Sunday in Paris

Sunday October 4 was a mix of sun and cloud and a bit cooler, but still clear (around 17C).  Alain did some food shopping in the morning and then we went to meet Toronto friends for lunch in the Marais.  As we crossed the bridge to the right bank we saw some old carts with vegetables and some old busses and autos--- yep, it was a film shoot.

Old cart with flowers and vegetables

Old bus

Old cars for film shoot

Music on the bridge (not part of film shoot)

We met Jennifer and Richard from Gaspard in Toronto at La Chaise au Plafond for lunch.  They are in Paris for fashion week.  Alain and I shared a large salad.  The Marais is always buzzy on Sundays as it is one of very few areas in Paris open for business.

Jennifer, Richard and Alain

After Jennifer and Richard left for their business appointments,  Alain and I went around the corner for an expresso and a warm pastel de nata (Portuguese egg tart) at Comme A Lisbonne, which we discovered in 2014.  It is a tiny space with a small counter.  Freshly baked egg tarts are brought up from the kitchen every 10 minutes.

At Comme A Lisbonne

We then wandered over to the Picasso Museum which finally opened in October 2014 after many years of renovation and controversy.  It turned out that admission was free for the first Sunday of the month (a number of Paris Museums are free First Sundays).  Two of the floors of the Museum were closed as they are being prepared for a large temporary exhibition.  The permanent collection is arranged chronologically and thematically, with many masterpieces.

Fast-moving line outside Picasso Museum

The first room contained some self-portraits of Picasso (1881-1973).  One was done in 1906 and one in 1972, just before his death.

Autoportrait 1906

Le Jeune Peintre 1972

The next rooms traced his blue and rose periods and his early paintings.  La Mort de Casagemas, painted in 1901, was a tribute to a friend who had shot himself at an early age because of an unrequited love affair.

La Mort de Casagemas 1901

There was a room dedicated to Picasso's cubist works.

Violin 1912

Nu Debout au Bras Leve 1908

Another room was dedicated to Picasso's pictures of his first wife, Olga Khokhlova (a dancer with the Ballets Russes).  The pictures were very beautiful at the beginning of their relationship, but became more grotesque as their marriage deteriorated.

Portrait d'Olga dans un fauteuil 1918

The photo below provided the inspiration for the Portrait.

1918

Buste de Femme 1931

There were a few paintings that Picasso did during the war.  The colours were darker and the pictures more somber.

Femme Assise - 5 Mar 1945

A room was dedicated to Picasso's many takes on Manet's Le Dejeuner sur l'herbe.

Le Dejeuner sur l'herbe d'après Manet. I  1962

Just prior to his death, there was a major exhibit in Avignon organized by friends of Picasso.  Lots of colour.

Jeune Fille Assise 1970

The restoration of the museum was well done and there were light fixtures in each room that were reminiscent of Picasso's work.

Light fixture in restored room

There was also a room with a lot of Picasso's pictures of bathers.  A number featured women reading on the beach.

Grande baigneuse au livre 1937

After visiting the museum we wandered over to Place des Vosges, the oldest planned square in Paris and one of the finest in the city.  It was built by Henri IV from 1605-1612.  During the summer it is filled with people lying on the grass.  The leaves are beginning to turn, but there were still many people walking through the square.

Place des Vosges

We then decided it was time to sit and have a glass of wine.  We went to La Belle Hortense on Rue Vieille du Temple, one of our favourite wine bars.  We sat in the quiet back room.

Photo as we were leaving La Belle Hortense

We walked back to the apartment for a chicken dinner and listened to some of the Blue Jays' last game of the season.  So sad for Buerhle not to get his 200 innings.  It is hard to believe we have been in Paris for almost a week.  We both so enjoy exploring the city- going back to old haunts and embarking on new adventures.