The Leisurely Life Sans Children

Kate has been in Barcelona with some of the students while Kelly and I have enjoyed a relatively quiet weekend.  We went to an exhibit on Jean-Jacques Rousseau at the Assemblée Nationale to prepare for Kelly's class visit next week.  The Assemblée is like the House of Representatives in the US.  The exhibit had original papers and artifacts of Rousseau and showed his influence on the French Revolution.

Assembleé Nationale

We also went to our first movie--Cheval de Guerre V.O. (War Horse-Version Originale).  It just came out in Paris and we really enjoyed it.  It had subtitles so it is always interesting to see how things are translated into French.  Of course Kelly asked what I thought the meaning of the movie was as we left.  I said I thought that animals bring out your best self.  But I quickly added that it doesn't mean we'll ever get a dog, despite all the pleading from the kids.  Then he started into some big analysis about the horse symbolizing the recognition of excellence and as usual it all sounded much deeper than anything I thought of.
Friday we went to the Jacquemart-André Museum, one of the museums a little off the beaten path.  It is a mansion built in the late 1800s and filled with art collected by one couple.  My favorite is the Supper at Emmaus by Rembrandt hanging in the Study.  A photo just does not do it justice--the painting is absolutely divine.  Upstairs were several rooms filled with Venetian and Florentine art, including choir stalls and architectural features such as arches and columns built into the walls and doorways.  It really was amazing all the art they collected.  They even bought frescoes in Italy and had them installed in the mansion.  The couple had no children so the house was left to France as a museum.

Supper at Emmaus by Rembrandt

We decided that it was such a nice day we would just walk the 2 1/2 miles home.  It was the warmest day we have had in Paris so far.  We passed a chocolate shop with chocolate ties.  We also liked the chocolate cell phones and USB flash drives.

Striped and Flowered Chocolate Ties

Cell Phones and Flash Drives

As we crossed the Seine, we noticed the sun lighting up the statues on the Pont Alexandre.  With beautiful days like this, I don't know that we ever want to leave Paris.