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

 

 

Yesterday we returned to Montparnasse Tower in the evening.

 

Usually I like to travel near the end of Spring.  A great time, as the weather is usually good but not too hot, the tourists have not yet completely taken over, and the days are longer.

Unfortunately, this time, the weather did not comply, it was often cool and wet.  But even worse, Paris is quite north and thus the days are very long.  Sunset is close to 10 pm, and the gorgeous Paris lights do not get turned on until after 10.  So I would suggest to travel in September for Paris.  We’ve been here in September and that offers good weather, and the lights get turned on much earlier.

High on Montparnasse Tower, we had a spectacular view of Paris as the sun was setting.  And then, at 10pm, the Eiffel tower shimmers in sparkling lights for 5 minutes before the regular lights light it up.  I believe at at the top of each hour, it shimmers again for 5 minutes.  

As usual, we started our day with a croissant a piece.  But we also shared a Flan, and a scrumptious millefeuille.  The French do know how to make pastry, and do not deprive yourself.  Go ahead and indulge

Off to the Opera Garnier, we bought our entrance tickets and then walked in.  Grand is an understatement.  The entrance with the grand staircase is as large as the auditorium.   The architect purposely designed the staircase to show off women in their long gowns at their very best.  

Lovely balconies are found overlooking the grand entranceway as he knew that “being seen” was of utmost importance.

The plush red velvet was also chosen on purpose.  The reflected red would leave a highly complementary pink blush on the skin of women.  Again, showing the women off at their very best.

 

We do forget that the times have changed.  Today, going to the Opera is a serious affair.  While just a century ago, it was much less for the Opera, and more the social outing.  Seeing and being seen was at least as important, perhaps more so, than the performance on stage.

 

Taking our turn to be seen, we took a seat at the Opera cafe, and enjoyed a drink.  We sat back and relaxed.

 

Back on our feet, we came across the Pierre Herme  pastry shop.  We had met a charming Australian couple the night before at Montparnasse Tower who raved about it.  So we bought a couple of macarons to give it a try.  They were indeed wonderful.

 

We walked about the neighborhood, and came to the Ritz, but we were disappointed that it was completely closed and is being renovated.  A pity, as it would have been lovely to walk inside for a glimpse.

 

Besides seeing the Opera house, another goal of ours today was to try out Angelina   on rue Rivoli.

 

 

 

Decisions decisions.  So hard to choose.  I decided to go for the house specialty, the Mont Blanc while Hera went for the St. Honore, they were scrumptious!  Although I think if I was to choose again, I should have tried a millefeuille here.  We also each had a cup of hot African Chocolate, that was like drinking the best chocolate imaginable.  

So much sweets today!  And like I said before, I do not have a sweet tooth!  But that does not matter when in Paris.

While we walked about, we came across a shop that claims to be the best chocolate shop in Paris.  With a life size jaguar made out of chocolate in one window display, while the next window had huge ribs made out of chocolate.  The interior looked divine.  But with so much sweets today, we just could not give it a try.

 

A good day of walking and eating sweets, we finally settled down at a bistro and had our supper.  Hera just wanted a Greek salad, while I went for the special of the day, Dui du Boucher, a piece of beef and a piece of veal, with a lovely pepper sauce on the side.

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

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.

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.