We meet Gail at the Palais and spend about an hour and a half at the exhibit. It's crowded, but not too huge. The exhibit is stunning and we're excited to be there, especially not having to wait on the long line for tickets.
We then take Gail across Boulevard Rostand to an upscale bistrot for lunch, sitting outside under the awning and overlooking the Jardin. Gail is turned off by the lady in front of us eating literally boiled brains! We have never really seen them served like that just sitting on the plate, as they are usually sauteed and in a sauce which camouflages the anatomy a little.
We then notice a lot of police around, guarding the gates of the Jardin and controlling who enters, which usually has wide open access. We learn from one of the gendarmes that there will be a "manifestation" today, right around the Jardin, for gay marriage and equal rights, and they are prepared in full riot gear. There are hundreds of tough looking, no-nonsense National Police, and a squadron of under-cover cops strategizing to handle what by definition should be as peaceful a demonstration as there is. But in France any demonstration must be managed with force...typical French overkill.
We also see many large poster sizes pictures of stages of the Tour de France, one of France's world renowned sporting events. The images are stunning and capture scenes from 1921 to 2012 both in color and black and white. You can't help but stop and stare, as if you're inside a gallery.
We then decide to spend the afternoon at the Musee Rodin. It's small and manageable, so we think we can do this all in one day. We start walking, but the weather gets progressively worse, turning into chilling rain. Gail decides this is not good for her since she's still fighting her cold. So she bags and goes back to her hotel to meet us later for dinner. It turns out that she made the right decision, since it is quite a walk to get to the Musee, and at least half so the sculptures are put in the garden. We get there and even though we've been there before, the statues are breathtaking. We thoroughly enjoy it, even fighting the cold to see Le Penser (The Thinker), the Gates of Hell, and other amazing statues outside.
Then it's off to meet Gail at Caius, a very sophisticated restaurant with sophisticated food and presented with a sense of humor. They use only what's in the market and in season, so there was blette (Swiss chard) in almost every dish, including my appetizer (entree) of 6 fresh oysters out of their shells and wrapped inside a blette leaf with a light Asian sauce. The waiter was surprised but happy that I ordered such an inventive dish and asked me afterward if I enjoyed it, and I did, but it was different. Gail had and artichoke velouté (soup) with tiny clams in it that was Devine! And Marty had some kind of gnocchi in a foam of parmigiana that was tasty. The duck and fish main courses were delicious, and the desserts sublime!
We shared a taxi home with Gail dropping us off as she caught a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower all a sparkle to close the night.
Then it's off to meet Gail at Caius, a very sophisticated restaurant with sophisticated food and presented with a sense of humor. They use only what's in the market and in season, so there was blette (Swiss chard) in almost every dish, including my appetizer (entree) of 6 fresh oysters out of their shells and wrapped inside a blette leaf with a light Asian sauce. The waiter was surprised but happy that I ordered such an inventive dish and asked me afterward if I enjoyed it, and I did, but it was different. Gail had and artichoke velouté (soup) with tiny clams in it that was Devine! And Marty had some kind of gnocchi in a foam of parmigiana that was tasty. The duck and fish main courses were delicious, and the desserts sublime!
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