Part 8 of 8 in my travel series from the summer of 2022.
Back to Paris (July 11th)
We returned to Paris for the final portion of our trip just as the heat was continuing to build. Paris is expecting 100° in a few days. We arrived at an extremely packed Montparnasse train station. It was positively absurd how many people were packed into that station. Despite the confusing signs, we eventually made it to the taxi stand and got our ride to the new hotel. This time our hotel has air conditioning, and I don’t just mean a fan. We stepped up the accommodations for the final part of the trip and are staying at the Hôtel de Varenne.
The hotel garden where we would eat petit déjeuner.
Our first night back in Paris we had dinner plans with two of Catherine’s friends from IU who happened to also be in France. So we ironed our clothes and took an Uber to a restaurant that was a bit removed from downtown. It was an Italian place called Osteria Ferrara. Dinner was really good. We walked a bit of the way back, which revealed a nearly full moon. It was a full moon the last time we were here, so our France trip was one complete lunar cycle.
The Steve McCurry Exhibition (July 12th)
Catherine and I went for a relatively early morning walk past Les Invalides (it is near our hotel and where Napoleon is buried) on our way to the Eiffel Tower. I brought neither phone nor camera, which was nice for a change. At the Eiffel Tower we saw people already lining up at 7:30 waiting for it to open at 8:45. (When I was here in 2012 or so, my daughter and I went up to the top of the Eiffel Tower on my birthday. There was hardly any wait at all. We just went there after dinner, bought tickets, and went up. With all the crowds in Paris, it is hard to imagine it is like that anymore.) They are painting the tower again, so there was a lot of the surrounding area cordoned off, but the park around it was still quite pleasant. But even this early it was starting to warm up.
Catherine’s mother and stepdaughter (Anne and Claire) arrived in the late morning. They are also staying at our hotel. After they settled into their room, we all went out to a nearby café. Then we all decided to go our own way for a few hours. Catherine and Claire went shopping. Anne went to the yarn store. And I went to a photography exhibit that I wanted to go to the last time we were here, but didn’t have time. Thankfully it was held over, and it was just two blocks from our hotel. I was excited to go see it. I spent three hours there.
Steve McCurry has been a major photographer for over 40 years. He gained a lot of notoriety in 1984 with the famous photo of the green-eyed Afghan girl. I knew McCurry was considered a great photographer, but I was not intimately aware of his work. The show is all in black galleries with precise spotlights on each photo, many of which are suspended. The lighting and contrast really makes the color pop. His work is truly exceptional. His composition, lighting, and sense of timing are impeccable. I was really moved by the work. There were a lot of great portraits. (I ordered two of his books.)
That night we regrouped and Catherine, Claire, and I walked over to see the full moon at the Eiffel Tower—along with every other tourist in the city. It was a mob scene. But just a warm-up for the 14th.
The Pompidou, a Walking Tour, and a River Cruise (July 13th)
Today promised to be an action-packed day. We had the Centre Pompidou, a walking tour, and a dinner cruise on the schedule. So after breakfast at the hotel, we piled into an Uber and headed across town. I really wanted to see the Charles Ray show that had been there last time, but it was over. Bummer. We went anyway and I am glad we did. We did not have much time because our walking tour was going to start at 2:00. So we all split up so we could each see what we wanted.
Jochen Lempert and Tatiana Trouvé
I immediately went downstairs for a photo exhibit by Jochen Lempert. He is a German photographer. At first, I was a little doubtful (his work is about as far from Steve McCurry as it can get). The work is very subtle. The unframed black-and-white, relatively small prints are attached directly to the wall in a very low-key, no-fanfare sort of way. But the show, which is very abstract and informal in its approach, started to grow on me. Pieces like the trail of a glow worm directly on 35mm film and extended exposures of the starry night sky while the camera rested on the photographer’s stomach to record his breathing pattern gives some insight into how processes play a part in his work.
After that, I went to a gallery of work by Tatiana Trouvé. Wow. Incredible work. She draws with what looks to be graphite right on large painted canvases. The work blends interiors and exteriors in a really evocative way. I was really taken with the work.
I also had time to make it to the fifth floor, the contemporary galleries, where there was some Anselm Kiefer, Basquiat, and many artists I did not know. A Chris Marker (a very famous French filmmaker whose film Sans Soleil is one of my favorites) installation from 1990 that was recently reinstalled was like a time capsule. And I got to see some Joseph Beuys, Anselm Kiefer, and Basquiat pieces.
Kévi Donat’s Walking Tour
The walking tour was something Catherine had set up because there was a Duolingo podcast about the tour guide, Kévi Donat. Kévi does a tour about Black culture in Paris. I have to say it was really incredible. Kévi is extremely knowledgeable and was able to convey very complex issues in an accessible and interesting way. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. The tour started at the Panthéon, went to the slavery memorial in the Luxembourg Gardens, stopped at a café frequented by Richard Wright, and ended at the Sorbonne. It wasn’t so much about those places, but rather about the history as it pertained to race in France. It was the most insightful experience I had this trip into French culture.
The Seine Dinner Cruise and a Surprise Proposal
After the tour, we had a little time to regroup and change at the hotel before heading to our Seine river boat dinner. For our second-to-last night, Catherine went all out and booked a river cruise. It was so much fun! The food was pretty decent, but I just wanted to spend all my time on the deck taking pictures of the passing city. I love that so many people are out on the riverbanks. Especially the dance parties. So many people get off work and go to dance along the river. How cool is that? I felt sheer happiness just watching them.
I was taking all sorts of pictures when I noticed one of the crew members leaning over the railing trying to get the tail lights to work. At one point he put on a life jacket and climbed over the back railing to reach way down to the light. I was shocked. I started taking photos of him. Then he climbed back onboard and the light was just too good to pass up. Later, I showed him the photos and got his email and sent them to him.
At some point, I was on the deck taking pictures when Catherine handed me someone’s iPhone who wanted their picture taken. “Sure,” I said. I started taking several great pictures of the couple as we went under a beautifully lit bridge. I was thinking these look great, when all of a sudden the guy gets down on one knee and starts proposing. I was flabbergasted. Wow, this is really happening. I took more pictures and then put down his phone and picked up my camera. People on the bank saw what was going on and started clapping and cheering. Catherine asked the woman what her answer was (even though her body language was telling the whole story), and of course it was yes. So Catherine yelled to everyone on the bank, “She said YES!” They then erupted into louder cheers. When we went back inside, everyone on board knew what was happening. They were all laughing and cheering. But the couple had not come back inside yet. Catherine told everyone to clap when they did. So of course a huge round of applause went up when they came back to their table. It was truly amazing. Everyone was touched. What a great thing that was to witness.
All in all, a truly unforgettable day.
Bastille Day (July 14th)
Our last day of this magnificent trip that we have been so fortunate to have happened to be Independence Day, aka Bastille Day, but I think they don’t like to call it that any longer.
I took it very easy all day. I just stayed at the hotel and read and wrote while everyone else went shopping. A nice quiet day after the excitement of yesterday.
Fireworks at the Eiffel Tower
Fireworks at the Eiffel Tower were going to start at 11, so we walked over a little bit earlier and found a seat in the Esplanade des Invalides. There were thousands of people there. An Uber driver had told Catherine that was the best place to see the fireworks. I guess that depends on what you want to get out of it. (It certainly was convenient from our hotel.) For impressive pictures, I would rather have been in the thick of it, because so much of it was lost behind the trees. Oh well, I am sure it was so packed with people down there. But next time I know where to be. It was beautiful nevertheless. They aimed hundreds of lights on the tower and launched many fireworks from it, which looked pretty amazing. I hope to go back someday.
Reflections on a 10-Week Odyssey
My 10-week odyssey has come to a conclusion and I have loved every minute of it. I got to see my daughter do her incredible performance and graduate with her MFA. I got to return to Greece after three years away and produce some awesome films with some amazing students. And I got to tour around France with Catherine for an entire month! I am so thankful to my lovely wife for studying French, getting a grant, and inviting this guy along. You are amazing and I love you so much. I look forward to our many more travels to come!
