AVENUE FOCH

Avenue Foch, originally named Avenue Bois de Boulogne until 1929, was laid out in the mid 1850's to satisfy the Emperor Napoleon III's zeal for a centralized avenue for the wealthiest elite that Paris had to offer.

It is an ingenious road, which is actually 3 roads in one. The main boulevard is an express route from the Porte Dauphine to the Arc de Triomphe, which is lined on both the south and north sides by a park. To the north of the north park and the south of the south park are one way streets (the north westbound and the south eastbound), on which the most prestigious homes and apartments ever built in Paris are located. If you're lucky to be on an elevated level, you have views of BOTH the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower.

Many of the prestigious townhouses have now been carved up into exclusive apartments or serve as embassies, but the wealthiest of the wealthy are still here. Avenue Foch is the MOST expensive real-estate in France, and toys with 1st place as the most expensive real-estate in the world.

Humbly, at #5, you find Paul and Fred's Paris pied-a-terre.

#41 houses the Paris Yacht club (I know, I'm still trying to figure that one out, too)

#43, the Palais Montmorency, is one of the few remaining private ENTIRE townhouses left on the avenue, and is currently for sale for $140,000,000 (yes, 140 million dollars!). It is the 2nd most expensive house for sale in the entire world. If you're interested in buying it, view the detail sheet by clicking here

#19-21 belong to the Rothschid's - they need 2 houses to spread themselves over.

#88 currently houses a penthouse belonging to the Onassis heiress, but she's recently decided to sell for 10 million dollars (note, it's just a penthouse, not an entire townhouse)

On a less pleasant note, #'s 82,84 & 86 were the French headquarters of the Gestapo during the occupation of France during the 2nd world war. Interestingly, there is no marker to note this dubious past. Undoubtably best for the current occupants, but is this situation good, or should we be reminded of just how low humanity can sink, so we don't allow ourselves into the same situation again?

Anyway, ANOTHER stunning day here in Paris, about 67 degrees and cloudless sunshine. Don't be too jealous, though, apparently cooler temps and clouds are in the forecast...

A Day in Saint-Germain-des-Pres

Today we spent a great deal of time strolling around St-Germain-des-Pres. This area - quite possibly our favourite in the city, has a terrific array of small and interesting shops, churches, and restaurants.

This area of the left bank is fuller and livelier, it's streets and cafes more crowded, than when it was at the forefront of the city's intellectual life in the 1950's. The leading figures of the time have gone, and the rebellious disciples have retreated to their bourgeois backgrounds. However, the new philosophers are here, the radical young thinkers who emerged from the 1960's upheavals, and the area still has its major publishing houses, whose executives entertain treasured writers and agents at the now celebrated cafes. Now, however, they share the area with the haut monde, those who patronize Yves St Laurent's opulent premises and the elegant rue Jacob's smart interior designers. On the south side of the Boulevard St-Germain, the streets are quiet and quaint, with a selection of good restaurants, and at the Odeon end, there are brassy cafe's and a profusion of movie theaters.

We had just a wonderful day, stopping for pizza for lunch and shopping, and window shopping... Checking out the 30,000E (YES, thirty thousand Euro) ranges at La Cornue, where every range is hand-made to order, stopping to check out the big book of pussy (and the big ass book and the big dick book) at an independent book shop, shopping for fruit and veg at the marche, and someone had too much fun with Diderot's statue last night....

Another gorgeous day with a high of about 65 and cloudless sunshine. See Carolyn and Scott - it doesn't rain all the time here - only when you come! LOL!

A COUPLE OF FULL DAYS

So, we have been in Paris for 2 full days now.

Yesterday, we primarily attended the exhibit on Pompeii at the Maillot Museum in St. Germain des Pres. It was a fabulous show, where they even had entire rooms that had been excavated from the ashes re-created in the museum (including the walls! How do they do that?).

Today was a bit of a false start for us... I slept right through the alarm clock and didn't even get out of bed until about 8am (which is quite late for us). After sorting ourselves out, we headed out to the Jacquemart-Andre museum to see the exhibit on Fra Angelico.... but when we got there, the line up was so ridiculously long that we decided to give it a skip because we have better things to do in Paris than stand in line. So, off we headed to the Marais for our favourite felafel sandwich (see last year's post), only to find that it was closed (because Friday is sabbath eve?), so we haded over to the Ile St Louis and had our favourite chocolate banana crepe washed down with a glass of sparkling cider.

We spent the afternoon wholesale shopping for Pariscope, then came home and bought the ingredients for tonight's supper. I made a broccoli, mushroom and comté cheese quiche. It's amazing how Parisian you feel when you buy the ingredients and make your own supper (the joy of having an apartment) instead of always spending your time deciding which restaurant you want to eat at. For dessert we had a strawberry tart and millefeuille.

After watching the last installment of this week's Diner Presque Parfait (the almost perfect dinner - the French version of Come Dine with me Canada), we headed out for an evening stroll to take some exercise, but more importantly, look up into the apartments that have thier lights on and check the decor and especially the moldings, medallions and lighting that each has. We're in the 16th, so we're over-laden with Embassies and Ambassador's residences (Canada's embassy is not here - it's over on the Rue Montaingne - across the road from Chanel's main Paris location), so there are LOTS of things to see. There's a big soiree at the Angolian Embassy, just up the street tonight.

We had an amazing day weather wise, about 65 degrees and clear blue sunny skies!

EVERYDAY PARIS

It is hard to believe, as a tourist, that there is an everyday Paris. But sure enough, every day, millions of Parisians wake up and commute to work, work all day and commute home, just like they do all over the world.

Every day, millions of people stare at the little pink bunny on the doors of the metro, that tells you to mind your fingers as the door close, or you'll get hurt.

Every day, Millions go to McDonalds to have a McChevre(!) chicken wrap.

Every day, millions of people buy their magazines and newspapers from the "Le Presse" kiosks located throughout the city, which right now are plastered with the poster of a hot naked guy advertising D&G eye wear for men (and I need new glasses... ahem...)

Every day millions purchase wonderful breads and pastries in all shapes and colours to take home (or eat on the spot) and share with loved ones.

And every day millions of people walk past a little bronze plaque on the side of a bridge crossing the Seine that commemorates, 61 years ago, the sacrifice of Robert S White, a 31 year old American man who plunged into the frigid river to save a young woman who was drowning, only to loose his own life in saving hers.

Paris - it's quite a place if you look past the landmarks.

Our first full day brought warm weather, but it was solidly overcast for the best part of the day. By the late afternoon it started to clear, and the weather man says that it will be clear for the next few.

GREETINGS FROM PARIS

Hello everyone - we made it safe and sound on our annual journey to Paris.

We had a great time in Air France's "L'espace Affaires" (Business Class) cabin - lie flat beds, extra seat width - humungous leg room, the whole bit. Superb food. It started with an amuse bouche of quail with chestnuts & cranberry preserves, followed by a starter of smoked breast of duck, scallop flan with tarragon and basil mayonnaise. For the plat principle we both had the pan-seared tournedos of beef with balsamic vingegar (and cassis mustard), mashed potatoes, sauteed cepe mushrooms and baby carrots (or you could have had the ravioli stuffed with cepe mushrooms with a tomato sauce and artichokes). There was then a fine selection of cheeses and a tart au citron (lemon tart) for dessert.

For wines we had a wonderful selection of Duval LeRoy Champagne (non cru - a bit disappointing...), an Alsation Pino Grigio Trimbach 2006 reserve, Antonin Rodet Mercurey 2008 Bourgogne Rouge, and a Haut -Medoc Chateau de Camensac 2007 Grand Cru. I went for the borgogne and it did not disappoint. In between there were copious servings of champagne, pastis and Congnac Tesseron lot No 90 XO... and I don't even have a hang-over!

We cleared security in Toronto and passport control at CDG airport in record short times, and becuase of our priority status as business class, our luggage was the first to come off the carrousel!

We have taken a lovely "alcove studio" apartment at #5 Ave Foch - just a stone's throw away from the Arc de Triumph (we arrived at the apartment at 10:30am local time). So far it is quiet (which is our biggest concern), and is everything that was promised to us by the agency. It's in an amazing late 1800's Hausmann building with high ceilings, crown moldings, etc, etc.... We don't seem to be lacking for anything. We spent the best part of the day exploring our neighbourhood by foot, laying in some grocery essentials (wine, coffee, pasta, etc...)

Weather is cool and overcast. The forecast calls for rain over night. The weather will determine what we're going to do tomorrow.

Hope everyone's well!

PS: Remember that you can click on any photo to enlarge it!