Today we explored the Marais District that lies between our hotel at Place de la Republic and Ile St. Louis. It was the place to live back before Louis XIV built Versaille, and the museum we visited is housed in two of its elegant town houses.
Musee Carnavalet traces the history of France (with special emphasis on Paris) from prehistoric times (closed for renovation) into the 20th century. What makes it especially
delightful is the number of furnished, period rooms that show how the very wealthy lived in the 17th and 18th centuries. And their little dogs too!
We had expected to see displays of the French Revolution (1789) that ended all of this opulence, but it too was closed for renovation. Just as well. All that blood and gore.
Instead, we skipped ahead to La Belle Epoque,where we were taken by a portrait of a fashionable lady and a satirical piece by Albert Guillaume
about more fashionable folk carrying on at some theatrical performance.
Musee Carnavalet traces the history of France (with special emphasis on Paris) from prehistoric times (closed for renovation) into the 20th century. What makes it especially
We had expected to see displays of the French Revolution (1789) that ended all of this opulence, but it too was closed for renovation. Just as well. All that blood and gore.
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Instead, we skipped ahead to La Belle Epoque,where we were taken by a portrait of a fashionable lady and a satirical piece by Albert Guillaume
about more fashionable folk carrying on at some theatrical performance.
Somewhere along the line, we also saw an elegant, framed tapestry of a still life. What made it so special was the warm, fuzzy feeling that the unexpected medium gave it. (Woven, not painted, fruit?)
Oh, and the gardens too were elegant. We'd seen them yesterday wandering by the gate, but Bob snapped a photo of one as it was intended to be seen--from above.
This museum, unlike the Louvre, was almost empty . . . and it was free!
After, we wandered through the Jewish district and had lunch at Finkelsztajn's, a father and son place that had been in business since 1946. Our hot borek au fromage de brebis (cheese in philo dough) followed by a kind of apple pie and a raspberry cheese cake amply demonstrate why they've been in business so long.
Oh, and the gardens too were elegant. We'd seen them yesterday wandering by the gate, but Bob snapped a photo of one as it was intended to be seen--from above.
This museum, unlike the Louvre, was almost empty . . . and it was free!
After, we wandered through the Jewish district and had lunch at Finkelsztajn's, a father and son place that had been in business since 1946. Our hot borek au fromage de brebis (cheese in philo dough) followed by a kind of apple pie and a raspberry cheese cake amply demonstrate why they've been in business so long.
