Musee D'Orsay and Searching for fish

The Rick Steve's guide advised against it but we went to the Musee D'Orsay on a Tuesday (the one day a week the Louvre is closed). Since photographs are not allowed to be taken anywhere from within the museum, links to photographs taken by others are provided.

The line to get in was long and the 5th floor Impressionst gallery was packed but we still had a good time. The museum dedicated to 19th century artists is located in a grand historic train station. Walking in the impressive curved ceiling located 5 stories above is a site to behold. 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Musee_d_Orsay_gr.jpg

We decided to head to the 5th floor first which even at 10am was already quite crowded. The temporary exhibit on this floor showed a private collection of French art owned by American millionaire Spencer Hayes. We tried to figure out how he acquired his welts but the man has no Wikipedia page. His company which dates back to the early 1900s seems to train college students to sell encyclopedias door to door. His art collection is impressive although photographs of his Nashville home and New York City apartment do not show the same taste. 

Moroccan and Chinese food in Paris

After several busy days filled with many many kilometers of walking and staring at galleries, we decided to take the day off. We spent Monday in our quiet neighborhood.

We started the day off with what we thought was an easy French request...cheese. We were in search of a fromagerie and passed several that were closed. What started as a simple morning walk turned into a full on quest. After walking all over Le Marais it became apparent that much like the fish market in Paris that is only open on Tuesday and Saturday, even in France there is a time and place for cheese. 

Not one to come home empty handed we stopped at a local boutique natural food store (think Whole Food's tiny French baby cousin) with a cheese counter and ordered some Brie, Roquefort, and chèvre. Roquefort is a blue cheese with a quite strong flavor after a quick Wikipedia search we found that it gets its blue/green patches from cave mold from a special cave in France. Like beer, wine, and so many other accidental microbiological discoveries the cave mold that makes delicious cheese was found when someone left their bread and cheese in a cave. The bread was consumed by the mold but the cheese became magically delicious. That must have been one hungry or brave man to return to his moldy cheese and eat it. Either way we are all a little better off thanks to his discovery. 

Gallery of Evolution and the Jardin Luxembourg (Day 3)

It is our 3rd day in Paris and by far it has been the most beautiful.

The weather was perfect, in the high 70s and sunny but not glaringly so. We got a late start on the day, I am not on Seattle time but not quite on Paris time either. We left the apartment around noon planning to head to the Jardin des Plantes, the home to the National Natural History museum in Paris but we couldn't help but take a long scenic route.

We walked East towards the heart of the Le Marais neighborhood. The streets to the East are classic Paris. Wide boulevards with beautiful architecture, charming side streets including the St. Paul area which houses both art galleries and antique shops. Just walking around we passed the Hotel de Ville, this beautiful building that is currently used for city administration including the office of the Mayor.

Our first days in Paris

Bonjour from beautiful Le Marais Paris, France!

I am writing to you from our second floor flat on Rue St. Martin. From our door we are less than 200 yards from the Centre Pompidou, the mecca of modern art here in Paris. We arrived Friday afternoon and were able to take a train from the airport to a station minutes from our apartment. One side of the apartment faces the street and overlooks a busy promenade complete with bars, pastry shops, and even a Lebanese restaurant with killer tabouleh. The other side of the apartment faces a (currently) quiet school courtyard. If we were here in the Spring or Fall there would be little privacy from children playing hopscotch but in the summer it is quiet and peaceful and a nice touch of greenery.

In our two days here we have done a lot of exploring of our diverse neighborhood. Learning a bit about the history of Le Marais, it was once a swamp, the word Marais actually means marsh. It was drained in the 1200s and settled by the Templars. The area was popular with merchants because it was duty free. In the 1600s, during the height of French glory, the area was a palatial retreat for the French court. Not as remote as Versailles, La Marais housed mansions of the French Aristocracy including a small palace for court. During the French Revolution the neighborhood was taken by the people of Paris and over time went into disrepair. Over the next few centuries it housed many ethnic groups including the oldest established Chinese neighborhood in Paris and Orthodox Jews. It was not until 1968 that an initiative began to rebuild and revitalize the neighborhood. And it is now one of the most popular and eclectic neighborhoods in Paris.

Les Eyzies to San Sebastian 2011

Email dated 9/13/11

We are writing today from beautiful San Sebastian. The last few days have been amazing. We went from Carcassonne to Les Eyzies on Saturday. It was two short trains and we made it there right on time. The countryside was pretty along the way but I could tell how nervous Sean was when we first pulled into the Les Eyzies station. The town is very small, the guide books say about 800 people. But Sean was pleasantly surprised. We walked from the train station to the bed and breakfast. It was a short walk past a lovely medieval church build in the 1200s.

 Right next to the church was the ferme de Tayac, our bed and breakfast. The owners were an older british couple who were very accommodating. Their place was lovely on probably an acre or two with secluded seating all over, kind of a secret garden feel to the land and a beautiful sunny pool in the back. Our room was decent size and modestly furnished with a farmhouse kitsch décor. They served proper English tea and hot coffee for breakfast, each person given their own private pot and all the guests ate together at a large antique wooden table. Les Eyzies is known for its prehistory and apparently foie gras, the only street in town boast 4, that’s right four shoppes dedicated to the sale of foie gras.

Carcassonne 2011

Email dated 9/9/11

We are writing to you from the terrace of the guesthouse in Carcassonne,France.

 It has an amazing view of the medieval city and castle as well as a view of the park and river just across the quiet street. The last few days have been some of the best.

Our time in Barcelona was as close to perfect as one could hope for. We spent our last day there touring the Aquarium and Picasso museum. The Aquarium was large and had a lot of exhibits of local fish. It certainly made me appreciate the Seattle aquarium all the more. It had no volunteers and no staff to answer questions. It also was not very educational however their shark tank was very well done and a highlight.

Barcelona 2011

Email dated 9/7/11

Greetings from beautiful Barcelona.

We have been here for two days and wanted to take a few minutes to send some photos and videos back home. We arrived Tuesday morning and were able to check into our hotel right away. The location is perfect a couple blocks off the most famous street in the city but still quiet. The room is spacious by European standards.

On Tuesday we went to the famous market in Las Ramblas and ate Pinxtos at a small stand highlighted on the cooking channel and our guide. The food was superb and the tiny plate was the perfect portion. We tried to go to the Cathedral, there is a large cathedral surrounded by Roman walls a few blocks from our hotel but there are security guards at the doors to stop anyone sleeveless from entering. Even in a long tasteful summer dress (its also like 87 degrees out) they would not let me in because my shoulders were bare. Apparently God requires sleeves.

Welcome! All about the Paris 2013 Trip

New luggage, passport, and electrical outlet adapters you know what that means...I am less than 24 hours before the flight to Paris! I have been so busy working on my paper this summer I haven't really had time to think about it but now that the time has come I am excited. I thought I would start this blog by going over the basic travel plan.