Day 5 with 3 children in Paris: Modern Art and Para Lachaise Cemetery

After our 10am stop at Cafe Victor Hugo on Saturday, June 10, we took the metro to Puces de Vanves, which was a big ol’ flea market area.  I got some vintage pipes with artwork on them; my bride got some coat rack thingy for the children’s backpacks that was like 85 years old or something.  My youngest found a vintage doll from Brittany that she named Josephine and carried around for the rest of the trip.

Then we went to Pere Lachaise Cemetery, because I really like exploring old cemeteries when traveling, and we saw the graves of folks like Jim Morrison, Gertrude Stein, Oscar Wilde, Frederic Chopin, Marcel Proust, Abelard and Heloise, etc.

After another wonderful outdoor meal (this time at Le Cavalier Bleu), we traveled the escalator on the exterior of Pompidou Centre– the museum of modern art, exploring the outdoor terrace with a water feature first.  My 8-year-old was very excited to see some works by Mondrian, whom he’d learned about this year from his retiring art teacher.  He bought a postcard to send her that featured the painting below:

I enjoyed seeing items I walk by in my bathroom every day and noticed that when they’re presented upside down and with added colors, they become art!  There were some huge works of art, furniture, photography, and sculptures that were interesting to explore.  Plus, it was very cool (whereas outside, it was very hot on this day)!

We went to bed fairly early, as we had a 9am date with catacombs planned for Sunday.

One Comment

  1. Pretty Bride

    How great is it when your kid WANTS to go to a museum because he learned about an artist at school, and can see those works in person?? I can’t believe she’s retiring. No other art teacher could possibly measure up. 🙁

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