Oh La La! We Are In Paris... Our Day Four... by Montreal photographer Hera Bell and her husband Anthony

We intended to try out another nearby bakery for their take on macarons.  Around the corner and perhaps and a block away, we found it, but alas it is closed on Tuesdays.  We’ll give it a try another day.

Since we arrived, for some reason Hera’s cell and tablet would not connect in our apartment.  She had no problem with her cell in various cafes and bistros that all offer free Wi-Fi (pronounced “wee-fee” in France).  This had perturbed the friendly and very helpful Landlady,  and since she could not resolve it, she said she would call in a technician today for us.  So we did not venture too far.

 

A bit hungry, Hera felt like having a Falafel at what is reputedly the best falafel joint in Paris called  L'As du Fallafel .  We had been here in our last visit and the there is always a line up, reminiscent of Schwartz's in Montreal.   Today we were lucky, only a few people ahead of us.  The place is hustling and bustling, but the staff are friendly and courteous.

 

 

 

 

 

 



The Falafel was excellent.  Is it the best I ever had?  We Montrealers are indeed spoiled.  This is the oldest falafel place in Paris opening in 1979, and it has only been in the past 15 years or so have so many falafel and shawarma joints opened up in Paris.  So much so that we almost did not recognize the old Paris on our last visit in 2005.

 

Well fed, we walked the streets of the Marais, and were soon at Place des Vosges.  On our second day, we had been here and sampled a piece of a macaron that a salesgirl was offering.  So we decided to head over to Cafe Pouchkine.

 

 

While definitely French, it seems that macarons have become so popular everywhere.  Weddings are using the tasty treats as decorative items, and shops everywhere here are now selling them.
 

We decided on three different ones, and headed over to a park bench in Place des Vosges to sample our treats.  Once again, they were delicious.  I prefer these, which seemed lighter and not as sweet.  But I can see that at connoisseur might disagree.  The other was very buttery and filling, probably how an excellent macaron should be.  But our North American palate does have a preference for lighter fare.

 

 

On our way again we continued walking eastward and arrived at our once familiar landmark, Place de la Bastille.  In 2005 our apartment was just a block away.  We spied a Brasserie that we had adopted back then as a watering hole, the streets where we did our groceries, when soon our telephone rang.  The Landlady’s technician might be early, so we headed back home.

 

While we did get Hera’s cell and tablet to finally connect, it is still puzzling why there was the problem in the first place.  

 

 

Heading back out, we walked along some of the grand boulevards in the general direction of the Opera House.  Paris has many quiet park areas, that is sorely missed in Montreal.  Seeing the entrance to the Palace Royal grounds, I sat at a fountain while Hera scampered about taking photos.

 

 

 

 

After a short break we were back on our way.  Many streets have very obvious names.  We turned left onto Avenue de l’Opera, and of course up in the distance we could see the gorgeous Opera House looming in the distance like a jewel.

 

 

 

It was late, and it was closed, but we will most likely return to enter it again as it is a gorgeous building.

 

 

But not to be disappointed, Les Galeries Lafayette is just around the corner and it was open.  Even if you do not want to buy a designer item, even I feel it is worth a visit.  Walk towards the center and the ceiling opens up to a huge spectacular cupola.  

 

We ended up doing a bit of shopping in the area, and then started to head back home.  We started on our way, then decided to take the Metro instead.

I have mentioned this in previous trips, it is always essential to learn and feel comfortable with the local transit system.  A tourist in Paris has two major choices.  Simply buy a carnet of 10 tickets, or buy a weekly pass.  You can take photos conveniently for your passes at many Metro stations, and we actually brought our own photos from home.  But in the end we decided not to buy a weekly pass, and simply use a ticket when needed.

Hopping onto the metro, a quick transfer to a second line, and soon we exited just half a block away from our apartment.  We were home.  Time to relax with some wine and food.

 

Oh La La! We Are In Paris... Our Day Three... by Montreal photographer Hera Bell and her husband Anthony

 

We awoke to rain.  

What better way to brighten a day than with some exceptional pastries.  Just over a block away was Pain Au Sucre .  Reputed to be one of the better nearby pastry shops.  We sat on the sidewalk table as we shared a delicious Baba Rum.  The rum could definitely be tasted above the sweet syrup.  Even though we shared it, it was so sweet, we could not try the four different macarons that we bought as well.

So with the macarons in a bag, we headed off towards the Seine.  We ate them slowly one at a time as we walked.  They were wonderfully buttery and creamy, each with their own unique flavour.  And even though we shared each one, they were so sweet, we had to take our time with them.

 

We crossed over in front of Notre Dame Cathedral, where a Chinese couple were having their wedding pictures taken.  The church is a central landmark in Paris, and I am sure we will cross in front of it many more times to come.

 

We decided to spend some time walking along the lower walkway along the Seine.  A worthwhile endeavor as it does give a different perspective.  Not only is it a different visual vantage point, but being lower than the street away from the cars, it adds to the sense of what Paris might have felt like in the past.

 

 

 

 

Walking off Ile de la Cite, we meandered along some of the smaller streets that used to characterize Paris before these medieval streets were ripped away to be replaced by the modern, now classical, Parisian Grand boulevards.

 

And soon we exited the winding little streets, onto Boulevard St. Germain.  We followed it then turned south along Boulevard Saint Michel.  Both of these lovely large boulevards, are lined with boutiques, bistros and cafes.  A great place to walk, and people watch.

 

It was a rainy day, and while we walked along the side of the Luxembourg Gardens, we decided not to enter it in case it poured.
 

We kept walking south, and Boulevard St. Michel falls onto Avenue General Leclerc.  Several blocks further we turned onto Rue Daguerre.  A pretty street, lined with restaurants, and closed food stalls.  We were not sure at first if the food stalls were closed because of the time of day, it was already around 3 pm, or because of the rain.  A quick search gave us the real reason, the lively food market here is open from Tuesday to Saturday, today was Monday.  Oh well.
 

But that is no reason not to enjoy ourselves.  So we found a corner bistro and sat outside.  We each had a glass of wine, shared a Croque Monsieur and chatted away.

Rested, we continued on with our walk.  We walked along Montparnasse Cemetery.  We did not take a map and search out the notables like Jean Paul Sartre and de Beauvoir, but we did come across Paul Picasso.  Again, doing a quick search did reveal that he was indeed Pablo’s son.

If you have the time, the cemetery is a peaceful and pretty.  A pleasant place to walk, that is typically Parisian, but completely different than the regularly tourist walks.  And if you are interested, a map can be obtained when entering listing the notables and where they are laid to rest.

 

 

 

 

 

As we walked towards home, we came across Montparnasse Tower.  It had a skyline view, and while pricey at 14.50 Euros a piece, we decided to give it a try.  The elevator ride up is exceptionally fast, and the views are amazing.  Definitely worth the price.
 

Being a rainy day, a haze obstructed the view to some extent, but we were in no rush.  We looked and watched, ordered some wine and enjoyed the views.  It was 7 pm, and the views would be spectacular when the lights went on, but that would happen at 10, and we could not see ourselves staying another 3 hours more.

 

 

 

Walking back towards the Seine, we took rue de Rennes.  Haussmann originally planned this street to continue right to the Seine.  Fortunately it stopped just shy of Saint Germain des Pres, allowing the church to remain on cobble stoned streets.  I sometimes wonder how much more charming Paris might have been had these modern boulevards not bulldozed through such old neighborhoods.  But then again, it would not be the Paris we know today either.

 

It was getting late as we wandered through the grounds of the Louvre.  I can imagine the uproar there must have been when someone suggested pyramids be placed as skylights.  I think I too might have protested as well, but the modern pyramids fit so well within the grand complex.

 

 



We were getting tired as we made our final leg towards home.  In the distance we could see the Pompidou Center, a bitter sweet sight.  We were getting closer to home, but still had a distance to traverse.

Oh La La! We Are In Paris... Our Day Two... by Montreal photographer Hera Bell and her husband Anthony

I had awoken at 6 am (midnight Montreal time) feeling a bit sleepy, and I made the mistake to stay in bed.  A blink of an eye later and it was 11 am.  But apart from sleeping in, we feel we are more or less sync’ed to local time now.

We’ve have been fortunate enough to have visited Paris several times in the past, so we do not feel the need to visit any sites in particular.  So this trip will be much more laid back than most.  
 

The weather forecast threatens rain.  Usually that would make it a great museum day, but  it seems rain might be in our forecast for most of our trip.
 

Sundays, many shops in Paris are closed, but the Marais district is one area that tends to have most of its shops open.  Our first goal was to head over to the neighborhood food market.  It is best to visit much earlier, and we were late, so we hurried over.

 

Already several stalls were closed, but the vegetable and fruits stalls promised to remain open for a few more hours.  And since the market’s various mini restaurants had our tummies growling we decided to stand in line in one promising vendor’s crepe and sandwich stall.

 

It took at least 30 minutes in line, watching the chef making scrumptious sandwiches and Galetes (a savory crepe sandwich).  Hera ordered a smoked salmon sandwich, while I had a ham Galete.  Each were stuffed generously with vegetables in addition to our choice of meats.  The amount of parmesan cheese in my galette could have easily made it a cheese galette rather than ham.  Although the amount of cured ham was also quite generous.

 

We took our food to a nearby park we had spied on our way, found a bench and enjoyed our meal watching children play about in the playground.

 

 

 

Well fed, we went back to the market, bought our produce, and walked back to our apartment to unload.

 

Back out on the streets, we walked over a couple of blocks to rue Veille du Temple.  The street was crowded with tourists as well as locals.  We walked in and out of various shops and past a side street we planned on taking to continue along this street, and then we doubled back to walk along rue des Rosiers.

 

The area Jewish history is still present, and we past a Falafel eatery we had sampled the last time we were here 9 years ago, as well as Bakery.  The eggbread looked delicious as did many other items, but we were still stuffed from our meal.

 

We meandered along the various streets, heading towards Place des Vosges.  Built from 1605-1612, it was the first European program of Royal city planning that would be the model of residential city squares that would soon be copied throughout Europe.

 Victor Hugo, already famous, lived here at one time, where he wrote at least part of Les Miserables.  We rested a bit in the park, enjoying the day.

 

We headed south from Place des Vosges, Hera took photos, and soon we were at the Seine.  We crossed over the bridge, and walked along the Left Bank, past the book vendors.  While a fixture on the Left Bank, I wonder if their days are numbered.  

 

Enjoying the changing views of Notre Dame Cathedral as we walked, we crossed over a pedestrian bridge and sat a bit to enjoy the sight.  Hera did not feel like entering today, and we will have ample time to do so at one time.

 

 

There was a 60% chance of rain today, and we were lucky as not a dropped fell.  But it was now past 8, and the skies were starting to threaten.  With the wind picking up, we decided not to tempt fate, so we decided to walk towards home slowly.  Of course Hera still took her photos.

 

Once home, it felt great to take off our shoes, and relax a bit.