Salut, Adieu, Au Revoir

As my great Paris adventure is drawing to a close, I thought it might be helpful to offer a few tidbits of information for others heading across the pond.

Paris tidbits:
· always cross the street at crosswalks, but feel free to cross whenever you like, regardless of the color of the streetlight
· as a rule delivery vans do not block parking places in Paris because they park on the sidewalks and block pedestrian travel instead
· scooters are allowed to park anywhere they darn well please
· scooters are allowed to drive on the road, the sidewalk, or any place else [one followed me down the sidewalk with a child on the back the other day – she and her dad were window-shopping]
· watch/listen for scooters while walking on the sidewalks
· always look either up or down while riding the metro and do not smile
· always hurry within any metro station, whether or not the you hear a train coming
· plan all bathroom breaks before leaving your apartment or hotel – very few merchants have public facilities in their stores, and while the public toilettes are free, they are few and far between. See http://www.slowtrav.com/france/paris/rl_restrooms.htm for a complete list of where to “pipi” in Paris
· be aware that on many older streets the even numbers ascend on one side of the street while the odd numbers descend on the opposite side of the street. Do not assume because you are now at number 52 on your side, that number 53 is across the street
· also understand that the street number does not necessarily refer only to one particular doorway or shop; thus the number 88, for example, can refer to multiple doorways -- or none
· know that street numbers sometimes do not exist at all

Well, that’s about it. Time to pack and off to the airport early in the morning – “early” Paris time is 9:00 am.

À bientôt

Cooking School in Paris

Today was the day for Promenades Gourmandes cooking class with Chef Paule Caillat. Born in Paris, but college-educated in the United States, Chef Paule is truly bilingual. Some 20 years ago, after a sucessful career in the fashion design industry, she made the decision to give French cooking lessons to English-speakers in France. At the time she assumed these would be ex-pats now living in France. But to her surprise, a short time later, many tourists from all over the world began signing up for her class, and today she has one of the most successful cooking classes in Paris.
We began the morning at le Boucherie du Marais close by on rue Bretagne, where we chose duck breast steaks for our lunch today.

That's also where I first met Michael and his son Patrick from Australia. Apparently Michael is quite the gourmet cook and Patrick a cook in training per his Dad. Michael relayed to me that their highest priority in searching for an apartment in Paris for the week was a workable gourmet kitchen.

After carefully choosing our duck steaks, we were off to the flower market at Le Marche des Enfants Rouges -- the oldest market in Paris which I visited earlier in my trip. After choosing flowers for the table, and a variety of cheeses for a cheese-tasting later that morning, we were off to the produce store.

Chef Paule's favorite produce store on rue Bretagne where we picked out raspberries and strawberries to adorn the almond-creme tarte. By this time our mouths were watering just thinking about the menu.

After a busy morning of shopping, we finally arrived at Chef Paule's home where we began our preparations for our luncheon. Here Chef Paule and I are chopping vegetables for the Tajine de Legumes -- a Moroccan style dish with vegetables of the season and Moroccan spices.

TAJINE DE LEGUMES

The remainder of the menu included Petit Souffles Suisses with Bechamel sauce, Browned Duck Breasts with Sauce Bordelaise, and a Tarte aux Fraises Creme d’Armandes for dessert. Chef Paule's husband and a good friend of her's joined us for lunch and we all had a marvelous time talking about France, Australia, Tasmania, and the US.

TARTE AUX FRAISES CREME D'ARMANDES

JACQUES GENIN -- FONDEUR EN CHOCOLAT
When I was leaving Chef Paule's home today, she gave me the address of this Chocolatier, saying it was nearby and one of the best in Paris. So I wandered by on the way home, found that it was right around the corner from me (glad I did not know this sooner), and bought a bit of chocolate for a gift. I was also delighted to find out that they, too, offer the buyer a piece of chocolate to sample.

PAIN de SUCRE
Since Chef Paule also thought to impart her opinion on the very best pâtisserie in Paris, I felt it was my duty to drop by there as well and choose at least one tiny pastry to take home for my dinner. It was definitely difficult to choose, but a nice ending to my favorite "foodie" day in Paris.

Au Revoir

Street Fairs, Exhibits and the Neighborhood

On my way out this morning, I happened upon this street fair which took up about 3 blocks between my street and rue Bretagne. Called a "brocante" in French (literally bric-a-brac), it's much like a flea market with mostly second-hand goods, a few possible antiques, and much food and fanfare of course. Since I didn't feel there was anything I needed, I wound my way through the vendors and headed off to Mariage Frères tea salon again to buy some tea for home.



After a quick phone call to Berkeley Books, I hopped another metro over there to pick up the Hemmingway book I was looking for -- A Moveable Feast. They didn't have it last night because the gentleman who owns the store took home the old copy they had in the store to trade it for a newer copy he had at home. As promised, they saved it for me and I was happy to have a good read for the trip home. The book store is over on the left bank, not far from the Pont des Arts, a pedestrian bridge which crosses the River Seine. Along the sidewalks flanking this bridge are many stalls like the one seen above. While many are actually bookstalls, there are also the usual curios and trinkets assumedly well-loved by tourists everywhere.

Heard about the David LaChapelle exhibit in Paris before I left home. It began in March this year and will end on May 31st at the Palais de la Monnaie [the Money Museum], and since this was supposed to be the most complete exhibit of his works to date in France, I felt it was worth a look. LaChapelle is a photographer and video/film director who has won many awards for his work in the fields of fashion, advertising and photograpy, and is noted for his surreal, unique and often humorous style. There are over 200 of his works on exhibit at the Palais de Monnaie. Featured among them are celebrity portraits of Madonna, Elton John, Paris Hilton and Angelina Jolie to name a few, as well as some of his more famous works like Holy War. If you know anything of LaChapelle's work, you'll know that the picture above is probably the least provocative of any.

I began to run a video on his piece called Holy War but was told that no photos were allowed -- with or without flash.

After leaving the LaChapelle exhibit, I crossed over le Pont Neuf to find a nearby metro station. On the way I snapped this portrait of Henry IV who "resides" in the center of the bridge.

Since it was such a beautiful warm day, stopping at Place des Vosges for tea sounded like a splendid idea, except today I had glacé (ice cream), instead of pastry, in keeping with the spirit of the season. Then I began the mile walk home along some previously undiscovered streets and came across this charming little neighborhood park.

Later in the evening -- the French dine very late begining at about 9 pm -- I went out to dinner at La Potée Des Halles. The literal translation of this name is “melting pot of the marketplace". It's a typical small very homey bistro located at 3 rue Etienne Marcel in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris. The meal began with an entrée of tomato crumble (warm tomatoes and bread crumbs with Parmesan cheese) and a salad, along with a basket of wonderfully fresh natural grain bread. Followed by a "plat" of chicken prepared with honey and cinnamon along with saffron rice and fresh green beans. All topped off with some white wine which made for a very impressive meal. Note that the "entrée" on a French menu is the appetizer, while what we call the entree is called the "plat" in France.

At sometime during the day, some metro stop somewhere, I came across this group singing -- they were quite loud and could be heard throughout the metro station. Thought you might like a real taste of Paris.

Bonsoir

Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, tea, and bookstores

VAUX-LE-VICOMTE

CLOSE-UP OF THE CHATEAU

FORMAL GARDENS OF THE CHATEAU

DOME STAIRWELL

Chuck was kind enough to send his Vaux-le-Vicomte pictures today even though it took him 9 email messages to do so! One meets so many kind people while traveling. The first is a picture of the entire chateau area including the stables, and other outlying buildings. Quite an impressive sight on arrival. The second photo is the view one gets on climbing the stairs to the entrance. As you can see to the left in this photo, the chateau is continually being rennovated. And the third photo shows a great overall picture of the sculptured gardens from the dome of the chateau. To go up into the dome requires quite a bit of climbing up steep, creaky wooden steps in a round stair case. I tried to lighten up the picture a bit but it is quite dark getting up to that dome as you can see.

Vaux-le-Vicomte is a French chateau located near Melun, France with quite an interesting history. Vaux-le-Vicomte was once a small chateau located near Château de Fontainebleau and was purchased by Nicolas Fouquet in 1661. Fouquet was Louis XIV's finance minister at the time. He then commissioned two of the foremost architects of the time to carry out his plan to completely renovate the estate and garden to match his grand ambitions. When completed, it was well known as a center for literature and the arts as well as great feasts and entertainment. However, the proud owner then made the fateful decision to throw an elaborate château-warming party and invited Louis XIV. Louis was so jealous of Forquet's chateau (much nicer than his country 'hunting lodge' at the time), that he had his host arrested and thown in prison for life, and his wife and children exiled. He then proceeded to build Versailles and confiscated most of Foquet's art and furnishings to adorn his own chateau. Madame Fouquet recovered her property ten years later and retired there with her eldest son. In 1705, after the death of her husband and son, she decided to put Vaux Le Vicomte up for sale.

LE JARDIN des TUILIERIES

After a great day out at the Chateau, it was tea time in Paris. On the way to tea, I "ran across" le Jardin des Tuileries. The most central park in Paris, it connects the Louvre with the Place de la Concorde. In the 16th century it was a quarry for tiles (tuilerie in French), but after the death of her husband Henri II in 1559, Catherine de Médicis had a Palace built at the tuileries which featured a large garden in Italian style, reminding her of her native Tuscany.

STATUE OF JULES FERRY & FAMILY AT JARDIN DES TUILERIES

Jules François Camille Ferry (1832-1893) was a French statesman, who twice served as the Prime Minister of France.

ANGELINA SALON DE THÉ

Per an internet blog, Angelina Tea Salon is one of the best in Paris for hot chocolate. Since it was another grey and gloomy day in Paris, hot chocolate and a small pastry sounded perfect. The hot chocolate certainly lived up to its reputation! Thick hot chocolate served piping hot in a little porcelain pitcher accompanied by a small pot of freshly whipped cream. Of course I didn't really 'need' the chocolate-raspberry tart with it, but Paris is not the place to worry about one's diet.

JAPON SHOP -- rue de St Sulpice

After all that chocolate, more walking was mandatory, so I decided to go over to the left bank and look for the Berkeley Bookstore. Saw this cute shop on the way down rue de St Sulpice and couldn't resist a photo. Also found the "San Francisco Bookshop" on the way to the Berkeley Bookstore, which I thought was quite appropos. Both of course have English-language books, both new and used.

BEAUTIFUL COURTYARD -- RUE DE CASIMIR DELAVIGNE

After the bookshops, I happened upon this delightful courtyard just down the street from the Berkeley Bookstore. Hidden-away corners such as this are a significant part of Paris’ charm.

Bonsoir

Train stations, the Opera, Marketing, and the Louvre

No blog yesterday because it was a hang-around-the-house day. It was pouring most of the day and I just couldn’t work up the energy to go out and get wet. But today certainly made up for it. Started out fairly early this morning to go to Gare Lyon – one of 6 train stations located in Paris. As I entered the train station, my pulse started racing, my tummy had butterflies and I wanted to board a train for somewhere – anywhere – right then! Train stations always bring out the wanderlust in me more than airports or any other type of transportation. These feeling probably relate back to my first trip to Europe with a friend when I was 24 – we had Eurail passes and traveled all over Europe for 3 months. What a wonderful time that was.
But enough reminiscing – read a good internet article on how to navigate this rather intimidating train station and decided to go “practice” today for tomorrow’s trip out to Melun. Turns out this article was so good, that I had no problems at all, despite the fact that TGV trains, metros, RER trains, and SNCF trains all travel in and out of this station. So I purchased tickets for tomorrow (or next year for that matter – these tickets have no time or date on them, so good anytime – what a concept!).

Next on my list was a visit to the Opera Garnier in the 9th district of Paris, so I consulted my Metro-RER-Bus map and found that I could take 2 metros with 10 stops, or the RER A train with 2 stops – not much of a decision, but it did remind me of that old dictum that more knowledge leads to more freedom. The Opera Garnier is a 2,220 seat opera house designed by Charles Garnier and first opening in 1875. It was the only opera house in Paris until the more modern Opéra Bastille was opened in 1989. It's 8 euros for a non-guided tour but well worth it. As many times as I've been by this Opera house, I had never seen the inside.

GRAND STAIRWAY AT l'OPÉRA GARNIER

GRANDE HALLWAY AT l’OPÉRA

CEILING IN THE AUDITORIUM OF l’OPÉRA

After the Opera house, it was time for some marketing, Parisian style. Rue Cler is the "real" Parisian market place -- small shops, good values, small cafes, and various other goods. The street itself is cobblestones and it is blocked off at both ends so that people can shop freely without fear of autos and scooters.

PRETTY LITTLE FLOWER SHOP ON RUE CLER

FRAGRANT HERBAL SHOP ON RUE CLER

FRENCH ENFANTS SKIPPING SCHOOL & OFF TO THE PARK
Saw these darling school children on their way to the park this afternoon on my way home from rue Cler.

INSIDE OF GADGE SALON

I had to hurry home for a 3:00 pm hair appointment with Peter Gadge of the Gadge Coiffeur salon. Found out he was written up in Town and Country magazine a year ago by Mireille Guiliano of French Women Don’t Get Fat fame. Great hair color -- my only regret now is that I didn't also need a haircut -- I hear his haircuts are magnifique!

PYRAMID ENTRANCE TO THE LOUVRE

Almost missed the Louvre on this trip because I hadn't found time to fit it in until now. Then found out that's it's open from 6 pm to 10 pm on Wednesdays and Fridays with a reduced entrance fee, so I decided to attend, along with about 2000 other folks. It's easy to forget just what an incredible experience it is to enter this ancient institution, and what a privilege it is to be so close to these amazing works of art that you could reach out and touch them.

SCULPTURE HALL -- FRENCH SCULPUTRES 5th to 18th CENTURIES

APHRODITE OF MILOS, BETTER KNOWN AS THE VENUS DE MILO

WINGED VICTORY OF SAMOTHRACE

LA GIOCONDA -- MONA LISA

And last, but certainly not least, the Mona Lisa. This now resides behind glass, presumably because of all the flash photos being taken. One is allowed to take pictures of any and all art in this museum, but not flash photos. However, here, as everywhere, people don't always listen to reason.

Adieu....

Brunch, Lunch and Poetry readings

Thought I would begin the morning taking care of a few details first and then move on to the more important tasks of the day like lunch. So I went over to nearby rue des Archives to check out my possible new coiffieur, Peter Gadge. Supposed to be one of the better hair cutters in Paris, but it seems that the French don't like to be too ostentatious about their actual business facade judging by the grey garage door with the scissors logo over it in the picture above. As you can also see, it's apparently closed on Mondays.





I then noticed a Renault dealership across the street, and when I went over to take a picture for my brother, the auto-aficionado, I noticed this stunning little blue doorway complete with flower pots. How could they have known I would be coming along to take a picture?!

With no success so far, I decided to traipse back over to Saint Michel and enjoy breakfast at my favorite cafe. As I was leaving, I couldn't help but notice how picturesque was this particular metro entrance so snapped a picture. Then, fortified by coffee and croissants, it was now time to try bus-riding in Paris. Since I don't seem to be able to figure out how to ride a bus at home, riding one in French seemed a bit intimidating. But, braving the busy streets and crazy drivers, I crossed over the Seine to the Île de la Cité, looking for Bus 69 which Rick Steves assures us in his Paris Guidebook is a great way to tour the city of Paris above-ground for a change. However, there was no Bus 69 sign on the Île de la Cité, so I just changed bus numbers. Hopped on Bus 21 because the side of the bus said it stopped at l'Opera. Well, it does, but not in the direction I was headed. So hopped off at the next stop, caught Bus 21 in the opposite direction, and sure enough, ended up at l'Opera. These buses are SO cool, and so easy. Can't believe I've never done buses on previous trips to Paris. For one thing, they go by terminus points the same way the metro and trains do. And on the side of each bus is a line diagram, again similar to the metro, displaying the stops and the terminus at both ends. And even better, when you get on the bus, there's an LED display in the middle of the bus on the ceiling that tells you the current stop and the next [prochaine] stop as well. Plus each stop is announced over a speaker [but of course that requires some knowledge of French and how they pronounce names -- or half-pronounce names as we were discussing in French group the other day]. For example, "Sn Pol" is Saint Paul -- which is fine once you catch on.

After a tiring morning of bus-riding and other adventures, it was finally time for lunch at Brasserie Julien, highly recommended by a friend. It's in a rather impoverished area of Paris, but the interior is amazing and the food is even better. Above is a picture of the entrance to Julien, and below is a picture I 'borrowed' of the interior -- just didn't seem like a classy idea to stand inside their restaurant taking pictures.

Would love to rattle off what I had for lunch in French, but in truth I cannot recall the fancy French names for cold pea soup with croutons and creme fraiche, and a tomato and mozzarella tart. Strange I know, but just delicious and I really appreciated the waiter's solicitousness without any apparent condescension.

This evening it was off to Shakespeare and Company again for a poetry reading. Not my usual preference, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself despite the warm weather and crowded little book store with standing-room only. The book is an anthology of French poets entitled Into the Deep Street: Seven Modern French Poets 1938-2008. Both editors/translators spoke this evening and talked about the process and the particular difficulties of translating poetry. Two of the 7 poets were also available to read some of their work as well as that of the other poets. Then the same poem was read in English by the editors. All in all a very enjoyable evening, followed by wine and appetizers. Another perfect Paris evening.

à votre santé!

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

ENTRANCE TO THE BUTTES CHAUMONT PARC

The Parc des Buttes-Chaumont occupies 61 acres of hilly land in the 19th arrondissement of Paris. Although originally a lime quarry and execution ground, in 1863 construction was begun to change this barren area into a park – it was to be the crowning touch in Napoleon III's plan for green spaces throughout Paris. The park was developed by Baron Haussmann and the engineer, Jean-Charles Alphand, and after four years of construction, it was opened as part of the festivities of the Universal Exhibition of 1867.

STONE STEPS AMONG THE TREES

Truly an area off the beaten path, it’s hard to believe it’s only a few miles northeast of Montmartre. With its many varieties of trees, ancient stone walkways, and cliffs and waterfalls, it’s truly an oasis in this busy international city.

VIEW OF THE PARK FROM LUNCH SPOT

Since no visit to a park is complete without a book and a picnic lunch, I brought along a small blanket, sandwich, apple, and Hemmingway. (I think he would have approved.) From my perch on a hilltop, I looked down on beautiful leafy green trees and quiet pathways. It was a perfect afternoon – warm weather, blue skies, birds twittering in the trees , and plenty of sunshine for a refreshing change. This is truly a Parisian park and one will find few tourists – or English speakers – in this quiet place.

CHILDREN PLAYING IN A STREAM

As I found my way back out of the park after lunch, I came across this enchanting scene of small children playing in a stream. Squealing, laughing, and splashing, they remind us that children enjoy the same simple pleasures wherever we go.

WINDOWSILL ALONG RUE TURENNE

Returned home to drop off picnic paraphernalia, and by then it was time to find a good spot for tea. On the way I came across this delightful windowsill full of flowers high up in an apartment house along rue Turenne.

PLACE DES VOSGES ON A SUMMERY DAY

I decided to return to Place des Vosges again since I harbored a hidden agenda to sneak up on this square to see what it looked like in the sunlight. But just as I arrived a large cloud arrived overhead and blocked out all the sun. At least it didn’t rain, and truly with 80 degree weather the cloud was rather welcome for a change. What I found out, however, was that there are definite drawbacks to visiting the Place des Vosges in the sunshine. These “drawbacks” are known as people – literally hundreds of them. I had never seen more than 10 people in this small park during my two previous visits. Now the lawn was almost covered with them — people sun tanning in bathing suits, people reading, picnicking, and talking, children playing. The archways around the square were clogged with tourists eating ice cream, and I could barely find a seat to have tea. Success at last at a small cafe called Nectarine, where I consumed a delightful tarte de framboise [raspberry tart] and pot of tea.
Salut