Out and About

After our whirlwind walking tour, we were whupped.  So we rested up close to home, a good idea since the weather has definitely changed.  When we first arrived in Paris we had the windows open for a nice breeze.  Now we have closed windows, and keep checking the radiators to see if the building has turned on the heat yet.  (Nope.)  And it is cloudy, cold and damp outside.  so, just like being at home, wherever that is. 

Tuesday afternoon I went out while Tom had his French lesson.  I visited the Musee de la Vie Romantique, the Museum of the Romantic Life, which is not very far away.  The museum is interesting because it was the home of George Sand, the rebellious writer, and her companions of the day, one of whom was Chopin.  In addition to being preserved as a home, with a few furnishings and artworks that were in the home at the time, it also contains some of Sand's personal items, such as jewelry.  It turns out that even though she was known for wearing men's clothes, she was quite a collector of jewelry.  And happily for us, the trendy jewelry of the day was inexpensive, sentimental stuff like lockets filled with hair, and costume pieces, so a few dozen remain for us to see.  Had they been more valuable, they likely would have been sold or be kept elsewhere. 

There was also a collection of dendrites, a type of watercolor Sand invented.  She daubed color onto paper, then blotted with tissue to achieve a random effect, which she then painted over.  She called them fantasy landscapes. 

The bust below was made by a resident artist who got to stay in one of the studios on the courtyard in exchange for his work. He liked the arrangement so much he married Sand's daughter, which should have been a tip-off, since he turned into quite a problem for the whole family. 

After the museum I walked back to the Place Blanch for the metro, which is across the street from the Moulin Rouge; THAT Moulin Rouge. 

My destination was a patisserie (pastry bakery) that makes only meringues.  Success!