Paris and Beyond, March April 2011, a serial report
Apr 8th, 2011, 04:40 AM
#61
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"<i>We had a lovely conversation with a couple from Newfoundland on their first visit to Paris. They appreciated the weather even more than we did.</i>"
This just made me smile. Every time I want to grumble about our weather in Nova Scotia, I think about the four years I lived in Newfoundland.
This just made me smile. Every time I want to grumble about our weather in Nova Scotia, I think about the four years I lived in Newfoundland.
May 13th, 2012, 01:22 PM
#64
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Ackislander, really enjoyed your trip report as usual. A few observations:
“D and I found the Cranach interesting but we remained unconvinced of his greatness as an artist.”
Obviously your judgment is spot on. If I recall, Cranach was one of Hitler’s favorite artists – he had dreams of collecting as many as possible for his “dream” museums in Linz. This pipe dream is carefully chronicled in THE RAPE OF EUROPA: The Fate of Europe’s Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War by Lynn H. Nicholas. Incredible how many art treasures were being whisked hither and yon across the continent in the mid of madness and chaos during WWII.
“It had been very hot in the museum, so I was ready to go home. D, tireless, went on to the Nissim de Camondo museum next door.”
Did D enjoy the Camondo? That will be a must when I go to Paris in early June. Interested in the tragic story of that family.
“I can now read and understand about 80-90 percent of what I read on museum labels, and I could follow the opera the other night through the French supertitles, though I did not figure out one critical word until I got home. I am seldom stumped on business signs and can make my way slowly through the newspaper, but people who are not used to dealing with tourists often have hard time understanding me -- and vice versa!”
I too have been preparing for this trip by re-visiting my French which I took decades ago. I bought a basic grammar and a French-English dictionary which I installed on my computer. I try to read articles from LE MONDE and LA FIGARO most days. I just click on the word (s) I don’t know and go from there. I doubt that I will have the courage to speak it but my reading has improved.
Again, Ack, really enjoyed your trip report. Where to next?
“D and I found the Cranach interesting but we remained unconvinced of his greatness as an artist.”
Obviously your judgment is spot on. If I recall, Cranach was one of Hitler’s favorite artists – he had dreams of collecting as many as possible for his “dream” museums in Linz. This pipe dream is carefully chronicled in THE RAPE OF EUROPA: The Fate of Europe’s Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War by Lynn H. Nicholas. Incredible how many art treasures were being whisked hither and yon across the continent in the mid of madness and chaos during WWII.
“It had been very hot in the museum, so I was ready to go home. D, tireless, went on to the Nissim de Camondo museum next door.”
Did D enjoy the Camondo? That will be a must when I go to Paris in early June. Interested in the tragic story of that family.
“I can now read and understand about 80-90 percent of what I read on museum labels, and I could follow the opera the other night through the French supertitles, though I did not figure out one critical word until I got home. I am seldom stumped on business signs and can make my way slowly through the newspaper, but people who are not used to dealing with tourists often have hard time understanding me -- and vice versa!”
I too have been preparing for this trip by re-visiting my French which I took decades ago. I bought a basic grammar and a French-English dictionary which I installed on my computer. I try to read articles from LE MONDE and LA FIGARO most days. I just click on the word (s) I don’t know and go from there. I doubt that I will have the courage to speak it but my reading has improved.
Again, Ack, really enjoyed your trip report. Where to next?
Aug 22nd, 2012, 06:27 AM
#65
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Hi, This report is great! Could you tell me how you found the apartment, or could you recommend the exact website for that apartment? We'd love to stay there if you think there is room for a portable crib. Thank you!!!
