Wallace & Gromit at the Musée de l'Orangerie

Since we spent all Saturday at home cleaning, working and doing home works (as usual, outside it was pouring rain), on Sunday we took advantage of a brief clearing in the sky to visit Les Jardins des Tuileries. 

It was here where everything started, in 2003. We were here in Paris, for a conference. We had lunch with a colleague of Giuseppe from USC (at that time Giuseppe was still working at Eurecom, near Nice while I was working in Torino). She suggested him to consider to move to California, both of us. After lunch we came here, to talk and consider the offer. It was spring, there were hundreds of people walking in this beautiful garden, we were talking excitedly about our future when all of a sudden Giuseppe asked me to marry him. Wow! That was a surprise. We never talked seriously about getting married (despite having a 2 years old baby back at home...). I wanted to test him, so I told him that, if he was serious, he had to get down to his knees, right there, and "propose" in the old fashion way. He did! Right on the spot, in front of all the people passing by...he did. Well, of course you know the answer, otherwise I wouldn't be posting on this blog. Yesterday every little detail of that day came back (not that I really had forgotten it..) and it was like it just happened. 

Josh also had his share of good time playing on the jumpers. 

By the time we walked the entire length of the garden, it started to rain again so we decided to visit le Musée de l'Orangerie: sensational! The two oval rooms with the famous "Les Nymphéas" are absolutely stunning. We've been to Monet's house in Giverny, we saw the gardens, the pond and the bridge, but still there is no match.  

We finished the visit by looking at the exhibition "Debussy, la musique et les arts", which was very well done apart from the ....silence. It wouldn't harm a bit of  Préludes or La Mer, as a background. 

Finally, we saw this painting, by Paul Cezanne (this is his wife). 

Giuseppe's first comment was: "You really need to hate your wife to depict her like this!". 

Josh's comment was: "She looks like Lady Tottington, in the movie Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit". 

If you don't remember her, here is a hint to refresh your memory: 

I guess they are both right!