Then, a voice comes over the intercom announcing that the museum will close at 14h (2pm) due to raisons officielles, although in English they said "special event." It was 12:30pm. As I said to Carol, even if we get in at 1:00 it's still worth it to see the museum, which is itself a historic monument. The old Orsay train station, with its gorgeous original clock, was built in 1900 for the World Fair.
 |
| 1900, Exposition universelle au bord de la Seine |
And today under a gorgeous glass roof....
...the Musée d'Orsay houses art from the latter part of the 19th century through WWI.
As we slowly move up in line while people are being turned away behind us, we hear that Trump is in town and that he and Melania are coming to the Musée d'Orsay, thus the reason it is to close. And when we leave as the museum closes an hour later, we see national security outside with vans and guns, waiting to sweep the museum before the president enters. Carol says what he would appreciate of the museum and I wonder where can one find old tomatoes for sale in the city center.
We were staying in the 8th arrondissement by the Madeleine in the center of the city. With police and closed roads here and there, a major stage set up under the Arc de Triomphe, and flags up the Champs Elysées where we had lunch, it made even more sense when we learned that in fact 72 of the world's leaders were having dinner at the Musée d'Orsay that evening. Those were pretty official reasons for cutting our museum visit short! It was kind of cool, in the end, that the trip I'd planned for my friend's 40th fell on the same weekend as the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the WWI armistice. (That part was not planned!)
And if many were delighted to see a reprint of the Le Figaro from 100 years ago declaring that Germany had surrendered in that morning's edition, we can only imagine the joy and relief of readers back then....
The next day, as we waited in a rainy line once again for the Louvre, three jet planes flew overhead with puffy, faded trails of the French tricolore, bleu, blanc, and rouge. I read that Macron urged world leaders gathered at the Arc de Triomphe to cast off nationalism. Admirable. Later, a young French man would tell me that he doesn't much like Macron. I ask why and he says, taxes. I asked, mais c'est votre système, non? He nodded, wobbling his head. Macron's speech is worth quoting in part as the French president asked how the photos taken that morning would be remembered in the future: "A symbol of lasting peace? Or the last moment of unity before the world falls into disorder? That depends on us."
To the ears that needed to hear it most, and which are perhaps the most deaf of all, Macron said: "Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism. Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism. In saying ‘our interests first, whatever happens to the others,’ you erase the most precious thing a nation can have, that which makes it live, that which causes it to be great and that which is most important: its moral values."
 |
| Screw tomatoes! These women were much more resourceful. |
LET'S!
 |
And on a special note, when we'd fly home last monday, a 93-year-old WWII veteran who was invited by the president to the ceremony played the harmonica over the intercom in his pins and leather jacket, dedicating his rendition of the national anthem to pilots, crew, and passengers. It was very touching.
And when a young woman thanked him for his service as we boarded, I overheard him respond: "Thank you for yours!"
