Gallivanting Grandma

A Rainy Museum Day

December 6th, 2019 . Posted in France | Comments Off

Friday December 6, 2019

The French workers strike continued today and public transportation services were severely disrupted. All the Metro lines were closed except the two automated lines which are #1 and #14.

The #1 Metro cuts through the center of Paris along rue du Rivoli, so I took it to la Maison Europeenne de la Photographie – la MEP. My goal this week was to visit as many museums as I could despite la greve.

The MEP is a major center for contemporary photography which is housed in a lovely 18th century mansion. The museum is also a place for photographic restoration and conservation for the city of Paris and other museums.

There were several excellent exhibits currently on display. There were photographs about life in the Brazilian Amazon taken by Tommaso Protti who won this year’s prize for photo-journalism. There were also large photos of the Israeli/Palestinian border taken by Harley Weir who is known for fashion photography. The main exhibit was a retrospective of the photographs by Ursula Schulz-Dornburg. Her thought-provoking black and white photos were taken during decades of travel across Asia and the Near East.

It was raining lightly when I left la MEP so I walked to the Centre Pompidou several blocks away. There was a line of tourists at the entrance:

On this rainy chilly December day, it seemed that the Pompidou Center was a popular place for tourists to hang out and stay warm and dry in the huge central area of the building:

The Pompidou building is very photogenic and I missed my Nikon which I had left at home this time, but I took pictures with my cell phone:

This couple was NOT part of the exhibit:

It was still gloomy and raining outside:

There was a fabulous retrospective of the works by Christian Boltanski:

Here’s my Impressionist view of Paris from a window at the Centre Pompidou:

It was a fun day and I was able to ride the #1 Metro back to the hotel.

da Vinci in Paris

December 5th, 2019 . Posted in France | Comments Off

Thursday December 5, 2019

The main reason for my spur-of-the-moment trip to Paris was to see the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit at the Louvre. I felt lucky to be able to get a timed-ticket for this special winter exhibition. It was a huge undertaking for Louvre museum curators who amassed the largest grouping of da Vinci’s works from collections and museums all over the world. However, weeks ago when I ordered my ticket on-line, I never anticipated a major French railroad worker’s strike – la greve – which was scheduled to begin today!

My hotel, le Relais du Louvre, is located across the street from the museum so I wasn’t too worried about getting to the exhibit. But, all national and international trains and the Paris Metro stopped running today. Teachers, air-traffic controllers, hospital workers, some police planned to demonstrate. Many businesses, shops, and museums were closed in solidarity and also because employees couldn’t get to work.

I crossed the street to the Louvre and happily discovered that the Louvre was open! I had read that “only” 5,000 tickets per day were sold for da Vinci’s exhibit and it was crowded with tourists. I joined the line to enter the exhibition and spent several enjoyable hours among the works of the greatest artist and genius who ever lived.

Leonardo da Vinci only painted 15 paintings, but he completed many beautiful drawings and sketches. He also filled notebooks with mechanical, botanical, and biological drawings, as well as scientific designs and concepts. He was a sculptor, inventor, architect, and an engineer. His conceptions of flying machines, a parachute, gliders, helicopter, and other innovations are well documented.

da Vinci lived in France during the last years of his life and died in the Loire Valley town of Amboise in 1519. It was an excellent exhibit!

Although the Louvre was open to the public, I discovered that due to la greve many galleries were closed and there were no ticket-takers at the main entrances to the three main sections. Free admission today! Although many employees were unable to get to work, the museum opened popular tourist galleries: French paintings and the Mona Lisa.

I left the museum through the wonderful “skylight” designed by I.M. Pei, la Pyramide Inversee, and explored the Carrousel du Louvre. This is an underground shopping mall which extends from the museum to the Tuileries Gardens.

Looking across the Tuileries Gardens, the top of the Eiffel Tower was hidden by fog:

There was a Christmas Market set up in the gardens along rue de Rivoli with regional food, crafts, and carnival rides:

Although the weather was chilly and damp, I think it’s a great time to visit Paris because of many Christmas lights and decorations. “The City of Lights” really seemed to be glowing!

In the old days French restaurants were open only during specific hours and Parisians seemed to eat late. Today, many eateries are open all-day every-day. I had a light supper at Brasserie Loup on rue du Louvre, a short walk from my hotel. It was warm and cozy inside le Loup. There was a lively young crowd and a friendly server who enjoyed practicing English.

It was a good ending to an amazing day!

Paris Adventure

December 4th, 2019 . Posted in France, Travel | Comments Off

Wednesday December 4, 2019

I arrived in Paris late yesterday after a five-hour delay due to wintry weather in New York. Fortunately I had arranged with the hotel for a car to pick me up at the airport and I was easily transported to my hotel. I slept soundly last night and awoke late this morning.

The 16 Century Church of St. Eustache:

It was a gorgeous crisp and clear day; temperature in the high 30s. I walked to the new shopping center nearby to purchase a SIM-card for my telephone.

The new Westfield Forum des Halles replaced the famous medieval Les Halles which had been a market place since the eleventh century. Les Halles was demolished in 1971 and replaced by the modern multi-level mostly-below-ground shopping center which was completed in 2018.

This is also the location of the Gare de Chatelet – Les Halles, one of the busiest rail stations in Paris because many of the Metro lines converge there. One of my goals for the day was to shop for Provencal fabric so I took the #4 Metro to the Barbes Rochechouart station.

It was fun to leave the tourist centre of Paris and shop among local people. Dreyfus and Reine are the two huge fabric stores which sell all kinds of materials, notions, and accessories. There were many smaller fabric stores along the side streets.

Les Coupons means remnants or smaller pieces of fabric usually three meters or less. There was a huge variety of fabrics from haute couture to brocades to cheap imports. It was fun to browse in several shops.

The shops are located at the foot of Montmartre so I had a great view of Sacre Coeur on top of the hill.

I wasn’t planning to visit the church so I took the Metro back to the center of Paris. I went to the Arc de Triomphe at the center of Place Charles de Gaulle formerly known as Place de l’Etoile.

It was such a beautiful day, I decided to walk down the entire length of the famous Avenue des Champs Elysees. I stopped for a cup of hot tea somewhere along the avenue. I sat outside under a heated canopy and watched the parade of tourists pass by.

I continued all the way to the Place de la Concorde and took a photo of the Obelisque de Louxor which dominates the traffic circle. We visited Luxor in Egypt last February and saw its twin Obelisk at the entrance to the Temple.

Days are short in Paris in December and the sun cast a warm glow on the beautiful Fountain of the Rivers which represents the Rhone and Rhine Rivers. The figures represent the main harvests of France: wheat, grapes, flowers, and fruit.

It was a fun day in Paris!!

TWA Hotel at JFK

December 1st, 2019 . Posted in Eastern United States, New York City | Comments Off

Sunday December 1, 2019

It was 21 degrees. The weather forecast was for snow, sleet, and freezing rain causing hazardous roads. I was leaving for Paris tomorrow and didn’t want to miss my flight so I went to the airport one day early and stayed at the new TWA Hotel at JFK airport.

The building was the original terminal for Trans World Airlines designed in 1962 by the architect Eero Saarinen. It was designated a New York City Landmark in 1994 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service.

As my photos show, it’s a fabulous place to visit and take pictures, and it’s a fun place to stay! Two new buildings were built behind the original terminal for guest rooms. The hotel recently opened on May 15, 2019.

1960’s music mixed with Christmas songs played continuously in the background to set the mood. There were many nooks and crannies to explore and comfortable seating areas:

A “typical” colorful 1962 living room:

A full size Twister Game:

Displays of designer flight attendant’s uniforms:

The Herman Miller Reading Room filled with iconic mid-century modern furniture and books for sale:

The jewel in the crown was the Lockheed Constellation L-1649 Starliner parked behind the TWA terminal which was converted into a cocktail lounge:

There are 512 hotel rooms in the two new buildings, several restaurants, business meeting rooms, a rooftop swimming pool, and an observation deck overlooking JFK airport.

The TWA Hotel was a wonderful entertaining and cozy place to wait during bad weather for my flight to Paris tomorrow. It was a nice way to begin an adventure!

Welcome Back MoMA!

October 14th, 2019 . Posted in New York City | Comments Off

Monday October 14, 2019

The most exciting event this fall is the reopening of the Museum of Modern Art which has been closed since June for major expansion. I met my son, Chris, at the museum to see the new galleries and exhibits.

There are more viewer participation areas throughout the museum:

This is a new multi-level performance space:

Outdoor seating balcony overlooking 53rd Street:

I guess we were lucky!

It was nice to see an “old friend” by Matisse:

The new MoMA has been greatly expanded with six floors of gallery space. The exhibits are chronological beginning at the top with “Modern Art” from the 1880s to early 1900s on the 5th Floor. More contemporary art is found on the first and second floors.