THE STREETS OF PARIS
Saturday 9/30/06
We’re all up and at ‘em this morning. The K’s of course have to repack for their room change but the staff has assured us that they will handle the details. The hotel offers a breakfast as an add-on to their regular lodging but all of the reviews said to just walk outside and the streets will be lined with little boulangeries and patisseries.
A block down Rue de Buci there is a crowded little place called Paul’s (that we will later learn is a big chain) and we decide to try our luck. When we go in we find people swarming around a counter and indicating with winks and nods what they would like while the staff is grabbing pastries and moving folks through a fast-paced line to the check-out register. The four of us treat this like a spectator sport as we try to figure out what the score is and who is ahead. We finally work up our courage and try pointing and speaking slow English interspersed with some “oui”s and we eventually wind up with something to eat, even if it isn’t what we wanted and some of us have to share. This obviously needs a little work.
We retrace our first route from last night back down to the river and Pont Neuf where we cross and mosey over to the Louvre. This is a monstrous complex and we wander through a couple of courtyards before finding the iconic glass pyramid and the Tuileries Garden beyond. It’s a cool but sunny morning and we grab a couple photos with all the famous backdrops. Monday is going to be our Louvre inside day so we get back to our exploring.
We poke around outside one of the big department stores but they are closed for renovation so we head back to the river. The stroll along the right bank of the Seine is lined with shops, outdoor stands and artists displaying their wares. For the first couple of blocks all of the shops are selling plants and flowers with products displayed inside and out. The next couple of blocks are all pets with huge parrots, little puppies and kittens, and a few ugly fish. It is like the retail area has been divided into departments so if you need a new African Violet you go to block two and for an African Elephant you go to block four. It is a great feeling to be wandering around the city on Saturday morning with nowhere to be and just soak it all in.
We cross halfway back across the river to Ile de la Cite (City Island) where we mill around another large market area of plants and crafts and odds and ends. This island is the center of the French world and the center of the center is Notre Dame Cathedral. We now get our first glimpse of this monster rising 200 feet to the top of the bell towers. It has been here since the 1100’s and before that this was the home of a Roman Temple of Jupiter so a few folks have been here before us. Tomorrow we are attending a Gregorian Mass so today we are content to do a cursory tour and marvel at the exteriors.
It’s lunchtime and we are very near where we had dinner last night. Today we find a sidewalk café (Le Depart) on Boulevard St. Michel right across the street from the river. A perfect vantage point to sip a little white wine, relax and let the city wash over us.
We get our motors started once again to continue down St. Michel on the left bank past the Sorbonne and into the Luxembourg Gardens and adjoining Palace (home of the French Senate). This place is 60 acres huge with formal plantings, great expanses of lawn and acres of shallow ponds. On this beautiful Saturday afternoon there are probably thousands of folks milling around with picnic baskets, books, games and toys of all sorts. The kids are playing with little toy sailboats in the ponds, and you can rent little remote control boats to attack the defenseless sailboats. In the summer you get a touch of the tropics as the groundskeepers pull out the boxed orange trees from l’orangerie where they are tended in the winter.
We leave the gardens on the west side and walk a couple of blocks to check out St. Sulpice Church. This is where some people get knocked off in the book “The Da Vinci Code” as Silas the Murderous Monk goes on a rampage. Nothing of the sort going on here today but there are some teens in scuba gear hanging around the fountain in front. No, we don’t get it either, but they obviously have a plan.
We’re now moving back north towards the river and we do a quick walk through Bon Marche, the big Paris department store that has been here for over 150 years. This was the first store to offer fixed pricing rather than haggling and bartering, but we’re starting to wind down so shopping is not an option. We kick back out on St. Germain and enjoy our tree-lined walk past the hotels, restaurants, churches and shops as we wind our way back to the hotel. We have a big dinner tonight so a nap might be in order. The K’s are in their new room so all is well with the world.
Dinner tonight is at Jacques Cagna, a convenient five minute walk from the hotel. This is a Michelin one-star that has been here for ages with Jacques still in the kitchen while his sister and her son run the dining room. Our reservation is for 7:30 which is obviously early since the restaurant is only half full when we arrive. Our hostess (the sister?) takes us upstairs and stops at a little alcove off to the side with one table for four tucked inside. Isn’t this nice? This is our minor splurge, the major scheduled for later in the week, so we all order off the tasting menu with multiple courses. Each serving is a delight and we amuse ourselves by taking pictures of all the food as it is presented. Being peculiar is one of the advantages of private dining.
This is John’s birthday week and the K’s have secreted a flaming happy birthday sign to the staff and they present it with dessert. Jacques & Company also throw their two-cents worth in with a fancy little “Joyeaux Anniversaire” sign on another dessert. It is another perfect birthday party for JZ and another perfect day.
A slow amble gets us back to bed with many more big days to come.
Saturday 9/30/06
We’re all up and at ‘em this morning. The K’s of course have to repack for their room change but the staff has assured us that they will handle the details. The hotel offers a breakfast as an add-on to their regular lodging but all of the reviews said to just walk outside and the streets will be lined with little boulangeries and patisseries.
A block down Rue de Buci there is a crowded little place called Paul’s (that we will later learn is a big chain) and we decide to try our luck. When we go in we find people swarming around a counter and indicating with winks and nods what they would like while the staff is grabbing pastries and moving folks through a fast-paced line to the check-out register. The four of us treat this like a spectator sport as we try to figure out what the score is and who is ahead. We finally work up our courage and try pointing and speaking slow English interspersed with some “oui”s and we eventually wind up with something to eat, even if it isn’t what we wanted and some of us have to share. This obviously needs a little work.
We retrace our first route from last night back down to the river and Pont Neuf where we cross and mosey over to the Louvre. This is a monstrous complex and we wander through a couple of courtyards before finding the iconic glass pyramid and the Tuileries Garden beyond. It’s a cool but sunny morning and we grab a couple photos with all the famous backdrops. Monday is going to be our Louvre inside day so we get back to our exploring.
We poke around outside one of the big department stores but they are closed for renovation so we head back to the river. The stroll along the right bank of the Seine is lined with shops, outdoor stands and artists displaying their wares. For the first couple of blocks all of the shops are selling plants and flowers with products displayed inside and out. The next couple of blocks are all pets with huge parrots, little puppies and kittens, and a few ugly fish. It is like the retail area has been divided into departments so if you need a new African Violet you go to block two and for an African Elephant you go to block four. It is a great feeling to be wandering around the city on Saturday morning with nowhere to be and just soak it all in.
We cross halfway back across the river to Ile de la Cite (City Island) where we mill around another large market area of plants and crafts and odds and ends. This island is the center of the French world and the center of the center is Notre Dame Cathedral. We now get our first glimpse of this monster rising 200 feet to the top of the bell towers. It has been here since the 1100’s and before that this was the home of a Roman Temple of Jupiter so a few folks have been here before us. Tomorrow we are attending a Gregorian Mass so today we are content to do a cursory tour and marvel at the exteriors.
It’s lunchtime and we are very near where we had dinner last night. Today we find a sidewalk café (Le Depart) on Boulevard St. Michel right across the street from the river. A perfect vantage point to sip a little white wine, relax and let the city wash over us.
We get our motors started once again to continue down St. Michel on the left bank past the Sorbonne and into the Luxembourg Gardens and adjoining Palace (home of the French Senate). This place is 60 acres huge with formal plantings, great expanses of lawn and acres of shallow ponds. On this beautiful Saturday afternoon there are probably thousands of folks milling around with picnic baskets, books, games and toys of all sorts. The kids are playing with little toy sailboats in the ponds, and you can rent little remote control boats to attack the defenseless sailboats. In the summer you get a touch of the tropics as the groundskeepers pull out the boxed orange trees from l’orangerie where they are tended in the winter.
We leave the gardens on the west side and walk a couple of blocks to check out St. Sulpice Church. This is where some people get knocked off in the book “The Da Vinci Code” as Silas the Murderous Monk goes on a rampage. Nothing of the sort going on here today but there are some teens in scuba gear hanging around the fountain in front. No, we don’t get it either, but they obviously have a plan.
We’re now moving back north towards the river and we do a quick walk through Bon Marche, the big Paris department store that has been here for over 150 years. This was the first store to offer fixed pricing rather than haggling and bartering, but we’re starting to wind down so shopping is not an option. We kick back out on St. Germain and enjoy our tree-lined walk past the hotels, restaurants, churches and shops as we wind our way back to the hotel. We have a big dinner tonight so a nap might be in order. The K’s are in their new room so all is well with the world.
Dinner tonight is at Jacques Cagna, a convenient five minute walk from the hotel. This is a Michelin one-star that has been here for ages with Jacques still in the kitchen while his sister and her son run the dining room. Our reservation is for 7:30 which is obviously early since the restaurant is only half full when we arrive. Our hostess (the sister?) takes us upstairs and stops at a little alcove off to the side with one table for four tucked inside. Isn’t this nice? This is our minor splurge, the major scheduled for later in the week, so we all order off the tasting menu with multiple courses. Each serving is a delight and we amuse ourselves by taking pictures of all the food as it is presented. Being peculiar is one of the advantages of private dining.
This is John’s birthday week and the K’s have secreted a flaming happy birthday sign to the staff and they present it with dessert. Jacques & Company also throw their two-cents worth in with a fancy little “Joyeaux Anniversaire” sign on another dessert. It is another perfect birthday party for JZ and another perfect day.
A slow amble gets us back to bed with many more big days to come.
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