Today was a great day with some highs and some lows.
Top on the agenda was the Picasso museum and a classical music concert at Sainte-Chapelle but first we planned on going to an art market over in 10th arrondissement, just across the Seine. The weather, however, was not compatible with much of anything, least of all an outdoor Saturday morning art market. Colder than days previous and now a pretty steady rain. We decided to stop by the art market on the way to the Picasso museum.
Art markets are typically in specific outdoor locations on certain days of the week. The Bastille art market is the biggest in town and we were in the market for some street art having made that our main source of memorable souvenirs over the years. Art markets have paintings, ceramics, clothing, wood crafts, etc. and are almost always worth a stroll.
On this rainy morning there were only a handful of stalls occupied but luckily a kind woman with a wall of watercolors was there. We snatched up a couple of her smaller works, letting the kids choose which ones they wanted (Eiffel tower for daughter, Notre Dame for son). Rain really coming down, wind picking up. Onward to Picasso.
Picasso Museum
The Picasso museum had been closed for renovations in 2012 and 2014. We already missed the Cluny museum earlier in the week so we wanted to make sure we got in this trip. We checked our coasts and umbrellas downstairs and walked around a bit seeing some historical timelines of Picasso. The guy is arguably the most important artist of the 20th century (in the west anyway). Sculpture, collage, ceramics, Blue Period, Rose Period, Cubism, Guernica. My goodness the guy lived until the early 1970s. Amazing!
That’s what we should’ve thought, anyway. We did not like as much. Dan really didn’t. The boys and the girls got split up after a trip to the bathroom which was frustrating, especially in the unique structure of the museum. It was like being in someone’s house; small hallways, multiple ways in and out of rooms across many floors. So everyone just walked around and looked at the not-famous works and then we finally caught each other down in the lobby. Frustrated like only families can be:). The girls had a slightly better time but not a big win this round. Maybe we were tired from the jet lag. Maybe the weather made things less comfortable. Maybe Picasso just wasn’t for us on this trip.
One highlight was that our son was quite excited to see Guernica all over the walls of the lobby (a copy print of course). “I saw that in Spain!” He’s right. In Madrid in 2017 he joined a school group (in Spanish) as they learned about the real Guernica. Nice to make connections.
Delacroix’s House
After limited success at the art market and Picasso’s house, it was time to decide what to do next since it was still not even lunch time! Though it was about 15 minutes away, Dan offered the Delacroix museum. In guidebooks it’s described as underrated, charming, a hidden gem. Just our style. It was also included on the museum pass (Picasso was too) and was back on the left bank closer to the apartment.
The museum used to be the artist’s apartment with an attached studio which is always neat. However it also means that it’s a tiny little two-story house with minimal space to move around. Though it did have a lovely little garden and seemed like a perfect creative spot. There were some paintings Dan recognized but mostly smaller, more modest works; a bust here, a self-portrait there. Our daughter, who is recently obsessed with lionesses (son prefers Jaguars; we think they had a big cat lesson at school recently) caught one on the wall so that was a win.
We were in and out in 40 minutes but unlike the Picasso museum with all the expectations, we were content with the experience.
Right around the corner (thanks Paris Google map) was the St. Sulpice church. A beautiful church famous, in our family, for the Rick Steves’ recommendation to hear and see the church organ. Our son asked about “the organ” every time we went past a church. The only problem was today wasn’t Sunday and no tours at the time we went in. He at least got to see it and it was a magnificent church with some amazing art in the many chapels. Next time we’ll have to come back on the right day. Time to brave the still steady rain and get home for lunch.
Sainte-Chapelle Concert
After a successful family nap (except Dan) and a small snack, we bundled up (winter coats, gloves, scarves for all, plus long underwear for the kids) to brave the cold for a 5 minute walk back to Sainte-Chapelle for our concert. The kids were looking forward to seeing the stained glass again. The grownups were going through the various contingency plans if someone had to use the restroom or couldn’t sit still. It was only an hour long concert, but unlike previous trips, it was a bit pricey this time (€50 x 2 for Betsy and Dan, €4 x 2 for the kids) and the clientele looked a little fancier. Kids are cute, but noisey kids during a €100 concert, less charming.
Beautiful place to hear any music. Very simple stage with 20 rows of padded folding chairs. We kept our jackets on since there was no heating. Betsy on one side, Dan on other kids locked in the middle. A little hard for the kids to see so on the laps they went. Our 3 year old daughter was a little antsy but she loved on her mom and settled in. Our 5 year old son had approximately 1000 questions that Dan tried to answer as quickly as possible before the lights turned down. The music finally begun and they did an amazing job, though they were a bit bored and maybe even hungry by the end.
Even though Dan kept emphasizing “we have to be very quiet so people can hear the music” our son just whispered his questions. This of course made Dan whisper that we cannot talk until it’s all over. To which our son whisper “ok” and by this time the woman in front of them turned around to give them a “S’il vous plaît!” (please!). It was a little embarrassing but deserved. Luckily our son didn’t seem to disturbed by it. Dan just held him and rubbed his back while we all listened to the music.
At the end of the show, with great relief at having made it through with no other incidents, not least bathroom needs, people filed out while we stayed to be last and give the kids a chance to talk and move around again. A lovely older couple behind us tapped Betsy on the shoulder and began speaking French in soft tones. We responded with an apologetic “no français” before guessing they were asking the ages of the kids. “Trois” (twah), “cinq” (sank) we remembered from seventh grade French class. The man and woman patted them each on the head and kindly said…something and let us know they thought the kids did a great job. The couple must be great grandparents. Very sweet.
Back outside it was really really cold. Dan lead us to one of the highly recommended restaurants which was only a 5 minute walk but with the wind it was quite painful. Dan had to carry our daughter walking backwards to protect her from the cold, rubbing her legs, trying to cheer her up. The restaurant was closed. Our second choice was packed. No tables. We jumped to a backstreet closer to the apartment and went into the first place we could, just to get out of the cold. It was a very American-esque burger joint with a bunch of 20-somethings sitting shoulder to shoulder filling the place. We could make this work. Burgers, fries hit the spot and we could finally take our coats off.
On our way home the kids figured out we were on the same street as the gelato shop and asked if we could get some. Five minutes after frostbite city and they want gelato. Betsy said “I think we’ve earned it” so in we went for our dessert.
Afterwards, the light freezing rain had turned into the lightest snow. This was technically the first time our kids had seen snow so they walked the entire way back to the apartment with their mouths wide open, tongues out trying to eat the snow.
Not a bad way to end a day!
talk soon,
Dan & Betsy
Lesson learned:
- have rainy day plan or strategy
- need to revisit Picasso before another trip back to that museum
- St. Sulpice organ demo next time
- have dinner plans verified after big night activity like Sainte-Chapelle concert
- Paris can get c-o-l-d cold
Full disclosure: We back date our on-trip posts for two reasons. First, to give you a better picture of the day-to-day family travel experience, and most importantly, when we travel as a family we are focused on our own activities and experiences. Upon return home we gather up notes and pictures and then post. Hope you’ll understand:).