Laundry and Impressionists

Laundry day.

We were perplexed. The soap dispenser was on the other side of the room from where you put coins in, and the machine ate three of Stellar's euros. We managed to get our clothes clean though.

We had decided earlier in the week that we would split up on Monday. We each had places that we wanted to go. Stellar and I both wanted to go to the same museum, and then spend more time in Montmartre, so we stuck together. Mimi went off to search out a list of chocolateries and cafes, and Emily declared that she needed "guy time" and met up with some of the friends she had made at the pub crawl.

The museum Stellar and I went to was the Musee de l'Orangerie. It was a little one that I hadn't heard of, but it was one of the few that was open on Mondays. When I read to Stellar the names of the artists featured there (Monet, Renoir, Cezanne, Matisse, Picasso, etc.) she began salivating.

I didn't think the Impressionists were really my thing, but I really enjoyed this museum. I remember being a kid and thinking that Picasso didn't know how to paint a face properly. I guess I "get it" now that I'm older and know more about art, and many of these paintings really took me aback with their beauty.

The Orangerie's claim to fame is Monet's Water Lilies. I had no idea how huge these paintings are! They were in two oval-shaped rooms, spread out over all the walls.

Stellar tried her best to photograph every inch of wall. She was so excited. I marveled at the staggering number of brushstrokes on display. I can't imagine how long it took to paint these.

We returned to Montmartre, which is probably my favorite part of Paris. Our plan had been to meet up for a picnic on the bridge at night, so Stellar and I tried to find the shops where were had found such wonderful baguettes and cured ham a few days ago. Well, it being Monday, they were both closed. In the meantime, we both got rained on.

Soggy, and thinking that the picnic was probably off due to rain, we sat down in the first cafe we came to to escape the wet. To our surprise, it turned out to be the Deux Moulin, the same cafe where Amelie works in the movie Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amelie Poulain. Stellar and I were pretty pleased by our discovery, and we shared a lovely salad. I had coffee without cream (heaps of sugar, but no cream!) and enjoyed it. I think I'm getting used to this coffee stuff.

Against all odds, it cleared up in the evening. After some confusion and miscommunication, we managed to meet up and have our picnic after all.

Toward dusk, we were offered champagne by a group of French boys who were celebrating a birthday. The birthday boy, Silvaine, was gorgeous and talkative. His friend Mignon was cute and funny. They all flirted and laughed with us, and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. Unfortunately, we weren't dressed for the nighttime cold and we soon had to say goodbye to the boys and retreat to a cafe for crepes.

I wish we had spent more time out at night. The city is beautiful and the company is highly agreeable.