We were expecting macarons!
We made a lot of plans for our first few days in Paris. With that complete, we have more flexibility for the rest of the trip.
When in Paris, you have to try the pastry. This time, we wanted to sample some of the best croissants. This worked well when we were here over 9 years ago, but the guide we used last time is no longer published. So Greg found some new recommended lists. On Friday, we tried Du Pain et Des Idées (Of bread and ideas); it was fine but not particularly memorable. This morning, we went to visit two places in the Latin Quarter on the Left Bank. We couldn’t find the first one, so we went to La Maison d’Isabelle, which won the Best Croissant award in 2018. It was excellent. Greg rechecked his maps, and we tried again to find the second place. We reached the address and learned that it was sold, which explains why it was difficult to find. The croissants under new ownership were fine but not worthy of a “best croissant” list.
Next, we went to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, a museum featuring household decorative articles. It’s in a wing of the Louvre, but it’s a completely separate museum from the art museum. This is another reminder of the immense size of the Louvre palace. The museum is running a special exhibit for the 100th anniversary of Art Deco, featuring desks, tables, books, lamps, etc. One of the more interesting sections is a wing dedicated to the 2027 re-introduction of the Orient Express train, with modern production in art deco style. Greg thinks that Art Deco interiors were a way to show one’s wealth during the roaring 20s. It was interesting to see the Art Deco exhibit where the Art Deco movement started.
An Art Deco tea set and an office
Next, we went to the Musée d’Orsay, one of our main destinations for the trip. Since COVID, the Paris museums sell tickets online with a timed entry. We waited to buy our tickets since we didn’t know exactly when we would have time to visit the museum. When we tried to buy the ticket yesterday, the website said that all tickets for Saturday were sold out! Who would think that tickets to a museum would sell out? Greg figured we would go anyway to see if they had some same-day tickets, and indeed, you could buy same-day, after waiting in a long line. Since it’s Le Week-End, the museum was very crowded, mostly with French speaking visitors as it’s not tourist season. Greg didn’t take many pictures because a quick internet search will find you better images of masterpieces we saw like Van Gogh’s Starry Night or Renoir’s Bal du moulin de la Galette.
The Musée d’Orsay still has many features from its former life as a train station
After we finished with the museums, we headed back to relax at our hotel. Just like the eclairs, we had more macarons than we could eat, so we went to the front desk to give the extras to the staff. When we arrived with the box of macarons, the woman at the front desk immediately recognized us and told us they were expecting them! Greg explained that the macarons were not as good as the eclairs, but she said that the staff wasn’t picky! When Greg returned later to the front desk, they complimented the macarons, particularly the salted caramel ones. Now we need to set expectations with the hotel staff that we’re finished with our cooking classes for this trip!