Apres_Londee

The Pompidou Centre

Now, from what I can tell, the Pompidou Centre doesn't seem to be such a smash hit for some posters. I am not one of those posters. The only thing better than the outside of the Pompidou Centre is the art collection found inside. It's so good, it's ridiculous.

My Blue Guide describes the modern art collection on the fifth floor like this: "Works by all major artists of the first half of the 20th century, from Matisse to Gemaine Richier, are in the collections, representing the major movements of the period from Fauvism to Art Brut. There are also extensive collections of architecture and design."

I describe it like this: "Heaven."

I began a love affair with Andre Derain at the Pompidou (and continued the affair after having my feelings confirmed the next day at the l'Orangerie), but I think my favourite piece may have been Fernand Leger’s La Noce. Of course it’s impossible to have just one. I also particularly enjoyed the Braques, Picassos, and Chagalls.

Not everyone in the museum was enjoying their day as much as I, however. One middle-aged couple in particular stands out in my mind. She looked bewildered and grumpy. He was looking bewildered and defeated.

"This 'un here's a Picasso," he said, in an apparent attempt to be helpful. God forgive me but he sounded exactly like Cletus the Hillbilly from the Simpsons.

"I already looked at that one," she said, clearly unimpressed with both the painting *and* her husband.

They left the room, and I don't remember seeing them again after that.

I also had the pleasure of seeing a French school group, probably Grade 4 or 5's, being lead by a museum guide into a gallery, trailed by a couple of teachers. They sat down in front of Joan Miro's The Bull Fight. Their teacher only had to ask them to settle down once before the museum guide began his discussion.

Had any of the students ever been to Spain? Perhaps on holiday with their family? Yes? Perhaps they’ve seen movies or television shows set in Spain. What did they think of when they thought of Spain? Matadors? Bull Fights? Well, this painting was done by...

I had fun eavesdropping and seeing the children gaze up at the painting and hearing them participate in the discussion. They would grow up to have a very different relationship with modern art than the couple I overhead earlier, I thought.

adrienne

Looks like I'll try Beaubourg next trip. I've avoided it so far because I'm not a fan of modern art but I'm learning to appreciate it (if not love it).

Great description of the bewildered couple and I love to see school groups in museums or other cultural sights. I never had that opportunity growing up.

Your trip report is great. I'm always divided between staying in the midst of the action or going to an area with mostly locals and always choose the former.

Loved the toilet paper/ paper towel confusion. I did that once at home!

AJPeabody

What we like best about Pompidou Ctr is the the temporary exhibit. Once it was all about Brancusi. Another time it was a very avant gard walk through installation.

LCBoniti

Apres, I love your people-watching skills! Thanks for sharing your observations.

palette

Enjoying your report so much - I've been back about 2 weeks and this is just the pick up I needed from my re-entry depression. We also did a full day at St. Denis - on a Saturday which was market day and also two weddings at the city hall and then we did the basilique. I had to laugh during your photos because I have the very same Islamic approved butcher shop in mine!

kerouac

The pictures are great, and I'm glad that you alternate the "people" shots with "tourist site" shots -- a lot of the photo galleries posted here just concentrate on the "beautiful" pictures and eliminate the residents of the city and scenes of daily life.

Bazonia

Like many others, I am thoroughly enjoying this trip report.

Do you think the bewildered, grumpy and defeated couple were having their first day of the trip?

You completely captured the feelings and confusion of the first day on the ground, of even the most longed-for trip. The heroic effort of going to the grocery store and ending up with paper towels instead of toilet paper - so typical! Also eating breakfast three meals in a row...

The best thing about the first day is that when I wake up on the second morning everything looks a thousand times better and I am in love with wherever I am staying.

We have to invent a way to make the second day the first day - maybe someday I will be able to adjust like some of the posters on this forum - give up on trying to get any touristing done on the first day. Who am I kidding? I'll never do it.

Keep up the writing and I love the pictures, especially the guy looking at the painting from two inches away. Er...,uuuummmm, I do that myself sometimes - I like to see the tiny details close up.

Baz

Therese

For future reference, the Pompidou has a nice bookstore (to your right as you enter).

It's also a great place to see some interesting films and lectures, and it's generally pretty inexpensive. I saw Atom Egoyan's "Citadel", featuring an introduction by him beforehand and a reception afterwards for some very small amount of money (under 10 euro, I'm pretty sure).

Apres_Londee

I love modern art. I even like a lot of contemporary abstract/instellation art because it's like a game or a puzzle, and fun to piece together.

But anyone who enjoys the Walter-Guillaume collection at the l'Orangerie can find something to like at the Pompidou. Artists represented there (off the top of my head) include Georges Braque, Juan Gris, Picasso, Derain, Chagall, Matisse, Modigliani, Marcel Duchamp, Jackson Pollack, Max Earnst, Joan Miro, Giacometti, Kandisky, Paul Klee, Salvidor dali, even Francis Bacon.

(I've probably made a ton of spelling mistakes-like I see that I've done in the rest of my posts. The only think worse than my spelling is my typing)

My only advice to future visitors interested in those artists is this- remember that the Modern Collection (1900-1960 or so) is on the 5th floor, and the Contemporary Collection (1960 to date) is on the 4th floor.

You can't take the escalator to the 5th floor. You have to go to the 4th floor, enter the museum by showing your pass or ticket that you purchased downstairs on the main level, and then walk straight ahead until you come to a big staircase. Walk up the stairs and you will be on the 5th floor where you will find piece after piece done by the artists I listed above, plus many, many more.

If I rememeber correctly, there is a free pamphlet with a map of the galleries, that should help anyone find a particular artist or work. I didn't use it myself, I went the full monty and checked out every gallery on the floor.

The museum website is also a good planning tool for locating what you want to see. I'd say, if your not a huge fan of modern art, treat the Pompidou like the Louvre and plot out your plan of attack before hand. That way you can avoid getting getting lost or overwhelmed in a sea of stuff you're not really interested in. And who knows, you might make a few surprising discoveries along the way.

adrienne

Apres - I'm a sculpture fan. Is there much of that at Beaubourg?

Last trip I focused on things I had never done before and smaller museums (post office, Jewish, Bourdelle, Delacroix) and churches. I had my long desire to see the Val de Grace church fulfilled!

Love your report!

Apres_Londee

I've done the papertowel/toliet paper mistake at home, too. I guess in my excitment at finding something labeled "Ultra Compact", I forgot to squeeze the package to make sure those rolls were seperated in the middle.

I'm glad someone else enjoyed exploring St-Denis. You heard it hear first, folks- palette and apres say, for a fun experience entirely different than wandering St Germain de Pres, go to St Denis on a sunny Saturday in the spring.

And speaking of modern art...that man in the photo, looking at the painting really, really up close? He's not a man. He's an art installation by Jan Fabre at the Louvre. If you look closely, you'll see a big pool of blood collected at his feet. Quite funny, if you ask me.

Apres_Londee

Hi adrienne! From what I recall, there is some, but the collection is really focused on paintings. And from I remember, most of the sculpture is actually more like "pieces"- ie masks, collage, things done with wire. Not much sculpture, like for instance I'm thinking of Picasso or Henry Moore. There are a couple of Giacometti's. Oh- and of course Germaine Richer.

But I didn't get to the 4th floor contemporary collection, I would imagine that would have more sculpture.

Apres_Londee

I hadn't heard of the Val de Grace but I just looked it up and it sounds fascinating...something to add to my list for sure!

I wish I could spend a year in Paris with everyday free to do what I wanted. That would be a dream come true, exploring all the little museums and churches, with all the time in the world.

Apres_Londee

About my photos- I am always interested in people, especially children, but also men-in-uniform type jobs, like maintenance workers and police officers. I also love taking pictures of butchers and meat, which I missed this trip.

A few times, I was sure I would be arrested as a pedophile or a terrorist. I was paranoid that a parent would get angry, what with this stranger taking pictures of their kids. I did my best to be subtle, luckily I didn't seem to freak anyone out. I'm sure if I were man, there is no way I could take half the shots that I did.

I was also paranoid that the police would get suspicious of me, because I took so many photos of the police headquarters, police security checks, police hanging out on a coffee break, etc. Again, who knows, if I wasn't a white woman, maybe I would have actually encountered some trouble.

Apres_Londee

STRAVINSKY FOUNTAIN & BHV

I was really sorry to leave the Pompidou, but I was getting tired and my feet were sore. I went through the last few galleries fairly quickly, and took a few minutes to freshen up in the washroom before heading back down to the fourth floor. I would have liked to look through the contemporary art collection there, but I was done for the day. I'll have to go back next time.

By that time, the area in front of the Pompidou Centre was packed. I should have taken a photo, to show difference between when I went in and when I came out (I do have a picture up of what the square looked like as I went in)

It reminded me of the campo in Siena.

I headed over to the Stravinsky Fountain, found a spot on a bench, and drank a bottle of water. It was really warm and sunny, like summer, and lots of people including children were out walking and hanging around. The cafes were brimming with people having drinks, and a group of teenagers were playing football in the small square between the fountain and the Eglise St Merri (you can see them in a couple of my pictures)

Paris seems like such a kid-friendly place to me- even the Pompidou Centre had a special exhibit area for children. Kids also seemed to love the Stravinsky Fountain. A lot of them were watching the teenagers' foot ball game with that look of awe young children always have for older kids.

Apres_Londee

After a while I felt revived enough to walk over to BHV and do a bit of shopping and poking around.

I enjoyed browsing though the table linens. If had a dining-room table, I definitely would have bought myself a tablecloth. What I did buy was a very large, black and white-patterned, square serviette to use as a table covering on one of my small side tables at home. I bought a couple more in different colours and patterns to bring back as gifts. They cost about 10€ each.

You can also get very nice, BHV brand napkins in a wide variety of solid colours about 2-3€ a piece. So there are some nice, inexpensive gifts to be found in BHV. A couple of napkins with some mustard or chocolate from the grocery store would total about 10€, and makes for a very nice and colourful gift.

I zoomed up to the toy department, and bought a couple of sets of Asterix play figures, again to bring home for gifts. They come in a sort of plastic tube, full of plastic figures. There were two choices- 'regular' Asterix, and Asterix at the Olympics (of course).

They cost approx 20-25€ a set, with the Olympics costing a couple of euro more than the regular. Needless to say you can't find Asterix toys in North America. Well, actually you can but they are very expensive and tend to be more for collectors than real toys for children.

I also had fun looking in the kitchen appliance section. Everything looked so small to my North American eyes, I almost felt as though as I were in Legoland. Tiny ovens, little refrigerators, teensy-weensy washing machines and dishwashers. There was a section with a few big, American sized appliances.

It was also fun looking at all the shopping bags for sale. The wheeled shopping bags come in every colour imaginable, even trendy prints like camouflage. I think the shopping bag section was as big as the appliance section.

Again, this was so different from the way things are at home. Here in Canada, wheeled shopping bags are sort of associated with the elderly and the poor. It's expected you’ll have either a car or a delivery service, no need to go wheeling your groceries around behind you on a bus, although for some reason carrying them home in plastic bags is acceptable.

For 5€ I bought a very lightweight, polyester tote bag that folds up into nothing and comes with a little carrying pouch. A German brand name called Reisenthel (made in China).

I wish I had kept the little label that says how much weight and volume it carries but believe me, it's a lot. I was a bit dubious at first because the bags look sort of flimsy, but I would find out that it is in fact quite strong and holds a lot more than I would have thought. Now I wish I had bought more than one.

Apres_Londee

The other section of BHV I browsed was the kitchen stuff- pots, pans, cutlery, kitchen gadgets, dishes, teapots, bodums. The pots and pans were all very high quality. I would have enjoyed nothing more than to go on a spree, but it was the same old thing...how would I ever carry that stuff home? And where would I put it all once I got there?

I decided I'd better get going. I am VERY susceptible to all the marketing tricks in the shops- the lights, the presentation, the drugs they must gas you with from the air ventilation system.

Let's put it this way: I’ll be at the airport at home, killing time by browsing in the stores, and after a while I'll start handling the toy stuffed beavers dressed in Mounties uniforms and think "these are sooooo cute. There must be SOMEONE I know who would just love one...and maybe a box of those chocolate moose dropping to go with it"

When that happens, I know it's time for me to put whatever it is in my hands down and leave the premises immediately.

I had my cotton linen napkins, my Asterix toys, my shopping bag, which were all lightweight and easy to pack. I didn't need anything else. And I was tired and hungry. So I left BHV and walked along Rue de Rivoli, wondering where I was supposed to catch the 96 bus back home since this was a one way street going in the opposite direction of where I needed to go.

That's when a bus came rumbling along on the sidewalk, and I realized I wasn't actually on a sidewalk, but a narrow little bus lane. RATP, je t'aime.

The bus wasn't a 96, but now that I knew what was what and had spied a bus stop I could stop worrying. I ducked into a Franprix to pick up some lettuce, tomatoes, and soft mozzarella for dinner. It was quite busy, this being the after-work rush hour, and the line-ups at the cash where long.

The guy in front of me held up the line by making a fuss about not getting the right change- it was a few centimes short. The guy behind me sighed and rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath. For the first time since landing in Paris, I felt right at home. There are people who will gladly hold up a long line of tired, hungry people on their way home from work at the grocery store for 20 cents all over the world. And all over the world, all the other people in the line up hate them.

I rode the bus home, but before going back to the apartment made two quick stops. First, I walked over to a flower shop I had noticed earlier, and bought a potted plant of purple flowers. The shop was owned and run by an older Chinese couple, and they were very sweet and helpful.

Then, I went into one of the two bakeries down the road from the apartment, stood in a short line, and bought a baguette. It was still warm- they must have made a fresh batch for the after work crowd. I couldn't wait to get home and sink my teeth into my first baguette of the trip.

And yes, the bread was heavenly. No one does bread like the French. Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, the perfect mild tang of yeast, nothing comes close to a real French baguette.

I made a salad with red leaf lettuce, tomatoes, and mozzarella, all drenched in balsamic vinegar and olive oil, and tore off piece and after piece of baguette. It was starving, and it was delicious.

For anyone on a tight budget or just looking to reduce costs while traveling, please know you can eat very well in Paris for next to nothing. You won't be depriving yourself if you don’t eat in a restaurant every night, and if you’re like me and are happy to make do with simple meals, you can save a lot of money while enjoying wonderful vegetables, fruit, cheese, and of course that wonderful bread.

Apres_Londee

SATURDAY

St Denis

I slept like a log Friday night and woke up to another clear, sunny day on Saturday. My plan for the day was to take the metro up to St Denis to see the basilica.

Then I thought I’d go to the Musee l’Orangerie in the afternoon, and then attend a free cello concert at the eglise St Merri later that evening. I never did make it to the concert, however, because I ended up spending far more time in St Denis than I had originally anticipated.

I got a bit of a late start that morning, and left the apartment around 9:30am. About an hour later I was walking up the steps of Basilique St Denis. It may not look like much from the front outside, but this church is truly magnificent. There were a couple of handfuls of other tourists, but none that were English-speaking as far as I could tell. Quite a number of them were French, in fact.

I spent a happy hour or so wandering in the main part of the basilica, which is free to visit. Then I followed the sign out the side door, to the little modern ticket kiosk outside.
My museum pass gave me free admission to the crypt. The young girl at the kiosk asked me where I was from. I said Canada. She entered this into her computer, "Canada...Anglophone." Then she smiled and wished me a bonne journee.

They must have been taking a survey. I don't know if they were only recording the stats of tourists with museum passes, or all visitors.

I should emphasize that, when visiting the basilica, make sure you look for this side door. There is a little iron gate separating the front part of the church from the crypt, so one can see all the crypt statuary from the front, and I saw more than one person trying to open the gate to get to the good stuff behind it.

No can do. You have to go out the side door, and the ticket booth is a little to the left. Even people who were outside right by the booth were having trouble.

One woman who was with her mother asked me in French if I knew where to pay for the kings’ tombs. I summed my skills and directed her to the ticket booth. She said in accented English, sounding very surprised, "Oh! You don’t speak French?"

Guilty as charged. I made a mental note to look into some conversational French classes once I got home. I was going to tell her no, I was a tourist from Canada, but then I didn't want to bring shame on my country. Instead I said no, just a little bit, I'm very sorry.

She and her mother were quite nice ladies, they smiled and thanked me and went on their way. I wasn't sure what further reaction to expect. I think I forgot to mention that the day before, in BHV, while paying for my stuff, the man at the register asked me if I needed a gift receipt.

I said no, thank you. He then went on to say something that I didn't understand at all. I had to apologize and tell him I didn't understand, I didn't speak much French. He sort of went "Ah..." and nodded his head gently. A paternal expression of slight pity came to his face, as if I had just told him I was mildly retarded.

He didn't say another word, but all of his movements slowed down. He handed me back my change very carefully, and then put my purchases in a bag and presented me with the handle. He only smiled when I thanked him. I felt like I was about four years old.

klondike

Howled laughing at this latest entry-- can totally relate, only sometimes they will raise the voice a decibel or two as they slow-mo the e-nun-ci-a-tion, as well.

Thanks for a great read!

Danna

This is a great read! I feel just like I was in Paris again. "...as if I were mildly retarded." LOL

Better that than the person holding up the front of the line at the grocery.

I loved your photos with "real" people. So much better than all beautiful buildings all the time.

Thank you for your report.