Program 644a: Underappreciated Paris Museums; Many Lives of the Louvre; Cote d'Azur

Paris has a lot to show us in its many museums. On the next Travel with Rick Steves, we'll get ideas for visiting some of Paris' unique, underappreciated small museums. And for tackling its massive grande dame, The Louvre, by starting with a look at its architecture.

Also, French tour guides tell us what they love best about the cities along the Mediterranean "Cote d'Azur," in the sunny south of France.

• Emma Jacobs, author of "The Little(r) Museums of Paris" (Running Press)
• James Gardner, author of "The Louvre: The Many Lives of the World's Most Famous Museum" (Grove - Atlantic Monthly Press)
• Veronique Savoye, tour guide from Tours, France
• Nina Seffusatti, tour guide from Provence

• Emma Jacobs is the author and illustrator of "The Little(r) Museums of Paris."
• The Paris Museum Pass offers discounts for multiple venues.
• James Gardner is the author of "The Louvre: The Many Lives of the World's Most Famous Museum."
• The Louvre has made its entire collection available to view virtually on its website.
• The Rick Steves online guide to the French Riviera, or "Cote d'Azur."
• In addition to tour guiding, Veronique Savoye offers online French lessons.
• Nina Seffusatti offers tours in the Provence and Occitanie regions of southern France. Her e-mail address is [email protected].

• "One of the best surprises I had on a recent trip to Paris was going to the Musée Jacquemart-Andre. It was a great combination of art and architecture. Along with the traveling exhibit, which included Cézanne, Botticelli, and Rembrandt, it was a more memorable experience than the other more famous museums we visited." (e-mail from Justin in Bellevue, Washington)
• "My wife and I went to Musée Marmottan in the 16th. Nice walk from Eiffel Tower on north side of Seine. Walk through the très chic Passy and quiet park. It's in an older large home. Lot of Monet and Napoleon material. Very quirky and fun. My wife got yelled at for trying to hang her coat on a non-approved rack." (e-mail from Richard in Lebanon, Indiana)
• "We spent a day on Cap-Ferrat. In the morning we walked the path along the peninsula by Paloma beach, and then spent the afternoon at Plage de Passage. The walk was easy and beautiful, and we enjoyed collecting tiny pieces of sea glass on the beaches — those yachts must toss a lot of wine bottles into the ocean! I made the mistake of not reserving chairs ahead of time at the Plage de Passage beach. By the time we got there, it was full for the day and our teenager was disappointed. I also thought there would be towels for sale but it was less touristy than I expected. We made do with the public part of the beach and no towels and still had a great time. We actually all fell asleep on the pebbly sand!" (Monique in West Newbury, Massachusetts)

• Orchestre Capitole de Toulouse, "Chanson (les enfants qui s-aiment)," Musiques de films de Marcel Carné / EMI Classics
• Michel Legrand, "I Love Paris," Jazz in Paris - Paris Jazz Piano / SSC
• Amsterdam Loeki Stardust Quartet, "Canzon decima detta la Paulina (Frescobaldi)," The Original Sound of L'Oiseau Lyre (sampler) / Editions de L'Oiseau Lyre-Decca
• Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood cond., "'Rondeau' from 'Abdelazer' (Purcell)," The Original Sound of L'Oiseau Lyre (sampler) / Editions de L'Oiseau Lyre-Decca
• Intro to Tino Rossi, "Bel ami," Les Chansons de la Liberation (collection) / Distribution Soldore (France)
• Erica Goodman, harp, Robert Aitken, flute, "Le Tic-Toc-Choc (Couperin)," The Disc Drive Disc (collection) / CBC Records
• Louis Armstrong, "I Love Paris," Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone / LRC
• * Ralph Rousseau, Matangi String Quartet, and Hein Van de Geyn, "Sur le ciel de Paris," Chansons d'amour / Challenge Classics
• Felix Barcellini, "Adios Mario (soundtrack from the Jacques Tati film 'Mon Oncle')," Mon Oncle: Music from the Films of Jacques Tati / Phillips-PolyGram (France)
• Jean-Luc Ponty, "In Spiritual Love," Individual Choice / Atlantic
• New York Hammermusiker, "Premiere Marche des Mousquetaires du Roy de France, LWV 10 (Lully)," Dorian Stereo Morning Sampler (collection) / Dorian
• Olivier Baumont, harpsichord, "Les Barricades Misterieuses (Couperin)," The French Experience, disc 2 (collection) / Warner Classics
• Les Délices, "Suite from 'Ulysse'-II," Sunday Baroque: Hand Picked, vol. 2 (collection) / WSHU
• Monique Haas, piano, "Miroirs-V: La vallee des cloches (Ravel)," The French Experience, disc 1 (collection) / Warner Classics
• Naida Cole, "Dix Pieces Pittoresques: 10-Scherzo Valse (Chabrier)," A Classical Odyssey (collection) / NARM (2001)
• Julian Clerc, "Histoire vécue," Urgence, disc 1 (collection) / Virgin France
• * Django Reinhardt, "Echoes of France ('Le Marseillaise')," L'essentiel de Django Reinhardt - Les 100 classiques immanquables / Cristal Records
• Jean Paques, "Petite Fleur," Piano Bar vol. 14: jazz, blues et dixieland / Seniors
• Miles Davis, Michel Legrand, "Au Bar du Petit Bac," Ascenseur pour l'echafaud (soundtrack) / Poll Winners
• Les Garcons Boucher, Pigalle, "Pascal le keupon et l'amour," Urgence, disc 2 (collection) / Virgin France
• Raft, "Sea, Sun and Sensy," Madagascar / Universal
• Orchestre National de France, Charles Dutoit, cond., "Les Animaux Modeles suite-6: repas de midi (Poulenc)," Poulenc: Orchestral Works 2 / London
• Orchestre Capitole du Toulouse, "'Modéré' from '5 Grimaces' (Satie)," Satie: Orchestral Works / EMI Classics

• At 8:03, Emma notes that "pop-up" experiential museums are currently popular in Paris. At 8:45, she mentions the Musée Carnavalet has been undergoing a big renovation. Rick adds at 18:41 that "many museums now" require timed reservations to enter.
• At 37:15, James Gardner says he's heard of a horseshoe-shaped courtyard inside the Louvre that may open soon, since its opening plans were scuttled by the covid pandemic in early 2020.
• At 38:12, Rick notes that we have a link on our website to the Louvre's online access of its entire collection.
• Rick opens segment C at 40:00, referring to "the world's most fashionable film festival" and glamorous beaches of the Cote d'Azur.
• At 41:07, the guides tell Rick that the train connection from Paris to Nice is slow, not a TGV line for the entire route. Veronique adds that Nice has a nice airport.

Pgm #644a France Haiku awards

Bayeux Cathedral:
Gothic sits on Romanesque
Like a wedding cake.
— Jon Allen, Tacoma, Washington

Sancerre on a hill
Sauvignon blanc at its best
We need to return.
— Carl Carlson, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

When Washington met Lafayette
The link 'tween our countries was set.
Together we fought
And freedom we got
And so let us never forget.
— Bill Gregory, Portland, Oregon