Our Last Day in Paris

Today (Sunday) is our very last day in Paris. Tomorrow morning at 8am our car is picking us up to take us to CDG and then home. I'm looking forward to going home, to see my family and friends and of course my dear little pug dog. Being our last day, we wanted to keep it relaxed and low key. So we headed off for the Tuilleries garden (as mentioned earlier, one of our favourite places in the entire city) and took in the beautiful gardens and statuary. We did a complete turn about and walked home via the rue de Rivoli. We made a pit stop in the Galleries du Louvre antique mall, where we admired much and purchased not (saw a terrific little store that sold only walking sticks!), and sat for a delicious lunch in a nearby cafe. We hopped back on the metro to our apartment and had a some pastries and a nap. For the afternoon, we discovered more of the Ile St Louis. In the St Louis church we discovered the tomb of the Czartorsky family, who, believe it or not, are distantly related to Paul through his father's side of the family! We also visited their town house, the Hotel Lambert. You have to know more about this place - click here to get the scoop. We also discovered the National pastry school (YUM!) and various other surprises. So all in all, a fitting end to a wonderful trip. As an FYI, if you want to track our progress home (our flight leaves Paris at about 11:30am (5:30am Toronto time), you can track our trans-Atlantic progress by going to www.flightaware.com and tracking Air Canada Flight 881.
Au revior Paris.

Un superbe ne fait rien jour

"I can't believe tomorrow's our last day" I said to Paul as we strode along the Rue du Chereche Midi, clutching our chocolats Puyricard bag "It seems like we just got here..." and you know, I think that's the way that it is in Paris. The days seem to go by so quickly. Let's face it every city has its own charm, regardless, you just have to get to know it. I am lucky enough to have been to Paris 11 times now, so although I don't know every street, nook or cranny, I have more than a passing knowledge of where to go, what to do and my likes and dislikes about it.

Today we just spent a lot of time strolling around looking for inspiration. It is easy to find - in the beautiful flowers on display at the florist, the oysters for sale at the poissonerie, in the faces of the children as they ride the ponies in the Jardins de Luxembourg, in the beautiful breads at Max Poilâne, even the giant posters advertising "instant cassoulet" in the metro. If you look, it is there.

I'm pleased to say that we have not really been affected by the demonstrations that have been putting Paris back on the map in recent days. Our secluded little address on the Ile St Louis is surrounded by tourists, not demonstrators. The funny thing is that they are all protesting that the retirement age is going to be raised from 60 to 62. Note that they keep theit minimu 5 weeks holidays.

As the saying goes, some people just don't know how lucky they are.

Parc Monceau & More

Thanks for asking - I did have a better day today!

We headed out this morning to discover the sumptuous area around the Parc Monceau.

The Parc Monceau is an exquisite centrpiece of an elegant second empire district. The park proper is surrounded by streets with opulent mansions that stunningly convey the magnificence in which some Parisians are lucky enough to live in. Our walk took in many of the sites such as the old toll-house and the colonnade (where they were doing a wedding gown photo shoot!), as well as memorials to Chopin and various ruins from demolished Paris buildings.

An unexpected highlight - if not a highlight of this whole trip, was our last minute decision to stop into the the Nissim de Camondo museum, which we happened to be passing. I can't even begin to describe either the architectural magnificence nor the sumptuousness of this hidden Parisian Gem. Its stunning beauty masks the town-house's tragic history, though. Built by one of the wealthiest men in all of Paris, Moïse de Camondo, a Sephardic Jew who's family came to Paris from Spain via Venice and Istanbul, Mr. Camondo, a banker, had two children, Nissim and Beatrice. Nissim was an airman with the French Air Force and was killed in the first world war. Beatrice, who was married and had 2 children, inherited a massive fortune from her father, but really wasn't interested in the house or the exquisite collection amassed by her father, so, in his will Moïse left the house and its contents to the republic, in the name of his beloved son, Nissim. The story only get more tragic. Beatrice, her husband and their two young children, who had settled in Neuilly (a very posh suburb of Paris) were rounded up and met a tragic end in the death camp of Auschwitz, in 1943 or 44. The entire family is now extinct. This story has haunted me now for the day, and will much longer. How such philanthropy, wealth and prestige can be lost to the world through evil is unsettling and alarming.

To know more about the house and its glorious interiors, click here and also here.

We unfortunately didn't see the sun today (no complaints, we've had cloudless skies all the time we've been here!), but the day was a treat anyway. We just grabbed a sandwich from a sandwicherie for lunch and went to a wonderful Japanese restaurant we know on the Rue de Bourgone for supper. Just didn't feel like cooking today!

Greetings to everyone, and hi to the folks from Singapore and Ukraine who logged in to see my postings!

Beautiful day – what a disappointment!

We’ve had flawless days for the whole trip, and that trend continued today. I have to tell you, though, the whole day turned out to be a bit of a disappointment.

Now, I know everything is relative – boo hoo, Fred was disappointed in Paris, my heart weeps… but bear with me.

We decided to do one of my most favourite things, which was take the Batou-Bus cruise on the Seine River. We started out doing so and managed to catch one that was all ready moored, so things started off pretty smoothly. We went around to the Grand Palais in order to finally see the Monet exhibit.

What a mistake.

This exhibit is the largest collection (over 200 works) ever assembled in one place. We ended up lining up for over TWO HOURS (from 11am to 1pm) just to GET IN and see the show. We were lucky that there were some Americans and a British person with us, and between the 5 of us we had a nice conversation. I kept saying to Paul – this sign says “It’s a 2 hour wait from this sign to get in,” but he just sort of kept ignoring me, so we inched along and inched along, in order to pay to get in and view the exhibit. The exhibit was impressive, and I was pleased to see works from both the Art Gallery of Ontario and the National Gallery in Ottawa included… but you know what – 200 works is just too darned big. It took hours to view it properly ( we like to take the audio guide to get the most out of the exhibit, so it takes longer to view). So, at 4 o’clock, and without any lunch we broke our rule about not eating out at places we don’t know, and stopped into a nearby café for some thing to eat and drink. I had a sandwich with some French fries and Paul had a pizza slice. We shared a half bottle of wine and some water – and the bill came to 40E – or 56 Canadian dollars. I HATE paying through the nose for mediocre food, and this epitomized it. NEVER AGAIN!

Despite the late time, we walked back to the banks of the Seine and hopped back on the Batou bus with a view to doing nothing other than getting back to our stop (Notre Dame) and getting back into our apartment. After enjoying the tour including a stop at the base of the Eiffel Tower, somewhere around the St Germain des Pres stop, something went wrong with the motor on the bus and it spewed out a MASSIVE cloud of black diesel fumes laced with soot which – you guessed it – landed all over my jacket (the windows were open because of the nice weather) which is now plastered with smudged black soot.

We hadn’t laid in any groceries for our supper, so I kindly let Paul stay at home while I headed out to a traiteur to get something in for our supper.

Of course, he didn’t like what I brought home (note – he didn’t go out and get it himself).

I’m calling it a day. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

At least “Master Chef” France is on TV tonight.

A Beautiful Tackiness?

I was enthused (and thankful) when folks wrote to tell me that they were indeed reading my blog. Thanks so much! I didn’t know it, but I have a little “status” area where I can go and get the stats on my blog. Believe it or not, I have readers from Canada, the United States, France, Japan, South Africa, the Middle East… you name it! Hurrah! Hello to all of you no matter where you are and what time of day it is.

Today started off cool and grey, but by the afternoon all was well again.

We headed out to go to the Museé Maillot to see the Treasures of the Medici’s exhibit. It was a breathtaking collection of some of the finest possessions of this renowned family; DaVinci sculptures, Rubens paintings, magnificent objet d’art, tracing the 400 years of Medici’s, including 2 Queens of France and 2 Popes, amongst this most notable of families. I wish we were permitted to take photos L

Along the way we managed to see them shooting a film on the quay just below the end of our street. We also passed some fishermen trying their luck. They made for interesting photographs.

Now, on a more serious note, its time to ask… has Paris gone tacky?

I guess to ask such a question, one needs to define the parameters of what comprises such – and that on its own leaves so much room for argument that it’s not even funny. It just seems such a juxtaposition here where so much work goes into, say, designing a street light lamp post, that the same culture has created aprons that say “Paris” with tits poking out (admittedly, ample, firm ones), plastic statues of Degas sculptures and hookers on the rue St Dennis & Place Pigalle (would anyone actually buy one of those and take them home – and put it where?), and fluffy pink Eiffel Towers with faces on them – all purveyed next door to a tattoo parlour.

But then again, I suppose I have my own cross to bear, never mind the citizen of Paris!

It's all business!

Despite the glorious weather again today, it was all about business, as Paul and I had several appointments with our suppliers. The fun thing about doing business here is that it rarely takes all that long, and the suppliers all want to entertain you in some fashion!
Nevertheless, we did have time to check out the breath-taking exhibition on the gold of the Incas, at the musee Pinacotheque, on place de Madelaine. we did some shopping in all the gourmet shops that also surround the sqaure, and then stopped into the Hermes flagship store on the rue Faubourg st Honre, so that Paul could buy a couple of bars pf his favourite soap, orange vert. A long day ended up with a couple of beers in a charming cafe before supper at our local pizzeria. Walking home, I snapped the night photo of Notre Dame.
Not much to say, as I doubt that anyone's reading this anyway... but another fantastic day in Paris!

A beautiful day en Paris

Today brought cooler weather, but the sunny skies remain persistently clear-what a treat!
We got right out this morning and headed off to the Grand Palais to see the Monet exhibit (over 200 works collected under one roof). When we arrived, the line up was sooooooooooo long, we decided to visit the "other" exhibit in the Palais (one we wanted to see as well, anyway), which is France between the middle ages and the Renaissance.
What a fabulous exhibit!
It's choc full of stained glass windows, illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, paintings (including a daVinci), furniture, tapestries and objects d'art. We rented the audio guide (in English, of course) and spent a couple of hours discovering the wonders of this often over-looked era. It covered mostly the reigns of the Valois dynasty (1350-1600), so the authentic "Gothic" era. I was especially taken with the illuminated manuscripts - the fineness and quality of the work, and the rich, vibrant colours were breathtaking! Unfortunately, photos were not permitted :-(
Après, it was lunch time, so we took the metro over to St.Paul and walked over to the Rue de Rossiers, where we had the best felaffel in Paris (if not ever, anywhere). Its a messy combination of cole slaw (yes, coleslaw), deep-fried chick pea balls, grilled egg-plant, tahini, tabbouleh, and other things, topped off with hot sauce and stuffed into a warm, moist pita. YUM!
Being the Jewish quarter, we hunted down some marvelous bagels for our lunch - we bought 4, but when we got home they look so huge I think 2 would have been enough. Oh well, never mind.
We've been having just the greatest time this trip (not that we don't every time), but a lot of the fun has come from just 'walking around." Perhaps this blog is a teeny bit boring, because it's not full of images of the Eiffel Tower and the Notre Dame and the like - but you know what - it's sort of like "been there, done that." I don't dispute the beauty or the importance, but it's nice to feel that we don't "have" to do these things. There is so much more to the city if you just get off the beaten path and observe.
The best felaffel won't come to you - you have to go out looking for it!

Discovering Montparnasse

In the first three decades of this century, Montparnasse was a thriving artistic and literary centre. Many modern painters and sculptors, novelists and poets, the great and the unknown, were drawn to the area. Its ateliers, conviviality and bohemian lifestyle made it a magnet for genius, some of it French, much of it foreign.

The great epoch ended with WWII, and change continued with the destruction of many of the ateliers and the construction of the soaring Tour Montparnasse, Paris' tallest office tower, which heralded the modern quartier.

Montparnasse, although mostly overlooked by everyone today, still can live up to its name. Mount Parnassus was the mountain dedicated by ancient Greeks to Apollo, god of poetry ,music and beauty. Although people such as Picasso, Hemingway, Cocteau, Giacometti, Matisse and Modigliani are gone, it's still a vibrant albeit less frequented part of town.

A fantastic place to visit - one that actually forces you to remember the heyday of the quarter, it the Montparnasse cemetery. It is full of the most interesting monuments and is a peaceful retreat in the bustle of the city (especially on another hot day like today!). Some notables buried here are the likes of Jean Paul Sartre and Simone Beauvoir, the existentialist couple, Hollywood Gamour girl with a tragic life, Jean Seberg, romantic poet, Charles Baudelaire, Sculptors Henri Laurens and Brancusi, and that French bad boy, Serge Gainsbourg (je t'aime, je t'taime, ahhh ouiiiii, je t'aime he breathed heavily into the microphone with Brigitte Bardot).

Anyway, I don't think enough people visit this quarter with its lack of fancy public monuments and fountains -and that's a shame, because there's something interesting to be found here...

The Ile St. Louis

In 59 BC, the Romans conquered a small settlement of the Parisii people, in an area known as Leutitia. This was a small island in the middle of the Seine river. Next to it was a small, flood-prone island was of little use to anyone. Over time, the level of the island was raised to get it above the floods, and since the 17th century, the Ile St Louis has been the most desired address in Paris. Now residing at #13 Rue Budé, is Paul & Fred.

The island is a small medieval jewel in the centre of the city. Somehow escaping the cosmetic changes that happened (and made Paris so beautiful) to the rest of Paris, the island remains an unspoiled oasis in the city for those who seek the medieval feel that the entire city once had.

Lots of tourists swarm the island in Paris, home of Notre Dame Cathedral. But far too many overlook its adorable little sister, the quaint Ile Saint Louis just a few steps away.

This small island is like an oasis from the rush of the city. It's almost as if someone dropped a small French village into the center of Paris, as it features markets, bakeries, fromageries and cafés. While much of Paris has modernized over the years, the ile remains romantically frozen in the 17th century. It is remarkably the same as it was centuries ago.

It is lined with adorable boutiques, is home to its own unique ice cream, features historic attractions, and boasts one of Paris' best hotels.

Todays photos show you our local patisserie/boulangerie, fromagerie, marché, and our apartment. Looking at the photo of our apartment, the windows across the front of our unit are on the floor where the last window on the right is a little cut off by the pic. It's a great building with a VERY steep, twisting staircase (no elevator) that tests your fitness to the extreme.

We spent the most of the day at the impressionist Museé D'orsay. We popped into the Louvre for a bite of lunch at the restaurant, then came home for a rest, before heading out to the marché aux fleurs in the afternoon.

I'm blogging a little early (7pm) tonight as we're heading off to the BEST indian restaurant ever, Simla Hill, for our supper tonight. Simla Hiss restaurant is located just off the Champs d'lysee by the George V Hotel.

Another glorious day weather-wise: 75 degrees and sunny (you should see the line ups at ice cream vendors!).

Today's video is from a stroll up the main street on the island, and is just a glimpse of the every day.