monumental A la Recherchez du Temps Perdus) caramel candies finished off an amazing meal. -Dan

Further Adventures In Paris

This morning we took the subway to the Marais section of the city. The word meant ‘swamp,’ but from the Middle Ages it developed into a residential area. The high point of the district was in the 17th century when the Place des Vosges was constructed under the instigation of King Henri IV. (see first two photos above) Our first stop was the Musee Carnavalet, (the bottom four photos above) a fascinating and sprawling museum devoted to the history of the city of Paris, housed in joint mansions. One of the mansions goes back to the 16th century, and the beautiful gardens, in the French style, included manicured hedges and flowers. Treasures inside the museum include models of city transport and countless rooms from the 18th century, including those of Madame de Sevigne, who once lived in one of the mansions. After we left the Carnavalet, we walked to the Place des Vosges. This beautifully laid out square, surrounded by 17th century houses, is one of the highlights of Parisian architecture and its side streets are full of cafes, galleries and fine shops. Around noon we went to the Beaubourg, first stopping to have another typical three course lunch at Gai Moulin. Then we visited the vast Pompidou Centre, home of a modern art collection, huge libraries and a cinema center. I enjoyed seeing some modern artists like Kupka, Sonia Delaunay and Victor Brauner, who are seldom seen outside Europe. There are also fine works in the museum by Kandinsky, Picasso, Matisse, Chagall and many others. Hundreds of young people occupy the libraries of the Pompidou, where we saw an exhibit devoted to Art Spiegelman, one of the creators of the ‘grapic novel.’ After the museum, we rested in our hotel for a bit before setting out for the Eiffel Tower, to see more spectacular views of the City of Lights. –Dan

A Day At Two Museums In Paris

Musee D'Orsay

Left: Marmottan Museum... The first museum we toured today was the wonderful Musee d’Orsay, greatly expanded since our last visit. On the first floor the art nouveau artists included Toulouse-Lautrec, with some famed paintings of the denizens of the demi-monde, as well as large canvases (unfinished) which still showed the brilliant caricature style and organic line of this notable non-conformist. One of these works was a reconstructed work that had in later times been chopped up into three paintings, to sell for more. There was also an incredible Tiffany window based on a painting of Toulouse-Lautrec. Moving around the floor we saw a best collection of Courbet anywhere, including his monumental canvases “The Burial of Ornans” and the “Artist’s Studio.” Both showed realistic figures of Courbet’s time in ordinary settings; as the politically and artistically revolutionary Courbet stated, “Show me an angel and I’ll paint one.” His paintings ushered in the other realists, such as Manet. We also saw a wonderful collection of sculpture and paintings by Gauguin and such top-notch Van Goghs as the portrait of Doctor Gachet, the church at Arles and several late period landscapes. Van Gogh’s energy is overwhelming, and it’s to see how his art sapped his life. We took a break for a marvelous luncheon in Le Restaurant, which is set in a beautiful room with ceiling paintings, crystal chandeliers, and a magnificent view of some Paris roof tops. The food and wine are first rate. Jim had a colorful plate of penned de cecco, garnished with chorizo, cheese, etc and my fish featured a squid sauce that was a wonderful complement to the tasty, firm flesh of the poisson. We washed down these plates with a superb Cotes du Rhone rouge. Jim ‘s dessert was a gateau au chocolat, but my lemon cake was even better. After lunch we continued up to the very top of le Musee d’Orsay where we saw their trove of Impressionist masterpieces. Notable works filled the galleries, by artists like Monet, Renoir, Cezanne, Sisley, Manet and others, including the little known by first rate talent Caillebotte. (See his painting of workers scrapping a floor down, on this blog.) Manet’s “Luncheon on the Grass “ (Dejeuner sur l’herbe) still packs a punch, and in the Neo-Impresionist galleries one should not overlook Seurat’s “Circus.” We left the d’Orsay to take a train west past the Eiffel Tower to see the Musee Marmottan. It’s located off the beaten track and took us a while to locate. The mansion of the art historian Marmottan became a museum for Napoleonic-era works and also some gems by the Impressionists, particularly Monet. Most famed is “Impression, Sunrise” which gave the group of artists their (then derogatory) name. There are also some late Monets of his lily gardens at Giverny. Though not as important as the works at the Musee d’Orsay, it was interesting to visit this collection for the first time. –Dan

A Great Little Left Bank Restaurant

The street corners on the main thorughfares in Paris are filled with nice and expensive bistros, wine bars, brasseries and cafes. But for dinner on our first day we wanted to find a small cozy authentic French restaurant off the beaten track a little, not so expensive, but where the food is excellent. A little research on line and Jim came up with Au Pied Du Fouet on the Rue Saint Benoit in Saint Germain Des Pres, the neighborhood where we are staying. We hit the culinary jackpot. We started with a lovely light potato and carrot soup. Then for entrees we enjoyed an avocado and smoked salmon salad and a cucumber and baby prawns salad. For main courses Dan had a sweet, tender and moist Turbot in a delicious reduction sauce and Jim had tasty sauteed chicken livers both served with scrumptious home made mashed potatoes. Deserts included a lovely creamy chocolate tarte and a dish of marron (chestnut) creme, a most unusual sauce something like apple sauce only made our of chestnuts. We ordered the featured wine, a tasty Burgundy, and the meal was accompanied by an continual supply of freah, hot French bread. What a meal! ...And the tab? Only 60 Euros for everything, about as much as we paid for a light lunch earlier in the day. We can't wait to do some additional exploring of some of the many small bistros on the side streets of Paris.

Historic Notre Dame Cathedral

The most famous Gothic cathedral in the world...Notre Dame. Visiting once again is like visiting an old friend. When you enter the smell of incense hits you, then you are awed by the magnificent Gothic interior of one of the largest cathedrals in the world, and perhaps the most historic. Vespers were in progress today durig our visit, so we got to hear some lovely organ music and singing while we visited.

A Wonderful First Day In Paris

After arriving at our hotel located on the Lefy Bank, we took a short nap, then we headed off via the Paris subway to the "Cite" stop on the island in the Seine where Notre Dame cathedral is located. Out first stop was the marvelous Sainte Chapelle church, a "jewel of 13th century architecture with one of the most complete collections of radiating Gothic stained glass window art." Dan and I first visited this great monument together 28 years ago in 1984. It has lost none of its spendor.