Climbing small mountains and homeward-bound

On the floor in front of me are dozens of bags and I don’t know how I will get them home. Tomorrow is my last day and I want to visit Pierre Marcolini chocolates (said to be the best). I cleaned the flat yesterday and after doing some laundry went to the laundromat down the street. There I met a charming young woman who told me to visit Parc de Belleville. I headed to metro Chatelet, stopping off for coffee and tartine (crunchy flute), which I have to say was exceptional. I had fig jam and it was gorgeous. Then I braved the metro. Well, what an eye-opener and what a mob when I got off the metro. Immediately outside there was a flea market going on in the square on the ground, you had to push your way through, trampling on people in the process. I finally found the park after a huge walk up a hill. The park is huge and quite stunning with lots of little children playing. 



































After wandering around for a bit I headed even further up the hill to Buttes Chaumont park which was recommended as the best of the best. What a walk, the sun was shining and I was getting quite warm. The view of the park is amazing, you can certainly see for kilometres around. I kept walking uphill, crossed a suspension bridge and then up and up again to a grotto/temple right at the very top. Unfortunately, there was no-one around to ask to take picture of me to prove I did this huge trek. It is a beautiful day and there are so many people around: walking, jogging and exercising their dogs.

I then worked my way down and headed out of the park to the main place where I and caught the #75 bus back to where I started - Chatelet. I decided to stop off at the same place I had breakfast for a late lunch. I had a Caesar salad (nothing you would recognise, and parmesan much be cheap as I had buckets of it) but it was very tasty and I enjoyed a glass of Pouilly-fumé, which was very good indeed.




There is a huge tower (Tour Saint-Jacques) across the road from the restaurant that I had heard you could climb. It is certainly a majestic tower in a lovely park and the sun was shining but again I could see no discernible way into the building, so, frustrated, I left without climbing the tower. I then headed off to look for Pierre Marcolini the chocolatier. As I was wandering around I realised I need another two weeks in Paris, which unfortunately I didn’t have. I kept coming across places I had meant to visit and streets I had meant to wander down but just never got around to it. I think today was the first time I had walked all the way down rue de Seine and most of Boulevard St Germain. I stopped off for a hot chocolate at Cafe des Flores so as to get a photo of myself sitting there for a friend - the chocolate was molten and very, very sweet. I found Pierre Marcolini in rue de Seine and I bought a box of mixed chocolates (two each from collection). Very expensive but hopefully they are very nice chocolates. I've booked dinner at Le Christine (just over the road from my apartment) for tonight at 8.30pm. I ordered foie gras and roast beef and had a glass of red wine. The meal was reasonable but not amazing; also it was stifling hot in the tiny restaurant. I was sitting next to some English and American people who apparently were in town for a food expo.


Friday 22 October

My last morning in Paris. Went to the ATM (one I have been using the entire trip) and for some reason it didn’t work, it deducted E100 from my account but didn’t give me any cash. I tried the bank but no-one spoke English and my French was nowhere near good enough to explain. So I went to another ATM and got some cash out. When I came home I put in a disputed transaction form and it was resolved very quickly. So I was very impressed with the Travelex service. I got to Charles de Gaulle airport and was met with a nightmarish crowd of pushing shoving, rude people – what a shock. It took forever to get through security, passport control etc. Our flight left about one hour late. But eventually I was winging my way home in a very crowded Airbus. From Paris to Dubai, I sat next to a charming young South African model on her way to Beijing after being in Paris for Fashion Week. Au revoir, Paris!

Parisien for a day and wandering the Marais

When I got home, I confirmed with Marc, who would be my Paris greeter and who is meeting me for my stroll on Tuesday. I am meeting him on Opera Garnier steps - more strikes, no metro apparently so will have to walk but it isn’t that far – about 20 minutes probably.

Today I did a bit of shopping. I called into a pharmacy and bought some L’Occitane and Roger & Gallet soaps and then to my little supermarket to shop and the fruit place for some blueberries for tea. Unfortunately, it is raining lots but because of this it is a tad warmer. Now I am heading to the right bank to find Opera Garnier to meet Marc my greeter today. The sun came out for about 10 mins then rain. Marc was charming, interesting and so knowledgeable. We strolled around the area to Place Vendôme and saw the Ritz and all the jewellery shops, such as Cartier. He is retired and used to work at the Bourse (stock exchange) in education and public information.

 We walked through two of the passages – one of them Panoramas – which was gorgeous; with lots of fabulous little shops. We finished the walk with a coffee. It was a lovely few hours even in the rain. I was starving as I had not eaten all day so had a croque monsieur (toasted ham and cheese sarnie) and glass white wine. Then I found some interesting gifts and bought more soaps to bring home as gifts. Around 7pm I stopped at Cafe St Severin for a drink and chatted to a friendly couple for a while and then I strolled home in the cold and rain.

On Sunday, I was back at my favourite cafe St Severin and had a large black coffee (well bigger than an expresso anyway) then headed off to find the Bastille. It was a pleasant quiet walk, but extremely cold. I walked up to Place de la Bastille, which is incredibly crowded and decided to stop and warm myself with a hot chocolate in a friendly cafe. After that I walked around Village St Paul and the Marais area in general, stopping off for lunch about 1.30. I had a ham and cheese crepe which was okay-ish. Anyway it was filling and I was warming up a little. I then wandered up to rue des Rosiers, which is the Jewish quarter of the Marais. I saw the famous falafel eatery L'as du Falafel, pity I didn’t see it before sitting down to lunch, and lots of Jewish bakeries and butchers. That area was really lively, with lots of people around and huge queues to buy food at the creperies and the falafel places. I pondered walking up to the Pompidou centre but it was just tooo cold so walked a bit further up rue Rivoli then crossed over the bridges near the Notre Dame.

I took the metro from Cluny Sorbonne to Duroc and then changed trains and went to Varenne, heading for Rodin museum. What a fabulous place: gorgeous bronzes and marbles in a fantastic old building with beautiful ceilings, fireplaces and chandeliers. It looked as though a function would be on that night as there was a great marquee with beautiful place settings and flowers. The gardens are also stunning: beautifully designed and manicured. I walked back down rue de Varenne into rue du Bac then to Boulevard St Germain stopping off at Le Bonaparte for hot chocolate. You mix it yourself: a cup of chocolate comes with a jug of hot milk; and very nice it is.

Monday, and I am off to Mont St Michel in Brittany - madly early start. Don't know what the weather will be like in Brittany but I have a feeling it will in fact be a bit colder than here. I am really looking forward to the day and pray that the weather is fine. I bought a hat for myself today to try to keep my ears warm. We drove towards beautiful Normandy. The countryside looked lovely, albeit as a view from the freeway. Fantastic monastery but a very overcast day with rain (drizzle really). It is certainly a long climb to the top of the monastery. It was money well spent even though it was a long, long day. Four hours in the bus each way.

 

Nevertheless, I really enjoyed my visit. When I got home I decided I would head off for a good meal - six gorgeous oysters, followed by entrecote (a bit tough) then Roquefort cheese and coffee.

What a day - no rain but freezing cold. Walked up to Institut du Monde Arabe, but felt like an absolute fool as I didn’t know how to get in to the building. On the way, I passed by some gorgeous little restaurants and shops. I called into Diptyque and bought a couple of aromatic candles as gifts. After that I crossed over the Seine and walked to Galeries Lafayette where I bought some aftershave as a gift. It is huge; I get lost in Myer. I went up to the roof for the great overview of the city. I stopped at all floors and looked at shoes and bags. Then I headed towards rue Madeleine and stopped for a very late lunch – a fantastic herb omelette with a glass of rosé (rosé is dry in France). Then on to Place de la Madeleine, calling in to Hediard where I and bought small jar of Dijon mustard and then to Fauchon where I bought a small tin of biscuits. I wandered on to Place Vendôme and thought about having a hot chocolate at the Ritz but decided against it and continued on with my shopping and then struggled back to my side of the river. Went to little cafe in rue de Nesle for a kir then down rue Christine towards my apartment but on the way I headed into Mariage Frères, a teashop to die for, and bought some super posh Earl Grey tea (bags of course).

 

Musical fountains in the rain

Tomorrow I am hoping to catch a tour to Versailles – the meeting point is at the fountain at St Michel at 11am – it sounds like a lot of fun. It only visits the gardens and includes the musical fountains which I particularly want to see. I started the day with a great coffee and tartine at Cafe Severin and then met up with the group for Versailles in front of St Michel fountain. But it wasn’t quite the trip I had hoped for. There were only five English-speaking tourists in group, which was good – but it was led by young chap who thought he was much smarter than he really was and he was also totally disorganised. Because of our “illustrious” leader, we missed the first train and had to wait half hour for next one. Our train said it was going to Versailles Rive Gauche but in fact went to Chantiers - there are two stations at Versailles, one closer than the other to the palace but due to strikes the train went to Chantiers, the station further away and so we had long walk. It was freezing cold and raining.

Our guide took us on an extremely fast-moving tour of the gardens and then left us at 3.30 to look at fountains on our own. The fountains were quite wonderful and I wandered around to look at them all. If the weather hadn’t been so damp and overcast I think my photos would have been quite good. After the fountains had finished I took the petit train around the gardens. This covered quite a large area that I wouldn’t have seen if I had walked. It was quite confusing trying to work out how to get out of Versailles palace and now I had to find the train station.

Fortunately, I found the station, after calling in to the tourist bureau and getting a mud-map, which they very kindly highlighted for me. I had also somehow lost my ticket and had to buy another one. I raced down to track E to catch the express to Montparnasse, which only took about 20 minutes. When I got off the RER, I reckon I walked about 15 minutes to get to the metro. What a tremendously long and confusing walk. Eventually, I got on the metro and got off at St Germain des Pres, which is close to me. I decided I deserved a nice glass of red but all the places I fancied where totally full so ended up at Cafe Conti. I squeezed myself in and ordered my wine. By then it was 8pm and time to find somewhere to eat. I tried a gorgeous little place but they couldn't fit me in so I ended up at the little restaurant on the corner of my street. It seemed very friendly, crowded and pleasant. I ordered onion soup and cod - both of which were quite good and enjoyed a glass of Brouilly. You don't see too many lonely diners in Paris, not like in Italy where we were two a penny. 

Overcoming a fear of heights and finding macarons

After leaving them I stopped and had a coffee a Place de la Contrescarpe and thought I might head to the Montparnasse tower. I caught the metro and then went to the tower. I cannot believe I did that as I hate lifts. 56 floors and 198m it scared me to death, especially as the lift was operated from outside, that is, there are no buttons inside the lift. When I got up there I walked out to the terrasse which is in the open air and takes the tower to 200m. Unfortunately, I chose a bad day as it was really overcast and although I could see quite a bit the photos are not very good at all. 

I hoped to buy a souvenir to prove I’d been up there but the souvenir shop was closed for lunch, so I headed back down in the lift with my eyes closed and praying all the way.

Finally, I caught to the metro to St Germain des Pres and went to Deux Magots for a glass of red wine, which was very, very nice and I think I truly deserved it. I asked some tourists to please take my photo – this is the problem when travelling on your own, you never get in pictures. From there I walked to Ladurée and bought some of their famous macarons – yum, yum. 

 After that I decided I would head to France Tourisme to book a tour for next week. I was very keen to see Mont St Michel in Brittany/Normandy so decided to book that. The tour has a 7am, but fortunately, the meeting point is just up the road.

Moroccan-style dinner and I Meet the French

Wow! another big day in Paris. When I left you yesterday I was about to head off to the Luxembourg gardens – amazing. 

I had a good wander around and then sat down to lunch - a cheese omelette - not too bad – but stale bread; how bad is that in Paris. They said it was because of the strike. After the gardens I headed to St Sulpice, a very beautiful church. 

I sat in square for a bit and watched a student protest - very loud with lots of police. After that I walked to Bon Marche department store - it is huge, overpowering and very, very expensive – I just had a wander around and then headed over the road to the Grande Epicerie. This place is unreal - food from all around the world, everything from cheeses, meats, fruit, biscuits, bread, you name it and you will find it there. I bought some chocolate, ham and bread. 

I walked on up to Au Sauvignon and had a Kir Sancerre. All of a sudden, I thought about my museum pass that was about to run out and I very much wanted to go to the Rodin museum. So, I left the bar and pretty much ran all the way to the museum. But apparently they had changed the closing time and I was too late. Very annoying!

Anyway, about ¾ hour later I got back to St Michel boulevard and decided I would go out to dinner, so I called back to the flat and dropped off my shopping and then headed out to a restaurant a friend had recommended, Les Dégres de Notre Dame, with a Moroccan-style menu. It was very good. Two couples arrived in the room I was in and, being very friendly, they chatted while having dinner. I ordered couscous, which was unreal – a big bowl of vegetable soup, small bowl of sultanas, chickpeas and two hot and spicy sausages. I really enjoyed it. Some of the guests had a tajine, which looked great too.

Anyway after that terrific meal I headed home to read for a bit knowing I had to get up early in the morning.

Next morning I was off on my “Meet the French” gourmet walking tour of the Latin Quarter. On my way I stopped for coffee at cafe called Twickenham – thought I was in England momentarily. Then I walked to the meeting place. Well the tour was just fantastic. We walked through the medieval part of the Latin Quarter, popped into shops famous for their produce. There were only three of us, plus our charmer tour leader, Adam. He was very knowledgeable and fun to be with. We went first to Kayser's bread shop where Adam explained all about bread and we tried some brioche and bought some baguettes for lunch. We also bought a pastry each which we took with us when we moved on to a tiny coffee shop that roasts its own beans. We had a cafe and our pastry there. We then went to the cheese shop - ohmigod! It was absolutely wonderful but the entire shop is a refrigerator and was totally numbing. Adam explained all about the various cheeses and we oohed and aahed, then went into the charcuterie to look at all the wonderful meats. 

After that we walked and walked, chatting along the way. We headed down rue Monge and into rue Mouffetard where we went to Pierre Campion for our final chat and tasting. The area we were in turned out to be exactly where I had planned to head later, so it was perfect, all planned out for me. We had some white wine. It was sweetish but went really well with the cheeses we tried - three different styles of goat cheese (fresh, semi-firm and firm). Adam had also chosen duck rillettes. The morning tour was absolutely fantastic. I loved every minute of it. Adam was a great leader and my two companions were good fun to be with.

Wine tasting and too many museums

I feel like I have walked the length and breadth of Paris. Sunday I went to Notre Dame and then visited the Deportation Memorial. It is extremely sad but a beautiful memorial. 

Next I wandered to the Île St Louis (happier spots) and walked down its main street. I bought a few chocolates from Cacao et Chocolat (very tasty). In the afternoon I headed back to Notre Dame to meet up for a free tour of the Latin Quarter - very interesting. I had earlier been totally lost in the same area when I turned down a small street and veered off to another street and then – help, where’s the map? Informative and fun. We went past the Sorbonne, Pantheon and Saint Julien le Pauvre church. The tour gave me lots of ideas for private walks. The gardens, parks and squares are strange here, for example, the Tuileries and most big parks are gravel with a few trees etc, whereas the squares have a bit of green grass. 

Then I had a late lunch on Sunday - a salad Perigord style. It had foie gras and duck and was incredibly tasty but I could feel my arteries clogging up.

On Monday I went to the Carrousel du Louvre to buy my museum pass, which was really worthwhile having. It saved me a long of time queuing and also some money. Then I went to a wine and cheese tasting at O Chateau, which was absolutely fabulous. The tasting room was downstairs in a small cave-like area set up with tables and chairs. We had 2 whites, 2 reds and a champagne to taste, as well as five different cheeses, some meats and bread. There was an excellent chevre and also a camembert. My fellow participants were mostly Americans but Canada, Australia and Singapore were also represented. Very interesting talk and the wines and cheeses were fantastic.

Yesterday I walked a million kilometres - I had walked from my apartment on the left bank to the Louvre (about 10 minutes away) through the Tuileries to Place de la Concorde and then to Place de la Madeleine and went into Église de la Madeleine. 

After this I decided to try to find the Île des Cygnes. About 1½ hours later I finally got there. I walked right to the end to see the Statue of Liberty but unfortunately she was facing the wrong way, that is, away from me. 

So I trudged back towards the Eiffel Tower, thinking I would do the touristy thing and climb it, but it was closed due to strike action; the first time in its history. The metro and schools are also closed. So after a brief chat with some of the strikers I staggered across the road and paid to catch the batobus back home – and it was well worth it. I caught the batobus to St Germain des Pres and went home to tidy up. Then I returned to the stop and hopped on again. Later, I used the same ticket to go to Hotel de Ville on the right bank and wandered around the Marais for a couple of hours. I visited the Carnavalet museum, which is dedicated to the history of Paris, but unfortunately quite a few of the exhibits were closed. I walked up to Place des Vosges and then headed back to the river, hoping to take the batobus further but it had finished for the day. So, I had a kir and nibbles - baby olives and nuts – at a nice little roadside café. I went for dinner at Le Procope; very smart little restaurant. I had coquilles St Jacques (extremely tasty but very small dish and I was starving so had to fill up on bread).

This morning I had a coffee at the famous Deux Magots and then I headed to Musée d'Orsay - only the ground floor of the museum was open, due to strike action - but I managed to see some decent art and after that I walked to Musée de l'Orangerie and saw the wonderful Monet paintings - they were truly amazing and absolutely huge. I thought about visiting the Louvre but was too tired so after enjoying a chicken and salad roll at the Tuileries, I headed home. I planned to see Ste Chapelle this afternoon but it was closed. The Conciergerie is totally closed, so luckily I didn't really want to see that. However, I did visit the Hôtel Dieu, the public hospital, on Île de la Cité. Absolutely ancient building but gorgeous and with the most stunning garden. I went in and headed to the garden where I took some photos before heading down to the Île St Louis again, trying to find a recommended place for hot chocolate, well I did find it but it is closed for renovations, what a nuisance.

I’ve just been to the Cluny museum with its beautiful Lady with the Unicorn tapestries. It was extremely interesting but soooo hot in the museum that I couldn’t stay long.  Today I have been to Ste Chapelle - very beautiful but the main altar is under restoration. The stained glass windows are stunning. 

I next headed off to the Pantheon - wow! what a building. I saw Foucault's pendulum (well a copy thereof) and then went down to the crypt - scary - as in there are hundreds of passageways, was a bit nervous I would never find my way out again. So many famous people are buried down there including St-Exupery (The Little Prince) but couldn't find his grave. The Pantheon is simply amazing.

The first few days were very warm but now the winter chill is setting in. I find it difficult as the museums, shops, restaurants and bars are overheated but it is extremely chilly outside. I have my coat on most of the time and my scarf and I am buttoned up tight. I have been wandering the streets quite late a night and there always seem to be plenty of people around, in fact, the place is quite crowded. I would hate to be here in summer I can imagine that you could hardly move. From here I am heading to the Luxembourg gardens and hoping to find a nice spot in the sun. Everything is quite expensive but I just pretend that E6 is $6 and ignore the price - there is a nice fruit market near me and last night I bought some blueberries, figs and an apple so I had that for dinner with some bread I had bought earlier. Tonight I will dine out - but will be trying to find somewhere a bit cheaper in the St Michel area. 

Montmartre wine festival and an evening on the Seine

This blog comprises emails sent to family and friends during a two-week holiday in Paris in October 2010. I had an apartment on the third floor in Rue des grands Augustins, which was a brilliant location.

Flights were very good but I had a four-hour wait in Dubai which was tiring to say the least. I flew with a dreadful head cold and when we landed at CDG in Paris my ears were blocked up and everything echoed and sounded miles away. I got a taxi easily and even though there was quite a bit of traffic - due to a couple of accidents- we made good time. I even tried out my dreadful French on the taxi driver and she understood me.  Unfortunately, the manager of the apartment got the time wrong and wasn’t there to meet me. So, I put in the code and then I had to lug my suitcase up three steep flights of stairs to the apartment and then ring him and wait an hour for him to come and let me in. Apartment is okay - nowhere near as great as the one in Florence but reasonably comfortable for one. Although promised, there was no computer, and I spat the dummy. I now have a laptop (French) with a keyboard I find very difficult to use and a dodgy WiFi connection. After settling in I went shopping for basics – and then discovered the little bar, Bob Cool, which is right next door to me, and had a drink there. I decided to eat at Bistro St Andre des Arts but the food was disappointing - not a good start to my holiday.

The first few days of my stay the weather was very, very warm apparently unseasonably warm, but now it is quite chilly most of the time. Saturday I headed to Le Bar du Marché for coffee. It is opposite the markets, near a nice bakery and a small supermarket. I am meeting Deane and Adam later this morning to visit the Montmartre wine harvest festival. The theme for this year’s wine festival was humour. I managed to take the metro at Mabillon to Montmartre. I had to change at Sevres-Babylone and then take the train to Abbesses. At Abbesses I climbed the 9 million steps up to daylight and then I walked to the funiculaire and that took me up to Sacre Coeur. What a hilly place Montmartre is. Mass was on when I went into the Sacre Coeur so couldn't take any photos. I had about an hour to wander around before meeting up with Deane and Adam - that was really great. It's amazing how much fun it is seeing someone you know so far from home. The festival was very busy and great fun. There were people everywhere and lots of food and wine stalls. We wandered around for ages and tried lots of different types of food. We had foie gras, snails with lots of garlic, oysters - very salty but super fresh, fresh raspberries and icecream. Naturally, we also tried some of the wines. I even bought a bottle of red to bring home. 

Deane wanted to see the Moulin Rouge so off we headed, downhill, fortunately, and found it - got some photos and then headed home on the metro.

On Saturday evening I took Vedettes du Pont Neuf (boat cruise) down the river. Although the boats appears to move slowly it is really too fast for photos, also it was freezing cold on the open top deck, especially after such a wonderfully warm day. I saw the Eiffel Tower with its lights burning and it was lovely to see Paris from the water in the evening. 

After this I headed to L’Atlas restaurant for a light dinner then a brisk walk home and to bed.