Paris Finale

My last post on the Paris trip.

TOC

• Cluny Museum and the Unicorn Tapestries
• Printemps Haussmann
• Stravinsky Fountain
• Google Paris
• Window Licking (and Street Wear), part 5
• More Pics, part 5
• Final Thoughts

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Cluny Museum and the Unicorn Tapestries

If you love medieval art, you'll want to check out the Cluny Museum.

Door to the Cluny Museum

It is, perhaps, most famous for its six unicorn tapestries. One tapestry represents each of the 5 senses and the last tapestry is something of an enigma. It represents "My desire", but it's not clear exactly what that means.

Whatever it means, these are very lovely tapestries!

Sight
Hearing
Touch
Doggie detail
Mon Desire
I love that I caught Diane E taking a pic!

If you have a chance to see these in person, you should.

The museum has other interesting things to see, including a Roman bath, stained glass, and sculptures.

In the legend of St Denis, he's said to have walked some distance carrying his severed head.
A park next to the museum

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Printemps Haussmann

After the Tilton tour was over, a member of our group mentioned that Printemps Haussmann, a large department store in Paris, had unveiled their Christmas windows.

I decided to check them out!

They had two types of window displays: some contained animated vignettes, including two windows that featured Jimmy Choo shoes. I made a video of the shoe "planes" flying around the tree, but I can't seem to find it. They also had some interactive windows that take a photo of your face and superimpose it on a poster.

My face on the little boy
And on the little girl with pigtails

A few shots from the animated windows.

Printemps Haussmann consists of two stores. There is a cafeteria on the 9th floor of the main building and the terrace features amazing views.

At the top of the smaller store, on the 6th floor, is the restaurant they refer to as the "cupola". Margy and I planned to meet there.

I walked in and... OMG.

The stained glass ceiling reflected in the mirrored table
Lunch

A few more random shots in Printemps Haussmann.

The Printemps bathroom is worth checking out. Decorated with rolls of TP, it costs 1.50 euro to use the facilities, but it's worth the experience

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Stravinsky Fountain

Once I learned about the Stravinsky Fountain, I had to see it! This fountain contains a number of colorful creatures, each one representing one of Stravinsky's musical pieces.

In solidarity with my endowed mermaid sister

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Google Paris

I couldn't resist. I had to check out the Google Paris office! I stopped by for lunch and a quick visit.

A Lego Eiffel Tower
I tried this dessert after lunch and it was strange! I didn't finish it.
Near the Google office

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Window Licking (and Street Wear), part 5

Just look at her coat!
In a yarn store
An interesting fleece wrap!
Grommets are king!
Beautiful plaid duffle
I like the bold pockets
I just loved the back of this woman's coat in Printemps Haussmann. I didn't even see the front!
A faux fur poncho!
I loved this stylish couple in the Marais

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More Pics, part 5

I was walking by myself when I saw this guy in a park
The covered passages in Paris are very cool, though this one is completely vacant
I'd been told the try the colorful macarons in France. I tried this version, filled with Italian ice cream. Then local friends informed me that the San Francisco bay area has these same Amorino stores. Oh well!
Paris street cleaning machines are so darned cute!
A display in Bon Marché
Enjoying my new glass buttons featuring Paris scenes
I first saw Tzuri Gueta's jewelry in the Met Museum gift shop last July. I googled his name and saw that he has a shop in Paris, so I had to check it out! It's located on the Viaduct des Arts—a street near the Bastille full of art studios
He works with silk and silicon. His pieces are very lightweight.
He makes organic, fantastical sculptures as well as jewelry
So much fun!
A patron saint of motorcycles? ;)
A children's clothing store
Towards the end of our trip the holiday decorations were going up.
Les Halles underground mall adorned with a string of giant reindeer

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Final Thoughts

I returned home this afternoon. After being away for almost a month, I need to get reacquainted with my sewing room! At some point I'd like to write a post on my travel wardrobe and lessons learned, but it may take awhile.

I had never been to Paris before and I can't imagine a better introduction than seeing it with the Tiltons. It was a wonderful tour with the right amount of museums, shopping, and free time. They shared their favorite sources, restaurants, and shops. We became pros at using the Metro—both the subway and surface buses. Paris is a very walkable city, with beauty around most every corner, and we logged 5-6 miles per day. I fell in love with several neighborhoods and I definitely plan to return, sooner rather than later!

Thanks so much, Marcy and Katherine, for a wonderful, bucket-list, unforgettable trip!

Complimentary water on Air France. Really? Christian Lacroix?

Tomorrow, I return to work. My shoes aren't even unpacked yet and I'm trying really hard not to go to sleep now, at 6:30pm. Playtime is over!