pianomd

We arrived via Icelandic Air last Friday. I was sure something would go wrong, but nothing did. Our flights were on time and our luggage arrived without a problem. Our driver was there waiting for us as well — so everything worked out just great.

It has taken 5 days to settle in. The apartment, though very clean (thank you to our cleaning person and our neighbors), still showed signs of our 2- year absence. The insides of the closets were dusty and needed reorganizing. I’ve taken the opportunity to get rid of ‘stuff’ that has accumulated over 14 years and it feels really good. All that hasn’t left much time for ‘enjoying’ Paris — as so many of you hope we are doing. But today was different we finally got started and did we love it!

Paris is relatively quiet this week as Monday was a bank holiday and this week is school vacation week. So, whoever can, has left the city. Up to yesterday, I think most of our building was empty except for a few neighbors. One can tell because the elevator doesn’t move for several hours.

But in these few days we did walk a bit around the neighborhood to see what has changed. Our local Tunisian grocer sold to another Tunisian grocer whom we met today and next to his store the butcher shop has been replaced by a small but rather nice cheese shop. Our boulangeries are all the same, but one is closed for the week and the other was closed today, frustrating a few passers by. Usually the bread stores take turns closing so that there is always one open within a two-block radius.

Checking out the neighborhood, somethings just don’t change — fortunately. The Eiffel Tower needs no description, but you might not recognize the other — Les Invalides — Napoleon’s tomb.

Wow!! What a vehicle. Our nephew car enthusiast nephew Jonathan who is in California right now, ID’d this one for us — it is a Caterham sport car. Pretty neat!

One neighborhood restaurant, Bistro de Breteuil, is gone and in its place is a rather silly eatery, Central Park Terraza. We decided to try it for a quick bite of lunch. After showing our French Certificate of Health and having it scanned (which one has to do for all restaurants and public places) we opted to eat out-of-doors in the terrace area despite it being pretty cold. (We haven’t eaten indoors yet). We ordered pasta (There are lots of appetizers but only two main items on the menu — pasta and pizza. The menu is a big come-down from the three-course, wine included pretty good dinners we used to look forward to here. We were disappointed.

Today, though was another story. After a very leisurely morning we got out for the afternoon. We decided to have lunch at La Récamier Cigale which is close to the Bon Marché. We headed to #28 bus but as it has been more than two years, I’d forgotten that we needed to catch the #70, not the #28 to get to Sèvres Babylone, our destination. George looked at me and asked, ” Do you want to get there today? Let’s take a taxi.” And that’s what we did. It was so much better than the bus — I could get spoiled!

We were able to get in without a reservation as the La Récamier is a popular place for Parisians as well as tourists . Some time back we’d leaned, sadly, that the well-known owner-chef, Gérard Idoux, had died. He always came out and greeted the patrons and when we were there we always had delightful conversations with him. So, we were concerned that the atmosphere and the food might be changed without him. It was a little different, but whoever has taken over has managed to keep it going in the spirit of Idoux. We sat outside in that enclosed area which you see on the left. It was heated, but we were still cold. Amazing how one gets used to being cold while eating a terrific meal.

Right next door to the restaurant France’s electric company, EDF, has an exposition hall where they present topics of interest. The last one we saw here was on climate change. The current show is entitled Fake News. Although all of the captions were in French we were able to understand the points being made. It was done so well. We were able to get in although advance tickets would have been advisable.

There were many topics covered from Bush to Trump, to Facebook, to Covid conspiracies. They had a whole series on Pizzagate, how it started and was amplified, There were examples from print and tv media, all presented in clever engaging ways to keep the many kids who were there interested. They even had a book with the bogus emails we get saying, “my name is …., and I’m stuck in ….. can you help me?’ There must have been a 100 pages with these emails.

From there we headed over to the Bon Marché Grande Epicerie to admire the displays and do a bit of food shopping. We ended up taking the #70 home using bus tickets I had purchased two years ago. By the time we got home, after a little more food shopping, we were exhausted and I think might have worked off one of those soufflées — well maybe not a whole one!

We are leaving this afternoon and so decided, since the day is gorgeous (with a capital G), that we would take a walk and eat lunch out.  As it turned out we didn’t want to go too far so we went back to our corner bistro because here we could sit in the sun and enjoy the wonderful day.  We passed this view of Les Invalides (Napoleon’s Tomb) — shining in the sunlight it looked quite majestic — even more than on other days.  People were out on the greens basking in the sun and enjoying.

With our backs to Les Invalides we see the Place de Breteuil — a wide traffic circle usually bustling with lots of  traffic and cyclists, but today, rather quiet.  I think everyone is out walking.  

We ended up sitting outside — overlooking the square (or round) and after a little consultation decide to go for the full 3 course lunch with wine — though we skipped the aperitif.  

“Oh my — I can’t believe we’re doing this after all our lamentation about diets and the need to shed those extra pounds!”

A 1/2 bottle of wine comes with each order of lunch — that’s a whole bottle — and yes — we did finish it!  Somehow, the bottle seemed smaller — it went so fast — cold crisp and a nice balance between dry and fruity.

For an appetizer I ordered avocado with shrimp — with an avocado oil and dill.  It was delicious. I will try to replicate it if I can find a recipe for it.  

George had escargot — again, just the right amount of garlic, oil, parsley and other seasonings.  Delicious! This restaurant serves the escargot out of the shell — many serve them in the shell — one which I showed a couple of days ago.  

George and I both had fish for our main course.  Here is mine — a filet of sole… with lemon and butter to top as one wishes.  !!

On to dessert — above George’s mille feuille, and below, my cafe Gourmand — a small creme brulee, a small mille feuille, a madeline, and a cake oozing with chocolate.  

That was our last day.  Oh yes — our waiter who was simply charming, brought two glasses of champagne with dessert.  He said, “This is your last day — please have this with our compliments.”… We asked him to take it back because we’d had too much wine.   HA!  Gotcha!  We didn’t do any such thing… we just sat there and enjoyed the champagne.  (Interestingly — we didn’t feel bad at all.  Although I would not have driven a car, I think I was walking straight.)  

Taken the day before — one last look at the Seine.  Until next time — au revoir!

I wasn’t expecting to do another post but here we are again.  The day was so wonderful — clear and warm with low humidity that we decided to head out for lunch and a nice  walk around St. Germain.  A friend had recommended a fish restaurant that we didn’t know and wanted to try:  Huguette.  We weren’t disappointed.   Huguette is girl’s name and means ‘bright mind and spirit.’  We took the metro #10 line to Mabillon and walked a short distance to the restaurant.  The area was packed with people out enjoying the sunny day as we were.

Walking down Rue de Seine toward the restaurant. 

There is seating along the sidewalk which looked wonderful on a day like this, but too many people were smoking.  We decided to eat inside.  

For a first course we shared escargot — which was delicious.  These were tender and had just the right amount of garlic that one couldn’t leave any bit in the pan.  

I know that many of you won’t find this appealing but for those who do — these were grilled whole fresh sardines on a bed of fried potatoes…. Delicious.   

George had the sardines — I had these small wonderful mussels — in a creamy garlicky broth with fennel.  On the side were the pomme frites — done just right!

And — for dessert — we both had ‘café gourmand.’   This is something to remember if you don’t already know it… Cafe gourmand is espresso served with a sampling of the restaurants desserts.  It is usually very good — and inexpensive — rarely more than 10euros, as this was.   Here we have our absolutely delicious array of three desserts — a crème brûlée (a vanilla custard with a caramelized sugar topping, a cream topped pudding with fruit, and a profiterole.   Yes — I know we shouldn’t have, but we did.  And as the saying goes, “if not now, when?”  So we did!  

Continuing down Rue de Seine the next restaurant had the same kind of outdoor seating.  No zoning laws here to prohibit such a nice way to sit for as long as you like and enjoy.

This is the outdoor seating for Huguette… made quite appealing with lots of greenery decorating the area.  It had the feeling of being in a garden despite it being on the sidewalk, practically in the street.    

And right across the street from Huguette is a pastry shop that specializes in macarons.  I think this must be a wedding cake.  

One of the side streets off Rue de Seine.  There are lots of galleries and small boutiques here… fun to poke in and out  of as we did.  

The 24 hours clo

Translation:   Happy Hour!  (only in French it is literally Happy Hours — plural! For all formal events (travel, theater, meetings, etc) the 24 hour clock is used in France.  One has to get used to it.  Thus– 18h is 6 pm.  Happy Hour is from 6-8 pm at this establishment.   Until next time….. 

Our time in Paris is soon to end but we know we’ll be coming back — hopefully.  There is always so much to explore and enjoy whether the places we’ve been to and have enjoyed or new places that are yet to be explored.  The photos here uploaded out of order and so you see somethings first that should have come last — as with these swords.  These were at the end of our visit to the Marmottan (described below).  These magnificent swords are representative of those presented to famous artists by the Foundation of the Academy of Arts (Beaux Arts).  Each sword is crafter specially for the person being honored, thus the handle speaks to the individual’s specialty. I’m not going into details… I hope you can magnify the photo and see it is greater detail.  This little exhibit was worth the price of admission.  Each sword was a masterpiece in itself.

We start out to the museum:  It was a cool rainy day but we decided to go to the Musée Marmottan Monet in the 16th.  After quite a bit of figuring I found an all bus route from our house using the app Citymapper which I have now found to be the best route planner.  It is easy to figure out, gives lots of options and specifies the walking routes, and gives the times for the buses so one can plan departure and arrival times more accurately.  We took the #28 to the river and there walked across the street to the stop for the #63.  Another couple were waiting there too for the #92.  They said they had been waiting for 40 minutes and that the GPS wasn’t working.  Well — now — what to do?  It was raining and we didn’t much feel like walking to another stop or looking for another bus route.  Of course — there is always Uber, but we thought we’d wait.  The other couple left but we stayed.  Just as we were about to leave the #63 appeared — and exactly as Citymapper was giving the time: 12:38!

I hadn’t gotten tickets for the exhibition ahead of time because I thought it was Tuesday — and raining – and who would go out on a day like this all the way to the Marmottan for an exhibition that was not necessarily ‘extraordinary’… Wrong!  We got there to find a long line out the door of the museum and down the street.  (I was tempted, but didn’t take a photo).  We decided to wait.  Right!  It took about 20 minutes and we were inside.  I should note that when we came out the line was even longer, around the building and down the side street despite the rain.

I was right to think the show was not extraordinary, but it was of interest:  the Figurative Mondrian.  The paintings shown were mostly from Mondrian’s early period as I’ve shown below.  Some were stunning in their beauty but only a few, in my opinion.  Interestingly, Mondrian had the habit of painting flowers every morning even after he entered his abstract period.  It was an exercise for him, and a way to make money.  I’ve included one below.

Mondrian: a self-portrait

The abstract art we associate with Mondrian.  

A flower a day….. 

See the caption below…. 

See below

We like to try different versions of ‘mille feuille’ — literally a thousand leaves.  The American version of this is called a napoleon.  It has layers of a thin pastry with cream in between and on top. It is amazing as to how many versions of this there are.  

The day we went to the Musee Marmottan was raining Here is the view from where we were waiting for our bus — looking across the Seine, to the Grand Palais dome which is on the left in the background.  It was built for the World’s Fair at the turn of the century and now serves as an exhibition hall for extravaganzas and art shows.  

There is a custom now for a bride and groom (he was lurking in the shadows) to come to Paris to be photographed prior to their wedding.  Here is one… I can’t imagine dragging that beautiful train through the dirty street.  Maybe these are rented just for the day… You can see the photographer right behind her.  She was having a very good time.    

Although Halloween is not observed in any big way here the chocolatiers cannot resist having some fun.  

Lots has happened since I last wrote, including another late afternoon downpour which wasn’t so bad because we were prepared this time.  This post will be a little scattered as my photos uploaded in a strange order and it is too time consuming to try to rearrange them.  And since it doesn’t really matter I’m going to just go along with it as is.

My friend, Chef Sarah, recommended a couple of places she wouldn’t miss if she had only a few days in Paris.  Alain Ducasse’s chocolate shops – were among her recommendations — especially the one on rue de la Roquette which is where the chocolates are made.  We could peer through the windows to see the chocolate beans being roasted, and then melted and poured.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have my new iphone so the photos aren’t so good.   The shop is off the street in a courtyard.  The minute we stepped into the area the aroma of chocolate –pure chocolate– overtook us.  Wow– it was wonderful.  I was happy to see that their chocolate beans came from fair trade countries and not Africa where child-slaves harvest the beans.   The chocolates are displayed as if fine jewels.  In a way they are — check out the prices!

To get to the chocolate shop we had to take a train to Bastille, where the Opera Bastille is now, but was the site of the prison which was stormed on July 14, 1789 — the beginning of the French revolution.   In order to find rue de la Roquette was had to walk around this very large square (which is actually round), with lots of traffic.  (Sorry the photos are so poor).

We met a friend at La Coupole for lunch.  It was established in 1927, on Blvd. du Montparnasse was a meeting place for artists and writers in that era.  The walls are lined with photographs of the famous who dined there.  We have passed it many times but never dined there and so decided to try it.    We weren’t sorry!

Although a very large interior it didn’t feel impersonal.  The art deco design is from the 20s.

Many of the restaurants in this area of Montparnasse specialize in shellfish.  This large elegant display in on the right immediately upon entering the restaurant.  Not the FISH above.

Suddenly the lights went down and the waiters came out with this cake (or facsimile) with sparklers on top signing Happy Birthday (In French of course) for the young woman at a table closeby.

My first course was mushrooms in a puff pastry.  It was delicious.  We had a fillet of white fish with leeks as a main dish, followed by chocolate covered profiteroles for dessert.

The much admired and esteemed former president of France, Jacques Chirac died last week.  His funeral was held last Monday.  We happened by St. Sulpice Church just after the ceremony.  You can see the black ribbons on top of the EU and French flags at the top of the stairs.

Fabrics are shaped in the form of models… I thought it was quite artistic and worth  noting.  We saw this in a small clothing shop on rue de Seine in the 7th

We love to walk on Rue Cler — a street closed to traffic — with lots of wonderful little shops and eateries.  This is one of La Duree’s shops — which are many scattered all across the country and even at the airports, now.  Note the beautiful ceiling — almost as good as their macaroons.

Does anyone know what this is?  The green prickly thing is the burr — the actual fruit of a chestnut tree.  Inside the burr you can see chestnuts — which are the seeds of the tree.  Who knew?  We were warned not to touch the burr… it is really sharp.

And can I close this blog without a photo of these fabulous tartes?  Just down from La Duree is another of our favorite shops.  Nothing more need be said except, ‘No — we didn’t buy one… and we haven’t even had a croissant yet.”

Sunday:  It seems that we are finally over the jetlag which hit hard again this time.  It has taken us 4 days or so to feel recovered.  We go to sleep late and get up late — sometimes around noon!  it was a lazy day and so we slept late and stayed in until it was time to head to a friend’s for dinner.

Unknown to me, all of Paris’ bus routes have been revised which explains why when I was checking out how to get to our friend’s home none of my route apps gave me the usual way — Bus #28.  More willing to trust my own knowledge than an app, I stuck to what I knew.  Wrong!  We walked to the bus stop for #28, which is quite close to us. Unfortunately, we just missed one and so had to wait about 15 minutes for the next bus.  As it approached I saw that the banner across the top read “Montparnasse” which is only 1/2 way to where we were going.  It dawned on me that was why the route apps were giving me different routes than the one I knew.  Well — here we were – so we took the #28 as far as it went.  Just as we got off it started to rain.  (Why hadn’t I checked the weather report before leaving?) We walked up to Avenue du Maine, a busy place with busses, cars, and people all rushing around caught in the rain – many without cover as well.   The rain was light at first, then began to get heavier.  We stood on a corner, my head barely shielded from the rain by my thin scarf while George stood closeby not to happy while I fumbled with my phone trying to figure out what to do. We tried to get an Uber — but the driver couldn’t find us and cancelled.    Luck – finally — despite it always being impossible to find a taxi in Paris even it if it isn’t raining (without calling a head for one) – a taxi pulled right up in front of us, someone got out and we got in.  We were so thankful to be out of the rain which by now was coming down in buckets. Less than 10 minutes later we were at our friend’s street — a private road which the taxi driver refused to go down.  Umbrella in hand, our friend came down to meet us.  By then the rain had just about stopped.  We were pretty wet — I kept thinking about the two raincoats and multiple umbrellas in our closet back in the apartment…. Lesson learned! 

Coming home, our friend called for a taxi.   The driver turned out to be worth the cost of the trip.  He was jovial and friendly.  He spoke a little English, but clearly had that problem all figured out.  He had an app on his iphone which translated his spoken French into written English!  So he’d say something fun like “A lucky man with 3 women”  in French,  (we were with two friends)” and up it popped in English on his phone’s screen.  We had a lot of laughs all the way back…. and that, after a wonderful evening of good food, wine, and conversation.  The rain was long forgotten.  (No photos — just picture two people in the rain… and not the Hollywood version — we weren’t singing!).

We arrived in Paris at 10:00am Tuesday morning exhausted since we hadn’t slept on the flight but an hour or so. Thus, not having to look for a cab but being met by our now familiar driver ( a young man originally from Yerevan), was great.  It was his day off but he came for us anyway.  Here he is with George in our little elevator. He told us to call him whenever we need anything. I think we will.   By now I’ve lost track of time because we’ve been sleeping a good part of each day. 

I forced myself to get up and out to shop for some staples at Monop — our little MonoPrix just two blocks from our apartment. I came back with a cart full of stuff, but forgot the most important of all- bread! So that was the first on our list today when by mid afternoon we dragged ourselves out to shop some more. Below you see George walking down along our street headed to the closest bakery.   Once inside, I saw to my dismay that they were sold out of just about all their bread.  I pointed to one of two loaves left but just as I did the woman helping me turned toward the back of the bakery and accepted a big basketful of freshly baked baguettes — hot out of the oven.  Lucky us!  In those few minutes the bakery went from empty of customers to having a line out the door.  For some it must be a routine — go for fresh bread at 3 pm.  (Monday-Friday: Closed Sat and Sun.) . Not to worry, there are three other bakeries equidistant from us that are open on Sat and Sun.  There is never a shortage of open boulangeries here.  (Why are the French thinner than we are? French portions are smaller than ours and they walk off the butter and cream calories they eat.  Last night friends with whom we had dinner walked home at 10:30 pm — 3 miles. )

Banette — our little bakery

Finally, back up in our apartment we each cut off a chunk of bread.  Delicious!  Note that this is a perfect baguette — with a very crisp crust (you’ll have to take my word for it), and with those pockets of air inside.  The bread is not solid dough — but airy and light.  It makes a huge difference in the taste. 

In the evening we had dinner on the I’sle St. Germain.  These are houseboats that line up all along the Seine.  I took the photo as we walked across the bridge to the island.   I’ve included a link to information about the island.  It is one of several in the Seine This one is just outside the city of Paris in the district, Issy-les-Moulineaux.    

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%8Ele_Saint-Germain#Description

We didn’t have time to walk much around the very big park on the island, unfortunately,  We’ll leave that for another day.  I’d never seen a sign like this one.  Instructions to cyclists — bicycle as if you were walking — at a walking pace: roulez au pas.   I learned something new — the phrase, au pas!  

A most charming setting — the restaurant was at one time someone’s home.  Inside was beautiful as well with glass all around, large but cozy with many different areas for seating some of which you can see below.  Valet parking?  8 euros — not bad.  While having dinner you can have your car washed for a tidy additional sum. 

President Baco Sahakyan presented me with the Vachagan Baripasht medal- named for the Pope-King Vachagan the Pious. A great honor — given for our work during the war and thereafter. Following this was a round table discussion of our impressions and thoughts about what we were seeing after all these years. Including friends the health minister and the foreign minister were present. And then as a group we walked to a terrace overlooking the city before going to dinner. The good never stopped coming. At the Armenian table every fish is repeated for four to six people so you never have to ask for someone to pass the salad or whatever. Everything is st your fingertips. And the man closest to a woman is responsible for offering her food and keeping her drink glass full. Of course that is if the woman is a guest. If she isn’t she is probably in the kitchen. At this dinner we had a record number of women–5!

The Silk Road Hotel was perfect for us. Small with totally Armenian decor and a young cheerful staff who couldn’t do enough to help us. In the area wheee we had our buffet breakfast were two rug weaving looms that were worked each day. The owner of the hotel supports rug weaving and has an “adopt a loom ” project for 14 villages. — and growing. Profits from the hotel are channeled into this project. These women came each day and we got a chance to speak with them and learn about what they were doing.

Below is our breakfast buffet and an adjoining meeting room.

Some photos I just can’t resist posting twice. This is one of them: Stepanakert from the road going to Shushi. The city was under siege for a couple of years during the War of Independence, an easy target as it sits in a valley.

This is the cathedral of Shushi. When we first saw the church in 1992 it was in terrible condition. The Azeris has used it for storing guns and ammunition. We saw those left when the Armenians took the city. Since they knew Armenians wouldn’t bomb a church it was a safe place to store guns. But as the war progresses and the Armenians approaches the church was nearly destroyed. But now it is a remarkable testimony to the restorative abilities of the people who live here. The whole city has a different look to it. I know the town well but wouldn’t have recognized it given the renovation of these impressive buildings.

In Berdzor we stopped at a small business Tufenkian Foundation started to help bee keepers with the production of honey. Medina is holding up a sheet made from bees wax that is accumulated by the farmer in crude condition. It is colleges and at this shop a machine is used to press the raw material(seen in the bucket) into these sheets. Thousands are made and sold (at a low price) to the farmers. These are inserted into the hive and pulled out when filled with honey. hHere we are planting trees in memory of George’s siblings, Mike and Anne. Sorry I didn’t get a better photo. We could be anywhere.

Below is the imposing facade to the Republican Hospital for adults in Stepanakert. It is modern and has up to date medical equipment in every specialty including dialysis. Impressive! It opened about 5 years ago. You can‘t imagine what the old hospital looked like. It was a tear-down and that’s what they did to it

They have MRI and Ct scanners as well.

The photo above and the rest below are of the pediatric hospital. Renovation was completed two years ago with funds donated by a Russian-Jewish oligarch who had strong ties to Armenian friends. Amazing. He gave 1.2 million dollars for the hospital. They too have state-of -the art equipment in every subspecialty of pediatrics. The operating room and ICU are fantastic. No one knew I was coming. Thus what you see is the way the hospital is kept–sparkling clean. The paintings below were done by kids treated at the hospital. These and many more line the halls throughout.

So much has happened since we left Paris 5 days ago including the nightmare of seeing NotreDame in flames. As we have absorbed that reality the news that all was not lost has softened the blow. We were prepared to make our donation too but have read that 600million euros have already been donated by wealthy French families. Wonderful!!

We arrived in Armenia on Sunday and after a day of rest (so to speak) we make the trip to Artsakh arriving there by late afternoon. George and i have made the trip many times but this time we traveled over a new road which cut out one hour. The 6 hr journey was made even more pleasant because we were in a Mercedes-Benz van with good friends. The trip involves crossing 3 mountain chains which in bad weather can present formidable road conditions. We were lucky!

This gives you an idea of what the journey entails. Before reaching the first mountain chain we drove about 70 miles along one of the largest fresh water mountain lakes in the world: Lake Sevan. Our main stop along the way was to see one of Armenia’s most spectacular churches built into the side of one of these mountains– Dadevank.

Frescoes from the Middle Ages were preserved by soot and grim which accumulated through the centuries. more than one Thousand of these monasteries can be found throughout the countryside all over Armenia and Artsakh. They were built into remote difficult mountainous areas to make it difficult for enemies to destroy them. At last Stepanagert comes into view.

We have two and a half days packed with visits to hospitals, NGOs, seeing old friends and of course a reception at the Presidential offices. here we are with our good friends the family that runs the Arpen Center. The mother and father were with us from the beginning (1995). Now their daughters are in charge. The Arpen Center, named for my mom, provides food and clothing for pregnant women. George is checking on the supplies.