Alain's sister's visit

On Friday June 10, Alain's sister Sandra came for a visit.  Here's the usual first picture of visitors taken in our apartment.

Toby and Sandra chez nous

In the afternoon, we went on a Paris Walk entitled Paris during the Occupation and Liberation.
Lots of interesting stories, including Coco Chanel's liaison with an SS officer and a failed trip to London to see Churchill about a separate peace.  We passed buildings on Rue Rivoli with bullet holes still intact and the famous Hotel Meurice, which the Germans occupied during the war.  We also learned that Hugo Boss made the SS and Wehrmacht's uniforms.

Memorial to Jean Moulin

Charles de Gaulle

Ministry of the Interior - Gestapo headquarters during WWII

Fake Napoleon with Hermes flags over the Hermes store

Alain et Sandra

It started to rain during the tour, but cleared by the end.  Our tour guide also pointed out a plaque commemorating the Texas Embassy (1842-43) that existed in Paris when Texas was not part of the USA.

We stopped at the Grand Palais Nave to see the Anish Kappor Monumenta 2011, an incredible piece, where one walks into this very womb-like red chamber, all in the dark with a pressurized feel.  One then exits and sees this immense structure that fils the Nave.

Inside the Kapor piece

The view from outside

We rushed home and then went to eat at Le Baratin in the 20th arrondissement.  Superb meal--Alain and I had veal cheeks and Sandra had lamb.

Apricot compote at Le Baratin

Veal cheeks and lamb for dinner

On Saturday June 11, we went to Montorgeuil market in the morning, and had lunch chez nous.  Just as we were leaving we had toilet pump disaster with flooded floor.  We contacted our rental agent, who told us the plumber would come on Monday morning and we would have to use the toilet in the hallway (quel horreur!!!) .  Lucky it was there though, and Alain a magnificent job of cleaning it.

We checked out the north Marais, stopped at the Deportation Memorial and walked over to the left bank.  We saw a great plaque commemorating the signing of the peace treaty recognizing US independence from Britain in 1783.

We showed Sandra Shakespeare & Co. en route.

Alain and Toby

We stopped for a lovely apero at the Lennox Hotel, with its great Art Deco bar, before heading home for dinner.  Unfortunately, the weather has turned coolish with periodic drizzles.

Wall panel at the Lennox Hotel

On Sunday, we had sun in the morning and went for a run.  Alain did 8.5 km and Sandra and I did 6.5 km.  We then headed out to the Bastille and Aligre markets.  The cherries and apricots are especially wonderful this time of year.  We had lunch at home and then went to the Rodin Museum.  There was a new temporary exhibit entitled Works in Progress: Rodin and the Ambassadors which compared about a hundred of Rodin's works with thirty modern works, including works by Jean Arp, Alberto Giacometti,  Joan Miro, and Jean Dubuffet.  The works were divided into eleven themes- including modelling, polishing, and fragments.  Very interesting take on the subject.  Rodin was the Master - his pieces so carefully crafted.

View of the Rodin museum from the garden

Balzac

Alain deep in thought

It started to rain again and we headed home, stopping for a sorbet.  Steak dinner chez nous.

On Monday June 13, we went to le Memorial de la Shoah (museum and documentation centre) and visited both the permanent exhibit and a temporary exhibit entitled Eichmann on Trial, Jerusalem 1961.  The latter included videos of testimony from witnesses at the trial, Eichmann and the legal arguments made by the defence and prosecution counsel.  Most moving was a woman whose entire family was shot  in front of her and who was then shot and left for dead in a pile of corpses, but who escaped.  Eichmann's testimony was also fascinating in his attempt to distinguish legal culpability (of which he said he was innocent) from moral culpability.

The Memorial also includes a wall with the names of all the deported Jews-- over 75,000 French Jews were deported, including 11, 000 children.  Only 2500 of the deported Jews survived.

Bas-relief outside memorial

After nearly 4 hours, we went for a late lunch at L'As du Falafel.  We then went for a walk on the Promenade de Plantee, and caught a few rays.

Toby and Sandra and falafels

After the walk we stopped at a new patisserie and Alain had an apricot croissant.

Sandra, Alain and the apricot croissant

Goodies at the bakery

We stopped for a non-alcholic apero at a place near us.  Sandra and I had a lemonade with mint and Alain had a "bissap".  It then started to rain and we headed home for a salmon dinner.

Sandra and Alain with their drinks