Last Excursion

Our walking tour of Montmartre and Sacre-Coeur today was my afternoon class's last official excursion. We followed the Michelin Green Guide's walking tour so we got to see some nice little bits of history--a historic theatre, an apartment building frequented by Picasso and his contemporaries, the chapel where Ignatius Loyola founded the Jesuit order, and Montmartre's tiny vineyard (the smallest in France, planted in 1930 to discourage overdevelopment of the area). And then, of course, the showpiece, the Basilique de Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre, still my favorite place in Paris. Begun in 1876, consecrated in 1919. It is so beautiful. I smile every time I see it. Another couple of visits and I will have it memorized, which is good because photography is not allowed inside. Unfortunately one of our students almost wasn't allowed inside today. A Mass was going on when we arrived and as a result they were being more strict than usual about tenue correcte (appropriate dress). My student had shorts on and the woman at the door made her wait in the vestibule (along with several others) until the Mass was over. That was only a few minutes later and apparently the lady made a point of getting my student's attention and letting her go in. So that was nice. But a good lesson for next time: wear long pants or a skirt to Montmartre just in case. It was lovely being there during the Mass with the choir singing. Sacre-Coeur is another Parisian place that just does not disappoint. It is at least as beautiful as you imagine; possibly more so.

We took a break on the steps outside and then made our way down with pauses to take photos. Everyone was ready for lunch so we veered down a side street away from the worst of the crowds and found a café with a nicely varied menu. I had a croque-monsieur that kept me full the rest of the afternoon. A croque-monsieur is a slightly fancied-up grilled ham & cheese sandwich and I think it's a good go-to item if you aren't sure what to order. The café staff were very nice and managed to remember all of our crazy orders and requests--every time a waitress takes 6 orders delivered in our hesitant French, writes nothing down,  and gets all the right food to the right people, I'm impressed. Café wait staff have a bad reputation but I have only had good experiences.

A couple of people in our group had afternoon plans so we said our good-byes after lunch and headed off on our respective adventures. I went with one student to the Museum of Decorative Arts, where we had a grand time looking at furniture, housewares, advertisements, and underwear all afternoon. This museum is right next to the Louvre and houses 3 collections: graphic arts, decorative arts, and fashion/textile. The graphic arts area was showcasing advertising items: a whole room full of fans; another with key chains, ashtrays, and lighters; a couple of rooms of posters; and so on. Cool stuff to see going all the way back to the turn of the 20C. In the decorative arts section we wandered through several centuries' worth of beds, chairs, armoires and vases--the Art Deco section features some particularly beautiful things. We skipped around a bit because it was getting a little late and ended up in the 60s-70s gallery which is dominated by a pyramid-shaped display of chairs. My colleague Dr. Hochschild had posted a photo of it on Facebook a few days ago. As my student and I joked, after he posted that photo half of us said, "Ew, a room full of chairs, forget it!" The other half said "A room full of chairs? When can we go?" For better or for worse my artistic taste boils down to whether I would like to own something and see it every day or not, so I love decorative arts. The room full of chairs was right up my alley.

The underwear exhibit--"La Mechanique de Dessous"--was also a winner. Corsets and gowns, but also men's padded coats, waist cinchers, codpieces, etc. from the 17th to the 21st century. Seeing all that in one place really emphasizes the extent to which our ideas of physical attractiveness are culturally constructed. The preferred look for an 18th-century man was slim but with a curved back, a sort of barrel-chested look with muscular calves in breeches and stockings. So men wore padded stockings and coats cut as tight as possible in back but padded in front. Women, of course, wore tiny, pointed waists and huge paniers--not round hoops but exaggerated hips with the skirt flat in front and a train flowing from the shoulders in back. It couldn't have been comfortable but until the 20th century people thought babies' bones were soft and needed propping up, so they were corseted from early ages. In other words, a girl might grow up always wearing some kind of corset and never knowing anything else. I actually love the 18C look because it's so elaborate, but thank goodness I never have to wear it!

We took a quick tour through the jewelry gallery just before leaving but the halogen spotlights in that room made it quite warm and we were already tired. It was time to get the Métro back to Cité U., which we did just in time for dinner. I am wiped out but some days are worth being wiped out and this has been one of them. 

If the weather cooperates tomorrow I will get up early (EARLY) and go on a little photo odyssey, not trying to see and experience anything but just going for good photos. Then I'll be back in plenty of time to organize and post a few days' worth of pics. À bientôt!