Paris: City of (Christmas) Lights

Based on our last post, you might think that we spent all our time in Paris in museums, but that was not the case. Unlike the visit where we did 5 museums in 5 days, this time we only did four, which still left us plenty of time to enjoy the city’s holiday vibe, good food and wine, and visit some Christmas markets, as well as the newly reopened Notre Dame.

Of course, Notre Dame was the hottest “ticket” in town. Recognizing the high demand the reopening would create, a timed entry system was put in place. Slots disappeared quickly, so we enlisted help to get an entry time as new opportunities became available at midnight here when we’re asleep. We were grateful for the west coast assistance! Ironically, when we showed up for our 9 am entry, we waltzed right in without having to show our passes! We did see that the entry plaza became a mob scene in the afternoon though.

The renovation is worth seeing. Recalling that Notre Dame seemed quite dark inside, especially at the back, the revelation is how light and colorful it is now.

While Notre Dame is impressive, in the end, the people and techniques behind the renovations are most fascinating.

The Christmas markets can be fun, and we ventured out to La Defense – Paris’s modern “downtown,” which hosts one of the bigger markets. It was so crowded that we didn’t stick around long. The same was true at the Tuileries Garden market. This was not unexpected as it was only a few days before Christmas.

Having read that the Jardin des Plantes has a fantastic light show, which this year was Jurassic themed, we thought it would be fun. While it is certainly festive, and we enjoyed being outside despite the chill, it was underwhelming.

Oh well, as we say, they can’t all be winners.

Paris has become a favorite destination. There are still plenty of places we have yet to see – including more museums. We’ll see what or who brings us to Paris in 2025.

Happy New Year,

Shana & Jeff

Another Paris Art Bonanza

When Jeff read in July that the Pompidou Centre in Paris would be hosting an exhibition celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Surrealism movement, we knew we’d have to go see it. As we planned the trip, we found several other opportunities to see art, not knowing how well each exhibit would seamlessly flow into the next.

To be sure, the Surrealism exhibition was unreal – it was even designed as a labyrinth, which was clever, yet a bit frustrating (probably intentionally so). Starting with Andre Breton’s 1924 Manifesto of Surrealism, a French national treasure, the scope of the works on display was tremendous, including all the big names as well as many unknown to us. It was interesting to learn the history and inspirations for the movement, and how it evolved. Marcel Jean’s Surrealist Wardrobe was a real treat – a humble object that becomes so much more, offering an imagined escape through its many portals.

Ultimately, surrealism shows how art is an expression of philosophy, reconfirming why many of Jeff’s favorite artists are surrealists. As we left, pondering everything we had just seen, the fountain full of colorful sculptures outside was a fun bonus.

Next up was a return to the Picasso Museum to see Jackson Pollack, the Early Years (1934-1947). We knew of Pollack’s later drip paintings but knew very little else about him or his art. Picasso was highly influential in Pollack’s artistic evolution, both thematically and stylistically. He had Surrealist influences as well, which were noteworthy after our Pompidou visit. Being able to compare Pollack and Picasso works side by side was intriguing.

A fabulous docent had the group of French children mesmerized. The museum has recently allowed a modern Cubist artist to paint the “chapel” space, and if you hadn’t read the description, you might mistake it for Picasso’s work. The museum is an elegant and inviting space – you can see Jeff taking a brief rest down below.

Our third exhibit was Heinz Berggruen, A Dealer and His Collection, at the Musee de l’Orangerie, which was filled with works by 20th century masters, including Picasso, Klee, and Matisse, among many others. Berggruen escaped Nazi Germany yet 60 years later sold his extensive collection to the country he left behind. The collector/dealer perspective was distinct, but the artists overlapped and felt like an extension of the prior two exhibits.

Several of Monet’s famous water lily paintings are on permanent display at the L’Orangerie. Serving as a modern counterpoint were Amelie Bertrand’s Hyper Nuit interpretation of the water lily motif.

These contemporary versions of classic works were the perfect segue to our last exhibit, Pop Forever, Tom Wesselmann & …  at the Foundation Louis Vuitton. Admittedly, neither one of us had heard of Wesselmann, who was one of Pop art’s leading figures. So, the exhibit was quite an education, both about the artist and the movement. Wesselmann was prolific and seeing his works presented with so many other Pop artists (many of whom we did know of, e.g. Andy Warhol) was entertaining, as Pop art has quite a sense of humor.

These two collage pieces take the mundane and make it fun. Many of Wesselman’s pieces are multidimensional. His large pieces were especially amusing and witty.

As we left the FLV we were greeted by a newly arrived sculpture, Flower Parent and Child by Takashi Murakami, who has collaborated with Louis Vuitton in the past. The piece was recently moved to Paris from Kyoto. The golden piece matched well with the gold Balloon Dog by Koons shown in the exhibition.

As this will be our last post of the year, we wish you all joy and good health in 2025!

Adieu 2024,

Shana & Jeff

Porto

This was our second trip to Porto, but our first trip was negatively impacted by the relentless cold and rain. Fortunately, this time we got fantastic weather and were able to enjoy the city much more. One day, the weather was so good, that we took a bus out to the coast and a bit north of the city, and just walked back along the river. It was a very nice just to enjoy the sun and watch all the people who were doing the same thing we were.

 We also got great pictures of the riverside, and the city's famous Dom Luis Bridge.

Porto is, unfortunately, a city that is really focused on tourism including shops selling touristy stuff on seemingly every block. We noted that the level of tourism was incredible considering that it was not high season. As a result, we really did not do a lot of tourist stuff. We did wander in to Porto's main train station and got some pictures of its blue tiles.

We also found, as in the rest of Portugal, that most churches charge for entry, so we did not go into them, although of course we got pictures from the outside.

From left to right, is the Torre dos Clerigos, the highest tower in the old part of Porto, which is part of a church; the Church of Il Defenso; and the Chapel of Santa Clarita (also known as the Chapel of Souls). We did briefly go in the Chapel of Santa Clarita, so we can safely say that the facade is the most impressive part of the church.

Overall, we enjoyed our time in Portugal, and would definitely like to go back to see some areas in the central part of the country near Nazare, but we will give Porto a pass on future trips.

That is all for now.

Jeff and Shana

The Douro Valley

We spent 5 nights in the Douro Valley at our friend´s quinta (wine estate). The Douro River starts in Spain, winds its way across northern Portugal, and empties into the Atlantic at Porto. The valley, carved by the river, is the oldest demarcated wine region in the world and a UNESCO world heritage site. While the summer weather can be quite warm, by mid-November it was crisp, and a bit overcast. It´s a beautiful area and the fall colors added to its allure.

We took the time to relax, but also explored what the region has to offer, most of which is wine-related, and we were happy to partake. The vineyards are planted on steep terraced hills, which create a wonderous scene.

We learned during this trip that Portuguese wineries have adopted a commercial approach to tastings and tours. A visit generally requires a paid-in-advance reservation with a minimum cost of 15 euros/person. Although a tour is provided, most winery tours are similar and we´ve done our fair share, so this is not our preferred model. Still, at Quinta de la Rosa we confirmed that grapes are picked by hand due to the steep terrain and learned that the grapes are crushed by foot (a la ¨I Love Lucy¨, albeit in large concrete containers). This method is better for ports and there are different rhythms and paths used during the very long shifts. The bast factoid was that your feet and legs stay stained for days!

Pinhao is one of many riverside villages. It´s train station is decorated with tiles depicting the region´s viticulture.

To get a view from the water, we took a river cruise on a traditional rabelo boat, the type historically used to transport the barrels of port wine to Porto´s Vila Nova de Gaia warehouses where the wine is aged. It was a nice way to enjoy the scenery and learn more about the history, geography, and geology of the valley.

The Douro was the perfect place to slow down. We enjoyed lunch at Aneto & Table, a winery-owned restaurant in Peso da Regua, one of the larger riverside towns in the area. There were wines paired with every dish. And we had another memorable lunch in Aramar, a small hillside village, at Regional Fonte Nova, where the owner was a truly gracious host. During our meals and tastings we reconfirmed that we prefer wine over ports. Of course, there are occasions for every type.

On our way to Porto, our last stop of this trip, we paused in the Vinho Verde region, known for its very fresh white wines. While the wines at A&D Wines-Quinta de Santa Teresa were spectacular enough to ship some home, the highlight of the tour was meeting Sal, the owner´s 8-month-old spaniel puppy. He followed us around the grounds and happily kept us company while we tasted.

You can´t find a better way to make our day than good wine and a friendly dog.

We hope to return to the Douro one day to help our friend during harvest season, perhaps even getting to stomp some grapes.

Ciao,

Shana & Jeff

Coimbra and a Special Lunch

The drive from Nazare to our next destination in the Douro Valley was about three hours. Along the way we stopped in the university town of Coimbra and for a fantastic lunch of crispy pig.

Coimbra is a beautiful town that sits on a hill on the Mondego River. We were there on a beautiful day.

Although the place where Coimbra is has been settled sinced the Roman era, it is best known as the home of the oldest university in Portugal (technically started in Lisbon in 1290, but moved to Coimbra in 1308). After having coffee and a traditional pastel de nata at a cool old cafe, we wandered uphill through the town toward the university. Along the way, we saw a student in the traditional university cape, which supposedly inspired JK Rowling to use such capes for the students at Hogwarts (it is true that Rowling wrote some of Harry Potter in Portugal).

The main university square is quite impressive, and the entrance included information about student resistance to the Salazar dictatorship, which added to the knowledge we began to acquire at the Resistance Museum in Peniche. As you can imagine, the University was a center of protest from early in the dictatorship as students resisted moves to undermine faculty and student control of academics.  

Coimbra is a city of many churches. This was originally the Jesuit Church of the University, but later the bishopric seat was transfered here from the city's old Romanesque cathedral. So, it is now know as the "New" Cathedral even though it became the cathedral in 1772.

We did not actually spend any time touring the many churches of Coimbra, because they all charged entrance fees, which is something we don't really believe in. We've seen too many churches during our travels and honestly can't remember most of them distinctly anyways (especially the insides). As a result, we had time to get lunch at a restaurant recommended by our friends at Lisbon Winery: O Rei Dos Leitoes. 

O Rei Dos Leitoes is known for its crispy pork, so of course we had to order that, and it came with a (small) salad, and really delicious homemade potato chips. Generally, we do not get excited about potato chips, but these were fantastic, and were even served warm.

The restaurant's wine list was like a telephone book. Fortunately, Adriana at Lisbon Winery had recommended a bottle of sparkling wine to match with the pork. It was fantastic.

After lunch, I somehow managed to drive the last hour or so to our friends' finca in the Douro Valley. More on our adventures there soon.

Hasta pronto,

Jeff and Shana

Two of Portugal´s Coastal Treasures: Nazare & Peniche

Nazare had been on our ¨Travel To Do List¨ for some time. (Like most people's lists, ours is long.) I´ve read many articles about the giant waves and crazy surfers willing to test their mettle riding them. And while November is part of ¨big wave¨ season, there are no guarantees when they will occur. It takes the right kind of storm to create the precise conditions required. Thus, while we were thrilled with the sunshine and good weather during our visit, we were disappointed that we didn´t time it right.

Nazare´s geography is interesting. A large part of the city sits on a long beach below a large cliff. We took the funicular up and enjoyed the amazing views down.

On the other side of the cliff, below a fort and lighthouse, sits another beach where the giant waves crash.  It´s a beautiful walk out to the lighthouse/fort and then down to the other side, where there were body surfers on the 8–10-foot waves that tightly curled. Even in these calmconditions, you could see this is not a place for amateurs.

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Nazare has a laid-back vibe and the fresh fish dinners were a delight, accompanied by crisp, local white wines. The town did not seem overrun, which we appreciated.

From Nazare we took a day trip about an hour south to visit Peniche, where we did a boat tour out to Berlangas Island that included a cave tour and hike.

The isolated island archipelago served as a defensive bastion, a royal retreat and as a fishing outpost before being designated as a nature reserve. A smaller boat took us into the various nooks and crannies of the island and gave us a full view of the Sao Joan Baptiste Fort and the rocky coastal formations.

We got off at the fort to explore and to hike back to the main dock. The fort sits on an outcropping that reminded us a bit of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe.

We hiked up the 300 or so steps, which provided great perspective of the fort´s defensive position, we then followed the ridge past the lighthouse and to the bit of infrastructure on the island with a guide who provided plenty of interesting information and history.

We returned to Peniche, which is also a surfing town, but with waves that are more welcoming to the average surfer. It also has a fort, that now hosts the National Museum of Resistance and Freedom, where we learned a lot about the Salazar dictatorship and the fort´s political prisoners that were finally released in April 1974. In all our trips to Portugal, we had never focused on this part of the country´s history.

We returned to Nazare tired from a full day and glad that we had ordered too much pizza at lunch, which allowed us to enjoy leftovers with some wine we had picked up along the way. It was a very good day.

Hasta pronto,

Shana & Jeff