Thanks for asking - I did have a better day today!
We headed out this morning to discover the sumptuous area around the Parc Monceau.
The Parc Monceau is an exquisite centrpiece of an elegant second empire district. The park proper is surrounded by streets with opulent mansions that stunningly convey the magnificence in which some Parisians are lucky enough to live in. Our walk took in many of the sites such as the old toll-house and the colonnade (where they were doing a wedding gown photo shoot!), as well as memorials to Chopin and various ruins from demolished Paris buildings.
An unexpected highlight - if not a highlight of this whole trip, was our last minute decision to stop into the the Nissim de Camondo museum, which we happened to be passing. I can't even begin to describe either the architectural magnificence nor the sumptuousness of this hidden Parisian Gem. Its stunning beauty masks the town-house's tragic history, though. Built by one of the wealthiest men in all of Paris, Moïse de Camondo, a Sephardic Jew who's family came to Paris from Spain via Venice and Istanbul, Mr. Camondo, a banker, had two children, Nissim and Beatrice. Nissim was an airman with the French Air Force and was killed in the first world war. Beatrice, who was married and had 2 children, inherited a massive fortune from her father, but really wasn't interested in the house or the exquisite collection amassed by her father, so, in his will Moïse left the house and its contents to the republic, in the name of his beloved son, Nissim. The story only get more tragic. Beatrice, her husband and their two young children, who had settled in Neuilly (a very posh suburb of Paris) were rounded up and met a tragic end in the death camp of Auschwitz, in 1943 or 44. The entire family is now extinct. This story has haunted me now for the day, and will much longer. How such philanthropy, wealth and prestige can be lost to the world through evil is unsettling and alarming.
To know more about the house and its glorious interiors, click here and also here.
We unfortunately didn't see the sun today (no complaints, we've had cloudless skies all the time we've been here!), but the day was a treat anyway. We just grabbed a sandwich from a sandwicherie for lunch and went to a wonderful Japanese restaurant we know on the Rue de Bourgone for supper. Just didn't feel like cooking today!
Greetings to everyone, and hi to the folks from Singapore and Ukraine who logged in to see my postings!
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