It was raining today in Paris, so I did what any sensible artistically-inclined visitor would do: I went to the catacombs.
Ancient Paris is built over a labyrinth of hundreds of miles of tunnels, cut from the limestone by the Romans 2,000 years ago. Back in the late 18th century, the cemeteries had all filled up. You couldn’t walk around without stumbling into an old grave or stumping your toes on an old skull lying about. Smart-thinking Parisians had all the graves dug up and the bones all gathered to place into the catacombs.
It is spectacular. Mile upon mile of stacked and arranged human bones, 20 feet high by 75 feet deep, hundreds of feet below the streets of Paris. Over seven million people, arranged oh-so-artistically, silent except for the drip-drip of water from the surface now and then. The tunnels run for over 150 miles and they are as mysterious today as when they were built. You never know what you will see: a clandestine night club, a vampire’s den, or a pop-up restaurant with the wait staff dressed as specters. In 2004, police discovered a fully operational movie theater in the catacombs, complete with seating for 200, a 20 x 40 projection screen and fully stocked bar. It’s all totally illegal and totally Parisian.
Ms. Janet-Mary, one of my best friends here in France, picked me up at the train station recently in her gold Citroen convertible. Janet-Mary is from Virginia and married to a French diplomat who is in charge of security for the Paris Metro system. We met on a plane a decade ago, talked for seven hours straight, and have remained close ever since. I fully believe that you have family and then you have chosen family, and Ms. Janet-Mary is certainly chosen family to me and she knows how much I like to explore.
While I love the city, sometimes its nice to take a trip to the gorgeous French countryside and take in the lushness. The famous artist Claude Monet left his estate at Giverny to the French people and his creative home and gardens are open to the public. Simply amazing. His pink stucco house with the emerald green woodwork sits in its own gorgeous garden surrounded by the streams and ponds which he made famous with his water lily paintings. On Mondays, it is closed to the general public. Only artists are allowed in to take in the scenery, sketch, photograph and dream. Ms. Janet-Mary and I set up a picnic near an ancient willow tree overlooking a stream, a bottle of Moet champagne, a baguette and some deliciously stinky epoisse cheese as our meal. Perfection.
Less than 15 miles away sits the town of Auvers-sur-oise, a charming small town nestled on the Oise river. It was here that the genius Vincent Van Gogh lived his last months, and it is here where he died. It is also where the artists Pissarro, Corot, Cezanne, Rousseau and Daubigny kept studios. The town is more or less a shrine to Van Gogh now. I was really surprised by the numbers of his Asian fans who show up in town, but I was informed that Impressionism is very popular in China and Japan. Posters of his paintings stand next to the buildings in the paintings, so you can trace his inspiration. The field where he shot himself still grows golden wheat in his honor, and the black crows still gather there to feast.
The old hotel where Van Gogh died has been totally restored. You can see the bedroom where he passed, and where his last statement was, “I can very well do without God both in my life and in my painting, but I cannot, suffering as I am, do without something which is greater than I am, which is my life, the power to create.” The restaurant there serves meals from the era that are delicious and award winning. I have to admit, I am a huge fan of “steak tartare,” raw beef and raw egg yolk mixed with spices and capers, but having raw horse meat replace the raw beef was totally unexpected and amazingly tasty. The great thing is that after a day in the countryside, where life has stood still since the 1800s, Paris is a 30-minute train ride away.
Our meal tonight? Ms. Genie, my Parisian host and I decided upon “Dans le Noir” (in the dark), a funky restaurant where you are served in total darkness by blind waiters! Purportedly, dining in total darkness makes one focus on the taste of the food and wine, and I have to admit it made quite an impression. It took a while for me to get my table settings correct so that I didn’t knock over my champagne, but once I gave myself permission to enjoy the experience, it all flowed with great simplicity. I’ve never tasted a sweeter raspberry than the one that I tasted there in total darkness.
My good friend Andre Leon Talley, former Editor-at-Large for VOGUE Magazine, kindly arranged for me to have a private tour of designer Coco Chanel’s private apartment, located above the Chanel boutique on Rue Cambon. Such a treat. The apartment is not open to the public, so the strings that were pulled for me were greatly appreciated. Andre is originally from Durham, so we N.C. kids stick together in France.
The space reeked of glamour, glossy ancient Japanese screens panel the walls, the soft suede of her sofas seem timeless now, but it was considered quite shocking in the 1940s. Her mirrored circular staircase has launched 1,000 models. The space is decadent and gorgeous, but there is no bedroom to be found. Mademoiselle Chanel kept a suite at the Ritz Hotel a block away, where she slept in the evenings and where she ultimately died. Gorgeous spaces that have influenced the fashion world for decades. Such an honor to experience them in person. Paris is truly a feast for all the senses.
