Thurs May 6th: Le Con Artiste, Deux Musees

It's been a busy day and I'm heading to bed early. Tomorrow is my hands-on class at Le Cordon Bleu.

I decided to stop by the Branly Museum since it is close to the apartment and they sell Paris museum passes there. I desperately wanted to avoid the long lines at Musee d'Orsey which is open late tonight.

Les Con Artiste
Enroute to the Branly, walking along the Quai (along the Seine). I spotted a gentleman and noticed a glance. Figured it was because I was dressed so very nicely. As he got closer, he stopped in front of me, glanced down and lo and behold, he found a gold ring. He held it up to me, as if to offer. Thanks to Rick Steves, I was prepared for the gold ring scam. Without pausing, I shook my head, called out a harsh "Non Monsoir" and walked on to the Branly. He actually seemed surprised.

Musee Branly
Musee Branly specializes in African art, which isn't my cup of tea. I stopped in only because of the convenience.. and my museum pass. Much of the artwork was not African. There were some very interesting Incan, Colombian and North American Indian pieces as well as a bit of Egyptian and Jewish art. The long, white entrance ramp at the Branly reminded me of the Guggenheim in New York. There were loads of school children in the museum.

Musee d'Orsay
The Musee d'Orsay has been on my list for awhile. The last two times I attempted to visit, the crowds were enormous. Jean and Joan, who I met at LCB on Tuesday, recommended an evening / late afternoon visit when the d"Orsay is open late. I arrived at the Orsay at 5pm. There was a line for regular admittance. Thanks again to Rick Steves, I had my museum pass in hand and headed to the "C" entrance (on the right side, facing the museum) and walked right in. The Monet area was a bit crowded but the rest of the museum was not.

The paintings and sculptures were amazing. I prefer not to rent the audio tour, since it feels like it interferes with my enjoyment as I'm told what I should notice. I like to take the art in at my own pace.

Something I noticed about many of the impressionist paintings is that they included a brush stroke that I would have tried to correct... one stroke that, to me, didn't look like it belonged. Who am I to send guess Monet, Manet and Degas. Too much photoshop.

The d'Orsay is bigger than I expected. I was ready for a break after I left the museum. Decided to stop by my favorite brasserie near the apartment and had a sandwich and vin rouge (red wine).

Ugly Americans at the Brasserie
About halfway through my meal, a group of five Americans stopped in. They were so stereotypical it was almost funny. They were seated at the table adjacent to me. At first I was annoyed because they were so loud, then I was thoroughly amused. Maybe it was my second glass of vin rouge. Here are some of the comments I overheard:

- Y'all, that taxi driver took us somewhere that looked like New Jersey.

- Did y'all see the two guys making out over by the river? No, did y'all get a picture?

- Is "Oy Vey" French or Jewish, y'all? Oh that's right, Jewish isn't a language.

- Did y'all see the police guys at the museum? I thought they were going to make me leave. They were just guards, I guess. Did you get a picture of them, y'all.

- My favorite place so far y'all was that soft serve place. Ya know, the one on the square.

- The French are so rude. I think it's a city attitude thing.

- Well, y'all, I think the French are rude because they're jealous of us.


I can't make this stuff up. Yes, I took notes.

Bonne Nuit