H had been wanting to go back to Paris for some time but I wasn’t so keen; then a friend raved about an art deco exhibition she’d seen there. That, and her reassurance that queues to see the newly restored Notre Dame weren’t nearly so horrendous as I assumed, convinced me to go.
Walking down treelined boulevards in April sunshine towards the Musée de Cluny, I wondered why I’d been
so reluctant to revisit the city before remembering the clogged roads and stink of petrol that once ruined it and Parisians’ lungs. Without all that, it’s a glorious, elegant place; a pleasure to stroll around.
The Cluny has also had a massive makeover. Of the extraordinary tapestries I remembered, the Lady and the Unicorn has become the big draw. Lots of other medieval treasures on display including work from the Embriachi workshop which specialised in exquisite, ornate carving of what looks like ivory but is in fact much cheaper bone, horn and wood.
After lunch we wandered over to the Arab World Institute, home to some beautiful artefacts, artwork and costumes, my favourite of which was the elegant wrap, perfectly designed to protect you from desert dust storms. Unfortunately, many of the displays were poorly lit with light bouncing of the glass making them hard to see properly. Oddly, Jordanian artist Suha Shoman’s Petra-inspired painting with its evocative desert colours, was left unprotected.
Wednesday’s treat was the Musée des Arts Décoratifs‘ exhibition celebrating 100 years of art deco which J had enjoyed so much. Beautifully laid out with a floor devoted to several patrons and designers, from Nelly de Rothschild to Eileen Gray, the exhibition began with the some fin de siècle context including what proved to be one of my favourite exhibits. Lots of gorgeous pieces although, sadly, photography was restricted. The exhibition ended with a few
fabulous mock-ups of Orient Express wagons-lits including one from the proposed relaunch which I knew nothing about although the penny dropped when I spotted the monsoon shower. No idea how much a ticket would cost and perhaps it’s better not to know.
We quickly moved on from the crowded rue de Tivoli avoiding the Tuileries where the wind blew up so much dust on our way to the exhibition, it made me nostalgic for yesterday’s impressive indigo Tuareg headdress in the Arab World Institute.
Thursday was Notre Dame day. Many readers will remember the shocking pictures of the fire which broke out in the cathedral’s eaves on April 15th, 2019. Astonishingly, it was reopened in December 2024, after an international band of craftspeople had been assembled to restore it. At the opening ceremony both they and the firefighters stood at the front of the congregation to loud, well-deserved applause.
Restoration continues at the back of the cathedral but the interior is breathtaking, from the tremendous rose windows to the exquisitely decorated side chapels. Such an achievement, both by the craftspeople and those who managed to organise such a feat. There’s no charge to visit Notre Dame which is freely open to ‘all men and women of good will’ as its website puts it, as it’s been for 860 years.
On our last day we decided to visit Musée d’Orsay housed in an old railway station which rivals Antwerp‘s in its grandeur. I’m not a huge fan of the French statuary which lines the ground floor so headed first for the art nouveau exhibits one of
which sported a bed so large you’d need an entire Parisian apartment to put it in. Remembering how much we liked Vilhelm Hammershøi‘s work in Louisiana, our next stop was a small exhibition celebrating Nordic art my favourite of which was the tiny, exquisite Landscape of Starry Mountains with a House and a Lamppost by Swedish artist Axel Törneman.
Such a gorgeous afternoon, we spent it outside wandering around the Marais which is stuffed full of cafes and tiny boutiques, getting in the locals’ way along with lots of other tourists.
And the books? Joe Thomas’s gripping Red Menace is the second in the trilogy I began in Glasgow a few years ago with White Riot. Set in the mid-80s, it follows a similar multi-stranded structure, blending fact and fiction as the shady goings on around the Docklands development play out against the backdrop of the long-running Wapping print workers’ strike, the Broadwater Farm tragedies and police corruption.
I wonder what the third episode will tackle.
Part of his Emily Maxwell series, Stewart O’Nan’s quietly poignant tale of ageing and friendship, Evensong, picks up Emily and her sister-in-law Arlene’s stories begun in Wish You Were Here which I read earlier this year in Copenhagen. I’m hoping I get my hands on a copy of the middle volume, Emily Alone, which no longer seems to be available in the UK.
Interesting. We’ve been rather dodging Paris in recent years: mainly fear of our joining ranks of others contributing to over-tourism. It looks as if avoiding the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre is the way to do it. Which wouldn’t be hard. Major art galleries are increasingly hard to enjoy in tourist hot spots.
Our visit to the art deco exhibition was our closest encounter with crowds. We backed off once we’d finished our visit. The Marais was also busy but it was Friday afternoon. Being able to take a weekday break helps although I agree with you about major art galleries.
Beautiful pictures, it’s about 13 years since we visited Paris – I really liked it but for some reason haven’t rushed back I’m now tempted to see what it’s like in the Spring rather than the depths of Autumn!
Thank you. I’m now a Paris convert! I would have loved to have seen that. The paintings I’ve seen by him are filled with that beautiful northern light.
Your post makes me want to go to Paris again too – haven’t been for about 20 years. But last time I did spend an hour with the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries. It does look lovely in the spring sunshine, especially if you avoid the tourist hotspots.
Oh, you should! Eurostar makes it an easy trip, too. The tapestries are remarkable, aren’t they. As I remember, there wasn’t much else on display at the Cluny when I last visited long, long ago.
It was, we were so lucky with the weather. The 2024 opening was a soft launch I believe. I think our friend visited sometime last December. I hope you can go back to see it, Cathy.
I haven’t been to Paris in years. I always said that the next time I would spend time in the Marais district! You now have me wanting to return. Gorgeous post Susan x
Lovely, thanks for letting us travel along with you vicariously!
Emily Alone does look like a hard one to find. If I was in Toronto right now, I would offer to do a little hunt for you, but I’m almost certain the local shop here doesn’t have any of his books (still, I will check when I’m there next).
You’re welcome! That’s so kind of you, Marcie. I plan to take a deep dive into the second hand bookselling internet. I’m sure there’ll be a copy on offer somewhere.
I’m happy you had such a lovely time in Paris.
I’ve been to the Art Déco exhibition and thought it was wonderful. The Orient Express part was the cherry on the cake. Exquisite.
I also really like what they did with the Musée de Cluny. The art is at eye level and you can see details on sculptures that are usually too high to see. And the room with the Dame à la Licorne is great too.
There are also less cars than before in the city, it feels less crowded.
Next time, I recommend the Musée Jacquemart André and the Sainte Chapelle.
Thank you, Emma. Such a beautiful city! I’m very pleased my friend persuaded me to go back. I’m sure I’ll be visiting again and will take up your recommendations.
Paris in April – how lovely! I’m so glad to hear the renovations of Notre Dame are a success – it’s always worrying that they’ll do something awful with the best of intentions!
It really was. l think Notre Dame is so beloved, even by those of us without faith, that there was a determination to get things right, and with such speed. A stunning achievement!
Paris in the springtime is something I want to do again. You visited a lot of my favourite places. What was the queue for Notre Dame like? Did you have to queue for long? Or did you book in advance?
We queued for a very short time without booking in advance but our friend had suggested we arrive early. I think we got there before 10 am. There are a limited number of bookable slots if you prefer later but it’s much easier to properly see the interior before it gets really crowded.
How wonderful that Paris made a good impression on you this time. We enjoyed it more than expected when we went for my husband’s 40th birthday trip in December 2023. Avoiding super-touristy sites and soaking up atmosphere by walking is a great strategy. I’ve been ‘in Paris’ via books (gearing up for “Paris in July”) with Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s Almost Life, and will pick up Deborah Levy’s book on Gertrude Stein from the library soon.
I’m now a convert! I think you’re right about avoiding tourist hot spots; the nearest we were to one was the Rue de Rivoli and we moved on as soon as we’d finished our museum visit. I imagine the city was rather lovely in December.
I hope you’re enjoying Almost Life – one of this year’s favourites for me. I’ve heard good things about the Levy, too.
Interesting. We’ve been rather dodging Paris in recent years: mainly fear of our joining ranks of others contributing to over-tourism. It looks as if avoiding the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre is the way to do it. Which wouldn’t be hard. Major art galleries are increasingly hard to enjoy in tourist hot spots.
Our visit to the art deco exhibition was our closest encounter with crowds. We backed off once we’d finished our visit. The Marais was also busy but it was Friday afternoon. Being able to take a weekday break helps although I agree with you about major art galleries.
Beautiful pictures, it’s about 13 years since we visited Paris – I really liked it but for some reason haven’t rushed back I’m now tempted to see what it’s like in the Spring rather than the depths of Autumn!
Thank you! I should credit H with those. We were so lucky with the weather. Ambling down sunlit, tree-lined boulevards was a treat.
Lovely read. It’s ages since I’ve been to Paris. I love Hammershoi’s paintings too. There was a wonderful exhibition at the RA years ago.
Thank you. I’m now a Paris convert! I would have loved to have seen that. The paintings I’ve seen by him are filled with that beautiful northern light.
Love the sound of the Art Deco exhibition, Susan. What a delightful trip!
Such an impressive exhibition, Jacqui! I’m glad I got over my Paris antipathy.
Your post makes me want to go to Paris again too – haven’t been for about 20 years. But last time I did spend an hour with the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries. It does look lovely in the spring sunshine, especially if you avoid the tourist hotspots.
Oh, you should! Eurostar makes it an easy trip, too. The tapestries are remarkable, aren’t they. As I remember, there wasn’t much else on display at the Cluny when I last visited long, long ago.
Wonderful! I was there last September and Notre-Dame still wasn’t open unfortunately. Looks like a lovely trip
It was, we were so lucky with the weather. The 2024 opening was a soft launch I believe. I think our friend visited sometime last December. I hope you can go back to see it, Cathy.
I haven’t been to Paris in years. I always said that the next time I would spend time in the Marais district! You now have me wanting to return. Gorgeous post Susan x
Thank you, Máiréad. The Marais is lovely, although I’d visit in the morning when it’s less crowded. Hope you can go back soon x
The Marais is a wonderful district for meandering. I can easily spend a day just marvelling at the window displays
Lots of nice places to eat, too. Sitting in Place des Voges soaking up the sun was such a pleasure after winter.
What a trip! So jealous!!
We had such a great time!
Lovely, thanks for letting us travel along with you vicariously!
Emily Alone does look like a hard one to find. If I was in Toronto right now, I would offer to do a little hunt for you, but I’m almost certain the local shop here doesn’t have any of his books (still, I will check when I’m there next).
You’re welcome! That’s so kind of you, Marcie. I plan to take a deep dive into the second hand bookselling internet. I’m sure there’ll be a copy on offer somewhere.
There are lots of copies on Abe Books. Good Luck.
Thank you! I’ll order one over the weekend.
What a wonderful little trip! You made me feel I was right there with you in the cathedral. I’m always amazed at the beauty of the rose windows!
They are particularly lovely. Glad to hear you enjoyed a vicarious visit!
Emily Alone is available in (expensive!) hardback, on Kindle and in paperback for just under £7, from Amazon in the U.K.
Thanks, Helen! Have to admit I try to avoid Amazon but it may be a case of needs must.
I love Art Deco! The exhibition looks wonderful.
It was brilliant. We held out until the final week in the hope of good weather and it paid off.
I’m happy you had such a lovely time in Paris.
I’ve been to the Art Déco exhibition and thought it was wonderful. The Orient Express part was the cherry on the cake. Exquisite.
I also really like what they did with the Musée de Cluny. The art is at eye level and you can see details on sculptures that are usually too high to see. And the room with the Dame à la Licorne is great too.
There are also less cars than before in the city, it feels less crowded.
Next time, I recommend the Musée Jacquemart André and the Sainte Chapelle.
Thank you, Emma. Such a beautiful city! I’m very pleased my friend persuaded me to go back. I’m sure I’ll be visiting again and will take up your recommendations.
Paris in April – how lovely! I’m so glad to hear the renovations of Notre Dame are a success – it’s always worrying that they’ll do something awful with the best of intentions!
It really was. l think Notre Dame is so beloved, even by those of us without faith, that there was a determination to get things right, and with such speed. A stunning achievement!
Paris in the springtime is something I want to do again. You visited a lot of my favourite places. What was the queue for Notre Dame like? Did you have to queue for long? Or did you book in advance?
We queued for a very short time without booking in advance but our friend had suggested we arrive early. I think we got there before 10 am. There are a limited number of bookable slots if you prefer later but it’s much easier to properly see the interior before it gets really crowded.
I’m really looking forward to seeing Notre Dame and the renovations, looks like you had a great trip!
We did, Jane. I’d advise getting there early when you do go. Well worth getting up for!
How wonderful that Paris made a good impression on you this time. We enjoyed it more than expected when we went for my husband’s 40th birthday trip in December 2023. Avoiding super-touristy sites and soaking up atmosphere by walking is a great strategy. I’ve been ‘in Paris’ via books (gearing up for “Paris in July”) with Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s Almost Life, and will pick up Deborah Levy’s book on Gertrude Stein from the library soon.
I’m now a convert! I think you’re right about avoiding tourist hot spots; the nearest we were to one was the Rue de Rivoli and we moved on as soon as we’d finished our museum visit. I imagine the city was rather lovely in December.
I hope you’re enjoying Almost Life – one of this year’s favourites for me. I’ve heard good things about the Levy, too.
still on my dream
A lovely city! I hope you can visit it.