“A child, offering its sweet smile, its gentle good faith… lets wander astonished and delighted eyes, everywhere offering its young soul to life”
– Victor Hugo
The G & G Blog began as a fun way for Grandpa and his 8-year-old grand-daughter, Grace, to discover and celebrate Paris together. There was no school on Wednesdays in France at the time and so dad suggested he bolster Grace’s cultural education by taking her out on a different cultural adventure on Wednesdays. A visit to Victor Hugo’s house, a “find that famous tombstone” meander through Père Lachaise cemetary, a discovery of the world reknowned pipe organs of Paris …and an exploration of Paris’ literary cafés: les Deux Magots, le Select… to name a few.
After their outings, Grandpa and Grace would each write their separte impressions of what they visited that day. What a gift they gave to each other– the gift of time together in the world’s most interesting, beautiful city. We lost our beloved Grandpa in August 2023 but we have chosen to continue with our G & G blog – which now represents Geneviève and Grace. Please stay tuned.
Great Organs and Organists of Paris
Beautiful Music for Anytime of Year. The five keyboard organ at Saint-Sulpice G-pa's view Everybody knows Paris is a famous capital of art: the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, the Picasso Museum and scores of other...
Grandpa and Gracie (G & G Blog)
VOLTAIRE Grandpa’s Thoughts François-Marie Arouet (1794-1778) became Voltaire to the entire intelligentsia of 18th-centry Europe - kings, scientists, fellow philosophers and writers in many genres. A consummate gadfly of the powerful, he knew the Bastille from the...
Olympe de Gouges and George Sand
Grandpa's Views Many think that French feminism began in the 20th century with tart-tongued Simone de Beauvoir and Benoîte Groult. Not true. Forgetting the immense inherited power of Anglo-French Queen Eleonor of Aquitaine and the string-pulling of famous royal...
Grace and Grandpa’s Paris Visit 6: La Marquise de Sévigné
Grandpa’s Thoughts MADAME DE SÉVIGNÉ When her stupid young husband got himself killed in a duel over another woman, she decided to spend her time being the most desired woman in France. And for her hapless daughter, the most meddlesome mother in France. When the poor...
Grace and Grandpa’s Paris Visit 5 – Descartes
Grandpa’s Thoughts Why do French debaters and writers exasperate you so much? Because they were stuffed full of philosophy (including techniques of arguing) in high school. The chief culprit was 17th-century polymath (fancy word for know-it-all) René Descartes, who...
Grace and Grandpa’s Paris Visit 4: Musee Rodin
Grandpa's Thoughts The Musée Rodin is a must for tourists of any age. The powerful, eloquent sculptures of Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) capture human emotion with both drama and subtlety. You will immediately recognize his The Thinker and The Kiss, but also perhaps the...
Grace and Grandpa’s Paris Visit 3: Père Lachaise Cemetery
Grandpa's Summary Cemeteries are not supposed to be fun, especially for those who sleep there. But the famous Père Lachaise cemetery is somewhere near the bottom of the top ten Paris places to visit. Higher than that if you are a history buff. But since you are likely...
Grace and Grandpa’s Paris Visit 2: Eugene Delacroix
Wednesday October 23, 2013 Grandpa’s Summary Gracie and Grandpa (with mom Geneviève tagging along) visited the home studio of Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863), famous heroic painter and sculptor. We saw scores of his paintings of all types and, sitting on a bench in the...
Grace and Grandpa’s Paris Visit 1: Balzac
Sept, 25, 2013 Grandpa’s view… Every Wednesday afternoon, 11-year-old Grace and her grandfather visit the haunts of a famous writer and/or artist. First day: Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850), father of the modern French novel, essayist, playwright and journalist. With an...