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Paris: Museums, food and wine -- May 2017

Paris: Museums, food and wine -- May 2017

Old May 22nd, 2017, 10:48 AM
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Paris: Museums, food and wine -- May 2017

Rather than give a day by day description of my recent trip back to Paris, I thought I'd just highlight the salient points. My goals were museums, wine, food. I think I accomplished them all handily: 14 museum exhibitions, 26 wines tasted and more delicious food than I care to admit I ate! All in all, this was a reminder, 7 years after my last visit, of what an incredibly rich and diverse city is on so many levels. It also reminded me that I need for it not to be so long between visits!

Logistics: I flew American BOS-CDG. This was a cancelled ticket from another trip I had planned for last fall that I couldn't take due to medical emergency. AA let me reschedule to Paris as long as I used the ticket by June, when I initially purchase the cancelled fare. On arrival it was exactly 20 minutes from deplaning and through immigration and I was on my way to the RER for the trip into Paris. None of the insane lines I'd read about recently. I also travel carry-on only now, so no luggage to collect. On the return, I arrived 4 hours ahead and had 3 hours and 20 minutes to kill after getting off the RER and passing security. There was no one in Terminal 2A the day I left!

Navigo Decouverte card – as I knew my hotel was close to Chatelet, I planned to take the RER and walk to the hotel from CDG. Getting the card was a breeze. All of the staff working there knew what it was when several ahead of me asked for it. I had the photo ready, paid the fee and off I went. This was a huge convenience the rest of the trip as I never had to worry about digging out the fare anywhere else along the way. I also tended to do one stop hops between stations especially when it was hot.

Hotel – on each of my previous stays I've stayed in other arrondissements, from St. Germain, Eiffel Tower, Trocadero, Marais, etc. etc. But this time I chose Hotel Britannique in the 1st, which was extremely convenient for just about everything I wanted to do. It was, quite literally, 70 paces from the Chatelet metro rue de Lavandieres exit to the front door of the hotel. Doesn't get any closer than that! I loved the hotel. My single room on the top floor looked out over the street, but I heard no street noise due to good windows and needing the A/C the first two nights I was there. The room was small, but it was a single and this is Paris, so to be expected. Very well kept, comfortable and clean. I took advantage of the 14 euro breakfast on four days, which was fine for me: yogurt, scrambled eggs, croissants, juice and coffee. I would stay here again in a heartbeat, and likely will. It had everything I want, quiet, convenient, clean and comfortable. Leaning out my window, I could see Chatelet, Notre Dame, St Sulpice and the Eiffel Tower from my room!

Weather -- I planned for cool and rainy and the day I left found myself swapping out sweaters for short sleeved summer shirts and a skirt. It would be almost 90F two days I was there, and low 60s the rest. I only used an umbrella once, during our wine tasting tour.
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Old May 22nd, 2017, 10:56 AM
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Museums – for those who don't know, I travel for temporary museum exhibitions (along with my sister, who didn't go on this trip due to her own exhibition opening next week). It's become enough of a hobby that we keep an annual tally. 2016 saw me at 163 distinct exhibitions and each year we try to best the year before. So I researched this trip with surgical precision, and did my best to hit as many as I could without driving myself to a deep case of Stendahl syndrome. So here are the ones that made the biggest impression on me (I'm adding dates in case anyone wants to visit in the coming months):

Vermeer and the Master of the Genre Painting at the Louvre (now closed at the Louvre but moving on to Dublin's National Gallery for the summer and US National Gallery in the fall) This was of course the big draw for me. While I'd seen all but one of the Vermeers in their home museums, it was still a joy to see them all in one place. I bought the catalog ahead of time and tried not to look at what else would be among the works but I read all of the essays to prepare. What was noted but not surprising in the essays as well as obvious in the exhibition itself, is that Ter Borch is really the 'star' of the exhibition, although I doubt his name would have sold as many tickets as Vermeer does. But he had handily twice the paintings in the exhibition, as well as he seemed to be the one that everyone tried to outdo when painting at that time. I liked how the exhibit was designed, but I felt the theme was a bit too obvious. I didn't have to work at making the connection at all, it was almost too easy. One thing that was interesting was a section of the exhibition that was "see, they were even good without Vermeer" which was all non-Vermeer paintings done without anything similar by him, to almost prove the point that Vermeer wasn't really needed for them to be good, which was sort of silly. The presentation was pretty good, I liked having the wall to set the paintings back into the wall and the wall colors were deep and complimentary. The audio guide I downloaded ahead of time was really informative but they obviously moved some paintings around, probably to ease the traffic flow, since the exhibit started since some that were said to be "next to" other paintings were instead on temporary half-walls elsewhere in the room. It will be interesting to see how D.C. presents this in the fall. I have the utmost respect for Arthur Wheelock who is the king of all things Dutch and Vermeer especially. While he has to stick to the overall theme, he is at liberty to display these as he wishes. Note that at least 2 if not 4 Vermeers will not be making the trip past the Louvre's exhibition.

Valentin du Boulogne: Beyond Caravaggio at the Louvre (now closed). I'd seen this at the Met late last year and fell in love with the obvious similar style shared by Caravaggio and Boulogne. While I think the Met better laid out and designed their exhibition, the audio for the Louvre was far better. I learned so much more than even what I'd read in the catalog. I love the two saints that were bedroom pieces in Versailles. They caught me the first time and held me again this time. It's such a wonderful style and so reminiscent of Caravaggio, it's bizarre that while they were alive at the same time, their paths never crossed.

Leiden Collection at the Louvre (now closed, off to Tokyo next) I'd been salivating at the opportunity to see this since we finally put the name on the "who" who bought the Vermeer from Steve Wynne several years ago. Look up Thomas Kaplan and his wife Daphne for their history. If this is only a small part of their collection, how utterly blessed they are. He is known to have the largest private collection of Rembrandts anywhere, and while exquisite, they've also crossed my path before. See, private collectors will often loan pieces to museums in return for either their not having to pay to insure them for a time, or to get them out of the space so other pieces can be on view or whatnot. I'd seen at least four of these before either at the Met or MFA Boston. Again, another name with painting story. But the entire collection is just delicious. I hope that they'll put a museum together at some point, likely in NYC from what I hear. It is a truly striking collection of Dutch masters.

Rodin 100 at the Grand Palais (through 31 July) This was the other reason I wanted to go to Paris. Last year I saw a pitifully bad Rodin exhibit and never thought I'd recover. The Grand Palais' exhibition was a masterclass in how to pull this off. The only real nitpick I had was that almost none of the labels had English translations, but that's why I had the audioguide, which was excellent. This was simply a chronological tour through Rodin's work and had some of the best known as well as little known pieces I'd seen here there and everywhere else I'd been. It was just wonderful. Perhaps the highlight for me though was the last room on the top floor, which had side by side Rodin's work along with another artist's who he had directly influenced. Seeing his Walking Man next to Giacometti's was definitely a swoon moment.

Camille Pissarro: The First of the Impressionists at Musee Marmottan (through 2 July) This was a surprise for me. I'd not always appreciated Pissarro the way I probably should, but this exhibition, another chronological tour through an artist's history, was extremely well done. Even with all-French labels I managed to learn quite a bit and come to appreciate him more. The wall colors however, were to die for. Each room set off his work exquisitely. My sister says I am a sucker for strong complimentary wall color, but I really believe it helps deliver a painting if done right. Which leads me to my next one...

Pissarro in Eragny at Musee du Luxembourg (through 9 July) So then I was hooked and went to see Pissarro at the Luxembourg and man, what a difference. Most of the wall colors were white or white/gray. I got the audio guide which helped me understand that he spent the end of his life in Eragny and became deeply political. But that was about it. What a contrast in exhibitions on the very same artist. I wanted more!

Mystical Landscapes at Musee d'Orsay (through 25 June) This was easy enough to follow on my arrival day, still weary with jetlag. This was basically how artists of all ilks painted and continue to paint and interpret landscapes through time. Some nice Monet haystacks and his Rouen cathedrals through present day artists trying to interpret space. I wouldn't rush to see it, but since I was there, it was good enough to walk through.

Jardins at the Grand Palais (through 24 July) this was really very enjoyable. It was simply a celebration of the garden in many artistic forms, whether it's a fresco from Pompeii or a very straightforward Monet or Renoir or Klimt to a contemporary artist who took 400 soil samples from along the Loire and made a 20x20 patchwork grid of them to show us what we're missing for color when we don't look down! It was also the first time I'd had a scent diffused into an exhibition, which was really very cool and obviously fit with the garden motif. This was unexpectedly fun and enjoyable, and really ran the gamut of types of art.

I could bore you with more dialog, but the others I saw are listed below. Let me know if you want any information on them.
Louvre: Dutch Drawings of the Everyday
Orangerie: Tokyo-Paris Masterworks of the Bridgestone Museum of Art Tokyo; Collection of Jean Walter and Paul Guillaume
Jacquemart Andre: From Zurburan to Rothko: Collection of Alicia Kopolowitz
Marmottan: Zao Wou-Ki and the Donation Francoise Marquet-Zao; Berthe Morisot Foundation by Denis and Annie Rouart; Illuminations and Miniatures of the Middle Ages

Right now I'd say Rodin is a strong #2 for this year so far (the exquisite Picasso-Rivera at LACMA is the one to beat for me) and Pissarro and Vermeer are in the top 10. But I'm more anxious to see Vermeer in DC before I make a final call.

But that wasn't all, I made a point to plan other experiences so I wasn't stuck in museums all week! Up next...
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Old May 22nd, 2017, 10:56 AM
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Good report. Did you like your particular wine tour and if so, what company did you use?

Are there any musuems you'd particularly recommend to someone who has already been to Paris once or twice and seen the headliners?
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Old May 22nd, 2017, 11:06 AM
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Non-museum stuff I did...

Montmartre Food Tour by Secret Food Tours (https://www.secretfoodtours.com/pari...is-food-tours/) This was EXCELLENT. We strolled Montmartre for 3 hours visiting off the beaten path (waaaaay off the beaten path) shops and purveyors of everything from bread, cheese, wine, sausage, pastries, macarons, chocolate, tasting along the way while our guide bought the fixings for a picnic lunch. It was INCREDIBLE. They also offer a Marais food tour in Paris, as well as tours in other cities around the globe. We got behind the scenes in bread-making and got to talk to the owners of all these little mom and pop type places. My only quibble was it ran long (almost an hour over) and I had to be at the Louvre for 4:00 so had to leave by 3:15. I missed only the crepe that would be made at our picnic location as dessert. The guide was very funny and kept things light and fun. I'd take another tour, and even with this one with him, again! Many repeat customers on the tour as well, which to me was a good sign. Learned a lot about the history of food in Paris generally and how locals live up there on Montmarte, only shopping daily in the many shops we stopped at.

Wine tasting with Context Tours – I'd taken a few Context tours in Rome and had good luck with them. This was a tasting tour with stops at two bistros near Bastille. We had four wines total over the 2 hours, but learned a great deal about the winemaking regions, how to know what to expect from wines from each region and the basics of wine tasting and pairing. It was very informative, but the three of us guests had trouble really connecting with guide, who was not a sommelier but rather a trained oenologist. It was just a struggle to get through the social part of the wine tasting with her. This also ran long, so I had to cancel a dinner reservation, but no mind, I stayed on with the two other guests and had a delicious meal at the second bistro we tasted at. Sometimes spontaneous works out like that. I only wish I could remember the name of it, I can see it clear as day.

Wine tasting and wine dinner at O Chateau – what a find this was! I did another tasting (Tour de France of wines) at 5:00 and then the dinner at 8:15. Both were excellent. They were manned by a delightful sommelier named Girard. The first six wines really ran the spectrum of what's available in France and he gave us enough information about the regions to understand and appreciate what we were drinking and why. I'd original signed up for their Grand Cru tasting instead, which was supposed to be of some superstar pricey bottles, but for whatever reason (I suspect low interest due to the price) this was cancelled so I got switched to this tasting, which ended up being fun and perfectly fine. O Chateau itself is a walk-in wine bar about 10 minutes from the Louvre-Rivoli stop and you can buy flights or single full-glass or tasting-glass sizes of any wine on their list, including the really pricey ones. This is your chance to taste something you'd never pay $1200 a bottle for! I did that in between the tasting and dinner. The dinner was a three course/five wine meal that was wonderfully paired. For the uninitiated it really helps you to understand how wine goes with food. I appreciated that they ably handled my vegetarian request without sacrificing the pairing objective! My only regret is I didn't go back on my last night for another night of wine flights!!

Macaron baking class at La Cuisine (https://lacuisineparis.com/) This was so much fun and my macarons came out so well! They were delicious and more like the handmade macarons that we had in Montmarte than the mass-produced ones of Laduree! (Seriously, I don't think I can ever eat another Laduree macaron after having the "real thing"!) Our chef was Guillaume and he was hilarious but a bit dry. I warned him that I'm a horror in the kitchen and it didn't take me long to prove that, but he responded (and recovered) well. La Cuisine also offers many other classes, including croissants, mille feuille and preparing and eating full meals, and I'd easily take another class. It's a few minutes' walk past Hotel de Ville along the Seine.

For meals, other than the food tour lunch, the wine pairing dinner and the meal in the bistro I can't remember the name of, I had a nice enough meal at La Fumoir after I came out of the Louvre late post-Vermeer. I also revisted Le Christine in the 6th, where we'd had a delightful meal back in 2010 in a tiny little storefront. It's now expanded to twice the size but the food is still wonderful and nice attention from the staff.

Now that I'm back and safely ensconced at my desk at work, I'm already nostalgic for some wine, cheese and bread, or as our guide PJ said "the finest of quality rot". Ha!!
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Old May 22nd, 2017, 11:10 AM
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5alive, wine tasting info is in my post above. I'd heartily recommend either classes or just sitting at the bar in O Chateau. Everyone there, from the bar staff to the sommeliers are so helpful. You'll learn just by ordering flights and talking to the staff. But the tastings are good too.

I keep going back to the "old standard" museums everywhere mainly for the temporary exhibitions and also to visit my favorite paintings that reside at each museum. The Luxembourg was new to me this time. I'd been to the Cognac-Jay and Jacquemart-Andre before but the exhibition at J-A was new. I wanted to get to the Musee Picasso, which is wonderful, but I just ran out of time. There is also a brand new museum just opened dedicated to Camille Claudel, Rodin's muse and fellow sculptor, but I didn't have time to make a day trip out of Paris. From what I've heard from others though is that it's very well done.
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Old May 22nd, 2017, 11:17 AM
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What a great report! Thank you. Can you tell us more about the "way off the beaten path in Montmartre and do you remember any of the shops you went to?

In December I took a Bouche Noelle class from La Cuisine and loved it. Our bouches were delicious!

I will check out O Chateau. Sounds like fun.
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Old May 22nd, 2017, 11:38 AM
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Amyb:

I stayed at the Britannique probably a good 10 years ago and thought it was great. I had completely forgotten about it until I happened to see it the other day when I was walking back to my hotel in the 6th.
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Old May 22nd, 2017, 12:18 PM
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Great narrations about exhibition, amyb. I enjoy reading your opinions. Admittedly I didn't pay attention to wall color. Will go to Rodin soon. What do you think about Orangerie: Tokyo-Paris Masterworks of the Bridgestone Museum of Art Tokyo?
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Old May 22nd, 2017, 12:24 PM
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I really admire your stamina for so much 'culture.' But I have my own obsessions albeit not as intesne, so I totally understand what you are doing.

I am less enamored of the various food tours which actually prevent people from discovering new things rather than revealing them. Meanwhile, did you know for example that the macarons from Ladurée and McDonald's France come from the same factory? Naturally, I understand that people who only know of burgers and fries can benefit from such an event as a food tour.

I must say that the term "wine pairings" makes my skin crawl.
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Old May 22nd, 2017, 12:58 PM
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Makes your skin crawl?
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Old May 23rd, 2017, 01:43 AM
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Belinda, I didn't write any of the stops down on the food tour, but a well placed search of "macarons Montmartre" yielded Christopher Roussel, which was indeed the stop we made. The tour started just at the funicular and wound left and almost directly behind Sacre Coeur but several blocks past it. It was deeply residential, nothing in the way of tourist attractions. It isn't some place I think I would have wandered or completely be able to find myself again.

O Chateau is great fun. If you're near the Louvre or that general area, it would be a good place to decompress after or between sights nearby. The food is also quite good too. You can order up nibbles to go with your wine at the bar.

FuryFluffy, it was my understanding that the Bridgestone is currently closed for renovations so it was sending a lot of its collection on the road. What is at the Orangerie is strong but I think I expected more. The Impressionists are well represented but not in what I'd consider top tier pieces. There was more Japanese art than I'd think too, but that's how Ishibashi's collection started. The strength, at least in what was on display, was really in more contemporary art like Pollock, Matisse, Picasso. I'd always understood it to be more Impressionist. What was frustrating is that it was hard to discern what the link was with the Orangerie (I read it on my phone while there) and what the point of this part of the collection was. I wouldn't say I was disappointed but I wish there was more context to it.
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Old May 23rd, 2017, 06:23 AM
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Makes your skin crawl?

After living in Paris for more than 40 years, I have learned that "wine pairings" exist only to make people unsure of their tastes believe that they have reached a higher level of existence when often they have just been steered away from something that they like better.
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Old May 23rd, 2017, 06:33 AM
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I think wine pairings are great for solo diners who are experiencing a wonderful meal. It allows you to match the courses with the wines because of course you aren't going to consume an entire bottle of anything and wines by the glass options are usually limited.

Many places besides Paris have wine pairings. The only place I felt ripped off was at a meal in Hong Kong where the pours were laughably meager.
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Old May 23rd, 2017, 07:29 AM
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amyb: thank you for the opinion. I'll try not to expect too much from that expo ^^
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Old May 23rd, 2017, 08:28 AM
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I think I have a different definition of wine pairings than what's discussed here. To me it means matching the food on your plate with a wine that will bring out the best in the food and vice versa. Barolo wine with black truffles, a sweet Riesling with spicy thai food. Doesn't matter if I'm eating alone or with company, "wine pairing" makes a great meal better if done right regardless of who is around the table or not. I'm not sure what else is being discussed here, wine tasting? Wine dinner? The dinner I did at O Chateau was a dinner at which the courses were matched (or "paired") with a wine to enhance the courses. How else would I learn whether it works for me or not unless I try it? I'm not sure where the skin crawling is derived from that experience, but that's Kerouac's problem not mine. A wine buyer friend of mine says "If you want Malbec with your cornflakes, go ahead, it's whatever floats your boat." So stick with that Kerouac, if doing it differently is so offensive to you. Why belittle others if they are interested in trying it? Go piss in someone else's Cheerios and leave mine alone.
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Old May 23rd, 2017, 12:39 PM
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Great report! Some of the exhibits you saw had been on my list when I went to Paris in March but I canceled almost all my plans when I developed bronchitis. So I am very glad to read about them. Thank you.
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Old May 24th, 2017, 07:51 AM
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FANTASTIC report! Thank you so much amyb for this. You gave me so many great ideas for our trip in August. Thank you!!
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Old May 24th, 2017, 10:53 AM
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Thanks for this lovely report, amyb. The Montmartre food tour and the experience at O Chateau sound lovely and are on my list for September.
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Old May 24th, 2017, 11:49 AM
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So glad this has been useful for others! I say that as I sit at my desk at work and long for a baguette, some nice cheese and a glass of wine!
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