P A R I S !

We arrived in Paris May 20 after the Russia tour.  While we had managed to keep up with the tour schedule, we felt it by the time we reached Paris.  It was a lucky thing that we had a bakery just outside the courtyard from our building, since that is as far as we got the first three days, as we slept off the tour. 

The big outing of our Paris visit was Chateau Chantilly, which will have its own post -- maybe two or three!  Much of the rest of the Paris visit was meeting old and new friends.

Francoise O and Francoise P took us on a lovely tour of their neighborhood, and made sure that we saw a tiny Russian Orthodox church.  The priest was happy to allow us to take a look inside for a few minutes before he locked up for the day. 

We also saw interesting architecture as our two guides showed us around.   

The old and the new.

 Georges Brassens Park

 The nearby market hall. 

 A few nights later we walked to dinner with Berengere, Victoire and Zaza. 

 The evening light was lovely. 

Another evening Suzy and Jean-Marie welcomed us for dinner and a tour of their neighborhood, which included a casino, and a lake complete with swans and water jets. 

 There was dancing in the streets.

One day we walked by the Pantheon, where workers were constructing cranes, we figured for working on the dome.  

Tom was transfixed. 

He had company.

One day in the driving rain we went to the Brasserie Printemps in the Printemps department store.

 I had the chicken....

 while Tom had the beef carpaccio.

 Whoever invented cafe gourmand should be sainted!  One gets a coffee (or tea) with a selection of tiny desserts, like a sweet tasting menu.  In our case, Tom gets the coffee, and I get the gourmand! 

 A small canele, a pistachio macaroon, a rhubarb cake and chocolate mousse!

 All that and a view of the dome.

Or you can visit another one in another building...

Another day we went with Anne to the Musee D'Orsay to meet Jeanne.  We saw an exhibit of the Hays collection, Americans who collect French impressionist and post-impressionist art.  They had loaned the museum only part of their extensive collection, including furniture and furnishings.  along with the many rooms of art, the exhibition included wall-size photographs of the Hays home where the art normally lives.  Impossible to imagine living among such magnificent pieces. 

The Hays exhibit was so large we needed a refresher in the museum cafe,  the only place in the museum where photos are allowed. 

 After walking through the impressionist exhibit, we left the museum for lunch nearby. 

Even though it was the cafe closest to the museum, it was surprisingly good.

This was the view from our very quiet apartment on the busy Rue Lepic. 

It was a lovely visit, and we enjoyed every moment!Merci a tous pour tous!