Willow Fox, former student of Su’s, supporter throughout the last few months, and employee of 4Culture just happened to be in France about the same time I was. We were both scheduled to fly out this Monday so she came to stay with me in my Paris apartment for the last afternoon and night. She had been in a small town outside of Lyon, staying with the originators of a new international video festival. She had applied and been accepted several months ago. Way to go Willow!

So she came and we had a few hours on Sunday to experience Paris. Everyone she’d met had told her to find the chocolate place on Ile St. Louis. We found it and yes, it was the most extraordinary hot chocolate I’ve ever had. Here she is outside the shop.

Willow and Chocolat

Notice the pantaloons. Willow is an extraordinary clothing designer, amongst her other talents. All the haute coutured Parisians were staring, in a good way.

I was bent on attending the Paris Art Fair, cold or no cold (which I must say had knocked me completely out most of Sunday.) It was mostly French galleries, some Italian, mostly regional, so not as prestigious as the other big fairs, or even provincial I guess you could say, but we managed to find a couple of pieces that amused us. Most of all, the architecture wowed us in the Grand Palais, as well as the walk to it through the gardens of Le Louvre and the circus with the Arch d’Triumph in view.

How about this setting for an Art Fair? The Grand Palais

Bar, that's what I'm drawn to

Staircases again

Willow found a piece she culd interact with.

Willow Googlie Eyes

I’m back on the architecture.

Art Nouveau beauty

Contemproary Art? I like the staircase

Willow and I closed the Fair down, caught a taxi back to my neighborhood, found a lovely little bistro and had a great meal. Next day we both had to face the terminals.

The virus hit me hard as I wandered around the Musee d’Orsay yesterday. On the way there I happened to find the Sennelier store. I was so happy, they had all of their pastels of course, but some I hadn’t seen before. They were giant ones, 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter. I bought a set in grey, they will be too much fun to work with when I return to the studio.

The Musee was lovely. There was a Rodin exhibit which is fortunate because I got lost for the first time later in the day trying to find the Rodin Museum, which is not far from d’Orsay. I took friends’ advice and ate in the cafe. It was decorated as if it were part of a palace, with gold trimmings and frescoed ceiling. The food was good, though it might have been better at some time in the past when the cafe earned its reputation. They sat me at the end of a row of two-tops. I heard my neighbors speaking English and soon had a 3 table conversation going between Americans from Virginia, and an Irish couple celebrating their anniversary. That’s the only way I’ve found to beat the isolation of traveling alone, to just speak up when possible.

Musee d’Orsay houses late nineteenth to early twentieth century artworks. I saw Whistler’s Mother, Degas’ ballerinas, and Van Gogh’s bed chamber. Toulouse-Lautrech’s line was incomparable, but I especially loved seeing the few Mary Cassatt pastels they had in a small room on the main floor.

Two Rodin sculptures had me staring and circling for a long time. My brain is a bit muddled by cold medicine, so I’ll have to look up the names later. Yes, he knew how to capture subtle and strong emotion in the form of the figure.

After getting lost looking for Rodin and the Invalides, I became an invalid myself. Feeling feverish and as if my feet could take no more, I got a taxi. The driver could not understand where I wanted to go, so I told him to take me to Pompidou. The Pompidou Center is Paris’ contemporary art museum and exhibition space. The building is turned inside out, its structural and mechanical systems exposed, inflated and attached to the outside making the building look like a giant machine. This design leaves large expanses on the interior which are perfect for exhibition space.

The building was in the midst of a very congested area, crowded, dirty. I went the wrong way to the entrance and a man watching this mistake immediately got in my face and started talking to me. I nearly had to scream to get him away from me. The highlight for me, as well as a 6 year visitor apparently, was the Debuffet room. I don’t have much positive to say about the rest of the exhibits, so I’ll just leave it at that.

After a week of what I hear is unusual sunshine in Paris, today, my last day here, it is cloudy. I won’t be doing much as the virus has me in bed. I will venture out to the Art Fair and hopefully dinner later.

I cannot believe my luck. The Paris Art Fair runs this weekend. Think a smaller Basel Miami only it’s Paris. I found this out when I went to make the rounds of the gallery district which is now in Le Marais, in walking distance from my apartment. A number of them were closed in preparation for the fair.

I walked in endless circles on very narrow streets amongst galleries, boutiques and hidden historical sites and museums. I toured the Picasso Museum and was moved more by the mansion than the art. It was gratifying to see some famous pieces, but, much of it belongs in storage, to put it nicely.

I wanted to get some way-out funky, no-one-has-them-anywhere shoes, but alas, apparently cowboy boots are the next wave (again?). I came all the way from America and Parisian boutiques are filled with cowboy boots. I’m going to complain, endlessly. I guess there’s always Italy for shoes.

I saw no art that floored me. I met a few friendly gallerists, but much of what is here is the same as what is everywhere. We’ll see what’s up at the Art Fair this weekend.

One of the million or so French on the street yesterday, or perhaps it was some other contact, had a virus and I caught it. So instead of going out on the town tonight I’m curling up with hot steaming tea. Only 2 days left, and so much to do, I still have not seen Eiffel, and there is the Pompidou.

Mostly pics today. I took another long hike and might have hurt my calf, but my launching place could not have been better. I met the most charming waiter/host who admonished me on my poor French before seating me in his small cafe for some of the most wonderful scallops I’ve ever tasted. Plus it was affordable. I just smiled between bites like someone who’d had too much wine and told him J’taime Paris on my way out. I do wish one could tip sometimes.

Then I made my way to the Seine. I think most reading this blog will know why. The sun was shining, it was a good day for it. On to Ile St. Louis and then…

Said goodbye and watched Su float away here.

Turn the corner to the lone trumpeter and I imagine taps for Su.

After some time of being emotional, I realized I’d missed some important spots on Ile de la Cite…

A bit of Old Paris (before Haussmann) on Ile de la Cite

The Conciergerie, a nice name for prison. Contains the cell of Marie Antoinette, etc.

Revolution!

The yard at The Conciergierie

Vaulted ceilings, coulmns, arcades, and bars

Now a tourist attraction

Attarcted to this medieval style staircase.

Staircase other view