Paris Je t'aime!

Hello and Bonjour!

Would have updated sooner except for I've been quite under the weather with a nasty cold/chest infection/thing since arriving in Paris on the 12th of March. Eww! The docs here finally gave me something that should help, so I should be back on my feet soon.

Anyhoo.

About this little jaunt to Paris...My department here planned the trip for our M.A. students as an opportunity to get some behind-the-scenes tours of various museums (since a number of our professors have colleagues among the curators in several museums), but a couple of the PhD students tagged along as well. I stayed with my friend Stéphanie and her husband who have a beautiful flat just outside of Paris. Stéphanie is also doing her PhD in my program. We took the Eurostar from London to Paris (going through the English Channel's Tunnel or "Chunnel" as it was once fondly called) and arrived late afternoon on the 12th. We went straight to the Musée du Quai Branly (in photo), a huge ethnographic museum that specializes in objects from Africa, Oceania, the Americas, and Asia. They have some beautiful objects from Mexico (though I was a bit miffed by the lighting of some of them...too dark and bad labels...Grr). After that we found a fun and reasonably priced restaurant that could hold our entire group of 14, and it was so good we returned there the next night as well! I had a risotto the first night, which was OK, but the second night I had this amazing mixed salad (with different kinds of lettuces, tomatoes, lentils, coleslaw, olives...) and on top was a delicious, melty piece of goat cheese wrapped in a warm crepe. Mmmm. Gosh it was good! We returned to the Musée du Quai Branly the next day for a tour with the curator of the Oceania collection, had some lunch at a Chinese place nearby, and then set off to the Musée Dapper, which is a little gem of a place that has rotating exhibitions and no permanent collection. They had a fabulous photography exhibition as well as images of women as portrayed through African objects that you should definitely check out online:

http://www.dapper.com.fr/en/exhibitions-current.php

On Saturday, unfortunately, I was feeling very ill so decided to stay in bed and miss -- gulp -- the Louvre. I know, I know, what a day to miss! But I'm hoping there will be a next time in the near future. But I did join my friends that evening for dinner at a nice Italian restaurant. By Sunday the department commitments were over, so Stéphanie and I went to a local farmer's market near her house and bought some of the freshest, most fragrant tomatoes, carrots, and lettuce I've ever known! We also got some dried fruits, olives, tapenades, and cheeses to go with a baguette we'd gotten earlier. Yes, that was our dinner that evening. How French is that?!! Delish. Oh and guess what we had for breakfast that morning? Brioche. Amazing! So after our trip to the farmer's market, we scurried out to one of Stéphanie's friend's houses for her birthday party. I was warned that it could be a very boring afternoon for me since none of these people spoke English, but I thought it would be fun anyway. Indeed, it was a bit more intense than I imagined, trying to communicate with hand gestures and facial expressions, but we got there in the end. Plus they had some lovely homemade quiche and some fruit tarts for dessert with a big dollop of chocolate custard to boot. Are you starting to get the food theme here? Stéphanie kept reminding me throughout my time in Paris that food is in fact a French institution. It doesn't matter how poor you are or how rural your surroundings, you will find and use the best quality ingredients you can afford. Tell that to the American fast-food industry!

After the birthday party, we stopped at Versailles, the famous home of the flamboyant Louis XIV. Even with the fountains turned off and all the sculptures covered up in the garden (for the winter season), the place was still packed with tourists, but it was fantastic to be there. We didn't tour the castle since it was late in the day by this point, but we did roam throughout the gardens. I enjoyed the fancy trees very much!


On Monday, we got up and went to the scenic Montmartre, a beautiful hilltop area packed with artists making paintings on sidewalk easels, trendy cafés, shops, and historic architecture. The crown jewel of Monmarte is of course the Sacré-Cœur Basilica, which is constructed on the highest point in Paris. After that, we sought out a fancy bakery so I could sample a delectable French pastry. Despite all the delicious things on offer, I decided on a pear tart, which was outstanding. We did a little shopping later so I could buy wine and chocolates for friends, but otherwise this concluded my Parisian journey.







Here are just a few more touristy pictures for you to enjoy. I especially love the glittering Eiffel Tower one...

Oh, and it definitely smelled like urine in the streets on warm days. :-)