paris -- day one

You and Pamella walk a mile or so to Chez Francis and have lunch as the Eiffel Tower stands tall across the Seine.  A walk up Ave. Montaigne to the Champs-Élysées to scope the finish of Le Tour.  

Barricades are already in place, as is seating for the masses and the VIPs.  The temp today is an unusually hot 86 degrees; it's supposed to be over 90 on Sunday for the final stage. 

You visit Monet's museum ( http://www.musee-orangerie.fr/documents/anglais_2013-03-04.pdf ) and are entranced/enchanted by the Water Lillies series, installed in a space (two oval rooms, apprx. 40' x 80' each) he created specifically for them.  The eight canvasses, all around 6 feet tall, range in length from 20 to 50 feet and follow the course of a day: sunrise to sunset..  Skylights allow natural light (filtered through a white scrim) to flood the room: if clouds pass across the sun, the light in the room changes, the colors in the paintings lighten and darken accordingly.  You were lucky enough to see them on a partly cloudy day and saw constant, dramatically cool changes in color and texture every few seconds/minutes.

Back at the hotel by 5.  Maker's (you) and wine (Pamella).  Awaiting Clay's call to meet up for dinner.  No call, but you do anyway: Maceo's R & B -- roomy, relaxed, sitting by open windows, eating duck, crab, gazpacho, salad, drinking red wine, talking into the night, trying to get an idea of what to do tomorrow (the Smith bookstore?  Versailles?  Hang in Paris?).   Clay leaves for the states at 5 a.m.  You walk past the Louvre on the way back to the St. Vincent.  Bonsoir et au revoir.