Fauteuils d'Orchestre Revisited

The other night, Fauteuils d'Orchestre was on TV, a total stroke of luck since I'd been dying to see it again now that I have a few years of France under my belt.  The film, which was entitled Avenue Montaigne in its American release in 2007, takes place in and around this brasserie across the street from the Théatre des Champs Elysées and features a number of big French film stars -- Valérie Lemercier, Cécile de France, and Albert Dupontel.  There are several interlocking stories of love and regret, and a quietly satisfying happy ending.

I remembered only bits and pieces of the film so it was nice to see it again in its entirety with all the little glimpses of the surrounding neighborhood.   The first time around, I remember commenting to a friend that I was a little disappointed that it didn't show much of Paris. Honestly, I can't quite conjure up now what I was expecting.   Now having seen it again, I realize that it's all there -- twinkling Eiffel Tower, black and white attired waiters, old French pop songs, baguettes, and all.   What's more -- the French title connects beautifully with the film's message about living a good life.  But don't take my word for it -- this one's worth the price of the rental.

Ensoleillé (Sunny)

The weather forecast on Sunday night showed sun for the entire week but I've lived in Paris too long to trust that kind of magical thinking.  And yet, yesterday, the sun came out in the morning and stayed out all day.  It was astonishing and rare and really the only thing anyone could talk about.  I went for a visit at the Louvre and when I should have been listening to what the guide was saying about 17th century French paintings, I was busy snapping pictures out the window.  After all, I can read up on Poussin, Le Nain, La Tour, and Valentin de Boulogne any old time.  But see the sun in February in Paris?  Better enjoy it while you can.

For the first time ever, a piece of art work is gracing this pillar directly under I.M. Peil's pyramid at the Louvre.  This sculpture, by British artist Tony Cragg, is part of a temporary show of his work.  Earlier suggestions for permanent installations were rejected -- the Winged Victory of Samothrace was judged too large and too fragile; Rodin's Thinker got the gong because no works of Rodin are on exhibit in the Louvre.



You need sun for shadow. So nice to see a world with contrasts.



The sun on the fountain in the Cour Carrée was blinding.

The Reality of Real Estate

I'm definitely not in the market for any real estate in Paris but that doesn't stop me from looking at the ads posted in the windows of realtors.  One can always dream, right -- of having your own little piece of Paris or of having enough cash to actually consider such an act.

If you've ever sold a piece of real estate in the U.S., you know that there's a certain amount of staging involved.  You clean like a crazy person, empty closets and cupboards to make it look like there's more storage than there actually is, put away the personal momentos, buy flowers, and bake something to give your home a nice cozy feeling.  And while normally the photos I see posted here in Paris suggest that that's also the case here, apparently not always.  Take a look at these (with apologies for the quality of these photos.)

First the set up.  Yes, this place is already off the market.  Happy the family that snapped up their three bedroom spot in the 16th.

And if you were wondering what over a million euros gets you in Paris, take a look:

Yes, there's a half finished plate of something on that coffee table.

Is that laundry on the bed?

I can only assume that buyers in Paris are desperate.



Real Men

While the French were going nuts last weekend when the national handball team won the world championships for something like the 4th year in a row, there was a collective yawn from the other side of the Atlantic.  Handball -- you must be joking.  This Sunday is the biggest sports event for Americans: the Super Bowl.  I won't be watching.  To be honest, I wouldn't be watching even if I were back home.  Football?  Not my thing.  Even less so when it's Green Bay vs. Pittsburgh. 

The macho game on this side of the pond is rugby.  And thus you might be surprised to learn that the Parisian team (Stade Français ) wears pink uniforms.  Yes, pink.  And hot pink at that.  Check it out.

And it's a pretty good bet they eat quiche too.

Opéra Garnier

It was probably during the month of September three plus years ago that I first tried to go take a peek at the Opéra Garnier .  I remember clearly that it was a lovely fall day, my kids were off to school, and I was going to have a Paris adventure. 

But when I went to buy my ticket, there was a sign posted "Auditorium closed due to rehearsal."  Well, I thought.  No point in paying without seeing the auditorium.  And I live in Paris after all.  I can come back any time.  Yeah baby.

Well the fact of the matter is that I didn't go back.  I thought about it but somehow it never happened.  Until yesterday.  When finally I was going to get my chance.  And better yet, rather than going on my own, I would see it all with the benefit of a incredibly knowledgeable and personable guide.

So imagine my disappointment when I walked in and saw the sign, "Auditorium closed due to rehearsal."  Dang.  Foiled again.  But this time, I didn't head home.  The guide was on his way, the rest of the group was there.  Oh well.  I'd just have to take advantage and then come back yet again.

Happily by the time we made it from the basement level up the grand staircase and to the level of the loggias, voila!  The auditorium was in fact open!  The folks who'd been involved in what must have been a technical rehearsal were packing up.  And there it was -- an amazingly sumptuous 19th century theater, all plush red velvet and gold woodwork, incredible chandelier, plus that ceiling by Marc Chagall.  Apparently quite controversial at the time of its installation in the mid 1960s (just like the controversy over I.M. Pei's pyramid in the courtyard of the Louvre), it somehow not only works but looks like it was designed to be there from the start.

As it turns out, the main salle is only a small bit of the artistry that Charles Garnier bestowed upon this building.  The remaining public spaces were incredible in their own right.  So word to the wise, if you go for a visit, and the sign says, "Auditorium closed,"  take your chances.  As for me, I just have to figure out how to get back there for the ballet so I can experience it the way Garnier imagined.

Fab paintings in a circular room on the east side of the building slated to become a restaurant with a grand chef.

The grand foyer.  Kind of like the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles.  Back in the day, women were not admitted to this space, that is, until Queen Victoria came for a visit and then all bets were off.

Ceramic

I've been wanting to share photos of the Hotel Elysées Ceramic, located on Avenue de Wagram just off Etoile in the 17th, for the longest time.  But the area is always so congested with traffic that it's hard for an amateur photographer to squeeze off a decent shot. (But then again, take a look at the pictures posted on Peter's Paris.  My hat's off to you Peter.)

So I was pretty excited to find another example of gorgeous turn of the century ceramic work on an apartment building on rue Claude Chahu in the Passy neighborhood in the 16th.  This is said to be the last work of Emile Muller, a French ceramist whose atelier in Ivry just outside Paris produced tiles and all manner of architectural decorations.

I particularly appreciate that someone saw fit to make sure that the street sign was in keeping with the spirit of his work.

Fighting the Cold

Some time late last week, the temperatures in Paris took a nose dive straight into the deep freeze.  When I woke up yesterday, the weather.com gadget on my desktop read 24 degrees F with an expected low for the day of 33.  Huh?  Well that's just how things go sometimes in Paris.  And to those of you who live in the frozen tundra and who are scoffing at those temperatures ("practically tropical," I can almost hear you saying), let me just tell you that I have it on good authority from a Montreal native that it really does feel colder in Paris, no matter what the mercury is reading.

Fortunately, I have some indoor projects that need my attention.  For the rest of you, I have a stash of grafitti photos piling up that I can share with you, at least to tide me over until I'm in more of a let's-get-outside-walk-around-and-take-pictures mode.  I admit that they're a bit on the drab monotone side but welcome to my world.