Another Hiatus

Greetings.

  

We are traveling for a couple of weeks.  So, the blog is on hiatus again.

Please check back in a few weeks when Year 4 continues. 

Here's a teaser--Marie-Chantal getting crowned by Napoleon.  

Living Local in Paris #5

August is a strange time in Paris.

In July, many Parisians start leaving Paris for vacation--at the beach, in the countryside, in the mountains and in other countries.  By mid-August, there is a noticeable change in Paris.  Traffic is lighter, parking spaces are plentiful and many shops, especially family-run shops, close for an extended period.  When we shop in our local grocery store, it seems deserted.  

Below is a typical scene. It shows our local bakery closed for most of August.  The longstanding custom is to tape a hand-written note on the door announcing the closure.       

The folks at the local bakery must have been eager to close and start their vacations. 
Someone wrote they were closing August 31, instead of the day they actually closed, July  31. 

With the exodus of many Parisians, it seems that tourists take over.  Since we live in the center of Paris, we see many, many tourists.  Paris becomes so crowded with visitors that the sidewalks are jammed and lines to enter museums grow very long.  One recent day, we visited the Louvre and were turned away because the museum, despite its enormous size, had reached its capacity.

As August 15 approaches, the transformation of Paris reaches its peak.  In France (as in Italy), August 15 is a national holiday, L'Assomption.  Even more shops close around that day.

We are told that things will return to normal at the start of September.  Parisians return from vacation, children return to school, shops reopen.  Plus, the number of tourists of decreases.  So, we are looking forward to September.  We are especially looking forward to our local bakery reopening, because they make delicious parties.

Pastries at Yannick Martin.  Jean-Claude thinks their Opera Cake is da bomb.

In the meantime, we joined the exodus of Parisians, leaving for the U.S. mid-August. As they say, when in Paris . . . .

We wish everyone a happy August, wherever you are.

A Roue with a View #1

In earlier blog posts, we mentioned the tall Ferris wheel at the end of our street, the Grand Roue.  (Roue in French sounds like roo in kangaroo.)  

A view of the Grand Roue from our apartment window

We waited for a cool, sunny day before riding the Grand Roue.  The opportunity finally arrived and we seized it.  

Marie-Chantal with a ticket to ride

Click on the video below for a greeting from Marie-Chantal.

The nearly 200 foot tall Grand Roue affords a wonderful view of Paris.  Here are some photos of what we saw.

Sacré Coeur on Montmartre

The Eiffel Tower

The Paris Opera House (Palais Garnier)

A view of the sparkling Seine river

In the distance, the skyscrapers of La Defense, including the Grande Arche (the building that looks like a table)

The Grand Roue is located in the Tuileries garden adjacent to the Louvre.  So, we had birdseye views of the Louvre, the garden and the nearby Musée d'Orsay.

The Louvre

The Tuileries garden, the Musée d'Orsay across the Seine river, and the very tall Tour Montparnasse in the distance

We even had a view of our street (Rue Saint-Roch) and our apartment building.

Here is a smiling Jean-Claude with the Louvre in the background.

The Grand Roue is part of La Fête des Tuileries, a carnival in the Tuileries garden.  The carnival has many thrilling rides including one tall, spinning ride, the Booster.  Click on the video to hear Marie-Chantal's willingness to go on the Booster.  

If you think Susan should be brave and ride the Booster, please send her an encouraging message.

Thanks for joining us for a Roue with a view.

Museums in Paris: Musée de la Legion d'Honneur

You have probably heard of the Légion d'honneur ("Legion of Honor"), France's highest order of merit, given for significant deeds and accomplishments.   

Well, it turns out that France has an entire museum dedicated to the Legion of Honor.  The museum is located next to Musée d'Orsay in the former Hôtel de Salm, the palace of a French nobleman.  Nationalized during the Revolution, the building was dedicated in 1804 as the home of the Legion of Honor following its creation by Napoleon in 1802.  France's earlier orders of chivalry were abolished during the Revolution.  

Musée de la Legion d'Honneur

Tbe side facade of the Musée de la Legion d'Honneur

Main entrance to the museum

The grand entrance to the courtyard of the museum

The majestic inner courtyard of the museum

The inner courtyard of the museum, with a colonnade and rose garden

Napoleon, as founder of the Legion of Honor, is featured in the museum's large collection of artifacts and artwork.  

 

One of the most interesting displays was a golden collar of the Legion of Honor in a glass case in front of a large portrait of Emperor Napoleon.  The placement was no mistake.  We could easily look through the collar which framed Napoleon behind. 

 The large portrait of Napoleon as Emperor has some notable features.  The most important is the Legion of Honor collar and medal.

Marie-Chantal noticed two other features of Napoleon's costume.  His cape was covered with bees.  Bees were a symbol of the Merovingian dynasty and therefore an ancient symbol of the sovereigns of France.  Napoleon adopted the symbol to legitimize his reign.

Of course, since Marie-Chantal is a shoe fiend, she loved the shoes in the portrait.  Aren't they fabulous?

Here are some more portraits of Napoleon.  

(1826)

The museum included many artifacts associated with earlier orders of merit, including large jewel-encrusted medals, plus capes, swords and scepters.  

You can see the cape that is pictured above on the figure in the painting below.

 

The museum also displayed many other artifacts, such as a pair of pistols from Emperor Napoleon given to Tsar Alexander I.

The museum had a large collection of artifacts representing other orders of merits, including foreign awards.  

 

We spotted a medal for the Order of the Golden Fleece.  (Brooks Brothers called and want their logo back.)

  

 

Another French order of merit featured in the museum was the Cross of the Liberation awarded in connection with the liberation of France during World War II.  We especially liked a colorful painting depicting the ceremony for awarding the Cross of Liberation to the city of Paris.   

Another painting also caught our eye.  It depicts the fires set during the Paris Commune in 1871 that burned both the Legion of Honor museum and part of the Louvre.  The Legion of Honor museum was destroyed but rebuilt.  The Louvre was partly destroyed, primarily the Tuileries Palace, which was not rebuilt.  

Detail:  The Louvre on fire

We think the Musée de la Legion d'Honneur is a hidden gem and recommend visiting it, especially because admission is free.

Thanks for visiting the museum with us.