Archive | March, 2008

Day 9 – France Mods Do Paris!

By on March 16, 2008 in France, Paris

A day that starts with meeting Kathy for coffee to discuss all the things in person that we normally can only talk about via email is a good day! The sun even came out so we could sit outside in the cafe I would consider “mine” if only the one across Place Maubert didn’t make better coffee.

After Kathy left to join her family, I spent the rest of the day dithering about the slowtrav get together scheduled for evening at our apartment. All my fretting was for nothing, because it turned out great (except for the tempermental gate locks downstairs that trapped several people as they tried to come and go and required a phone call for us to buzz the gates open again). I was so happy to meet all these people who are such a pleasure to have as regulars on the Slowtrav France forum.

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Day 8: Raining Gold Rings

By on March 15, 2008 in France, Paris

Friday was a full day, with two things planned and a few unplanned extras.

First, I got my metro stops on the way to the Rodin Museum confused, so when we accidentally got off at Le Vaneau I got to visit Le Grand Epicerie, which must be the most spectacular grocery store in the universe. I could have spent days there, just browsing.

The Rodin Museum has always been one of our favorites. I love the sculptures in the beautiful garden more than those in the house. It was a little disappointing that all the Camille Claudel work was away in a special exhibit in Spain, but it’s not as if we hadn’t seen it before.

Our next planned stop was the W.H. Smith bookstore on Rue de Rivoli, since Frank as usual blasted through all the books he brought with him and needed more. I like to shop there because I always find British authors I like with new books published long before they’ll be available in the U.S.

The surprise was just how many times we were targeted as we walked from the Rodin to Rue de Rivoli by the scam artists who pretend to find a gold ring on the sidewalk and then sell it to you “cheap.” We were approached three separate times, and I warned off two grandmotherly ladies who were falling for it.

We had a great lunch at a brasserie full of lunching business people off Rue de Rivoli, then spent way too much money on books.

The final big surprise of the day came as we were walking along the bookiniste stalls near our apartment when we looked up and saw Kathy, Charley, and Kelly (Kathy is my fellow French forum moderator on the Slowtrav message board) walking toward us. I knew they were arriving in Paris Friday, but it was still great fun to just run into them like that!

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Day 7: walking and looking

By on March 14, 2008 in France, Paris

My favorite thing to do in Paris is just walk and look. I never seem to get enough.

Yesterday, we managed to spend most of the day exploring Ile Saint Louis. Obviously, we went slowly, because someone on a tight schedule could probably check it off their list in an hour or less.

We walked around the outside of the island, then Frank patiently waited while I window shopped and took an outrageous number of pictures of the window displays (since narrowed down to a number I could upload to Flicker with my slow dialup connection). I did buy some latte bowls with a red stencil on a cream background, to replace the matching one at home that we chipped recently. The others made it home several years ago wrapped in clothing in my luggage, so these will too.

We had lunch at a sweet little homey restaurant called Auberge de la Reine Blanche. Frank continued his vegetarian streak with another plate of vegetables with mushroom ravioli in a sinfully rich cream sauce for starters, and I had coq au vin following a salad with chevre chaud. It was all simple, but delicious. It’s an easy 10-minute walk from here so I’m sure we’ll go back at least once.

I wish I could have taken this photo of a woman on her motorcycle taxi and her passenger from the front. Both looked incredibly chic and maybe a little bored. Note the high heels on the driver’s boots. Besides looking good, they’re giving her enough leg length to handle the big bike. As a short person who used to ride big bikes, that’s a detail I really appreciate!

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Windowshopping on Ile St. Louis

By on March 13, 2008 in France, Paris

Just for fun…

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

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Day 6 – Ups and Downs

By on March 13, 2008 in France, Paris

Our apartment’s location on the fifth floor gives us great views and keeps the traffic noise down, but it’s easier to appreciate all that when the elevator is working!

Yesterday morning when we set out, we found the electricity off in the hallway and the elevator dead, so we had to creep down an old stone circular staircase in almost total darkness, just a little light leaking under the doorway at each floor. Since then it’s been off and on sporadically, on the last time we checked. This morning they’ve started some sort of major renovation of the ground floor entryway and piled bags and bags of rubbish in front of the doorway to the stairwell, so I’m really hoping the elevator continues to work. I don’t want to have climb over that rubbish, THEN climb five flights of stairs in the dark!

The weather remains very changeable, with blue skies and sunshine one minute, then rain and wind minutes later. I’ve been watching the leaf buds on the trees fatten over the past week and I think spring is coming regardless.

Yesterday we spent a few hours at the Musée National du Moyen Age, or Cluny. Somehow we’ve walked past this for years, looking in at the ruins of the Roman baths you can see from the street, but never going inside. I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the exquisite Lady with the Unicorn tapestries.

We had a nice lunch at Brasserie Balzar. Neither of us felt like one of their big meaty main dishes so we ordered the vegetarian plate, which was wonderful — braised endive, white beans, pureed potatoes, green beans, carrots, and maybe a few more. Then we snacked at home for dinner. I’m saving the big dinners out until the cold is gone and my taste buds are functioning again.

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Day 5 — Random thoughts about French food

By on March 12, 2008 in Food, France, Paris

Since I spent most of yesterday alternately napping and reading Julia Child’s My Life in France (it’s a wonderful book, by the way), I’ve been thinking about French food.

I really don’t know very much at all about the kind of formal French cuisine she talks about, but I love simple French food, the cheese, the bread, the wonderful fruit and vegetables at the markets. Oh, and the chocolate and wine. The regular dark chocolate bars from the supermarket here are far better than anything but the most expensive premium chocolate at home.

As for the baguettes, real French baguettes are different than the ones I made and described here last fall. My baguettes are very good bread, but the crust and crumb are both heavier than an authentic Parisian baguette.

So far, we haven’t been out for a really good restaurant meal. The first few evenings, we ate casually at the neighborhood cafes, since I knew I’d fall asleep with my face in the food if I tried to stay awake through a long meal starting at the regular dinner hour. Then we had a lovely dinner at a friend’s house, and last night we had roast chicken and those yummy potatoes cooked under the rotisserie at home. Maybe tonight.

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Day 4 – Parade!

By on March 11, 2008 in France, Paris

I swore to myself I wouldn’t post any more photos taken from our apartment window for fear everyone would think “she went to Paris and never left the apartment,” but then yesterday morning, I heard the unmistakable clop clop clop of horses’ hooves and looked out to see a parade of well over 100 horses and riders passing by. Military, I assume, but I know nothing more about them or what the occasion was.

Once the rain stopped, I braved the strong cold winds and walked over to BHV and spent a few hours looking around, mostly on the third floor at the kitchen gear and dishes. There are lots of wonderful things to covet there, but no bargains. Prices are very high! It will be quite a bit cheaper to buy that Le Creuset skillet I want when I get home.

Later we bought our Carte Orange pass for the metro and buses, then inaugurated it going out to visit friends for dinner. A very nice evening!
This morning we walked to Place Maubert for coffee — I think we’re settling on “our” café, at least while the weather is cold. The other one looks like it will be more appealing if the sun ever shines, with outside seating overlooking a pretty fountain in a tiny garden, but the coffee isn’t as good. After coffee, I shopped for a rotisserie chicken and potatoes, vegetables from the market, bread, cheese and fruit. Now we’re home again. Maybe for all day, because I woke up this morning with a cold and really don’t feel like doing much except sleeping.

I feel a little guilty that I don’t have more adventures to report. I’m having a great time just getting to know my neighborhood and pretending to live here, but I’m afraid it doesn’t make for exciting stories. Should I make some up?

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Day 3 – Picasso Museum

By on March 10, 2008 in Art, France, Paris

Since it was a cold and rainy day yesterday, we decided by some strange logic to walk over to the Picasso Museum and spend the afternoon indoors. Of course by the time we got there we were wet and chilled and Frank’s sore foot was really bothering him.

We hadn’t been to this museum since our first trip to Paris in 1995. I remembered it as presenting his works in chronological order, but maybe because Frank asked for an elevator ride and we started from the top floor, I couldn’t detect any order this time.

I’m not at all articulate about art. I enjoy most of it, but I really love pieces that sort of reach inside me, grab something and twist. Yesterday Picasso’s sculptures were working that magic for me, especially the nanny goat made from found objects. I’ve always loved his bronzes of nanny goats, but this one was really amazing. I’d like to post a link to a photo of the sculpture here, but with my slow connection, I’m having a hard time finding one online.

Today it’s colder, raining harder, and the wind is blowing, so I’m having trouble working myself up to leave the apartment at all. Workmen are coming this afternoon to install a new oven, so that will probably force us out.

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Day 2

By on March 9, 2008 in France, Paris

I think this trip is going to be less about big adventures than about sweet moments.

We’ve just finished breakfast, bread from Kayser, fresh chevre from Laurent Dubois and fresh strawberries. Now I’m watching the rain out the window and listening to Toots Thieleman play Je ne regrette rien.

Maybe we’ll walk over to the Picasso Museum if the rain lets up.

They light up Notre Dame beautifully during the evening hours when the tour boats are passing by. The first night I almost hit the floor when the apartment was suddenly filled with bright light from the searchlights of one of those boats. I can see how someone who lived along the Seine could grow to hate them.

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Day 1

By on March 7, 2008 in France, Paris

Our trip was uneventful, long and exhausting, and I’m still too jetlagged and tired to be very coherent about how wonderful it is to be here.

This morning, the sun is shining on Notre Dame, it’s a quiet Saturday morning, and everyone is out walking their dog. It’s too bad we don’t have a dog, or better yet, maybe we could rent Julie Delpy’s cat for the duration.

Yesterday while we walked around the immediate neighborhood, finding a sim for Frank’s phone and recharging mine, and locating all the necessaries, like cheese shops and boulangeries, I had a silly grin on my face the whole day, no doubt confirming the French impression of Americans as a little simple-minded.

I think the thought of having these three weeks right here to spend as I wish pleases me more than a million-dollar lottery ticket would!

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