Musée du Quai Branly

 

One of Paris' lesser known attractions, the Musee du Quai Branly is found on the edge of the Seine, tucked away in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. A large garden separates the unabashedly modern architecture from the river, so you have a bit of a journey through nature before even making it to the building.

Une des attractions moins connue à Paris, le Musée du Quai Branly se trouve au bord de la Seine, sous l'ombre de la Tour Eiffel. Un grand jardin sépare l'architecture très moderne de la rivière, donc on doit faire un petit voyage dans la nature avant même d'entrer dans le bâtiment.

Once inside, you wind your way through the continents: Africa, Australasia, Asia and more are marked out on the floor by different coloured sections. The museum is dimly lit, making you feel a bit like an intrepid explorer making their own discoveries. 

Une fois dans le bâtiment, on se retrouve tout d'un coup dans les différents "continents" : l'Afrique, l'Australie et l'Asie sont marqués sur le sol avec des couleurs différents. Le musée est un peu faiblement éclairé, et du coup on se sent un peu comme un explorateur intrépide qui fait ses premières découvertes.

Travel Journels

Totems

 

Traditional Clothing

The museum is a little expensive, and some wings don't seem to be finished - but I imagine in the summer it would be a lovely place to go and sit in the gardens and wile away the time. Plus, the hot chocolate in their cafe is second only to Angelina's - and  in a mug of twice the size, it comes in at a whole €3.00 cheaper. You can thank me later.

Les billets du musée sont un peu cher, et quelques ailes ne semblent pas d'être complètes - mais j'imagine que pendant l'été ce serait très agréable d'y aller, pour se détendre dans le jardin et passer le temps. En plus, le chocolat chaud dans leur café c'est le meilleur que j'ai goûté à Paris, après seulement celui chez Angelina - et dans une tasse de deux fois plus grande, il coûte €3,00 moins cher. Vous pouvez me remercier plus tard ;)

À Bientôt !

x

  

Signs and Wonders

Rounding off my Mum's fun but all too swift stay, we decided to eat out on the final night. During a scout out of Trip Advisor reviews, I came across a gem of a restaurant called '1000 et 1 signes'. The name didn't mean much to me, until I read about the restaurant's concept. 

PREMIÈRE PERSONNE SOURDE À OUVRIR UN RESTAURANT - CAFÉ PHILO BILINGUE (FRANÇAIS /LANGUE DES SIGNES) DE SPÉCIALITÉS MAROCAINES BIO OU AVEC DES PRODUITS DU MARCHÉ. Pour une clientèle d'entendants et de sourds, de personnes qui travaillent et se restaurent dans le quartier du 9ème arrondissement 
de Paris, 1000 &1 signes est un espace chaleureux et convivial, de restauration marocaine biologique, servie dans un décor Pop'art Made in Bled: 

• Où bien manger, même en peu de temps, est possible et accessible; 
• Où créer des liens ne passe pas forcément par la parole orale; 
• Où l'on peut, le temps d'un repas: vivre une expérience gourmande, s'ouvrir à la Langue des signes, favoriser l'activité économique de citoyens sourds, loin des clichés sur le "handicap" (cuisiniers et serveurs sourds), valoriser le commerce responsable et l'échange entre les cultures Sourde et Entendante.

Apart from serving delicious and generous portions of moroccan food, this tiny place in the 9th arrondissement is pretty special, as according to their website, it is the first restaurant to be opened by a Deaf person. It is a bilingual cafe-philo and aims to create links between Deaf and hearing people, showing that communication is always possible, even if not strictly through words. The restaurant also want to do away with tired old prejudices against 'disabled' people: the talented waiters and cooks are all Deaf and provide a brilliant service, with a dash of humour and exuding warmth and charm at the same time. For once, you are the clumsy, well-meaning fish out of water - whilst the waiter dances perfectly at ease between the tables, making himself clear with a swish and a flick of some pretty snappy fingers. I think a role reversal like this is only too important, as you begin to realise just how difficult Deaf people have it in a world that cares nothing for promoting or supporting such a beautiful language. I didn't get many pictures as the lighting was quite dimmed - so you'll just have to go and visit yourself!

The next day, Mum & I wound our way around the 7th arrondissement's finest sites:

Rue de Cler with its cute shopping & then a stroll towards the base of the Eiffel Tower.

       

On the way home, we stumbled across an open air photography exhibition put on by The Musee du quai Branly. Paris is great for these sudden, unexpected treasures which you stumble upon by chance. There's nothing better than wandering along by the river, taking your time not to rush for once, and to really open your eyes and see.

 My favourite work by Rony Zakaria: 

Just one thing I might have changed on our little adventure: next time - look after your macarons. This €10 mush is definitely not as pretty as the pastel coloured shiny topped rounds which Mum might have hoped to bring home. Perhaps the box would have been a good investment after all...! I'll bet it still tastes as good though :)

À Bientôt !

x