France – Day 7

When we woke up, the sad realization was that this was our last non-travel vacation day. We picked up a coffee and pastry from a bakery and walked down to the bleachers of Notre Dame to enjoy them before our tour of Sainte-Chapelle. Notre Dame is quite grand, and the buzz of construction and restoration is constant. We were told that Macron’s directive was for Notre Dame to be open for the 2024 Olympics. 

Typically, Notre Dame is the big draw for tourists on the island, and Sainte-Chapelle is the second, but now, everyone visits Sainte-Chapelle. We bought our tickets ages in advance and waited 45 minutes to enter. Sainte-Chapelle is worth the wait. It is a stunning chapel. Its small size and enormous stained glass windows give the entire experience an ethereal feel. This is a must-see for anyone visiting Paris.

Our next destination was the Orangerie Museum, but we had little time, so we walked to the Louvre Pyramid and into the Tuileries Garden. The sun was scorching everything, so we didn’t make it far until we found a cafe in the park where we could stop for a drink in the shade. 

The Orangerie is famous for housing Monet’s massive Water Lilly murals, stretching across curved walls in two oval rooms totaling almost 200 ft. Seeing them is an immersive experience, and the galleries were built for these paintings nearly a hundred years ago. The building was originally built in 1852 as a wintering house for orange trees from the Tuileries Palace. The murals were installed in 1926 for the retrospective of Monet’s work. The galleries are kept fairly quiet, so getting a seat and being with the paintings is possible. Monet captures nature but also the light and reflections of the ponds. The entire experience feels incredibly transportive.

Additionally, there are temporary exhibits, but while we were there, they were between 2. There were a few paintings on the lower level, and I do not know if they are part of the permanent or simply a treat as the new exhibit was being installed, but I came across The Spanish Dancers by Cubist artist Marie Laurencin. In general, I do not know cubism, and I have not heard of Laurencin, but this painting reached out and touched me. The painting has these delicate pastels but also a sea of gray. You can’t quite tell which palette is the lead. This, plus the tangled bodies of young women and animals, makes it something quite difficult to get your arms around. Understanding what is happening is a bit like water in a cupped hand; it eventually slips away. Laurencin, you’ve found a new fan.

 While we were planning the trip, I learned about a gallery that specializes in gay erotic art. It’s called Galerie Au Bonheur du Jour, and you can only visit it with an appointment. We made an appointment a few weeks before and are now searching for this homo-erotic art gallery. The door is locked when you arrive, so a small 79-year-old woman answers and lets you in after you knock. This is madame Nicole Canet. At that moment, she was exhibiting a photographer from the past and his photos of nude men all around her gallery. Madame Canet does not speak English, which kept Samer busy. She has paintings, photographs, sketches, and almost anything imaginable. 

She is known in the world of the art photography market and publishing for having brought to the forefront the first European homoerotic photographers. She is recognized as an archivist of the sexual sociology of Paris. Some of the work is art, some is pornographic, and most is somewhere in between. Reader, please know that this is not some fringe porno gallery. Frédéric Mitterrand, a Minister of Culture from 2009 to 2012, wrote the intro to one of her books. 

I could not afford any of the art, but there was one painting I truly liked and a photo I saw at the very end. After browsing her gallery, she determined she would not make a sale and took us to the books. She has collected and curated countless vintage photographs and compiled them into a series of books. I bought two of the: Joyeux polissons: Photographies homoérotiques clandestines (1860 – 1930) and Garçons de Joie: Prostitution masculine (1860 – 1960). Some photos are repeated in the book, but these feel very special. I regret not buying one of her photo books about Parisian Bordellos’ decor. 

She told us about an exhibit at the Centre Pompidou called “Over the Rainbow: cinema, erotic photography, and poetry” happening then, but we completely missed it. This was an absolutely wonderful, weird, and very French adventure. When a nearly 80-year-old woman turned to me and said in her very heavy accent, “What do you want to see? blow jobs? anal?” it’s a big reminder you are not in the U.S. 

We went to the fanciest restaurant I have ever visited for dinner that night. Samer made us a reservation at the 2 Michelin star restaurant La Scène with chef Stéphanie Le Quellec. This meal was exquisite from top to bottom and astronomically expensive. The food was incredible, the wine paring was magnificent, and the cheese course was almost theatric. There was a sweetbread dish that I didn’t love, but it certainly wasn’t bad. Early in the meal, we were served a pissaladière, which was so good. Why haven’t I had that dish before? I do not like caviar, but I thought the caviar on brioche was exceptional. I thought the meal started strong and petered out a bit, but who am I to complain? We ended Paris with a bang.

Next: France – Day 8

PS The featured image on this post is:

Alfred Sisley
La Seine à Bougival
1873
Huile sur toile
H. 46,2 ; L. 65,2 cm.
Œuvre retrouvée en Allemagne après la seconde guerre mondiale et confiée à la garde des musées nationaux en 1950
© Musée d’Orsay, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Patrice Schmidt