Heat wave in Paris and final museum visits

We're having a mini-heat wave in Paris.  29C on Sunday and our hottest day in Paris to date, 36C, was yesterday.  Another hot day is predicted for today (32C), so I'm catching up on the blog this morning.  The heat wave is supposed to break for tomorrow and the temperature is supposed to drop to a more reasonable 22C.

Here's Alain in his new TinTin T-shirt he bought in Antwerp and some recent photos of us and Felix, the courtyard cat who belongs to our apartment building gardien.

Alain and TinTin

Toby and Felix, our courtyard cat

Alain and Felix

On Saturday June 25, we went to visit the Musée Carnavalet, the History of Paris museum just a few blocks from us.  This is the oldest of the City of Paris museums and it tells the story of Paris from a prehistoric dugout canoe dating from 4600 BC to the present day.  The museum is located in two town houses in the Marais.  There are many rooms of famous Parisians along with many pictures and relics of Paris past.  The idea of the museum came about during the Second Empire, when a large part of the historic heart of Paris was being demolished.  In 1866, at the instigation of Baron Haussmann, the city council bought the property to house the new museum.  The building, which was constructed in 1548 and altered in the 17th century was home to Madame de Sevigne from 1677 to 1696.  The Museum opened in 1880 and since 1989 has also occupied the adjoining town house, which had been built in 1688.

Louis XIV statute in courtyard

18th century room

Another recreated salon

Beautiful clock still working

Louis XVI

Storming the Bastille

Les bouquinistes

Beautiful belle epoque picture

The other half of the picture

After our museum visit and a Berthillon sorbet, we checked out the Gay Pride celebrations at the Bastille.  Two DJs got the crowd moving.  As we walked home,  we saw a few stray floats coming down our street.

Gay Pride Paris celebrations at the Bastille

The crowd ( in the background is the Opera-Bastille)

Floats on our street

Another float on our street

Celebrations on Rue Rossier

As an aside, I had to take some pictures of the "It" purse that Parisiens of all ages/income are toting this summer in different sizes and colours.  It has sequin handles and details.  It's not one that I'm particularly keen on, but it is all over town.  Here's my own "Bill Cunningham" moment, catching a few pics of the purse.

Purse leaving the Metro

Purse in motion

Purse at Gay Pride

On Sunday, we went to the Bastille market for the last time.  Said farewell to our favourite purveyors, and bought our last jar of Herbes de Provence to take home.  In the afternoon, we took the Metro to the Chateau Vincennes stop and walked to Parc Floral (part of the Bois de Vincennes, a 995 ha park -three times larger than Central Park, NYC) for a concert by Surnatural Orchestra, part of the Paris Jazz Festival that featured different styles of jazz on weekends during June and July.  The theme of this weekend's concerts was circus music.  Very innovative music (reminded us a bit of David Buchbinder's Shurum Burum Jazz Circus) accompanying some daring acrobatic acts.

Entrance to Parc Floral

Photo show of birds

Picnicking in the parc- what Parisiens do on hot days

Stephane Grappelli- part of a photo show in one of the pavilions - Jacques Beneich, photographer

Water lilies at the parc- Monet would approve

Part of Surnatural Orchestra- 19 member band 

More musicians and getting ready for acrobatic act

Getting balanced

At the top

Monday June 27 was hot!!! We stayed at the apartment and did some cleaning and then headed out to the Musée Gustave Moreau in the 9th arrondissement.  Moreau (1826-1898) was a French symbolist painter who illustrated biblical and mythological figures.  He left his home and many of his painting to the State and the museum opened in 1903, a few years after his death.  He lived in isolation most of his life and had a approximately 25 year relationship with Alexandrine Dureux who was his muse and best friend (unclear if it was anything more).  She died in 1890 and there is a room in Moreau's home that is a shrine to Alexandrine.  In the last years of his life, Moreau taught at the Ecole des Beaux Arts.  Matisse was one of his students.  His work is also said to have influenced some of the surrealists.  While the pictures are not my cup of tea, it is interesting to explore the 19th century art scene.

Musee Gustave Moreau

Gustave Moreau

View of the picture salon

More picture- Salome on the left centre

Jupiter and Semele

Lots of unicorns- beautiful colour

The bedroom

Part of room dedicated to Dureux

Alexandrine Dureux

We met our friend Carol, from Victoria, BC and her daughter Rachel later in the afternoon for an apéro at the Brasserie de Ile Saint- Louis and then we all came back to our apartment for dinner.

Carol and Rachel on Ile Saint-Louis

Rachel, Carol and Toby- the toast, chez nous

Dessert plate-- apricots, strawberries, flan and a beautiful apricot-pistache cake