SAFELY HOME

***You can watch a video slideshow of our Paris portion of the trip here

We are safely home enjoying our surroundings in Madison. As jet lag wears off some of the images, memories and perspectives on our trip become clearer. Vacations are, by nature, snippets of idealized dreams drawn into shape though planning, anticipated wildly for months, and then experienced at a higher rate of consciousness and intensity than normal waking work week hours. And so with Paris and England: each moment strongly felt, each place conceptualized, and realized within the context of our own desire to fly free. Being in England involved seeing friends and family, returning to the place of my birth, experiencing the schism in my consciousness between those diverse parts of my self; of childhood and adulthood, of culture and society, of growing and aging.

Paris offered a glimpse of romance, art, and civilized city living: the most visited place on earth, the City of Light, the sophisticated center of modernity. We were able to relax and enjoy the sights and scenes, the cafes and the architecture, the market places and the museums, the fashion and the history. Oh! - and the pastries.

While I long for the familiar throbbing pulse of the city, I can also feel overwhelmed by the noise and the crowds. Back in Madison it is easy to return to the everyday activities of sitting in front of the computer and staying at home. I miss the unknown, the thrill of not knowing what to expect, the excitement in the challenge of trying to figure out something new: how to negotiate a foreign language, using the Metro, finding a decent restaurant, and so on.

Finding meaning or order in life events takes a little time and some internal processing. I know that I am thankful for having this time, and for seeing my nephew Owen again and appreciating his openness, warmth and talent. 

***You can view a video of Owen playing a Nirvana song here

***and playing Flamenco style guitar here

I am glad that I was able to re-connect with my brother Alan, and my friends Jonathan, and Spencer. Time strengthens these bonds and is felt in the presence of these loved ones despite the times between contacts. Visiting places of my childhood in the East End brought about an emotional turbulence, a thumbnail of the disparity and tension that I carry with me all the time. Paris drew Cindy and I together as we were finally alone in the most romantic city in the world. There was so much to see and enjoy along the way.

So now we can begin to plan our next trip. But it is also important to remember to be wherever we are and to fully take in that which we are offered in the place where we are. 

PARTING GLANCES: AU REVOIR PARIS

Monday, we started out walking to the Musee National duMoyen Age, previously known as the Musee de Cluny. Our quest was to find some coasters for a friend of ours in Madison; unfortunately those particular coasters were out of press the last few years. We walked on past the OdeonTheatre de l’Europe, and on to the Luxembourg Gardens, a placid haven amid the city chaos. The gardens were dotted with statues and a well-organized layout in the Italian style.

Luxembourg Gardens

Luxembourg Gardens

We walked through the pretty back streets around the Pantheon down to our destination, the teahouse at the Mosquee de Paris. This delightful shady place served us Moroccan style mint tea in a glass along with sweet pastries. The teahouse was built in the Arabic Moroccan style with blue and white tile work. It was a leisurely place to sip tea and watch the world go by. We were joined by some very friendly and, seemingly, very hungry sparrows. They were seeking, and finding our stray pastry crumbs. Even the sparrows eat well in Paris!

Pantheon

Mint tea and sweet pastries

Happy sparrow

At the Tearoom in the Mosquee de Paris

Opposite the teahouse is a small walled garden the Jardindes Plantes. We circled up to the highest point, a small iron rotunda.

Our next stop was at the Opera Garnier on our way to the magnificent stores of the Grand Boulevards Haussmann. 

Opera Garnier

We window shopped at all the great fashion house displays in the Galleries Lafayette and ended up taking in the view from the rooftop terrace.

Galleries Lafayette Stained Glass Ceiling

View from Galleries Lafayette rooftop

We then made our way home leaving the bustle of the city behind us. We were tired but still wanted to make the effort to get some of the cheesecake that we had seen in the Jewish District. The cheesecake reminded me of the kind my mother used to make. I had previously only been able to find something similar in a small, now defunct delicatessen in the East End of London. My attempts to find something of the kind had failed even in New York. The cheesecake tasted delicious, but not quite as good as my mother’s, of course.

Cheesecake

On the way back to our apartment we decided to go into the lovely Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis Church, the exterior of which we had admired on our previous sojourns in the area around Rue Rivoli.  

Tuesday: our last full day in Paris and of our vacation. We started out early to get in line before the Musee d’Orsay opened. The Museed’Orsay is an amazing gallery of primarily French art from the latter half of the nineteenth, and into the early twentieth century. The museum houses an extensive Impressionist exhibit which I really enjoyed viewing. Rodin, Van Gogh, Seurat, Monet, Renoir, Degas, and Cezanne all featured strongly.

We crossed the river and relaxed for a while in the Jardindes Tuileries. The weather has been mostly in the high fifties and low sixties; it was good to feel the sun on our backs. We have seen only a few drops of rain the whole trip and it has been crisp and conducive to walking most of the time.

We walked down to the Place de la Concorde...

Place de la Concorde

....and took the Metro a few stops to visit Rue Cler a market street recommended by PBS’s Rick Steves as epitomizing the heart of Paris.

We walked from there toward the Eiffel Tower to get one last look at the old standby. Tonight we plan an easy evening to gather our thoughts and impressions and to pack our bags ready for our return home tomorrow to Madison.

OUR WEEKEND IN PARIS

***Remember, you can always just click on a photo to see it larger.***

The bells of the Eglise Saint Louis en L’Ile are soaring in the background as I write. In the city that attracted foreign writers such as Hemingway, Huxley, and F. Scott-Fitzgerald, I am inspired to write albeit without their talent. Ironically there are posters everywhere around town for the movie of Fitzgerald’s “Gatsby Le Magnifique.” 

Cindy at our apartment on Ile Saint Louis

On Saturday morning we stood in line to enter the Centre Pompidou, the city’s largest modern art museum. Unfortunately we were standing in the line for the museum’s library; we wondered why everyone else in the line appeared to be under thirty years old. Nevertheless, we were able to gain entry to the galleries from that direction and were treated to a wonderful display of recent art that was vibrant, and full of pulsating color that challenged and invigorated us. 

The Pompidou Centre

We were so inspired that we went home and took a nap…but not until we explored some of the best patisseries around to find our anglais avec apricot.

Pastries

Sunday we took the advice of our rental agent and visited the open market in the nearby town where he lives – Saint Germain en Laye. The town has a great chateau constructed in 1348. Louis XIV was born here. 

Saint Germain en Laye Chateau and Church of Saint Germain

There are also adjacent extensive gardens with topiary trees stretching to the horizon from which there is a distant view of the city of Paris. 

Inside the chateau complex there is also a lovely chapel:

    

Opposite the chateau sits the wonderful Church of Saint-Germain:

The main reason that we visited this lovely town was for the Sunday market where farmers and other merchants and artisans congregate to sell their wares. 

It was a pleasant, calming experience for us away from the bustle of the city. We had a cup of coffee outside at one of the cafes overlooking the market, and bought a chunk of nectar from a local chocolatier. For lunch we ate a Lebanese epinard that was hand made in front of us. We brought home a variety of fresh fruit, nuts, and olives.

Our Lebanese Epinard being cooked

On Sunday night we went out for a nice meal and found a Moroccan nouveau French fusion restaurant L'Atlas where we indulged in tureens of vegetables (sans viande), and humour fish with couscous. These steaming hot delicacies were washed down with a lovely glass of Chenin blanc. Romantic!

Once again, we crossed the bridge from the Latin Quarter and walked home with a distant view of the Eiffel Tower illuminated: