After quite a bit of countryside riding, with the food and lodging challenges taking their toll, we decided to just take a train from Limoges to…somewhere. Somewhere closer to Belgium which was on our want to go list. The easiest train from Limoges went to Paris, with just a few stops. Unfortunately we would not be getting on at the beginning of the run, the train was an Intercity coming from Toulouse. There was the usual medium stressful drama of getting the bikes and bags on the high boarding train, but two women, one taking her bike off the train, whom we helped, and another just boarding the train with no bike, both jumped in to help.
Two very nice Dutch cyclists whose names we failed to get were on our train. We had good platform chat and shared bike touring tips. They rode off to catch their connecting train in Paris.We headed to our favorite neighborhood in the 12th, our fourth time in this area, this time at the Adagio Apartment Hotel. Back to our favorite neighborhood bar, Bar & Beer Picpus.And to Le 217 Brasserie Restaurant for dinner.
The joy of being somewhere familiar. Other nomads will understand how pleasant it is to walk out your door and know where the market is, where the metro is, how to pay for it, and how to get to the fabulous greenway down the block. And, as an added bonus we have our Amis des Louvre cards and they were still valid.
Pichet of vin rouge.Somehow this was my first steak tartar of our time in France this year. Worth the wait as it was delicious.The street life in the 12th is wonderful. So much density, wide sidewalks, and folks who take their house cats out for a walk.A cheery shop window.A yummy shop window.This was the biggest and most curious missing cat poster we’ve ever seen. There were two attached to the front gate of a large apartment building.
Our Friends of the Louvre cards continue to more than pay for themselves. Once again we visited using the special members only entrance, and went to two of the special exhibits. The first was The Experience of Nature, Art in Prague at the Court of Rudolph II.
Hans Hoffman Hare.This work of art has a fascinating back story: Artwork recovered after the Second World War Provenance: Baudson collection, interior decoration (?), Paris; possibly acquired on 21 May 1941 by Jane Weyll, art dealer; auction Paris, Drouot, Baudoin, 16 December 1942, no. 41; acquired by Karl Haberstock, Berlin dealer, in 1943 for the Führer Museum in Linz, no. 2687; work recovered at the end of World War II; Central Collecting Point in Munich, 15 July 1945; transported to Paris on 25 June 1946; retained by the 3rd Commission for the Recovery of Works of Art and handed over to the Musée du Louvre on 22 December 1949 by the French Office for Personal Property and Interests; awaiting return to its rightful owners, should provenance research underway establish proof of spoliation or forced sale.
We’ve been to so many museums that display artwork still in limbo from WW2. It’s so moving to read the stories, and to see exhibits where remaining family members have made sure the work goes to a museum where it can be seen by the public, and the story of the family told, rather than disappearing into a private collection. The business of special exhibits also fascinates me. Imagine being able to put together an exhibit from not only the Louvre’s huge collection, but to borrow works of art from other world class museums to realize your theme?
Detail of animals from a painting by Roelant Savery, a Dutch Golden Age painter.
Rich and I decided we would have loved to been at the museum staff meeting where they discussed how to get visitors to venture into lesser known and less crowded parts of the museum. Maybe it was an intern who had the fantastic idea of placing 99 works of Haute Couture in the decorative arts wing?
Louvre Couture. Art and fashion: statement pieces.Very thoughtfully placed.Azzedine Alaïa, a Tunisian couturier who museum I visited with our friend Nancy on our previous Paris trip.It’s not just inside the museum that we spot works of art. These new 100% electric buses are worthy of admiration. I call these the Bubble Butt Buses. Are they coming or going? That is the rear of the bus.The push me pull you bus. Sadly we didn’t get to ride one, but I could see the seats in the rear were arranged in a conversation seating style.Sunset bus glamour shot! I used the clean up feature to remove a car from the photo which is why the bottom left looks odd.Bicycling in Paris is a blast. Rush hour can be pretty crazy but if you head out after rush hour it’s fantastic. You do have to be careful of the Parisian cyclists- they ride ‘em like they stole ‘em. Prepare to be buzzed with just inches to spare, and be super cautious when stopping at red lights or for pedestrians. You might get rear ended.Our own bikes! Without panniers. So light and fun to ride.Notre Dame, construction side.The front is construction scaffolding free.What a way to sightsee.Break for hot chocolate.A mini Statue of Liberty, or Liberty Enlightening the World, and Le Tour Eiffel.Riding closer.The bikes pose for their Insta shot.And merrily we go along home for lunch.And back out in the afternoon for a visit to the Musée Cognacq-Jay. During our last visit to Paris this museum was closed after a brazen robbery.The museum has an exceptional collection of fine art and decorative items.Cute dog enhance!Our final day was a lot of walking. We were over our intense tiredness and ready to put some miles on our feet. Cimetière du Père-Lachaise.What’s your one funny Paris tip? Ours is that the cemeteries all have public toilets. Caffeine and croque monsieur stop.That old photo bomber.New clothing! I ventured out for some shopping. Last dinner atLe 217 Brasserie.Goat cheese bruschetta and salad.Shhhh…don’t tell the French we bought our breakfast bread the evening before! Packed up and leaving the Adagio Hotel. I can’t take many photos while cycling in Paris. Too much going on and a valid fear of crashing.Gare de l’Est. We arrived nice and early, ready for the train dance.But wait! What’s this? Smiling cyclist? Empty platform?A very nice SNCF staff member saw us waiting with our bikes, confirmed which platform our train was leaving from, and let us on the platform early. I’m sitting and reading my book, the bikes and bags are stowed, and all before any other passengers arrive.The Happy Travelers celebrating a successful train boarding.
We needed that Paris break. To stop moving for four nights and rest. We slept a lot. We had breakfast and lunch in our studio apartment with kitchenette, and dinner out. After our month in Paris last year, four days felt short, but we knew our way around and had plenty to see, and eat. So we’re headed north now to the Ardennes and a few new countries!
After decades of living and working in wonderful San Francisco we gave it all up to travel the world. Not owning a car allowed us to save money and live hyper-locally. Now we’re living around the globe. Follow along to see where we are and what cats I manage to pet.
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Less Car, More Life 