Big Birthday

 A couple or lots more weeks ago, Werner said, I think we should go to Paris for your birthday. Humm.  I was turning 80. It is a milestone, of course, but frankly, I was not in the mood to celebrate. Ten years ago, when I got my pacemaker and they told me it would last 10 years, my thought was great! I can opt out!! I can call it quits at 80. 

Well, it's hard to let go, so I've agreed to get the battery recharged, but I still wasn't so sure about such a trip. Then again, it's Paris. 

Boy, that train was in a hurry!!

Paris.

I will not try to explain the significance of this place in the trajectory of my life. Let's say, it's big. So, OK. Paris.

Find a room. Check. Arrange the trip. Check. Then for a while, we did nothing. It's Paris! I know this place! What else do I have to do? Well, something.  So, just days before our departure, I started planning for a few things we'd not done at all, or not for a while. 

First, a place to stay. We were arriving at Gare de l'Est and leaving from Gare du Nord, so we found a place near both. Not a neighborhood I was familiar with, and a bit leery of, but what a lucky choice. (It's Paris, remember?) Lively! Multi-culti! Food! Monuments!! Actually, the tiny apartment itself was not so great (but thankfully so very quiet!), and the neighborhood was fantastic.

I don't think we made a single wrong decision there. 

What we did:

Friday. Day 1 Plan The Gerhard Richter Exhibition at the Fondation Louis Vuitton. How to get there?  Well,,,,of course we looked at the routes, but things have changed since our last time here. The old tickets have given way to digital thingies and our initial confusion was totally clarified by the very nice security/help guy at the Mètro. He hardly knew any English, and my French has deteriorated A LOT, but we got it done. 

 Every time, every time, we got on the Mètro, others stood up and offered their seat(s) to us. (Is it just the gray hair or do we look that OLD?) The whole of Paris was nice to us tourists (and old folks). That said, I do get many offers of seats on public transportation here in Bremen. I always graciously accept. Always, always appreciated. 

The building itself was worth a visit. I taught English to students in the Architecture program at the Polytechnic University in Bremen for about 5 years. All my classes at FSU in antique art and architecture were really useful, but I learned a lot about modern architects as well. Gehry was among them, and as soon as I saw that building, I knew it was his. Wow. 

Richter is prolific and frankly, the exhibit was a bit more than what one could really take in on one visit (and we had only one). But the range of his work was impressive, mostly oil, a lot of portraits, but ventures in other directions, too. Sadly, we were a bit saturated at the end so the last works didn't get the same attention as those at the beginning. 

There was a lot of gray.

Of course, with contemporary art, there's always something that rubs wrong. Perhaps the one that impressed me the most the wrong way was a canvas in gray. Gray. Just gray. About 2.5 meters square. Actually three of them. The Artist himself said, "I wanted to paint a picture of Nothing." Congratulations. I really did like a lot of the works on display, but this is why contemporary art does not always speak to me. Thank you for "Nothing."

(Aside: I remember my kids saying, looking at some pieces of modern painting, saying "I could do that!" Mostly I argued they could not, but sometimes.....)

This last picture is of us in front of one of the works - seven large panes of glass that reflect whatever is there. Made me a bit woozy.

After about three hours, it was time for a break. The museum is located in the Bois de Bologne, not a place to hang around in at night, but the surrounding neighborhoods are upscale with some nice little bistros. We found one. It was good....

I don't remember this from our last visit, but eating out was so very incredibly reasonable, much more so than here in Germany.

Back to our place and a rest and later a walk around and a light dinner. We picked up some goodies at a nearby bakery and found a ready-mixed salad at the grocery. And the very attentive server at the bakery heard us speaking German and then just slipped into German with us!  Impressive.

Saturday Day 2

Woke up feeling a little off, so we were slow getting started. Besides: rain!! But we have to get out, so off to the Arc de Triomphe and a stroll down the Champs-Élysées. 

It was busy, but not incredibly so. The beggars and tricksters seem to be taking a holiday, which was refreshing. We wandered into a shop or two, found some postcards, marveled at the offerings. 

But you don't want to eat there! So we went a few blocks over from the main thoroughfare and found a lovely, very traditional restaurant. One of the servers saw us perusing the menu so he came to encourage us to enter - in flawless English. So we did and had a light repast. At the end of the meal, we paid with the card and then he addressed us in German! What! So I had to ask why he addressed us in English. I didn't really get an answer to that but he explained he was from Italy and just likes languages. Can you imagine? I guess if you want to be a successful server, you better know a language or five!

The rain stopped and we wandered further to Place de la Concorde and into the Tuileries. It was nice enough to sit on a bench and watch the folks wander by...

We took an early dinner. Cute how they wrap the sandwiches!

On to St. Germain des Près for a concert. We arrived intentionally very early so we could visit the church, but there was a service! We'd forgotten it was All Saints' Day, so we just sat ourselves down and enjoyed the liturgy and the quiet and the music.

The concert was lovely - a string quartet and a program of Bach and Vivaldi. We agreed, though, that this particular church wasn't the greatest for the live music - it was a bit muddled, but we enjoyed it anyway!

Day 3  Sunday

We decided after all to go to the Louvre and bought tickets on-line from a tricky vendor and paid too much but we just let it go. I am pretty clever when it comes to the internet, but perfect I am not! Another lesson learned. 

But first, a market visit.  We passed this government building along the way where folks in that district go for services and such. Nice, huh?

We've been to several different ones in Paris, so chose one we hadn't visited. It was in the neighborhood and covered (a real plus since it was rainy again!).  

We passed the fish stand and Werner said Look at this!! and pointed to a drawing on the counter. A very detailed, if somewhat fantastical, fish. It reminded us so much of a fish that Amina had drawn. The lovely young helper came and talked to us in her sweetly accented English about her artistic plans and we shared with her some of Amina's drawings. What a pleasant interlude!

The market wasn't very big, but interesting. We found some coffee and a croissant and a Carrot Cake Muffin that made an easy breakfast. Baguette, goat cheese, bottle of wine, a half rotisserie chicken. Dinner was done! 

After dropping off our goodies in the room, we headed to the Louvre and passed by the building where we stayed with the whole crew in 2010. Great location, but it was so hot!

I forget how B I G this place is. 

We sat and looked at the map and decided on Greek and Roman statuary and 18th and 19th c. European painting. 

Not all the Impressionist works are in the D'Orsay. There was the lovely Lacemaker by Vermeer, lots of Rembrandts, and so much more. We spent a little time looking for two things that were not to be found - the Roman bust of Livia, wife of Augustus, was in storage, and the large painting of Poirot by Watteau was in a gallery that was closed that day. Oh well, may have to go back...

Good choices.

Four hours later..... 

... it was time to find our room and have our feast.

Day 4 Monday

Notre Dame!! We forgot to have breakfast, but we only figured that out later. The line was long but it MOVED and we were inside in no time and then spent our time marveling at the restoration.  

                                                              Tapestries by Chagall.

The Crown of Thorns

                                                                           Our Lady 

At noon, the service began, and again, we sat and enjoyed.

Now we were a bit hungry! So we found a cute little shop on the other side of the Seine. Quiche (again, but this time spinach) and a grilled cheese and ham croissant. Two coffees. 15 euros. I am again flabbergasted - so cheap and so tasty. 

And just around the corner, my favorite needlepoint shop, sadly, sadly closed because it's only open from Wednesday to Saturday. Sigh.

Booksellers' stalls along the Seine. 

We walked around the Left Bank a bit, looked at old friendly places and new stuff and soaked up Paris. 

What a perfect day.

Just before getting to our room, we passed a shop window with bolts of fabric and other sewing stuff. I DON'T NEED ANYTHING, but still had to go in. OMG, zippers. They had zippers of every color and size and material and all so cheap! I had to get a few, just in case. And so many little great accessories that I don't need but covet but I was good. 

Dinner was early at Julien's. Every night, returning to our room, there was such a line outside the restaurant. So Werner looked it up - an Art Nouveau jewel, well preserved, serving lunch and dinner. So we reserved an early table. W. O . W. What a place! Mirrors and carvings and lights and little tables and a standard menu that was nevertheless tasty. Quick and efficient service from friendly staff dressed in black and white and long aprons. Two aperitifs, an appetizer (Escargots), two wines, two main courses = 52 euros. What?? I guess they cover their costs on volume since it is so popular, but really?  I have to say, that was a memorable last dinner in Paris. 

Day 5 Tuesday

Pack up and clean up and leave. We made a wish on the wish bone and look what happened!!?

Weird or what? Certainly the first time that has happened to me. We decided it was a good omen - nobody lost.

 We had an early train and had first thought we needed a taxi, but the station was only three stops away. And we know the Mètro. We do.

I surprised myself and was a bit sad leaving.

So, through Belgium and Brussels to Cologne and then a local train to Wuppertal. Not a jewel of a town but we walk around a bit and see the old town hall and the fountain.

The venue is a 10-minute walk from our hotel and such a suprise! A jewel. Jon is one of the premier acts of the regional jazz festival, the concert is sold out, and folks are there from all over. I am enchanted.

The concert was simply wonderful. He started with "When the Saints Go Marching In" and included pieces from several albums and things that would never be recorded. He began at a bit after 8, and after a pause, ended at well after 11. I still sigh thinking about it.

So, the Big Birthday Bash is over. It was more and better than I anticipated and it will take me through a lot of days/weeks/months to come. 

Happy Birthday to me. Thank you, dear Werner.