Today brought cooler weather, but the sunny skies remain persistently clear-what a treat!
We got right out this morning and headed off to the Grand Palais to see the Monet exhibit (over 200 works collected under one roof). When we arrived, the line up was sooooooooooo long, we decided to visit the "other" exhibit in the Palais (one we wanted to see as well, anyway), which is France between the middle ages and the Renaissance.
What a fabulous exhibit!
It's choc full of stained glass windows, illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, paintings (including a daVinci), furniture, tapestries and objects d'art. We rented the audio guide (in English, of course) and spent a couple of hours discovering the wonders of this often over-looked era. It covered mostly the reigns of the Valois dynasty (1350-1600), so the authentic "Gothic" era. I was especially taken with the illuminated manuscripts - the fineness and quality of the work, and the rich, vibrant colours were breathtaking! Unfortunately, photos were not permitted :-(
Après, it was lunch time, so we took the metro over to St.Paul and walked over to the Rue de Rossiers, where we had the best felaffel in Paris (if not ever, anywhere). Its a messy combination of cole slaw (yes, coleslaw), deep-fried chick pea balls, grilled egg-plant, tahini, tabbouleh, and other things, topped off with hot sauce and stuffed into a warm, moist pita. YUM!
Being the Jewish quarter, we hunted down some marvelous bagels for our lunch - we bought 4, but when we got home they look so huge I think 2 would have been enough. Oh well, never mind.
We've been having just the greatest time this trip (not that we don't every time), but a lot of the fun has come from just 'walking around." Perhaps this blog is a teeny bit boring, because it's not full of images of the Eiffel Tower and the Notre Dame and the like - but you know what - it's sort of like "been there, done that." I don't dispute the beauty or the importance, but it's nice to feel that we don't "have" to do these things. There is so much more to the city if you just get off the beaten path and observe.
The best felaffel won't come to you - you have to go out looking for it!
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