I’ve finished the overall plan.\u00a0 The main doc looks like a month-at-a-glance calendar, with short color-coded notes on where and when to go. Individual docs cover each week with more detailed information.<\/p>\n
Let’s\u00a0 break it down.<\/p>\n
Week One<\/p>\n
Tuesday evening: 1\u00a0 April Fools Day – After checking one bag,\u00a0 I’ll board Air France with a small carryon packed with a change of clothes, all my electronics, and a few toiletries – most important,\u00a0 a soft padded eyeshade and Boules Quies wax earplugs\u00a0http:\/\/www.quies.com\/produit\/wax-earplugs\/<\/a>. In a perfect world, I’d snore my way across the Atlantic. More likely I’ll doze in and out a few hours, feeling battered by the rumble and roar of the engines. It’s an 8 and a half hour flight. The first five aren’t so bad, but the last three feel interminable. Add to that the sleepless overnight factor and it’s a grim prospect.\u00a0 Over the years it’s become more of a challenge, and that’s why I go for a chunk of time.<\/p>\n Wednesday 2 – Staggering off the plane at midday, with gritty eyes and rumpled clothes, I’ll be met by the pre-arranged driver at r\u00e9cup\u00e9ration des bagages and taken to the apartment that will be my home for the next three weeks. Three floors up and no elevator (take that, macaroons!).\u00a0 I’ll drop off my bags, make sure the plumbing functions, and head out in search of an ATM. I’ll stroll around the neighborhood, noting where I can find bread, fruit, cheese and milk. Perhaps a coffee, definitely a pastry. If the weather is pretty, I’ll meander over to the Seine. Mostly I will take it easy. Early to bed.<\/p>\n Thursday 3 –\u00a0 Skip out the door to stand at the counter of a\u00a0caf\u00e9 and wolf down a croissant and caf\u00e9 creme. Depending on the weather,\u00a0 I’ll either Uber over or take the Metro to the Louvre. I joined des Amis de Louvre last June and membership entitles me to free access to the museum.\u00a0 I’ll wave my card, scamper in the Richelieu entrance, check my coat and dive in.\u00a0 The first destination on\u00a0 my dance card – the Dutch<\/strong>, German<\/strong> and Flemish<\/strong> painters. Hours of staring and sketching and sighing with pleasure. Lunch at a museum caf\u00e9\/restaurant TBD. Afterward, a peek at the apartments of Napoleon III<\/strong>, then follow one of the Louvres museum trails via an app on my iPhone or the museum’s audio tour. I’m thinking The Art of Eating, Rituals and Symbolism<\/strong>. http:\/\/www.louvre.fr\/en\/routes\/art-eating<\/a>\u00a0 By 4pm I will be dizzy with jetlag\/fatigue and ready to trudge back to the apartment, picking up my dinner from a stops at a boulangerie, fromager and charcuturie en route.<\/p>\n Friday 4 – If I manage to sleep in – unlikely, but possible – and the weather is mild and fair, I’ll explore the Marais, my neighborhood, with the audio tour Walk and Talk Paris <\/a>. I’ll stop for lunch at one of the multiple possibilities I’ve saved on my TripAdvisor map. app.\u00a0http:\/\/www.tripadvisor.com\/apps-icityguides\u00a0<\/a> and then\u00a0 try for a big fat nap. My experience in the MFA in Boston taught me that my eyes will give out – feel burry, gritty, dry and weak – by 8pm if I\u00a0 stalk the museum halls all day. Thus the long nap. The Louvre is open until 9:45 tonight, so\u00a0 I’ll drift over around 4pm and do the Still Life<\/strong> audio tour, then eat dinner in the museum.\u00a0 Afterwards I’ll follow the Italian Renaissance<\/strong> audio tour. I think it’s my best shot to see the Italian works in the Denon wing without being crushed underfoot by the throngs of determinded tourists making a beeline for the Mona Lisa.<\/p>\n Saturday\u00a0 5 – FIguring the Louvre will be jam-packed on the weekend, I have alternative plans. First, browsing at a street market, the Marche Bastille<\/b> (Boulevard Richard-Lenoir, 9-6, arts & crafts), around the corner from my apartment. If the weather is fine I’ll go there first. If it’s foul I’ll go straight to\u00a0 The Mus\u00e9e de la Chasse et de la Nature <\/b>(open 11-6) http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mus%C3%A9e_de_la_Chasse_et_de_la_Nature.<\/a>\u00a0 A museum that ‘celebrates the relationships between humans and the natural environment through the traditions and practices of hunting’.<\/em>\u00a0 I’m paintings a series with similar elements (Catch & Release<\/em> series)\u00a0 and I’m curious to see how other artists have approached this material.<\/p>\n