Paris, iunie si flori de tei

La inceput de iunie, Parisul mirosea a parfum de tei. Puternic, pregnant, si purtat de adierea racoroasa a diminetilor de inceput de vara, aproape peste tot in zona centrala, mai putin in Champs Élysées si Boulevard Hausmann, unde predomina platanii. O vreme perfecta pentru plimbari relaxate pe strazile cu cladiri capodopere arhitecturale, siesta prin gradini, vizite la muzee mai ascunse si desigur, masa la bistrouri cu preparate delicioase, specific frantuzesti, caci gastronomia intregeste experienta culturala.

In acea duminica dupa-amiaza era lume multa pe cheiul Senei, de la Gare de Lyon si pana aproape de Notre Dame, turisti dar majoritatea parizieni; unii la plimbare, altii cu bicicletele, altii cu cateii, unii asezati pe bordura mancand inghetate. Peste tot, carciumioare hipsteresti cu mobilier din lemn, cu inevitabilii paleti transformati in divane cu perne si saltelute colorate – culori care parca vor sa compenseze cumva disconfortul -, unde se bea bere, multa bere.

In piata din fata Hôtel de Ville, printre fantanile arteziene, o trupa de muzicieni ambulanti canta si danseaza in ritmuri saltarete, iar putin mai incolo, in piateta de la Centre Georges Pompidou, un spectacol ad-hoc de mima distreaza trecatorii.

Marché aux Fleurs – Paris Ȋle de la Cité

A doua zi dimineata, dupa o cafea mediocra si un croissant cam uscat la Café Nemours (dap, efectul Angelina Jolie din scena de inceput din Turistul), am intrat in Jardins du Palais Royal, care prin linistea si calmul degajat mi s-au parut similare intrarii intr-o alta dimensiune, iar decorul amintea de Alice in Tara Minunilor. Neasteptat si altfel decat as fi crezut apropos de imprejurimi, asa ca l-am savurat pe indelete, dupa care am iesit inspre Opera Garnier si apoi ne-am indreptat spre Galleries Lafayette.

Spuneam de muzee, ei bine, iata cele 3 alegeri din aceasta saptamana pariziana:

Musée Marmottan Monet, care gazduieste cea mai mare colectie din lume semnata Claude Monet, inclusiv celebrul tablou “Impresie, rasarit de soare”, si alte cateva sute de capodopere, ce oferă o panoramă de neegalat a artei parintelui impresionismului, de la peisaje din Argenteuil până la Catedrala din Rouen și până la un ansamblu de nuferi, declinat in mai multe picturi imense, de cativa metri lungime, precum și vederi ale grădinii sale din Giverny.
Această comoară impresionistă remarcabilă este îmbogățită de lucrări semnate Delacroix, Boudin, Manet, Degas, Caillebotte, Sisley, Pissarro, Gauguin și Rodin, plus cateva Chagall reprezentând perioada modernistă.

Musée Rodin inseamna in primul rand gradina splendida cu sculpturi, dominata de Ganditor si delimitata de o impozanta Poarta a Infernului. Cladirea muzeului are o poveste aparte, fiind aleasa de artist însuși. Fostul Hôtel Biron, un încântător conac rococo proiectat de arhitectul Jean Aubert și construit în 1732, era practic abandonat când Rodin l-a descoperit în 1908. El a început prin a închiria patru camere la parter înainte de a prelua întreaga clădire din 1911, punând astfel fundamentul pentru ceea ce avea să devină Muzeul Rodin incepand cu anul 1919.

Les Bourgeois de Calais

The Cathedral

Atelierul Brâncuși este intr-o cladire micuta aflata chiar langa Centre Georges Pompidou, luminoasa, fiind o dovada in sine ca Brâncuși a considerat relația dintre sculpturi și spațiul pe care acestea îl ocupau ca fiind de o importanță crucială. De aceea, cand intri aici ai parte de o experienta completa, rezultatul viziunii artistului de a crea un mediu complex, de “opera de arta totala”, concept ilustrat in perioada anilor ‘20 si de Mondrian.
Considerat unul dintre cei mai influenți sculptori ai secolului al XX-lea și un pionier al modernismului, Brâncuși este denumit patriarhul sculpturii moderne. Atelierul adaposteste 137 de sculpturi, cateva zeci de schite, fotografii, precum si uneltele cu care maestrul lucra in lemn, piatra si marmura pentru a crea magia pe care o regasim in Domnisoara Pogany, Pasarea Maiastra, Coloana Infinitului si multe altele. Nascut in Romania in 1876, Constantin Brâncuși a trait si lucrat in Paris din 1904 pana la moartea sa, in 1957, cand a donat atelierul si lucrarile din el catre statul francez.

Last but not least, sa vorbim despre mancare.  Am fost si la cateva carciumi laudate de food bloggers & influencers, dar nu m-au impresionat si nu le-as recomanda, pentru ca nu sunt o buna experienta culinara pariziana, ci mai degraba turistica. Sau poate conceptuala, pentru cei din industria de profil.

Mi-au placut insa cateva carciumioare, genul acela de restaurant mic detinut de o familie, unde vin sa manance cei care locuiesc prin zona. Cum ar fi Chez Papa Bastille, unde am adorat La Trilogie Canard si mai ales desertul, Le Gâteau Basque, incredibil de fin si savuros cu crema de vanilie si foietaj cremos, servit cu dulceata de cirese negre. Sau L’Aubergeade, unde homarul este delicios alaturi de un pahar de Cheverny alb. Iar pentru cei ce vor sa incerce si altceva in afara bucatariei frantuzesti, Pink Mamma din Montmartre, trattoria italiana autentica, unde sunt italieni cu totii, toata echipa, de la Chef pana la chelneri, si unde e coada la intrare pe doua randuri: cei cu rezervari si cei fara rezervare. Iar Straciatella Fumé este dumnezeiasca (ah, mon coeur fait boom-boom!) si pulpa de miel slow-cooked cu mirodenii, delicioasa.

Place de la Bastille

Le Gâteau Basque – Chez Papa Bastille

L’Aubergeade

Straciatella Fumé, Pink Mamma Paris

Pink Mamma Paris

Restaurant Le Train Bleu, Gare de Lyon

English version

At the beginning of June, Paris smelled of linden perfume. Strong and carried by the cool breeze of early summer mornings. Until now, I had not noticed how many linden trees there are around the city, almost everywhere in the central area, except in the Champs Élysées and Boulevard Hausmann, where plane trees predominate. A perfect weather for relaxed walks on the streets with architectural masterpieces, siesta in the gardens, visits to more hidden museums and of course, dining at bistros with delicious dishes, specifically French, because gastronomy always completes the cultural experience.

On that Sunday afternoon, there were many people on the quay of the Seine, from Gare de Lyon to near Notre Dame, tourists but mostly Parisians; some walking, others with bicycles, others with dogs, some sitting on the curb eating ice cream. Everywhere, hipster taverns with wooden furniture, with the inevitable pallets transformed into sofas with cushions and colorful mattresses – colors that seem to somehow compensate for the discomfort -, where everybody drinks beer, a lot of beer.

In the square in front of the Hôtel de Ville, among the artesian fountains, a band of traveling musicians sings and dances to bouncy rhythms, and a little further on, in the square of the Center Georges Pompidou, an ad hoc mime show entertains passers-by.

Printemps Galleries

The next morning, after a mediocre coffee and a dry croissant at Café Nemours (well, the irresistible effect of seeing Angelina Jolie here in the beginning of The Tourist movie), I entered the Jardins du Palais Royal, which, due to the calmness and relaxed atmosphere, seemed similar to entering another dimension, and the setting reminded me of Alice in Wonderland. Unexpected and different than I would have thought about the surroundings, so we enjoyed it leisurely, after which we went out towards the Opera Garnier and then we headed towards Galleries Lafayette.

I was talking about museums, well, here are the 3 choices from this Parisian week:

Musée Marmottan Monet, which hosts the largest collection in the world signed by Claude Monet, including the famous painting “Impression, sunrise”, and several hundred other masterpieces, offering a panorama unparalleled of the art of the father of Impressionism, from landscapes in Argenteuil to the Cathedral of Rouen and up to an ensemble of water lilies, declined in several huge paintings, several meters long, as well as views of his garden in Giverny. This outstanding impressionist treasure is enriched by works by Delacroix, Boudin, Manet, Degas, Caillebotte, Sisley, Pissarro, Gauguin and Rodin, plus several Chagalls representing the modernist period.

Le Petit Palais

Musée Rodin means first of all the splendid garden with sculptures, dominated by the Thinker and delimited by an imposing Gate of Hell. The museum building has a special story, being chosen by the artist himself. The former Hôtel Biron, a delightful rococo mansion designed by the architect Jean Aubert and built in 1732, was virtually abandoned when Rodin discovered it in 1908. He began by renting four rooms on the ground floor before taking over the entire building in 1911, thus laying the foundation for what would become the Rodin Museum from 1919.

Brâncusi’s Studio is in a small building right next to the Center Georges Pompidou, bright, being proof in itself that Brâncusi considered the relationship between the sculptures and the space that these occupied him as being of crucial importance. That’s why, when you enter here, you have a complete experience, the result of the artist’s vision to create a complex environment, a “total work of art”, a concept illustrated during the 1920s and by Mondrian.

Considered one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th century and a pioneer of modernism, Brâncusi is called the patriarch of modern sculpture. The workshop houses 137 sculptures, several dozen sketches, photographs, as well as the tools with which the master worked in wood, stone and marble to create the magic that we find in Domnisoara Pogany, Pasarea Maiastra, Coloana Infinitului and many others. Born in Romania in 1876, Constantin Brâncuși lived and worked in Paris from 1904 until his death in 1957, when he donated the workshop and the works in it to the French state.

Last but not least, let’s talk about food. I have also been to a few taverns praised by food bloggers & influencers, but they did not impress me and I would not recommend them, because they are not a good Parisian culinary experience, but rather touristic. Or maybe conceptual, for those working in the bistro industry.

However, I liked some taverns, that kind of small restaurant owned by a family, where people who live in the area come to eat. Such as Chez Papa Bastille, where I loved La Trilogie Canard dish and especially the dessert, Le Gâteau Basque, incredibly fine and tasty with vanilla cream and creamy puff pastry. Or L’Aubergeade, where lobster is delicious with a glass of white Cheverny. And for those who want to try something other than French cuisine, Pink Mamma in Montmartre, an authentic Italian restaurant, where everyone is Italian, the whole team, from the Chef to the waiters, and where there is a two-line queue at the entrance: those with reservations and those without reservations. And the Straciatella Fumé is divine and the leg of lamb slow-cooked with spices, delicious.

Photo credits: personal archive Ruxandra Chiurtu, Musée Marmottan Monet, Pink Mamma

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