Jardin Des Plantes

Our search for roses continued the next day, into the Jardin des Plantes. We bused to it, but walked back, across the 5th. It was May Day, another beautiful day, but days of deluge were coming...

The Jardin des Plantes has a lot of natural history museums,
so you get to see lots of rocks, dinosaurs, other things; basalt
on the right

Hoping the Laburnam Arch will be in full bloom when
we get to Bodnant in three weeks

Poppies going strong

Poppy city as far as the eye can see

One of the huge green houses; closed...May Day

Plane tree planted by Mssr. Buffon, original director, in 1765...

Hotel Jardin des Plantes, where we stayed for our 25th anniversary...

It looked rather better in 1993...we wonder whether
they ever added air conditioning

Resto in a pretty courtyard

Public baths, creche

While supervising publication of Le Encyclopedie; was imprisoned
briefly for blasphemy, treason, etc., but released after protests by the
publisher, booksellers, the intelligentsia, the public...

Lived here for a time; really was a menace, as far as the aristos were
concerned

Nice private garden

Emily used to live here; now in Rome or possibly even
Greece; much to Paris' relief; two different appartements are
currently advertised as available "in Emily's building," at
considerably more than the market price...

Gabriel's former restaurant; he's gone too; but in fiction, people
only go away so they can come back...

The line wrapped around the block to get into...

Hot new gelato joint

Rest of the line

Did I mention it was May Day, sacred in France? Everything closed but
eateries and drinkeries and touristeries...Luxembourg was as crowded 
as we've ever seen it

Return To The Promenade Plantee

After the passage of a week or more, we theorized, maybe more of the Promenade Plantee's roses would be out...

Forerunner of the Pompidou

Well camoflaged sparrow

At a repair shop on the Ile St. Louis; 1.3L

Europeans are reminded often of where fascism and racism lead

Interesting maison; note Bridge of Sighs

Walking past St. Sulpice

In the courtyard of the 6th Arondissment mairie

Ditto

At The Louvre

April 29th we were at the Louvre again. There is a lot of renovation going on, with many room closures, blank walls, paintings not where we remembered them to be. The entire French painting division was closed. We spent our time mainly in the Belgian and Netherlandish precincts, many old friends and a few discoveries.

Lingering in the huge hall of giant Rubens paintings
glorifying Marie Medici

Three Graces or possibly three Rhinemaidens

Moving right along, Steen's Bad Company

Vermeer's Lacemaker

His Astronomer; why isn't he looking at the stars?!

Among the Louvre's sculpture courts

Vaulting

Gerard Dou, The Dropsical Woman or Doctor Examining
the Urine of a Sick Woman, 1663; I know I have posted
this before...

What we didn't know was that the above, Dou's
Silver Ewer, is actually a hinged cover for the (presumably)
more valuable Dropsical Woman; said to be a common
practice in 17th century Flemish work, only a few examples
have survived

Rembrandt's Bathesheba, 1654

Willem Drost's Bathsheba, 1654; Drost was Rembrandt's
pupil

One of Hals' more formal portraits...Descartes, after 1650; interesting
to compare the brushwork on the more formal portraits with that of
his tronies

Thus, his Jester with a Lute, 1624

Another favorite Steen, Merrymaking at an Inn, 1674

Steen, Festive Family Meal, 1674

Detail

A late Rubens landscape, Landscape with a Bird Catcher, 1640;
anticipating Turner?

Rubens' better known Village Wedding, 1640