Colorful Weekend 8-29 & 8-30-15

Yesterday, Saturday, It was hot so we had a fairly quiet day although we did go down to brocante in the neighborhood.  We managed to stay in the shade for a large part of the market so it was not too bad wandering through and looking at things.   So nothing too much to report.  Although speaking of color, on Friday during our trip to Ecouen I spotted what I thought was a parrot flying along the train line.   It was a Rose-ringed Parakeet, they are bright green with a red-ring around their necks but then I thought, "Naw just looked green".   Yesterday morning I was on the terrace in the early morning and darned if a pair of bright green birds didn't fly right along the street out of the park.  These are the same type of birds we saw when we were in Madrid, fascinating at least to me.

Today however is a complete change, there was an Indian festival over on the streets to the north of Gare du Nord near an area known as the Goutte D'Or in the 18th arr.  So we took the bus over to within a few blocks of where it was to take place, then walked to the parade route and found a place where we would have a shady place to watch.  It was the Ganesh festival and Deb had been keeping it in mind since before we left Denver so what fun to be able to go over and see it.

We got there probably 45 minutes before they actually started the procession so we wandered down to where they would start.

It was very crowded and quite loud with Indian music and a man on a loudspeaker talking even louder so I didn't spend too much time but just looked at all the women in their beautiful and rainbow colored saris.
Deb had waited back a little further so I went back to her and we then found a place where we could watch that had shade and not too many people.
It worked out perfectly and we were able to watch as the marchers and floats came through.
The procession itself passed by for perhaps 45 minutes but there were hordes of walkers between the floats so it was a continuous stream of color and incense.

After the last groups filed past we followed up to the corner where we could get back to our bus and headed back to the apartment for a late lunch.

Ecouen 8-28-15

For my birthday, Deb bought me a little book called "An Hour From Paris" which has 20 some day trips all within an hour of Paris. She tracked it down after our walk out to the Guinguette Auvergnate, which was closed for August at the time, based on a blog we read that mentioned the book as the source.  
I looked through the book and based on a forecast of cool sunny weather, selected a trip out to Ecouen-Ezanville about 25 minutes north of Paris.  So we took the train from Gare du Nord out to the town where we got off.   The book details a quiet walk through the forest that leads up to a chateau. Due to yesterday's rain it was a bit damp but the path is paved part of the way and the forest looks to be old growth Oak and other trees which we can't identify.  It has very heavy undergrowth and would be pretty disquieting in the dark.  Anyway after about a kilometer of hilly walking we got to the chateau.

Overlooking the town is a full blown Renaissance chateau, Chateau d'Ecouen, set in a large forest park.  Built in the early 1500's it was the seat of the Ducal Montmorency family, the first Duc Anne was the constable of France at the time of Francois Premier and his son Henri II.  So a very powerful and rich family indeed.  It now houses the Musee Nationale de la Renaissance and contains objects associated with that period of time.  Many of the pieces came from the Louvre, the Cluny Museum, when that museum decided to focus on the Medieval period, as well as family treasures and donations from private citizens.  
I know I've been overusing superlatives, but it was beautiful and the museum has many fantastic objects.  The crowning pieces must surely be the 15th century tapestries, thought to have once belonged to Henry VIII of England, detailing the biblical story of David and Bathsheba. There are 10 tapestries panels each at least 12 feet tall and ranging in length from 15 to 25 feet, the literally fill a full quarter of one floor of the chateau.
 There are so many objects from this time period that one can't possibly encompass them here.  But two other notable things were:  an automated Galleon/Clock that propelled itself down a table while playing music and shooting a small cannon, and a machine used by metal workers to extrude wire from various types of metal, like gold, silver, brass, and iron.  Both quite fantastic in their conception and execution.  There were perhaps 30 other people in the museum while we were there  museum it must surely be little visited by tourists, unless they are French, due to it's location.

A rennaisance lace collar

We then had a very agreeable walk back to the train station and a nice ride back home.

It Never Rains in California 8-27-15

That's because it rains in Paris!  Today is Jim's flight back to California so of course today it rained literally all day.  Usually we're subject to waves of rain coming through but today it actually rained bigger drops all day long.
He's got an 11 hour flight in front of him, direct to Los Angeles from Paris (we wish Denver would work something like this out but alas).  So his morning was spent packing while we kept out of his way.  To get him a little loosened up before the flight we took a walk in Parc de la Villette to show him the "buried Bicycle" by Claes Von Oldenburg and then back to our local, Art et Science Reunis for lunch.
It was our first time back since they reopened after the August holidays and it was really full, perhaps because of the rain.  They did get us seated, but at the less desirable table next to the toilets and kitchen which was the only table left.   However the lunch was still to their high standards, Deb had a pork sausage redolent with what she thought was nutmeg and seemed a bit like anis to me, very tasty.   Jim had a small steak while I had one of my favorites, duck breast.  Both of ours were done to a juicy red finish and were delicious.  After lunch we headed back to the apartment and read for a little while before heading out to the airport.
The trip to the airport was pretty easy with a quick trip on the metro and then an express out to Charles De Gaulle.  A guy was trailing me kind of closely as I approached the entry gates into the train platform so I stopped and motioned him forward, he balked a bit and then went forward into one of the lanes.  He fumbled around as if he were looking for his ticket so I went forward into the next lane and opened the gate with my pass and as soon as I got past the barrier I stopped because he had nipped around and tried to go through on my pass.  I turned around and looked at him and then pushed him back a bit and let the gate close.  He still got through with someone else and I don't really care.
 I relate this because once we were on the train there were four conductors checking tickets. They busted three people who were travelling without tickets, in the first quarter of the car.  It was interesting to listen to the conversations because the conductors were unfailingly polite but were adamant that either a fare would be paid, with penalty, or the person would be escorted off the train. The people would bluster and complain, but to no avail.  I saw another person in the back half who got caught as well, so our car was fertile ground for cultivation if you get my drift.
We got Jim there in good time to catch his plane and headed back to the apartment.   Due mainly to the rains and the rush hour time the trains were packed.  But we got back in reasonable time and had a quiet evening.  Jim has likely just arrived as I write this post,  we're hoping that he had a great trip as we enjoyed his company greatly.

All Modern Today 8-26-15

Today is Jim's last full day in Paris, he heads back to Los Angeles tomorrow afternoon.  So today we looked at his list of sites and came up with the modern art museums at the Palais de Tokyo and the Nicki St Phalle mobile fountain at the Pompidou Center.  Since we've both forgotten to pick up coffee and bread for the last two days we had to do a small marketing at 9:00 this morning then we were out at the crack of 11:00 and on the bus down to the museums.  We went to the modern art museum of the ville of Paris first, and saw a really top notch collection of modernist and contemporary pieces by such luminaries as Robert Delaunay,
Matisse, Derain, Picasso, Leger, Gris, Braque, etc. after which we had lunch at the Tokyo Eats cafe.






Following lunch we went to the other museum which is the REALLY contemporary pieces by, at least to us unknown artists.  Some of it was fabulous and other parts were somewhat disturbing, and that seems to be what really contemporary art is aiming at these days.  I have to be impressed at the creativity of these artists and how they approach their work.

We looked in at the various installations for a bit and then headed down to the Pompidou Center for a bit of afternoon leisure next to the mobile fountain.  A couple of beers for us and a bit of wine for Deb and then it was off to the apartment for a light dinner and getting Jim checked in for his flight home.

Dem Bones Dem Bones 8-25-15

Today we were planning a trip to the Catacombs of Paris, so we boarded the Metro and transferred to the RER at Gare du Nord for the ride down to the stop next to the entrance.   We got off the train and walked out to see a line of people across the street, I figured this has to be it so I told Jim to go to the end of the line and I would walk around to the entry point to get some idea of how long the line was and thus how long a wait we should expect.  So I walked around the corner, up the length of the street up to the next corner and around that, I saw the gate about half a block down so I walked there.  I looked at the entry door where people were walking in and on a whim decided to see if it would be shorter to continue around the block.  So I walked to the next corner and saw Jim about 20 feet away, so the line was literally around the block.   We talked a bit about whether we should wait or not and I said I'd try to get more information.  So I went back and talked to a woman working at the entry and she told me that it would be at least 4 hours wait to get in, unless we arrived at around 7:00 the next morning to wait for the 10:00am opening, so minimum 3 hour wait. REJECTED!
We went back to the train and made our way over towards Arenes de Lutece, the Roman arena that was uncovered in the mid 1800's.  On our way we stopped for lunch at the Place des Contrescarpe,
sitting at the top of the Rue Mouffetard, a Paris market street that seems to be on every tourist agenda.  After lunch we walked a few blocks to the arena that now serves as a park for residents in the neighborhood.  As we walked down into the arena there were about 50 grade schoolers being "rounded up" after what must have been some running game by teachers and helper who looked pretty harried.
Lots of noise and activity with little effect.   We walked around a bit and then went up to the area where there was originally a stage and backdrop to look over the arena before heading over to Notre Dame for another attempt to see the interior.
When we got to the cathedral there was a long line waiting to get in, discouraging but not insurmountable as it was moving pretty well.   However there was a large tourist group that kept stopping to hear what their guide was telling them about the facade, so on one of their pauses we just sort of slid into the gap that had formed.  So we got in within about 5 minutes without any undue strain on Jim's still tender hip.   We sat for a few minutes in the nave and talked quietly about the differences and idiosyncrasies caused by the many master builder/architects that guided construction over several centuries and then commenced a walk around the structure.  Jim got a good look at the stained glass and rose windows albeit from the ground without binoculars.
Then we looked at the scale model remarking on some tidbits that generally go unnoticed, and read the abridged version of the construction timeline before making our way back to the entrance and out.  We walked across to the right bank and caught a much calmer bus back to the apartment.
So no bones, but still a very enjoyable day out.

MORE AUGUST THOUGHTS FROM DEB. 8-25-15

*We've been taking advantage of the Parisian parks during the hot weather. And we're not the only ones. European travellers make full use of the parks in their travels, refilling water bottles at the Wallace fountains, napping on the grass, picnicking with excellent sandwiches and pastries from the boulangeries at a fraction of restaurant costs, and just like us, enjoying the fascinating people-watching.

* Speaking of Wallace fountains and people-watching, we loved seeing a patient granddad making the circuit of the many Wallace fountains in the fashionable Parc Monceau. His curly haired young grandson was leading him from one to another, trying to figure out how his grandfather could cause a delightful gush of water to come forth, while he could not (might have had a bit to do with hand size and strength.) Little Della-Robbia-angel boy would make a show of washing his hands in the water, then lead his grandfather off to the next fountain. I have no doubt they spent the entire afternoon in this way.

* More people-watching: an elegantly dressed woman in the same park engaging one of the gardeners in an active conversation about the cultivation of various bushes. He was standing there in his muddy Wellies, watering the aforementioned bushes and she was gesturing and questioning, looking immaculate from her stiletto heels to her Hermes purse. Both were totally absorbed and enjoying the conversation. After some minutes, they formally shook hands (after he carefully rinsed his off in the hose) she went on her way, and he went back to gardening.

* An observation of some eternal, unchangeables: the continual fascination of children for ducks in the water. And the ducks insatiable appetite for bread crumbs. The bread being offered in full view of the signs directing that it not be offered. Both ducks and children law-breaking. Both blatantly unrepentant.

* We had promised Warren's doctor that we would keep up with his yearly blood test to monitor his blood pressure meds. We were pretty concerned that his cholesterol (and mine) might have skyrocketed since we have been supporting our local cheese shop singlehandedly  since we got here. Amazingly it was unchanged. Whoopee! There must be something to this "French effect" proposition (the statistics indicate that despite high cheese/wine/bread etc. intake, French obesity rates are markedly lower and life expectancies higher than the US.) We have no idea of why that might be, but immediately bought more Brie and a baguette to celebrate.

*The end of August is bringing the "Rentree", or Back-to-School. Harried looking parents with various sized, mostly bemused looking students in tow are all over town, clutching long lists of required school items. Because outfitting pupils is an expensive proposition, stores all over town are vying for business with sales on children's items. And everyone is trying to work in a few last summer activities. Our courtyard has been ringing with the sounds of revelry from end-of-summer get togethers. Pleasant to hear laughter and the clinking of glasses on a summer night.

*The news in Europe has been full of the young Americans who thwarted the terrorist on the high-speed train from Belgium. I'm amazed at their bravery and quick thinking. Astonished, too, that some American news sites criticized their informal dress at the ceremony at the Presidential Palace here in Paris where President Holland awarded them the Legion of Honor, France's highest honor. None of the French coverage cared that their best clothes for the occasion were polo shirts and khakis. They were on vacation for heaven's sake - not expecting to visit the president. I think their courage was spectacular and their clothing inconsequential. Mutter, mutter, mutter...

*I'm eating apricots like a glutton, knowing the season's days are numbered (or mine, or both). The cherries - red, yellow, purple, orangey-red - have come and gone. Wish I'd eaten more of them.

*Warren and Jim Cook are off to the Catacombs today, checking one more thing off Jim's list. I would love to see the site, but can't go since they don't allow anyone with asthma or any breathing issues to go down into the tunnels. So I'll have to do this touristing vicariously. I'll assuage my disappointed feelings by overeating tonight at our dandy neighborhood seafood restaurant, celebrating Warren's birthday. Happy, happy, happy to my dearest travelling companion!

Wind and Squalls 8-24-15

Today was forecast for rain throughout the day, and it started that way but settled into a pattern of wind and squalls.  No matter, as we had planned to spend the day at the Museum of  Plans-Reliefs, housed in the attic of one of the wings of the Invalides. It is one of 3 museums associated with the French Armed Forces in the Invalides, which was originally built to accommodate disabled veterans of French armed conflicts, and is the site of Napoleon's Tomb as well.
Because of the unsettled weather we took the Metro to a station just along side of the green space fronting the Invalides only 3 minutes from the entrance.  With clouds scudding across the sky we walked up to the site and got to within 100 feet of the entrance when there was a sudden spattering rain.

 Umbrellas out we rushed into the covered entry, but by the time we had our tickets purchased it had stopped and the sun shown.   As I mentioned earlier the Plans-Reliefs is located in the attic of one building 5 floors up and on a hot day is an unbearable oven, so today was almost ideal.  It was still pretty warm up there but we were able to see the exhibits in relative comfort.
The models themselves are built on a scale of 1 foot to 600 feet and show the citadels and surrounding land in exacting detail. But they go further and show the details of building facades, trees, grassy areas, water, cannon batteries,etc. They were built to help with planning for defense of the country and there are several hundred of them in the collection covering the entire country border to border.  Currently on exhibit there are perhaps 20 large models spanning the length of the attic space of about 200 feet, they vary from around 30 square feet to perhaps 150 square feet in size.
We had lunch at a little cafe just down the street and were thankful that there was space inside as the wind was gusting to gale force.  We would have been chasing our napkins, and food, down the street had we tried eating outside.


After lunch we walked the several blocks from Invalides over to the Orangerie, in another small short downpour, to see the small museum there.  It contains Monet's large water-lily paintings and a good small smattering of impressionist and post-impressionist paintings.  Its small but would be the crowning jewel for any museum in the U.S.  There was a large line outside and with my museum card we could only get two of us into the museum without having to stand in line so Deb opted to wait outside while Jim and I went in.  Jim and I had a nice discussion of the water-lilies paintings and then went downstairs to see the other paintings.   Jim professed great admiration for an Andre Derain portrait of Madame Guillaume, the wife of Paul Guillaume who amassed the collection in the early part of the 20th century.

It was a perfectly timed visit for us as when we came out it was sunny and we could watch the clouds racing across the sky at Place de la Concorde.
We took the bus back to the apartment and as we got off were seriously rained on for about 10 minutes to the point of having to shelter under an awning for several minutes before we got home. Jim was amused at the carnival of life occurring on the bus, a somewhat disturbed man got on to the packed bus with 3 large rolling bags and promptly got into arguments with several people including a nursing mother.  It escalated to the point that the driver had to stop, get out, and come to the back door to tell the man to settle down or be put off.  Jim wanted keep riding past our stop to see how it turned out, especially with the rain pelting down but we got off anyway.

On the Butte 8-23-15

Today promised to be a cooler day so we opted for a visit to Montmartre, one of the entries on Jim's list.  I tried a new combination of bus routes that promised to limit some of the walking as he is having a bit of a hip issue today and it worked out quite nicely.  Our itinerary takes us for a bit of a walkabout up on top, then lunch at one of Deb and my favorite restaurants in all of Paris, Chartier.
When we got to the bus stop below Sacre Coeur we took Jim up to the funicular that runs up almost to the base of the church via the colorful street that is lined with tourist shops and frequently hustlers running shell games and 3 card monte.  Today there were police who had a group of people rounded up, likely hustlers and their victims, and they were writing citations.  So up the funicular and out just below the church where it's an easy walk around a little park to the place in front of Sacre Coeur, where Jim was able to take pictures of both the church and the city views. Deb was waiting in the little park to avoid crowds so I left Jim at a bench looking out on Place du Tertre and circled back for Deb.
Reunited once again we did a brief paseo of the place then walked past the Espace Miro, where Jim bought a coffee mug, to a rest stop at Maison Rose, the subject of a painting by Maurice Utrillo who lived almost next door.  We showed Jim the last remaining vineyard in Paris before we caught the little bus that carried us through the streets of Montmartre down to Place Pigalle.  At Pigalle we caught the bus down to a stop very close to Chartier.   We walked to Chartier with a short detour into the Passage Vivienne one of the late 19th century covered passageways lined with small expensive shops.
Once at Chartier we ordered our lunches and had a totally entertaining time with our waiter, he was flirting outrageously with Deb and it was just plain fun.  He ended up giving us a half bottle of wine evidently left by earlier diners and given to him, so we poured a glass for him and he sat at the table with us for a few minutes and we chatted (?) in French with Deb translating for Jim's benefit.  I slipped him a fiver for his genial attitude even though the bill contains a 20% service charge. After our wonderful lunch we took a couple buses that got us back to our regular stop near the apartment. A very agreeable day indeed.