Nuit des Musées 2012

Saturday afternoon was spent wandering the glamorous halls of Le Bon Marché, the ritzy department store at Sèvres-Babylone eyeing sparkly Cartier and colorful Missoni.  We then hopped just across the street to La Grande Épicerie...one of my favorite spots in Paris.  It's where all of my dreams come true.  Unfortunately, as soon as we stepped inside and looked at the prices, I remembered why I don't frequent there anymore.  You can find an array of products from all over the world, each section of the globe having an aisle.  The produce is my most favorite part, as the rainbow array of fruits and vegetables is enough to turn anyone into a brussel sprout lover.  Walk a little further to your right and you practically run into one of the meat counters, slicing up ham of all ages, with all spices, and all thicknesses.  The ready-to-eat counter closely resembles that of Harrod's in London but with a slightly French twist to each dish.  In the back of the store you can find sour cream, cottage cheese, and cheddar cheese...3 dairy products from America that I miss oh so much.  

With the hefty price tag (a basket of beautiful, perfect strawberries 9.95...dragon-tongue green beans 19.95/kilo...and a box of honey nut cheerios 9.65) I ended up with some freshly sundried tomatoes, a loaf of brioche, and a Mr. Goodbar...which was the only thing on the American aisle I thought I could justify to afford (still-1.95).  It's a good thing I wasn't going straight back to my apartment or I would have picked up some yogurt and sour cream without a doubt.  

Saturday evening was also Nuit des Musées here in France.  Many other countries in Europe were also participating, but it wasn't mandatory.  Museums were opening special hours, most started around 7 or 8 and stayed open until midnight or later.  And another perk-they were free!  We started off the evening at the 6:30 opening of the Baccarat museum in the ritzy neighborhood of the 16th.  Baccarat is the prestigious crystal glassware making company located in Baccarat, France.  The museum is in Paris as well as several magasins throughout the city.  The entrance was fancy and we weren't sure what we were in for.  Once being shuffled around and up a beautiful staircase we feasted our eyes on the most beautiful chandelier.

It also slowly spun around....quite impressive.  

This giant chair that was so tempting to sit on.  

We wandered through a room of different crystal glasses and goblets and what-have-you, then onto the crystal gallery.  Our most favorite part of the museum?  The bathroom.  It was all reflecting mirrors and crystals so it was difficult to see where the actual doors were.  The sinks were modern pools located on an island in the middle.  A small bench sat on one end, where Laura found a quick perch.

The bathroom.

We wandered through the rainy evening onto our next museum of choice.  The Grand Palais for a Helmut Newton exhibition.  It is normally 6 euros, and since we were planning to go anyway...tonight seemed like a perfect excuse!  It was a stunning exhibition...perhaps one of my favorite.  Helmut Newton was always known for pushing the edge a little bit, and this spread was no exception.  His erotic-urban photography was featured all over the world, including Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and other various magazines in the US, London, and France.  I can't post my most favorite photo of the expo here for fear of it being a little too risqué, but I'll share with you some other favorites.  

Staircase at the Grand Palais.

Helmut Newton

Helmut Newton

Helmut Newton

The queue outside the Grand Palais.

We arrived at the Cinématheque Française in Bercy just after 9 to head into the Tim Burton exposition. Onlyyyy...the line was practically a mile long.  We got in line immediately and waited our turn.  The line was moving fairly quickly.....until about 10 pm when we made a halt.  We sat there for at least 30 minutes.  The family behind me kept getting closer and closer, even though we weren't moving anywhere...and I almost asked them if they wanted to pass me in line.  French, but not from Paris and a little bit "country"... they were really driving me crazy.  The old couple in front of us kept looking back every time Laura and I would speak, obviously wondering why we were speaking English.  That really pushes my buttons.  I know the older population thinks that everyone living in France should be French and anyone else is just gum on the bottom of your shoe....but its Paris, a thriving metropolitan melting pot for the world where hundreds of languages are spoken and 75% of the population speaks some English anyways!  She kept turning back making it so obvious....I wanted to knock her nose down about 5 inches.

I don't particularly love Tim Burton or his films, my favorite of the lot being Edward Scissorhands, released in 1990.  His films are a little bit too twistedly dark for me...as I prefer more upbeat, happy films.  He is a very talented artist I will say, and this exhibition had over 700 items from his personal collection.

Immediately thought of my best friend Margaret, "large Marge." ha!  

Edward Scissorhands

Edward Scissorhands

Le Pauvre...

Sleepy Hollow

Burton's mind must be spinning with crazy ideas all the time...for the amount and quality of things he has produced has pleased millions over the years.  It was an expo that I'm sure I would have gone to see regardless...I'm just pleased I was able to enter for free.  Even with a frustratingly long queue and annoying people surrounding.  Although nothing will beat the terrible queue I stood in for the Monet exhibition at the Grand Palais winter 2010.  Ohhh man...I will remember that perhaps for the rest of my life!!  And not in a good way!