After Hockney

Becky and I stumbled out of the Louis Vuitton Foundation after 3 hours in the David Hockney 25 exhibition. We sat on a long wooden bench in the Bois de Bologna park and surveyed the amazing building from the rear. Parched and hungry, I ambled over to the Airstream trailer / food truck and ordered Lipton Ice Tea and 2 “Gourmet” hot dogs ( ketchup, mustard, and fried onions).

Shortly after, Jim and Betsy came out as well. We did not talk much then as Jim and Betsy were off exploring. Becky and I were more leisurely enjoying the large water cascade at the back of the Frank Gehry designed Foundation Building.

From this angle, the building look even more like a ship plowing into the sea. Two ducks floated leisurely around in the pond without any regard for the giant ship above them.

We walked almost 2 miles while in the exhibition which had only a few benches in galleries for rest. We called Uber and headed back to 28. The afternoon was spent in napping, reading, and deep recovery mode.

Robson Report. Jim and I took the shuttle bus back to Arc de Triumph where we snapped a few photos and quickly made a dash away from the throngs of tourists. Taking the Metro to the Opera Garnier, we ran into even more tourists! Seeking a calmer setting, we headed down a side street to a charming cafe where we enjoyed a late lunch of mushroom omelets and coffee.

The Opera neighborhood is full of elegant and expensive shops where we wander for quite some time and ending at the Galleries Lafayette. What an amazing couture shopping center that is!

Just looking up at the amazing stained glass ceiling made the trip there worthwhile. Since everything there was way beyond our budget,

we took a Metro home.

An early morning grocery run provided staples, salad makings, and garlic and pine nut ravioli for supper. The RANA ravioli is the same brand we buy at Publix for a quick pasta dinner.

A problem with “quick” was the induction range which quit heating just as the water boiled for the pasta. We switched pasta sauce and the pasta on one burners until both finally got hot enough to eat. I found the induction instructions and will try to master the beast before next time.

After supper, we reflected on David Hockney 25. Jim liked the wall of charcoal drawings of trees—25 to 30 in which Hockney practiced drawing the trees from different views. I found the Yorkshire paintings most intriguing—both ones in bright colors and the more contemplative ones. Betsy’s thought his use of the iPad fascinating and noted the differences between the bright colors in early painting and more subdued style and tones in the Yorkshire scenes. Becky agreed that the differences in works with exuberant coloration and almost monotone was interesting, but his use technology to create and display his art was astounding.

We all agreed that the Opera designs were beyond wonderful and wished we could see an opera with those designs. I read recently that some company was using the design for Rake’s Progress again. A wonderful day of art will continue buzzing in our heads for a good while.

Tuesday. Jim and Betsy were up and out early this morning on their train trip to the Loire Valley. Becky and I were slow moving and still in recovery mode. About noon, we took a scouting trip on Bus 32. From for our Passy Place stop, it goes close to the Eiffel Tower, the Champ Elyse, and Garnier Opera and all the way across town to Gare l’Est.

We got off for a look around, then got back on for the return trip. For 2 Euros each way, we can see the city—much more economical than the 53 Euro Hop On-Hop Off buses often stuck in traffic. City buses have right of way and special lanes.

On a short walk back to 28 we stopped at the Apoteek. For supper, we located a Thai cafe three blocks away—The Big Buddha. Ordering on a kiosk prints a ticket for the cashier where you pay with your phone. The cashier hands your order to the cook and minutes later you have it a fresh hot Thai meal. The whole operation is conducted with only pointing and no verbal interchange.

Saturday. We had an easy morning with croissant and coffee late. Jim and Betsy had travel fatigue, I had a bad night with my right shoulder, and Becky had fitful sleep. I suggested last night that we go to Luxembourg Gardens since it was supposed to be sunny. All four of us had fond memories of this beautiful garden and spring flowers would be glorious.

Becky had tofu fried rice and I ate chicken stir fry.. The food was good but was milder than we like Thai. We got soy sauce which helped, but wished for Jim’s magic Thai sauce for extra heat.

Wednesday. The first event of the morning was a broken toilet seat. A post that holds the toilet seat to the toilet rusted through and disengaged, so the toilet seat was free wheeling on the other post—not a secure seating. We called Fanny who came to assess the damage; her husband would come to fix it. Becky needed a haircut; Fanny recommended a salon around the corner at 10 Rue d’Jean Bologna and set up an appointment for Thursday at 12:30.

For breakfast, I went to the Boulangerie and got a small loaf of chewy, crusty bread which was excellent. I also got one Pistache Financier to share. The bakers on Great British Baking Show had a financier challenge; this was an opportunity to taste one.. It was a small round cake with a slightly grainy texture and without a lot of flavor. Becky called it dense cupcake. Not bad, but not as delicious as we had imagined.

For lunch, I went across the street for Lebanese daily special. Kamil greeted me, asked my name and where I was from. The forecast was off and on rain all afternoon. Kamil said rain was bad for his business. We ate half our gyros for lunch and reserved half for dinner.

For the afternoon, we took Bus 32 to Trocodero to visit the Museum of Ancient Architecture (Cite de l’architecture et du Patrimoine). Sunshine started our journey, but sprinkling greeted us at the museum.

The sign on a map had an arrow pointing left for the museum, so we walked left toward what we thought would be the entrance, but was not. Then we walked back to the real entrance just to the right of the bus stop map—a nice, but unnecessary walk in the drizzle.

The Eiffel Tower is in full view from Trocodero plaza where we took some snaps.

Unfortunately, none of the train cars were marked with numbers so it took a bit of doing to find

The Museum of Ancient Architecture

The museum was full of impressive statuary and ornate facades of churches and cathedrals from Roman through gothic times. Two gentlemen in the late 1800s managed to wangle this huge space to preserve architectural artifacts. I suppose they were saved from crumbling and falling in oblivion as victims of age and urbanization.

The museum housed a couple of hundred artifacts, large and small, on display. Everything was covered with intricate, impressive carvings.

The signage was in French so we had little information except for the locations such as Chartre, Rouen, Vonne and Reims. We saw many soldiers and saints and gargoyles, oh my!

After two hours in the Cluny, we walked and rode Bus 21 to the gates of Luxembourg, stopping for a lunch and some rest in a nice bistro. Jim and Steve had great lunches, escargot for Jim and Quiche Lorraine for me.

In Roman times, warriors were paired with church officials documenting the alliance that conquered the world.

A polychrome nook appears to be a small semicircular chapel with saints accepting prayers.

Many carvings portrayed Bible stories meant to be instructive for the illiterate masses. Eve eating an apple in the garden of Eden was making some point, or was the apple tree consuming her?

Gargoyles over doors and parapets would keep evil spirits out.

And this fine skeleton with his heart in hand is still frightening. Don’t do whatever he did!

Many doors and entrances were stunning.

A ornate wooden cabinet was a magnificent work

Thinking about the craftsmanship was boggling. How many men took how many years to complete each of these masterpieces.

This museum left us wishing we had more information about the artifacts. I looked for a small guide book, but only found tomes too big and too expensive for our needs. Before we left, Becky got this great photograph through a window.

I spent time in the evening on a special blog about David Hockney 2025. Writing about the experience and searching for photographs was work but great fun—a way to relive the experience. I wanted to finish and send it on its way Wednesday night. Becky is the final editor of the blog; she is picky in a good way.

Friday was errand day. Becky had a hair appointment around noon. We walked around the corner to the salon, and I headed to the train station to add money on our Navigo cards and stopped for some Euros at an ATM. Becky was finished and sitting in a small garden next to the Salon watching people and a host of pigeons.

We had passed a small pizza cafe on our street and went in for lunch—an excellent thin-crust pizza and another handy spot for dinner sometime. Our best intention was to take another tourist bus trip, but a short snooze turned into a 3-hour deep nap.

A message from Jim and Betsy said they were on their way back from Tours. I went to the green grocer next door for grapes, bananas, tangerines to make a welcoming plate with cheese and crackers which turned into supper with a few left-overs from the fridge. We also heard from Fanny that the new toilet seat was on order and would be fixed the next day.

Jim and Betsy told us all the saw on their trip to the Loire Valley and the many trial of driving in rural France. You can read all about it in Part 2 of

Everything Old is New to Us coming soon.