Today was a wonderful day. We were invited for lunch by old and very dear friends, Guy Bensimon, Yvonne Restoix and her daughter Nelly and we met and also lunched with Guy's nephew who was introduced in such rapid French fashion that I don't know his name. But he has promised to email so I will find out his name than.
Yvonne we met almost 20 years ago when we took an Elderhostel on French cooking in a small village in SW France, Le Temple sur Lot. Part of the program included dinner with a local French family and we were lucky to be paired up with Yvonne and her husband Alain. We have kept in touch and visited here in France and in the US many times over the years. Alain died several years ago but we continue to visit with Yvonne. Nelly is works here in Paris. Guy was married to Yvonne's sister-in-law, Georgette who died about two years ago. Both Guy and Georgette became much loved friends. Guy celebrated his 90th birthday this year. So we had a grand reunion today.
We gather in Guy's apartment on a high floor of a building overlooking the Seine. What a view! We went for lunch at a Lebanese restaurant that Guy claimed is the best in Paris and after the meal I do believe he is correct the food, drinks and wine were outstanding.
We had mezza (sp?) and the dishes just kept arriving. If a dish is possible for such a meal I am sure we had it. I can't begin to describe the variety. We ate and ate and talked and ate until we were very full but then we added on every manner of middle-eastern pastry you can imagine of which I partook my full share. Who can have willpower faced with such goodies. Well, not I.
The conversation was mostly in French since only Harley and Nelly and I spoke English. I did reasonably well at understanding and speaking but I do need more exposure. Have to come back soon. How I would love to live here!
These people made us feel so at home. They are wonderful friends and we hope to see them again on our next trip to France.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Paris, Tues-Thurs, April 23-25, 2013
tuesday we invited our friends Elisabeth and Jean Pierre to lunch at Les Papilles. The buses were all messed up so we had to improvise. Thank goodness we had our Paris bus maps with us. And it worked so we arrived on time. I had made a reservation at this small place which has about 24 seats so we were tucked into a pleasant alcove at the back with a window. We went for the full meal but our guests were more restrained and took only the main course and an espresso. Everything was delicious. We had a very creamy cauliflower soup with all manner of little goodies added the last drop of which was wiped from the plates with their wonderful bread. This was followed by a beef dish cooked for hours in red wine with potatoes, carrots, pea pods and garlic cloves. Harley and I shared the blue cheese and the pudding dessert and we all enjoyed plenty of the house wine.
After this the only thing possible was to go home for a nap.
Wednesday we paid a visit to Dehilleron, the kitchen supply shop where Julia Child always bought kitchen equipment when in Paris. It is a very old enterprise loaded floor to ceiling with pots and implements squeezed along narrow aisles. I would have loved to have someone explain what a lot of the things were used for, but I'll never know. They serve as a source of equipment for restaurant kitchens so some of the pots were enormous. John Pierre noted that they are one of the few places to get the kind of knives which can be sharpened repeatedly producing an extremely sharp edge in which case the knife is eventually worn down. And they carry a huge line of copper pots which must be quite expensive since they are all chained and held fast with small locks.
After this adventure Harley bused back to the apartment and I walked to the Marais to enjoy the Paris streets and revisit the bead shops I had been to earlier. I walked for several hours until I was very tired and a bit lost but I didn't buy anything else. Managed to decipher a bus route that would get me back to the apartment tired but happy. I love to walk in cities!
Thursday promised to be a lovely day, warm and sunny so not even a jacket is needed to be outdoors. Stephanie stopped by to return our security deposit after which we took the bus to the Left Bank to walk along the Seine. It is such a magnificent way to admire Paris. What a city! If you've never been you must come and if you have been before, come back. It never gets boring.
We then walked a way south toward the Luxembourg Gardens looking for the restaurant where we planned to have lunch. As in the Marais, the streets here go every which way and change names frequently. And the regular map does not show many of the smaller streets so it took frequent stops for geographic analysis to find the restaurant, Bastide de l'Odeon, but we found it with no major detours.
We ate here two years ago when we were in Paris and it has remained excellent. Harley had creamed asparagus soup and I had raw, thin sliced salmon with ratte potatoes and a creamy sauce. We both wiped our plates with their bread which was so good. They manage to bake bread with a heavy, crisp crust which is tough to break but great to chew. (You may have concluded by now that I approve of the bread here.)
Then for mains we had duck with polenta. Their duck is a bit tougher than ours but tastes so good and we both love polenta. For dessert Harley had melon with ice cream and sauce and I had a sable with strawberries and pistachio ice cream. Then espresso to end a wonderful meal which again necessitated a return home for a nap. After all we had been eating for two hours which uses a lot of energy and the consumption of a good bit of red wine adds to the sleep requirement.
After this the only thing possible was to go home for a nap.
Wednesday we paid a visit to Dehilleron, the kitchen supply shop where Julia Child always bought kitchen equipment when in Paris. It is a very old enterprise loaded floor to ceiling with pots and implements squeezed along narrow aisles. I would have loved to have someone explain what a lot of the things were used for, but I'll never know. They serve as a source of equipment for restaurant kitchens so some of the pots were enormous. John Pierre noted that they are one of the few places to get the kind of knives which can be sharpened repeatedly producing an extremely sharp edge in which case the knife is eventually worn down. And they carry a huge line of copper pots which must be quite expensive since they are all chained and held fast with small locks.
After this adventure Harley bused back to the apartment and I walked to the Marais to enjoy the Paris streets and revisit the bead shops I had been to earlier. I walked for several hours until I was very tired and a bit lost but I didn't buy anything else. Managed to decipher a bus route that would get me back to the apartment tired but happy. I love to walk in cities!
Thursday promised to be a lovely day, warm and sunny so not even a jacket is needed to be outdoors. Stephanie stopped by to return our security deposit after which we took the bus to the Left Bank to walk along the Seine. It is such a magnificent way to admire Paris. What a city! If you've never been you must come and if you have been before, come back. It never gets boring.
We then walked a way south toward the Luxembourg Gardens looking for the restaurant where we planned to have lunch. As in the Marais, the streets here go every which way and change names frequently. And the regular map does not show many of the smaller streets so it took frequent stops for geographic analysis to find the restaurant, Bastide de l'Odeon, but we found it with no major detours.
We ate here two years ago when we were in Paris and it has remained excellent. Harley had creamed asparagus soup and I had raw, thin sliced salmon with ratte potatoes and a creamy sauce. We both wiped our plates with their bread which was so good. They manage to bake bread with a heavy, crisp crust which is tough to break but great to chew. (You may have concluded by now that I approve of the bread here.)
Then for mains we had duck with polenta. Their duck is a bit tougher than ours but tastes so good and we both love polenta. For dessert Harley had melon with ice cream and sauce and I had a sable with strawberries and pistachio ice cream. Then espresso to end a wonderful meal which again necessitated a return home for a nap. After all we had been eating for two hours which uses a lot of energy and the consumption of a good bit of red wine adds to the sleep requirement.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Paris Sunday April 21, 2013
Today, Sunday, we went up to the Brullerie to listen to the music which started at 11:00AM. They had a four piece group including bass, saxophone, banjo and rhythm washboard playing Dixieland and blues. Three men, one American on the sax, a woman on the banjo with the woman and the sax player also singing. It was a lovely, pleasant morning somany people walked by and many others stayed a while to listen. They were a fun group and we had a very enjoyable stay for about an hour. Today since it was comfortably warm, the large front windows were open so it was as if the group were on the street as was most of the audience. I even videos part of one piece with my iPhone. I didn't know if it would also record the sound, but when I got home and turned it on to play back I found it had. So now we have a mini recording of the group. What a treat!
Walking home we stopped to talk to a man handing out election flyers. He was most pleasant and even told us of a very good Italian restaurant on the street, Pucinella. (Rue Danremont). We hope to try it before we leave.
Next came another great discovery as we waked back to the apartment - a fantastic grocery store that sold only frozen food. It is part of a chain called Picard. There were about 50 freezer chests, each carefully labelled, containing pre-cut vegetables and fruit, all sorts of bird and bird parts and every imaginable type of seafood. It also had an astounding array of frozen prepared foods for every dinner course. Couln't resist so we got a couple of things to try including a salmon bread. Let you know after we try it.
Got back in time to make lunch of baked cod with a pesto, garlic olive ans sun dried tomato topping, a huge pot of cooked kale, beet tops and leftover cabbage and a few boiled potatoes from an earlier meal.
Nap time and then a walk to find Rue des Martyrs. Second time I couldn't find it. Does it really exist? But the streets around here go in every direction so, even with a map, you can get confused.
Walking home we stopped to talk to a man handing out election flyers. He was most pleasant and even told us of a very good Italian restaurant on the street, Pucinella. (Rue Danremont). We hope to try it before we leave.
Next came another great discovery as we waked back to the apartment - a fantastic grocery store that sold only frozen food. It is part of a chain called Picard. There were about 50 freezer chests, each carefully labelled, containing pre-cut vegetables and fruit, all sorts of bird and bird parts and every imaginable type of seafood. It also had an astounding array of frozen prepared foods for every dinner course. Couln't resist so we got a couple of things to try including a salmon bread. Let you know after we try it.
Got back in time to make lunch of baked cod with a pesto, garlic olive ans sun dried tomato topping, a huge pot of cooked kale, beet tops and leftover cabbage and a few boiled potatoes from an earlier meal.
Nap time and then a walk to find Rue des Martyrs. Second time I couldn't find it. Does it really exist? But the streets around here go in every direction so, even with a map, you can get confused.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Paris Friday April 19, 2013
Today we went for lunch at Breizh Cafe, a Breton creperie where we ate three years ago . At that time we were renting an apartment just across the street in the Marais. That apartment was a fifth floor walk-up for which we decided we are way too old. But it was a great apartment and great location.
We arrived just after noon and the place was packed. We had no reservation - who would have thought you'd need one for lunch - and they directed us next door to a small shop which got its food and drink from the original restaurant by carrying it outdoors between the two places. The little shop sold specialty items from Brittany such as buckwheat pasta, butter, smoked fish and cider. It had one wooden table which was not a table but rather a solid cube so there was no place for your feet and legs. It had room for six people around three sides. Seats were backless crates standing on end and it was suggested that we put our coats inside the crates. Definitely an informal arrangement. Not the most comfortable but certainly fun and it turned out to lead to good sociability.
The crepes were as varied and tasted as good as we remembered. And we tried a buckwheat beer from Brittany which was quite good. After a bit a couple came in for lunch who were obviously American. We started talking. They were from St. Louis. Then two French women sat at the other two places and we all began to talk. It Is interesting to me how sometimes you meet people and things just click so that you find lots to talk about. It is as if you are all on the same wave length. Anyway one of the French women was especially friendly and ended up taking my email address so that she could send us info on her favorite trestaurants, both French and Asian which she did later that day.
After lunch, Harley went back to the apartment and I walked up Rue du Temple looking for jewelry supply shops. There were many of them, but most were wholesale only. I did find a couple one of which had everything imaginable. I loaded up a basket with beads and findings. I saw some other things I'd like to have gotten but thought it better to check my total so far since they only took cash. Ouch. My total was pretty high so I offloaded some things and made do without the beads I would have liked. Maybe I'll go back next week.
We arrived just after noon and the place was packed. We had no reservation - who would have thought you'd need one for lunch - and they directed us next door to a small shop which got its food and drink from the original restaurant by carrying it outdoors between the two places. The little shop sold specialty items from Brittany such as buckwheat pasta, butter, smoked fish and cider. It had one wooden table which was not a table but rather a solid cube so there was no place for your feet and legs. It had room for six people around three sides. Seats were backless crates standing on end and it was suggested that we put our coats inside the crates. Definitely an informal arrangement. Not the most comfortable but certainly fun and it turned out to lead to good sociability.
The crepes were as varied and tasted as good as we remembered. And we tried a buckwheat beer from Brittany which was quite good. After a bit a couple came in for lunch who were obviously American. We started talking. They were from St. Louis. Then two French women sat at the other two places and we all began to talk. It Is interesting to me how sometimes you meet people and things just click so that you find lots to talk about. It is as if you are all on the same wave length. Anyway one of the French women was especially friendly and ended up taking my email address so that she could send us info on her favorite trestaurants, both French and Asian which she did later that day.
After lunch, Harley went back to the apartment and I walked up Rue du Temple looking for jewelry supply shops. There were many of them, but most were wholesale only. I did find a couple one of which had everything imaginable. I loaded up a basket with beads and findings. I saw some other things I'd like to have gotten but thought it better to check my total so far since they only took cash. Ouch. My total was pretty high so I offloaded some things and made do without the beads I would have liked. Maybe I'll go back next week.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Paris Wed-Thurs April 17-18, 2013
The Chinese curse, "may you live in interesting times" has hit. Of course, the problems of the last few days pale in comparison to the horrors at the Boston marathon and later events there, the situation on Wednesday was most disturbing for me.
While preparing lunch Wednesday, the doorbell rang and two men announced they had come to clean the gas pipe. Like an idiot I let them in even though I sensed this was not smart, in fact it was stupid. They proceeded to take apart the exhaust pipe from the gas heater in the kitchen and to remove a lot of soot from it, explaining how unhealthy it was for it to be there. Then to compound my idiocy, they gave me something to sign saying they had done the work and I signed it. Only at this point did I exhibit a modicum of intelligence and call the apartment owner. Her first words were "don't let them in". Too late to say the least. Well to truncate the story and prevent my return to deep depression, they called the police when I refused to pay them. Then with the police present, they managed to "extort" 80 euros. It wasn't the money that hurt ( well it didn't help) but the feeling of idiocy I felt and the sense of shame at falling for such a scam. In the future I won't open the door to anyone without a battle. And the very nice Paris policeman carefully wrote down the phone number for the police and insisted I call them anytime I felt any sense of fear. I hope I learned my lesson. I still feel like a fool. It turned into a lost day since I felt completely down and refused to go out in public.
French disaster number 2, the assault in Lyon being number 1!!
Thursday Harley insisted we go out and so we took the bus to Musee Nissim de Camondo. This is a "hotel particulaire" or private mansion built by the Camondo family at the start of the 20 th century on rue de Monceau and backing on Parc Monceau. This area of Paris was largely settled by very wealthy Jewish bankers including such families as the Rothchilds. The homes are magnificent and the Camondo building also houses a large collection of art and furniture from the 18th century. It is indeed a museum. Every room was magnificently furnished. One interesting note was the number of clocks, large and small, that filled so much of the wall space. The home even contained an elevator.
For me, since I love anything connected with food, the kitchens were most interesting and it is of these rooms that I took the most photos.
As we headed for the bus back to the apartment walking up rue des Malesherbes we heard this terrific crash and both of us turned just in time to see a large Mercedes sedan fly through the air and land with a terrific thud. The driver had missed seeing a concrete stanchion 8 to 10 in he's high in the middle of the street. He must have hit it at some speed and went up in the air. When the car landed it was minus the driver's side front wheel and other assorted car parts and the engine was leaking various fluids. Being nosy we waited around about 20 minutes. It no police or tow truck arrived so we gave up. We did see about 10 police vans and busses go by. They were all loaded with people. Don't know if the people were police or people who had. Even arrested. We just assume there was a "manifestation" or demonstration somewhere. I count this as the third of our "interesting times" for this trip. That's enough.
On the way home we stopped for our usual bread and wine which we consume quickly and for the mâché salad to which we have become addicted. But the bread consumption has to stop, especially the baguette with poppy seeds which is irresistible. It will be difficult to lose the extra pounds when we get back to Baltimore.
While preparing lunch Wednesday, the doorbell rang and two men announced they had come to clean the gas pipe. Like an idiot I let them in even though I sensed this was not smart, in fact it was stupid. They proceeded to take apart the exhaust pipe from the gas heater in the kitchen and to remove a lot of soot from it, explaining how unhealthy it was for it to be there. Then to compound my idiocy, they gave me something to sign saying they had done the work and I signed it. Only at this point did I exhibit a modicum of intelligence and call the apartment owner. Her first words were "don't let them in". Too late to say the least. Well to truncate the story and prevent my return to deep depression, they called the police when I refused to pay them. Then with the police present, they managed to "extort" 80 euros. It wasn't the money that hurt ( well it didn't help) but the feeling of idiocy I felt and the sense of shame at falling for such a scam. In the future I won't open the door to anyone without a battle. And the very nice Paris policeman carefully wrote down the phone number for the police and insisted I call them anytime I felt any sense of fear. I hope I learned my lesson. I still feel like a fool. It turned into a lost day since I felt completely down and refused to go out in public.
French disaster number 2, the assault in Lyon being number 1!!
Thursday Harley insisted we go out and so we took the bus to Musee Nissim de Camondo. This is a "hotel particulaire" or private mansion built by the Camondo family at the start of the 20 th century on rue de Monceau and backing on Parc Monceau. This area of Paris was largely settled by very wealthy Jewish bankers including such families as the Rothchilds. The homes are magnificent and the Camondo building also houses a large collection of art and furniture from the 18th century. It is indeed a museum. Every room was magnificently furnished. One interesting note was the number of clocks, large and small, that filled so much of the wall space. The home even contained an elevator.
For me, since I love anything connected with food, the kitchens were most interesting and it is of these rooms that I took the most photos.
As we headed for the bus back to the apartment walking up rue des Malesherbes we heard this terrific crash and both of us turned just in time to see a large Mercedes sedan fly through the air and land with a terrific thud. The driver had missed seeing a concrete stanchion 8 to 10 in he's high in the middle of the street. He must have hit it at some speed and went up in the air. When the car landed it was minus the driver's side front wheel and other assorted car parts and the engine was leaking various fluids. Being nosy we waited around about 20 minutes. It no police or tow truck arrived so we gave up. We did see about 10 police vans and busses go by. They were all loaded with people. Don't know if the people were police or people who had. Even arrested. We just assume there was a "manifestation" or demonstration somewhere. I count this as the third of our "interesting times" for this trip. That's enough.
On the way home we stopped for our usual bread and wine which we consume quickly and for the mâché salad to which we have become addicted. But the bread consumption has to stop, especially the baguette with poppy seeds which is irresistible. It will be difficult to lose the extra pounds when we get back to Baltimore.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Paris Mon/Tues April 15/16, 2013
Monday was spent on housekeeping-laundry and cooking. Wanted to use up the chicken I had frozen and the huge sweet potato I had on hand so I made another batch of chicken curry and rice. It produced a big quantity so now I have enough for at least four meals. Well we like it and Harley enjoys leftovers as long as they taste good.
I've become obsessed with videos about jewelry making so I spent several hours watching those, each one leading to curiosity about another technique. How to be productively lazy! Didn't even go outdoors.
Tuesday was a totally different kind of day. It started with an email from Sandy as I sat down to drink my morning coffee mentioning the bombings in Boston. I had not known about them as we don't watch TV and I hadn't checked the NY Times website Monday evening. It sent chills through me just as it did for most other people. Sandy's sister Alison had run the marathon and luckily was past the finish line before the explosions. So hard to understand people who get their kicks from making other people suffer. I fear the US may face further incidents since copy cat action seems inevitable.
After reading all that was in the Times and checking out the other US and world news we made a run to the grocery for necessities, put them away and headed into town for lunch at a favorite creperie in th Marais. One bus ride and a fairly long walk later we found the place but it was closed.m should have checked for the days it is open. We had passed a spot that we had visited years earlier, Les Philosophes. So we turned around and headed for it, got a seat at one of the sidewalk tables and were given menus. Everything sounded good but expensive. When all attempts to get the waiter's attentioned failed we took the approach of voting with our feet, otherwise known as leaving. By now it was after two in the afternoon and we were very hungry. So we decided to find something on Rue des Rosiers, the heart of the Jewish section. Turning around again we walked back a couple of blocks and found a falafel and pita place and went in. Ordered pita sandwiches with schwarma, two cans of beer and a plate of eggplant, Israeli style. Everything was delicious and the waitress was pleasant and helpful. A change from Les Philosophes.
Heading back to the bus to go home, we stopped at a small grocery, l'Izrael that we had discovered on an earlier trip to Paris. It as just as amazing a shop as ever. If you are a foodie inParis I strongly recommend a visit.
Getting back to our neighborhood on the bus we stopped at Starbucks for a bag of ground coffee. Why Starbucks when you are in Paris you ask. Because it is hard to find decent coffee for brewing here. If you have read David Lebovitz's web site about Paris you would find his opinion is that coffee beans in Paris are awful and whenever he goes to Italy from here he comes back with a suitcase full of coffee. Would you believe?
Paris factoid: Many of the homeless on the streets have a pet dog or cat.
I've become obsessed with videos about jewelry making so I spent several hours watching those, each one leading to curiosity about another technique. How to be productively lazy! Didn't even go outdoors.
Tuesday was a totally different kind of day. It started with an email from Sandy as I sat down to drink my morning coffee mentioning the bombings in Boston. I had not known about them as we don't watch TV and I hadn't checked the NY Times website Monday evening. It sent chills through me just as it did for most other people. Sandy's sister Alison had run the marathon and luckily was past the finish line before the explosions. So hard to understand people who get their kicks from making other people suffer. I fear the US may face further incidents since copy cat action seems inevitable.
After reading all that was in the Times and checking out the other US and world news we made a run to the grocery for necessities, put them away and headed into town for lunch at a favorite creperie in th Marais. One bus ride and a fairly long walk later we found the place but it was closed.m should have checked for the days it is open. We had passed a spot that we had visited years earlier, Les Philosophes. So we turned around and headed for it, got a seat at one of the sidewalk tables and were given menus. Everything sounded good but expensive. When all attempts to get the waiter's attentioned failed we took the approach of voting with our feet, otherwise known as leaving. By now it was after two in the afternoon and we were very hungry. So we decided to find something on Rue des Rosiers, the heart of the Jewish section. Turning around again we walked back a couple of blocks and found a falafel and pita place and went in. Ordered pita sandwiches with schwarma, two cans of beer and a plate of eggplant, Israeli style. Everything was delicious and the waitress was pleasant and helpful. A change from Les Philosophes.
Heading back to the bus to go home, we stopped at a small grocery, l'Izrael that we had discovered on an earlier trip to Paris. It as just as amazing a shop as ever. If you are a foodie inParis I strongly recommend a visit.
Getting back to our neighborhood on the bus we stopped at Starbucks for a bag of ground coffee. Why Starbucks when you are in Paris you ask. Because it is hard to find decent coffee for brewing here. If you have read David Lebovitz's web site about Paris you would find his opinion is that coffee beans in Paris are awful and whenever he goes to Italy from here he comes back with a suitcase full of coffee. Would you believe?
Paris factoid: Many of the homeless on the streets have a pet dog or cat.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Paris. Saturday April 13 and Sunday
Saturday willbe a busy day. Up early with the alarm at 7:30. It is market day so we head to Blvd des Batignolles for the bio market and make the usual rounds - veggies and fruit, fish (cod this week)' sausages and pate for a couple of quick meals and, of course, cheese. Hurry home, put everything away and head to Chatelet to meet Elisabeth and Jean Pierre, the couple we met on oour Danube tour last year.
The bus we took ended its run at Bourse so, rather than wait for the next bus we decided to walk. The streets in this part of Paris must have been laid out by a meandering cow,but a longer than expected walk. We arrived with time to spare since we always leave time for every possible contingency, adding all possibilities together, a habit I acquired from my Grandfather.
It was so nice to see both of them again. We had enjoyed their company on the boat trip and had kept in touch. We had lunch at a very old restaurant "Zimmer" founded by French ALsacians who had fled Alsace when the Germans won it in the 1870's. Lunch was delicious as expected, with each of us having some combination of lentil soup, pate, salmon and duck confit and of course bread and wine.
After lunch we walked along the Seine past flower shops and animal shops, an unusual neighborhood. We then visited the corner where Elisabeth's family had lived and owned a small restaurant and the church where Elizabeth's parents were married.
A short metro ride took us to the area near Champs Élysées where Elisabeth and Jean Pierre live in a lovely apartment with views of the neighborhood and a glimpse of the top of th Eiffel Tower. A bit of envy was inevitable since I'd love to live in Paris at least for a while.
We got home about 6:00, two very tired but contented people.
Sunday started slowly with a bread run after breakfast followed by a lazy morning. After lunch of salmon, ratte potatoes and veggies followed by my daily nap we took the bus to Parc Monceau. This area was home to many of the very wealthiest Jewish bankers at the turn of the 19th/20th century. We had planned to visit Musee Camondo, the home built by Moisse Camondo. All of that family is gone, the last daughter killed by the Nazis. Rather than visit so late in the day we plan to return later in the week. most important, it is a beautiful, warm day. The first since we arrived.
Random notes: There are little green women as well as little green men who keep the streets clean.
Older couples here often walk down the street holding hands.
Dog ownership in Paris is very popular.
Huge numbers of people, especially the young, smoke.
Teen agers are as rude here as in the US.
The city bus and metro systems are super good.
Architecture here is magnificent. It is a beautiful city.
The bus we took ended its run at Bourse so, rather than wait for the next bus we decided to walk. The streets in this part of Paris must have been laid out by a meandering cow,but a longer than expected walk. We arrived with time to spare since we always leave time for every possible contingency, adding all possibilities together, a habit I acquired from my Grandfather.
It was so nice to see both of them again. We had enjoyed their company on the boat trip and had kept in touch. We had lunch at a very old restaurant "Zimmer" founded by French ALsacians who had fled Alsace when the Germans won it in the 1870's. Lunch was delicious as expected, with each of us having some combination of lentil soup, pate, salmon and duck confit and of course bread and wine.
After lunch we walked along the Seine past flower shops and animal shops, an unusual neighborhood. We then visited the corner where Elisabeth's family had lived and owned a small restaurant and the church where Elizabeth's parents were married.
A short metro ride took us to the area near Champs Élysées where Elisabeth and Jean Pierre live in a lovely apartment with views of the neighborhood and a glimpse of the top of th Eiffel Tower. A bit of envy was inevitable since I'd love to live in Paris at least for a while.
We got home about 6:00, two very tired but contented people.
Sunday started slowly with a bread run after breakfast followed by a lazy morning. After lunch of salmon, ratte potatoes and veggies followed by my daily nap we took the bus to Parc Monceau. This area was home to many of the very wealthiest Jewish bankers at the turn of the 19th/20th century. We had planned to visit Musee Camondo, the home built by Moisse Camondo. All of that family is gone, the last daughter killed by the Nazis. Rather than visit so late in the day we plan to return later in the week. most important, it is a beautiful, warm day. The first since we arrived.
Random notes: There are little green women as well as little green men who keep the streets clean.
Older couples here often walk down the street holding hands.
Dog ownership in Paris is very popular.
Huge numbers of people, especially the young, smoke.
Teen agers are as rude here as in the US.
The city bus and metro systems are super good.
Architecture here is magnificent. It is a beautiful city.
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