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

Tomorrow is Ascension Day, a national holiday in France.  So we made sure we did some grocery shopping picking up essentials like more wine and cheese.  We also picked up some other food as well.

We tried out the other neighborhood bakery,  Topaze , that was closed yesterday.  We had a heavenly croissant, along with a delicious cream brioche.  Their chocolate brioche was good, and their savory blue cheese bun also very good.  

 

We then tried their macarons.  Perhaps these were the best I have had thus far.  You could taste the butter, and were more chewy than yesterdays, but not as heavy in butter and mouth feel as the Pain de Sucre.  
 

Today we were off towards the Eiffel Tower.  While most of all the tourist sites are within walking distance, some distances are large.  And why get tired at the start.  So we decided to use the transit system to get there.

I mentioned the options on transit fare in my previous post.  One also has options in the two major types of transit.  Above ground bus or Metro (subway).  In Montreal we use the term Metro as well, and I was never sure where the term came from.  If I am not mistaken, it is the shortened version for “Metropolitan” that we see on signs for some of their Metro stations.

If you are in a rush or need to get somewhere quick, the Metro is probably your best option.  But if you have some time, the above ground bus is great as you get a visual tour of Paris as you ride.

Bus # 69 which we took is particularly pretty as it rides along the Louvre, enters the Louvre through an extremely narrow archway with views of the interior gardens and pyramids, then rides along the left bank to the Orsay Museum.  It doubles back in, and then towards the Rodin Museum, goes past Les Invalides and then the Ecole Militaire and ends on the Champs de Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower.

We will probably take an equally scenic route one day going the other day as we plan on using Bus # 69 to go to Pere Lachaise Cemetery.

I am sure many other routes will be quite scenic as well.  So if you are not in a rush, and do not want to walk, why not use the bus?  

Unfortunately there is a tennis tournament going on, so there are tennis courts and a huge TV screen on the Champs de Mars grounds.  As an added distraction, there is construction work on the Eiffel tower as well, but it is still grand and spectacular.

We walked slowly along the Champs de Mars, watching the Eiffel tower loom ever closer, until we were finally underneath it.  Considered an eyesore when it was built, what other image conjures Paris better than the Eiffel tower?

 

Crossing the Seine, we walked into the Trocadero Gardens.  The fountains and Palais de Chaillot add a completely different perspective to the tower.  Tour buses seem to drop tourists off at either end.  I think the best way to appreciate the Eiffel Tower is to take one’s time and stroll about, preferably more than once.

Having our fill of the tower, we doubled back through Trocadero Gardens, under the Tower, and along the Champs de Mars.

 

Just a few blocks is rue Cler, our next destination.  Paris should be thought of as a group of villages that became neighborhoods that coalesced into a city.  Rue Cler typifies this neighborhood.  Still Parisienne to some extent, it is lined with bustling food stores that locals still visit almost daily for food.  Parisians have small fridges, and equally small kitchens, so they tend to shop almost daily.  This also ensures their food is fresh and delicious.  They do eat and dine well.

A little chalkboard summed it up well.  “A meal without wine is breakfast.  Breakfast without champagne is not breakfast.”

 

We decided to stop at  Cafe Du Marche .  Hera ordered the steak tartare while I had the duck confit.  Both were excellent.  To accompany it, we ordered a half bottle of the house wine which was superb.  By the way, a cheeseburger goes for the same price, so please do opt for the local fare.

Our dinner over, we took our time to savour our wine as we watched people on the street.

Leaving Cafe du Marche, we looked over at the offering at a Bakery across the street, but seeing macarons in a bakery window further down the street, we had to enter.  At  Francois Pralus , we bought two macarons, a cassis and chocolate noir.  They were good.  The butter taste was there, and there was enough chewiness, but I think this morning’s were a bit better.

Most days, we probably would have continued walking.  But we have had some long days, and I had awoken to a sore throat and some aches, so we decided to head back home.

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.