Author: Joseph
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Bilbao
Rain. Lots of rain. The long streak of good weather ended today with heavy rains. Between San Sebastián and Bilbao I saw almost nothing of the countryside because the rain was so heavy. Whereas San Sebastian was small, quiet and charming, Bilbao is bustling and busy….but it has its own charm. Broad streets radiate from…
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Sunday in San Sebastián
Last night’s dinner at Dani Lopez’s Kokotxa was one of the best meals I remember with impeccable service. Flavors were clear and distinct and mixed in creative ways to make the most of contrasts of texture and taste. It was a superb dinner. Today I climbed Monte Urgull, one of the two hills that guards…
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San Sebastián, day two
Even though it is rainy the city is beautiful. There are two perfect crescent beaches: the smaller one for surfers; the larger and calmer one for swimmers. The sand on both beaches is golden and they open onto the Bay of Biscay — southern England is somewhere out there beyond the horizon. The streets —…
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San Sebastián
At last in Spain. We took the TGV (the fast train) from Paris. The train was indeed fast and comfortable. Our seat-mates were a couple from Metz on their way to Biarritz to celebrate an aunt’s 99th birthday. They were a talkative couple, which provided opportunity to practice my French, although I mostly listened. The…
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St Eustache
Along with Notre Dame, St Germain-des-Pres, and St Sulpice, St Eustache, near the markets of Les Halles, is considered one of the great churches of Paris. These churches are also famous for their organists — Vierne, Dupre, Durufle, Langlais, Alain…. Oddly, I heard not a note of organ music in any of these churches, their…
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Saint Denis
Just north of Paris, Saint Denis is the burial place of scores of kings and queens beginning with Clovis (died 511). Louis XVIII ordered scattered royal remains and funeral monuments brought to Saint Denis in the early 19th century. Loose bones were deposited in an ossuary in the crypt and funeral monuments abound in the…
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Musee Jacquemart Andre
This splendid house museum predates the Marmottan (previous page) by a couple generations and gives one an idea of what I imagine Proust might have encountered. The house and its furnishings are as I once heard someone say, “the best of their kind.” On the walls are Dutch masters, including Rembrandt, Fragonard, Boucher, the Italian…
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Musée Marmottan
On my wish list — along with Notre Dame — was touring three small museums: the Marmottan, the Jacquemart-André and the Nissim de Camondo (closed for a two year renovation). Today I visited the Marmottan and the Jacquemart Andre. The Marmottan is in the western section of the city on the edge of the Bois…
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The Left Bank
Across the Seine today to visit St Sulpice, Paris’ largest church, and St Germain-des-Pres, one of the city’s oldest dating back to the 8th century. Both churches are justly famous for their pipe organs. St Germain-des-Pres is a riot of stenciling and polychrome. We happened upon an almost perfect bistro across from a clothing store…