F Train to Paris

In which a Jewish family from Brooklyn moves to Paris, France for two years of work, school, and adventures.

When we lived in New York, we were members of various museums. In theory, we could have dropped in frequently for short visits, but we rarely did.

One of the first things I did when we moved back to Paris was to become a member of the Societe des Amis du Louvre. With my little membership card, I can go to the Louvre whenever I want, using a special entrance and skipping the lines and crowds. The cost is 50 euros a year for one person, 75 for two. And we get our money's worth: I have been there at least ten times in the last year and a half. At least a couple of those times, I happened to be in the neighborhood with a little time on my hands and decided to stop by. As a result, as hard as it is to really know a museum the size of the Louvre, I feel I know it better than any of the large museums in New York.

On Sunday morning, I took E. for an education evaluation--a fancy name for an IQ test--required for admission to the school he'll be going to in Brooklyn next year. I expected the process to take all day, but in fact it took only two hours, and by early afternoon we were home. Ralph suggested we go to a museum, and I said there were a couple of things I wanted to see at the Louvre. E., who was in a "Mommy" mood, asked to come along. J. and R., of course, had no intention of getting dressed, let alone leaving the house, so we left them in front of their Playstation.

We took the metro to the halfway point of the Champs Elysees, where four fountains mark the end of the commercial section. From there we walked down the tree-lined boulevard, across the Place de la Concorde, and through the Tuileries, where, since E. was with us, we had to stop at both the carousel and the playground. There's a nifty playground in the Tuileries that my kids love, with all sorts of bizarre, space-agey climbing equipment, like a huge metal dish ton an angle (like a satellite dish) that kids sit or stand on and turn.

Finally, we entered the Louvre itself, where we had an agenda: an exhibit about David’s painting Le Sacre de Napoléon, commemorating the 200^th anniversary of Napoleon’s coronation, and the newly restored Galerie Apollon. Also, at E.’s request, we planned to see a few mummies.  But first, a restorative coffee in the Café Denon, an adorable restaurant tucked into a corner of the museum, not far from the entrance to the Denon wing. And fortunately, displayed right near the café are some mummies, so we avoided a trip to the Egyptian wing.

 The Napoleon exhibit, which closes next week, is small but nicely done. Set up near the painting itself (which is always on display at the Louvre) are other paintings, drawings, and artifacts related to it, including a close-up portrait of Napoleon in full coronation regalia; and the actual crown, scepter, and sword he held. The sword, of course, was E.’s favorites.

The Galerie Apollon is amazing, literally encrusted with the work of dozens of artists, who worked on it over a period of 200 years. It also contains the crown jewels and a collection of stone vases assembled by Louis XIV himself. You could easily spend half an hour or more in that one room, though preferably not with a bored six-year-old boy. But we didn’t get to spend much time, because the gallery suddenly closed about five minutes after we got there. (E. was relieved.)  I’ll go back, but next time without him.

 
I love taking my kids to museums, but you have to choose carefully, see it through their eyes, and leave early. Sometimes, I just like to go by myself and see it my way.

posted by: pariskleinmans at 12:14 | link | comments (3) |

Comments:

#1  12 January 2005 - 14:15

 

I rarely take my son to the museums even though I know a good mother should. Hopefully, in the next year or two when he's a little older he'll like going.

Anonymous

#2  12 January 2005 - 16:24

 

Hey, unlogged visitor, be brave and take your son. We've developed all kinds of tricks for keeping kids interested, but the best one is the simplest: bring colored pencils and a sketch pad.

pariskleinmans

#3  21 January 2005 - 14:22

 

I was so disappointed that we missed this exhibit. I don't get to come in to Paris that often, so it's often left up to chance. :)

ViVi

Anonymous

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