For our next (and last) day in Paris, our task was to head for the Louvre, where I could check out 2 statues and a painting for my research. Due to our not yet being shifted to the French time zone (and to a long line at the museum), we didn’t get into the Louvre until early afternoon. During our walkabout the previous day (see previous blog entry), we had seen some heightened “police presence”, but not a great deal. At the Louvre, however, it was much more apparent. We had to wait in line for an hour to even get to the escalators (under the Pyramid) that take you down into the building. The weather there, as it has been on the East Coast, was very mild, so it was not an unpleasant wait. The line wound around the Louvre pyramid courtyard and back into the courtyard with more 16th-century architecture showing. So it was very pretty and not too cold.
This photo below was taken as we left the museum, looking back at the Louvre Pyramid and the courtyard. The line we stood in started back in the 16th-century courtyard, which is behind the far wall (the wall with the dome in the middle, behind the Pyramid), then it wound through the opening in the middle of the far wall, turned towards the wall on the right, went down this wall, turned back over in front of the Pyramid and then went through the back and forth of a “rope maze” until it finally spit us out at the museum opening at the Pyramid.
Louvre courtyard with Pyramid at the center
There were many soldiers walking about the courtyard, keeping an eye on folks. The main reason for the wait turned out to be that each person had to have any bags or parcels go through a scanner (like at the airport) and had to open up his/her coat. This security measure is new since the last time I had been to the Louvre. But it was good to see that so many people (foreigners and French alike) were out and about, undeterred by threats, and wanting to visit this incredible museum.
Once into the museum, the first order of business was to head for the Sculpture Gallery to find the two statues. As always in a museum, any attempt at a direct path to one’s goal is not possible, as there are always interesting things to be found along the way. It turned out to be a day of finding many “bits with a dog”, among them (User Note: if you move your cursor on top of these photos, captions appear), ….
I did finally reach my first statue, Robine Le Gendre. I spent a lot of time taking detailed photos and drawings of her headdress. Jim was the very soul of patience, taking charge of my coat, scouting for any other 16th-century items, and, it turns out, snapping photos of me. He took several of me “worshiping at the alter of my muse”.
Dawn “worshiping at the feet” of Robine Le Gendre
I was not able to get as close to the 2nd statue, Hélène de Chambes-Montsoreau. But that wasn’t too great a loss, as that statue was much less detailed than the 1st one. Getting to the painting I was interested in was quite an effort, as it involved following the great pilgrimage path of all those wanting to see the Mona Lisa! When we finally passed their “exit”, the path emptied considerably! This painting was moderately useful (pictures taken, drawings made). We then headed off to the 16th-century “objets d’art” section. Much other beautiful art was viewed and some other interesting items for the research found: several interesting paintings, some enamel pieces by Léonard Limousin …..
and medals (always a good source of headdress details).
Historical Notes: François 1 (1st enamel above) is king of France from 1515 – 1547. Upon his death, his son Henri becomes King Henri II. Henri is married to Catherine de Medici (2nd medal above). Henri II dies in 1559. His (and Catherine’s) oldest surviving son is the Dauphin (heir to the throne), François, who becomes King François II (2nd enamel). François II is married to Marie Stuart (aka Mary Queen of Scots) (shown in 1st medal).
As the darkness in the photo of the Louvre courtyard (above) shows, we spent a long time in there and had not had lunch. We already had a dinner destination picked out. But although it was late, it was not yet late enough for the restaurant to be open. With empty tummies and tired feet, we decided to stop at a café along the way to the restaurant. Some hot beverages and sitting down did much to restore us. So we then headed to Chez Fernard, one of my favorite places to eat. And we had yet another lovely meal. I started with my usual apéritif of kir (white wine + crème de cassis) while Jim had a Belgian beer. As an appetizer, I had what I have almost every time I go there: a “salad” of cooked green beans (I love green beans!). As it was winter and really prime green beans are at a premium, they had served them this time with a light vinaigrette dressing, some pumpkin seeds and…. little cubes of foie gras! For dinner, I had a lovely duck breast with a ginger demi-glace sauce, served with a pile of sautéed mushrooms. Jim had the steak “au poivre” (black pepper sauce) and dauphinois (scalloped) potatoes, which is one of the restaurant’s “spécialités de la maison”. We had a lovely half bottle of Haut Medoc red wine to go with it. For dessert, I had what was basically a rice pudding that was served with a sauce of salted caramel. Boy do I love rice pudding and boy do I love salted caramel. So together, they were “magnifique”! We toddled back to our hotel room and packed in preparation for the next day’s travel to Belgium……
la françoysse 