It’s our last night in Paris. We’re down in a wine “cave” at O Chateau, being guided though the wine-producing regions of France, taste, by taste. From here we’ll go to dinner at another restaurant on our list. Then it’ll be time to pack, because in the morning we’re taking a train to Dijon. Continue reading “Last Night in Paris, Continued”
Last Night in Paris – A Visit to O Chateau
Today we went on our boat ride on the Seine. That was fun. Then we had lunch at a little restaurant near city hall, and now we’re going to walk back to the apartment. Our plan is to get back to the apartment, then take it easy for awhile. Tonight we’re going wine tasting at a place called O Chateau. Should be interesting! Continue reading “Last Night in Paris – A Visit to O Chateau”
Boat Ride on the Seine, Part 2
It’s a beautiful day for a boat ride on the Seine river. We’re cruising along on a “Batobus” boat – the boat version of a hop-on/hop-off tourist bus. We boarded at a dock near the Louvre Museum, then set off toward the Eiffel Tower, passing under Pont Alexandre III along the way. Pont Alexandre III is the fanciest bridge in Paris. Really nice. Continue reading “Boat Ride on the Seine, Part 2”
Boat Ride on the Seine, Part 1
Today we’re going to go on a boat ride on the river Seine that runs through Paris. We’re ready to go, so without any further ado, out the door, down the stairs, through the courtyard, and out the front door we went.
There’s a shop next door to our apartment building that sells only one thing: éclairs. Can you believe it? — A store that sells nothing but éclairs. I’ve seen ‘em in the window every day since we’ve been here, but it seems like we’ve always just eaten, so I haven’t done a taste test yet. Continue reading “Boat Ride on the Seine, Part 1”
Parisian Debate: To Work, or Not to Work on Sundays
It has been another fun day – Montmartre for lunch, the area around Les Halles and Saint Eustache in the afternoon, refreshments on Rue Montorgueil in the evening, and dinner at a great little Italian restaurant to cap things off. We made the short walk back to the apartment and settled in for the night.
We were too stuffed from dinner to go to bed, so we turned on television. The big story on the local news was a debate about stores in Paris being either allowed or prohibited from opening for business on Sundays. Continue reading “Parisian Debate: To Work, or Not to Work on Sundays”
Les Halles and Le Ventre de Paris
We’ve had quite a day, visiting Place du Tertre at Montmartre with throngs of other tourists, taking a break in the afternoon, then walking over to where Les Halles used to be. To get ourselves in the proper mood, we were thinking about Emile Zola’s book that takes place in Les Halles, Le Ventre de Paris. (The Belly of Paris). The main character, a fellow named Florent, had been found, barely alive, by a lady at the head of an early morning procession of vegetable carts heading to market at Les Halles. Continue reading “Les Halles and Le Ventre de Paris”
Montmartre and Les Halles
We’re in the central square, Place du Tertre, in Montmartre, outside under the canopy of trees here. Restaurants line the square. Big canvas sunshades are set up in the center of the square so people can eat outside and be protected from the elements. The atmosphere has a circus-like quality to it. Everyone seems to be having a good time, including the servers at Au Cadet de Gaston.
We’ve just finished lunch with a whole bunch of people who must have had the same idea today as us. The place was packed. Even though this place is unquestionably touristy, everyone sitting around us had been speaking French. Interesting, eh? Continue reading “Montmartre and Les Halles”
Montmartre for Lunch
It’s the middle of the night, but we’re lying in bed, wide awake. We were both asleep for a while, but we’re wide awake now. It’s pitch dark. What time is it, anyway? 2:00 AM. Ugh. I guess we haven’t gotten all the jet lag out of our systems yet. It’s 6:00 PM yesterday back home.
On the other hand, maybe it’s because of the sugar ingested in last night’s late-night taste test of macarons. Not likely – my wife only had one small bite. I had to do the heavy lifting myself. If that was the cause of me being wide awake at 2:00 AM, it was worth it! Continue reading “Montmartre for Lunch”
Cocktails on Rue Montorgueil, then Frenchie
After lunch at the pizza place, we went back to the apartment and took it easy for awhile. We made a dinner reservation at Frenchie. By pure luck we managed to get in even though there was supposed to be a month-long waiting list.
When we were ready to head out again, it was cocktail hour. That meant that the outdoor cafés along Rue Montorgueil would be filling up with people enjoying snacks, refreshments, and people-watching. We’d soon be among them. Continue reading “Cocktails on Rue Montorgueil, then Frenchie”
Pizza in Paris
We had a fun and adventurous morning on our first day waking up in Paris. After my early-morning foraging trip, we went to two of the great old Paris department stores to look around and to pick up some macarons from Ladurée and Hermé for a taste test.
When we had the macarons in hand, we took the Metro back to our neighborhood and went straight to a place we had pre-selected for lunch. They’re supposed to have extra-good sandwiches, pizza, and coffee. Mmmm. We were really hungry, so we went straight there from Galleries Lafayette. Continue reading “Pizza in Paris”
