Things get better in March
Spring arrives, and the Roamers finally get out of the house!
Knowing that we needed to “train”–I use this word loosely–for our April walking holiday, we decided to spend the first day of March walking. We headed across the river to the Marché du Lez, an indoor/outdoor market and shopping venue with a huge food court, to try the Belgian food recommended by our friends Dave and Sue. After that meal–pork cutlets, frites, and wine–we definitely needed more walking, so after browsing the shops we walked to the médiatheque and (after three years!) finally got our library cards.
A rather heavy lunch!
A few days later my friend Mari and I headed out for our Second Annual Nanas’ Trip to Paris. If you read this blog, you might remember that we inaugurated this trip in February 2024, and we had so much fun we decided to make it an annual thing. On the agenda this year were the same lovely hotel as last year, three exhibitions, plenty of delicious food and wine, and lots of walking. Our first stop, after dropping off our bags, was the Louvre Couture exhibit.
One of the gorgeous gowns in the Louvre Couture
This exhibit is unique in my experience, as the gowns are displayed throughout a main wing of the Louvre and are set up to blend in with the permanent exhibits. If you make it to Paris during the exhibit, I hope you’ll get a chance to see it.
I can’t remember the designer, but this gown was gorgeous!
The entire skirt of this gown was made of feathers!
Our hotel concierge recommend several restaurants for dinner, and we chose Brasserie Rosie, a lively restaurant nearby. After we were seated we noticed that we were by far the oldest people in the crowded restaurant! It’s a hip (is that still a word?) hangout for people in their 20s, and we had a grand time there. My favorite thing was the cocktail napkin.
Brasserie Rosie cocktail napkin
The next day was full, as we had two exhibits, both at the Grand Palais, some shopping, and of course food and wine on the agenda. First up was the Chiharu Shiota retrospective. Her magnificent yarn installations defy description.
Just one of the yarn installations in the Chiharu Shiota retrospective
This amazing Japanese artist, who lives in Berlin, had paintings, yarn installations, opera set designs, videos of performance art, and much more. Margi and I were especially fascinated, and moved, by a huge installation featuring dollhouse-sized miniatures in various scenes, all connected by yarn. The yarn was featured throughout the exhibition, and for me it brought to mind how interconnected all things are–especially people.
This photo shows about half of the miniature installation.
After this experience, we needed an emotional break, so we headed out for a bit of shopping and lunch before returning to the Grand Palais for the Dolce & Gabbana exhibit. I highly recommend clicking the link, as my photos don’t do justice to this remarkable experience.
The chandelier room in the Dolce & Gabbana experience
The exhibition took us through many themed rooms, each displaying gorgeous creations. The ten immersive rooms featured music, art, religion, interior design, and even one of the D&G ateliers, where we could glimpse their working environment.
This mannequin is looking into a D&G-decorated SMEG fridge!
The exhibit included shoes, accessories, headpieces, and some truly beautiful jewelry.
This earrings are carved with an excerpt from Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden!
It was a lot to take in, and I’d love to see it all again. If this exhibition comes to a city near you, I highly recommend it!
Beautiful!
All of our meals were great, but my favorite was at a restaurant that Margi and her husband Michael had visited before, Le Square Trousseau. This cozy bistro, founded in the early 1900s, was beautiful and convivial. The service was excellent, and we loved the food. Highly recommended!
My favorite restaurant from this trip
We are already looking forward to next year’s trip! Back home, Phil and I had a quiet week before a special treat the following weekend: the Opéra Orchestre gala! We’ve always loved opera (my first was La Traviata in 8th grade), and in Montpellier we get to attend regularly. Since Roderick Cox, a brilliant young American, was chosen as the new maestro, we’ve become fans.
The Roamers at the gala
What a fun evening that was! We were greeted with cocktails, Champagne, and passed hors d’ouevres as we roamed through the building. There was an art auction (I kept my hands down but enjoyed watching the bidding!) interspersed by musical performances in the theatre. The dinner that followed was delicious, and we enjoyed more performances throughout.
A beautiful, musical, delicious evening
Like January and February, March was mostly cold, windy, and rainy. One nice day we drove to La Grande Motte, a resort town by the sea, for lunch and a stroll. After lunch the wind began whipping up yet another storm!
Storm clouds looming over La Grande Motte
One day we received a notice from the post office that we owed 13 euros on a package. Phil collected it and handed it to me. “What is this???” I asked, “Read the label,” he replied. The label said CANNED BEANS. What??? Then he told me to look at the sender’s name. It was Michael, our friend who visited us last fall with his partner Sara. We were delighted to see what was inside!
Ro-tel, martini olives, and beautiful cocktail napkins–what a lovely and unexpected gift from our friends!
That same day, my birthday present arrived. I’d had my eye on this beautiful buffet for our entryway for many weeks, and after lots of searching we (well, I) finally decided to order it. It was very securely shipped, and unpacking it was a workout!
Just a portion of the packaging from our buffet!
The following Sunday we met friends Jo and Dennis for a tour of the Chateau Laurens, an architectural masterpiece we’d visited before. This time I was most fascinated with the stained glass in the study, and especially the portion featuring the sirens who sang sailors to their death.
The gorgeous stained glass doors in the study
The poem at the bottom of the scene reads, “Sirènes de la mer au sourire dégume, Aux yeux verts, aux cheveux docent les couchants. Votre charme est mortel ! Pour vos palais de brume Vous tentez d’arracher les hommes à leur champs Et vous perdez les fils des femmes par vos chants. Sirènes de la mer au sourire dégume.”
A rough translation (forgive my mistakes!): “Sirens of the sea with disgusting smiles, with your green eyes, your soft hair that sweetens the sunsets. Your charm is deadly! For your palaces of mist you try to tear men from their fields and drown women’s sons with your songs. Sirens of the sea with disgusting smiles.”
One day last week I took a different route to my French lesson and came across one of the many WWII memorial plaques one can see throughout our city. The war is still very much present in the minds of the French people, and we have been touched by how they honor their dead.
A plaque honoring a concentration camp victim
At the end of the week my friend Sandi and I ventured out to a tiny village in the mountains, where a British couple had announced they were giving away their extensive book collection. We enjoyed gorgeous scenery, selected a few books, and after coffee and a chat with Linda and Graeme began our 70-kilometer drive home. But we took a wrong turn! After too many hairpin curves and death-defying dropoffs, we realized that the GPS was steering us wrong and we turned around. Two hours later we arrived home, a bit shaken but glad for our adventure.
Giant ant sculptures along the route
The last event of March was the second annual fiesta hosted by friends Dave and Sue. They used to do this party every year in Chicago, and now they’ve brought the tradition to France. We’ve been honored to help with the party, along with friends Anne and John, and this year almost 40 guests enjoyed the fabulous repast.
Just part of the offerings on the buffet table
And that brings March to an end! We’re now enjoying beautiful spring weather and looking forward to fun times in April. Next weekend we’ll be participating in a resistance sing-along with people of various nationalities to protest against the awful things happening in the U.S. We’re grateful to be living in France with like-minded friends in these harrowing times.
