FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2008

Boo! Happy Hallowe'en!

This afternoon, we went to the St. Germain area to get some chocolate at our favorite shop, Debauve et Gallais. We got a variety of things including some powdered chocolate for hot chocolate and some chocolate-covered orange slices.

We then went to les Deux Magots for hot chocolate and cappuccino. We had a front row seat to see everything. Even the people in the café were interesting. One man applauded a woman who had parked in a difficult spot on the street. She waved back.

We headed back to the apartment stopping on the way for some groceries at the MonoPrix. Dinner was to be "in" tonight. Alexandria is making a very good sauce for some "homemade" Italian mushroom ravioli from Italy. This to be followed by the usual cheese course and a rhubarb tart from "our" boulangerie. Maybe a movie tonight. Watch our for the ghosts!

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2008

Before we went away, we got tickets for the BNP Parabas Masters' Tennis Tournament at the Palais Omnisport de Paris Bercy which is rather close to our apartment. We got there about 11 in the morning, picked up our tickets, and found our seats. We had very good seats and could see everything. There were about 11,000 people there to see the third round of the tournament. We saw four matches and the players included, David Nalbandian, Andy Roddick, Roger Federer, Jo Wilfried Tsonga, and Novak Djokovic were some of the players we saw in matches all afternoon. We didn't have tickets for the evening session, but if we had we would have seen Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, and James Blake. Not a bad group of players for the third round matches all day and evening. We stopped for an apératif at Café Européen. It was raining so we welcomed the stopover on the way home. Supper was some Chinese take-out and some leftovers. Can't do restaurants every night.

MONDAY - WEDNESDAY , OCTOBER 27-29, 2008

Monday morning, we took the train from the gare de Lyon to Dijon. Not to buy mustard but to visit old friends, Daniele and Alain Mayot. who are currently living in a small village named Buzeron. It is located about an hour's drive south of Dijon and just outside of the town named Chagny. (For you winies, the village is well known for its Aligote white wine), We rented a car at the SNCF station in Dijon. Erwin has been there many times and the trip down was very easy. The directions and places came back to him easily. Several years ago, the Mayot's house in Buzeron burned down due to the carelessness of the people living behind them. They shared a wall. It took several years to straighten out the insurance problems and rebuild. The house is a lovely new house with all the modern conveniences.

The Mayot's principal residence is near the city of Chalon, but since they are both retired and since the new housed is so nice, they spend most of their time in Buzeron.

We spent the rest of Monday exploring the new house and talking about families, friends, etc. Their son, Fred, had stayed with us for a week or so back in early 2007.He now lives in San Francisco and the Mayots had just returned from a three week visit. Daniele prepared a lovely dinner for us. After more chatting, we all headed off to bed.

Tuesday, we went into Chagny to go to the post office and get bread for the day. After a light lunch we went for a ride in the country and stopped at a delightful small town named Nolay, about 20 minutes from Buzeron. The main attraction is the Market Hall (Les Halles) built in the 14th century.The roof is made of limestone stones and each square meter weighs 800 kg (that's more than 1700 pounds). Today, it is used for the twice-weekly town market.

Both The Market Hall and the local church sit upon a quaint square with several interesting buildings. For a small town, the church was rather nice to visit. A chapel is all that is left of the original church and it dates from the 14th century. The current church was built around the chapel. Notice the bottom photo of an antiques shop that was created from an old grocery store. The owners maintained the old facade which makes for an interesting site. You can find a number of these in Paris. Some photos of them later.

After stopping for hot chocolate in Nolay, we returned to Buzeron via some interesting country roads. At dinner, Daniele had made a blanquette de veau, which is one of my favorites. It is a type of veal stew made with a white sauce. We talked at dinner about some of the exchanges that Alain and I had done with students when we were still working. We went to bed not too late since we had to be up and ready to leave for the trip back to Paris.

On Wednesday, we drove back to Dijon, returned the car, and had a light lunch at the station. Alexandria stayed in the waiting room while Erwin took a short walk in the center of Dijon. He found a large "porte" in the downtown area and visited the cathedral.

Back in Paris, we unpacked, checked the mail, and went up to la Bastille fort "moules frites" at Léon de Bruxelles, a chain restaurant that specializes in mussels. They were good but can't compare to those we get at "Les Vapeurs" in Trouville. After dinner, some hot chocolate and tea at Café Français and back to the apartment ready for bed after a long day.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26. 2008

Not much doing today. Did lots of laundry. In the afternoon, we walked up to the Bastille and sat at Café Français for an hour or so. Had dinner at Chez Paul, a restaurant that we had already done a month or so ago. Ate too much but it was good.

Tomorrow, Monday, we leave for Bouzeron, a village about an hour south of Dijon and just outside of the town of Chagny to visit friends, Daniele and Alain Mayot. You may remember we had lunch with them several months ago. Yes, months!

I am not sure of the Internet capability there so it may be several days before we continue our blog. But never fear, Erwin and Alexandria are here!

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2008

Today we went off to see an apartment that was for sale as a Fractional Ownership. This means that 13 owners have rights to specific four week periods during the year. They can use their four weeks themselves or trade them with other owners or allow other family members to use them. The apartment is managed by a management company, pays the bills, etc. The 13 owners make all decisions of a major nature and are aided by a three person Board (owners).

The apartment is very near the Jardin du Luxemburg on the rue Cujas directly behind the Sorbonne. The developers had bought the apartment, more or less on spec, and had completely renovated and furnished it. They did a very good job with a completely new kitchen and bathroom and they uncovered the beautiful stone walls that had been covered. We talked with the owner and are considering making an offer for one four week period. Here are several photos of the interior of the apartment; living room, dining area, and bedroom respectively.

We would like to consider four weeks at the beginning of Autumn.

After the meeting, we walked around the neighborhood and had lunch at a local barsserie/café that overlooks the Luxemburg. We went back to the apartrment and did a few chores before going to the Swedish church for a concert. This is the third one we have seen there this year. They are always good. There is no admission charge but there is a donation basket at the end. There was a flute ensemble of about eight players. They played a number of works, Have you ever seen or heard a bass flute. We have now. There were also two choirs that sang two works by Francesco Durante. We had never heard of the composer before. But especially like his Magnificat.

Back to the apartment for dinner. It was rather late since the concert was rather long and the church is at the other side of Paris.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2008

We both had trouble sleeping last night so we didn't get up too early. Even though you order decaf, you never can be sure that that's what you get. After a late breakfast, we went out and stopped off at the gare de Lyon to pick up our train tickets for a short trip we were taking early next week. What a mob! The school holidays for this period have started and many are traveling. We decided to put off getting the tickets until tomorrow.

We took the bus to the Sorbonne area where Erwin had been the day before. We wanted to look at this neighborhood since there was an apartment there that we were interested in. Only problem was that the street from the blvd St. Michel was on an incline and a bit tiring to walk. We discovered that there were alternate routes to the building that avoided most of the inclines. It is good to get to know an area before committing oneself to a rental.

On the way back home, we did a little shopping. Dinner was at home.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2008

The elevator was supposed to be out of service again today so Alexandria remained at home while Erwin went out to get some books. While going up the blvd St. Michel, he spotted the following statute at the place de la Sorbonne. It must be relatively new since we had not seen it before.

He stopped at the librairie Gibert Joseph, a very large bookstore on St. Michel and picked up a copy of a book called L'Amour dure trois ans. (Love lasts three years) What an interesting title!

This area is very lively since it is in the Sorbonne area and there are lots of young people around and lots of book stores, too. Spent some time also looking in the bookstores.

In the evening, we went to our favorite restaurant in Paris, Chez René, on the blvd St. Germain. Erwin has been going there for over 30 years, almost every time he was/is in Paris. He had one of his favorites, Pot au Feu, which is like a boiled beef dinner with vegetables. There was enough in the casserole for three people. Yummmmm. Alexandria had a very good piece of tuna preceded by

sautéed pleurotes, a type of wild mushroom. Finished up with a gâteau de riz, rice pudding in a mold.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2008

Today, Janet, Carl, with Erwin went off to explore several areas on their last day in Paris. Alexandria stayed in since the elevator was not working again. The three of us visited the Palais Royal and saw the park and the unusual sculptures. We walked around the Comédie Française and looked at the busts of the famous playwrights.

Notice also the unusual métro entrance at the Palais Royal station.

We then visited several of the unusual arcades, or galeries: Le Colbert et la Vivienne. One had been transformed into classrooms for several of the Parisian universities and the other still retains the shops and restaurants that have been there for years. At one time when they were first created over 200 years ago, they served as covered shopping malls. There were over 200, but now today, there are only about a dozen of them left.

We also saw something that Erwin never noticed before. It was a plaque on the rue des Petits Champs which indicated that the building was the one where the Louisiana Purchase agreement was signed by the representatives of the US and French governments.

We then took the bus to the Opéra and then walked along the Blvd des Capucines and then the blvd de la Madeleine to the Madeleine Church. Around the square are a number of fine food stores where Janet and Carl bought gifts for friends and family in Fauchons. We then walked up the rue Tronchet to the blvd Haussmann where Carl and Janet went into the Galeries Lafayettes and the Printemps department stores while Erwin returned home.

In the evening, we went to Le Dôme Bastille which specializes in seafood. It is located just off the place de la Bastille. After dinner, we sat for a while in the Café Français and watched the world go by. Back to the apartment and the hotel since the Bredlaus were leaving the next day for home. We all agreed that we had had a marvelous 8 days with one another and parted with many fond memories.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2008

Today, Janet and Carl went off to visit the Musée d'Orsay. Alexandria and Erwin had been there many times so we let them go by themselves. In the afternoon, Alexandria and Erwin went to the

Institut du Monde Arab.

.

We went to the Institut du Monde Arabe specifically to see the special exhibition called Bonaparte et l'Égypte. It was an interesting display about Bonaparte's invasion of Egypt and the cultural effects of the invasion. We also looked at an exhibition about Oum Kalsoum, a legendary "voice of the Arabs" who was a revered singer in Egypt in the first half of the 20th century.

This evening we had dinner at A la Biche au Bois, another of the smaller local restaurants that we had discovered. We had been there before. Carl and Erwin tried the wild boar. It was different.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2008

Today was church day. We set off in mid morning for the St. Germain area where we visited the Église de St. Germain des Prés.

This church sits on the site of the oldest church in Paris. The current church is not the original, however. The church dates from the 11th century and was originally an abbay. It has in its garden a sculpture by Pablo Picasso of Guillaume Apollinaire, one of his friends.

Across from the church is the famous café, Les Deux Magots. Just on the next corner is another famous one, Le Café de Flore. Alexandria has pronounced the hot chocolate at Les Deux Magots the best she has ever had.

We went down to visit the lovely little square, la place Furstemberg.

Then we went severl blocks to see the St. Sulplice church. This is the church that played a major part in the book and movie, The Da Vinci Code. There is an interesting disclaimer posted in the church indicating that a "certain book" has not been exactly accurate in what it says about the church. St. Sulplice is the second largest church after Notre Dame and is currently undergoing major work on the exterior. Janet and Carl found the fountain in the square interesting.We have been there before in the blog. We had a bit of lunch in the café facing the church.

We went off to the Luxemburg Gardens only up the street from St. Sulplice. There were not as many people there as our first visit so we were able to find chairs and sit down in the sun for a while. We discovered the very complete children's area with loads of swings, merry-go-rounds, etc. We continued through the park and up to the boulevard Montparnasse for the bus back.

This evening we had dinner at one of our favorites, Marie-Edith located on the rue du Laos near the place Cambronne. Here is Janet's dinner, magret de canard (duck breast).

After dinner, we went up the the École Militaire where we had a fine view of the Eiffel Tower lit up in glorious blue. We had never seen it this way before. It must be relatively new. At 10 p.m .we watch as the lights started their hourly blinking and playing. Most impressive. Back home at a reasonable hour.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2008

Sunday, the Bredlaus went off to the Eiffel Tower and then did more of the Champs-Élysées finishing off at the place de la Concorde. We met later at 3:00 to go to a concert. We both arrived at the concert site having taken the same métro train but from different locations. I said to Alexandria that it would be very funny if we ran into them on the train. And, there they were ahead of us on the platform.The concert was held at the Paroisse St. Marcel on the boulevard de l'Hôpital in the 13th. The group was the Orchestra et Choeur de Chambre de Paris. They gave a wonderful concert of shorter works by Mozart and Haydn. The only piece we recognized was the Mozart Ave Verum. The group consisted of 24 singers and four string players.

After the concert, we headed back to the apartment where we had a light supper. We then did something Carl and Janet had not yet done, we went to the Café Européen for after dinner coffee

and to people-watch.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2008

Today, we did a very touristy thing that Alexandria and I had done many times before but never tire of. The boat trip on the Seine. We went to the place d'Alma where we had a light lunch before we got on the boat. As usual, there were a lot of passengers, but it was not crowded. Carl and Janet enjoyed the trip and took lots of photos.

After the ride, we went to the Ile de la Cité to visit the cathedral of Notre Dame. As is usual especially on a weekend, there were long lines to go into the cathedral but it moved quickly. We spent almost an hour there. Janet and Carl wanted to go up in the tower, but it was too late. They had closed.

We went around behind the cathedral to visit the memorial to the French Martyrs of the Deportation. It is a very sobering place to visit. There is a long corridor with thousands of tiny blinking lights, one for each of those deported from France. The memorial was inaugurated by President de Gaulle in 1962.

Finally, we crossed the bridge between the Ile de la Cité and the Ile St. Louis. We walked down the rue St. Louis en l'Ile which is the principal street of the island. We did a little shopping in several of the wonderful shops on the street.
Back to the apartment for a short rest before we went out to dinner at Chez Jenny, an Alsatian restaurant just off the place de la République. When we arrived there, a very large crowd of people was milling around after a rock concert. The restaurant specializes in sauerkraut and other Alsatian specialties. The ladies had the seafood sauerkraut and the men had the paysanne which had a variety of pork specialties with the sauerkraut. a nice dessert finished off a fine meal and a lovely evening. By this time, the streets were not too crowded

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2008

We got an early start today. We were going to go to Montmartre and wanted to do some other things after. We took the métro because we wanted to arrive at the Abbesses station.

Paris métro entrances were designed by the architect Hector Guimard and most are in various states of disappearing due to decay, rebuilding, etc. Most feel that the entrance at Abbesses is the most complete and perfect remaining one. As you can see, it is a lovely piece of art nouveau. From there we walked to the funicular that goes up the hill to the basilica.

The basilica of Sacré Coeur was built in the later part of the 19th century. It was consecrated in 1919. We went in and visited the interior. While we were there the nuns were singing some type of service which was very impressive.

After leaving the basilica, we had a bite to eat. We went to the place du Tertre to see all of the artists who were trying to sell their works. They also tried to get passersby to pose for charcoal sketches.We did not succumb. We walked down the rue Norvins and we arrived at the place Marcel Aymé. He was an author who wrote a short story called Le Passe Muraille. It is about a minor Parisian government worker, Dutilleul, who had the ability to pass through walls unseen. One day while leaving from a passionate encounter, he lost the power. This square is where the author lived and it has been decorated with a sculpture of Dutilleul as he appeared when he lost his power.

We walked down the hill to the area of Pigalle where we took the bus to the Etoile. The sight of the

Arc de Triomphe never ceases to amaze me.

After the Arc, we went back home this time taking the RER from the Etoile to the Gare de Lyon. It is only three stops and much quicker than the métro or the bus.

This evening we went to one of our favorites, le Mâchon d'Henri, which is located 1 1/2 blocks from St. Sulpice. (Sorry, they have no web site). The food there is based on Lyon cooking. and is very good, very simple, and not expensive. It is small, with only about a dozen or so tables, with stone walls and beams in the ceiling. We took the 63 bus back to the Gare de Lyon and hence to our own abodes.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2008

Carl and Janet went off to spend the day at the Louvre. We did some mundane chores like shopping and cooking. Later in the afternoon, we went to the Café Européen for some coffee and some people watching. We had invited Carl and Janet over for a simple dinner and they arrived about 6:30. After a glass of Pommeau Breton for an apéritif we sat down to a lovely dinner that Alexandria had worked on in the afternoon. She had made an excellent lasagna to be used as a main course. Along with it we had a salad of broccoli and fennel. We obviously had cheese, and finally a dessert of macarons that we had purchased from a local bakery. We had a wonderful evening with dinner, conversation and plans for the following day. Our guests left about 10:00 all being surprised at the late hour. After finishing up the dishes, we went to bed very tired from all of the activity.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2008

Well, Carl and Janet Bredlau arrived this morning at CDG at 10:30. Erwin went out to meet them and showed them the Air France Cars that go into the city. There is one that stops at the Gare de Lyon which was less than two blocks to their hotel. A lot cheaper than a taxi and a lot more convenient than the RER.

After checking in, we had a bite at a nearby cafe and then met Alexandria at the bus stop. We went up to the place de la Bastille where we showed them the various sights and told them about the history of the area. We then walked along the rue St. Antoine and turned in to the place des Vosges. The trees had started to lose their leaves so it was not quite as impressive as in the summer. We walked down the rue des Francs Bourgeois and stopped at the Carnavalet Museum primarily to see the gardens but also to show them the two rooms where there are exhibitions primarily of the various signs that were used before street numbers came into use and that illustrated the various merchants in the buildings.

We continued down France Bourgeois and went over to the rue des Rosiers one of the principal streets of the Jewish area of that part of the Marais. Then we stopped off for a few minutes to say hello to Marcel Lederman, an old friend of Erwin's. Marcel has a small antiques shop on the rue des Guillemites. Then over to the rue du Bourg Tibourg where we stopped to look at the tea shop, Marmiage Frères. At this point, it started to sprinkle a bit. Then down to the rue de Rivoli and the Paris Hôtel de Ville. We walked back into the Marais a few blocks where we caught the bus back to our quartier.

In the evening we went to the Duc du Richelieu for a nice meal. We had been there several times recently. We thought this rather typical local bistrot would be a good intro for the Bredlaus. We all enjoyed dinner at a reasonable price.

We all agreed that we had had a good day but everyone was tired so we went our separate ways for a good night's sleep.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2008

Today Erwin broke the frames of his computer glasses. Luckily, the lenses were OK. We were going to spend the afternoon at the monthly get together of the Parler Paris Après Midi group. If you remember from September, this is a group of mostly people who subscribe to the Parler Paris news magazine and who own or are interested in owning property in Paris. About 15 people showed up for the afternoon of conversation and coffee, wine, etc. They were mostly Americans today, but there was one English/Norwegian gentleman and a few expats who have been living in Paris for 20 or so years. We talked about our experiences, things to do in Paris, etc.

As we walked down the rue de Bretagne toward the meeting, we passed the bookstore called "Comme un Roman". We noticed in the window that later that evening, there would be a book signing by none other than the author Salman Rushdie. His newly published work is Enchanteresse de Florence and he was there to publicize it. Unfortunately, it was at 19:30 and we didn't want to wait around but it would have been interesting.

On the way to the meeting, we stopped at an optician's shop and bought a new pairs of frames (as expensive as in US) They had to cut the lenses down to fit the frames since they had no frames to fit the lenses. This worked out perfectly since they needed about an hour and we could come back after they meeting, and so we did.
The number 29 bus was perfect for the afternoon excursion since it was close to home and only a few blocks from the meeting. The Parisian bus system is a wonderful way to get around the city. Much more to see above ground and doesn't require going up and down staircases in the Métro and the sometimes long corridors connecting different subway lines that connect at various locations. We have just about mastered the system with the help of a small book that lists all of the bus lines, about 70 in all, a map of each route, and a listing of all of the stops and other lines that connect up. One can usually, get to one's destination by taking no more than two buses.We have a special bus pass that allows us unlimited access to the buses and the Métro for a month at a cost of about $75. Weekly rates are about $20. This compares to about almost $2 if you buy a one trip ticket, or about $15 dollars for a ten trip book. We tend to use the bus at least twice a day and sometimes more.Plus an occasional subway ride.Our monthly passes have microchips in them and you just swipe them as you enter the bus or the subway station.

We got back home about six, had dinner in and watched a episode of Lovejoy, a British comedy.

Tomorrow, friends from the US, Carl and Janet Bredlau. will arrive and we will have the pleasure of showing them the city that we love. Stay tuned for our escapades.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2008

We took the bus to les Halles area and went for a walk up the rue Montorgueil which is one of the best food shopping streets in Paris. It has been a market street since the 14th century and is now a pedestrian thoroughfare. About halfway up the street, we stopped at Amorino for gelati delizie d'Italia. We have had this delicious gelato on previous visits. They have about a dozen shops around Paris. It does not quite compare to the gelato we have had at Vivoli in Florence but it comes close.

We stopped at a cheese shop and replenished our dwindling supply. It always amazes me how the fromager knows all of his cheeses by name and where they were made. We then went off on a side street to seek out a new Alsatian chocolate shop that has been there less than a year. It is called Declinaison Chocolat. We have not yet tasted our purchase but they certainly looked good.

We had spent over an hour and a half walking up and down the street, when we decided to go back home. We had chosen a local restaurant for dinner. It was our cook's night off. The restaurant was called A la biche au bois. We got there a little after 7:30 which is about when we usually arrive at a restaurant. We were surprised to find the room more than half full. Surprise! We did get a table, however. It seems to be a local place primarily, a bit cramped but with a nice ambiance. They had some specials last night including wild boar and venison (what else for a restaurant called At the Doe in the Forest. We elected to be more traditional with salmon and lamb chops. We shared a very good floating island dessert.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2008

We started the day off with a large load or two of laundry. After finishing it off, we decided to off to the Canal Saint Martin. Click the name, move your mouse over the photo to make it move, and see a wonderful panoramic view of the canal. Better than I can do with photos. The canal has several tour boats that go from the Bastille to the Parc de la Villette. It's about a 2 1/2 trip through about a half a dozen locks which makes for an interesting ride. You also get to see a part of Paris that most tourists don't see. The major company that runs these trips is Canauxrama.

In the photo below, notice that the bridge over the canal is starting to close. The boat has just gone through and the bridge, which is part of the roadway over the canal, is closing.

We stopped at a cafe along the canal for refreshment and watched lots of interesting things going on including a Mariachi band and a kids' entertainer.

We watched, too, nevertheless. We walked back to the place de la République for the bus back home. We are experts now on the Parisian bus system. On the way back, we came across several artists creating a painting on a large wall.

Dinner was in again.This timer instead of soup, we each had a small tartlette of tuna and olives that we bought at our local boulangerie. We watched a movie on the DVD player, The Last Emperor. Had seen it years ago, but had forgotten most of it.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2008

Back into the usual routine. Before breakfast (late), Erwin went off to the market to do some shopping since like Old Mother Hubbard, the cupboard was bare. There were, as usual, good melons. He also stopped at our boulanger for more bread. We now can go several days without more shopping.

We went up to the place de la Concorde on bus number 24 where there was an exbibition put on by the Musée de l'Air et l'Espace (Museum of Space and Air) where a large number of pieces of their collection have been assembled for a display at the place and up the Champs-Élysées to the Rond Point des Champs-Élysées. We saw many different planes and helicopters. In the place de la Concorde there were a number of interesting displays. Below are four different examples, clockwise from the upper left: 1) only remaining SPAD XIII fighter used in W.W.I, 2) Mirage III fighter-bomber 3) a French fighter pilot talking about a new model plane 4) nose cone of the legendary Caravelle passenger plane

As we walked up the Champs-Élysées, there were many more interesting examples. Again clockwise from the upper left, 1) the first civil air transportation in France 1918, 2) Cornu helicopter 1907, 3) a new small plane with de Gaulle in the background, 4) a model of the space rocket called "Ariane".











We took the bus back to home and had supper in. A simple meal of soup, salad, cheese, and melon. And wine, of course. Later went to the Café Européen at the Gare de Lyon for coffee and people watching, as usual.