Saturday saw our plans go sideways for the third week in a row, though we did manage to get something checked off of the to-do list: The Musée Marmottan Monet.
The museum itself started life as an outpost on the edge of the world; originally constructed as a hunting lodge. it is now in the middle of a very nice, very staid, very expensive residential area near the edge of the 16e arrondissement. In addition to temporary exhibitions, the lodge features some very nice furniture from the first empire (not sure I would have fit in the bed that we saw) and what is apparently the largest collection of Monet paintings anywhere, donated by Monet’s son in the mid 1960s.
While it’s not uncommon for the museums to prohibit photography in the temporary exhibitions, the Marmottan does not allow photography of the permanent collection either, so I don’t have any pictures of the gorgeous furniture, the incredibly elaborate clock, or a dumbass water lily. I consider myself placated, however, due to the surprisingly good gift shop (though I should have picked up those damn cufflinks).
We eschewed the bus in favor of simply walking home. We knew it would take us an hour or so to get back, we’ve not spent much time in the 16e, and it was an interesting change from our neighborhood; where ours is invariably lively, the 16e was quieter, with what seemed to be much less traffic and less boisterous pedestrians. Our indirect route home also afforded us the opportunity to indulge our“what’s that?” impulse, so we wound up walking through Cimetière de Passy, where we pondered the mechanics of perpetual burial concessions and discussed our personal philosophies with respect to the remembrance of the dead.
Any day that ends with a sandwich from Bagelstein (it’s like Einstein Bagels, but much better) is one that’s pretty good.
Fezzik In Paris 