Our last full day in Paris.
We started off the day with breakfast at the cafe around the corner. The outdoor market was in swing again today, and as luck would have it, there was even a vendor selling cheap suitcases. Oh God, had we become that kind of traveller?
Well, yes and no. We had tallied a good amount of wine to transport back to the US and were worried about packing it in our checked luggage. So the extra suitcase was our insurance in case anything might break en route...
But enough about the wine. We were still in Paris and I continue to fall deeper in love with this beautiful city each time we visit...and we didn't have much time left. Our favorite thing to do is just wander and experience, but we do try to do at least one 'cultural' thing each day. Today, we planned to visit the Musee de Picasso. We set off from the St Germain area towards the Musee, in the 3rd arrondissement. We eventually found the museum, bubbling with excitement in anticipation of experiencing this little treasure.....only to discover that it was closed on Tuesdays...and... it was a Tuesday. Yep. Got to do a little more planning and research for that next time in Paris. At least we weren't the only ones who didn't consult a guidebook. Two other couples arrived at the exact moment we did, and had the same reactions that we did. Merde! Zut alors! Eh, bien.
With open minds and open hearts, we continued our little stroll, trying to decide what our next option might be (as if the options in Paris might actually be limited, ha!). I would have been happy to wander all day. My husband is an eternal planner while I am happy to go with the flow. But somehow in France, my husband starts to relax and he can come over to the dark side of unplanned days.
As luck would have it, we stumbled across the Musee de Carnavalet. Our curiosities were peaked by posters for a photo exhibit, so we wandered inside.
Since there was no admission fee, this was a big hit with my DH, the self proclaimed 'cheap yankee'. The Carnavalet is a museum of the history of Paris and was a very pleasant surprise. My favorite room was the one dedicated to old shop signs, but a close second would be the gallery of impressionist to early 20th century paintings representing life in Paris.
We started off the day with breakfast at the cafe around the corner. The outdoor market was in swing again today, and as luck would have it, there was even a vendor selling cheap suitcases. Oh God, had we become that kind of traveller?
Well, yes and no. We had tallied a good amount of wine to transport back to the US and were worried about packing it in our checked luggage. So the extra suitcase was our insurance in case anything might break en route...
But enough about the wine. We were still in Paris and I continue to fall deeper in love with this beautiful city each time we visit...and we didn't have much time left. Our favorite thing to do is just wander and experience, but we do try to do at least one 'cultural' thing each day. Today, we planned to visit the Musee de Picasso. We set off from the St Germain area towards the Musee, in the 3rd arrondissement. We eventually found the museum, bubbling with excitement in anticipation of experiencing this little treasure.....only to discover that it was closed on Tuesdays...and... it was a Tuesday. Yep. Got to do a little more planning and research for that next time in Paris. At least we weren't the only ones who didn't consult a guidebook. Two other couples arrived at the exact moment we did, and had the same reactions that we did. Merde! Zut alors! Eh, bien.
With open minds and open hearts, we continued our little stroll, trying to decide what our next option might be (as if the options in Paris might actually be limited, ha!). I would have been happy to wander all day. My husband is an eternal planner while I am happy to go with the flow. But somehow in France, my husband starts to relax and he can come over to the dark side of unplanned days.
As luck would have it, we stumbled across the Musee de Carnavalet. Our curiosities were peaked by posters for a photo exhibit, so we wandered inside.
Since there was no admission fee, this was a big hit with my DH, the self proclaimed 'cheap yankee'. The Carnavalet is a museum of the history of Paris and was a very pleasant surprise. My favorite room was the one dedicated to old shop signs, but a close second would be the gallery of impressionist to early 20th century paintings representing life in Paris.
After the Carnavalet, we continued our theme of wandering and with a brief respite to laze at Les Places des Vosges. Of course, I wanted to visit more shops. DH doesn't understand that even if I don't buy anything, that shopping is creative stimulation. I continued to find loads of creative stimulation and miraculously, my DH kindly indulged me.
Throughout the day, we exchanged phone messages with our friends we had met at Le Vallon in Provence, Marie and Jerome...setting up plans to meet for dinner that evening.
Plans were eventually settled to meet them at Cafe Metro, near the Bourse.
We had a lovely evening with Marie and Jerome. This is something I love about travel, that every once in a while, you meet people who become a part of your life. Good food (it was a fabulous meal, I can still taste the ravioli with truffles!) and good conversation with new friends...what else could we ask for???
I won't divulge our full conversation, in respect to their privacy, but something stuck with me when we started to discuss perceptions across the pond. I felt more akin to them than the pressures I felt from own culture. Could this be a sign of things to come?
Marie asked us if Americans perceived the French as lazy. Hmm. I had to admit that the American media does tend to portray them that way, but as far as we were concerned, the French have the right idea. In America (and especially in the career driven environs of NYC), I feel like our culture drives people to live to work- where as the French and the rest of Europe, in my small experience, generally hold to the ideal of working to live. Given the choice, I want the French option. I know these cultural norms are changing and unfortunately swinging towards the western values. Tres dommage.
We had a lovely evening with Marie and Jerome. This is something I love about travel, that every once in a while, you meet people who become a part of your life. Good food (it was a fabulous meal, I can still taste the ravioli with truffles!) and good conversation with new friends...what else could we ask for???
I won't divulge our full conversation, in respect to their privacy, but something stuck with me when we started to discuss perceptions across the pond. I felt more akin to them than the pressures I felt from own culture. Could this be a sign of things to come?
Marie asked us if Americans perceived the French as lazy. Hmm. I had to admit that the American media does tend to portray them that way, but as far as we were concerned, the French have the right idea. In America (and especially in the career driven environs of NYC), I feel like our culture drives people to live to work- where as the French and the rest of Europe, in my small experience, generally hold to the ideal of working to live. Given the choice, I want the French option. I know these cultural norms are changing and unfortunately swinging towards the western values. Tres dommage.
When I returned the question, and asked about the perceptions of Americans in France I was not at all surprised by their answer. In general, they said the perception was not good. We all had a laugh, since we all knew that general perceptions are deceiving (no matter how true they can be), especially to those who have not travelled or experienced different cultures with an open mind.
It was bittersweet, bidding our new friends adieu. Not that we would never see or hear from them again, but that tonight was pretty much the end to our adventures in France for 2007.
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