Last full day in Paris

 

It was a bit rough making our 9:15 am meeting time to head to Musee D’Orsay for our 10 am reservation. Mary and Julie have developed cold and flu symptoms, and Sue had trouble sleeping. We headed out to take the Metro to the museum and found a bit of a chillier day than we have been experiencing. The metro stop was steps away from our hotel but on the other end, we had quite a hike to the museum. Having walked over ten miles yesterday, it was a little hard on the feet. We only had a short wait until we could enter the museum. It is in an old train station and the building itself is quite striking. There was a long gallery with sculptures and then side galleries with many impressionists and other masters. There were loads of beautiful Monets, Van Goghs, including an earlier version of Starry Night, Renoirs and many more. We went up an escalator to a top floor where there was a clock that you could look through at the cityscape below. The Sacred Heart Church above Montmartre is especially striking. There was a line to photograph this beautiful vista, which we declined to stand in. We spent about 2 hours browsing at the art, until it became overwhelming. 

We walked to the Rugby World Cup Boutique at Place de Concord. All the Ireland merchandise was completely picked over. There were only socks left. Nick got a couple pins and Sue got a scarf with all the nations represented. 

Then we walked down Champs Elysee toward the Arc de Triomphe. We pictured the Tour de France racers riding on this beautiful street. We stopped at a cafe called Berkeley, where Sue had an omelette, Nick had spring rolls, Julie had Gazpacho, and Mary had water. It was delicious but very pricey. While we sat there enjoying the by now gorgeous weather, a large chestnut fell from the tall tree near the street and exploded onto a nearby table. The waiter seemed nonplussed and said one had fallen on his bosses’ head last week. 

Mary was not feeling up to visiting L’Orangerie, so she showed us the Metro station and headed back to rest. The three of us were stymied by the closest gates being closed (possibly too close to Rugby Village?) so we walked an inordinate amount of time to stand in line and wait for our 2 pm admission time. We finally entered around 1:57 pm, and went directly to Monet’s water lilies collection which was spectacular. There was a collection by Paul Guillame, a famous gallery owner/collector and we saw many rare Picassos, Matisse, Renoirs and Cezannes. There was a whole exhibition dedicated to Amedeo Modigliani, which we enjoyed. Given the state of our feet and how crowded it was, we did not linger as long as we might have on another day. We hiked to the Metro station which brought us to a stop just steps from our hotel. We rested a bit and then packed for our flight home tomorrow. 

We met to share Julie’s Mumm champagne as it will not fit in her suitcase. Then we walked to our reservation at Bullion Julian, a recommendation from Andy Herbach’s  guidebook. It is a historic restaurant from the 1800s, beautifully decorated in art deco style.  We were pleased to be seated in the part with the most beautiful carvings and stained glass ceiling. Julie ordered snails and fish and chips, Sue had Bream (a thin white fish). It came in a lovely sauce with a side of sautéed vegetables like a ratatouille. Mary had a chef’s salad and fries, and Nick had a sausage with mashed potatoes. We had Comte and blue cheese for dessert. By the time we left, there was not an empty seat in the place. It was a memorable and fitting last meal. 

We were sharing a glass of wine back at the hotel when Sue and Julie got texts and emails from Aer Lingus saying there was a disruption in our flights. Nick called and was told there’s no problem with ours. But Julie spent an inordinate amount of time on hold to learn that she had been bumped from the flight and now was on an American Airlines flight direct from Paris to Chicago. (Sue and Nick fly through Dublin.) Julie will actually leave later and arrive in Chicago earlier than Sue and Nick. 

We tearfully said goodnight to Mary, realizing that after tomorrow, we won’t see her for a few months, and went to sleep in our last hotel bed.