Musee Carnavalet is a five minute walk from rue St. Paul. The museum is housed in two Marais mansions and was opened in 1880. It's purpose is to exhibit the history of France, but realistically provides an excellent overview from Louis XIV (that's him in the picture) to Napoleon and the Commune. Admission is free so it is poorly funded; shortage of staff causes some rooms to be closed. The exhibits are quite good and you learn how the nobility lived, especially the opulence of the Louie kings (XIV - XVI). The authentic decor in the lavishly furnished rooms is like a gorgeously illustrated course in French interior design through the ages. Unfortunately, the building housing the exhibit of the Revolution and later was closed, so Bill missed the part he really wanted to see.After lunch, we walked to the RER station to get tickets for a trip to Versailles tomorrow; unfortunately the station is closed for repairs and we might not make that trip. But we did get some posters from a Left Bank stall and some delicious gelato on Ile St. Louis. There were lots of people sun bathing and children playing under these odd "misting hoops" (for want of a better term) along the Seine on this beautiful warm day--can't imagine more perfect weather!
We then walked back to Notre Dame. The crowds were quite dense but we did get to enter some spaces that were forbidden during the mass on Sunday. This is one imposing edifice! When we asked our nine-year-old granddaughter what she liked best about Paris, she said Notre Dame. We think if we could be here in December as she was, without the summer crowds, we'd agree.
We have been chasing museums non-stop for five days and are really tired; some down time is called for. We had grilled cheese sandwiches in the studio for dinner and are planning on a slow day tommorow (we did buy tickets for a bus tour to Giverney on Saturday).
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