Paris ~ Val d’Isère
Cousins
Sunday morning started quietly enough, with the kids deciding to practice their sculpture just like their Dad. Handy disc of plaster at the ready and it’s gravure time.
The beauty of plaster is that if you don’t like what you’ve just scratched out, then keep scratching and create something new. Gives an appreciation for the skills of etching and the burin!
Montmartre
While the kids were at school on Monday we set out on a walking tour around Montmartre in the north of Paris. Cold but sunny day, good for walking and stair climbing…
First stop was the “I love you wall” in the Place Jehan Rictus boasting 250 languages (spot the Irish??), followed by a look around the hive of painting and sketching that is la Place du Tertre. Perfect place to get a caricature done if you’re so inclined and can sit still long enough in the cold.
Onward and upward, past the famous windmill, then Picasso’s sometime residence, one of Marcel Marseau’s less fortunate brothers who seems inextricably stuck in a wall, and then up the winding cobbled streets towards Sacré-coeur.
We admired a car built for one, and a bottle of wine built for a soccer team :-). Step away from the bottle, ma’am.
We tripped lightly up the 300 or so steps to the top of Sacré-coeur to admire the sweeping views the pigeons take for granted.
Sacré-coeur does not seem to be greatly loved by the Parisians, many of whom find it ugly, and don’t admire the very contemporary and informal interiors. But today it is a wonderful spot from which to appreciate the city.
Vagaries of the Vagues
Sculpture focus of the moment for Simon is les vagues (waves).
Finished the last gravure study and on to the design of the water for the finished product! Next step is lots of painstaking carving…
Catacombs
On Tuesday, Niamh and the Killorglin crew headed underground to visit the Catacombs of Paris. Paris has many underground layers, from metro to sewers to catacombs. From the highest point in Paris to the lowest in a couple of days.
Parts of the Catacombs date back almost 2000 years, and they are filled with the remains of between 6 and 7 million Parisians, transferred there after the parish cemeteries of the city started to overflow in the late 1700s. A highly unusual trip through history.
Le Marais
On Wednesdays Aisling doesn’t have school and Niamh had organised a walking tour for all of us except Charles in le Marais, her favourite district of Paris.
One of the oldest neighbourhoods, it has architecture dating back to mediaeval times, remnants of the original city walls, quiet hidden courtyards and many signs and scars of the history of the city, like little cannonball pock marks up high on the walls if you know where to look.
Our guide was one we met during a McKinsey event in Paris, and with whom Niamh had stayed in touch. She did a wonderful job of educating us and drawing Aisling along despite the very cold weather.
Aisling’s favourite amongst the group was clear as usual… Boys showing their style at the Palais Royal.
Framboise & Champ de Mars
After the tour and collecting Charles, off to Framboise for the lunch of champions and another lesson in historical french culture: galettes & crepes! Ronan determined not to let any of his chocolate sauce go to waste…
After lunch, straight into the champ de mars to burn off the calories and the sugar high.
First some scooter basketball…
… then a friendly football match between Ireland and Australia as a world cup warm-up. Scooter football that is, of course.
Sculpture inspiration
Sad to see the cousins heading back to Ireland, but we’ll see them again before too long at Easter.
Meanwhile on Friday, Niamh and Simon headed off to the nearby Rodin museum for some sculpture inspiration. The museum has a beautiful old manor house surrounded by gardens dotted with many of Rodin’s most famous creations.
From “the thinker” (aka man in the smallest room) to “fatty Balzac” as we affectionately labelled him…
… to the burghers of Calais (one of Simon’s favourites) and the gates of Hell:
Lots of inspiration and (sadly) plenty of conviction for Simon not to give up the day job!
Val d’Isère
Friday night we went out to dinner to celebrate the start of the 2-week mid-term (!) holidays, at Piquet around the corner. A welcoming little bistro with an Irish chef, just the place to finish a busy week.
Niamh and kids practicing their skills at blowing tissues as high in the air as they can. I think mummy was the winner…
Saturday morning we felt truly French, bundling ourselves off to the gare de Lyon with most of the rest of Paris to board a TGV down to the French alps. A thoroughly French holiday was in store.
The late February two-week holiday comes out of nowhere slap in the middle of term, and seems to be there for no other purpose than to allow the French time to go skiing at the height of the season.
Not to mention, at a time when the rest of Europe isn’t on holidays so they have their resorts to themselves.
Simon’s mother Ann always said the French know how to live – here is one more example.
Made it to our hotel after nightfall, and acquainted ourselves with some strange animals in the lobby.
Found a warm welcome at the restaurant across the street, and made like Kevin Spacey building a house of cards…
Kids tired out, but never too tired for a quick snowball fight before bed…
Beautiful night time mountain vistas from our hotel room window serve as inspiration for the week to come.
