Paris -Day 1

June 3-4, 2009

Barack Obama and the Kosniks are both traveling in France this week, however we are having rather different experiences…..and ours are better!

Poor Barack has to stay in some extremely fancy suite in some fancy hotel. We are staying in a real Parisian family’s home in a real suburban Paris neighborhood. How cool is that! Of course, European private homes come with the features of European homes. Everything in Europe is so much smaller that in the U.S. There are five people in the family who live in this home and they get by just fine with 1 ½ baths, with two tiny bedrooms for their kids, small winding staircase to the second and third floors, and small living room. They do have a lovely private back yard that right now is lush with flowers and ferns. Of course, private homes come with their quirks. In this house it is the toilet. The owner has installed a super powerful hydraulic something-or-other that works extremely well – so well, in fact, that in the final stage of its flushing it sends a burst of clean water up out of the sink! Hence, a towel is kept draped over the sink! Then there is the European bathtub, a high sided tub that is about 2/3 the length of a typical U.S. tub which necessitates various interesting gyrations to get washed. We are so spoiled in the U.S. with our “need” for everything big and bigger.

Barack is, of course, met at airports by an entourage. We were met by friend Dick, our host this week. He just pulled his daughter Lauren’s car up to the designated ten minute meet and greet area outside the terminal and off we went! Dick, native Chicagoan, is blessed with an incredible visual memory as he tooled easily through the highways to this house.

Barack has to go to official meetings, poor guy! We got to the house, met Susan, got the “tour” and took an orientation tour led by Susan and Dick. We walked to the nearby commercial area for this neighborhood and went to the market. France is about a month ahead of Chicago growing wise, so we enjoyed looking at beautiful white European asparagus and wonderful fruits. Couldn’t resist fresh apricots for breakfast today! (Of course, after years and years of visiting markets in Spanish speaking areas, it was strange to see FRENCH WORDS on all the signage in the market!) We then enjoyed our first Parisian meal – sitting outside in a local neighborhood café with the warm sun on our backs—and returned home for a quick nap.

Then we were off for “real” sightseeing. Susan and Dick joined us as we headed by metro to the Musee d’Orsay. It was just incredible to come up from the metro right at the “Place de la Concorde”. The sun was shining just so on the golden top of the monument and it was gorgeous. A glance to the right and we were looking down the Champs d’Elysees (sorry for my spelling, Jill!) toward the Arc de Triomphe. To the left were the Tuleries and just a short walk ahead and we were at the Seine and glancing to the right at the Eiffel tower. It just all hit at once and was mighty cool! It’s always mind boggling to come into the light after a metro trip and see where you are…..and when you come up to these sights it’s incredible!

The Orsay was also incredible. It’s a former train station that has been made into a museum mostly catering to works painted in the 1800’s – takes off where the Louvre leaves off. We have a big Impressionist collection at the Chicago Art Institute in Chicago and we’ve visited Boston and New York where there are also good collections, but nothing prepares you for the hugeness of the collection here. The building itself is amazing. One would think a train station would be utilitarian, but not this one. It was built with incredible iron work, huge clocks, sky lights. It was also blessedly empty---going late in the day on Thursday when the museum is open until 9:30 was a great idea. When we left the museum at 9:30 it was still light and, by the time we got home an hour later, it was only dusk.

The day ended with a chicken, potato salad and wine repast in our kitchen overlooking the garden enjoying spending time with good friends. A great start to the trip.

It’s now 11:00 on Friday. Guess we were tired – we slept until after 10:00! Of course, that’s only 3:00 a.m. Chicago time! Today will take us to Notre Dame and the old city and to the Louvre. Stay tuned.

I’m sure Barack is not having as much fun! It is interesting seeing glimpses of him on BBC and Aljazeera which they get in English here!