Paris for Mother's Day

Throughout the morning, all I could think was- 

to be in France, America is everywhere.

We started the day at the American Church of Paris and my first thought was- this is what America is supposed to be.  The congregation is multicultural, English is spoken with many accents, everyone is open and inclusive, a biracial couple baptized their child, and we all worshipped together.

Afterward, we crossed the river to walk toward the Arc de Triomphe- May 8 is Victory in Europe Day celebrating Germany's defeat in WWII.  The french refer to it as Huit Mai which means 8 May and most do not treat this as a big event-hmmmm.  But: we walked up Avenue Franklin Roosevelt (there is also a metro stop bearing his name), across Avenue du General Eisenhower toward the Champs Elysee where they were having their first pedestrian-only Sunday after a parade.

 Then for lunch we took the Metro back toward the Marais and walked across the Ile de la Cite.  We enjoyed the bird sellers near Chatelet as much as when the kids were small.

Heads up, for the rest of the walk we talked about how this could be the inspiration for our children's book, Canard on the Loose.  I had visions of a duckling in a striped shirt and beret dodging traffic when Pete said "Au Revoir!"

 Next, the Institut de Monde Arabe- on every list for the architecture and views from the roof (which is free), but the temporary exhibit explored Oriental Gardens (east and far east) and their influences.  All the Jardins Exotique filled with succulents, cacti, and water features that we have seen on the Côte d'Azur were originally experimental gardens to acclimatize and design what would grow in France in order to include them in royal gardens since 13th century.

Then, back across the river to the Centre Pompidou- another amazing rooftop view, another amazing permanent collection and another temporary exhibit to introduce us to a new artist.

 The Centre Pompidou is filled with works by Matisse, Picasso, Kandinsky, Georges Bracque, Calder,  and Mondrian.  Again, I keep asking myself why I waited in line and paid exorbitant prices at the Louvre and Musee d'Orsay while these collections are easily accessible with inexpensive tickets and you feel like you are in a private showroom.

 And one of the highlights was the temporary exhibit on the work of Gerard Fromanger.  I have definitely seen some of his work but enjoyed learning more.  Another connection: one of his patrons was Aimée Maeght of the Maeght Foundation in St. Paul de Vence, which is one of our favorite museums.  Maeght and his wife spent a lifetime cultivating artists, nurturing their work and providing places for them to exhibit.  The Foundation in St. Paul de Vence is full of Miró, Bonnard, Georges Bracque and amazing sculpture gardens with Calder mobiles spinning next to Miró's happy figures.

Again, so much to process, so much to see, so much to learn.  Camille, Pete, and I were talking as we walked today about who the smartest people we know are.  Several names were thrown out but ultimately, we agreed that our neighbors, Art and Marilyn Holder, were probably at the top of the list.  Not because of their diplomas or degrees (although those are impressive), but because they are lifelong learners.  They read, travel, go to book clubs, take classes- we agreed that it is the pursuit of knowledge over a lifetime, not for any job/profession or test, that makes you well rounded, engaged and well-educated.  

If anything at all comes of this "Semester of Enrichment" we have been given, I hope it is that lifelong pursuit of knowledge- the curiosity- that stays with my children.  They now know that they are responsible for their education, more so than any teacher, parent or institution and they are making the most of it!  Now that is a Mother's Day present.

American Church in Paris

Institute du Monde Arabe

Centre Pompidou

A Day in Celebration of Higher Learning

May 6th, 2016- 11:30pm

The primary reason for this trip to Paris was for Camille and Wilson to take

the Advanced Placement US History exam at the American School of Paris in Saint Cloud.  The exam was at 9 this morning and lasted 3 hours-ugh.  With that out of the way, we ubered back to the city center as soon aspossible and celebrated with pastrami, french fries and cokes at the kosher  Then the three McGriffs headed out.
deli in our neighborhood-Schwartz's.

We walked from the Marais, with its narrow streets crowded with a few tourists and a lot of shoppers and moms with strollers headed to a park, across the Seine to the Ile St. Louis, which was relatively quiet until we approached Berthillon, the ice cream shop behind Notre Dame made famous by every tour book since the 1980s.  Paris has such a great "cafe culture" and by 3-4 in the afternoon, people start claiming their tables.  The crowds of tourists on the island seemed to be happy baking in the sun, eating ice cream and enjoying the view of Notre Dame's flying buttresses.  As a parent, I realize that I have to keep repeating myself often- things I have shared with Camille, Pete missed because he was too little (and probably more interested in ice cream).  And now, Camille and I can both "teach" him as we share the history and architecture of one of our favorite cities.

We quickly headed across the next bridge and into the neighborhood of St. Germain des Pres and up
the hill.  Here the crowd changes a little from hoards of tourists to more of a neighborhood scene, and as you approach the Pantheon, you are walking by the Sorbonne.  The sidewalks were crowded with college students getting out of class.

Built in 1755 by Soufflot, an architect hired by Louis XV, the basilica was originally dedicated as a monument to Saint Genevieve.  Everything about the architecture of the building celebrates the Period of Enlightenment; the structure blends ancient architectural shapes from Corinthian columns, vaults and flying buttresses from Gothic, and the dome inspired by the Renaissance.



In 1791, the basilica was transformed into the National Pantheon where by decree, it was transformed into a temple to honor the great men of the Nation.  Voltaire's remains were
transferred there and Rousseau was interred there forever-rivals in theory in life- they lie facing each other in the crypt.  Two different times it was turned back into a church until finally in 1885, the structure was returned to its civic importance for Victor Hugo's funeral.

It turned out that my children loved the story of Victor Hugo's funeral as much as I do.  They were impressed with the stories of emotional outpouring of the city for a political and academic figure.  Almost 100,000 people lined the streets from the Arc de Triomphe, where the speeches were given, down the Champs de Elyssee, where the procession traveled down and across the river and up the hill in St. Germain to its resting place in the Pantheon.  People camped overnight for a place on the route, there were over 800 wreaths, and all this for a man of ideas, thoughts and letters.  The article of that day in the NYtimes is worth reading
New York Times, June1, 1885


So, it can be said that the French have celebrated their thinkers- the men and women that created the Enlightenment, which is how they moved from a monarchy to a democracy--on the rational principles of equality.

Along with Rousseau, Voltaire, and Hugo, the crypt holds the remains of Marie Curie and her husband Pierre, Alexandre Dumas, leaders of the French Resistance and the French Revolution, and Leon Gambetta, founder of the 3rd republic.

In keeping with its celebration of thought- Foucault's pendulum was originally tested here and was rebuilt in the late 1900s.  The pendulum, pulled back one time a day, swings for over 24 hours, and at this latitude, the base on the floor rotates around the pendulum at 11 degrees an hour, proving that the Earth is round and revolving.  It took the 3 of us a long time to wrap our brains around the scientific principles and Pete has plans to make one at home...





After the Pantheon, we headed back down the hill to a much more recent spot for a great meeting of the minds-Shakespeare & Co.  This is ground zero for the Lost Generation. Owned by Sylvia Beech and frequented by Gertrude Stein, the bookstore would loan the apartments above the store for little or no rent to aspiring authors.


Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Picasso were all here- exchanging ideas, writing, thinking and being encouraged.  As crowded as it is, my family always manages to find a few great new additions to our library.

Today the topics were the French Resistance and Architecture.

So- just what I hoped for. Lots of really big concepts
and ideas to chew on, and hopefully we will seek more information to answer all the questions that came up.  And with virtual learning, we have the time to seek knowledge.  Another layer of enrichment, another layer of Paris.

Lyon- Bouchons, Wall Art, Cool winds, and Family Memories

With Kelly in town, it seemed like a great opportunity to see another city and use another 2 days on the rail passes.  Monday morning over coffee, Kelly found us an apartment and by the time Pete woke up, we had a 3 day trip to Lyon planned.  The forecast for a Socialist movement rail strike proved to amount to nothing more than a longer line in the billeterie…the ticket agent reminded me, “There is always a solution,” but also warned me not to buy return tickets for Thursday due to the strike…

While still on apartment wifi, I downloaded two articles from The Guardian about things to do and places to eat in Lyon.  On the train, I used the Kindle 3G to download a travel book.  Armed with that small amount of information, we tasked Camille and Pete to make us dinner reservations (the dreaded French phone call) and I set about processing the 2000 years of history and architecture that lead to Lyon’s UNESCO World Heritage site status. So by 4pm we were rolling our suitcases across more cobblestones and navigating new public transportation headed toward new experiences.

First off, Lyon is a beautiful city. 

The infrastructure (bus, metro, tram, funicular) is modern, clean, and well-developed.  According to my guide book, the UNESCO status comes from the city meeting two criterion:

1. Lyon bears exceptional testimony to the continuity of urban settlement over more than two millennia on a site of great commercial and strategic significance.

2. Lyon illustrates in an exceptional way the progress and evolution of architectural design and city planning over many centuries.

Lyon is at the convergence of two rivers, the Saône and the Rhône, just west of the French Alps.  This made it a great spot for moving goods up and down the rivers.  The hills on either side of the Saône allowed for easy protection.  The historic part of the city is divided into 4 distinct districts, and each one perfectly represents a time period and has a unique personality.

Fourvière-

Atop the mountain, this area has been settled since 43 AD when the Romans built the city of Lugdunum here.  It was capital of Gaul and the ruins of a theatre and Odeon on the hillside are well-preserved and highlighted by an impressively curated museum.  

The museum uses audioguides synced with displays to illustrate the history and growth of the Roman city.  Emperor Claudius was born here and there are bronze plates that were excavated inscribed with a famous speech he gave about whether or not to allow the people of

Gaul the right to vote and be represented in the roman Senate.  The McGriff conversation lead to the similarities of this situation with that of the US and Puerto Rico- Pete chimed in “Taxation without representation!”

Vieux Lyon-

Below Fourvière at the bottom of the hill is Vieux Lyon. 

A snapshot of medieval architecture, this area was in decline until Minister of Culture, Andre Malraux, took a special interest in its preservation in the 1960s.  Malraux ended up creating the Malraux Law, which provides a certain amount of historic preservation along with tax breaks for business and property owners in these areas.  Today, Vieux Lyon is home to streets full of bouchons, restaurants specializing in the warm, homey cuisine of the region, and nice apartments.

Croix Rousse-

Its location on the rivers lead to Lyon being a center for trading spices and silks.  In the 1300s, Francois I gave Lyon exclusive rights to furnish silk to the royal court and the rest of the kingdom.  Croix Rousse, named for a red cross that stood in the neighborhood, was a neighborhood of silk weavers.  

Outside the city walls, it was a more rural, working area.  The homes were built to house their looms and are built up the steep hillside.  Many of these were connected by “traboules” or vaulted hallways that lead to a center courtyard and then out the other side.  This allowed silk weavers to move their goods down the hill and to the river quicker.

Today, this neighborhood is active. The top of the hill has busy shops and restaurants scattered around hard packed pebble squares.  And the climb up, or montée, is along a park with benches and terraced green space- a great view of the city and the Basilica de Notre Dame on the opposite hillside.  

The neighborhood is full of the expected boulangeries, boucheries, and cafés but all are modern and part of a community, not tourist spots.  Another interesting cultural element of Lyon that is highlighted in Croix Rousse are the Murs de Lyon, or murals.  These have grown in popularity over the last 30 years, and there are entire sides of buildings painted in the trompe l’œil style.  The largest in all of Europe, Les Murs de Canuts, or The Mural of the Silk Weavers, is a short walk from the plazas.

The Presqu’Ile, or Peninsula-

From the Croix Rousse, the spit of land that extends out between the two rivers toward the confluence is referred to as the Presqu’Ile.  During the 19th century, this area grew in popularity and was the more fashionable neighborhood.  The buildings are mostly Haussmann Style (think the Parisian remodel of the late 1800s) with white stucco walls and gray slate roofs.  The Bellecour plaza is in the middle of the peninsula and was converted to a parade ground, so it is a huge expanse of red clay.  

The highlight for us was a great lunch spot on Bellecour that Camille found that ended up with us in a private pastry class with our new friend, Guillaume.  Guillaume sits for his pastry exam next month and we wish him luck.  We learned so much in the hours we spent in the kitchen and will take away happy memories of choux pastry!!

Overall, Lyon is a proud city.  Full of personality with painted walls and delicious food, they welcome visitors but are more interested in the city they have built and its citizens, not attracting more tourists-a perfect break from the places we visit where we worry that Europe will become nothing more than a crumbling tourist site.  

It is hard to have a bad meal in this city but we ate at(and would highly recommend):

Bouchon des Filles- andouillette sausage and boudin in puff pastry

Le Sud- Chef Paul Bocuse- loved the joue du porc, and the cornichons!

Daniel et Denise- Joseph Viola-award winning foie gras in puff pastry

La Menthe- chevre fondue

InCuisine- the Fresh Bowl, or anything on the "Daily Specials" menu

Cap Ferrat Part Deux!

Another sunny day on the Côte d’Azur, another day trip.  We originally set out to hike the perimeter of Cap Ferrat and tour both the Villa Ephrussi and Villa Kerylos all on the same day.  Half way through last Saturday’s hike, we realized it would be more enjoyable to split the hike in two and see one villa at a time.  So last week we hiked from Beaulieu-sur-mer to St. Jean and the easternmost part of the peninsula ending at the Villa Ephrussi.

This trip we knew we wanted to hike the lighthouse portion of the peninsula and tour Villa Kerylos so we started at the villa. 

 Villa Kerylos is the creation of Theodore Reinach and his wife, Fanny Kann, the niece of Baroness Ephrussi de Rothschild.  Both Theodore and his brother were avid scholars and their initials formed the monogram JST which lead to the french nickname for them- Je sais tout- meaning "I know all".

It was his love of Greek enlightenment, government and philosophy that lead him to create this villa filled with frescos, artifacts, statuary and furnishings that both inspires and relaxes.  

Built between 1902 and 1908 by an archaeologist turned architect who had rebuilt the Acropolis, it is the perfect example of greek architecture and style with statues and frescos relating to Greek Mythology, tiled mosaic floors and astounding views of the Mediterranean from almost every window. 

I’m not sure how much Pete was joking when he commented “villa goals” from the dining room complete with 180 degree views of the sea and leather woven sofas so that the visitors can eat in a reclined position like the Greeks..

The mosaic doormat at the entry reads

Greek for ENJOY YOURSELF.

After a stop at the Casino(grocery, not gambling) in Beaulieu, we picnicked on the beach of the Baie des Fourmis and began our hike.  

This was not simple to find so I have added some directional pictures.  But believe me, the path is worth the search.  We walked over the Pont St. Jean, past the Villa Ephrussi and entered on the western side at the Plage de Passage, a small, private beach complete with the typical Côte d’Azur overpriced beach restaurant and umbrellas for rent. 

You almost think you are in the wrong spot as the path starts just to the south of an out of place four story gray block condominium but then…..










you head up hill and the narrow path runs along the water’s edge all the way out to the lighthouse.

There are several steep sections with no railing that will make your palms sweat but the views of Villefranche, Mont Boron, and Nice in the distance are spectacular.

Pack your swimsuit because there are several secluded spots to climb down the rocks and swim.  We played the typical loud Americans when we hit the FREEZING water- we are spoiled with the warm Gulf of Mexico- but the water was so clear we could see sea urchins, fish and any rocks from the surface.  

The complete western tip of the peninsula takes about 1.5 hours to hike and heading counterclockwise, you end up in the village of St. Jean with plenty of options for a drink and a snack, or a rest on the beach, before hopping back on bus 81 to head back to Nice.

Note:  If you are doing this part of the hike clockwise- this would be your entry- it would be easy to get discouraged for the first 10 minutes, it looks like a private drive and a graffiti covered deserted beach.