Home again...Paris in our hearts

Time flies in Paris and then you're home again wondering what happened.

To continue...we enjoyed our anniversary champagne and then walked to a restaurant that had been recommended by the woman from whom we were renting the apartment. It was on a small street in the 9th, in a neighborhood with nothing else around (OK, there was a laundromat across the street). If you didn't know the address you'd walk right by--no sign. But inside was a cute French neighborhood bistro, and we were soon studying the interesting menu. The food was fabulous! Not just good French cooking, but creative and interesting dishes that were both delicious and beautiful. For an appetizer Tom and I each had the "Verrine de queues d'écrivisses, émulsion de pamplemousse, guacamole, et mozarella." It was beautiful--a glass filled with green guacamole, then a layer of white mozzarella, topped with crayfish and grapefruit emulsion--and very tasty.

For the main course Tom indulged his love of duck (this version served with shrimp), while I opted for "Rable de lapin farci aux saveurs du Périgord," or rabbit stuffed in the style/flavor of the Perigord region of France. Yum. Ann and Stephanie joined us for the celebration, and we were all glad for the walk home after a great meal.

Tuesday morning we ladies decided to meet our neighbors in the Montmartre Cemetery. It was a beautiful day, and we had a lovely stroll and saw the tombs of Francois Truffaut, Hector Berlioz, Adolphe Sax (inventor of the saxophone), Edgar Degas (the tomb says "Famille de Gas"), Louise Weber (the creator of the Cancan, AKA La Goulue, meaning the glutton, because she always finished the clients' champagne), and Najinksy, complete with cowboy boots.

After lunch we continued on our theme of dead people and went to the Basilica of Saint-Denis, in the town of the same name, just north of Paris (and easily reachable by metro). This is the burial place of most of the kings and queens of France and is quite amazing. We saw the very ornate tombs of Francois I and Claude de France, Henry II and Catherine de Medici, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, and a number of other Louis, Charles, etc. The tomb of Clovis I, who was king of France from 481 to 511, was also there. Fascinating to see all this history in one place. The basilica itself was large and beautiful, with many fascinating gargoyles, and the nearby town square a delightful mix of ethnic groups and people.

That evening we went North African and had various kinds of couscous at Chez Bébert. There are three restaurants of the same name and ownership in Paris. Last time we enjoyed the one near Gare Montparnasse; this time we tried the one near Place de Clichy.

We've really been enjoying getting to know these new neighborhoods of Paris. In general they are much less touristy than other places we have stayed. The restaurants are in general quieter, and seem to attract a neighborhood crowd. Although we don't have the great variety and choice we had around St. Sulpice, there is an easiness about the life here, a slower pace perhaps (except for rush hour on the metro...). Although we're not far from Montmartre and Pigalle, we aren't really aware of them as we go about our days.

Wednesday...we become more aware of the short time we have left in Paris. In the morning I accompanied Stephanie and Sarah to the Marché St. Pierre, a huge fabric market at the foot of Montmartre. Floors and floors of fabrics of all types, and lots of sales people with their measuring tapes ready to cut your selection. For Stephanie it's as good as a museum; but not being in a mood for sewing myself, I soon took the funicular up Montmartre (my knees LOVE the funicular. For the price of a metro ticket--or in our case with a weekly Navigo pass it's "free" you can save yourself a whole lot of stairs!)

I went to the Montmartre Museum, which is in the oldest house in Montmartre. The house was once home to various artists, including Renoir and Utrillo. It's a small museum that gives a real appreciation of the history of Montmartre and the beginnings of its nightlife--the Moulin Rouge and the many other clubs and cabarets that flourished there. The original painting of the Lapin Agile (which is a painting of a rabbit jumping from a frying pan, by the artist André Gill. The "lapin à Gill" soon became the Lapin Agile) is there, as are several Toulouse-Lautrec paintings of the Moulin Rouge, Aristide Bruant, etc. Really fun to get a sense of the history. Did you know that Montmartre used to be a big gypsum quarry? The plaster was used in buildings and also in medicine--thus the term "plaster of Paris."

After that I met Ann for a guided tour of the Opéra Garnier, another of my favorite buildings. Last fall we were lucky enough to see the ballet Les Enfants de Paradis in this beautiful setting, and I wanted to know more about the building. The tour was great, with lots of interesting information about the history and the social scene--it was much more important to be seen at the opera than to actually see what was being performed, thus the high status boxes with lousy views of the stage, but great opportunities for everyone to see you! Charles Garnier, the architect, was chosen in an anonymous competition, and he had never built anything before! Apparently the judges thought from the style that they were voting for Violet le Duc, but were surprised to discover it was a 35 year old unknown. Lots of marble, gold, chandeliers, and detail throughout, and a magnificent central staircase (which is sometimes used as part of the production--there were jugglers and clowns and ladies there last fall when we came for Enfants). Another beautiful Paris building. I'm getting spoiled!

Dinner was at Aubergine, a lovely restaurant that had no aubergine (eggplant) on the menu, but lots of other very good food. We all had delicious dinners, but Stephanie wanted some frites (French fries), so she asked the waiter. His response, "C'est possible" gave us all a great laugh and has become an new to our vocabularies.

Still with me? Sorry this is so long, but I couldn't get around to writing in those last few busy days.

Thursday Stephanie and Sarah headed back to Bordeaux. Tom and I spent a quiet morning home writing and then walked to an outdoor cafe for lunch. I then decided to check out some of the covered passageways of Paris--shopping arcades built in the 1800s, narrow passages with glass roofs and an assortment of restaurants, shops, and galleries along the way. I only visited 3 but later learned from a book that Ann gave me that there are 17 still in existence in Paris, and another 20 or so that have been demolished. So I now have an agenda for our next visit, to check out the other 14!

For our final evening we decided to take in some Paris views. Tom, Ann, and I went to the Tour Montparnasse--the big ugly building that everyone hates, but which provides fabulous views and is much easier to access than the Eiffel Tower (we didn't wait at all). We got to the observation deck about 7 PM, when it was still light. It was somewhat cloudy and hazy, but still fabulous to see all of Paris laid out before us. Just before 8:00 the lights started coming on the Eiffel Tower, and we were treated to a beautiful sunset behind the Tower, that got more red and dramatic as it got darker. The lights gradually came on the other monuments--Arc de Triomphe, Invalides, Notre Dame, Louvre, Sacré Coeur--and then at 8:00 the sparkling lights started on the Eiffel Tower (they come on for about 5 minutes every hour). Magical! I love panoramic views of Paris, and this was spectacular. A great last evening.

But the evening wasn't over yet, as we headed over to our old neighborhood near St. Sulpice to find dinner. We were reminded what a lively restaurant scene this area is--the streets were packed, and there were so many restaurants to choose from. We decided on a small bistro called "Comme a Savonnieres." Savonnieres, I have just learned, is a town in the Loire Valley. These folks are obviously very attached to it, since they also have a road sign out front that indicates it's 258 kilometers to Savonnieres. Another great dinner--duck, veal, and game hen--topped off with profiteroles, those delicious little cream puffs filled with ice cream and covered with chocolate sauce. After all, it was our last night in Paris!

We needed a walk after that, so we strolled back toward the Seine, and then across to the Louvre. As we stood on the road that cuts through the Louvre waiting for the bus to take us home, we all had the same thought--this was a pretty amazing place to be waiting for a bus!

So home we went, to face the next day of packing up and leaving. The morning we left was absolutely gorgeous, not a cloud in the sky. There's never a good time to leave Paris, but it's particularly hard on a glorious day. So we will hope to find such a day when we return!

Our anniversary in Paris!

Today is Tom's and my 24th wedding anniversary, and we're happy to be celebrating it in Paris. And we're also lucky because we get to celebrate with my college friend Ann Branston, and our friend Stephanie from Bordeaux, and her daughter Sarah.

We've continued to enjoy good weather and good times in Paris. This weekend was "Heritage Days," or Journées du Patrimoine, when government buildings and monuments all over France are open to the public, free, all day long. In some cases, such as the Elysée Palace, home of the President, you might wait in line for 3 hours or so to get in. We chose to visit the Hotel de Ville, or city hall, which is one of my favorite buildings. I had been to a couple of exhibits there, but nothing prepared me for the glory of the formal salons, with their chandeliers, painted ceilings, lots of gold, and other decorations. I was thrilled to be there and spent well over an hour visiting the many rooms that were open. In the various large reception rooms they also had exhibits on things like how the inlaid floors are made, the electricity and heating systems, and even the cleaning and maintenance processes! It was fascinating on many levels, and you really got the sense that it was the city hall of the people of Paris.

Toward the end of the visit you actually visited the chamber where the city council meets, various conference rooms, and the Mayor's office (with a very nice view of Notre Dame). You really got the sense of the Hotel de Ville as both a ceremonial center and a working center. The exit was through the garden, where you could also visit the Hotel de Ville nursery school! A thoroughly enjoyable time.

We decided to try the Elysée Palace after that, but as I walked along the very long line and started getting discouraged, I asked a policeman how long the wait was from that point. "Une petite heure, Madame," he politely responded. I wasn't sure how long a "little hour" was, but since the line went on and on after that, we decided to pass. Instead we went to the Left Bank and visited a small office of some minor part of the bureaucracy. It was again interesting to see the mix of old and new--glass conference tables and multiple phones on a desk underneath a large portrait of some old dignitary. Just today I read in the paper that more than 12 million people visited 15,772 monuments across France over the weekend. The Elysée Palace had 18,725 visitors, but that was nothing compared with the French Senate (in the Luxembourg Palace--in front of which we saw Rigoletto last June), which had 27,500 visitors!

We walked along the Seine--living in the 9th arrondissement we hadn't gotten there much--and then headed back to our quiet apartment. Ann arrived that evening and we had a nice dinner in Montmartre.

Sunday morning we packed our bags and moved to our second apartment, in the 18th just across from the Montmartre Cemetery. In fact, we have fabulous views of the cemetery from the big French windows in our bedroom and living room. It's wonderful to be in the city and yet look out on large chestnut trees and open vistas. And quiet neighbors! I want to go find the tombs of people like Francois Truffaut, Dégas, and others who are buried there.

Inspired by my visit to the Hotel de Ville, Sunday found me at the Palais Royale. This was originally built by Cardinal de Richlieu in the 1600s, when he wanted to be near the Louvre and Louis XIII. It's been rebuilt and refurbished over the years and today houses the Ministry of Culture and Communication, the Council of State, and the Constitutional Council. More gorgeous rooms that are today working offices of various elements of the French government. Wonderful to see the old and new--hard to imagine having some of those spaces as your office!

Stephanie and Sarah arrived in the late afternoon, and we had a jolly meal of great organic produce from Stephanie's garden and her wonderful chocolate cake. She is an expert at traveling food, and she carried an 11.8 kilo cooler bag on the train from Bordeaux to bring us dinner! The only problem with having moved to a different apartment was that we had to learn a whole new set of appliances. The oven, with its six inscrutably labeled buttons, was the challenge this time, but after lots of attempts and much laughter I managed to get it to work.

Today's lesson was in French banking. Sarah, who is a lawyer working for a bank, kindly offered to help us set up a French bank account. She arrived with a fat envelope of papers for us to sign, as well as the all important credit cards with a "puce," (French word for flea, but in this case meaning computer chip so we can use it in France). We went through a comedy of errors trying to deposit cash into our account. The first bank didn't handle cash(!), so they told us where we could find one that did. We all walked down there and had to learn to get through the triple set of air-locked doors, only to discover that the "caisse" or tellers, were closed for lunch from 12 until 2! So after a nice lunch with Ann at a little outdoor cafe near a lovely park on Rue des Batignolles, we went back and were successful.

So now we've bought a bottle of champagne and are home overlooking the cemetery, working for a while until it's time to celebrate our anniversary. I just feel so lucky to be here!

Back in Paris!

So here we are back in Paris, loving it as much as ever. We arrived on Tuesday, and somehow it's already Friday--how did that happen?

We're getting spoiled with non-stop flights from Logan to CDG. It's great to get on the plane and get off again after only about 6 and a half hours. We weren't rested when we landed, and of course the plane was full, and the baby two rows in front of us cried for the entire flight, but at least when we landed we were in Paris. Have you ever had your luggage be the last thing to come off a 747? It can take a while. Nevertheless, we were soon on the RER and then the Métro, with our Navigo passes set for a week of transportation in Paris.

We had decided to get to know a new area of Paris this trip, and for reasons that I will spare you, we've ended up renting two apartments, five days each. Our first apartment is on Rue Fontaine, in the 9th arrondissement. When we got off the Métro the first thing we saw was the Moulin Rouge, the famous nightclub. It's about 3 blocks from our apartment, and Pigalle is also nearby. But the neighborhood in general is a typical Paris working class area, with the occasional sex shop thrown in. And lots of groceries, bakeries, and traiteurs--prepared food places. This morning I walked down to a bakery on rue de Douai, and discovered there are five model railroad shops in about a half a block area. Who knew?

The croissants were buttery, the baguette was aux pavots--poppy seeda--and delicious. That and a cup of café au lait and I was ready to go.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Our first day here, Tuesday, we went down the street to a café for breakfast, then unpacked and had jet-lag naps. That afternoon we wandered around Montmartre, our neighbor just to the north. We fully appreciate the Funiculaire, which saves my knees the climb up to Sacré-Coeur. The day was hazy so views weren't great, but still fabulous to see. We wandered around until we found the famous Montmartre Vineyard, the only vineyard in Paris. The vendanges--grape harvest--were last week, earlier than normal (global warming?) so we didn't see any grapes. But we enjoyed seeing the "back side" of Montmartre.

That night we went to Le Gourmet, a restaurant recommended by the woman from whom we are renting the apartment. Just the kind of place we like--good food, friendly proprietor, good prices, and a nice walk. A nice start to our visit.

Wednesday dawned grey again, but no rain. We slept in, part from jet lag and part because we can't figure out who lives upstairs from us, but they appear not to sleep at night and either to hold bowling parties or move their wheeley bags around a lot in the middle of the night...The usual trip to the bakery for breakfast. Then my plan was to tour the Opéra Garnier, but found the main hall was closed so put that off. Instead I opted to do some research on shopping--Galléries Lafayette and Printemps, two huge Paris department stores that both have great restaurants and wonderful open terraces where you can get panoramic vistas--for free. I had lunch at the cafeteria at Galléries Lafayette and was introduced to a wonderful concept. A "boissons" (drinks) station in the middle of the cafeteria, where you could fill your glass from spigots offering soft drinks, beer, and about 4 kinds of wine! I then sat and enjoyed my salad and red wine at a table with a view of the Eiffel Tower. This is OK, I thought.

For dinner we walked a few hundred feet down the street and went to a Turkish restaurant, where Tom was delighted to speak Turkish (much easier than French, he says.) We had great dinners of kebabs, rice, salad, and delicious French fries, plus Turkish wine, for 23 euros.

Thursday another late morning, and then I headed off to the Jacquemart-André Museum, on Blvd Haussman, in the 8th arrondissement. It's housed in a beautiful hotel particulier and was the private collection of Eduard André and his wife Nelie Jacquemart. Lovely spot, normally very calme, but I happened to go just after a special exhibition of Bruegel, Memling, and Van Eyck had opened. So I spent 40 minutes in line but enjoyed it.

After that I walked down to the church of St. Augustin. I had been curious about this, because whenever you look at a panorama of Paris, from the Tour Eiffel or the Tour Montparnasse, or anyplace, you see this large church with a black dome. I never knew what it was or where it was, and now I do! Great to see it. Nice statue of Joan of Arc in front.

Last night we did something very unusual for us--had nightlife! We went up to Montmartre, had dinner at a very nice old fashioned restaurant with simple, good food at reasonable prices, served by an elderly gentleman who said, "Je vous en prie" a lot and did everything "comme il faut." We did not expect this on Montmartre and were pleasantly surprised. Afterwards we walked down to the Lapin Agile, a famous old cabaret where the likes of Picasso and Apollinaire (my favorite French poet) used to go, and had a wonderful evening of music. You go into a small, dimly lit room, with a piano player and some small tables. One table is inhabited by about seven musicians. Spectators sit around other tables, drinking the house special, a sort of cherry brandy with real cherries (with pits) in it. It starts as a sing along, but over the course of the evening each musician performs individually--singing, playing guitar or accordion, etc. They were all very talented and it was great fun. The music was a combination of French drinking songs, and "chansons de la rue," sort of old folk tunes. We wished we had known more of them so we could sing along more. For over a century the Lapin Agile has been a place for acoustic music, and some musicians have gotten their start there. It's a great tradition and we enjoyed it. We left about midnight, but the show went on until 2:00.

Today, Friday, rain was predicted, so I set out with my umbrella and sweater...and later wished I had left them at home and taken sunscreen! A beautiful day. I had planned to visit a couple markets, neither of which was open, so I spent my time exploring the Rue Mouffetard area, which is great. Rue Mouffetard is a wonderful market street, with fabulous cheeses, meats, fish, and produce. My big decision was where to have lunch, and I finally chose a restaurant (one of several) where I could get a 3-course lunch for 11 euros! And people think Paris is expensive! Of course it can be, but there are bargains if you look.

Afterwards I wanded through the Jardin des Plantes, and then went to Ile St. Louis and Ile de la Cité. It was amazing to me that I had been in Paris for 3 days and this was the first time I saw the Seine or what I consider the heart of Paris! There is so much to see and do here, and I feel incredibly lucky to be spending time here again.

Tonight was a quiet dinner at home, accompanied by a bottle of our favorite cheap sparkling wine, with the wonderful name of Café de Paris. Tomorrow more adventures!

Instead of writing this blog, I should be updating our website, www.paristravelplanner.com. I will, I promise!

Return to the Midwest, part 2

In early September Tom and I flew out to St. Paul to help Lydia get settled at Macalester. Lydia had gone out a week ahead of us to participate in "Macward Bound," a pre-orientation hiking program. Small groups of kids spent 5 days back packing, hiking, and camping along the Superior Hiking Trail, in northeastern Minnesota near Lake Superior.

As a result of doing this, by the time we arrived with the other half of her stuff, she was already living in her dorm room. Her roommate, Jia, had arrived from China while Lydia was off hiking, and they had fun rearranging furniture and fixing up their room.

Orientation was great, again reinforcing the value of high quality small liberal arts colleges in the Midwest. And it turns out both the President and the Provost came from Lawrence! The convocation was impressive, as students marched in carrying flags of some of the 67 countries represented in Mac's student body. The first years followed in their orientation groups, which given Mac's Scottish heritage are called Clans.

They kept us all busy on Friday and Saturday. By the time parents were invited to leave on Sunday morning, Lydia's room was all set up, she had her books (when we bought them and the woman rang up the sale, she said "Oh my!." Turns out we were her biggest sale so far that day at $520, and that was buying virtually all used books. As she said, although some book prices have come down, math, science and language tend to be high. Lydia's taking calculus, geology, German, and history (which required 8 books) so it added up. But we were glad that she was set up.

Tom and I then took the bus to the Minnesota State Fair, the largest state fair in the US, known for serving "everything on a stick." There's corn on a stick, hot dogs on a stick, and even hot dish on a stick, alligator on a stick, and deep fried candy bars on a stick. We kept our eating to a minimum. The main reason we went was to see our friend Sean Emery, father of one of Lydia's Smirkus friends, perform. We met up with my Lawrence friend Kathy Teegarden, who lives in Minneapolis, and had fun until the crowds got too big and we headed out. I think all college orientations should end with the sad parents being sent off to see a clown!

Return to the Midwest

I spent last weekend in Appleton, Wisconsin, at my 40th college reunion. Lawrence University is a small, liberal arts college that is really very creative and innovative. I had a wonderful group of friends there from 1965-69 and am still close to many of them, and quite a few were back for this milestone reunion. We had a wonderful time catching up, picking up easily from wherever we left off. The women all looked great, the men less so, and we were convinced that we didn't really look like we should be celebrating our 40th.

The campus has changed a lot since we were there, with many new buildings, including a big new campus center that will open in September and will really change things--centralized dining, all student mailboxes in one place, lots of space for meetings, concerts, events, etc. The best thing about all the new buildings on campus is that they take full advantage of the location next to the now cleaned up Fox River. When we were there the river was a smelly, messy liability, and it's now an important part of the town and the campus.

The heart of the college is still excellent liberal arts education. I attended "alumni college" on Friday and went to classes on energy conservation, dijeridu, literature of aging, and wine making, complete with tastings (taught by a professor from whom I took botany 38 years ago...)

I also sang with the Alumni Choir for our convocation, which was fun. I expected we'd sing a couple familiar numbers that most people would know, but the conductor instead gave us two unfamiliar pieces which we learned in an hour and a half. Challenging and rewarding.

But the best part was being with friends. Sitting around the dorm lounge talking. Spending Thursday evening with Jenny and Tony. Having meals together with friends and combining the best of reminiscing with the best of our current lives. Hearing about parents, children, and grandparents. Comparing travel adventures, careers, and volunteer experiences. Laughing about how naive we were 44 years ago when we arrived--and 40 years ago when we left. Marveling at some of the opportunities we had as young graduates. Remembering campus antics and shaking our heads over creaky knees. Being grateful for those who have come through things like breast cancer or addiction, and mourning the relatively large number of deaths of classmates. Missing my favorite professor and dear friend, Gerry Reed, who died in 2007, but enjoying catching up with his wife, Mary Kay. Meeting Jill Beck, the current President of Lawrence (she says we can't call her the new president any more since she's been there 6 years and the average tenure for presidents is 4.5 years!). Dancing to Gloria, Brown Sugar, and Hey, You, Get off of my Cloud, outside by the Art Center, with the class of '69 vying with the class of '84 for space on the dance floor.

As always, the reunion reinforced for me the value of a liberal arts education, and the incredible quality of some of these small midwestern colleges. They may not be well known in the east, but they do provide excellent educations and wonderful friendships. Makes me glad Lydia is going to Macalester, another excellent small, midwestern liberal arts college (whose President came from Lawrence!)

Reflections on being back home

How does the time go so quickly? Here we are back home again in lovely Concord. But I miss my view of St. Sulpice and my morning croissant. I loved getting to know another Paris neighborhood and learning my way around the 6th arrondissement. Apartment living is definitely the way to go if you're staying in Paris more than a few days. We had a fabulous two-bedroom in the Marais last fall, on a busy pedestrian street that kept us always entertained as people walked back and forth all afternoon and evening and into the night (but it was pretty quiet in the early morning-definitely not an early rising crowd). Then this time a one-bedroom in the St. Germain area, just behind the beautiful St. Sulpice church. Better window views, but less interesting pedestrian traffic. Lots of great restaurants within a few blocks, as well as a market around the corner if we wanted to buy food. The option of eating at home when we wanted to was great, and the convenience of having room to spread out was also important. Our table switched back and forth from dining table to office several times a day. We also had the flexibility to have guests, which we enjoyed.

We also really loved the ability to walk to all sorts of places-restaurants, bakeries, museums, monuments, train stations, etc. Life without a car is really wonderful in a place like Paris, and being in the center you have the option of walking to so many places (and catching those great views along the way). And walking off the pain au chocolat you had for breakfast.

This trip seemed so easy and straightforward compared to others I have taken. We flew non-stop from Boston to Paris, something I have done only rarely in the past. And once in Paris, we went straight to the apartment and stayed there the whole time. No unpacking and repacking, no dragging bags all over the place. A settled lifestyle in a vibrant city. We did some day trips from Paris (Versailles, Chartres, and Giverny) but basically just lived in Paris the whole time and enjoyed every minute. Fortunately, we still have lots more work to do on paristravelplanner.com, so we'll just have to keep going back. And then we'll expand to francetravelplanner.com and go to other parts of the country. I feel lucky to have this opportunity. And I have lots more web pages to write based on this trip, so I'd better get to work!

Giverny

This is a little out of sequence, but yesterday I went to Giverny to see Monet's home and gardens. I should never believe weather.com, since I went yesterday instead of today based on their forecast and found that the sun never came out all day and it rained off and on (and today was lovely). In spite of that, I was able to enjoy his beautiful gardens and see the water lily ponds--having just been to the Orangerie last week, it was really great to see them. The gardens were amazing--at this time of year lots of poppies of all colors, plus lots of roses, some peonies, beds of geraniums, and a few remaining irises--plus various lovely things I can't identify or name. Quite beautiful and extensive. The water lily ponds are peaceful and there were quite a few lilies in bloom, in various colors. The house is interesting, and the gift shop is actually the former studio where he did the water lilies-very big a airy with couches where I sat to rest and wait out the rain. There is another small museum in Giverny that has changing exhibits, and it just happened to have one on Monet's gardens, so I got to see a lot more Monet. It was a fun day and a nice excursion--about 45 minutes by train from Paris, plus a short bus ride. Quite a few tourists, but I'm sure nothing like the summer. Now I just have to write up those Monet pages for the website...

Opéra en Plein Air

Tonight was our last night in Paris for this trip and it was wonderful. We went to hear a performance of Rigoletto, which was being done en plein air in front of the Palais de Luxembourg, the lovely palace in the Luxembourg Gardens that is the home of the French Senate. A beautiful setting and a fabulous performance--the singers were all magnificent and the sound quality was amazing. It was also a great scene, with risers and chairs set up in front of the palace. It was still light when the performance started (stays light until 10 PM this time of year) and gradually got dark. Lots of people, a huge undertaking. From here the company tours about 6 other sites in France, always performing in front of chateaux or other beautiful buildings. Very special and a nice ending to our time here. A little champagne and a simple supper at home before were also nice--finishing up our three kinds of cheese and bit of saucisson, with some bread from Eric Kayser, one of the big names in bread in Paris these days.

Earlier today we went to the Hotel de Ville and saw a fascinating exhibit on Gustave Eiffel and the building of the Eiffel Tower. It had some amazing photos. We followed that with lunch at one of our old favorites in the Marais, to finally get some onion soup. Afterwards I toured the Museum of Jewish Art and History and went back to the Orsay, which is always so great. I want to do some web pages on the various places to see Monet in Paris so needed to refresh my memory.

What I love about Paris

Views: Paris is beautiful. I don't know how any one city can have so many beautiful buildings. Everywhere you look there's something lovely to see. I love the panoramas of Paris--from the Eiffel Tower, Tour Montparnasse, Arc de Triomphe, etc., but I also love the unexpected panoramas that pop up everywhere. Walking down a street and all of a sudden there's Sacré Coeur in the distance, glowing in the sun. Visiting the Musée des Arts Décoratifs and glancing out a window to see the beautiful Opéra, or out another to see the Place de la Concorde. The wonderful view from the tiny bathroom window of our apartment--the back of St. Sulpice, and chimney pots on nearby buildings. And then I discovered that at night we could see the very top of the Eiffel tower, with its golden lights and ever moving beacon. And then last night I happened in just after 11:00 PM, when the white sparkling lights were on (they come on for about 5 minutes an hour after dark). What a treat. Best bathroom window I've ever had.

Food: I guess ca va sans dire, but it really has been great. Bread. Pastries. More cheeses than I could eat in a lifetime. Dry saucisson. Beautiful and delicious salads. Lamb chops that look like what lamb chops should look like. In general meat that is fresh and well prepared. And reminders that meat comes from animals--the most graphic being the chance to buy "avant de lapin," or the front half of a rabbit, in the market. Inexpensive wines that taste great. Couscous-it used to be common in Paris, but these days it's not as easy to find. But when you find it, yum. Markets with piles of fresh cherries, red and green lettuces artfully arranged, bright orange carrots, and huge artichokes. Big piles of frites à volonté-all you can eat (and then some). Crèpes served with cider in small bowls. More markets. Fresh stuff. More cheese. More bread.

Sense of history: Paris values and takes care of its monuments. There's always something with scaffolding on it, because it's being restored or repaired, but the result is amazing quality across the board. The Marais was scheduled for demolition about 30 years ago, but thanks to André Malraux and others it was preserved and restored and is now a vibrant and beautiful area. The Nazis were supposed to burn Paris but fortunately didn't. The French removed stain glass windows from Chartres during the war to protect them.

Greetings: I love walking into the boulangerie in the morning to buy bread or croissants and being greeted with, "Bonjour Madame." And then being thanked, "Merci Madame, bonne journée Madame." It's so pleasant and civilized. Or when I tossed a few coins into a street musician's case and said, "Merci, Monsieur," and he replied, "C'est moi qui vous remercie Madame." That's always been one of my favorite French expressions. Oh and it's also great just to hear and see French all the time.

Street cleaners: Paris has an amazing infrastructure of street cleaners, people who empty the replace the poubelle bags, and others dedicated to keeping the city clean and fresh looking. They hose down the public squares and wash the streets. People with small brooms sweep away the water.

Walking: Paris is a wonderful walking city. In part it's because of all the views, in part it's because there are always cafés, restaurants, shops, etc. to look at. I have to head over to the Seine at least every couple days because I love walking along there, seeing the boats and the people, checking to make sure Notre Dame is still there, remembering previous walks, etc. I walk more here than anyplace else and I love it.

Public transportation: When I don't want to walk, I can use the wonderful Paris métro or the RER, or the city buses, which I've finally begun to figure out. We took trains to Versailles and Giverny, and they were great-comfortable, quiet, fast, pleasant. We've learned to take the RER from Charles DeGaulle Airport, for a cheap and easy transit to the city. If we can avoid the huge Châtelet station we're even happier.

Once again I've gone on too long, though there's still lots more I love about Paris. I think I'll be building this list for years to come. I'll stop for now. A bientôt!

Paris in June

Well hi everyone. I've decided it's finally time to start a blog.

Tom and I are winding up two weeks in Paris, working on our paristravelplanner.com web site. We've had a fabulous time and have made progress on the site. I thought I'd share some of our experiences with those who might be interested.

We arrived in Paris early on Sunday morning, May 31. Paris is not an early morning city, and as we walked through the Jardin de Luxembourg, dragging our wheely bags behind us, the only other people we saw were a few joggers. We settled into the Café de la Mairie, just across from St. Sulpice church, for a café crème and a croissant. The apartment we're renting is just behind St. Sulpice, and we have wonderful views of the back of the church from our windows. (When I learn how to post photos on a blog I'll add some!) The apartment has a bedroom, living room, kitchen, and bath. It's quite nicely furnished, though we can't quite figure out the eight-foot tall fabric hanging that features a life-sized embroidered figure of Chairman Mao! After waking up to that the first morning we opted to cover Mao's face.

We actually went to church at St. Sulpice that first morning, mostly to hear the wonderful organ recital after the service. We didn't realize that Pentecost Sunday is a big thing in France, and the service went on much longer than normal! C'est la vie. We had a lovely lunch of great salads at a nearby restaurant, sitting outside and enjoying the beautiful, warm, sunny day.

Monday was a holiday, again because of Pentecost, and we didn't have any plans. My day started with a surprise--I woke up and looked at my clock and was annoyed to see that the battery must have died because it said 12:00, and obviously it wasn't 12:00. Well, actually it was--I had slept until just past noon! With the late start to the day, we mostly just walked around and got to know our neighborhood. Lots of restaurants, a market, and at least two boulangeries/ patisseries within a block of our apartment (très important!).

I decided to focus on museums during this trip, so we could build up that section of the web site. So Tuesday I hopped on a bus and headed off to the Marmottan Monet, which has the largest collection of Monet paintings in the world. It was wonderful--beautiful works of art in a lovely setting. After the visit I decided to wander over to the nearby Bois de Boulogne. I arrived at the edge of the Lac Inferieur and on a whim took the small launch over to the Chalet des Iles, a lovely restaurant on the island in the middle of the lake. Since we were still blessed with gorgeous weather, I sat on the terrace and had a lovely lunch.

Going from the sublime to the ridiculous, I next went to visit the catacombes (a sort of museum, I guess), home of thousands of bones and skulls from various cemeteries. It was actually a very interesting visit, and being the end of the day, about half way through those of us who moved slowly found we were followed by three guards, one of whom kept reminding us that "It is closed." Didn't want to get locked in there!

The next day I bought a two-day museum pass and set out to get my money's worth. That day I visited the Delacroix Museum, the Guimet (amazing Asian art), the Egouts (sewers--yes it's a museum!), the Rodin, and after dinner, the Louvre, which stays open late on Wednesday and Friday. Pretty overwhelming but fun, but boy was I ready for bed that night!

Day two Tom and I went to the Orangerie, with its fabulous water lillies, and also a wonderful impressionist and post-impressionist collection on the lower level-a real bonus. The water lillies are so wonderful-peaceful, gorgeous, inspiring. We had lunch in the Tuileries (not one of the highlights of our Paris dining, but fun to sit outside there) and then I went back to the Louvre to figure out how to write it up for the web site--take a look at the pages and tell me if they're helpful. From there I went to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, which was really fun. I'm not really into design and furniture and all, but the displays were great. And I discovered that I was actually in one of the towers of the Louvre, on the Rue de Rivoli side. I always wondered why you never got to those towers when visiting the Louvre, and now I know why. Great views from the windows too.

I was ready to head home after that, but when I discovered the Pompidou Center was open until 9, I figured I'd go there first. Always interesting, though not my favorite. It was fun to go back to the Marais, where we lived when we were here last fall.

Friday we spent the entire day in Chartres, which was fabulous. Our spate of amazing weather continued--sunny, 70s, bright blue sky. It made for perfect conditions for seeing the incredible stained glass of the cathedral. We stayed inside for a long time--the longer you stay, the more you see. On Fridays they move the chairs so that the Chartres labyrinth is accessible, so I got to walk it. Quite wonderful. The Chartres labyrinth is one of the basic designs used in labyrinths around the world. We also went to a lecture by Malcolm Miller, a Brit who has been studying and touring Chartres for 50 years. He was amazingly knowledgeable and funny--a great addition to the visit. But mostly it was just staring at the stained glass.

Saturday our spell of good weather started to change, so we spent much of the day inside, writing. That evening we had crèpes at a little restaurant on a one-block street that had at least a dozen creperies! We then went to the Gare Montparnasse to meet our friend Stephanie, from Bordeaux, who came for a visit. Wonderful to see her!

Sunday after our usual breakfast (croissants and/or pain au chocolat, and baguette, plus café au lait) Stephanie and I set out for the Sunday marché biologique--organic market--near here. Lots of great food of all types, so we brought home lunch. After some afternoon walks we had a great couscous/tajine dinner at a very popular restaurant near Gare Montparnasse--Chez Bebert.

Monday was rain day, writing day. Got lots of museum pages up on line, and Tom did a lot on Chartres, Tour Montparnasse, etc. Writing web pages is a lot of work but fun at the same time. By the time dinner time rolled around we were exhausted and it was raining, so we were happy to walk about a half a block to a great little restaurant and have a delicious dinner. We have definitely been eating well on this trip! The area around St. Sulpice (on the left bank, not far from Boulevard St. Germain and the Odéon, about 10-15 minute walk from St. Michel) seems to have a lot of great little restaurants, and we've been taking advantage of that.

Today (Tuesday) we went to Versailles, but unlike everyone else on the train, we didn't go to the Chateau. We've visited it before, and wanted to see the town. Versailles has an amazing market--more cheeses than it would be possible to eat in a lifetime, all sorts of meat, fish, and produce. Very colorful and tempting. We had lunch with our friend Samantha from Concord, who has spent this year as an au pair in Versailles--great to catch up with her and learn about her experiences.

Et voila! A brief overview of our time so far. I know I've left out lots but wanted to at least get some information up. A bientot! Check out www.paristravelplanner.com!