Our Holiday Trip to Paris, Part Three

January 9, 2017

There is so much to see in the exquisite French capital - if you've never been to Paris, I encourage you to make the trip!

During our recent holiday journey, we filled our days with as much as possible - we visited the Louis Vuitton Foundation, the medieval Notre Dame Cathedral, and the well-known Ecole Ritz Escoffier, just beneath the glitz and glamour of the Ritz Paris hotel. The children also got to enjoy some “pool” time - they are excellent swimmers.

It was a wonderful vacation and a most special week for me and my family. Here are some photos of our last days in Paris - enjoy. And don't forget to follow me on Instagram @marthastewart48 where I often add additional fun photos from the places I visit and the events I attend.

: This is the Salon Proust located inside the Ritz Paris. It was named after Marcel Proust, a French novelist, critic, and essayist best known for his monumental novel, “In Search of Lost Time” published between 1913 and 1927. He is considered by English critics and writers to be among the most influential authors of the 20th century.

: The salon is meant to be a place where guests could sit and relax in the company of rare books and warm woodwork.

: On our last full day in Paris, we went to the Louis Vuitton Foundation, a museum in the Bois de Boulogne. The museum was designed by architect, Frank Gehry, and opened in 2014. http://www.fondationlouisvuitton.fr/en.html

: The rooms inside the Foundation are spacious and airy. We visited the exhibit “Icons of Modern Art, the Shchukin Collection.” It presents 130-pieces by impressionist, post impressionist and modern artists from the the Sergi Shcbukin collection, including Pablo Picasso, Paul Gauguin and Claude Monet.

: There were rooms of artists’ self-portraits like this one of Paul Gauguin.

: This is Claude Monet’s Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe or “Luncheon on the Grass”, 1866

: This is Monet’s “Seagulls over the Houses of Parliament.” 1903.

: Here is another Monet showing his signature impressionist landscape.

: This is by artist, Paul Gauguin – “Her name was Vairaumati”, 1892.

: Another painting my Paul Gauguin named “Maternité”, 1899.

: Paul Gauguin’s Ruperupe La Cueillette des fruits or “Gathering Fruit”, 1899.

: This is his Eh quoi, tu es jalouse? “What, Are You Jealous?”, 1892

: This is one of an installation of works from 1905, by André Derain called “Le Port”.

: This is “Nasturtiums and ‘La Danse II'” 1912 by artist, Henri Matisse.

: Here’s another by Henri Matisse, called “L’Atelier Rose”, 1911.

: This Matisse is called “Les Poissons Rouges.”

: Henri-Émile-Benoît Matisse was a French artist, known for his use of color and his draughtsmanship.

: This is a Pablo Picasso work called Femme a l’eventail Apres le bal or “Woman with a Fan”, 1908.

: Artist, Ivan Klioune, was an artist of the avant-garde Russian Suprematist and Constructivist period. He was a painter, graphic artist and sculptor. This is called a “Non-Objective Spherical Composition”, 1922-1925.

: Ivan Klioune’s “Suprematism”.

: The Louis Vuitton Foundation’s aim is to promote and support contemporary art. The two-story structure has 11-galleries, a 350-seat auditorium and multilevel terraces for events and art installations. Gehry had to build within the square footage and two-story volume of a bowling alley that previously stood on the site; anything higher was built out of glass.

: This is called “Observatory of light”, a multicoloured glass installation by Daniel Buren.

: The 3600 glass panels and 19-thousand concrete panels that form the façade were simulated and then molded by industrial robots.

: This is our view from inside the museum’s upper floors.

: We also made a quick stop at the Notre Dame Cathedral. This is the west facade with the central portal depicting The Last Judgment. http://www.notredamedeparis.fr/en/

: We enjoyed lunch at Le Bistrot Paris. http://www.lebistrotdeparis.com

: That evening, we returned to the Hotel Ritz Paris for our own New Year’s Eve celebration. http://ritzparis.com/en-GB

: Our beach for New Year’s Eve was by the pool. Jude and Truman are excellent swimmers – they just love the water.

: Jude and Truman ate and went to bed, and we drank delicious martinis and had dinner with friends to ring in the New Year.

: Here is the Place Vendôme column – so beautiful at night.

: On New Year’s day, we took a brief tour of the Ecole Ritz Escoffier, a place for French aspiring culinary professionals, located in the basement of the hotel. “Good cooking is the foundation of true happiness,” said Auguste Escoffier, the pioneer of modern cuisine and the first executive chef of the Ritz Paris. http://www.ritzescoffier.com/en-GB

: The school offers countless courses, impeccable foods, beautiful appliances and expert lessons.

: The kitchens are pristine with large prep tables and top of the line supplies.

: Chefs and their teams are busy preparing thousands of macaroons, apertizers, and hors d’oeuvres.

: Here, students learn how to prepare and present dishes according to traditional and contemporary French practices, and how to perfect manual skills.