Silla’s train left at 2:00, so we just had a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood before lunch. We walked down Rue du Nil, first “attested” back in 1590 and made famous recently by a chef who has earned a Michelin star. For us it was only about a block away, with inviting shops: vegetables, cheese, chocolate, bread, fish, etc. We bought some cheese and wandered back to the apartment, had a decent but not exciting lunch at the restaurant next door, and then waved off Silla with kisses and tears. Hope to see her again at Gadenstaettli!
(Thanks to Terroirs d’Avenir for the photo)
Then it was off to the Musée Jacquemart-André, a nineteenth century house owned by a couple who loved classical art and filled their house with it.
We were especially interested in a Bellini exhibit there, and it did not disappoint. I’m still not sure which Bellini is which (father, son, uncle?) but they all painted beautifully. Memling was there too, along with Mantegna, Giorgone and others. Lots of virgins and babies, plus an arresting painting of a drunken Noah and his sons.
And guess whom we should meet as we made our way down the gorgeous spiral staircase but Pablo, our Context guide at the Louvre!
Very happy to see him again, and I wish I had told him how often we had quoted him when talking to Silla about our Paris travels.
Dinner tonight was at de Saison, a hole in the wall around the corner from the Rue du Nil. We arrived promptly at 6:00 when they opened, and they were not really ready for us, but the chef/owner was jolly and poured us some wine, eventually coming by with a menu. We shared the roasted vegetables with chive hummus (or something like that),
then I had the duck (a certain amount of quacking took place to make sure our choices were clear) and Alison had the lamb (baa). Both delicious, and by then the place had filled up with the young things who must be the frequenters of this establishment. And so to bed.
Caroline's Garden and Travel Record 