Today was our intro to the hotel breakfast buffet. Excellent! They had something for everyone - yogurt and fruit, cereal, cold cuts and cheese, hot foods, even rice for Asian guests.
Today the morning is free. I decided to stick to the neighbourhood and headed to the Musee Picasso. Turns out it's free first Sunday for all museums! The museum is featuring sculptures and has been recently renovated. The house is as much reason to visit as the art, truly a beautiful place which showcases Picasso's art surprisingly well. I enjoy his sculptures more than his paintings so this show was a treat. I figured I'd take advantage of free day to check out two other local museums both located in houses. Musee Cognac-Jay is the personal collection of 18th c art by M Cognac. This house is small and cramped but the collection is well organized by theme. The Musee Carnavalet is located in one of the most spectacular homes. The courtyard itself is worth a visit! The collection represents the history of art in Paris although many rooms were closed so I got only a selection of eras. The sign galleries were fantastic, with many signs geared towards illiterate customers so were visually inventive. There is a breathtaking art deco room (about to close for renovation), as well as some beautiful portraits of people who look like could be your neighbour (aside from the wigs and fancy clothes). For lunch I hunted down a Breton cafe Steven recommended called Breizh cafe. After a little confusion over the reservation only dining room vs the vent à porter room with some crates serving as counter seats, I had a delicious buckwheat galette (what we would call a crepe) with cheese, ham, mushrooms washed down with a glass of hard cider. Very refreshing.
After lunch, the group is meeting for our first official outing, a performance of R & J by Paris Opera Ballet at Opera Bastille. The leads are Dorothee Gilbert (long time etoile) and newcomer Hugo Marchand (his debut). The choreography is by Nureyev and rarely seen outside this company. The dancing is quite extensive, the balcony scene did not include a balcony and there were sly touches of humour scattered among the senseless tragedy of this timeless story. Marchand did a great job, although stumbled a bit in his partnering. Gilbert was brilliant. The death scene was incredibly moving, almost brought me to tears. The theatre was completely packed and a little chaotic.
Dinner tonight is at Brasserie Bofinger, a well known Alsatian restaurant with beautiful marquetry panels and a stained glass dome in the main room. We had a delicious meal of seafood soup, salmon and a chocolate lava cake.
Today the morning is free. I decided to stick to the neighbourhood and headed to the Musee Picasso. Turns out it's free first Sunday for all museums! The museum is featuring sculptures and has been recently renovated. The house is as much reason to visit as the art, truly a beautiful place which showcases Picasso's art surprisingly well. I enjoy his sculptures more than his paintings so this show was a treat. I figured I'd take advantage of free day to check out two other local museums both located in houses. Musee Cognac-Jay is the personal collection of 18th c art by M Cognac. This house is small and cramped but the collection is well organized by theme. The Musee Carnavalet is located in one of the most spectacular homes. The courtyard itself is worth a visit! The collection represents the history of art in Paris although many rooms were closed so I got only a selection of eras. The sign galleries were fantastic, with many signs geared towards illiterate customers so were visually inventive. There is a breathtaking art deco room (about to close for renovation), as well as some beautiful portraits of people who look like could be your neighbour (aside from the wigs and fancy clothes). For lunch I hunted down a Breton cafe Steven recommended called Breizh cafe. After a little confusion over the reservation only dining room vs the vent à porter room with some crates serving as counter seats, I had a delicious buckwheat galette (what we would call a crepe) with cheese, ham, mushrooms washed down with a glass of hard cider. Very refreshing.
After lunch, the group is meeting for our first official outing, a performance of R & J by Paris Opera Ballet at Opera Bastille. The leads are Dorothee Gilbert (long time etoile) and newcomer Hugo Marchand (his debut). The choreography is by Nureyev and rarely seen outside this company. The dancing is quite extensive, the balcony scene did not include a balcony and there were sly touches of humour scattered among the senseless tragedy of this timeless story. Marchand did a great job, although stumbled a bit in his partnering. Gilbert was brilliant. The death scene was incredibly moving, almost brought me to tears. The theatre was completely packed and a little chaotic.
Dinner tonight is at Brasserie Bofinger, a well known Alsatian restaurant with beautiful marquetry panels and a stained glass dome in the main room. We had a delicious meal of seafood soup, salmon and a chocolate lava cake.
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