I'm going to Paris with 6 friends on Wednesday night. We'll arrive on the morning of my "double nickel" birthday. What a way to celebrate!
I've never been to Europe. I've been pouring through guidebooks and websites so much that my head is spinning. Each of the 7 (yes, seven) Paris books I now own is arranged in a different manner. Some of the pictures just pop out as places I HAVE to see up close and in person. I tried to narrow down what I think will be my favorites. I'm going with a sense of adventure, an open mind and a new pair of boots. Who knows what will turn out to be my actual favorite spots?
Here's what I expect to be my top 5 sites:
1. Musee d'Orsay. What's not to love about the incredible architecture of this immense former train station with it's huge clock as a background for a photo with some of your favorite people? This restored gem is home to impressionist works by Monet, Van Gogh, Manet, Renoir, Cezanne, Degas...
2. Centre Pompidou. Museum of Modern Art with it's quirky inside-out exterior and works by Picasso, Braque, Warhol, Matisse... And the plaza beside it with the Stravinsky Fountain with 16 colorful, gyrating mechanical figures spouting water.
3. Vanves Flea Market. What can I say? I'm a finder. (need to remember that I won't have the van waiting in the parking lot...)
4. Musee Marmottan Monet. World's largest collection of paintings by Claude Monet in an intimate town house. Also "Illuminations" - over 300 vividly colored medieval and Renaissance illustrated pages from French and Italian religious manuscripts.
5. The Eiffel Tower. 10,000 tons of metal, silhouetting the skyline. The landmark that will lead us back to our apartment, just 6 blocks away... and the view from the loft as we drink wine and plan the next day.
There are lots of other places on my "to see" list:
Notre Dame, the windows at Sainte-Chapelle, Chagall ceiling at Opera Garnier, the Paris sewer tour,Rodin's Thinker, Monet's water lily paintings at L'Orangerie, Manufacture des Gobelins tapestry manufacturing, hot chocolate and ice cream at on ile St-Louis, Champs-Elysees and Arc de Triomphe, Le Bon Marche, Moderne Art de Paris museum, UNESCO headquarters, the covered arcades. All the places where Madeline walked with Miss Clavel. And as long as I'm in Paris, I probably should stop by the Louvre to visit Mona.
I'm also looking forward to checking out lots of little shops that feature handmade things. Using recycled stuff to make something else is supposed to be a trend there. It'll be fun to get ideas for display and just fill my head with different ways of combining things in a new way. I'll be there for 10 days.
After I get home, I'll tell what my actual top 5 favorites are. If you've been to Paris, send me your top 5. I'd especially like to know about places that are hard to find but worth it. I'll bring home a little surprise packet of goodies to give to one lucky person who comments in response to my Paris posts.
Regards,
Mary