Stay tuned

Sorry but we've been so busy & so tired when we finally get back to the apartment that I haven't had time to fill you in on all we've done but I'm taking good notes so I'll get to it as soon as I can.  When I get home, I'll figure out how to add pictures also.  My energy level isn't what it was two years ago and we're making 6 plus miles walking every day and taking the metro a lot more than in the past.

Wednesday & Thursday

Started out at the Dior exhibit at Arts & Decoratifs - really spectacular, beautiful clothes and they are displayed perfectly. Walked around the area and stopped at Saint Merry church and went to Pompidou center. Went to the top for the views but it was pouring so you couldn't see too far away.  Stopped for a very light lunch of cheese and salad and a beer.  Went to dinner at Chez Monsieur, delightful old bistro. Started with escargot and Leas had Iberian ham.  I had veal stew which was really good and Leas had the sole menieure which she said was delicious. Finished with coffee gourmand which included pistachio creme brulee,  strawberries with poached pears, a fruit square, a cookie and sage ice cream.  A really delightful dinner.  Put in a load of laundry before we left so it would be done by the time we got home.
Started at Roger la Grenouille for lunch - cute spot with lots of character and friendly owner.  Both of us started with the mushroom veloute, which was perfect - silky and creamy with great flavor.  Then I had the fried frog legs with 3 sauces, which were very good. It was almost like tempura, very light and super crunchy. One of the sauces was a red wine with a hint of barbecue and it was really good; both the bearnaise and mustard were a little too rich. Leas had a pork steak in a wine reduction. Very nice lunch!  Then we went to the Delacroix & Rodin museums, as I hadn't seen the Rodin since they redid the house. Very nice, but the security measures are so stepped up everywhere with fences and tents etc that it detracts a little from the venue.  On the way home we picked up salami, cheese and a baguette (already had wine, of course) for a dinner at home.  Weather continues to be rain on and off, clouds and sun, wind and chill, but who cares - it's Paris.
Still can't add my pictures.

Monday -9/11 and Tuesday the 12 th

Went to St Denis to see the Basilica in the morning - dreary town but beautiful church where most of the Kings and queens of France are buried. Back into Paris by the Grand and Petit palaces,  Place de Concorde, pont Alexander,
Place Vendome and the Obelisk. Stopped  for a bite  - Crepe and  crostini.  Saw St Roch, colette metro statio with its glass baubles and stopped at Le Grand Filles & Fils in Gallerie Vivienne for a glass of wine.  I had a Puligny-Montrachet 1er cru, "clos de la Mouchere" 2009, domaine Henri Montet and  a Saint Emilion 2009, Chateau Moulin Saint Georges.  Both were very nice!   Dinner at La Bourse et la Vie, a new restaurant by Daniel Rose.  I started with pistou, which was very good - fresh vegetables al dente and a delicious broth. For my main course I ordered the veal pot au feu, which was served on two plates; first, the head covered with goat cheese and herbs and then the veal with potatoes, carrots and a beef marrow bone in a broth. Leas had charcroute which was sauerkraut and duck confit. We were not impressed. Walked to the metro through the Palais Royale.

Tuesday we rearranged our schedule as we got an email from the Dept of State warning us to avoid the huge demonstration starting at Bastlle so we meandered through the Marais; rue du Temple, garden du Rosier, a crepe at La Drougerie, rue St Honore and back home to rest & get ready for my birthday dinner at Restaurant Alan Geaam. Very pretty and comfortable restaurant done in grey (which seems to be the in color for restaurants) with white stone plares and bowls, all with curves and smooth lines. They gave us sesame seed and herb wafers to start folloed by an empanada filled with feta cheese. Amuse bouche of a hummus meringue with caviar,  a potato crisp with creme fraiche, lemon & caviar and fallafel with lemon smoked salmon.  All were very tasty little bites.  We did the 5 course menu with wine pairing and our first course was crab with cauliflower three ways, pickled, steamed and as a mousse served with a chardonnay from Burgundy. Next was seared foie gras with a poached peach and chopped celery and berries served with Jurassique 2014 le pas Saint Martin Samur. The main  course was veal mignons with smoked eggplant mousse and a roulade of eggplant and an unknown vegetable. The wine was a 2013 Mas Champart fom Saint-Chinian. There were two desserts  the first was several types of grapes with chantilly and the other was fresh and poached figs with chocolate and chocolate ice cream. They were served with Yves-Guegniard Le Clos de la Bergerie. They also brought me a spun sugar cake with candles, marshmallows, fruit squares and cookies with chantilly for my birthday.  It was an exceptional birthday dinner - interesting and delicious.

Sunday

Shopping at Bastille market, this time without the rain. Picked up rotisserie chicken & potatoes for dinner, melon, peaches, baguette & flowers and took them back to the apartment before setting out for Montmartre and lunch at Le Moulin de la Galette. Made the mistake of getting off the Metro at Abesses, the deepest station in the city. Wall murals are nice along the way but the climb hardly lets you enjoy them.  Lunch was very good - pretty restaurant (restaurant in colors seem to be black, white and/or grey) - and the food was very good.  We weren't very hungry so I had the gazpacho of green zebra tomatoes with smoked ricotta which was delicious and beautiful. I'd be happy with it for lunch often as the taste 100% fresh tomatoes. Leas had crab tartare with mayo between slices of cucumber- also very fresh & delicious. I opted for the meringue with strawberries which consisted of creme fraiche, strawberry sorbet, fresh strawberries & meringue slivers - very light and fresh tasting. The Montmartre museum is small but very nice and has some terrific views. Walked over to battle the crowds at Sacre Coeur and it wasn't too bad.  Takes time to get into the bigger churches as they do a bag check now. We were about to leave when Vespers started so we stayed for a while to listen to the singing. Walked through Place de Tertre (packed), rue Lepic and then to the cemetary after stopping for a cafe creme for fortification.  Big cemetary but nothing like Pere Lachese, and we wandered through - lots of people with watering cans tending to family graves. Back to the apartment for our dinner which was delicious and a perfect way to end the day.
Still working on pics but blogger wont let me access them.

Saturday

Wandered through the Marais heading toward Marche des Enfants Rouge in cloudy, drizzly weather. Stopped in several shops along the way,  the Picasso museum boutique which is across the street from the museum, Repetto and a few others. Arrived at the Marche and got in line for a sandwich at Chez Alain Miam Miam.  He is quite a character - chats, snacks & spends about 15 minutes on every order as he slices the ham & cheese foe each sandwich and has to keep his wok of grilled onions going.  The basic sandwich is french bread, olive oil, lettuce, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, tomato, cheese (comte or cantal - he gives you a sample of each so you can choose), ham ( or smoked salmon, chicken or beef) either raw or cooked. The sandwich is then closed up and put o a grill until the cheese starts to melt.  Leas & I shared one and he scolded us for that & also pulled out his phone to show us his grand daughter on her first day of school. Quite an experience and a very good sandwich,  which we ate in the Square du Temple, a nice sized park- he has no table space. We then visited the Church of Notre Dame des Blancs Manteaux & Eglise Saint Elizabeth. Stopped in at Tumbleweed on the way back home to pick up a few things and say hello.

Dinner at Champeaux on Saturday

Went to Champeaux on Saturday night. It's Alain Ducasse's newest restaurant under the canopy in Les Halles and the reviews have been very good.  It's a fairly large space with lots of glass, done in the industrial style (pipes showing) in grey & silver.  It fills up very quickly and is a mix of everybody - elderly foursomes, families with young children, couples and everything in between, probably due to the fact that it's in a huge shopping mall.  The menu is posted on a train board which turns over every 20 minutes in addition to the usual printed one. We both had the lobster souffle for a starter and it was rich and delicious. Then we shared the beef tartare which was perfectly seasoned & made with a really good beef.  For dessert, I had the apricot souffle with almond ice cream and Leas had the chocolate souffle with chocolate ice cream - both of which were perfectly executed.  They definitely know how to do a souffle.  The price is very reasonable for the quality and the service was attentive without being over bearing. Highly recommended.  Then back to the apartment & to bed.

Friday, September 8th

Started the day at Parc de Villette at the Grande Hall to see the immersive exhibit "Imagine Van Gogh" which was spectacular. The walls are used in addition to lots of huge canvasses hanging from the ceiling and his paintings are projected onto them, accompanied by music. Really amazing concept  beautifully done. Walked over to the Bassin de la Villette to have lunch at Paname Brewing Company.  We shared a charcuterie platter & Leas had a Oeil de Biche (pale ale) and I had a Casque d'Or (saison). Cute spot & very good food. Walked from there to Parc des Butte Chamont, the highest park in Paris.  Very pretty - it was originally a quarry and the rock face that is still there is very interesting looming up from a small lake with lots of ducks and swans. Home by Metro to rest before dinner. Weather has been very overcast with some sprinkles today.  Went to Fish Club for dinner in a pouring rain - waitress even gave me an extra napkin to try & dry my hair.  Had one of their special cocktails which was invented to accompany oysters ( which I also had, of course) and had a salty finish. I started with 6 oysters, 3 each of 2 different types, one of which was so huge you almost needed to make it two bites. Leas had smoked salmon & shared a John Dory for our main course. It was accompanied by a delicious sauce of olive oil, fresh tomatoes and olives (delicious) and a green bean, squash mix, mashed potatoes and green salad. I had a glass of Chateau Massereau Cuve Bordeaux 2006 and Leas had a Gaudry Vieilles Vignes 2014 Sancerre. A very nice restaurant; pretty, friendly and they definitely know how to treat seafood. Back home in the same poring rain as before dinner.  Hoping for a little sun tomorrow but the forcast is not good.

September 6

Walked through Les Halles to AG Les Halles for lunch & missed a street name change so went much farther north than necessary & had to backtrack but made our reservation with two minutes to spare. Saw lots of places on our lists but will shop later.  Lunch was very good & the restaurant is very pretty. Has a true bistro look but with soft colors and comfortable  armchairs. Started with brioche served with olive oil & spices for dipping, followed by two amuse bouches - tapioca chips wit dollops of pureed fish roe, tomaoe & peanut & a watermelon puree with a feta mousse on top. My entre was a perfect egg in a carrot soup with mushrooms & Leas had veal cheek pate with anchovy puree in rolled zuchinni. Mains were pork belly with pureed parsnip & figs & Leas had whitefish on black rice, spinach & lemon butter sauce. Chef Geaams wife was there so the waitress gave her the picture I took of Chef with us in 2011 at Auberge Nicholas Flamel. She thanked me & we had a short conversation & then she sent over two glasses of champagne. A very good lunch.  Then headed home wandering through the Marais, shopping, through the Passage Grand Cerf & Bourge l' Abbe.  Had a small ice cream at Grom & then rested at home until time for dinner on the Calife-a dinner cruise on the Seine.  Very nice & the food wasn't bad - salad, guine hen & creme brulee with a sparkler in it as we were watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle.  (Leas used the birthday celebration a lot when making reservations). Took the Metro back home at 11:30. Feet are feeling it but back is doing OK. I'll try & get some pictures on here later but for the moment it's not letting me get to them.

Arrival Day

Not too much to report thus far - a pretty uneventful trip arriving an hour early.  Driver was there to pick us up & not too much traffic getting to the apartment. Unpacked & then wandered around the Marais for a couple of hours.  Leas has had a bad cold & was worse today so we picked up some chicken soup and a baguette to have dinner in the apartment & get to bed early.  Stopped at a pharmacy to see what they might have to help her get better & the pharmacist recomended a naturalcapsule that appears to be oregeno..  Weather went from cloudy to light rain to sunny & hot & back to cloudy. rur St Antoine has changed a lot  two years - lots of new shops have opened & the sidewalks are a mess with construction going on.  Picked up some madeleines at Mamy Therese, a new & highly recomended shop.  Went into St Paul to see the writing on the wall that they keep removing but it always reappears.. It says "French Republic or Death" & was written during the revolution. I need to go back & take a picture of it as i forgot today.  Was really sorry to see the restaurant around the corner "Gorille Blanc" is closed as it was very cute & good food.

Three more days

Hard to believe Leas & I will be on our way in 3 more days.  We're staying in the same apartment as in 2015 & looking forward to three weeks of great food & lots of fun adventures. I'll try & post as often as possible with lots of pictures to take you along on our trip.