June 5, 2014
We headed over to our now familiar bakery shop, only to realize that being Tuesday, it was closed. But our neighborhood is teaming with places to eat. Having our heart set on croissants, we sought a bakery. Soon we happened upon Boulangerie Julien . Their croissants were wonderful. I also ordered a puff pastry filled ham and cheese that was equally good.
By all means, do not skimp on the pastries in Paris. If there is one place to indulge, it is Paris. And as I mentioned earlier, I do not have a sweet tooth.
Later on in a park, we noticed a hefty looking pigeon. Back home our pigeons must be content with bread crumbs. Here they are spoiled with Croissant crumbs!
Hera had wanted to see the catacombs. I’ve never seen them, so why not. We headed over to the left bank, and then noticed the line. Neither of us are fond of line ups, and not once this trip had we have to really wait in any lineup. But, if we wanted to see the catacombs, we just had to get in line.
At first I had thought the line up was so long because being Tuesday, many sights are closed. But doing a quick internet search showed me that this was the norm. If anything, today, the line was relatively short. But we still had to wait about 1 ½ hours!
Since Roman times, limestone has been mined here. And Paris is riddled with mine tunnels that criss cross the city. The mines were abandoned several centuries ago and more or less forgotten, when suddenly a few cave ins occurred, panicking the Parisians. An inspector of mines was created, and many tunnels were shored up.
Around the same time, many of the ancient cemeteries in Paris were overly full, and some had to be closed. It was decided to move the remains of these graves into the mine shafts. The area was consecrated, and bones were piled in the mine tunnels.
It seems it was always a curiosity, and very soon it was decided to make a route in some of the tunnels for curious people to visit. Now tourists wait up to 3 hours or more to visit. Apparently the best time to visit is about 45 minutes before opening. There will be a line, but they only allow 200 inside the catacombs at a time, so the early lineup moves in quick.
Hera enjoyed herself, and I am happy that I went. At least now I can say I have visited the catacombs.
We wandered about and walked into the Luxembourg Gardens. This is another garden that was created by Maria de Medici. It is always a pleasant stroll, and a place I remember years earlier bringing pate and cheese to have a picnic lunch.
To our surprise, I spotted a rabbit. Besides pigeons, wildlife is more or less scarce in Paris, until we found out that the rabbit named “Frisbee” was a four month old pet rabbit who is let out regularly for some fresh air.
We were getting hungry and thirsty. We walked along the grand St. Germain Boulevard, and found another lovely covered passageway called Cour du Commerce St. Andre. We entered it and read various menus as we walked. Cepe et Figue sounded delicious (59-61 rue St Andre des arts). The door was open, but it was dark inside. We entered, and was told that it did not open until 7 pm, and hour later.
So we found a place to have a beer and people watch. Part of the joy, is to sit back, relax and enjoy the time.
We backtracked, and entered Cepe et Figue. Hera ordered a delicious carpaccio plate, while I had the asparagus with smoked duck and quail egg, wonderful. Hera’s main dish was huge prawns, while I had there exquisite boeuf bourguignon. For dessert, we shared a Baba Rum and one of the best millefeuilles I ever had.
Photographer's note: Food and restaurant photo were shot with a cell phone.
Hard to believe I do not have a sweet tooth. What did we do soon after? We happened upon Chocolaterie Larnicol of Boulevard St. Germain. One of the best chocolate shops in Paris. Bought four of the their macarons, which were excellent, along with a sampling of their chocolates.
Paris is not the place to hold back when it comes to food. Go ahead and indulge. Who knows when you will be back.
