Bonjour mes amis!

While the garden still sleepith (middle February), and there are not many tourists, I was invited to go to Paris with a good friend who happens to love art and gardens the way I do. Laurence de Luze is the gallery director for my Lourmarin gallery, Les Ateliers d’Artistes, and has been such a wonderful voice and supporter of my art career in Provence.

Laurence also happens to have a sister that lives in Paris, who is another garden lover and aspiring artist. So, with a charming apartment to stay in, it was five glorious days full of museums and, lucky us, meandering through Paris with the sun shining.

First, we visited the magnificent Palais Garnier or better known as the Grand Opera (the ancient one) of long ago. It’s a real show stopper!

And, just across the street is Café de la Paix on Boulevard Haussmann where years ago Don and I would meet most days to enjoy a gin and tonic and watch the world go by. Great memories…

(There is a poem by Robert Service called The Absinthe Drinking about “a little wizen Spanish man who sits there every day …” that is definitely worth the read with a great surprise ending!)

One whole day at the Musee d’Orsay was the highlight for me, meandering through most of it and spending a lot of time on the top floor with the Impressionists and a lovely lunch there.

Then a trip to Musee Rodin, one of my all-time favorites. Don and I used to live several blocks from it, and would have picnics on the grounds, regularly. I believe Rodin was a genius… as was his student turned lover, Camille Claudel. What a story, that pair! And, if I may be so bold, I think she is the perfect example of when a student surpasses their teacher.

And not to be missed… lunch and a tour through Christian Dior Galerie which was a surprise… c’est absolument incroyable! I recommend it highly.

Finishing up with a trip to Versailles which I had never taken time to see, and then dinner at the Grand Colbert…best known for the movie “Something’s Gotta Give“ where Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson meet for dinner…a real charmer.

All in all, a trip that will stay with me for quite a while. Consider the above a highly recommended itinerary if you happen to be planning a trip to Paris.