Provins Medieval Fair, 1

Never mind it's the largest Medieval fair in France, and thus, probably Europe, and thus, probably, the known universe. Vicki had read about it in a magazine some months ago, and, checking with Rebecca, we all decided it was a must-see. Just an hour from Paris, so it said. Really two hours, but it would have been worth an overnight in Provins. Simply said, it was the best fair, of whatever kind, I have ever seen. Provins is a World Heritage Site because, in part, of the array of Medieval buildings there dating from the 12th and 13th centuries. More importantly, it was one of the three or four high Medieval fairs--where, twice a year, merchants from England, Flanders, France, Spain, and Italy all met, to deal, and to create what would become a new economic order, multinational, but depending very largely upon cities, free cities, with a rising merchant and middle class. Where the Mediterranean met northern Europe. The heady stuff here is lost in the contemporary fair itself, which is about entertainment, but the heady stuff is why Provins is important and why it is so recognized. (Take a look at Life in a Medieval City for elaboration and much mention of Provins). In addition, with its great size--thousands upon thousands of participants, many costumed--the fair was great fun. With or without a costume, one could feel Medieval, part of a Medieval fair.

Metro ad; they've been doing this fair for 35 years; it was a 2 hour train ride
from Paris; but worth it and ever more

The little town itself is beautiful, convincingly Medieval, though not much
larger now than it was in the 13th century

There's a downtown and an uptown, where most of the action is; here, we're in
the downtown

Penelope in princess costume and very happy with it

The first of many of instrumental groups, usually with dancers, jugglers

So it's one thing to go to your local Medieval/Renaissance fair at the county
fairgrounds; quite another when the surroundings are thoroughly 12th-13th
century, in a place that was renowned for its international fair in those times

Provins is big-time rose country, everything in bloom

Even the bananas 

And other things

Now we are uptown, in a Medieval hardware store

In a big central square

Probably a third of the attendees are in costume, many
quite interesting and authentic-looking; here, a contestant
for the burning-of-the-witch contest at the end of the day;
oh, you get in for half-price if you're in a costume

Another instrumental group and juggler

The fair is HUGE

Best/largest selection of jewelry/bookmarks ever

Moving a float into place for the parade

The Knights Templars barbecue a great favorite

Le Bistrot Du Peintre, 2019

Vicki and I are not much into the cafe scene: she doesn't drink (or smoke) and I don't smoke (anymore), and neither of us can just sit around and talk for very long. I think most of the people you see having animated conversations in Paris' innumerable cafes don't spend their time together 24/7 like we do. Besides, at least when it comes to politics and religion, we don't much disagree. Nonetheless, we have our favorite cafe in Paris, to which we have now been two or three times: Le Bistrot du Peintre. It's at the corner of Rue de Charonne and Avenue Ledru-Rollin, in the 11^th. The corner features four different cafes facing one another (not unusual for Paris), but all appear to have their faithful clientele. The Peintre seems to be doing better these days than in 2014, but then it appears most everything in the 11^th is doing better. Before visiting it in 2014, we must have walked by it dozens of times, eventually noticing the apparently original art nouveau windows, walls, woodwork, stained glass, lamps, paintings, furnishings, etc. Toward the end of our stay, we stopped in, and I did a blog post on it. This time, we were out wandering in the neighborhood, Vicki said maybe we should do the cafe thing, and I said how about Le Bistrot du Peintre, which was nearby. She had a raspberry lemonade, and I had a "perfect" Negroni—which was less than perfect but only half the price of the perfect one at Camparino's in Milan—and I got several more pix, including the upstairs dining area, which I'd not seen in 2014.

Street scene in the neighborhood

Upstairs dining

Stairs back down

Topless bar

Lots of road construction on Rue de Charonne the month we were there, but that's
Le Bistrot du Peintre

Jardin d'Acclimation, 2019

As mentioned earlier, the Foundation Louis Vuitton adjoins the Jardin d'Acclimation in the Bois de Boulogne. The Jardin is one of the larger public kiddie/amusement parks in Paris. We had taken P there in 2014, and her parents had taken her back this year. But she wanted to do it again, and we thus made it a fivesome, after three of us did the Louis Vuitton. Following a picnic lunch, Rachel, Rebecca and I wanted to visit BVH once more, and Vicki graciously volunteered to stay at the Jardin with P for another hour or so. Grandma earned many extra points from all concerned.

Feeding time at the petting zoo

Old-fangled ride-a-horsie

New-fangled Porsche ride

Grounds, aviary

Carousel

P is just now to the age and size where she can do the bigger, faster rides

Rachel, P, and Rebecca; thus

Racing to the next ride

She did the roller coaster so many times all the staff learned
her name

Bump-em cars

Louis Vuitton Foundation: The Courtauld Collection

The appearance of the Courtauld Collection at the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris is another of those cases where, when a museum is undergoing serious renovation, it ships its collection to another museum, or other museums, for the duration. Always better to be seen than to be crated. We first saw the Girl With the Pearl (Ear Ring) in San Francisco one year, then saw it again at the Mauritzhuis in Rotterdam a year later. Anyhow, the Courtauld Collection, from London, is an important Impressionist collection. Mr. Courtauld was of French Huguenot extraction, made his fortune developing and selling rayon, the first synthetic textile, and spent it investing in art, art history, and art education. For the time, I imagine, he was a fairly bold investor. The exhibition was right at home in Paris.

Manet, Corner of a Cafe, 1879

A draft of Manet's Le Dejeuner...Courtauld collected not only final paintings
but also sketches, early versions, correspondence related to the work

Manet, A Bar At The Folies-Bergere, 1882

Monet, Antibes, 1888; it's changed a bit

Monet, The Gare Saint Lazare, 1877

A bit of the letters collection on display

Cezanne, Man with a Pipe, 1892

Cezanne, The Card Players, 1892; we'd see another of this at the d'Orsay in a few
days

Gauguin, Haystacks, 1889

Modigliani, Female Nude, 1916

Van Gogh, Wheatfield with Cypresses, 1889; that wheat field?

"I cut myself shaving"

Van Gogh, Peach Trees in Blossom, 1889

At the end of the exhibition, there was an entire room of Turner watercolors,
some earlier ones, but several of the later ones, obviously related to what would
become Impressionism; this, his Falls of the Rhine at Schafhausen, 1841

Dawn after the Wreck, 1841

Mt. Blanc, above Courmayeur, 1810; it's changed there too; on the whole, an
impressive and important collection, beautifully displayed and interpreted...