To follow-through with our idea to only visit new places this trip, we hop on the Metro to visit the Orangerie Museum. We had to buy Metro tickets (pack of 10) first and we each wasted our first ticket! We both expected the gate to open automatically (like in London) when we inserted our ticket but we finally realized you have to push it open. So our first tickets got validated (cancelled) but we missed going through. Now we know!
The Paris Metro is much more efficient than London, I think. We had to go through one of the oldest stations and it was in pretty bad shape though. In the 2 stations we were in, there were fewer stairs than London. So far I would say Paris wins in the Metro competition in efficiency and ease of walking.
On the first floor, the Orangerie Museum houses Monet’s Water Lilies. All together Monet painted 1,950 square feet of canvas to complete the Water Lilies series.
The series is shown in natural light through a huge skylight. The basemernt floor houses select works from the personal collection of Paris’s trend-spotting art dealer of the 1920s, Paul Guillaume. The collection includes works of Picasso, Renoir, Cezanne, Matisse, Laurencin (very interesting; I’ve never seen her works before), Modigliani (my favorite), Derain, Rousseau, Utrillo and Soutine (I really liked many of these–he’s a new artist to me).
It’s past lunch by the time we exit but the Grand Palais and Petit Palais are next so we walk in that direction in hopes of finding a place to eat. As we pass the Petit Palais we see that it’s not open on Mondays. I guess we should have thought to look! So we keep walking and as we approach the ritzy part of the Champs-Ellysses, we veer off the main road and find a nice cafe. We both have a Kir Royale as an aperitif and then large salads for each of us: Howard has prosciutto, potatoes, and cheese on his and I have chicken and eggs on mine. They were very satisfying and we need more greens!
We decide to forgo the Grande Palais because the exhibitions there now do not look very interesting; there is not a permanent collection. We’ll try to go back to the Petit Palais when it’s open. We are kind of near the Jaquemart-Andre Museum so off we go.
We are so happy that we chose this museum. It’s more than just an art collection; it is showcased in the lavish home of a wealthy, art-loving, 19th century Parisian couple. You get a glimpse of what life was like for the “middle-class.” (This couple was not middle-class but that’s what the audio tape calls them!) Edouard Andre and his wife, Nelie Jacquemart spent their lives and fortunes designing, building and then decorating this sumptuous mansion. The art collected is by Rembrandt, Botticelli, Uccello, Mantegna, Bellini, Boucher and Fragonard. Each room has a photo of the room as it was in “the day.” And the first floor is decorated in period pieces. We loved our time here and it was well worth the walk.
Howard discovers he left his hat at the restaurant. I call and happily I am able to communicate in “Frenglish” and they have the hat. Hurray! So we retrace our steps back to the restaurant. On the way back we pass the embassy of the country Burkina Faso. Just a couple of days ago I asked Howard about Burkina Faso because there has been a coup. I’d never heard of that West African country but there are probably LOTS of countries in Africa I’ve never heard of! Amazingly we happen to walk right past that embassy!!
Once we retrieve the hat, I feel like I cannot walk another step so we flag down a taxi and arrive back home in no time. But we need some wine for the evening. Our trusty wine shop across the street is not open! Quelle horror! We walk around the nearby 2 blocks and finally find an Italian deli with wine but as I open the door a man tells me they are closed; I see all sorts of equipment on the floor and I think they were repairing the floor. Darn! We give up and are walking to our closest bakery when we find another Italian deli…with wine! Of course we must buy more than wine. We buy some Iberico ham–6 thin slices for 20€!
We happen to buy the best of the bunch (the price should be the hint): jamón ibérico de bellota (acorn). This ham is from free-range pigs that roam oak forests along the border between Spain and Portugal, and eat only acorns during the last period before slaughter. The pigs’ exercise and diet have a significant impact on the flavor of the meat; the ham is cured for 36 months. The delis have the pig leg (with the hoof) set up at room temperature in a special contraption that holds the leg while super thin pieces of meat are sliced off. It’s a very dramatic presentation. And the meat is incredible. Almost slightly sweet. I’ve always wanted to try the Iberico ham and now I have!
Last stop is the bakery for bread, croissants for tomorrow and a couple of sweets. We notice the bakery has wine too! But it’s sold at a premium price. At least we know it’s there if we get desperate! At the end of the evening when I have my little sweet thing, I cannot believe how delicious it is. I MUST find out what it is and see if I can make it!
I think I’m coming down with a cold…
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