30 Dec - Coffee and a Croissant

Posted on December 30, 2008

I awoke late this morning and lounged around a bit. I think people come on a vacation and have a mad rush to get out and do everything possible in a two week period, and while I was definitely like that the first days I was here, I have settled into a general happiness of just being here and seeing what I want to see. I have a feeling if I can ever come back, I will. So I’m just trying to enjoy myself and not burn out. So far, so good.

I also know I write a lot about my little cafe dining experiences, but that’s because they’re kind of a big deal to me. I know most people when they travel just go, stumble through the menu, order, get what they want, pay and go. And that’s ok. They get food, the establishment gets paid, everyone’s happy. But I want something more than that…I guess I kind of want to experience that almost normal daily life interaction. I’m not sure I can explain better than that. It’s like I just want to be a part of it, normal life here.

I picked a larger, nice corner cafe I saw when I was out yesterday and just headed in. It was raining off and on and had snowed during the night, leaving an icy wetness everywhere, but no pretty snow. I walked in and waited for the waiter to greet me. I could’ve greeted him first I suppose, but it went ok. It went something like this:

Waiter: Bonjour, monsieur!
Moi: Bonjour!
I proceed to the bar and sit down. Most bars in cafes, and brasseries are coffee in the morning, alcohol and coffee the rest of the day.
Waiter: Oui?
Moi: Cafe, s’il vous plait.
Waiter: Ah, cafe. Oui.
He makes me a tiny espresso, not coffee in a cup, a sign that he did not assume me to be American, and I sounded something like I knew what I was doing. lol Otherwise, they give you a coffee cup and ask if you want milk, etc. Cafe typically gets you espresso. If you’re ordering properly, you must specify Cafe Americain, Cafe au lait, Cafe Noire, Cafe Blanc, etc. The espresso comes with sugar cubes and a chocolate covered almond.
Waiter: Cafe, voila!
Moi: Merci.
I sip the delicious espresso and start to eye the croissants in a bread dish on the bar. Typically at the bar they are complimentary with your coffee, but I don’t want to be forward and I would like a plate. So I ask if it’s ok to have one. Better safe than sorry.
Moi: Je peu? (as I point gently toward them. This is pretty informal, and literally means I can? or May I?
Waiter: Mais oui, c’est bien! (But yes, that’s fine!) And he retrieves me a plate and napkin.

Getting the check is always a challenge as I mentioned before. But I’ve noticed if it’s just you and you’re at the bar, the trick is to start to get up to leave…not as if you’re rushing out the door, but place the napkin on the plate, move it slightly away from you and prepare your things. In this case, the waiter saw and approached me when he got a sec. I took my time, and did not rush him.

Waiter: Finis, monsieur?
Moi: Oui, c’etait bien, merci. (Yes, everything was good, thank you.)
Waiter: Merci! Voila! He places the check on a small plate.

It’s 3.20, so I leave him 10.20. I’ve also found dealing with small change is a pain for most so it’s easier to give it to them if you have it. He brings me the 7 he owes me and I leave him 1, a fair tip for 3.20.

Waiter: Merci, Au revoir!
Moi: Au revoir!

…and I walk out into the chilly morning. I know I wrote a lot for that simple interaction but if you’ve never been and you’re planning to go, I hope it helps you. You can always stumble through it (and making any small effort will likely lead to people being helpful to you) but wouldn’t it be nicer to just ease right through your morning coffee and croissant?

After breakfast I headed for the Musee d’Orsay, which I was told was absolutely worth seeing. I’ll go ahead and respond to that and say YES. SEE IT. I think I had this notion of what I would see at the Louvre, and while the Louvre itself is almost living art, with every cornice, corner, surface and window a work of art itself, a lot of what I expected to see there wasn’t there at all, it was at Orsay.

It was cold and rainy and with it being a holiday week between Christmas and New Years the line to get in was something short of enormous. It stretched in a serpentine queue back and forth over the entry steps, then wrapped around a few times in front of the lower steps before heading out to the street and wrapping around the back of the next building over. This was almost daunting considering the lower 30s temperature and the on again off again rain but I just couldn’t be unhappy. Freezing and a little damp, yes, but not unhappy. I was after all standing on the streets of Paris. Keep in mind though, that many museums close around 5 or 6 on some days, so if it’s noon and you have a two hour wait, you may want to get a reserved ticket for another day. I did spend about two hours waiting in rain and some occasional sleet, as well as being banged around by various umbrellas but it was absolutely worth it.

The building inside is far less ornate than the Louvre, almost utilitarian, despite the artwork, sculptures and library. But oh the art! Walls of Monet, Manet, Degas, Picasso, Gauguin, Pissaro, Latrec. Sculptures by Rodin. Whole rooms of paintings I had never known existed but by artists whose names I knew quite well. I was quite taken by one special exhibit of Picasso and Manet where Picasso had been to an exhibit by Manet and seen a painting of people having a picnic. It was titled “Le Dejuener sur l’herbe” (Luncheon on the Grass). He became something like obsessed with the painting and over ten years or so painted a plethora of interpretations of it. He wrote on the back on an envelope about having seen it and they actually had the envelope posted there in the exhibit, along with the variations he painted and sketched, as well as some pastels he had done. The original painting by Manet was there as well and the entire exhibit was extraordinary. There were paper cutouts he’s done of the people in the painting and a photo of him with them. I think the most interesting piece for me though was a sketchbook where he had sketched a copy of the original painting apparently to work from. I think we all have some idea of what a “Picasso” looks like so it never occurred to me that the man would create anything else in any other style. I had only seen his cubist and surrealist works, aside from one more realistic painting so I was so taken aback when I saw that the sketch in the book, in pencil or charcoal was almost identical to the original painting except in monotone. It had fine detail and perfect perspective and was an excellent representation of the original he must’ve seen the very day he redrew it.

I learned later in the day that he had done mask sculptures as well as a whole body of work that I had never been exposed to.

Overall, the Musee d’Orsay was worth its weight in gold. If you’re going to Paris and like impressionist art, it is an absolute must. You’ll even get to see Whistler’s Mother.

Speaking of Whistler…one of the most beautiful experiences I had in Paris happened in d’Orsay while I was looking at that very painting. Standing there admiring all the incredible art, moving from master to master, period to period I came to Whistler and his famous Mother. As I stood reading the small card placed on the wall next to the frame I noticed that a pretty good number of people were looking out the window. Surrounded by masterful works considered to be the best in the world in all of time and they were staring out the window. As I worked my way forward to see what was so impressive I realized just how right they were. So there I stood with the crowd, my back to the greatest art works of our time and watched as a gentle snow fell over the gardens in front of the Louvre. I hope that is something I remember for all the days of my life.

Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve and I plan to be at the Eiffel Tower if possible, with a bottle of champagne and 20 or 30,000 people. I can’t wait. This year some friends are having a small party back home as well, and I’m actually going to miss it. I think they’ll cut me some slack for my absence, though, just this once.