July 6 in Paris

July 6 in Paris

We had another day on our own before meeting our expert, Alice for more work with the “Patriots”.  What shall we do today?  We decided to use our museum passes, so off to the Rodin Museum.   This is another “old friend” as we have visited there often.   We love the artist’s work, but also the beautiful “hotel”.  Renovation on the building has begun and it is obvious that it was much needed.  However, there is still much to see, and one of our favorite parts was the garden.  We lunched there, and shared a few of the crumbs with some  “cheeky” little birds.  They got so bold that they almost came up to our plates!

Since were we so close to Les Invalides and the Musee de l’Armee, I prevailed on Perry to help me find some cannons that I read had been used at the Battle of Yorktown.  We flashed one of those American smiles at the ticket seller, she made a call, and we THINK we found the right ones.   These Gribeauval cannons made a huge impact on the outcome of that battle. 

Always on the lookout for a “Patriot” connection, we stopped at the Hotel St. James and Albany on the Rue de Rivoli.  There, the Marquis de Lafayette, met and had tea with Marie Antoinette.   She wanted to hear first hand about the “Insurgents” as the Americans were called then.  I couldn’t resist.   I had a bit of tea in front of the plaque…..

Across and down the street is another plaque.  Here is the spot where three legislative assemblies met.   The speaker of the Assembly sat in one spot.   Members with the same political beliefs sat either to his left or his right.   This is the first time that these works were used to describe a political stance.   And, by the way, who was one of those delegates to the National Convention?   Thomas Paine was a true revolutionary.  He was involved in making changes in the United States, Great Britain, and now, France. 

Much more on this busy day included a visit to the beautiful Cluny, Museum of the Middle Ages, the Pantheon, where France’s greatest are honored, and a concert at Sainte Chapelle.  This was another highlight.  Not only is this the jewel box of Paris, with its exquisite stained glass windows, the acoustics are perfect for a little “night music”. 

So, what was on the program, but Mozart’s Une Petite Musique de Nuit!  Along with it, some lovely operatic renditions, Pachelbel’s Cannon in D and more Mozart.  Parfait!