More snow. Still no fridge.

The snow keeps falling.   Lillian and Sylvia are really missing Ottawa winter.  They are not too impressed by this snowfall, but they are willing to try to enjoy it.  Pierre took the girls out to play in the snow a few different times this weekend.

 Sylvia at Trocadero.  

We are not really outfitted for winter.  The girls have outgrown their snowpants (Actually, I assumed they would and I gave them away to some Canadians.).  Winter boots here are called aprés ski and you only have them if you are enjoying the slopes in the alps.  Winter jackets are ski jackets because that is the only time you really need them.  So far, the girls are getting by with their rainpants.

 Despite the fact that winter coats are not really needed, Canada Goose jackets are the rage here.

 cardboard sled

 Sylvia's middle name comes from Mrs. LeBlanc's mother.  While walking around in the 1st arrondissement, Pierre spotted some signs.

We are still without a fridge and I am trying to keep it all in perspective.  I think this is day nine.  It is snowing and all the food we could keep is out on the porch.  The fridge delivery was slated for a five hour window this morning, but they never appeared.  I am making cookies and listening to NPR, which is my version of deep breathing and yoga.

 Snowy Velib'
We had a lovely night with many Canadians and a few Frenchies.  Walking there and back, I took a few photos.

 Look at these happy Canadians. 
The Eiffel Tower is sparkling in the background.  It sparkles every hour on the hour.

Snow and Gustave Caillbotte

It snowed a couple of inches last night and actually stuck.  Parisians are seriously freaked out and I heard that the trains between London and Paris were stopped last night.  Our Girl Scout meeting in the suburbs tomorrow may be cancelled because the mommies are freaking out.  These are mostly American mommies, but apparently they have lived in Paris for too long and a little snow makes them very nervous. 

Looking out our window this morning made me think of Gustave Caillbotte's painting, Vue des toit (effet de neige), View of roofs (snow effect).  It is in the Musée D'Orsay and it is one of my favorites.  The other two paintings below are also at the Musée D'Orsay.  The Rainy Day one is currently part of the temporary exhibit, so I am not sure it is always there.

Gustave Caillbotte 

was a friend and a patron to many of the Impressionists.  Caillbotte came from a wealthy family and was able to support his friends.  Although his style was more realistic, he did show his work in at least one of the Impressionists' shows.

 I am grateful for the snowy weather, because our lemon of a fridge is broken yet again!  Luckily, it is under guarantee (grateful again) and they have decided that they need to swap us for a new one.  Of course, this process has taken over a week and we are not done yet. 

Fridge delivery is slated for Monday (it has been delivered once before but couldn't make it into the building...I sense a fridge post in the future).

Musée des Arts Forains

Last weekend, the girls and I went to Musée des Arts Forains.  (Museum of Funfairs)

Follow the link to the website and watch the video to get an idea of what the place is like.

A long time ago, a colleague of Pierre's had said that her boys loved this place.  Unfortunately, I got off at the wrong metro stop.  Fortunately, a very kind young man walked with us for about twenty minutes to help us find the museum.  As we neared the museum, a woman working at a bakery ran outside and handed us two free tickets.  The French are winning me over with cake, free tickets, and kindness.  

The other day I had to return some socks that I had bought Pierre for Christmas.  I needed to swap them for a different size and was not looking forward to it because I didn't have a receipt and the French don't like returns.  However, now I know the drill.  If you are willing to be publicly shamed and willing to use your most unctuous manner, you will probably prevail.

I told the man that I had made a mistake.  When he asked for the receipt and I told him I didn't have one.  He said he couldn't help me.  I stood there for several seconds looking hopeless.  He told me he could make an exception, but that I had better not ever forget my receipt again.  I assured him it would never happen again.  I swapped the socks and waited another 15 minutes to get back to the counter.  It took forever and he dramatically scanned his manager card each time.  After we finished, he asked me where I was from.  When I told him, he said, "Now you can't say that the French weren't nice to you."  I saw this gentleman in the grocery store the next day and he gave me a big,

 "Bonjour, Madame."

 Back to the Musée

We went on the last day of school vacation and it was busy, but we were glad we went.  It has lots of merry-go-rounds and old fair rides and many of them you can give a whirl.  There are shows going on continually--magic shows, singing, etc.

 This merry-go-round is powered by parent pedal power.  The kids sit on the front of the wheels on padded benches.  It was fun and a bit precarious.

 

 Sylvia rode many of merry-go rounds.

Most of these were beautiful antiques and a few were powered by pushing or pedaling.

 Racing waiters!  Lillian tried this twice and got 2nd place the second time.

 There is also an outside area that has more merry-go-rounds and there is food and drink for sale.

Galette des Rois

 La galette des Rois (literally "the flat pastry cake of the Kings"), a cake celebrating Epiphany, is traditionally sold and consumed a few days before and after this date. In modern France and Quebec, the cakes can be found in most bakeries during the month of January.
Tradition holds that the cake is “to draw the kings” to the Epiphany. A figurine, la fève, which can represent anything from a car to a cartoon character, is hidden in the cake and the person who finds the trinket in their slice becomes king for the day and will have to offer the next cake. Originally, la fève was literally a broad bean (fève), but it was replaced in 1870 by a variety of figurines out of porcelain.  A paper crown is included with the cake to crown the "king" who finds the fève in their piece of cake.

^{The other day on our way home, the girls and I stepped out of the elevator to be greeted by our neighbour who was holding what looked to be an XL pizza.  She handed me the largest galette des rois that I have ever seen and wished us happy holidays.  Pierre found a porcelain jet plane in his piece of galette and  got to wear the crown!  There are actually two crowns so that the king can pick a queen.  Guess what?  I got the job and the Sylvia decided she and Lil could be princesses.}

 

 

Lunch at the Musée d'Orsay

Mémé and Pépé spoiled us and took us out for many meals during the holidays.  

We are very lucky and very grateful!
This was the VERY busiest I have ever seen the museum and luckily we flashed my season pass and skipped the line.

Mémé took me and the girls for a ladies' lunch at this lovely restaurant in the Musée D'Orsay.

 I forget the artist's name, but he painted the ceiling in 1900.

 

 Uncle Pete, do you really know Lemony Snicket?  We are big fans. 

 Here Lil sits at Musée D'Orsay while I get our things from the coat check.

 Here Sylvia and I enjoy another meal out.  MMM! Mousse au chocolat!!

The perfect ending to a lovely meal.

Monmartre with Mémé and Pépé

It was a beautiful sunny day and we decided we had better get out and enjoy it.  We headed to Monmartre.  Little did we know, so did everyone else!  It was much more crowded than when the girls and I went this summer. 

When the girls and I climbed the hill and the tower this summer? I took some nice photos.   After pushing our way up the stairs through a huge crowd, we  managed to wedge ourselves behind some cottages that were part of the Christmas market and I took this unimpressive shot of the view.  We did not even make it into the church because the crowd was so crazy. 

Between Boxing Day and January 6th all Merry-go-rounds in Paris were free!  Sylvia took advantage.  Lillian, no matter how often I pointed out the older kids and adults on board, refused.

We bumped into a museum in the neighbourhood and decided we should go inside. 

Renoir had his studio nearby.  The girls posed for La Balançoire

Monmartre Vinyard

According to Wikipedia: The Musée de Montmartre is in the house where the painter Maurice Utrillo lived and worked in a second-floor studio. The mansion in the garden at the back is the oldest hotel on Montmartre, and one of its first owners was Claude Roze, also known as Roze de Rosimond, who bought it in 1680. Roze was the actor who replaced Molière, and, like his predecessor, died on stage. The house was Pierre-Auguste Renoir's first Montmartre address and many other names moved through the premises.

Professional Metro Riders

Library card and Museé Jacquemart-André

Proud Parisienne with library card

 Soon after we returned from Reims, Pierre and Lillian walked up to the library and Lillian came home with her very own Parisian library card.  A few day later, the girls and I went to the library and Sylvia came home with her own library card.  She is too busy for me to take her photo right now, but I will add it later.

Last weekend we all headed to  Museé Jacquemart-André.

Currently there is a very popular Canaletto-Guard exhibition  showing there.

The museum was the private home of Edouard André and Nélie Jacquemart. It is not far from the Champs-Elysées and is often open in the evening.  It is worth a visit.

Heir of a Protestant banking family, Edouard André spent his fortune on acquiring works of art which he exhibited in his new mansion, built on Boulevard Haussmann and completed in 1875. In 1881 he married a well-known artist, Nélie Jacquemart.  This marriage was to be crucial to the creation of the museum, as Nélie Jacquemart fully supported Edouard André’s plans and presided over the development of the collections with a firm hand.

Reims: Musée St.-Remi

Saint Remi baptised Clovis the 1st king of France sometime around 496, making France a Christian relm.   Musée St.- Remi  is located in the former royal abbey of St. Remi; where the holy ampula; used to anoint the kings of France, was once kept.  The building is on UNESCO's World Heritage List.  The museum covers the history of Reims, regional archeology, and aspects of military history.

If you are curious about how Saint-Remi became a saint; there are ten tapestries that were completed in 1531 that tell the tale.  Here is and excerpt from the the description of the first tapestry:

THE BIRTH OF SAINT REMI (436)

Montan, a blind hermit, has an apparition of Christ,who prophesies the forthcoming birth of Remi.  Remi is born and restores Montan's eyesight by putting a drop of mother's milk in his eyes.

The abbey, in which the museum is housed, is attached to the church .

The current buildings date from the 17th and 18th century.  The portrait is of the young Louis XV in coronation dress.

During Gallo-Roman times Reims was called Durocortorium and was the capital of the imperial province of Belgium and the residence of the Roman governor.

In the 17th century, while doing road work, several mosaics were discovered.  The entire city was walled until WWI when the wall and all but one door were destroyed.

Fragments of Gallo-Roman pipes

 The Gallo-Roman artifacts blew my mind; things were pretty advanced and pretty ornate back in the day.

We spent the least time in the Military history area. There were some crazy hats.  Reims was almost entirely destroyed in WWI and suffered heavy damage in WWII.

Saint-Remi's remains are in the adjoining church

Walking home, we passed the cathedral.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reims' winter market was nicer than any we have seen in Paris.

Before we took the train home in the morning, we stopped for some breakfast at a bakery.  I had to take a photo of the pigs.  We saw similar pigs in November in Vernon near Giverny.  Thanks to great babysitters, we had a great trip!