More Metro Woes

Today we planned to go to Odeon on the metro, but it was closed so we had to go on to the next stop which was St Germaine.  As we left home there were lots of people getting off the metro with signs protesting the signing of the new labor laws by Macron and the police presence was heavy, even on the train.  We went to Square Vert Galant on the Ile de la Cite and Saint Sulpice to see the Delacroix murals which have been cleaned and restored.  Walked around Luxembourg Gardens, a favorite of mine, and found the Lady on a Bench sculpture before heading to lunch at Les Papilles, which came highly recommended.  It is a wine store and bistro; one wall is all wines and you pick what you want and they serve it with a small corkage fee.  The menu is set and our starter was Cream of Celery Soup which was delicious.  We were given a bowl with croutons, creme fraiche and bacon and then a large tureen of soup to ladle into the bowl.  Next was beef cooked slowly in red wine with carrots, potatoes and snap peas served in an enormous copper pot.  I think there was enough to serve my family a couple of meals and way too much for the two of us despite the fact it was very good.  This was followed by some goat cheese and a black olive tapenade and dessert was a pear compote with foamed caramel; different but very good  We chose a red Domaine de Montcalmes 2014 on the recommendation of our server and it was perfect with our meal.  I bought a bottle to bring home as I think it would be great with the turkey on Thanksgiving.  we wandered home along the quai and through the Marais and had dinner at home again.

Sick Day

I woke up not feeling too well but decided it wasn't going to stop me as we planned to walk rue Condorcet and rue des Martyrs.  We were taking the Metro to Anvers but 2 stops before we got there, the train sat forever in the station getting more and more packed.  Announcements were being made but the only thing we could understand was Anvers.  Finally we moved on to the next station and repeated the waiting game until everyone got off and they backed the train out.  Another, very crowded, train arrived and everyone got off so we were packed on the platform.  We finally decided we'd had enough and we would just walk to our starting spot.  After reading "Rue des Martyrs,The Only Street in Paris" and making a list of every place along the way, I was excited to explore the street along with rue Condorcet.  We were both a little disappointed but did some shopping along the way: Citron verte framboise tiramisu at Delmontel; lemon & chocolate tarts at Sebastien Degarden & madelines from Madeline Mademeselle.  Stopped for lunch at Le Paprika, a spot that looked pretty good for people watching.  I had a coke and Leas had langos with a sauce.  As we left, an ambulance pulled up and got a man out and into the restaurant (for his lunch?).  Interesting.  Visited Notre Dame de Lorette,  I finally decided that I was done so we headed home and stopped at the grocery to pick up some crackers and coke. I settled on the couch and just rested the rest of the day and, after finally realizing I had a touch of Vertigo, took my medication for it.  Leas went back out for a couple of hours and stopped at La Place Royale for a beer - said she put on her big girl pants.  Dinner was leftovers and pateries at home.

Chantilly

Off to Chantilly today but when we arrived at Gare du Nord, the tracks with our train and the ticket machines were behind yellow police tape with police and army patroling again.  We waited for 15-20 minutes and the tape came down so we went to the ticket machine and bought our tickets, but somewhere we hit a wrong button and ended up with four round trip tickets instead of two.  It's only a 22 minute train ride and I read it was a 20 minute walk to the Chateau so we set out on the most scenic route through the woods.  There were signs pointing the way but I think we missed something as we walked for an hour and still couldn't see the Chateau.  We stopped in at the church, Notre Dame, along the way, saw a carnival being set up and finally saw the stables followed by the Chateau.  It is a very imposing sight, surrounded by water and gardens.  The castle is in the French Renaisssance style and was built in 1528 during the 200 years it was owned by the Montmorency family.  Henri IV  was a  frequent visitor.  The space is really vast and would take more than a day to see everything.  The collection of paintings alone, second only to the Louvre in number, would take a day, plus there are many other artifacts including massive silver services, Chantilly porcelain and jewels.   We walked over to the stables, where we had a light lunch of a crepe for me and a cheese baguette for Leas, as we had tickets for the 2 o'clock horse show.  The stables are the largest in Euorpe and are quite an 18th Century masterpiece; I think I read that they cover 3 acres and a horse museum is included.  The horse show was very interesting and different than anything I've ever seen. There was a story, music, light show and costumed riders as they put the horses through their paces. The show was in a round theater in the stables.  They also have an outdoor show ring and race course. We walked casually back to the train station through the town and stopped at L'Arsenal (a little bistro on St Antoine) for a beer (served with popcorn) once we were back in our neighborhood.  We picked up some cheese, and a baguette to go with the ham and wine we already had for dinner in the apartment.  All in all a fun and interesting day - Chantilly is definitely worth a visit.

Wednesday, September 20th

We started the day at the Musee de la Vie Romantique  to see the exhibit "The Power of Flowers", the work of Pierre-Joseph Redoute.  Really beautiful as was the museum itself, which was the home of Ary Scheffer, a painter.  The museum is small, two floors and has some interesting pieces.  One room is devoted to the memorabilia of George Sands.  The museum has a delightful secluded garden where they serve light lunches so we decided to eat there but, as I wasn't very hungry, I only had some madeleines and Leas had a salad.  After leaving, we stopped at Trinity Church by architect Theodore Ballu and finished in 1867.  The building is Italian Renaissance and has quite an ornate exterior. Then on to Musee Gustav Moreau, a museum filled with Moreaus drawings and paintings in the townhouse in which he grew up.  Many of his paintings are huge, floor to ceiling, and there are many that are quite interesting.  One of the highlights of the house is the ornate circular staircase leading to his atelier, which is replicated as it was when he painted there.  Then we set off for Galeries Layfayette to have a drink in their rooftop bar, The Cube.  We sat on the high chairs against the balcony over looking the rear of L'Opera and each had a kir.  The view was beautiful and you're able to walk around 3 sides to take unobstruced view pictures.    Dinner was at Frenchie, chef Gregory Marchand's highly rated, hard to score a reservation restaurant.  I'll do my best in describing the dishes but have few notes as the waiter came over and told me he would e-mail me the menu if I gave him my e-mail address so I did't have to bother with notes but he never sent them; this is my only criticism of the restaurant as everything else went above and beyond our expectations.    As soon as we sat down, we were served some maple bacon scones and butter.  We opted for the wine flight to accompany the tasting menu and the sommelier was a cute young girl who was very enthusiastic and passionate about wine.  She throughly explained every wine as she served it and even told us why she chose it to accompany the specific food.  The amuse bouche was a zuchinni flower with heirloom tomato on crispy bread with a yogurt and celery oil dressing.  This was followed by a pie shaped wedge of silky foie gras served with mango four ways: fresh, pureed, aspic and pickled.  It was really delicious!  Next was smoked eel with  potatoes, vegetables and coriander seeds.  The fish course was pollack with mashed potatoes  and roasted carrots and the meat was squab with wild mushrooms.  It consisted of a breast and a leg which was very crispy and fun to eat.  We had two desserts; the first was a berry sorbet with several different crunchy pieces (almost crumbs and some fresh fruit pieces.  The second was a chocolate dome which, when cracked open, was filled with vanilla ice cream and caramel.  We had 5 different wines with our meal and we both deemed it pretty spectacular - Frenchie lives up to all the hype and is highly recommended.  This was a great day and our first day without a single drop of rain.

Tuesday the 19th

Started off at the Grand Epicierie of Galleries Layfayette; such fun to wander through their aisles upon aisles of fresh and packaged food. I'd love to buy so much of it but it would take more than a suitcase to get it home so I settled for a package of Angelina Chocolate Chaud and a jar of Christine de Ferber white peach jam (as recommended by David Lebovitz) which they didn't have on our 2015 trip.  The vast amounts of ham, cheese, fresh vegetables are truly overwhelming.  Then visited Notre Dame de Champs - the first stone was laid in 1867 and it was consecrated in 1912.  Then went to the Saint Vincent de Paul Chapel, a Lazarist chapel where you can go up behind the altar where there is an interesting view and a memorial to ? .  Went to lunch at La Closerie des Lilas, an historic brasserie and haunt of Hemmingway.  After our usual kir for an aperitif, I had oysters with a glass of Viognier and Leas had Pike quenelles with  a Pouilly Fume.  Both of us loved our lunch and my oysters were some of the biggest I've ever eaten.  For dessert we shared a lemon, basil tart which was outstanding.  The restaurant is truly old school Paris, beautiful and a place not to be missed. Then we went through Montparnasse Cemetary which is 46.2 acres.  Found the graves of guy de Maupassant, Jean Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, Jean Seberg (Marshalltown, Iowa) and a few others.  Then went to Notre Dame de Travail which was built in 1901 and influenced by Eiffel as it has an ironwork nave.  It's very unusual and worth visiting.
Dinner was at Yves Camdeborde's restaurant Le Comptoir, which we had been really looking forward to since Leas scored the reservation two months before we left.  The room is tine but very nice; typical bistro with the tables practically on top of each other.  We were seated next to a mother and daughter from Chicago and they were delightful dinner companions.  The menu is a set 5 course and we started with a kir and tuna with mushrooms and several other vegetables in a viniagrette.  The entree was cod with potatoes and vegetables in a foamy seafood mousse followed by the main course o roasted veal with Kalamata figs and olives and cabbage with parmesan.  Note: the veal was very tough and somewhat tasteless which we have found to be true  on several ocassions when it's been served to us.  The cheese plate was served next and it was placed between two tables to share.  It consisted of 8 choices and included honey and two jams - it was pretty spectacular and each cheese included a card noting what it was.  We had a bottle of Chateau d'Arche 2009 Haut Medoc, cru Bourgeois  with dinner.  Dessert was pears poached in red wine on a pepper shortbread with grapes and a very good vanilla ice cream.  The dinner was very good but we both felt it didn't quite meet our expectations, though we can't say exactly what was missing.  The food (except for the veal) was delicious but the meal wasn't spectacular and we never felt special or like they were glad we were there.

Observations

We noticed several changes on this trip, some of which are worth mentioning.  Most restaurants now have salt and pepper on the table, I think we only ate in a couple that didn't and very few of them are serving baguettes as bread anymore.  Most served some type of brown or whole grain bread instead.  Many are also serving bread in little bread bags on the table instead of baskets.  They are quite cute and we looked for some to buy to bring home but had no luck.  Lots of chefs seem to be using lots of seeds, herbs and spices in unusual ways. The majority of the restaurants are printing their menus in French and English so we don't get to try and decipher and test our French food vocabulary much any more.  Scarves are no longer seen on almost everyone and very few of the younger crowd seem to wear them - older women and men are the most frequent scarf wearers.  Everyone is wearing blue jeans, doesn't matter the age or sex, they are the most frequently seen article of clothing.  Men are wearing suits that are have very tight fitted pants and  very short coats.  I figure I must really look my age as I was almost always offered a seat on the Metro when it was full and the person offering sometimes seemed to be about my age.  Rarely did we run into someone who didn't speak English.

I am always amazed by the number of people (Parisians) who read the Metro signs like they've never been on them before.  They constantly scan the line and stops on board and search and discuss the maps in the stations.  It's such an easy system but they actually make it look like it might be difficult.

Giverny, Monday the 18th

Started off at Gare St Lazare, but the area where we had to buy our tickets was shut down with yellow tape,  army and police cordoning it off.  We waited, along with many others for 15 or 20 minutes and they took down the tape and let everyone through.  We asked the ticket agent what was going on and he said that someone had lost their luggage.  We wandered around the town when we first arrived  and then went to Monet's, at which point it started to pour so we tried to wait it out in the gift shop, but it never seemed to stop so we ventured into the garden when the rain got lighter.  It stopped for a while so we were able to enjoy the visit but lots of flowers were pounded down by the heavy rain.  We had a little snack at a cafe across from the train station before heading back to Paris and went to Le Bonne Soeurs, a restaurant that we tried in 2015 on the recommendation of Rick Steves, for dinner as it's close to the apartment.  Leas had a hamburger, which she said was very good and I had eggs benedict which were delicious.  I later read that they are considered one of the best Brunch restaurants.  Fun but very wet day.

Sunday, the 17th, Patrimonie

We decided to take advantage of Patrimonie and some of the open buildings so started at Hotel de Sens, constructed in 1475.  There were several exhibits for the occasion, one of them with several artisans, working with apprentices and explaining how to do various craft work such as wood inlay.
There is an also an extensive library, which we went through.  We then got in line to enter the Hotel de Ville, the city hall of Paris.  We were within the first 50 people in line but it didn't move for a very long time and, by the time we entered, there were hundreds waiting.  The building, as it now stands, was officially opened in 1882.  It was an almost identical reconstruction of the original Renaissance facade which had been completed in 1628 and burned in 1871. The building  is filled with lavish reception rooms, the council chambers and the mayors office.  It's all very ornate and beautiful and a highlight was getting to see the very large corner office occupied by the mayor, which is not available for viewing during normal tours, but only opened during Patrimonie.  As the announcement that Paris will host the 2024 Olympics, there was lots of publicity throughout.  We then went over & strolled the Islands and had lunch at one of my favorites, Rose de France in Place Dauphine on the Ile de la Cite.  Leas had a salad Caprese and we both had prawns with risotto, which was really creamy and delicious. I had the citron creme brulee for dessert, also delicious.  We walked through the flower and bird markets - I think they had birds of every imaginable color for sale.  Stopped in front of Notre Dame at Point Zero and walked to the lower level by the Seine to check out a food fair of southwestern food.  It was interesting but really crowded and a huge black and ominous cloud was following us so we didn't stay too long.  Got ice cream at Berthillon on the Ile Saint Louis and then went back to the apartment.  We had dinner at home with ham, cheese, baguettes and pastries (and wine, of course).

Saturday, September 16th

Went to Musee Jacquemart Andre, a small museum  in the 8th located in the home of the Jacquemarts and housing their private collection of art in addition to a traveling collection.  I was there in 2011 when they had an exhibit by the brothers Caillebotte, one a painter & one a photographer.  This time  the exhibit was the Secret Garden of Hansen and  paintings by Renoir, Matisse and Manet among others.  The house itself is very interesting and well preserved.  We had lunch in the tea room cafe which receives very good reviews.  We sat outside on the patio which is enclosed in plastic and very comfortable.  It was full the entire time we were there and we both had the spinach and ham quiche which was served with a green salad and was very good.  Then we walked over to Parc Monceau, one of my favorites as it's small and very pretty with a small lake, roman columns, a small waterfall and  lots of flower beds.  From there we went to Musee Nissim de Camondo, a mansion at the turn of the 20th century.  It was the home of a Jewish banking family who collected 18th century furniture and objets d'art and had the mansion built to resemble the Petit Trianon at Versailles.  The family was sent to Auschwitz, where they were killed.   Moise de Camondo died in 1935 and left the mansion to the Union Centrale des Arts Decoratifs naming it after his son who died in air combat during WWI.  It was inaugurated in 1936 and was both interesting and quite stunning.  We then walked rue Saint Honore-Faubourg and hoped to tour the Elysee Palace as today and tomorrow are Patrimonie, when the buildings not usually open to the public, are open for viewing free; however, the line was way too long.   We walked down Embassy row where most of the embassies were open, but not ours.  Security was heavy everywhere and the streets are crowded with people.  Back to the apartment for a short break before dinner at O'Chateau.  Dinner was really delightful as the wine bar has lots of atmosphere and is very friendly.  We each did a flight of wine tastings: Leas, white and me, red.  All the wines were throughly explained to us; as to the grapes, where they were from, etc.  We both started with tuna tataki, which was delicious,  and shared the charcuterie board, also delicious.  A really fun dinner and the perfect ending to a really fun day.

I promise to do better

Sorry about the delay in my posts but since I've been home I've been swamped with everyday life and catching up after being gone for 3 weeks. I think I'm now in the place to finish up this trip.
Friday the 15th
We wandered around Passy and then went to the Trocadero and Eiffle Tower, which was a huge disappointment as you can't even get close without standing in a long line to get through the fenced off area around the tower.  The area fenced off is much larger than I thought it would be and really detracts from the iconic tower.  Then we went to lunch at the very new Les Grands Verres in the Palais de Tokyo.  The restaurant is actually two restaurants; the first colorful and casual with a serve yourself buffet (the food all looked very appetizing) and the second a regular restaurant in a very large, bright room with floor to ceiling windows and several tables serving larger groups of six, eight or ten.  We split the mussels for an entree and they were very good but not at all what you expect when you order mussels in France.  They were in a brown broth with a strong celery flavor and thin slices of celery throughout with a slightly hot after taste.  Served with them was an avacado toast and there were more than enough mussels for two people.  For our main dishes, Leas had buccatini with trumpets of death mushrooms (she is still with us) and I had meatballs.  There were three good sized pork meatballs served in a bowl with a tomato sauce. They were served with a very large, long piece of toasted baguette with a mound of a whipped butter to spread on it.  We thought the food was all very good and the room is very pleasant and comfortable.  After lunch we walked over to Avenue and Suare Rapp to see the art nouveau doors by Lavirotte; really quite amazing.  We walked rue Cler, a major shopping street where we picked up a Praululine at the Chocolatier Pralus.  Leas read an article that said it was life changing and, although I wouldn't go that far, it is something I will really miss.  It's a pastry made with brioche and studded throughout with pink candy bits and nuts. We ended up eating a slice for breakfast almost every day and we each brought one home with us to share with our families.  We purchased a Food Passport which allows you to go to 6 or 12 different food spots for a tasting or sample and explanation of the shop by an employee or the owner.  Today we made it to 4 of the spots where we tasted wine, callisons, caramels and meringues and met some interesting people who gave us the history of their food.  After a short time back in the apartment we went over to Sainte Chapelle for a concert, performed by a string sextet.  It was a beautiful classical concert and is so impressive to hear the music in that beautiful building.  Walked across the Seine to Zimmer, a traditional old brasserie on the right bank.  I had a bowl of onion soup and Leas had a potatoe salad with salmon.  The food isn't outstanding but the red velvet and gold interior takes you back to the 40's and the food is good.  Back to the apartment and to bed.

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.

Pere Lachaise

We started off this morning by taking the Metro to chatelet and then walking across the river to tour the Conciergerie.  It was originally the site of the royal residence of Clovis, the first French king, in the 6th C and then, in the 14th C, it became the seat of Parliament.  During the Revolution it became a prison, Marie Antoinette was held here until her beheading, and it was listed as a historical monument in 1914.  In 2011, it was covered with scaffolding as they were cleaning the outside so it looks really nice now.  I last toured it in 1998 and it seems to have changed, There didn't seem to be as much to see, but my memory isn't always the best.  We went back across the river and had a cafe creme while waiting for the bus which would take us to meet Babeth (the relationship is way too difficult to explain here but she and her son visited the US many years ago and Leas met her at that time).  She had been made aware of our trip to Paris and insisted we come to lunch at her flat before our visit to Pere Lachaise.  I had never taken a bus in Paris before so we were both a little nervous about the experience but we needn't have been as it's as easy as the Metro (with no stairs to climb up or down).  Babeth was at the bus stop with a sign welcoming us and we walked about a block to her flat.  She served us a fish loaf and ratatouille with a nice Sauvignon Blanc and cheese cake for dessert.  It was all delicious and so nice of her to do for us.  We were joined by her friend Sylvaine for dessert and he became our cemetary tour guide.  He was fantastic as he's lived in the area all his life and has spent numerous hours in the cemetary learning where all the important graves are located.  We got a great history lesson during the tour as he was able to explain the importance of all the people whose graves he was taking us to.  He speaks very little English so Babeth was our translator.  We spent about three hours walking around and saw the tombstones of Heloise and Abelard, Balzac, Sarah Bernhardt, Edith Piaf, Chopin, Molier, Jim Morrison and Gertrude Stein among many others.  We also saw the memorials to the victims of the Nazi death camps, each camp has it's own memorial and they are very stark and graphic.  After saying goodbye to Babeth and Sylvaine, we boarded the bus back home to get ready for our dinner at Auberge Nicholas Flamel, one of my favorite restaurants located in the oldest house in Paris.  We got a taxi at the stand a block from us as we dressed up a little for this dinner.  We had the chef' 5 course tasting menu with wine and it was delicious, even though the chef, Alan Geaam, wasn't on site.  He's opened a new restaurant on the left bank behind Saint Sulpice church - have to get to that one next time.  Dinner started with an amuse bouche (make the mouth happy) of foie gras, chestnut soup with chantilly, a mousse of cheese and basil and a haddock and potato croquette.  Next course was foie gras, something jellied and crayfish with toast and a beet square served with a white early harvest from the base of the Pyranees that tasted like a riesling.  This was followed by smoked salmon, fresh cheese and a cold cream of pea soup with Saint-Bris, a white burgundy from Savignon.  The fish course was dorade (sea bream) with a chantilly of beet and yuzu on black rice  and a shizo leaf with a Bourges pinot noir.  The main course was veal with sweet potato mousse, asparagus, noodles, sauce and potatoe chips with A Chateau Ferran 2011 Bordeaux.  Dessert was chocolate souffle with hot caramel  and a chocolate cookie with black sesame ice cream.served with a sweet bordeaux.  A really delicious dinner in a charming setting with great service.