For several years, our oldest son, Jason, had been applying for a work position in Germany. As you may know he accepted one and moved the family to Wiesbaden -Mainz about 14 months ago. While we have visited a couple of times previously, here we are again enjoying their hospitality and getting to visit with our two grand girls.
At the Fountain in the City CenterThere was NO way I was buying this Steiff Bear!Channelling MeridaPlugged in for entertainment
This visit was particularly enjoyable as we got to attend the oldest Banshee’s 8th birthday party.
This year’s party was at a place called Clip ‘n Climb an indoor climbing arena for ages 4 and over. Banshee #1 invited 5 or 6 of her school mates to the party – several who had previously been to this place and were well versed in how things worked. Banshee #2, being just 4, found things to do but didn’t scale the heights as her sister did.
That’s Banshee #1 at the top!Birthday Girl working her way upIt looks so easy, G’Pa!All the way to the top!The Party gets some instruction on climbing.Banshee #2 working the blocks.
Cake, pizza, a chocolate #8 and slushies were enjoyed by all for a fun afternoon birthday.
Everyone had a great time and lots of cake and pizza
The next day, we piled into two cars and headed out to Hof Schauferts. This is an organic farm with a brewery and restaurant. Our visit was timed for lunch, which was quite enjoyable sitting outside with a lively breeze blowing. Visits to the pigs and pony were fun as well as a quick walk around the place. We didn’t find the brewery but we all sampled beer for lunch.
One day, Terri (daughter-in-law), Janeen and I went for lunch along the river. Mainz is right at the confluence of the Main and Rhine Rivers – and clearly a spot where the river has been vital to the development of the community. We had actually been to Mainz before on a River Cruise but it has been several years ago since that trip. After lunch, I decided to walk home and found this memorial to the almost 500-year-old tradition of rafting on the river. Rafting along the river was not easy taking a lot of stamina and self-confidence.
The last raft trip took place in 1964 but it is clear that rafters have left their mark along the shore over the centuries.
One day we made cookies – and of course had to sample the dough
Our visit was only 10 days or so but it is always wonderful to see our grand kids in their space and see how they have grown since we last saw them.
We are now back in Virginia so no blogs for a while – Alaska in August is coming!
While our grandchildren are in school, we continue to explore some of the cultural resources of the city. Today we are going to the Landes Museum – also called the Mainz State Museum. It is a museum of cultural history and is located right in the center of Mainz. The baroque building was originally a horse stable and later became a modern glass and steel structure with an inner courtyard designed for presentations or relaxation. Not only is it home to one of the most important collections on cultural history in the state of Rhineland‑Palatinate, it also opens up for a range of cultural events.
The Mainz MuseumJaneen and David at entrance to Museum
The extensive collection on the history of art and culture extending from the beginnings of culture to modern art. The collection clearly reflects the varied aspects of cultural and social history over the millennia in a unique way.
Mainz was founded by the Romans in the 1st century BCE as a military fortress on the northernmost frontier of the empire and provincial capital of Germania Superior. It became an important city in the 8th century CE as part of the Holy Roman Empire and was the site of the Electorate of Mainz and seat of the Archbishop-Elector of Mainz, the Primate of Germany.
This early history is represented in the Museum by a series of eight full-figure sandstone reliefs representing the seven electors and the Roman-German king. These were originally on the external building of the Kaufhaus am Brand, which was completed in 1317 in the center of Mainz.
Johannes von NepomukKassel portrait Christian Carl von Closen on HaidburgLorenzo di Credi Florenz 1459-1537 FlorenzMainz writing cabinetThe baby Jesus crowns St. Joseph,
Once again, we had a museum almost to ourselves – yes at the beginning there was a school group but they left soon after our arrival.
Two pairs of figures (love couples) from the house Korbgasse 8 in Mainz, around 1320/1340 Yellow sandstone with traces of old version According to the sources, these “love couples” were located in 1905 on the facade or courtyard side of a Mainz patrician house in Korbgasse No. 8. Originally, they probably served as jewelry for window sills.
The collections showcase: Prehistory, Roman times, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Baroque period, graphics from the 16th to the 20th century, Dutch painting, 18th-century porcelain, 19th-century painting, Judaica, city history, Art Nouveau glass and modern art.
There are numerous temporary exhibitions on art, culture and history, including contemporary history, that complement the extensive collection.
We wandered through the Museum discovering new areas as we went along. As we are not German speaking tourists, we had to use our cellphone for translations of the descriptions around the artwork.
Bernhard Kraus Offenbach 1867-1935 Mainz fountain of youth, before 1918 glass mosaic, partly painted, lead glazing The motif of the fountain of youth fits perfectly into the time of Art Nouveau with its longings for the origins and the designs of social utopias.
Time to say goodbye. The memorial head wants to go home. Once this bronze stood on an altar in honor of a deceased king in the Kingdom of Benin in today’s Nigeria. The memorial head is one of the estimated over 4,000 brass and ivory works that British colonial troops robbed during the conquest of the Royal Palace in February 1897. Via Lagos, Berlin and Stuttgart, the bronze came to Mainz in the collection of Johannes Gutenberg University in 1971. Since 2020, the memorial head has been waiting to return to Nigeria. Time to say goodbye!
Once we had explored most of the museum, we stopped into the Café for a quick lunch and of course the gift shop for appropriate souvenirs of our visit. Once we were back at the Lee’s home, we relaxed and started preparations for the Clip&Climb birthday festivities on Saturday celebrating first grandgirl’s eighth.
We all take for granted the printed word – books, magazines, newspapers and all those other printed things. However, the ability to create multiple copies of a book was extremely difficult and time consuming.
Books were so valuable they were often changed to the table to prevent theft.A traveling book – you could hook this to your belt to take on the road.
Say you had a copy of a Bible, in the mid 1400’s, and you wanted to make a copy for a friend. Not any easy task. First you had to find a source for the paper (usually vellum as paper as we know it wasn’t around yet), ink and binding materials and then you had to get started on the copy.
A wax tablet made of wood and covered with a layer of wax. Using the stylus you could etch into the wax a message, drawing or something you want to remember. When you needed to ‘erase’ what you had, you used the other end to smooth off thee wax. An early a reusable and portable writing surface.
Once you found all the materials now you need to find a scribe. A scribe had to be familiar with the writing and how to use writing when making a copy of something. The scribe had to make sure that all the lines were straight and the letters were the same size in each book that they copied. It typically took a scribe as much as fifteen months to copy a Bible.
Here we are about to go into the Museum
So, along came a guy named Johannes Gutenberg. Born in Mainz Germany at the turn of the century, as in 1400, he developed a technique of moveable type that resulted in the creation of the printing press as we know it today. While he wasn’t actually the first to develop the technique, he was the first to make it a reasonable process. The Chinese had developed printing but their process involved carving all the letters out of wood or clay and with the vast number of characters required made the ‘alphabet’ several thousand pieces! Gutenberg only had 26 characters to deal with so, a much easier process.
Lots of different characters required for the Chinese printing process.
Gutenburg was a German craftsman and inventor and originated a method of printing from with movable type. One of the important things he invented was thought to have included the development of a metal alloythat could melt readily and cool quickly to form durable reusable type. He also created an oil-based ink that could be made sufficiently thick to adhere well to the metal type and transfer well to vellum or paper, and he created a new press.
Vellum is prepared animal skin or membrane, typically used as writing material. It took over 6,000 of these to make the Gutenberg Bible.
He likely adapted his first press from those used in producing wine, oil, or paper, thus the ability to apply firm and even pressure to printing surfaces. None of these features existed in the European technique up to that time. Gutenberg’s printing press was considered a history-changing invention, making books widely accessible and ushering in an “information revolution.”
This is a recreation of what Gutenburg “might” have used as his press.Individual letters – both narrow and wide to make the printing even on each line.
One of the printings that he is most famous for is the Gutenberg Bible. The printing of this book contains 1,286 pages – with 300 pieces of unique types used in the printing and each page containing approximately 2,500 individual pieces of type. It is estimated to have taken three to five years to complete the entire print run of 180 Bibles and each book weighs an average of 14 pounds!
The fancy colors were all added after the printing was completed.The Bible was usually a two volume set.
Insofar as we were in Mainz, it seemed like the thing to do would be to visit the Gutenberg Museum. The Gutenberg Museum is one of the oldest museums of printing in the world and was created in 1900 – almost 500 years after he created the printing process.
A early example of a book about plantsThe use of color expanded quickly in printing.
The goal of the museum was to exhibit the writing and printing of as many different cultures as possible. Clearly, they have been successful with this as there are lots of interesting exhibits to see and discover along with a number of printing presses including one that is thought to be a recreation of the original press he used in the 1400’s.
There were a number of printing presses on display – some in operation, others just for show. A demonstration of the original printing press was done periodically during the day.
There are no know actual paintings of Gutenberg – this one depicts him as a magician.
A Book Chair at the entrance to the MuseumStatue of Gutenberg in the old town square
So, if you haven’t figured it out we are now in Germany. Specially we are staying with our son and his family in Mainz – Wiesbaden. This is our final port of call on our current adventure and we will be here for a week or so. However, our adventure has included learning about Gutenberg’s life, the printing process and visiting this very enjoyable Museum. If you are in Mainz, I would urge you to stop in. If you have, please make a comment and share your experience too.
Our final adventure in France was to the seaside town of Deauville. This community holds an international film festival each year, has a very large race course, a harbor that will hold yachts of the rich and famous and a Grand Casino. It is regarded as the ‘queen of the Norman beaches’ and thus one of the most prestigious seaside resorts in all of France. It is also the location of Villa Strassburger.
However, before visiting the Villa, we had to have lunch and went to Le Réfrectorie.
Located in the museum, Les Franciscaines, this was a relaxed place surrounded by books where you are encouraged to enjoy the food, read a good book and have conversations.
Nice lunch!An interesting place for lunch – with a library all around
From there we went to Villa Strassburger for our tour.
This Villa was built in 1907 by Baron Henri de Rothschild, close to the major race course of the city and elevated so he could watch the races from his porch. It was sold to an American billionaire Ralph Beaver Strassburger, who was living in Deauville at the time. He was an expat from the US who attended the US Naval Academy ,serving in the US Navy twice – once upon graduation and again during WWI, and spent his honeymoon in Normandy. The villa stayed in the family until 1980 when it was donated to the City by the family.
The house has a strong Norman character as reflected by the development of the vast grassy park planted with fruit and decorative trees. The ground floor of the building uses brick and stone laid out in a checkerboard pattern and a half-timbered floor above. There are a number of turrets, bow windows and roof decorations with ceramic finials reinforcing the picturesque character of the place.
Janeen lovers her flowers…
Our guide met us at the entrance to the drive and walked us up to the front of the building providing commentary about the building and its location in the City. The entrance, facing west, opens onto a central hall that gives access to the smoking room, living room and dining room to the north, the children’s dining room, a single bedroom and grand staircase to the upper floors.
This staircase leads to the private apartments on the second floor.
Lots of bedrooms
A rare thing, the villa has preserved its period furniture, its decoration, its knick-knacks throughout the house.
Janeen found a nice place to sit for a moment.
There are numerous paintings of horses and caricatures which testify to the equestrian parties of the time.
There must have been 4 bathrooms – one off every bedroom and an additional one just becauseYou could get. your own personal steam in this contraption
All-in-all a quite interesting home – not as grand as you might expect but still worthy of a visit.
The Marie – City Hall of the town.
After the tour, Ryan drove us to a tea house for afternoon sweets, then we walked to the boardwalk along the beaches looking east to England.
After enjoying the sun and breezes for a while, we walked to our waterside seafood restaurant.
After our visit we returned to Livarot for a relaxing time together.
For my readers, I would love a comment if you have been to any of the places we have mentioned – particularly those off the beaten path.
It’s the fourth of July and what better way to celebrate then a visit to an Historical Monument. OK, it might be in Normandy region of France, but still it’s historic. This morning we ventured out to The Château de Vendeuvre located near Lisieux about 45 minutes away from our Gîte.
Classified as an Historic Monument, both for its exterior and interior, Vendeuvre is an sample of what a Norman country house should be. Built between 1750 and 1752 it is a great example of a country house of the eighteenth century.
Classified as an Historic Monument, both for its exterior and interior, Vendeuvre is an sample of what a Norman country house should be. Built between 1750 and 1752 it is a great example of a country house of the eighteenth century.
Over 200,000 shells were used to create the The Shell Grotto.
Our plan for the day was to arrive late morning at the Château and have a picnic lunch on the grounds prior to exploring the gardens and interior of the building.
A delicious lunch prior to walking around the Chateau
The original owner, Alexandre Le Forestier, coming from a Cotentin family that claimed descent from the Counts of Flanders, wanted a modern summer retreat built in the style of the day. The old manor-house was demolished and a new house built partially into the hillside slope (allowing the kitchen to be below grade at the front). The family didn’t emigrate during the Revolution, as many did, and thus the chateau was saved from destruction, preserving the original décor and most of the furnishings
The château is famous for its eighteenth-century interiors. The Architect paid particular attention to the highly sophisticated interior circulation and decoration. The facade is deliberately not ostentatious, as, according to architect, ‘it is absolutely vital to avoid useless ornamentation and excessive facades that detract from the quality of what is inside’.
The château was damaged during the Second World War, and the present Count of Vendeuvre, a direct descendant of Alexander of Vendeuvre, set about the complete internal and exterior renovation of the château. Following the completion of the interior renovation, the park’s restoration followed using the original 1813 plans as a basis for the garden’s classic French style. In 1983 the Orangery was restored to its former state, having also been badly damaged as a result of action during the war.
Hard to believe the detail of all of these miniatures.
The Orangery is now home to the ticket office and to a collection of miniature house furnishings; models, maquettes, mini-masterpieces, ivories, silverware all minuscule in size. This collection of small-scale objects includes over 800 pieces of furniture and other objects.
3 different sizes of chess boardsNo, this is NOT full size.
In 1983 the grounds and first floor of the château were opened to the public – with the family continuing in residence living on the upper floors (which they still do).
After touring the gardens, we headed into the basement area for a look at the kitchen and a quite interesting collection of pet beds. Why anyone would have a unique collection of pet-carriers, baskets and kennels is beyond me but they do.
Small dogs and cats were the object of much care and attention, as testified by the refinement and variety of sumptuous places in which they lived, slept and travelled. Some were even provided with bedding matched to the full-sized furniture of the room in which they were placed, others were miniature versions of the furniture, but gilded.
The kitchen area is filled with copper and tin vessels of all shapes and sizes, with old earthenware and containers giving the impression that this beautifully arranged kitchen could still be used. Under the stone vaulted ceiling, in the huge fireplace, stands a mechanical rotisserie, still in working order. In a corner of the fireplace there is an oven, which was used for broiling and pot-roasting. In the other corner of the fireplace, lumps of wood were permanently smoldering.
These were transported, using large pans, to the oven opposite, or to one of the five smaller fireplaces situated in the wall opposite, where slow-cooked dishes, such as soups and sauces were prepared. Set into the wall of another corner is a smaller oven once used for pastry-baking. All the wood ash would have been collected and sifted for use in the household laundry. The kitchen was in use as recently as the early 20th century.
Entrance Hall with stairs to the upper level.
After touring the basement, we went to the front entrance and entered the main floor of the château. The floor plan is twice as wide as it is deep, with a series of rooms around a central hall supported by columns. The layout of the rooms and the rounding of all the corners, help to spread the natural light throughout each room.
On the first floor, there is a remarkable set of furniture all period pieces from the 18th century. Yes, these ARE the real size.
It was a very pleasant visit and an interesting spot to see all the miniatures, pet beds and the historical Château.
Today’s adventure would be taking us to a zoo. Now, having grown up in San Diego I know world class zoos – we have visited both the San Diego Zoo and its offshoot the Wild Animal Park many times (including going to the Zoo on our Honeymoon all those years ago). However, we were unprepared for how nice a zoo could be and only about 30 miles away from our Gīte.
Le Cerza (Center for Zoological Study and Reproduction Augeron), also called Cerza Zoological Park or Lisieux Zoological Park is in the Calvados Region of Normandy. The Park was created in May 1986 by two brothers, Thierry and Patrick Jardin. Today, the park is managed by Thierry Jardin, while brother Patrick Jardin takes care of another zoo, Parc des felins near Val-de-Reuil. It seems these brothers are committed to helping rare and endangered plants and animals.
White RhinoA gathering of Rhino’s
Le Cerza seems to be a magical place as they have been successful in reproducing some very endangered animals. The San Diego Wild Animal Park tried for years to successfully bred White Rhinoceros and this park has a herd of 16 white rhinos just wandering around!
Births have include three lions, two red pandas and a white rhino thus enabling Cerza to fulfill its role of safeguarding and reproducing species. In 2018, the park created an enclosure for two polar bears one of the largest enclosures in Europe. In 2019, the park was able to expand by 20 acres with the establishment of a second African plain accessible via the Safari Train.
Just in case you don’t know these folks – Ryan, Janeen, David and Chris.
Open from February to November, the park extends over 200 acres and presents more than 1,500 wild animals of 120 different species reflecting 5 continents. It has two walking circuits, the red route (which we walked) and the yellow route, as well as a Safari Train and a 3D cinema. The Cerza aims to preserve wildlife and presents visitors with animals that are often threatened with extinction.
We arrived late morning just in time to visit the giraffe feeding station. This was backed with kids so we just watched and tried to listen to the narrative being given.
After visiting with the giraffes, we took the red trail where we were able to see and visit a number of animals where the enclosures are almost non-existent really just low fencing with a moot or two and some electrical wire barricades to keep the animals in but generally very open and accessible.
Green IguanaAmerican AlligatorBig white fish and turtlePygmy Hippos
After our walk, we stopped for lunch and then headed to the safari tram. I should point out that there are accommodations on the property – from tent camping to a full hotel and the restaurant provides meals for all to all dinners.
From the restaurant, we boarded the Safari Train –
the train wanders through a number of areas where you can get up close and personal with the animals as you go through their enclosures – no fencing what so ever. Along the way we saw a group of American bison with some reindeer.
ZebrasAmerican Bison (Buffalo)
Past the enclosure with lions, another with tigers and even one with bears, O’my! The train includes a travel through the African plain where we saw zebras, antelopes called Mrs. Grey’s waterbuck, blue wildebeests and ostriches.
Mom and Dad LionTigger the TigerOn top of the World – Bear
As we passed around the rhino area there were more ostriches (including a nest of eggs), scimitar-horned oryx and giraffes.
Leopard in the TreeSpotted Hyena
We were all very impressed with the place and it will be a spot we return from time to time when visiting in the region.
Rhino Poop for sale!David, Janeen and Chris in the gift store
After completing our adventure, we headed back to the Gīte for dinner and the reveal of what would happen the next day.
During our visit to the area, Ryan had planned adventures for each day which he ‘revealed’ at dinner for the following day. On Sunday, we were heading out to a bike-rail adventure. It seems in a number of locations where train rails have been abandoned, these bike-rail cars have been established allowing adventurers to pedal along the track. This trip was a 13 km round trip on the railway bridges between Pont-Erambourg and Berjou. Fortunately, the pedaling part was being done by Ryan and Chris so all we had to do is relax and enjoy the adventure.
Getting ready to head out!
When we arrived, for our late morning adventure, we found several old postal rail cars sitting on the tracks. These train cars have been transformed into mini-museums with artifacts and descriptions about the rail service of the area. It was enjoyable to walk through and see the various displays.
Ryan and Janeen at entrance to Postal CarConductor’s UniformInside the Postal Car
There were 6 or 7 bike-rail cars being cued up for our adventure. Once everyone was gathered together, we were shown how to put the car on the round table to turn it around for the return trip. We took the first car and loaded up our Picque Nique (picnic) lunch Chris had arranged and headed out. Ryan and Chris had done a similar bike-rail adventure a few weeks ago so understood the process. Fortunately, the track was relatively level so there wasn’t a lot of hills to climb and Janeen and I got to just enjoy the ride. There were a couple roads we crossed but no clanging bells or arms came down to block the cars on the road so we had to stop and let them pass before proceeding.
Several abandoned rail cars along the way.Roses along the way.
We got to the end of the road where a fence closed off a long tunnel over the track. We got out, and turned our car around which wasn’t that difficult.
Chris waving!View down the track with a crossing coming up.
Of course, one ‘crew’ that arrived after we did, got their car off the tracks so others had to help out to get it all straightened out. After some car shifting, we headed out and looked for a spot to have our lunch. We went by a couple of benches but left them for the group of 8 or so behind us who needed a large space. We ended up stopping along the track and having a lovely lunch before heading back to the ‘station’.
A delicious lunchHere we are enjoying our day.
After the bike-rail trip, and a coffee and crépe, we got into the car and headed to our next spot – Musée des Automates in the town of Falaise. For those of you who have been in Paris over Christmas, besides all the Christmas Markets, the major department stores do really elaborate window decorations.
One of the original workshops was recreated
Many of these use animatronics (automate) figures in their displays. These have been happening for over 100 years and this is the museum those displays come to retire.
Some of the early R&D items on display
The museum tracks the history of ‘automates’ many made by Roullet & Decamps which was a French toy manufacturing company operating in the 19th and 20th centuries that specialized in production of automates. Started in 1866 it created a number of automation items with each successive achievement growing in complexity and originality.
I wish I could automate this so you could enjoy all the movements.
In the beginning of the 20th century, R & D made the first large automate for shop-window dressing. These large animated showcases, designed by the company, were demonstrated in the best department stores in Paris and London. Automatic scenes for showcases were the direct descendants of mechanical automates and an important part of the decoration of Paris and other cities for several decades.
The firm ceased operations in 1995 but the collections of their dolls was felt to be a National Treasure and two museums were created to hold and display them, one museum in Falaise and the other in Souillac. We were visiting the museum in Falaise where a number of small and large scale displays were on view. Much of what we saw had been used in department store windows or in smaller displays. Virtually all of the displays are in operation being controlled automatically by a computerized system designed to protect the mechanisms from excessive wear. Most of the displays were accompanied with posters explaining how they were used.
After exploring the museum and learning about the history we walked around the town of Falaise , the original strong hold of William the Conqueror, ultimately stopping for dinner at a lovely Bistro named for William before returning home. For day two of our visit, it was wonderful and filled with new and very different things to do.
On Friday, June 30th, we made our way to the train station for our trip to the Normandy Region and a visit with our son Ryan and son-in-law Chris to stay in the Gîte on their property. The train ride was an adventure all by itself – first the train we were booked on was cancelled, then the second train we were on was overbooked. Furthermore, along the way there was a track problem and the train had to pause for about 30 minutes! Good thing we could communicate via text without any issues to keep everyone up to date on our arrival.
About 5 years ago, our son Ryan and his husband Chris decided to go to France for graduate school. Ryan worked on an International Business MBA while Chris worked on a Masters in Hospitality. Their programs lasted a couple of years and had them living first in Paris, and Bordeaux, Aix-en-Provence and finally in Lyon. During this time, needless to say, they were able to visit much of France and experience hospitality via Airbnb, Vacation Rental by Owner and staying with friends. When they returned to the US, they had a short stint (about 6 months) of actively operating a Bed & Breakfast in Morro Bay (CA). So, it wasn’t a big surprise they decided to purchase a property and create a B&B in France.
Working with Ryan’s former advisor for his Masters Program, who has subsequently has become their business partner, they settled on a property in the village of Livarot.
This is the front of the building with two storefronts (different color fronts).
Livarot-Pays-d’Auge is a village of about 6,000 residents and has a major cheese producer plus a large apple cider processing plant. The cheese producer, E. Graindorge Cheese Dairy has been making cheese in the village since 1910 with ownership being passed down from father to son.
The company specializes in the production of the four Norman Protected Designations of Origin or PDO cheeses, Livarot,
The four cheeses they make
Pont-l’Eveque, Camembert de Normandie, Neufchatel. The other major producer is taking apples and making them into cider, both with and without distillation.
However, neither of these companies are why they choose this village – it was the property and general location in the Normandy Region of France that was the determination. The property, on one side, faces the main street, while on the other, it is along a small stream called Le Douet Fleury. On the property, there is an historic wash house, one of but a few remaining in the region. So, once they had the property, the river became the name of their overall property – Le Douet Fleury.
The property, consisting of several buildings along Rue Marcel Gambier, the main street of the village.
The exterior of the buildings they purchased.
The oldest part of the building dates from 1680, while newer portions date from 1810 and 1910. On the street side of the building, there are two spaces that have been used as storefronts previously and there is an existing Gîte (cottage or small apartment) on the property which has been a rental for some years and a lot of other space which reallyhaven’t been used beyond storage.
Chris, Janeen, Ryan and David relaxing in the Gīte.
The ultimate goal is to have a 4 suite Bed & Breakfast, 2 Gîtes, and 2 retail spaces. However, it will take some time to get all of this organized. Until all the modifications are completed, the existing Gîte is operating and producing some income and where we were booked for our week stay. You could also stay there, by going to www.ledouetfleury.fr!
Once they collected us at the train station, we got back to the Gîte and settled in.
The following day was a ‘Brocante’ or flea market in the village.
Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t as cooperative as it could have been with rain falling periodically through the day. There were treasures for sure, but nothing that followed us home.
While all of this was going on, Janeen was having a Mani-Pedi done and relaxing at the local spa. Once we were all together we wandered back to the apartment and planned for our next adventure – a visit to Vélorail-Gare de Pont Erambourg and the Musee des Automates the following day.
On our last day in Paris, we had need of somewhere to have lunch prior to going to Musee de l’Orangerie and I remembered a friend, Randy, recommending Le Procope. This restaurant has been around since 1686 and is the oldest café in Paris.
It was the first restaurant in Europe to introduce coffee and to democratize it by serving it at tables in a china cup. They offer a traditional and bourgeois French cuisine, through different specialties such as Coq au vin and Tête de veau, braised beef cheek, homemade Mille-feuille and traditional Procopio-style Tiramisù. I made a reservation for lunch and we found our way to the place.
It is a large place with seating on two levels – the second level had at least 1 bus load of visitors while the first floor, where we sat, was singles and couples having lunch. The restaurant has many historic objects (including furnishings, treaties and written agreements) which all tell a stunning story. The most unusual item, in a glass case, is Napoleon’s bicorn hat, left by the Emperor as a pledge to cover the cost of his meal – which apparently he never claimed or paid his bill.
While this is clearly a tourist place, it did a great job of welcoming everyone and the food was well presented and delicious.
Creamy burrata with cherry tomatoes, tomato jam, Parmésan cheese,Avocado and shrimpIrish Cut” beef skirt steak bordelaise sauce, candied shallots, homemade French friesCoq au vinOur Desserts
While it won’t replace our original favorite place it will certainly be a place we can return to without hesitation.
After lunch, we took an Uber to l’Orangerie for our 3:30 scheduled entrance.
Musée de l’OrangerieJaneen waiting for our entrance time.
We have been to Paris a number of times, actually staying in Paris for 6 weeks two years in a row. However, we have never seen The Water Lilies by Claude Monet. We have visited Giverny and seen Monet’s home and studio and I have read Ross King’s book Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of the Water Lilies so have some understanding of the back ground of The Water Lilies and why they ended up being given to the Government and placed in the Musée de l’Orangerie.
The Water Lilies cycle of paintings occupied Claude Monet for three decades, from the late 1890s until his death in 1926, at the age of 86. The series was inspired by the water garden he created at his Giverny estate in Normandy. Water Lilies, is a series of approximately 250 oil paintings he did over the period.
Those that eventually became the property of the French Government comprised a series of paintings and are very large and requires a large room for display. It was his intention all along that they be placed in a large building where they could be mounted on the walls so the viewer would be surrounded by all the beauty he had created.
On the lower level there were additional painters represented – mostly those that would have been contemporary to Monet. This collection included paintings by Picasso, Renoir, Cezanne and Modigliani among others: there are a total of 145 paintings in the collection covering the period from the impressionists to the 1930’s.
Roses on Black Background by Andre DerainWoman in White Hat by Pablo PicassoHenri Matisse – Nu Drapé Étendu
It was an interesting comparison to all the Water Lilies upstairs – all having been painted at about the same time.
After our visit to the l’Orangerie we went back to our apartment to finalize packing for our train trip to the Normandy region and our visit with Ryan and Chris.
We have completed the Mystery portion of our adventure and now it is off to France. Our first stop is Paris for a few days. From Amsterdam Central Station, via high-speed train, to Gare du Nord station in Paris. It is really amazing to be on a train, relaxing and enjoying the view through the windows and be zipping along at almost 200 miles an hour!
Our train arriving at the StationThe train actually topped out at 200 MPH!It was very comfortable on this train!It even included LUNCH!
Once in Paris, we took a very expensive gypsy cab to our VRBO near the Latin quarter of the city very close to Luxembourg Gardens. Our stay in Paris was really planned just to visit a couple of our favorite eateries and museums. Once into our apartment, a very nice ground floor 2-bedroom apartment, we strolled all of 10 yards outside the front door to a café on the corner for dinner.
The door to the buildingOur apt was at the end of this corridor.Nice sitting room.
The following morning, we used our Metro passes for a bus and strolled through the Luxembourg Gardens to Angelina’s café at the Museum.
The Palace atLuxembourg Gardens Sail boats abound!
This location of Angelina’s is small with both inside and outside seating. We had been here before and it was nice to re-visit this lovely spot.
Angelina’sInside seatingJaneen had Angelina’s take on Eggs BenedictDavid had the Croque Madame
After having a petit-déjeuner (breakfast) we went by the Apple store to get a new power source for my laptop (with an EU plug) and then off towards our lunch spot. Using a combination of bus and subways we found our way to The Musée Carnavalet.
The entrance hall with lots of signs
The Carnavalet Museum reflects the history of Paris from the origins of the city to the present day. This is one of Janeen’s favorite museums and we try and visit each time we are in Paris. It doesn’t hurt that it is free and there is a lovely garden café in the middle.
We have enjoyed more than one refreshing break in this garden area of the Museum
Located in the Marais district it presents collections on various themes: memories of the French Revolution, historical paintings, sculptures, furniture and decorations from and 18th and 19th centuries as well as 20th century posters and history.
The museum is made up of the former Hôtel Carnavalet and the Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau, linked by a gallery on the first floor. Over 3,800 works and objects are exhibited in the permanent collection, among the hundred rooms that make up museum, 34 are decorative rooms, mainly from and 18th centuries. These rooms, sometimes called “period rooms”, are one of the particularities of the museum as they are exact recreations of actual rooms from various locations in Paris.
In 1941, the jeweller Georges Fouquet donated the remarkable decors from his boutique to the Musée Carnavalet. Designed by the artist Mucha in 1901, this decor had been conceived as a total work of art. Inspired by jewels, the floor, ceiling, furniture and lights reflect the natural curves of flowers and plants.
After our visit to the Museum, we headed towards where we were planning on having dinner- Le Réminet. We have been to this restaurant a number of times and have always been pleased with the service and food. However, as we walked up to the entrance (our reservation was for 7 pm), there was a pile of construction equipment being loaded into a truck. Seems they were having some work done and it hadn’t been completed yet and said to come back in 20 minutes. With time on our hands, we walked over to Avanti la Musica – a very special place with lots (well hundreds really) of different music boxes and nifty stuff.
Siloihie, the owner, greeted us warmly and when I mentioned we had been there a number of times and showed her a picture of Ryan, our son, she immediately remembered him and us! From her, we learned that the owner of Le Réminet had sold the restaurant and it was no longer ‘as we remembered it’. So, for all of you who I have recommend this to in the past, you can delete this recommendation.
Instead of going to Le Réminet, we went to Bistro 65 instead.
This is still owned by the same person who had owned Le Réminet and Chef Eric was in the kitchen! We have learned to follow chefs so it was an easy decision to change our dinner plans accordingly. Siloihie called ahead for us and told Fabien, the manager on duty, who we were and our appreciation of both Chef Eric and Norbert (the primary manager) and arranged our table. When we arrived, Fabien and Suzon (both of whom had previously worked with Norbert at Le Réminet) greeted us warmly and took excellent care of us during our dinner..
Fabien and Suzon at the serving window.Dessert was delicious!
After dinner we went back to our apartment and relaxed for the rest of the day.
