{"id":655,"date":"2016-12-29T09:09:00","date_gmt":"2016-12-29T09:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochellesroost.com\/index.php\/2016\/12\/29\/parisian-museums-and-more-musee-de-la-mode-and-musee-de-lhomme\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T04:59:45","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T04:59:45","slug":"parisian-museums-and-more-musee-de-la-mode-and-musee-de-lhomme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochellesroost.com\/index.php\/2016\/12\/29\/parisian-museums-and-more-musee-de-la-mode-and-musee-de-lhomme\/","title":{"rendered":"Parisian Museums and More: Musee de la Mode and Musee de L’Homme"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\nDecember 7, 2016, Wednesday.<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\nMuseums and More\u2026<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n  
\n<\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/i> <\/span>In keeping with my resolve to see as many new
\nplaces in Paris as possible, today, I awoke and decided to go to the Musee de la Mode de la Ville de Paris<\/i>
\n(the Museum of Fashion)\u2014after all, there is no city in the world more a la mode<\/i> than Paris.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\nBrekkie at the Caf\u00e9 of
\nCite-Universitaire:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>Carrying one of Pierre Herme\u2019s
\ncroissants with me, I went in search of a cup of coffee. As I remembered that
\nCite-Universitaire has a well-serviced cafe, I showered, dressed and left my
\nroom to find it. It also ticked off one more item from my To-Do List (a Walk
\naround Cite-Universitaire). <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>At the counter, I ordered a
\nBreakfast Menu Complet<\/i> which came
\nwith a croissant, a small roll, butter, jam, a pot of strawberry yoghurt, a
\npack of orange juice and a cup of coffee. 
\n<\/span>I was certainly not going to eat it all\u2014so I ate the Herme croissant and
\nhad the coffee. The rest I  <\/span>deposited in
\nmy room (for future breakfasts). I then hopped into the metro and went off to
\nRue Raspail to find the Musee de la Mode<\/i>
\nwhich opened at 10.00 am.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\nExploring the Musee de la Mode:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>The Musee was also empty when I got
\nthere. However, before I even entered it, I got sidetracked by a street market
\non Rue Raspail and I went for a long browse through stalls filled with fruit,
\nveg, nuts, dried fruit, snacks, cheese, meat, etc. What I did leave with was a
\nblack wool beret that I picked up for 10 euros (but which I think, now, was a
\nrather foolish buy that I might not even wear!). But I rarely make such
\npurchases\u2014so I do not want to be too hard on myself.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>At the museum, which is located in a
\nlovely hotel particulier<\/i> with a
\ncurved pathway leading to the entrance (very similar to the Musee Maillol<\/i>) that is known as the Palais Galliera<\/i>, I was given free entry
\nwith my Met ID card. Inside, although small, there are some elements that
\nremain memorable. It takes you through a short history of French haute couture<\/i>. The big names and some of
\ntheir works are present\u2014a lot of Givenchy pill-box hats, for instance, as
\npopularized by Jackie O. There are gowns by Chanel and other Famed French
\ndesigners who made a mark on the fashion scene with their vision and style.
\nNone of the exhibits are permanent–they are constantly changed. When I went, I
\nfound gowns, dresses, shoes, hats\u2014some very wearable, others outrageous. I was
\nnot sure what to expect and I have to say that I was not disappointed. As a
\ncapsule of French fashion, it was quite interesting.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\nOff to NYU-Paris:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>I left the museum before 12 noon as
\nI had an appointment with my colleague Eugene at Boulevarde St. Germaine where
\nNYU-Paris is located. He has spent a year teaching in Paris and since I was
\nkeen to visit our premises in France, he offered to meet me, give me a tour,
\nintroduce me to a few staff members and students before we had a coffee
\ntogether.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>Accordingly, I arrived at the venue
\nat 1.00 pm and had a nice reunion with Eugene. NYU is located in a nondescript
\nbuilding on the main road\u2014so it really does not have a campus. It occupies a
\nfew of the top floors of the building. Eugene took me straight up to the
\ntopmost level for exciting views of the city. It was quite stunning really, and
\nI am glad we started off there. From that point on, we took the stairs as we
\npassed through student lounges, classrooms, administrative offices and the
\nlike. He introduced me to a few of the senior staff members and after taking a
\nfew pictures, we set off for a small bistro at St. Germaine where we had a
\ncoffee and talked shop. Unfortunately, Eugene was caught up with end-of-term
\ngrading and could not stay long. However, he did invite me to join his class at
\n3.00 pm. for a tour of the Musee de
\nl\u2019Homme.<\/i> Since I had never been there, I decided to do just that. However,
\nwith another hour and a half to spare before I needed to return to NYU, I made
\nthe lightning decision to re-visit the Cluny-Thermes<\/i>
\nwhich is also known as the Musee des
\nMoyen Ages<\/i> (Museum of the Middle Ages) to see the series of tapestries that
\nis known as the \u2018Lady and the Unicorn\u2019.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\nA Return to the Musee des Moyen
\nAges:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>I discovered this museum rather late
\nin my Parisian experience, but it has become one of my favorites in Paris. With
\njust one hour to spare, I got myself a free entry (thanks to my Met ID card)
\nand raced immediately to the special round room at the top of the gorgeous
\nGothic building that is used to house the series of tapestries. They are best
\nviewed together and this room makes the ideal venue from which to take them in.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>I took pictures of each of the
\ntapestries that depict an unknown lady and her maid in a garden surrounded by a
\nvariety of animals and birds. They are said to depict the five human senses
\n(sight, sound, hearing taste, touch) through interesting representations. The
\nsixth tapestry is said to represent the sixth sense (or conscience). Filled
\nwith an abundance of detail, one can gaze at each tapestry for ages and admire
\nthem endlessly. I had a short time there but I derived immense pleasure from
\nlooking at them minutely and taking pictures. Then, I hurried off to meet
\nEugene\u2019s class and used the short ten minute walk to eat my smoked salmon
\nsandwich.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\nOff to the Musee de l\u2019Homme<\/i> with NYU Students:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>I arrived on schedule at NYU and met
\nEugene and his class in the lobby. We set out immediately, taking the metro to
\nTrocadero\u2014once again, we got the opportunity to ride on the No. 6 train that
\ntook us across the Seine past the Eiffel Tower. At Trocadero, we walked past
\nthe Palais de Chaillot<\/i> to the Museum.
\nEugene had made a group booking and we were ushered past the entrance into the
\nmain hall.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>The Musee de l\u2019Homme<\/i> (Museum of Man) is devoted to Anthropology. I had
\nnever been inside and, in fact, had never even heard of it. I did not think
\nthat I would find it fascinating, but indeed I did. It is beautifully laid out
\nand wonderfully curated and contains a treasure trove of large and small items
\nfrom every part of the world that are superbly displayed. The falling cascade
\nof busts of males and females from varied parts of the world is itself a reason
\nto go. They are superbly carved in wood with amazing detail. Other things that
\ncaught my eye was a fallen elephant with its guts exposed and tumbling out\u2014we
\nhad seen a similar sight in real life on a rhino in South Africa. Best part of
\nall, the museum offered brilliant views of the Eiffel Tower from its many
\nwindows and because we were at an elevated level, we had the chance to see the
\nmany sculptures scattered around the premises from new and interesting angles.
\nAs the evening wore on, as night fell and as the lights came on at the Tower,
\nwe got even more stirring pictures.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>After spending about two hours at
\nthe museum, enjoying the commentary of my colleague, listening to questions
\nraised by our NYU students and pondering their comments, we called it a day.
\nThe students left, Eugene and I walked to the metro station and then parted
\nways.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\nChristmas Market on the
\nChamps-Elysses:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>I hopped off at the Champs-Elysses
\nand, on emerging at ground level, found myself stunned by the fairyland in
\nwhich I found myself. The famous avenue was ablaze with Christmas fairy lights
\nand color as I had been deposited in the very midst of its well-renowned
\nChristmas market that occurs at this time of year. I had an appointment for
\ndinner with my French friend Livia at 6.00 pm and with an hour to spare, I
\nbegan to check out the stalls. I have to admit that I was really exhausted
\nthroughout most of my time in Paris as I was simply trying to bite off more
\nthan I could chew and barely gave my legs any time to rest. The end result was
\nthat my right knee began to hurt and I was often so fatigued, I simply had to
\nflop down somewhere. Still, I did not let it deter me from doing what I wished
\nto accomplish.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>The Christmas market is huge\u2014it
\nspans both sides of the Champs-Elysses. It features a great deal of German food
\nstalls\u2014there is bratwurst a<\/i>nd hot gluhwein<\/i> (mulled red wine). On the
\nFrench side, there is raclette<\/i> and Croque Monsieur<\/i>. There are also a lot of
\nstalls selling crafts\u2014if you are in need of Christmas presents, this is where
\nyou can buy the lot. Woolen caps and gloves and mitts and lots of hats with fur
\npom-poms (which is quite the rage right now) were all over the place. I merely
\nwindow-shopped, but it was fun to be a part of it all and to see the amount of
\nvariety of items being sold. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\nDinner with Livia at Le Bistro Marboeuf<\/i>:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>Livia in the step-daughter of my
\nFrench friend Genevieve whom I had seen last week in Lyon. I have known Livia
\nfor many years and we always make plans to meet when I am in Paris. Livia had
\nsuggested we meet at Rue Marbeouf and I set out to find her. We met on schedule
\nand at her suggestion, we made ourselves comfortable at a very typically
\nParisian bistro called Le Bistro Marboeuf<\/i>.
\nI welcomed the opportunity to have a companion for dinner–one of the downsides
\nabout being alone in Paris is that I rarely enter good eateries to have a
\ncomplete meal as I have never fancied dining alone.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>With Livia for company, I ordered a
\nfull three-course meal: I started with the foie
\ngras<\/i> (which was just superb) served with toast points, went on to steak-frites<\/i> served with a three-pepper
\nsauce and I finished with Iles Flottants<\/i>,
\nwhich is such a delicate dessert and so rarely found on American menus\u2014it was
\nswimming in a sea of custard and was studded with toasted nuts and drizzled
\nover with a caramel sauce. It was quite the best iles flottants<\/i> I have ever eaten and even Livia was astonished at
\nthe size of my helping. Since I had asked for saut\u00e9ed vegetables instead of frites<\/i>, I ended up getting both! Livis
\nhad the French onion soup that she pronounced to be simply superb and a
\nLyonnaise casserole of meat rolls. My dessert was so large that I urged her to
\nshare it with me. It wasd a simply delightful meal\u2014although I would have
\npreferred to have my steak (ordered medium rare) done better. I am discovering
\nthat it is best to ask for a well-done steak in France. As French gastronomy goes,
\nthis was up there.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n <\/o:p><\/span>Back Home:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\nLivia
\nand I parted company at about 8.00 pm after having had a lovely evening
\ntogether and catching up on all sorts of personal and family news. We took a
\nfew pictures together on the Champs-Elysses and then I headed home and went
\nstraight to bed at about 10.00 pm after what had been another very fruitful
\nday.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\nA demain\u2026<\/o:p><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

December 7, 2016, Wednesday. Museums and More\u2026      In keeping with my resolve to see as many new places in Paris as possible, today, I awoke and decided to go to the Musee de la Mode de la Ville de Paris (the Museum of Fashion)\u2014after all, there is no city in the world more a… <\/p>\n

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