We say goodby to Richard and Donna and off we go at 6:45 AM by airport shuttle to Charles de Galle. Terminal 2E is the huge international terminal but we have no trouble finding the Delta/Air France check-in and then pause at the duty-free shops on our way to the gate. The high-end clothiers and parfumiers are all here. So are Au Printemps and Galleries Lafayette.

The flight back was 10 hours and we both dozed intermittently. About 4 hours out, I opened my window curtain and was treated to an amazing sight. Huge snow-covered mountain peaks, glaciers, and fjords. Even from 30,000 feet they appeared huge. Most of what we saw was a blanket of white with no sign of human habitation. Jan pulled out the route map and we determined this must be the southern tip of Greenland and we continued to cross it for 20 minutes or so. I really never thought too much about Greenland but have come to learn that it is now an autonomous country still closely aligned with Denmark which provides an annual subsidy and for defense and security needs. There are 58,000 inhabitants, mostly clustered on the a narrow strip of the ice-free west coast. The capital is Nuuk and the majority of Greenlanders are Inuit or Inuit/Danish mix but 15,ooo are Danish only.

We landed in Salt Lake City 10 hours after take-off but it is now only 2 PM in the afternoon. After clearing customs and re checking our luggage for the flight to Phoenix, we get a chance to visit with Jerry for a while. He is still recovering from his upper respiratory infection that began 3 days before he and Donna left France. It had laid him pretty low to the point where he was unable to walk his dog, Sadie, up to the H-Rock above his house. But he is beginning to feel much better.

Our flight to Phoenix was uneventful and Melissa, our excellent housesitter was there to meet us and drive us back home. By now we figure it is 3 AM by our Paris time clocks and sure enough, we are ready for bed.

Now, with very little elapsed time for reflection about our trip, these are some things that readily come to mind about France.

The provinces were where the really friendly people were 30 years ago. Paris was then a bastion of snootery levelled even against those of us who could converse in basic French. The present generation of Parisians are much friendlier. If you begin by “Bonjour”. And follow with “Parley vous Anglais”?, they almost always say “un Peu” and if you then respond, “bon” you can then change the conversation to English and they will do their best to converse with you. And their best is usually good enough.

It is so nice to share travel with family and friends. This was a special trip for that reason alone.

Apartments are great if you are staying a while and have the right apartment in the right location. We did.

Everything in France is smaller- cars, bathrooms, washer/dryers, meal portions, sidewalks, people.

Driving in France is no problem providing you have a competent co-pilot who is good at map-reading and has good GPS skills. Yes, we did use a GPS that Jerry had researched and programmed with European mapware. The GPS was mainly helpful is getting in and out of the cities. We did not attempt to drive in Paris but had friends who did. They would not recommend it. So take the train to the province you wish to sightsee in and then rent the car. The cost of the car rental was about $70-80 per day for a standard shift diesel mid size car.

The provinces are where the moderately-pirced really good food is- this was true in Saint-Malo, Pontorson, Nancy, Dijon and others. Paris restaurants offer good food, but not good value. This is why in Paris it is best to stick with the neighborhood boulangerie, charcouterie and patisserie for most of the meals.

Every woman in Paris wears a scarf and has a signature scarf knot. Most men do as well. Even when we first arrived in warm weather we saw men walking around in short sleeves and a scarf. It seem to be a part of their personality.

Many younger Parisian women wear short shorts, boots and black stockings. This is true whether it is a warm day, a cold day or a rainy day. This is strange but it is not a complaint.

Sidewalks in Paris are too narrow even when they are wide which they are usually not. This is especially true Saturday afternoons and evenings when it seems all humanity is going somewhere and the metros are impossibly crowded.

The climb up the Notre Dame Cathedral de Paris is really worthwhile where you can mingle with the chmieras and the great Emmanuel bell. The views are wonderful, too. Of course the views from the Arc de Triomphe and the observation deck of the Montparnasse Skyscraper are nice as well, but the Notre Dame towers have greater cachet.

Dogs are king in Paris. After going into a couple of pet store and seeing the 1,300 euro price tag for a Chihuahua, I can see why. Dogs are accepted most everywhere, including restaurants. And Parisians are not good about cleaning up after their dogs, either. They rely on their street/sidewalk sweepers and cleaners to do that. Street/sidewalk cleaning is done almost daily and therefore gives the illusion that Parisians do not litter. I get the impression that it is just the opposite.

You can usually tell if a boulangerie/patisserie is open when you are walking down the street because there is a beggar with his dog sitting beside the doorway. homelessness seems less that American cities but is does exist, even on the Champs-Elysee.

That is about all I can think of to say about general trip impressions of France and Paris.

For Switzerland, I would say that the big cities are much less interesting than those in France and much more expensive because of the strength of the Swiss Franc. One of the best memories of our trip, though, will be the visit to the Phillipe-Patek Watch Museum in Geneva and our stay and meal at the L’Auberge de Hermance and the neighboring walled village of Yvoire.

In mid-afternoon Richard and Jan and I go out for a final afternoon walk over the Pont Neuf Bridge. We have in mind to visit the little park beneath the bridge on the tip of the island. We had not done this before. The weather is blustery and turning colder. The park is lovely and nearly at the level of the river. There is a willow tree at the very end of the park and there is a crew filming actors who are making a movie. The actors and actresses are sitting around having a good time at a picnic. They are doing a great job at conveying pleasure in what they are doing but must be very cold. On the way back to the bridge we notice an ominous placard noting that this is the very spot where Jaques DeMolay, the leader of the Knights Templar was burned at the stake in 1314.

Now we cross the busy quai and walk partway around the Acadamie Francaise, the beautiful building serving as the home of the French institution that serves to coordinate all aspects of Gallic arts and scientific endeavors. The building is a handsome domed structure. The entry ways are all barred today so back we go to the apartment.

We have our final dinner of Quiche and left-overs with Richard and Donna and finish our packing.

Tomorrow our airport shuttle comes at 6:45 AM.

In the next blog I will have some final comments about our 5 weeks in France.

The Main Ambulatory Chapel. Pigalle Virgin and Child, Saint-Sulpice

Resident Panhandler and Dog on the Pont Neuf Bridge

Our Neighborhood Produce Stand on the Rue St.-Honore

Our Neighborhood Charcuterie on the Rue St.-Honore

The Grand Staircase Paris Opera Bastille

Laura Aiken as Lulu Setting the Mood Prior to Start of Lulu

Laura Aiken as Lulu in Opening Set of Paris Opera Lulu

Paris Opera Bastille Concourse and Concession Area

Interior, Paris Opera Bastille Auditorium

Facade of Eglise Saint-Sulpice

Four Cardinals Fountain Saint-Sulpice Plaza

Shopping Window Saint-Germain des Pres

Art work in Front of Cartier Shop (Saint-Germain des Pres)

Yves Saint Laurent Shoes

Christian Dior Shoes

Cafe Des Flore

Deux Magots Restaurant

Looking Across the Saint-Germain des Pres Plaza towrds the Famous Cafes

Placard at the Plaza

Now we walk back to the apartment over the Pont des Artes. The booksellers along the Seine are doing a good business today. Jan goes shopping for takeout. Donna is suddenly not feeling too well. We take a nap and get up to eat supper of roasted chicken, greek salad, eggplant salad, leftover pasta, and a dessert of a large creampuff with carmelized custard.

By now it is evident that Donna is not able to make it to the opera so Richard takes the metro with us to the Opera de Paris Bastille to see if he can sell his tickets as he does not want to leave Donna alone for too long. There is a long line at the ticket office and it does not take too long to strike a deal with two French ladies in line hoping to see this performance of Lulu.

Jan and I enter the opera house. It is still early with 30 minutes to go before the start. In France if you want a program, you will pay dearly for it, in this case $16. Even so, he program sellers are doing a brisk business. The foyer and staircase of the opera are functional but not elegant. The materials are of the finest- white marble, black metal trim, crushed velvet wall coverings. The hall itself is a wonderful space, and even though we are in the second row of the second balcony, we are fairly close to the stage and not too high up. The view is very good and the seats are comfortable.

There is a large orchestra for the dense and complex orchestration. There are 14 winds, including the alto saxophone that features prominently in the score. Alban Berg wrote the opera Lula in the 1930′s but died presumably of blood poisoning before fully completing the 3rd act. The opera was premiered in its unfinished form in Zurich in 1937. Berg’s widow asked composers including Schoenberg to complete the score but there were difficulties and finally she forbade any further attempts. With her death some 40 years after her husband’s, the score was finally completed and Pierre Boulez conducted the first performance of the complete opera in Paris at the Palais Garnier. Thus, it is fitting that we see this new production here in Paris. The plot is as complex as the musical score with 15 singers, many of whom have dual roles. Tonight’s Lulu is the American Laura Aiken who performs mainly in Europe and has done Lulu in several houses including La Scala. This is a difficult role which requires an energetic singer with a large voice and marvelous acting skills. Fortunately, Ms. Aiken has these skills plus the ability to walk around the precarious sets and climb ladders in high heels. The sets are colorful yet sparse. The opera was sung in German with French subtitles. We had read the synopsis beforehand and so were able to follow the plot fairly well. Of course, the plot is shocking and Lulu is a degenerate human being but there is something fascinating about the work as a whole and the audience stayed with it and demanded four curtains. The orchestra was very fond of the conductor, Michael Schonwandt, and so there was a lot of foot shuffling of the musicians as they showed their appreciation of him. He is the Danish conductor of the Danish Opera and Orchestra.

The opera is noted for its symmetry and fittingly the three acts are 60, 55 and 50 minutes. The two intermissions are 25 minutes each and so we get back to the apt and to bed just before midnight. I would love to see this opera again with English subtitles.

I would also love to have heard what Donna and Richard thought about the opera had they seen it.

Facade of Eglise Saint-Etienne

Saint-Etienne Rood Screen Separating the Nave and the Chancel

Detail from Rood Screen, Saint-Etienne

Brancusi Studio

Late Evening Picture-taking, Arc de Triomphe

Kitchen at Neighborhood Italian Restaurant

Brancusi Studio Adjacent to Pompidou Center

Ted Baker Shoe Display, Place des Voges

Donna and Richard, Courtyard Garden Hotel Sully

Jan and Gary Courtyard Garden Hotel Sully

Fresh Fruit Display Rue des Deux Ponts, Ile de Saint-Louis

Hotel des Grandes Ecoles off Rue Cardinal Lamoines

Detail from Marble Rood Screen, Eglise St.-Etienne

It is a beautiful day to be in Paris. The sun is out and the sky is blue. Richard is wearing only a light sweater but is carrying an umbrella. He realizes that the umbrella is not necessary as we cross the Rue de Rivoli only a few steps from our apartment but we continue on. It is November in Paris and you never really know whether rain is in your immediate future. The temperature is ideal for walking.

We walk up the Blvd Saint-Michel to Blvd St-Germain de Pres and walk through the herbal gardens at Cluny. Then we enter the Eglise Saint-Etienne to view its unique rood screen. We reach the Pantheon and then take the Rue Descartes which leads into the Rue Mouffetard where we are disappointed that there is no Friday market. No matter. There are scarves to be had at the Diwali shop where they are playing music by the Somali singer Ayo. There is also ice cream to eat from Amorino. On the way back we discover a marvelous courtyard off the Rue Cardinal Lemoine and are astonished to see that it is a hotel, the Hotel des Grandes Ecoles. The hotel is moderately priced in the 120-150 euros range and a good for future reference if we require a Paris hotel for future trips. Now we continue down the Carinal Lemoine to the Rue des Ecole and spot Richard and Donna’s hotel for next week, the Familia. We cross the river at the Pont Tournelle and walk across the Ile Saint-Louis to the Rue Saint-Antoine and enter the Hotel Sully courtyard through an archway. The splendid equestrian statue of Louis XIV is still there. We walk across the courtyard garden of the Sully and through the doorway into the vast Place Vosges. It is lunchtime and many people are eating outside along the covered arcades.

Now we make our way to the Musee Carnavalet. The Carnavalet is a museum housed in two adjacent mansions in the center of the Marais district. It is a museum concerned with the history of Paris as documented by paintings and momentos of its prominent personages. It is free and has beautiful courtyards with manicured gardens. So far, so good. Now for the not so good. Entire wings and portions of the collection are frequently roped off. When we were there, the part of the collection dealing with the 16th and 17th centuries was closed between 11:30 and 2:30. What is the reason for that? Also, the displays are poorly lit, the passages through the museum are labyrinthine, the elevator does not work and the place has a somewhat dingy feel to it.Donna greatly enjoyed the paintings, especially one by Jules Adler from 1923 titled The Communicants (also called Spring in Paris).

Now we return to the apartment by way of the Pompidou and the Brancusi Studio. Bruacusi was from Romania but lived and worked in Paris until his death in 1957. Some of his sculptures have sold for as much as 37 million dollars. He willed his works to the city of Paris providing that they would be displayed precisely as they had been in his own studio. So the architect designed a modern space adjacent to the Pompidou where 4 studio rooms are set up with Bruncusi’s works and tools. The studio lighting is from natural light.

Our plan is to get lunch at a neighborhood Italian restaurant that had never been open before when we needed it. This afternoon it is open an we order take out of salads, pumpkin soup, a nd three kinds of pasta-tagiatelle with shrimp and green beans, conchiglie (like conch shells) with ground sausage and vegetable lasagne. This is wonderful food and for dessert, orange pound cake with vanilla ice cream.

Then after an afternoon nap we take the metro to Charles de Gaulle de Etoile (the stop at the Arc de Triomphe) and walk a few blocks up the Rue de Hoche to the Rue de Fauborg St-Honore and the Salle Pleyel for the concert by the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. The hall has been renovated and is quite modern and with comfortable seating and good sight lines. We are located in the first balcony and notice that the audience for the most part consists of young adults. Two of our seats were doubly sold but the other couple arrived after we did and found seating in the row in front of us and did not seem too put out. The concert began on time and the Finnish guest conductor, Jukka-Pekka Saraste (conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic) led the reduced string sections through the 9 short movements of Benjamin Britten’s Les Illuminations with the German soprano soloist Christine Schafer. Ms. Schafer has sung Lulu with the Glyndeborne Festival and Sophie from Der Rosenkavalier at the Met. Her interpretation of this difficult set of songs was very good. The songs are based on poems by Rimaud and are diverse in their themes.

After intermission, the full orchestra takes the stage for the coup de grace, the Shostakovich Symphony No 8. The oboist stands to tune the orchestra and faces to the front, right and left while doing so. The conductor takes the stage and it begins. The first movement is 30 minutes and Donna says it reminds her of an auditory interpretation of Picasso’s Guernica. This is an apt description. The symphony has many cataclysmic moments but also many tender moments that are well-played by the symphony soloists- the english horn, the principal strings, the bassoon and others. There are 18 1st violins on stage, 30 violins in all. There are 7 percussionists. The conductor led the orchestra through the score with a sure hand and after the symphony ends with a whimper, the audience erupts with applause and some bravos. Only a handful stand for the ovation but the applause goes on for 7 or 8 minutes.

After the concert is is nearly 10:30 and we pause to admire and photograph the Arc de Triomphe at night and then stroll down the broad sidewalk of the Champs Elysee to the FDR metro station. The sidewalk is full of people window shopping, eating at the sidewalk cafes, and just hanging out. It is a Friday night in Paris and the weather is beautiful for strolling.

We arrive home and are in bed by midnight.

Entrance to 5th Floor Musee d'Orsay Galleries. Museums Can Be Tiring.

Mezzanine Restaurant, Musay d'Orsay

Ceiling Detail, Second Floor Restaurant Musee d'Orsay

Richard and Donna in the Elegant Second Floor Restaurant, Musee d'Orsay

Enormous Inside Clock Overlooking the Open Gallery Atrium

Our Locks on the Pont des Artes Footbridge

Massive Outside Clock from Gare d'Orsay Station Viewed from Inside the Musuem

Jan at Restaurant, Musee d'Orsay

van Gogh. The Bedroom at Arles. 1889

van Gogh. La Siesta. 1884

van Gogh. Detail from Madame Ginoux with the Books

View of Musee d'Orsay at Night from Across the Seine

Walking Back from Musee d'Orsay in Light Rainfall. Just Upstream from the Museum

It is Thursday and the Musee d’Orsay has evening hours till 9:45. This is a good day to go there, have a leisurely lunch and leave when we are worn out or finished with our viewing and not be forced to leave because of the museum’s usual closing hour.

The Musee d’Orsay opened in 1986 in the former Gare d’Orsay railroad station which was an ornate beaux- arts structure built in 1900. The museum holds the largest collection of impressionistic paintings in the world and also includes exhibits of sculpture, furniture and photography from the 1850-1915 time period.

We leave the apartment by 10:30 and cross the Pont des Artes footbridge across the Seine. We are looking for the locks that Jerry and Donna and Jan and I fastened to the bridge. After a bit of looking we find and photograph them. We get to the museum by 11:00 AM and there is a long line for security screening but it moves quickly and we enter the museum within 20 minutes. We buy our tickets and check in our coats. No photography is allowed within the museum.

We head directly to the back of the museum and take the escalator to the 5th level where in a part of the museum separate from the main space of the former terminal there is a breath-taking collection of hundreds of paintings from the masters of the latter half of the 1800′s in France. Why they are housed in this obscure part of the museum is a mystery to me. Many who go to the museum might be deluded into believing that the scattering of Manets, Monets, Cezannes, Renoirs, Degas, Sisleys and others they see placed throughout other parts of the museum represents to bulk of the permanent collection. This was true for us just two weeks ago when we toured the museum in the two hours we had till closing time. The question we asked ourselves then was “where are the Cezanne’s ?’

The tour begins with multiple paintings by Manet, then another room with the Renoirs and yet another with 10 Cezannes and many more Monets. The first room dazzles and the ones that follow do as well. It was a wonderful sight.

After two hours we are ready for lunch and Donna and Richard wish to return to the second floor restaurant they had frequented 10 years ago on a visit to the d’Orsay. They were not disappointed- the restaurant was as ornate and beautiful as they had remembered it. After a brief wait, we were ushered to a nice table and had a friendly waitress serve us salmon, a shrimp vegetable salad and a ham roll sandwich. For dessert we had Ile de Flotante and a rhubarb flan with coffee. The meal was delicious.

Directly after lunch we head for the 2nd floor van Gogh and Gauguin rooms. We had seen these previously on the trip. They are even better seeing them the second time around.

Now we tour the remainder of the museum but in a more abbreviated fashion. By now we have museum legs and feet and are resting frequently. We finish by spending a few moments buying postcards in the bookstore.

It is time to walk home. We have been in the museum for 7 hours. The problem is, there is serious rain. hard. We reenter the museum and sit down to discuss our options for bus or metro connections. We really want to walk back. It is not far, only 20 minutes or so. We wait a half hour and the rain has almost ceased. The walk home in the light rain along the Seine and through the Louvre courtyard is enjoyable.

We have a light dinner in the apartment.

What a great day.