Adventure #10 Musée des Arts Decoratifs

Officially my favourite museum in Paris, ESPECIALLY the toy gallery. This time (my 4th visit I think) was dedicated  to the 100th anniversary of wooden toy manufacturer Vilac. I can't imagine that wooen toys are that poplar with kids these days, given that Apple are making apps for 2 year olds now. But there is something very charming and aesthetically pleasing about them. 

 We (Anna, Keith and I)  also ogled art deco furniture, 60s chairs, retro Air France crockery, ceramic based art and advertising by Michael Batory. And we didn't even get time for the fashion gallery. I'll save that for visit number 5. 

Adventure #9 The Louvre

 Well, what can I possibly say about the Louvre...it's massive, I'm taking it one step at a time. This time it was a pleasant Friday night with the lovely Anna and Keith seeing some painting and a little sculpture. Turns out having an ex-vicar for a father comes in handy for explaining the origins of 17th and 18th century painting (thanks Anna!). Mona Lisa dn Vnus De Milo - overrated, I don't get the attraction at all. 

I liked this one where the people are running out of the frame. 

Adventure #8 Opera Garnier

Not our first trip to the Opera Garnier but the first time we have ever got there early enough to look around the rooms inside. I love the grandeur and opulence if it, though I know it's a bit wrong and a disgusting symbol of wealth and class divides. Probably. Still, as a spectacle it's ace. We were in a box which felt very special. The concert was brass and percussion, my two favourite sections of the orchestra, big drums and zarimbas galore.

Adventure #7 Le Menagerie du Jardin des Plantes

Hands down the worst zoo I have ever been to. I went with my class, it rained, there was no café so we ate sandwiches on a soggy bench surrounded by aggressive sparrows. It was pretty desolate and I'm pretty sure most of the animals were clinically depressed. I am not at all an animal lover, and am usually pretty grateful for the pvc pane that separates us, but even I wanted to set them all free.

Still, I saw a sloth, which is always a joy, and a monkey with its arm in plaster. In the photo is Nenette, a veritable celebrity, not that you'd know it from the complete lack of information and unglamorous surroundings in which she lives. I found out by coincidence that she is the star of a documentary and the oldest inhabitant of the oldest zoo in Europe. She is lovely. I'm plotting a way to dig her out as we speak...

 http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?xl=xl_blazer&v=GdRt_TOGJCQ 

Adventure #6 Martin Parr

I have the lovely Fran Lloyd to thank for introducing me to the world of Martin Parr. And the brilliant world of Twitter to thank for alerting me to his presence in Paris, in conversation at the Pompidou. Twas an honour to have a chance to listen to him talk about his work. I vraiment like his style. Wish I had the balls to photograph some of the interesting characters we peruse on Paris streets and metros.

Adventure #5 Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine

Bits of churches inside a museum, pretty cool, wish I remember any of my Gombrich history of art book in order to spout intelligent observations and understand the symbolism but my brain doesn't work that way (it only remembers the names of celebrity children. The Jolie-Pitts: Maddox, Pax,  Zahara, Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne. And that's in age order). Also, good view of the TE. I never get tired of seeing the TE.

 http://www.citechaillot.fr/

Adventure #4 Creperie Josselin

Rustic, Breton tat, cheap, cider, double crepes, all round good.

 http://maps.google.fr/maps?q=67+Rue+du+Montparnasse,+75014+Paris+@48.841931,2.325531