We have a free day in Paris today. Tomorrow we’ll board a boat that will take us through Normandy on the Seine river, all the way to the Atlantic ocean. But today, there’s nothing on the schedule. Paris is a nice place to be without any responsibilities or commitments.
The Morning Routine
I started the day with the morning routine I’ve followed the past couple of days. I’m up early and out the door. First stop – Maison Collet to get a pain-aux-raisins.
“Bonjour monsieur!” said a voice coming from behind a display case somewhere.
“Bonjour madame!” I replied. This is my third morning in a row coming here. Only three visits and already I’m treated like I’m an old friend. We make some small talk, half in english and half in french, (always good for a laugh or two), and I’m on my way.
Same thing at my next stop, Starbucks. The guy taking orders recognized me from the past two days. We exchange “bonjour monsieurs.” He remembered what I’ve been ordering. After getting a coffee to go, I paid a visit to the produce guy, then walked back to the apartment.
For the day’s activity, we decided to take a walk in the direction of the Louvre. At some point along the way, we’d take a look at a restaurant where we’re thinking of having dinner. It’s one of the places recommended to us by our foodie tour guide, Deniz.
Lunchtime
By lunchtime, we had meandered all the way from Montorgueil to Ile de la Cite. This part of Paris is always thick with tourists. It’s not where you want to be when it’s time to eat, or so we thought.
One thing about Europe that catches some of us visitors from afar off guard is that when it’s time to eat, you’ve got to eat. If you wait until 2:00 to have lunch, you might find that everyplace has closed their doors until dinnertime.
It was lunchtime, and we were hungry, so we went into a place that was across the street from Saint Chapelle. This is Tourist Central, so we weren’t expecting anything special as far as cuisine.
We sat at a nice table with a view of all the action out in front of the place. Inside, surprisingly, it looked like there were as many locals as tourists, (at least the obvious ones), seated around us. That was a good sign.
Our lunch turned out to be great. My Better Half ordered a quiche that was a thing to behold. It was a huge, 2-inch-thick, piece-of-pie-shaped slab of goodness. Burnt just a little – the perfect amount – on the back edge and on the bottom. It was packed with all kinds of good stuff. I apologize. I forgot to take a picture of it.
After lunch we headed back towards Montorgueil. On the way we went through a neighborhood we had never passed through before. It was nice. Kind of quiet, with quite a few places that looked inviting. We found the restaurant we were looking for. It looked good. They were closed, but someone was there so we could make a dinner reservation.
Église Saint-Eustache
From there, we walked through a green space that bordered Saint Eustache cathedral. It’s huge. It’s 400 years old, and really magnificent, but it’s the unsung hero of French gothic cathedrals. Hardly anyone knows about it.
Saint Eustache is the patron saint of hunters and firefighters. If you’re a Jaegermeister fan, you might be interested to know that two saints, Eustache, and 400 years or so later, Hubert, are connected to the brand.
The story goes that each of them was hunting a big stag when the animal stopped and turned around to face them. At that moment, each of them saw a crucifix shining in the space between the stag’s antlers, and they each heard the voice of God, commanding them to lead a holy life. You’ll find that image on the Jaegermeister label.
Back to Rue Montorgueil
From Saint Eustache it was a short walk back to the apartment. We took it easy for awhile, did some packing, then went out to find a good people-watching spot at one of the outdoor cafes on Rue Montorguiel.
It’s been a short, but nice stay in Paris. I’m glad we had the chance to see Notre Dame in its present state, as sad as it is. And the foodie tour yesterday day was great. Now that I think of it, I don’t think I’ve been hungry for three days.
Tomorrow we leave Paris. We’ll board a boat for a river cruise through Normandy on the Seine river, all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. I’ve wanted to visit Normandy for a long time. There’s so much history there. So many beautiful landscapes. So much more to eat!
To be continued…
