Toby and Allan in France 2023

Wednesday March 22 was a gloomy day with a high of 15C.  When the sun is not out and it is windy, it can feel a lot cooler.  We slept in a bit and then did most of our pack.  Today is our last full day in Paris before we head to Toronto tomorrow,  March 23. We stumbled on the Drawing Now Art Fair which starts tomorrow.  My cousin Karen's husband Daniel has a few drawings in the fair.  While it appeared open today, we think it was only open to the artists and the media.  We wandered around a bit and then eventually got to Bouillon Julien on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis in the 10th arrondissement.  We had read an 2019 article in the New York Times about the new affordable dining trend and the comeback of the city's bouillons-the working class restaurants that thrived during the 19th century. We had booked Bouillon Julien for the only time available: 6:30 p.m.   Bouillon Julien. "Ici, tour est beau, bon, pas cher..." The restaurant is locate...

Tuesday March 21 was a mix of sun and cloud with a high of 15C.   We took the Métro to the Palais Galliera musée de la Mode in the 16th arrondissement.  We went to see the exhibit 1997 Fashion Big Bang. Outside of the Palais Galliera which had undergone a major renovation before its reopening in 2013. Inner courtyard Poster for the exhibit The exhibit's theme was that 1997 was an exceptional year in the history of fashion.  From fashion shows and new emerging designers, the exhibit notes say there were no more than 50 key dates during that year. It started in October 1996 during the ready-to-wear catwalk shows, when five designers offered visions that were as radical as they were complementary.  Then in January 1997, haute-couture week saw the highly anticipated first collections of major fashion figures which marked the revival of haute-couture.   Vogue Paris defined the 1997-98 Spring-Summer haute couture season as the "Big Bang" that Paris needed in order to ...