Paris - Day Four

Today started off, once again, with a stop at Cafe Gambetta. After a delicious cup of coffee, we were off! We went to these covered passageways, filled with funny little shops. There were shops filled with knick-knacks, toy shops, shops for specialty clothing. All very fun to poke around.

Right at Noon, we sat down for lunch at A Priori The, a tiny restaurant famous for its good food and special teas. It was a fairly chilly day, so Torie and I treated ourselves to a pot each of fragrant tea. And our lunch could not have been more delicious. Torie is still raving about her quinoa and brocolli mash! After lunch, we made our pilgrimage to Fauchon for macarons. Mom had her eye on a fancy box - and got the last one they had!

We then popped into the Opera National de Paris, a spectacular old opera house in the heart of the city. The sculpture and gilding up the grand staircase were amazing; I couldn't believe the beauty of the frescoes on the ceiling. And then I saw the ceiling of the theatre. It's breath-taking! Most of the building is in the Neo-Baroque style, but this ceiling was frescoed by Chagall in 1964. The ceiling is strikingly different from the architecture around it, but still incredibly beautiful.

Following our visit to the Opera house, we had the lucky opportunity to be given a special tour of the Hermes Collection. The Hermes Collection was started as a cabinet of curiosities by the grandson of the founder of Hermes. He meant the collection to serve as a source of inspiration for Hermes designers for the scarves, jewelry and accessories they created. The collection, primarily 18th century objects, is still maintained as a private collection, and is still used by Hermes designers today. I found the history of the collection to be as fascinating as the collection itself! And the curator who met with us was fantastic. I was impressed with her knowledge of the collection, and her interest in future preservation. They are currently undergoing a renovation of the storage area to install better temperature and humidity controls. The wonderful objects (a pheasant feather parasol! a sideways looking spyglass! a lobster claw wine flask!) are in good hands.

We followed our fantastic tour of the Hermes collection with cocktails at the Cafe Gambetta, and dinner at Il Pinnochio, an Italian restaurant - a few feet from Sue's apartment!