Prague to Paris to London

Karen and I had nothing planned for today. The LeBarons were off shopping, starting with a custom shirt tailor Marc has used for years. It was noon before the two of us left the hotel for a nearby bistro they recommended. As it turned out, it was the same place we had mistakenly walked into a couple of days ago.

I zeroed in on a Grand Marnier crêpe—one of my all-time favorites and almost impossible to find. Karen had a delicious bowl of onion soup. Some meals were even served in medium-sized copper skillets—very cool. The whole experience was relaxing, satisfying, and just plain fun.

We passed two other great-looking hotels in the neighborhood. I stopped to pick up a card and forwarded the information to Katheryn, just in case it’s useful in the future.

Our first stop was my favorite shop, Comme des Garçons, known for very unique clothes. I immediately spotted a beautiful pair of bright red shoes—alas, not in my size. Maybe online? None of the shirts “spoke to me” today.

Next we stopped at a favorite bookstore specializing in art and other oversized volumes. I found one catalogue of Sheila Hicks’s work and took photos of several other books to order later.

We had noticed an exhibition by Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely in another building of the Grand Palais. Since we have works by both artists in our collection, off we went!

WOW! WOW! WOW!

We had no idea that these huge, beautiful, intricate works—created individually or together—even existed. Niki’s oversized women, embedded with whatever was on her mind at the time, are unlike anything else in the art world. My two favorites, both white, were near the end. One, titled King Kong, depicted the famous movie scene of Kong attacking the New York City skyscrapers. For contrast, here is an image of our piece.

Tinguely’s pieces are intricate metal fantasies that move, creating squeaking, moaning, and groaning sounds. Some are as large as entire rooms. We have a small version that moves and makes a creaking sound. When we first installed it years ago, our beloved Susan wanted to oil it—just as she had done with machines on the farm. No—the noise is part of the work.

We closed out our visit at the museum’s bookshop and gift gallery. Once again, I photographed many books to order later, bought a couple of things, and took photos of others. It was an excellent shop.

WOW again! We are so glad we didn’t miss this.

It was dark by the time we headed back to the hotel for another perfect DuncanTini and conversation with the LeBarons, followed by another wonderful dinner a short taxi ride from our hotel. Kathryn and Marc leave early tomorrow morning for home, so we said our goodbyes and headed off to bed. A wonderful final day in Paris.

Robert

P.S. In the past, I have carefully written these blogs only to lose them before they were sent. Now I take screenshots periodically—“just in case.” Another tip: I use my daily photos (210 today!) as a memory assist. Today I even found the banner for the art exhibition to help me spell their names correctly.

R