Bonne Année! Happy New Years 2012 from Paris!

I was fortunate enough this year to cross the Number One place off of my ever-growing travel wish list: Paris, France. My great-great grandmother was Parisian, and I’ve always been a bit of a Francophile; I’ve long dreamt of visiting Paris and its first-class museums, a city filled with so much history and a nostalgia for the past, best depicted in Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris”. I always have had a soft-spot in my heart for French cinema, from “Amelie” to “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg”, and new wave classics like “Breathless” and “Jules and Jim”, some of my favorite movies of all-time have been from French directors; even this year’s “The Artist” was one of my favorites of 2011.

French cuisine was everything I hoped it would be and then some. Amazing chocolates, the flakiest croissants I’ve ever had, even the marmalade was to die for. I made an effort to eat a little bit of everything and each meal was an exploration, and an event. I had everything, from classics like escargot and french onion soup, crepes, fondue, macarons, creme bruele, filet of beef with peppercorn sauce, to gyros, falafels, veal, even a sausage made from tripe! After spending a week there, I really got a sense of the unique way of life that is Paris in 2012 - modern, but much like it’s architecture, the Parisian heart is still in the past, and I would have it no other way.

The Getty

The last time I went to The Getty Center, I was seven years old. I remember coy fish ponds surrounding Roman architecture and French furniture from the era of Louis XIV. I didn’t recall a tram though, or it being plopped on a rather large mountain overlooking the highway, and people always looked confused when I talked about the coy fish ponds. It took me an embarrassingly long amount of time to realize that the Getty Center of my youth is now called the Getty Villa and that I had in fact never been to “new” Getty Center I frequently drove past on the 405. I knew I had to go.

Outside there were no coy fish ponds, but a beautiful asian-inspired garden designed by Robert Irwin and spectacular views of Los Angeles. And yes, 17th and 18th century French furniture located in the South Pavillion including an extravagant clock that had only four copies made, two of which belonged to Marie Antoinette, and lavish beds that were cut short in length so that Parisian women could sleep sitting up as to not ruin their hairstyles. Love it! I also learned that from April 26 to August 7th, they’ll have a special exhibit called “Paris: Life & Luxury” showcasing the 18th century Parisian living. Count me in.

Of course, I also saw a Van Gogh, a Rembrandt, Renoir, Monte. I believe this was the first time I’ve seen a Van Gogh without a rather large crowd of people surrounding the painting and either commenting on it or trying to sneak a picture. Yeah, there was still people gathered around, but it was more than a semi-circle than a crowd, which was nice. I guess I always go to museums when they’re busy.

Aside from the wonderful collection of permanent art and displays, I really enjoyed the “Gods of Angkor” exhibit which included breathtaking Buddhist and Hindu statues from present-day Cambodia. The Vishnu statue was zen to say the least and all of the statues were moving and beautifully crafted. It was my favorite non-permanent exhibition along with “The Photography of New China” exhibit, if only for the works of Zhang Huan, whose work gathered a little bit of a crowd as well. Personally, I think he was just competing with Van Gogh. Seeing as his work is being exhibited while he’s still alive, he might actually have the one up.

I highly recommend checking out these exhibits. “The Photography of New China” will be on display until April 24th and “The Gods of Angkor” closes August 14th.