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It is definitely spring in Paris with sunny days, cool breezes and comfortable nights. The good news is that we’ve put our umbrella away and are enjoying the outdoors. Lots has happened in these past few days — so much so that it will probably take me two blogs to get it all in. I’ll start with today and work backwards. We’ve been having trouble opening our apartment door such that I was sure one of these days we wouldn’t be able to open the door and would be locked out. George oiled the lock but it didn’t seem to make much difference. This is where friends come in. We mentioned it to friends at lunch two days ago and they assured us that it was no problem. On the spot they called a locksmith they know and confirmed that he would visit us early first thing this morning. And he did – and he fixed the locking mechanism. There was nothing wrong with the lock itself. The mechanism, which consists of a long metal bar which moves up and down when the lock is turned was out of alignment. Just old age — we understand that! He got out a drill, we gave him a ladder, and in 20 minutes and 90 euros later, our door was fixed.

With the door fixed and that worry eliminated we headed out for the afternoon. For the first time since we arrived we took a bus. It isn’t that we didn’t want to take a bus — we couldn’t find the buses running from any of the stops we’ve been using for the last 15 years. We went to one of our usual stops , but no bus came and I couldn’t quite figure out that the notice posted meant. Well — when I finally did figure it out (thanks to Google translate) it wasn’t good news: This stop is not in service. It seems none of our stops will be operational until Oct. 2023 because of major road work being done along the routes. The buses have been rerouted. To where I have no idea. There is no information anywhere. We did find another bus not too far from us thanks to Bonjour RATP app (don’t leave home without it) Bus #86 — took us exactly to where we were headed –the Bon Marche and La Grand Épicerie (The Great Grocery!)

As a reward for his being willing to take the bus (which I love) as opposed to an Uber, I suggested we have lunch at one of our favorite restaurants — Le Récamier — which I have written about before. Soufflés are the specialty – but even more than that, all of the food is good and the service is impeccable and friendly.

Just above is the entrance to the restaurant. Since we didn’t have a reservation we were seated inside which was just as well as it was a bit breeze in what is essentially an ally way. We started with a green bean salad with very thin slices of raw white mushrooms, a main course of fish, and of course, souflé — mine with the dark chocolate and George had a grand marnier soufflé that was highly recommended by the waiter. We come here at least once every trip – so you’ve all read about this one before.

After a very big lunch we walked to La Grand Épicerie which is just a couple of streets away . We didn’t need much, but bought a few specialty cakes to have on hand when we have company next week. Photos are not allowed and so I can’t show you the inside — but it is truly spectacular. This no ordinary grocery store and not the place you go to buy soap powder! (Although they have it hidden somewhere in a corner). It must be on your To Do list if and when you visit Paris and if you haven’t been before.

Thursday night we had a super spectacular treat – went to the ballet at the Bastille. It was amazing. Friends had asked us months ago if we wanted to go – and we said yes without a second’s pause. They had purchased their tickets and so purchased two more for us, but told us we wouldn’t be sitting together. When we got there we were seated together, orchestra, row 9, center. How come? When our friend purchased our tickets he asked they call him if 4 seats together came up. a Week later the box office staff called — they had four tickets. Did we want them?

The Ballet Corps of the Paris Opera performed, two nights only, the work of choreographer Maurice Béjart who died in 2007. The performances were sold out. This is the inside of the Opera Bastille from our vantage point.

We saw three pieces by Béjart – two of them are on You Tube, and although they don’t have the impact of seeing them live, I’d recommend you watch them nonetheless. They were truly amazing works of art – both the mastery of choreography and of dance. The both leading male dancers were beyond belief. George said he had never seen anything like it – massive bodies dancing with such grace and beauty you just wanted to cry. The first ballet was The FireBird by Stravinsky (the first time I’ve seen a live performance of this famous work) and Bolero by Ravel. Hope the link works. If not, just Google it – Béjart L’oiseau de feu. Ravel comes right up next.

ENJOY !!

We flew Icelandic Air with a short layover in Reykjavik and then onto Paris. I have to say that the flight attendants and the passenger support people couldn’t have been nicer. Every step along the way they were looking out for our comfort, helping with carry-ons, etc., even before we had a chance to ask. It was also service with a smile. Took the angst out of flying. Also made getting around effortless.

Although Iceland is not part of the EU, it is part of the Schengen Agreement which means we pass through passport control in Iceland, avoiding the long lines at Charles De Gaulle airport. In addition, these flight come into the domestic terminal avoiding the madness at the international terminal. I don’t know if it would makes up for a 1 1/2 hour stopover in Iceland for everyone, addinging time onto the overall trip, but it makes sense for us.

Getting a cab at the airport is a civil and orderly process — no one need fear being cheated. As a way of combating UBER – the government (or someone) fixed taxi prices from the airport to Paris. One price for destinations on the right bank and one for the left bank. The left is further away so we pay a bit more. It was 62 euros – on the meter, fixed. We gave the driver a good tip – which he appreciated since most people barely tip taxi drivers. (Usually 3-5 euros is enough.) Our driver was so good — and it took a long time getting through traffic so we gave him 10 euros. His eyes popped!

It has been close to 6 months since we’ve been here — seems like more. We opened the door to our apartment and walked in with a sigh of relief, “We’re home!” I don’t know why, but this little place of ours feels like home. Maybe it is that we have our stuff all around here. Remember comedian George Carlin’s hilarious monologue about stuff? He captures the essence and the humor of it exactly. (It is on You Tube — take a listen and have a good chuckle). Or, maybe it is that our neighbors filled our refrigerator with food to get us through a couple of days, or that our housekeeper had been in and made the place shine. It said WELCOME! and felt so good.

We arrived on Thursday and slept until early afternoon on Friday. Wanting to get out and walk a bit we made our way down to a Lebanese grocery where we picked up some authentic Armenian lavash (paper thin sheets of bread) that we cannot get in the U.S., Feeling a bit hungry we sat down to a plate of appetizers all prepared right there. No — we did not eat any of the pastries. It would be too soon to give into that — too many croissants and French pastries are still ahead. Just opposite the restaurant you can see a garden and park on that busy corner. There is a statue of a lion growling in the middle of it. Next time I’ll walk over to see what it signifies, if anything.

I bit further down the street we passed a pharmacy that also sells herbs and alternative medicines. This was the window display. I have no idea what these herbs are. The ledger I assumed was from times passed.

We live close to UNESCO. Last night all museums were open until midnight — and were free. UNESCO had a light show as well – open and free without invitation (which you usually need to get in there). I was hoping we might get over to see it, but no way – we folded after dinner. Below is one small part of UNESCO – it takes up a huge city block.

The next day I was awake enough to get down to the market to do some shopping. As I’ve reported in the past, these street markets are mind-boggling in the variety of fresh produce, fish, meats, cheeses, and prepared foods available. Vendors from various regions come with the products they produce – cheeses, breads, wines, fruits to mention some of what they bring. Even on the Cape we don’t see the variety of fish displayed here. And how about the potatoes? How many different kinds there are – and each has its specific use depending on the dish being prepared. (That’s about all I know!)

Below is our bread man. He knows George and me well and never fails to give a warm welcome. Today he asked about George not seeing him around. I bought two baguettes and a lemon pound cake. Over the next three hours he will sell almost everything you see in the photo.

I started to get weary so didn’t do the usual tour of the entire market which would take at least 45 minutes. I did stop to take a photo of this processed meat counter. You’ll see the asparagus, too, once I get it home. White asparagus that looks like firecrackers — enormous — but tender and delicious.

More to follow in the next few days. But now to bed as it is 10 pm. I just finished Osman’s The Bullet That Missed, third in the Thursday Murder Club series. For pure fun and good entertainment I highly recommend the series. Happy Mother’s Day to all!!

Hard as it is to believe, but we’ve only a few days left and so this will be my last post. I’ve a few things to catch up on to tell you about, but first I have to tell you about today. As you might know, anyone entering the US must show both proof of vaccination and a negative Covid PCR test taken 3 days before departure. Online, I found several laboratories in our area which do the PCR test and made appointments at the closest one. Saturday 2:45. I was sure something would go wrong. Since this was all done in French – I wondered if I had the wrong day, time or even the location. How would they send the results? Would the airline accept it? Could there possibly be something missing that I’d forgotten about. This is probably the most anxiety provoking part of travel these days.

At 1:50 pm we headed out – giving us plenty of time to walk the half mile to the lab. We found it without a problem, went in and got on line to register. Within a few minutes I was up at the window speaking French with the receptionist. Suddenly I thought to ask, “Parlez-vous anglais?”. “Oui, madam,” came the reply. And in English she said, “But you are speaking French so well.”. No -no — English please so we get this all right. Her mother is Australian and thus she speaks English — without an Australian accent. We proceeded to complete the registration. Luckily, I had thought to bring our passports as ID which turned out to be critical. After a short wait, the laboratory tech called us and within minutes we were both tested — the nasal swab quite professionally carried out. All turned out OK. We’ll have the results in 24 hours — and we’re 88 euros out-of-pocket (just about $100. — not bad for two).

What do you do when you are happy and in Paris? Have something delicious to eat. I don’t have a photos of what we ate, but look at this. Sliced white bread in Paris. Never thought I’d see it!

Now for some catch-up… back to Reims. Andrew Carnegie, after WWII, along with several other barons of industry, put their efforts into rebuilding Reims which was nearly totally destroyed during the war. Most notable, is the beautiful library, built in Art Deco style. It is a gem – totally in-style down to the last detail. Here are a few photos, but none does it justice.

We stopped in to see the daily market in the center of town, also done in Art Deco style. The center clock is a winner – and definitely brings a smile to one’s face.

Art Deco architecture is everywhere to be seen. It is easy to walk right by it and not notice as so much of the city is built in that style. Below is a stunning warehouse entry way for one of the major champagne companies. Unfortunately, I didn’t note which one. Above the door are a series of mosaics which depict the various stages of producing champagne.

Below is the rare structure that survived the war. It is from the Middle ages. The story goes that a certain sect needed protection and so lived within the courtyard behind these gates — which formed a fortress. If you look right through, between the cars that are there today you can see the façade of the cathedral. The Christmas market booths are in front of it.

And so as not to leave you with a sad thought, here is one last image of some of the most delicious pastry we ever had the pleasure of indulging in…. Pastries by Mori Yoshida — Japanese/French pastry chef. His tiny store is just a few blocks from us. I discovered it because a friend brought us six chocolates from the shop. So, when it was our turn to take dessert to another friend we went to the small shop to see what it was all about. I included photos of the desserts in the shop on an earlier blog.

I walked in and started a conversation with the young sales woman. I said in English — ” I understand this is the only shop in all of Paris. ” She replied,” This is the only shop in all the world!!” I leave you with this image… imagine the flavors. Until the next time…. Au revoir Paris.

What a great weekend. Wish you could have all been with us. Our neighbors suggested we go to champagne country for the weekend and we agreed. The past weekend was a 4 day weekend for most since Armistice Day was on Thursday and thus Friday became a vacation day. We left town on Friday. Our neighbor had already warned us that the region might be very busy because she had a hard time finding accommodations at a top hotel. -On Friday we could not even find a good restaurant for dinner. (Doesn’t mean we starved!). In France, she says, never stay at any hotel less than a 5! We did stay at the Best Western Premier Hotel de la Paix in Reims which was really good. I’d recommend it without hesitation. (A huge buffet breakfast is included which is very nice.)

The forecast was for rain on Saturday and Sunday but we lucked out — just a few drizzles with mild temperatures. Perfect for walking. Despite a bum knee and using a walking stick I kept up with the group. George and I did more walking than we have since in Paris two years ago. Here’s the proof…..over 12,000 steps!

No wonder we were tired on Sunday!

As I’m sure you know, Champagne is the region of France where champagne is produced. No other bubbly can be called champagne iif produced from grapes grown outside this region. The vineyards are seemingly endless. And the little farm houses that dot the countryside make the scenes pastural although there isn’t a cow insight.

Our first stop was at a champagne tasting spot which served snacks that made up our lunch. All in all we had 8 champagnes to taste, but we didn’t all taste all of them. George and I ordered 3 of the blanc de blanc — which are the best. (I always thought blanc de blanc was a mediocre bubbly. But not so – when referring to French champagne, it mean the top of the line. Indeed, we could taste the difference. I was amazed.

We went into the Moet and Chandon reception area and bought some champagne. Yes — I bought a bottle of Dom Perignon for us all to enjoy later — and we did! After arriving back in Paris. But for now, we were headed to our hotel and the city of Reims. Reims is in the northeast corner of France, close to the German border and therefore a very important city in both world wars. In WW II it was almost completely destroyed and afterward much of it was rebuilt with the help of American barons – Carnegie and Rockefeller in the fore. The armistice was signed in a small school building close to the train station where Eisenhower had set up his headquarters after the Allies made their way over France. A short, but very moving video of the war and how it played out in Reims is shown at the museum. I highly recommend a visit here.

We all learned in school about the incredible Gothic cathedrals of France. This is one of the greatest where all of the kings of France were crowned. (Rheims = the English spelling, so don’t get confused). In person – it is truly dazzling. My photos don’t do it justice at all. Saturday night we had dinner at a restaurant, 3rd floor above ground, with the cathedral as our backdrop. The Rose Windows are breathtaking as are the 3 stainglasss windows by Marc Chagall. (Worth going online to read about the stain glass windows. Several are intact from the 13th century having survived both World Wars.

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We’ve been to a lot of cities but I must say there is no city as lovely as Paris on a fall day, sunny with cool breezes and golden leaves all around. I think one of the reasons it is so lovely here is that the streets in the center of the city are wide, with lots of open space. I’m sure there are many who would tell you that there are fewer parks now than before, but still, there are so many open spaces to enjoy compared to even a city like Boston. Now I might be getting into trouble here — so I’ll stop.

Right in the center of Paris are the Luxembourg Gardens (and yes — ok, NY has Central Park) — with paths for walking, playgraounds, tennis courts, bacci games going on, backgammon… etc. We stopped to take in the sun and watch Paris walk by. Oh and of course I should mention that the French Senate is here too in a magnificent imposing building.

Although we enjoy taking and looking at photographs, it really isn’t our thing. Two days later we went to the Musée D’Orsay and saw the Signac, his work and his collection. Neo- Impressionist in style the exhibitions was fantastic.

Hard to believe we’ve been here for 10 days already. So much has happened which I haven’t had the time or the energy to write about. But — before we go off to the Musée D’Orsay today I want to get a post off about the last couple of days.

First, the weather has been glorious. Cool, but sunny and just right for walking around Paris. We’ve finally given up using buses exclusively. UBER — here we come. Uber is working out great and I think getting George back onto buses will be impossible.

How do you make this? More to the question — how do you cut it? I think it is meant to be a wedding cake, but I’m not sure. If you see the name on it — Angelina — that is the name of the cafe/salon de thé at the Luxembourg museum that we went to yesterday. Photos to follow tomorrow.

It was the weekend and to my surprise every museum we wanted to go to was fully booked. Covid restrictions probably the reason, but the truth is there are so many people here it makes getting into restaurants and exhibitions difficult. One must plan ahead. Also — it was school vacation week and although many Parisians have left the city, many others seems to have arrived. This week, took is more time off with Nov. 11, Armistice Day is celebrated. This year it is a three-day weekend and so many have taken this whole week off, too, along with last week’s school vacation week.

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…..