Day 11
It's hard to believe that we leave for home a week from today...we don't like to think about it.
We got a fairly early (for us) start this morning and rode the #38 bus up to Gare du Nord, transferred to the #26, and got off at the top of the Canal St. Martin. The canal was built in the early 19th century to bring fresh water down to Paris. You can take a 2-hour boat cruise up the canal, walk the length of it, or ride the bus or Metro to a point, stroll a bit of it, then move on, which is what we did. Actually, we strolled along the Bassin de la Villette, which is above the canal. We watched a boat go through one of the locks (there are 9 of them, which explains why it takes 2 hours to cruise through it. We walked up one side of the bassin, crossed over a bridge and walked down the other side. There were several rowers out. It looked like they might have been practicing for a race because it appeared there was a coach out there shouting directions to them.
We went into McDonalds for the first time today. When we walked in the door, an old gentleman took one look at us, pointed upwards, and said "toilettes." I wonder how he knew why we were there... We had to go up to the 3rd floor (2nd in France - still the same number of steps) to get there. We actually bought a frappe, which in France is more like a milkshake than a smoothie, but it was small and pretty good.
We got back on the #26 and got off at Place Gambetta, which I think is one of the prettiest traffic circles in Paris with a modern fountain in the center, lots of shops and cafes around it, and the Mairie for the 20th Arrondissement on one side. In Paris, the Hotel de Ville is the city hall for the City of Paris, but each of the 20 arrondissements (districts) also has its own city hall, which is called the mairie. We stopped at Cafe Gambetta for lunch and had really good caesar salads. These are not much like the caesar salads we are used to -- the French has sort of recreated them -- but they are very good with chicken, tomato, hard boiled egg, and slices of Parmesan cheese.
After lunch we walked over to Pere Lachaise Cemetery, which is named for the confessor of Louis XIV. It was built in the mid 1700s when the area was the hinder lands outside of Paris. In the early 19th century, the remains of several famous people were moved to the cemetery to make it more popular because Parisians thought it was too far out of the city. There is space for 70,000 burial places and people are still being buried there. Unfortunately, Kathy and I didn't have a map, so just wandered around without seeing any of the famous tombs. The cemetery is very crowded with interesting structures on the graves. Some look like little houses, some have stained glass, others have statues. Some of the statues reflect the person's sense of humor or other characteristic. The cemetery is built on the side of hill. We started at the top and kept walking downward toward the main entrance. We rode the #69 bus, getting off on Rue de Rivoli and walked up Rue St. Martin (our street) about five blocks to the apartment. One the way we stopped at Amorino for dessert and at the G20 super market for supplies.
We are having dinner at a little restaurant down on the corner. We walked by one time and what we saw people eating looked pretty good. Update: The restaurant, MG Road is very good. The food is French with Indian flavors. I had duck with a curry sauce and polenta. The sauce was quite spicy. Kathy had salmon with mashed potatoes - the salmon was cooked a little too rare for her. My duck was cooked medium and was perfect; however, the menu indicated "rare" so I asked to have it cooked a little more. For dessert we shared some Indian ice cream flavored with cardamon and drizzled with caramel. Our waitress was really cute and spoke excellent English. She's a student working on a masters degree in finance. She spent quite a lot of time taking to us. It was a very enjoyable dinner.
Paris
View from Montparnasse Tower (2013)
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Friday, May 15, 2015
Day 10
We got up at 6 this morning in order to meet our La Cuisine Paris tour group in front of the fountain at Place St. Michel by 9:00. We rode the bus over -- admittedly a short trip, but I like to save my energy for when I get to my destination -- and met the group with no problems. There were just nine of us plus the tour guide and another who took some pictures and helped us stay together. Our destination was Versailles, more specifically Le Potager du Roi (The King's Garden). We each received a tote bag with a book and map of Versailles, a bottle of water, and tickets for the palace and the return trip to Paris. Using the tickets, the guide gave us, we all got on the RER C train, which took about a half hour to reach Versailles.
In Paris, the train runs along the Seine when it is above ground, and it doesn't take long for it to get out to the suburbs where we saw single family detached houses with gardens as well as modern high rise apartment blocks. Since modern high rise buildings are banned in central Paris, there are a lot of them in the suburbs.
We arrived in Versailles, which is the end of the line, and while most everyone on the train left the station and turned right towards the palace, we turned to the left and walked quite a distance before reaching Le Potager du Roi, which is actually on the south flank of the palace grounds.
The garden was started by Louis XIV (the Sun King who developed Versailles and moved the royal court there from Paris) in the 1600s to grow fruits and vegetables for his court. In France at that time, most people just ate meat (game) and bread, there was little interest in vegetables. However, Louis was interested in new and modern concepts, so hired a fellow to design his garden. It was built in a swamp, and the "french drain" was developed to drain the water from the land. The land was excavated about 10 feet below grade, creating a micro climate where all sorts of fruits and vegetables can be grown all year around. The garden is 23 acres and is still cultivated. About 50 tons of fruits and vegetables are harvested each year and sold through the gift shop. This is also the National School of Horticulture where they admit 12 students each year for a 4-year program. There are 12 full time gardeners (30 back in Louis' day).
We wandered around the garden and Amber, our very knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide, explained what was growing. Most of the fruit trees are espaliered in various shapes to allow better sun exposure for the fruit. None of the trees from Louis XIV time are still there; the oldest trees are quince about 150 years old. This is an experimental garden and the variety of plants spans the ages, both heritage and modern varieties. There is a "Royal Gate" that Louis would use to visit the garden. It is the only original gate on the palace grounds that survived the revolution - the other gates were melted down to make musket balls.
Leaving the garden, we walked to the other side of the palace to the Versailles market, which is four covered market buildings that open each day except Mondays. Three days a week there is an open market in the quad formed by the four buildings. Amber bought the ingredients for the cheese plate for our lunch, then we walked over to the restaurant where we had a four-course lunch with wine. The starter was a tomato and fresh mozzarella salad. For the main course, we had a choice of either fish (cod, I think) or beef (rumsteak). The fish was served with two different purees and the beef was served with potatoes somewhat like hash browns only better. We had five different cheeses, all tasty, and a small tart of nuts for dessert. It was a very good lunch and we enjoyed visiting with the other people on the tour.
Most people who go to Versailles probably think the palace is all that is there - I know that is what I thought - but Versailles is actually a good size city, very pretty and clean with lots of interesting buildings and shops. Despite getting very tired from the all the walking, I really did enjoy seeing some of the town.
The tour ended after lunch, but included a "Passport" ticket to the palace as well as a return train ticket back to Paris. We learned that the ticket for the palace is good for 2-years and the train ticket wasn't dated, so Kathy and I opted to not go there today. We could see that there were hoards of people up near the palace and being tired, it just didn't make sense, so we went back to Paris on the train - for free. For some reason, we were told we didn't need to use our train ticket. Must be because of the holiday weekend. We think we may try to go back to Versailles on Wednesday. We got back to the apartment about 4:30 and Kathy (the self-proclaimed Laundry Queen) did a few loads of laundry (bless her heart). We had Picard again for dinner.
We got up at 6 this morning in order to meet our La Cuisine Paris tour group in front of the fountain at Place St. Michel by 9:00. We rode the bus over -- admittedly a short trip, but I like to save my energy for when I get to my destination -- and met the group with no problems. There were just nine of us plus the tour guide and another who took some pictures and helped us stay together. Our destination was Versailles, more specifically Le Potager du Roi (The King's Garden). We each received a tote bag with a book and map of Versailles, a bottle of water, and tickets for the palace and the return trip to Paris. Using the tickets, the guide gave us, we all got on the RER C train, which took about a half hour to reach Versailles.
In Paris, the train runs along the Seine when it is above ground, and it doesn't take long for it to get out to the suburbs where we saw single family detached houses with gardens as well as modern high rise apartment blocks. Since modern high rise buildings are banned in central Paris, there are a lot of them in the suburbs.
We arrived in Versailles, which is the end of the line, and while most everyone on the train left the station and turned right towards the palace, we turned to the left and walked quite a distance before reaching Le Potager du Roi, which is actually on the south flank of the palace grounds.
The garden was started by Louis XIV (the Sun King who developed Versailles and moved the royal court there from Paris) in the 1600s to grow fruits and vegetables for his court. In France at that time, most people just ate meat (game) and bread, there was little interest in vegetables. However, Louis was interested in new and modern concepts, so hired a fellow to design his garden. It was built in a swamp, and the "french drain" was developed to drain the water from the land. The land was excavated about 10 feet below grade, creating a micro climate where all sorts of fruits and vegetables can be grown all year around. The garden is 23 acres and is still cultivated. About 50 tons of fruits and vegetables are harvested each year and sold through the gift shop. This is also the National School of Horticulture where they admit 12 students each year for a 4-year program. There are 12 full time gardeners (30 back in Louis' day).
We wandered around the garden and Amber, our very knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide, explained what was growing. Most of the fruit trees are espaliered in various shapes to allow better sun exposure for the fruit. None of the trees from Louis XIV time are still there; the oldest trees are quince about 150 years old. This is an experimental garden and the variety of plants spans the ages, both heritage and modern varieties. There is a "Royal Gate" that Louis would use to visit the garden. It is the only original gate on the palace grounds that survived the revolution - the other gates were melted down to make musket balls.
Leaving the garden, we walked to the other side of the palace to the Versailles market, which is four covered market buildings that open each day except Mondays. Three days a week there is an open market in the quad formed by the four buildings. Amber bought the ingredients for the cheese plate for our lunch, then we walked over to the restaurant where we had a four-course lunch with wine. The starter was a tomato and fresh mozzarella salad. For the main course, we had a choice of either fish (cod, I think) or beef (rumsteak). The fish was served with two different purees and the beef was served with potatoes somewhat like hash browns only better. We had five different cheeses, all tasty, and a small tart of nuts for dessert. It was a very good lunch and we enjoyed visiting with the other people on the tour.
Most people who go to Versailles probably think the palace is all that is there - I know that is what I thought - but Versailles is actually a good size city, very pretty and clean with lots of interesting buildings and shops. Despite getting very tired from the all the walking, I really did enjoy seeing some of the town.
The tour ended after lunch, but included a "Passport" ticket to the palace as well as a return train ticket back to Paris. We learned that the ticket for the palace is good for 2-years and the train ticket wasn't dated, so Kathy and I opted to not go there today. We could see that there were hoards of people up near the palace and being tired, it just didn't make sense, so we went back to Paris on the train - for free. For some reason, we were told we didn't need to use our train ticket. Must be because of the holiday weekend. We think we may try to go back to Versailles on Wednesday. We got back to the apartment about 4:30 and Kathy (the self-proclaimed Laundry Queen) did a few loads of laundry (bless her heart). We had Picard again for dinner.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Day 9
Another lazy morning. It was nearly 11 before we left the apartment.
There was a good chance of rain today, so we decided to stay close to home. We walked over to Les Halles and St. Eustache Church. As mentioned in an earlier post, Les Halles was the "Belly of Paris" - the wholesale food market -- until the late 1960s. It has been undergoing renovation for several years and it appears that they have gotten a lot done since I was here in 2013. There is a modern and not very attractive apartment block (probably "affordable" housing, which is at a premium in Paris), and part of the park (Park de Nelson Mandela) is completed, but they are still working on the above ground portion of the shopping mall and Metro/RER station (the largest in Paris). St. Eustache Church is the second largest in Paris after Notre Dame and has one of the largest pipe organs in Europe.
We walked past Au Pied de Cochon, a restaurant that has been around for decades. It is famous for its onion soup (they do not call it "French Onion Soup" in France except on menus that provide an English translation) and the workers from Les Halles used to go there in the early morning to have it. "Pied de cochon" means pig's feet, and pig's trotters is another of their specialities. Just beyond Au Pied de Cochon is E.Dehillerin, which is where Julia Child would go to buy her cooking pots and utensils. Unfortunately, it was closed today. We had wondered why so many shops were closed even though the signs indicated they are open Monday through Saturday, then realized it was Ascension Day, which is a public holiday in France.
Going back to the church, we saw that there was a small market today, so we walked through it and over to Rue Montorgueil, a market street. Most of the shops here were open and we stopped into a few of them. We had lunch at a small Italian place and enjoyed some very different, but good pizza with a glass of pinot grigio. My pizza was the carbonara with cheese, ham, and basil, topped with a sunny-side up egg.
After lunch we started back toward the apartment, noticing that it was getting cooler and windier. We stopped at the Monoprix to pick up a few items, and it wasn't too long after we got back to the apartment that it started to rain. I think we'll be content to stay in the apartment the rest of the afternoon. We have a busy day tomorrow, so need to rest up.
Another lazy morning. It was nearly 11 before we left the apartment.
There was a good chance of rain today, so we decided to stay close to home. We walked over to Les Halles and St. Eustache Church. As mentioned in an earlier post, Les Halles was the "Belly of Paris" - the wholesale food market -- until the late 1960s. It has been undergoing renovation for several years and it appears that they have gotten a lot done since I was here in 2013. There is a modern and not very attractive apartment block (probably "affordable" housing, which is at a premium in Paris), and part of the park (Park de Nelson Mandela) is completed, but they are still working on the above ground portion of the shopping mall and Metro/RER station (the largest in Paris). St. Eustache Church is the second largest in Paris after Notre Dame and has one of the largest pipe organs in Europe.
We walked past Au Pied de Cochon, a restaurant that has been around for decades. It is famous for its onion soup (they do not call it "French Onion Soup" in France except on menus that provide an English translation) and the workers from Les Halles used to go there in the early morning to have it. "Pied de cochon" means pig's feet, and pig's trotters is another of their specialities. Just beyond Au Pied de Cochon is E.Dehillerin, which is where Julia Child would go to buy her cooking pots and utensils. Unfortunately, it was closed today. We had wondered why so many shops were closed even though the signs indicated they are open Monday through Saturday, then realized it was Ascension Day, which is a public holiday in France.
Going back to the church, we saw that there was a small market today, so we walked through it and over to Rue Montorgueil, a market street. Most of the shops here were open and we stopped into a few of them. We had lunch at a small Italian place and enjoyed some very different, but good pizza with a glass of pinot grigio. My pizza was the carbonara with cheese, ham, and basil, topped with a sunny-side up egg.
After lunch we started back toward the apartment, noticing that it was getting cooler and windier. We stopped at the Monoprix to pick up a few items, and it wasn't too long after we got back to the apartment that it started to rain. I think we'll be content to stay in the apartment the rest of the afternoon. We have a busy day tomorrow, so need to rest up.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Day 8
We enjoyed a lazy morning and didn't actually leave the apartment until about 10:30. We decided to explore the market street Rue Mouffetard in the 5th Arrondissiment. We took the #47 bus and got off at Place Monge where they were having an outdoor market. We browsed the market for quite a while, making a few non-food purchases. It is much smaller than the one at Bastille on Sundays, but also a lot less crowded. We had some fun interchanges with a few of the vendors.
It was about noon when we walked up the hill to Rue Mouffetard, which is arguably the best market street in Paris. While we weren't quite ready for lunch, we were ready for a sit down and refreshment, so we stopped at a cafe. I had a "grand noisette" - espresso with milk - and Kathy ordered a bottle of water. We were at the high point of Rue Mouffetard, with the street dropping down hill both directions from where we were. We needed to make a decision on which way to go as this part of the street had several cafes, but not a lot of shops. We decided go down to our left from the cafe, heading back toward the river, and unfortunately missed all the good parts of the market street. Oh, well, the very nice market street Rue Montergueil is just a couple of blocks from the apartment.
We walked through a very quiet neighborhood with no tourists and very little traffic. We dropped down to Place Maubert where I had met up with the cooking class with La Cuisine Paris in 2013. We walked down Rue Lagrange and had lunch at Bistro Lagrange. I had eaten there before and had the best croque monsieur ever there -- it was made with rustic bread and had pesto as well as the ham and cheese. In fact, I've been making them this way at home. Well, they must be under new ownership because the croque monsieur was made with just plain white bread and no pesto. But, with "une biere" to wash it down, it was a good lunch.
When we got down to the river, we crossed over and browsed a few of the bouquanistes - the green book stalls that have been a fixture along the Seine for generations. We crossed over to Ile de la Cite on the Pont l'Archeveche, which is still loaded down with "love locks." I thought the City was doing away with these, but it seems people continue to put them up as fast as the City can take them down. I noticed that several of the bouquanistes were selling padlocks. The weight of the locks has caused the bridge railings to fall into the river and some panels have been replaced with glass or plexiglass, but people still manage to attach locks. This is some misguided declaration of love, but is basically vandalism. We didn't see anyone attaching locks, but there was a lot of interest in them.
We walked about two-thirds the length of Ile St. Louis and back, stopping at Amorino for dessert, and having a nice conversation with the young fellow working the counter. His English was excellent. He's a student who did an internship in New York. Having these sorts of conversations with locals really adds to the pleasure of the trip.
We walked along the north side of Notre Dame where there was still quite a long line of people waiting to climb the tower. The square in front of the cathedral was full of people and there was a huge tent where they were apparently having a "fete au pain" -- celebrating bread. I know that they have a contest every year to determine which boulangerie makes the best baguette, so perhaps that is what it was all about. (Found out later that indeed, this was where they hold the annual baguette competion.) We went through part of the Flower Market, then headed for the bus and home.
There are 20 steps up to our apartment - one flight of a circular stairway. It isn't too bad, but after a day of wandering around Paris, it's a lot of steps! We keep wondering how we're going to get our luggage down...
We finished off our roasted chicken, had some of the potatoes (the fellow said he was giving me two portions, but we got enough to feed six or seven people), fresh asparagus and cauliflower.
Weather today was very nice -- rain in tomorrow's forecast...
We enjoyed a lazy morning and didn't actually leave the apartment until about 10:30. We decided to explore the market street Rue Mouffetard in the 5th Arrondissiment. We took the #47 bus and got off at Place Monge where they were having an outdoor market. We browsed the market for quite a while, making a few non-food purchases. It is much smaller than the one at Bastille on Sundays, but also a lot less crowded. We had some fun interchanges with a few of the vendors.
It was about noon when we walked up the hill to Rue Mouffetard, which is arguably the best market street in Paris. While we weren't quite ready for lunch, we were ready for a sit down and refreshment, so we stopped at a cafe. I had a "grand noisette" - espresso with milk - and Kathy ordered a bottle of water. We were at the high point of Rue Mouffetard, with the street dropping down hill both directions from where we were. We needed to make a decision on which way to go as this part of the street had several cafes, but not a lot of shops. We decided go down to our left from the cafe, heading back toward the river, and unfortunately missed all the good parts of the market street. Oh, well, the very nice market street Rue Montergueil is just a couple of blocks from the apartment.
We walked through a very quiet neighborhood with no tourists and very little traffic. We dropped down to Place Maubert where I had met up with the cooking class with La Cuisine Paris in 2013. We walked down Rue Lagrange and had lunch at Bistro Lagrange. I had eaten there before and had the best croque monsieur ever there -- it was made with rustic bread and had pesto as well as the ham and cheese. In fact, I've been making them this way at home. Well, they must be under new ownership because the croque monsieur was made with just plain white bread and no pesto. But, with "une biere" to wash it down, it was a good lunch.
When we got down to the river, we crossed over and browsed a few of the bouquanistes - the green book stalls that have been a fixture along the Seine for generations. We crossed over to Ile de la Cite on the Pont l'Archeveche, which is still loaded down with "love locks." I thought the City was doing away with these, but it seems people continue to put them up as fast as the City can take them down. I noticed that several of the bouquanistes were selling padlocks. The weight of the locks has caused the bridge railings to fall into the river and some panels have been replaced with glass or plexiglass, but people still manage to attach locks. This is some misguided declaration of love, but is basically vandalism. We didn't see anyone attaching locks, but there was a lot of interest in them.
We walked about two-thirds the length of Ile St. Louis and back, stopping at Amorino for dessert, and having a nice conversation with the young fellow working the counter. His English was excellent. He's a student who did an internship in New York. Having these sorts of conversations with locals really adds to the pleasure of the trip.
We walked along the north side of Notre Dame where there was still quite a long line of people waiting to climb the tower. The square in front of the cathedral was full of people and there was a huge tent where they were apparently having a "fete au pain" -- celebrating bread. I know that they have a contest every year to determine which boulangerie makes the best baguette, so perhaps that is what it was all about. (Found out later that indeed, this was where they hold the annual baguette competion.) We went through part of the Flower Market, then headed for the bus and home.
There are 20 steps up to our apartment - one flight of a circular stairway. It isn't too bad, but after a day of wandering around Paris, it's a lot of steps! We keep wondering how we're going to get our luggage down...
We finished off our roasted chicken, had some of the potatoes (the fellow said he was giving me two portions, but we got enough to feed six or seven people), fresh asparagus and cauliflower.
Weather today was very nice -- rain in tomorrow's forecast...
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Day 7
Today was Kathy's birthday, so she got to choose our activity for the day. She wanted to go over to La Madeline and Rue Honore to look in the shops. After breakfast we rode the bus almost to the end of the line at Gare de St. Lazare and walked down to La Madeline. Our first stop was Fouchon, a beautiful shop of wonderful food stuffs: jams, confits, chocolate, cookies, foie gras, coffees and teas. I bought some more foie gras and some chocolate. One of the shops I like, Hediard, is closed for renovation, so that was a disappointment.
I told Kathy I would buy her lunch today - anything she wanted. Well, she wanted a sandwich, so that's what she had for her birthday lunch. She's a cheap date! After lunch we walked along Rue Honore and across Place Vendome. The shops along here are high end, to say the least, and well over my budget -- hers, too. The only shop we went into was Longchamps, I might have bought a shopping tote there for 60 some euros, but after looking at it, I decided I could make one.
The Ritz Hotel at Place Vendome has been undergoing renovation for some years - it seems like everything here takes years to renovate, and unlike at home where they simply put up signs saying "Open while remodeling - pardon our dust," here they just close down. The Ritz and the city are also joining forces to renovate the column in the center of Place Vendome and it has a big box with a picture of the column around it.
We did see some women who were more fashionably dressed in this neighborhood.
From there we walked up to the Opera to catch the bus back to the apartment, stopping off at Brioche Doree for a little dessert and "les toilettes." It was about 2:30 when we got home, then I went off to the post office to get stamps and to mail a letter.
To celebrate both of our birthdays (mine was 2 weeks ago) I made reservations at Le Ciel de Paris, the restaurant on the 56th floor of the Montparnasse Tower. We took the bus and we needed most of the one and one-half hours we allowed to get there. We were hoping to have time to go up to the observation level, but it was 7:15 when we got there for our 7:30 reservation. We got a window table with a view of the Eiffel Tower, which was great, but the sun was right there, too, which made it somewhat uncomfortable, especially for Kathy because she was facing the window. There were no shades, but the windows are tinted -- and dirty, I might add.
We had a very nice, but expensive dinner -- it was our splurge. I had foie gras for my starter, buttery and good; roasted guinea fowl for my main course, tender and juicy with a medley of peas, fava beans, and pea pods with pasta and a sauce; and a chocolate "cake" with raspberry sorbet for dessert. The chocolate cake was actually mousse with a tiny layer of cake on the bottom, covered with ganache, and decorated with a curl of chocolate and a little floret of edible gold. It was really good - decadent, in fact. Kathy had a salad, veal loin, and creme brulee for dessert.
We were hoping to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle, but it was too light yet; however, we did get a nice sunset. I doubt that I would go there again -- it is a little like the Space Needle, a great place to go for the view, but you can get better and less expensive food elsewhere. One thing, though, the people who were eating at the even more expensive Jules Verne on the Eiffel Tower had a view of the Montparnasse Tower (considered by some to be the ugliest building in Paris) while we, on the other hand, had a view of the Eiffel Tower!
We took a taxi back to the apartment.
Today was Kathy's birthday, so she got to choose our activity for the day. She wanted to go over to La Madeline and Rue Honore to look in the shops. After breakfast we rode the bus almost to the end of the line at Gare de St. Lazare and walked down to La Madeline. Our first stop was Fouchon, a beautiful shop of wonderful food stuffs: jams, confits, chocolate, cookies, foie gras, coffees and teas. I bought some more foie gras and some chocolate. One of the shops I like, Hediard, is closed for renovation, so that was a disappointment.
I told Kathy I would buy her lunch today - anything she wanted. Well, she wanted a sandwich, so that's what she had for her birthday lunch. She's a cheap date! After lunch we walked along Rue Honore and across Place Vendome. The shops along here are high end, to say the least, and well over my budget -- hers, too. The only shop we went into was Longchamps, I might have bought a shopping tote there for 60 some euros, but after looking at it, I decided I could make one.
The Ritz Hotel at Place Vendome has been undergoing renovation for some years - it seems like everything here takes years to renovate, and unlike at home where they simply put up signs saying "Open while remodeling - pardon our dust," here they just close down. The Ritz and the city are also joining forces to renovate the column in the center of Place Vendome and it has a big box with a picture of the column around it.
We did see some women who were more fashionably dressed in this neighborhood.
From there we walked up to the Opera to catch the bus back to the apartment, stopping off at Brioche Doree for a little dessert and "les toilettes." It was about 2:30 when we got home, then I went off to the post office to get stamps and to mail a letter.
To celebrate both of our birthdays (mine was 2 weeks ago) I made reservations at Le Ciel de Paris, the restaurant on the 56th floor of the Montparnasse Tower. We took the bus and we needed most of the one and one-half hours we allowed to get there. We were hoping to have time to go up to the observation level, but it was 7:15 when we got there for our 7:30 reservation. We got a window table with a view of the Eiffel Tower, which was great, but the sun was right there, too, which made it somewhat uncomfortable, especially for Kathy because she was facing the window. There were no shades, but the windows are tinted -- and dirty, I might add.
We had a very nice, but expensive dinner -- it was our splurge. I had foie gras for my starter, buttery and good; roasted guinea fowl for my main course, tender and juicy with a medley of peas, fava beans, and pea pods with pasta and a sauce; and a chocolate "cake" with raspberry sorbet for dessert. The chocolate cake was actually mousse with a tiny layer of cake on the bottom, covered with ganache, and decorated with a curl of chocolate and a little floret of edible gold. It was really good - decadent, in fact. Kathy had a salad, veal loin, and creme brulee for dessert.
We were hoping to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle, but it was too light yet; however, we did get a nice sunset. I doubt that I would go there again -- it is a little like the Space Needle, a great place to go for the view, but you can get better and less expensive food elsewhere. One thing, though, the people who were eating at the even more expensive Jules Verne on the Eiffel Tower had a view of the Montparnasse Tower (considered by some to be the ugliest building in Paris) while we, on the other hand, had a view of the Eiffel Tower!
We took a taxi back to the apartment.
Monday, May 11, 2015
Day 6
I am so glad we are here as long as we are so we don't have cram everything into just a few days. We are taking everything very leisurely, doing just one thing each day, and it's working for us. Fortunately, we have both been to the big sights, so cafe sitting and people watching are high on our priority lists.
It was warm today! In the low 80s. We left the apartment around 9:30 to take the #38 bus to the Cluny Museum, officially the Musee National du Moyen Age (National Museum of the Middle Ages). We met a friend I connected with when I was in Paris in 2013. It was great having her along as she speaks and reads French, so could interpret the signage for us.
The Cluny is in a 15th century "hotel," one of only two this old in Paris (per Michelin Green Guide). It is on the Left Bank, near the Sorbonne. Excavations under the 15th century structure revealed Roman public baths from 200 AD. The collection consists of Medieval art, much of it religious. The highlight of the museum is the six Lady and the Unicorn tapestries. They are exquisite. Dating back to the 15th century (1400's), they were found in a castle where they suffered damage from water and rats, but the colors are still brilliant. Reds, blues, yellows, greens. The detail is amazing - flowers of every kind are scattered all over among rabbits, dogs, monkeys and other animals. They must have taken years to complete. These were on loan to a museum in Tokyo when I was here last, so this is the first time I've seen them. There was also a special exhibit of German religious statuary. We found the facial expressions on some of the figures to be interesting.
After touring the museum, we attended a concert that was held in a Roman section of the building which houses the heads of the Kings of Judah which were knocked off from the facade of Notre Dame during the French Revolution. The people thought they were the Kings of France. The concert was medieval song performed by four people, three men and one woman. They had excellent voices. One of the men played instruments similar to violins and violas, and the woman played a small harp. There were lengthy introductions to each song, which Kathy and I didn't understand, though I could pick out a few words. One song was in old English, a couple were in Latin, and the rest were in French. It was very interesting and enjoyable.
After the concert, the three of us went over to St. Germaine to have lunch at Le Comptoir du Relais. I had white asparagus with lemon vinaigrette for my starter (it is in season now and in all the markets) and lamb shank for my main course. It was really good. Kathy had a daube or stew - beef in a rich sauce. We all shared a carafe of rose wine.
It was after 4:00 when we got back to the apartment. We can get a good cross breeze going in the apartment, so it didn't take long to get the place cooled down. It doesn't get too hot because it doesn't get any direct sun. We rested for awhile, then went out to get some ice cream at Amorino across from the Pompidou Center, which has got to have some of the best people watching in Paris. After our large and late lunch, we considered the ice cream dinner.
A word about Paris fashion. Many people visiting Paris obsess about what to wear and how to fit in so they don't look like a tourist. Well, I'm here to tell you that there is no reason to worry. Teenagers, especially, dress just like they do in the US: Have you got ripped jeans? You'll fit in. Cropped tops? Yep. Short skirts, short-shorts, t-shirts. It seems like anything goes. For adults, there's no need to buy a special wardrobe to visit Paris. Of course dark colors are the norm here, and everyone throws a scarf around their neck, but tourists are easily identified no matter what they wear. To find people wearing high fashion, you have to go to the more exclusive areas. Women who work in "les grands magasins" or those who work in the fashion industry tend to be more fashionable, but everyone else looks pretty normal. No need to be intimidated by an idea of Paris than no longer exists, if it ever did.
I am so glad we are here as long as we are so we don't have cram everything into just a few days. We are taking everything very leisurely, doing just one thing each day, and it's working for us. Fortunately, we have both been to the big sights, so cafe sitting and people watching are high on our priority lists.
It was warm today! In the low 80s. We left the apartment around 9:30 to take the #38 bus to the Cluny Museum, officially the Musee National du Moyen Age (National Museum of the Middle Ages). We met a friend I connected with when I was in Paris in 2013. It was great having her along as she speaks and reads French, so could interpret the signage for us.
The Cluny is in a 15th century "hotel," one of only two this old in Paris (per Michelin Green Guide). It is on the Left Bank, near the Sorbonne. Excavations under the 15th century structure revealed Roman public baths from 200 AD. The collection consists of Medieval art, much of it religious. The highlight of the museum is the six Lady and the Unicorn tapestries. They are exquisite. Dating back to the 15th century (1400's), they were found in a castle where they suffered damage from water and rats, but the colors are still brilliant. Reds, blues, yellows, greens. The detail is amazing - flowers of every kind are scattered all over among rabbits, dogs, monkeys and other animals. They must have taken years to complete. These were on loan to a museum in Tokyo when I was here last, so this is the first time I've seen them. There was also a special exhibit of German religious statuary. We found the facial expressions on some of the figures to be interesting.
After touring the museum, we attended a concert that was held in a Roman section of the building which houses the heads of the Kings of Judah which were knocked off from the facade of Notre Dame during the French Revolution. The people thought they were the Kings of France. The concert was medieval song performed by four people, three men and one woman. They had excellent voices. One of the men played instruments similar to violins and violas, and the woman played a small harp. There were lengthy introductions to each song, which Kathy and I didn't understand, though I could pick out a few words. One song was in old English, a couple were in Latin, and the rest were in French. It was very interesting and enjoyable.
After the concert, the three of us went over to St. Germaine to have lunch at Le Comptoir du Relais. I had white asparagus with lemon vinaigrette for my starter (it is in season now and in all the markets) and lamb shank for my main course. It was really good. Kathy had a daube or stew - beef in a rich sauce. We all shared a carafe of rose wine.
It was after 4:00 when we got back to the apartment. We can get a good cross breeze going in the apartment, so it didn't take long to get the place cooled down. It doesn't get too hot because it doesn't get any direct sun. We rested for awhile, then went out to get some ice cream at Amorino across from the Pompidou Center, which has got to have some of the best people watching in Paris. After our large and late lunch, we considered the ice cream dinner.
A word about Paris fashion. Many people visiting Paris obsess about what to wear and how to fit in so they don't look like a tourist. Well, I'm here to tell you that there is no reason to worry. Teenagers, especially, dress just like they do in the US: Have you got ripped jeans? You'll fit in. Cropped tops? Yep. Short skirts, short-shorts, t-shirts. It seems like anything goes. For adults, there's no need to buy a special wardrobe to visit Paris. Of course dark colors are the norm here, and everyone throws a scarf around their neck, but tourists are easily identified no matter what they wear. To find people wearing high fashion, you have to go to the more exclusive areas. Women who work in "les grands magasins" or those who work in the fashion industry tend to be more fashionable, but everyone else looks pretty normal. No need to be intimidated by an idea of Paris than no longer exists, if it ever did.
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Day 5
Today was market day - there is a market some place in Paris everyday, but on Sunday it is the big market at Place de la Bastille on Blvd Richard Lenoir, and that was where we went.
I think we are finally over our jet lag. We both slept through the night, but got up fairly early. Since it was Sunday, we sat around in our night clothes for awhile. I learned that the local bakery is closed on Sunday, so bought bread for today last evening. It certainly isn't as good as fresh, however.
We took the #29 bus over to la Bastille and got off right across the street from the market. I don't know how many vendors there are, but the market stretches at least 2 blocks up the boulevard and there are four rows of vendors for most of the length, with 6 rows in a couple of areas. In addition to many stalls of flowers, vegetables, meats, sausages, cheeses, fish, olives, nuts, bread, etc., there are stalls selling jewelry, clothing, shoes, table linens, soaps, perfumes, wines, kitchen and household items, etc. To say it is crowded is an understatement. This is where many Parisians do their weekly shopping and many of them pull trolleys to put their purchases in. This is also where people meet up with their friends and neighbors, so getting through the crowd can be somewhat of a challenge. You also have to watch where you are going because the pavement is uneven and there are holes you can easily step into.
This is not a "farmer's market" like we are used to. Rather, the produce comes from the huge wholesale market (perhaps one of the largest markets in the world) in Rungis outside of Paris, which also supplies the supermarkets. Until the 1960's the wholesale market was at Les Halles, not far from this apartment. But, all of the produce is colorful and very fresh - much better looking than produce in the supermarkets, which is often packaged in cellophane. Some vendors allow shoppers to pick out their own fruits and vegetables, but many retain that privilege for themselves and many are experts at picking out the melon or peach that will be perfectly ready to eat either that day or the next.
Many of the vendors are vocal in hawking their wares, but they all seem to have a good sense of humor and enjoy their work. We bought a small roasted chicken and paid with a 50 euro note (I apologized that this was the smallest I had) and the vendor teased that he would take the whole amount in payment. A polite "bonjour" from the buyer is about all it takes to get a polite and friendly response from the seller.
We bought olives and tapenade, chevre (goat cheese), strawberries (the little sweet ones), apricots, clementines, a beautiful head of cauliflower for 1.50 euros, some asparagus, and some "pomme de terre" cooked in the drippings from the rotisserie chickens. Can't wait for dinner.
After we had gone around the market about 1 1/2 times, we stopped at a small cafe for some lunch. I ordered what I called the "French cliche": escargo and onion soup. I got 6 escargo and had a hard time getting them out of their shells, but finally got all of them out after they cooled a bit. I wouldn't bother except for the butter, garlic and parsley they are cooked in. The soup was really good, too, but hot. Kathy had a salad with ham, feta, and potatoes served in a large crockery bowl that she said was really good. After lunch, we finished our second circuit of the market.
When we got back to the bus stop, there wasn't a time indication for the #29, which made me think that perhaps the route had been changed and we would be waiting in vain. They close many streets in the Marais on Sundays for bicyclists, so I figured that the bus had been rerouted. There is a Metro stop right there, so we decided to take the Line 1 and change to Line 11. Admittedly, a short trip, but our purchases were heavy, and it involved a lot of walking to get to the right platforms -- we probably walked almost as far as we would have if we had simply walked back to the apartment. We were able to recharge our Navigo Decouverte passes, so now we are all set for next week.
Chilling out for the rest of the day and doing some laundry.
Today was market day - there is a market some place in Paris everyday, but on Sunday it is the big market at Place de la Bastille on Blvd Richard Lenoir, and that was where we went.
I think we are finally over our jet lag. We both slept through the night, but got up fairly early. Since it was Sunday, we sat around in our night clothes for awhile. I learned that the local bakery is closed on Sunday, so bought bread for today last evening. It certainly isn't as good as fresh, however.
We took the #29 bus over to la Bastille and got off right across the street from the market. I don't know how many vendors there are, but the market stretches at least 2 blocks up the boulevard and there are four rows of vendors for most of the length, with 6 rows in a couple of areas. In addition to many stalls of flowers, vegetables, meats, sausages, cheeses, fish, olives, nuts, bread, etc., there are stalls selling jewelry, clothing, shoes, table linens, soaps, perfumes, wines, kitchen and household items, etc. To say it is crowded is an understatement. This is where many Parisians do their weekly shopping and many of them pull trolleys to put their purchases in. This is also where people meet up with their friends and neighbors, so getting through the crowd can be somewhat of a challenge. You also have to watch where you are going because the pavement is uneven and there are holes you can easily step into.
This is not a "farmer's market" like we are used to. Rather, the produce comes from the huge wholesale market (perhaps one of the largest markets in the world) in Rungis outside of Paris, which also supplies the supermarkets. Until the 1960's the wholesale market was at Les Halles, not far from this apartment. But, all of the produce is colorful and very fresh - much better looking than produce in the supermarkets, which is often packaged in cellophane. Some vendors allow shoppers to pick out their own fruits and vegetables, but many retain that privilege for themselves and many are experts at picking out the melon or peach that will be perfectly ready to eat either that day or the next.
Many of the vendors are vocal in hawking their wares, but they all seem to have a good sense of humor and enjoy their work. We bought a small roasted chicken and paid with a 50 euro note (I apologized that this was the smallest I had) and the vendor teased that he would take the whole amount in payment. A polite "bonjour" from the buyer is about all it takes to get a polite and friendly response from the seller.
We bought olives and tapenade, chevre (goat cheese), strawberries (the little sweet ones), apricots, clementines, a beautiful head of cauliflower for 1.50 euros, some asparagus, and some "pomme de terre" cooked in the drippings from the rotisserie chickens. Can't wait for dinner.
After we had gone around the market about 1 1/2 times, we stopped at a small cafe for some lunch. I ordered what I called the "French cliche": escargo and onion soup. I got 6 escargo and had a hard time getting them out of their shells, but finally got all of them out after they cooled a bit. I wouldn't bother except for the butter, garlic and parsley they are cooked in. The soup was really good, too, but hot. Kathy had a salad with ham, feta, and potatoes served in a large crockery bowl that she said was really good. After lunch, we finished our second circuit of the market.
When we got back to the bus stop, there wasn't a time indication for the #29, which made me think that perhaps the route had been changed and we would be waiting in vain. They close many streets in the Marais on Sundays for bicyclists, so I figured that the bus had been rerouted. There is a Metro stop right there, so we decided to take the Line 1 and change to Line 11. Admittedly, a short trip, but our purchases were heavy, and it involved a lot of walking to get to the right platforms -- we probably walked almost as far as we would have if we had simply walked back to the apartment. We were able to recharge our Navigo Decouverte passes, so now we are all set for next week.
Chilling out for the rest of the day and doing some laundry.
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