The Art of doing nothing in Paris

Allowing myself to do nothing in Paris is the ultimate luxury.  To be in a city so remarkably beautiful and full of things to do and yet do nothing other than sit and take it all in means you are "at home", because that's the sort of thing you do at home.

The French do it so well, from breakfast through late into the night, weekdays or weeknights do not seem to matter.  The cafes are crowded even on a Monday night!

In Paris,

or in Marseille,

The kids do it,

even the cat!

                                                                                                                                                                    

Serious Dining

Thai food in Paris??!   The name of the restaurant is Gastronomie Thailandaise, which gives fair indication of what to expect.  It was a nice surprise for us, certainly fancier than any Thai restaurant we have encountered in Toronto.  But then again, it's Paris. 

Chicken wrapped in palm leaves

Soft-shell crab

Prawns in crepe pouch

Curried chicken steeped in coconut

Thanks to our hosts for the evening, my cousin Laurent and his family

Monday in Paris, meant that many restaurants were closed.  We were lucky our friend Tim referred us to L'Ambassade d'Auvergne, just north of the Georges Pompidou Centre.  
The chilled asparagus entree, served with a warm vinaigrette, was refreshing with the contrast in textures and temperature.  The roast duck breast, served in 3 big chunks instead of slices, meant the skin remained crispy, pink and juicy inside - it was the best duck we have tasted anywhere.  The other interesting element was the "aligot" it came with - mashed potatoes made with cheese - a traditional dish from the province of Auvergne.  The waiter  put up a performance, pulling the mixture out of the heated pan with a spoon so that it is in strands.

We realized after we left Paris, that the 3 course "Formule" menu turned out to be the best deal ever, compared to restaurants in Provence.

More serious sightseeing

The National Museum of the Middle Ages was the highlight of our Paris visit.  It is housed in the 15th century Hotel de Cluny which was constructed over Roman Baths.  Here is the neat entrance into the walled courtyard.

As expected, religious themes pervaded.  There were multiple madonna and child images.  But I love this one of the madonna with an exceptionally cheerful expression on her face - how unusual! 

I was also impressed by a beautifully carved crucifix - look at Christ's "loin cloth"!

When we visited, there was a special exhibit of swords in the Roman baths area .  There were swords from different eras and countries.                                              

Here is one that supposedly belonged to Joan of Arc, if you would believe it.  But I liked the style of the handle anyway. 

The elaborate vault of the Gothic chapel on the second floor of the Abbey is very impressive!

The highlight of the exhibits for me was of course the tapestries of the Lady and the Unicorn, all six hung on the walls of a dimly lit room.  It was a challenge to photograph but I am quite pleased with the results.

A short distance south from the Museum is the Luxembourg Gardens.  It's massive as you can see, covering 22 hectares, with treed and open areas and many sculptures.  

The playful figure of Pan posed a backlit challenge but it adds to the effect.

The Medici Fountain

Closeup of the beautiful Aces and Galatea sculpture


Tomorrow:  Food!

Serious Sightseeing

Enough of this nonsense!  Better get into some serious sightseeing before I lose my audience!  

The main destination of our short stayover in Paris was the Musee Cluny - or the Musee du Moyen Age near the Sorbonne.   But on our way there, we bumped into a couple of unexpected "sights" - Le College des Bernardins, recently restored after seven centuries of obscurity.  We went in there to ask for directions to the Cluny and ended up literally gawking at the splendid nave we found ourselves in.  To read more about the locale, go to http://www.thisfrenchlife.com/thisfrenchlife/2008/09/where-culture-i.html

Vault detail

In our three trips to Paris, we never thought of going to the Pantheon, and this time, only stumbled upon it because I looked up a side street and wondered what was the huge dome yonder?  As it turned out, I found the main floor quite unremarkable, although Foucault's pendulum was interesting.  But the crypt was stunning!

Foucault's Pendulum at noon

This photo took me at least 20 minutes because I have to wait for the long corridor to clear!  but it gave me time to figure out the lighting...

Love these curves...

                   

And I'm not the only one who wanted to embrace circular shapes...
                                        

The curved front of the Faculty of Law across from the Pantheon

What struck me, from our very first day, was the abundance of "librairies" throughout the city.  There is literally a bookstore at every corner, and on the left bank, near the Sorbonne, it's not unusual to find two or three on one street!  There is free wi-fi throughout France - but print is still everywhere.   Remarkable!

And voila, even the homeless passes his time reading - 

Gawking in Paris (a variation of doing nothing)

Plenty to gawk at, clearly. 

Bakeries every block

Here's the lineup on Rue de Rivoli, across from the hotel

 captured in miniature

Place des Vosges - the architecture

Place des Vosges - the people

Place des Vosges - the fountain

The sacred

                                                           and the profane