Last slivers of fall

Catching the last golden rays of autumn sunshine, biking along the Seine, and exploring a South Indian concert and the Louvre

Chrysanthemum beds in the Luxembourg gardens.

The last weeks have been unseasonably warm and sunny, making for many visits to the Luxembourg Gardens. I live about 5 minutes away from this park by bike, and it is one of my favorite places to be (in Paris and beyond). These days, rows of enormous chrysanthemum pots line the walls and staircases along the Senate and main fountain (with some chrysanthemums planted in beds, like above). The changing foliage glows when it catches the late-afternoon light, and it feels like Parisians are also glowing when tanking up on some sunshine for the long winter ahead.

Spot the Statue of Liberty replica of its New York sister by the sculptor Frédéric Bartholdi (on the right-side of the photo), amidst Parisians strolling and taking a bain de soleil (“sun bath”) to charge up on Vitamin D before the grey winter.

Photos mostly from the Luxembourg Garden, with a painting by Josef Albers (bottom, center), seen at David Zwirner at Paris+, Art Basel this fall

One crisp evening after work, I was biking home along the Seine and reminded why Paris is called the City of Lights, with sparkling reflections, street lights, stars, and moonlight are blending into one. Over the past few years, hundreds of kilometers of new bike paths — with the most picturesque perhaps being the ones that line the Seine along large stretches of the city — have been constructed. The feeling of speed and wind, coupled to a stream of beautiful impressions, gives the commute an element of tourism, and leisure.

Reminded why Paris is called the City of Lights, view towards the Pont des Arts and Institut de France, with Notre Dame (and construction crane) in the distance.

View from the Pont des Arts towards Pont Neuf (“New bridge” that is actually the oldest bridge in Paris)

On Saturday afternoon I stumbled into the porcelain, ceramics, and glass maker, Astier de Villatte, on the rue de Tournon in the 6th arrondissement, close to the Senate and Luxembourg gardens. If you have a passion for quirky holiday ornaments, you have found your match — the ornament that you didn’t know you were looking for is probably to be found (pug ornament? check, ditto for cappuccino, a sardine, or a shark, or a London cab…). I left with a small, early Christmas gift, wrapped in the most charming way with a golden jingle bell tied to a ribbon. Now I want all my gifts to announce their arrival like ‘sleigh bells ring, are you listening…’

Astier de Villatte's beautiful store on the rue de Tournon, and my gift (making a cameo appearance in the jingle bell)

A new discovery of the week was the Centre Mandapa, an Indian cultural center in the 13th arrondissement. I followed a friend to a South Indian Carnatic concert, bringing together flute, violin, mridangam (percussion, elongated drum), and kanjira (Indian frame drum, tambourine family) players. The flutist J.A.Jayant was mesmerizing. The music was so rhythmic and atmospheric, and I loved how members of the audience moved and expressed themselves during the concert, even while sitting, in a way that felt very different from classical western music concerts that often feel more reserved.

South Indian Carnatic music concert at the Centre Mandapa

Another cultural discovery of the week was a tour at the Louvre as part of my under-30 year old membership. We were a surprisingly large group, around 20 people under age 30, and got a free guided walk through the Cour Marly and Cour Puget. The tour was of 16th-18th century marbles, mostly under the reign of Louis XIV (Louis le Grand) that, admittedly, I would normally have walked by pretty passively. A strange historical fact is that these courtyards were the parking lot of the Ministry of Finance up until the 1980s (talk about a glow-up..)! Far from the sculptures glorifying the King and Catholicism, and not considered one of the ‘masterpieces’, I particularly liked this sculpture, below. How can so much warmth and tenderness emanate from such a cold, static material, hundreds of years later? I’m looking forward to going back to the Louvre soon to see the exhibits ‘Les Choses’, A history of still life since Prehistory, and the The Splendours of Uzbekistan's Oases.

Jean-Baptist Pigalle’s Love Embracing Friendship, marble (1758)

Shorter days call for stronger coffee (even better when the coffee cup smiles back at you)…

Sunsets and sweet potato waffles (at Cafe Mareva in Montmartre); coffee at one of my favorite roasters in Paris, KB Coffee Roasters (bottom left) and a smiley flat white at the café Bouche in Brussels (bottom right)

… but on the flip side, everywhere you look, holiday lights are starting to be illuminated, making me excited to discover the different holiday decorations by Paris neighborhood.

Beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the entrance to Ralph’s on the Boulevard Saint-Germain

See you soon,

Anna Lea