Playing Tourists in Paris!

We have had a busy couple of days playing tourists in and around Paris.  Jeff is working only half days the next two weeks so we are taking advantage of that.  In addition to starting to pack, we have made lists of places to visit "one last time," things to buy before we leave, and experiences to repeat because we have only 16 more days in France!

This past weekend, I was able to go to the flea market and see what Edy, Will, and Jeff enjoy so much about it.  There is booth upon booth of very unique items.  Edy got some old records and I got a door sign with the number 44 on it to remember our apartment number here in Paris.
We then took the kids to see the Basilica of Saint-Denis, where from the 10th-18th centuries the French kings were buried.  Saint Denis is a very colorful community.  Edy loved it up there, while I found it to be too loud and busy.  We enjoyed looking around the Basilica before heading back into Paris and then out again to see where Gustav Caillebotte lived.

Before we set out, Jeff and Will planned our train routes.

Edy browsing the records.

This went on for three streets!

44 Rue Poussin, 75016 Paris

Basilica Saint Denis

You are only allowed to sit on the chairs at each end.  

We have spent a lot of time this year with Gustav Caillbotte. In August, when the Norrie family was here, we visited his grave.  In March, when everyone was recreating art, we did our own interpretation of "The Floor Scrapers."  We only thought it natural that we should see where he grew up.  So we headed 12 miles southeast of Paris to the town of Yerres. What was so wonderful about his home is you could see where the inspiration of a few of his paintings came from.  He also had a beautiful park with a river running through it, surrounding his home that transported you to another time.

Entering Parc Caillebotte

Under this Japanese Pagoda was an ice house.

This room inspired a famous painting he never finished, of a man playing billiards, called "The Billiard Table."  

This music studio is a recreation of the room hie used when painting "Zoe's Portrait."

Examples of a skiff seen in some of his paintings.  

Examples of the type of bathing suits he painted.

Gustav Caillebotte

Gustav's room as a child.

His parents room, which later became his room. 

His art studio.

The view of the house from the park.

On Sunday, we enjoyed a more leisurely day, running and just enjoying our Paris apartment.  Edy headed off to babysit in the afternoon and Will and I took the scooters the path along the Seine River. We even stopped at one of the summer cafes that just opened up for a relaxing dinner.

One last bouquet of flowers.

Taking a break to read along the Seine River.

My dinner date - helmet included.

That night we decided to go to the Eiffel Tower to see the light show.  Currently, the sun rises at 5:46 a.m. here and doesn't set until 9:56 p.m.  As a result the light show on the Eiffel Tower doesn't start until 11:00 p.m.  The light show lasts for five minutes and is every hour on the hour until about 1:00 a.m.  As a result, in the summer, it only does it a few times.  In the winter, the light show would begin at 5:00 p.m. and was something we saw often.  Since we usually aren't out until 11;00 p.m. recently, we made the decision to go out as a family and see the light show. You can't see the light show without crepes from my favorite crepe stand. It was a wonderful night!

This is what it looks like outside our apartment window at 10:15 p.m.

My favorite crepe stand at Trocadero.

The light show!

On Monday, we headed out to see Park Monceau.  While Jeff and the kids had been there, I hadn't been there yet this year.  I love this park because it reminds me of the movie, "Tell No One."  From there we went to see a Turner exhibit at Musee Jacquemart Andre.  This exhibit arrived in Paris on March 13, right before lockdown.  We were worried we wouldn't get to see this exhibit of one of Jeff's favorite painters.  In addition to the exhibition, we also got to tour the impressive house that is the Musee Jacquemart Andre.

There are so few stations that come out of a building.  We love when the do. 

Park Monceau

A plaque honoring the first balloon flight.

Musee Jacquemart Andre

It always surprises me when I see palm trees in Paris.

A little writing desk to use when in bed.

Watching a video about Joseph Mallord William Turner.

A few of my favorite pieces.

His paints.

We ate lunch at a cafe on the Champs-Elysee before heading to a tour of the sailboat Tara that has been parked on the Seine River since lockdown.  Tara is a research vessel that has traveled the world studying plankton.  Most specifically it has been to both poles.  While the presentation was in French, we learned a lot about the important research it has conducted.  The people were amazing, especially considering they had to spend all of lockdown on the sailboat.

Lunch!

Tara 

We ended the day with some Amorino before we separated.  Edy got some alone time at her favorite art store.  Will took the metro home on his own.  Jeff and I got to walk home from the Eiffel Tower to our apartment.

On Tuesday, we went to one of Will's favorite museums, the Liberation Museum.  This museum opened up last August in it's new location.  We wanted to go one more time before we left.  They had a new exhibition there that we were excited to see, called "1940 Parisians in the Exodus."  It was about the great fleeing of Parisians between June 3, 1940 and June 14, 1940.  During this eleven days, two thirds of Parisians fled the Paris, joining millions of others from other countries and further north, heading south to escape the Germans.  These individuals, combined with there others fleeing from the north and other countries, meant that 8 million people were displaced.  Because these 8 million were fleeing so quickly, 90,000 children ended up getting lost.  As a result, investigations took place to try and reunite children and families.  After Paris surrendered on June 17, some returned to find Paris occupied by Germans.

What was special about this exhibit was how many connections they made to the confinement we just went through.  In addition to the obvious, that we carry around masks, like they did in 1940, they also commented how the exodus of people then was similar to the exodus of people to the countryside when Covid-19 hit.  Here is a quote from the exhibition:

In a totally different context, in mid-march 2020, as the Covid 19 lockdown was announced, images circulated of 1.7 million Parisians leaving the capital by train and road.  These serve as a reminder distancing ourselves from perceived danger is a deep-seated response.  Images of these departures which appeared in the media, along with those of Paris deserted as a result of the lockdown, brought back memories of representioants of the exodus of June 1940.


In addition to touring the rest of the museum to learn more about the liberation of Paris, we also got to go underground to the bunker that the resistance workers used during the liberation of Paris.  

Masked up!

Pushing a cart full of possessions.

The bunker under the museum that the resistance  leaders used.

Will's favorite part of the museum is learning all about the liberation of Paris between August 19-August 25, 1944.

Watching and learning.

Will standing next to the picture he recreated with Legos and army men for his "Interpretation of Art" piece.

After the museum, the kids and I got lunch at our favorite chain boulongerie, Paul, and then headed to another old elevated train track that was converted to a park.  This was Park Petite Ceinture

So happy together!

The red lines indicate all the old train tracks around Paris that have been converted to walking trails and parks.

After a few hours back home, we then met our friends Becca, Brian, Kai, and Alex for a picnic at Square St. Lambert.

Hanging out - the kids!

Hanging out - the adults!

Kai and Edy

Kai, Alex, Edy, and Will

Today we enjoyed a relaxing day at our apartment, packing and getting ready for our trip to the South of France tomorrow.  Jeff and I each got a run in, while the kids rode another train line in its entirety.  I grabbed lunch at a nearby cafe, eating inside for the first time in three months, with some friends I met when making sandwiches for the homeless.  It was less than relaxing though, when our washing machine decided to stop working with an entire load of clothes sitting in water.  Luckily, they were in the rinse cycle so we were able to ring them out and hang them up.

Lunch with Kristina and Susan.

Fishing out our clothes. 

Tomorrow we head on our last trip of our year in France!  We will be exploring Provence and Cote d'Azur for the next 8 days.  Then on June 26, we head back to Paris for our last six days in the city we love.

Take care!
Betsy