Today did not start well. Emma woke up feeling better, and that didn't last. She went back to bed, woozy and tired, and we figured we'd have another quiet day. David went over to the cyber cafe to print out our tickets for tonight's concert and tomorrow's dinner, and I hung out here, sorted through Email and did a load of laundry. Very exciting.
By early afternoon, Emma felt well enough to leave the apartment and - more importantly - she was annoyed at being cooped up. We decided to head to L'Orangerie, the museum of Impressionist art in the Tuileries. We got as far as the nearest Metro station when Emma decided her stomach wasn't quite up to a subway ride, so we walked. It was gray, cool and cloudy but not acutally raining.
The Louvre was jammed, of course. The Tuileries Garden was gorgeous, of course. They have lots and lots of grass and they appear to be experimenting with alternate approaches to controlling the growth.
We arrived at the Orangerie and discovered that everything we've been told about lines at Paris museums is true. I intended to purchase Museum Passes at the airport yesterday; that plan came undone when Emma got sick. I figured we'd just wait on one line and then buy the passes when we bought our admissions. We waited half an hour and had at least another half hour to go, which wouldn't have left us much time in the museum, and rushing through one of the world's great collections of Impressionist art seemed like a bad idea.
We stepped out of line and headed back along the Rue de Rivoli past a serious collection of tourist traps. The rain finally arrived as we stepped under the arched promenade and we took refuge in a sidewalk cafe that clearly also catered to tourists. We didn't care. We were dry and warm and the food was fine.
By then Emma had definitely perked up. We could tell because her sarcasm returned. She also agreed to ride the Metro rather than walk through the pouring rain. Trying to find a cab in the rain at rush hour makes Paris look a lot like Manhattan. We surfaced on the Ile de la Cite, where we walked over to St Chappelle, hoping we could get in early for the 7:00 concert. Nope (and when we did get inside, I realized that they had been trying to get all the chairs set up. Of course). Back to the sidewalk cafe, where we had drinks and a snack. Next door to the cafe was a Tabac. Rick Steves says that some tabacs sell tickets and museum passes, so we looked in - and sure enough, they did. We are now in possession of three Paris Museum Passes, good for the rest of the week. And yes, I do know that Emma may be eligible for free admission to some of the museums. I also know that we'll have to wait on the regular line in order to take advantage of that. Hence the three passes.
The organizers of the concert took pity of us and allowed us to wait in the courtyard, out of rain, until we could go in to the chapel for the concert.
I can't do it justice, either with photos or with words. It is magnificent.
We ordered tickets online with no regard for the performers or the program - we just wanted to hear music in that amazing space. We got very, very lucky. The program featured some of our favorite music, including Pachelbel's Canon, which was our wedding processional. The players were Les Solistes Francais. According to the program, they "distinguish themselves first and foremost by their singular sound and infectious passion to share with others their music and 'joie de vivre'." They dressed in white instead of black and they looked like they were having a lot of fun. They also sounded incredible. It was a treat.
When we emerged, the clouds were leaving town and blue sky was visible. We walked back to our own neighborhood and had a light dinner at a cafe near the Stravinsky fountain, just behind the Centre Pompidou.
Each of the 16 pieces of sculpture in the fountain is inspired by one of Stravinsky's musical works. I can't figure out how to post video, so I can't share the full experience. It's quite something.
So here we are at the end of another day, much more content than I would have predicted at the outset. It's actually dark because it's almost 11:00 PM, and it's time to head to bed. More adventures await us on the morrow! Bonne nuit!
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