The sheer size of the Louvre makes it a master feat to visit in its entirety, we’ve been twice before and barely touched the sides, which was why I decided to booked a guided tour. On Wednesday and Friday nights the museum is open late so, hoping to avoid the crowds, I booked us in at 5pm. It’s drizzling and already dark but it’s also December in Paris so the streets are busy with traffic jams, honking horns and plenty of vocal French drivers… thank god for the metro!
Florent is our guide and we meet him along with a mother and daughter from Alabama (yes Kerry did sing the song)! We have private access so skip the line and head straight down to the oldest part of the Louvre, stopping en route for a couple of stunning snaps. Located beneath the Louvre’s Sully Wing is the excavated moat of the original fortress. When the tower was demolished in 1527 everything visible was destroyed and the moat simply filled with soil. This meant that when accidently discovered in the early 1980’s, the stonework was in immaculate condition.
Moving along to the ancient statues the beauty of Venus de Milo is explained, with her near perfect face and straight roman nose, she is a Greek masterpiece created around 100BC. Although her arms are missing, she is still one of the best-preserved Greek statues in existence, and named after Milo, the island she was found on by a French naval officer who purchased her, presenting the statue to King Louis XVIII, who offered it to the Louvre museum. Another remarkable statue is the Winged Victory of Samothrace, which Florent pointed out it is best viewed from the right-hand side at the top of the monumental Daru staircase. Athena is the goddess of Victory (Nike) on a ship whose sailors have just won a sea battle. From this point the details Athena Nike’swings are fully on display, the fineness of the material carved across her naval is evident and flowing in the wind. She is strong, brave and stunning!
I could go through piece by piece what we saw, a wonderful time to reminisce for me, rather boring for everyone else. Just a few tips… the rock crystal carvings and hardstone vessels creating ornamental and elaborate glassware for the royalty, it was a favourite of Louis XIV. It’s transparent art with incredible skill, detail and design. Plus the collection of French jewels that stun, along with the gobsmacking beauty of the 140.64 carats of the Regent Diamond. In a rather hasty decision in 1887 the Third Republic sold many of the French Crown jewels to the highest bidders, but in many cases massively under-priced. Now it seemed a good thing for the Third Republic to be erasing the riches of the monarchy but not so wise monetarily and historically – hundreds of years later the French government are now spending a fortune to buy back individual items as they come on the market, and being them back to the Louvre. Also a visit to the Splendour of the Second Empire, the apartments of Napoleon III is not to be missed, it’s opulent living beyond anything you can imagine… no wonder the people wanted their heads!
The masterpieces and master artists always amaze but it’s these sorts of stories that uncover another layer to the traditional visit – it gives depth, understanding and a little humanity to great works of art and the history surrounding it.
Our next outing we face up to on a freezing winters day (it’s 4 degrees and windy) to meet Patricia at the Trocadero for a market tasting tour of Paris. It will takes us through the 16th arrondissement to the Marché Président Wilson between the Museum of Modern Art and the Giumet Museum, but first we start at the Carette restaurant on the Place du Trocadero. It has been an institution in Paris since 1927, the line-up for a table is long, but it doesn’t seem to mind the hearty Parisians who’ll go to all lengths for a great meal at any time of the day.
The history of gastronomy in France is heavily entwined with the monarchy, the bourgeoises and the revolution. It’s an incredible journey that is at the crux all revolutions and uprisings, who can forget the last Queen of France Marie-Antoinette’s supposed quote “Let them eat cake”. While that can’t be verified there’s also debate about her contribution to popularizing viennoiserie in France. But basically, the story goes that coming from Vienna as a young girl she wanted her comforts of home and pastry was one of them. The croissant, chaussons aux pommes and Pain au Chocolat we tasted from Carette were sublime, flaky, light, delightful, and Patricia reckons they’re the best in Paris. Big call!
Gloves on, hands in pockets, bracing against the wind and trying to forget the 4-degree temperature, we stroll down Avenue du President Wilson, discussing the work of Haussman. His vision, planning and re-building of Paris in the 1800’s is quite beyond comprehension, destroying the slums and replacing with long wide boulevards, uniform five-story apartment buildings, parks, squares and sewers, fountains and aqueducts. He wasn’t popular at the time but Paris is what it is today thanks to his vision.
I have been to a number of markets in Paris – they’re my favourite outing on any given day, but it’s a first for the Marche President Wilson and I’m pleasantly surprised. The stalls are one long straight line, neat, orderly and somewhat protected from the icy winter winds. The produce is all organic Patricia tells us, and it looks vibrant and fresh. The fruit and vegetables rich in colour, the cheeses handmade and crafted with love, deep red beef and lamb, chicken carcasses plucked bodies with feathered heads. The seafood is impressive, fish with clear eyes, oysters ready to be shucked, scallops plumply perched on their pink shells. From the fromagerie Patricia buys 4 cheeses, the Morbier, a semi-soft cow’s milk cheese, a Comte, aged to perfection at 18 months, a creamy Brie and the strongest last, a full-bodied Roquefort. From the charcuterie we get a foie gras terrine, a duck rillet, Le rosette (saucisson) and freshly carved ham. With a veritable feast we head to the gardens of the Giumet Museum for a picnic – Patricia has brought red wine, glasses, a baguette de pain from Cyril Lignac’s La Patisserie (another must try). The weather has not improved so we huddled on the marble bench and tuck in to the food and wine – yes it was not yet midday but the wine warmed us from the inside out. The tour was fun albeit it cold but not super informative as far as market produce and local knowledge goes, having said that Patricia was a delight, was a good story teller and it’s always nice to be out and about.
Walking around Paris at any given time there is an overwhelming number of bars to visit, whatever you’re looking for you’re sure to find it, but a little help goes a long way. So, we booked the explore hidden bars and speakeasy for a Sunday night. It was in the 11th arrondissement. Meeting under a lamp post, the night air chilly and misty, we were given a brief history of the ‘speakeasy’ culture, it sounded intriguing. Around the corner we come to door with a phone, pick up the phone listen to a question in French and English (phew) and then enter the code. The bar itself is quaint and inviting, the cocktail list impressive and the drinks, delicious! Bar two was at a hotel… not so interesting until you go through the first bar, through the kitchen and head into a great Mexican themed bar. It was vibrant and super cool, lots of people, great music and killer cocktails. The hostess had had enough but us and the other people were keen to kick on so she took us to a taco shop, Candelaria. After chatting to the bouncer, we head pass the diners, through a plain door and out to a great bar. It was our favourite with the vibe, the service and the quality of cocktails. Our drinking mates for the night were a South Korean brother and sister, turns out he is a fashion designer which explained incredible outfit. When I commented on it, he took his jumper off and said have it… very embarrassing but we talked more about his brand Eseelmi, if you’re after stylish, individual and very well made clothes he is one the money. The tour was a nice chance to meet some new people, have a drink and explore another area of Paris, at €25 it was cheap, not particularly informative but fun!
So, for someone not into tours it’s been interesting, and I’m keen for more. If you’ve just arrived it’s a great tool to as a starting point, to get familiar and acquaint yourself. For others it uncovers delightful tales and stories, fact and fiction, reveals new and hidden places, and most importantly, you get to discover a little of the fabric of a city and its people.
