Day 7: If the journey is half the fun...

...then we had a heck of a good time today.  We decided to head toward the Eiffel Tower and try and squeeze in a visit to the Musée Quai Branly. Stephanie Noon, my friend and art teacher at Encinal, shared a really wonderful Ohlone Indian basket story with me in May and told me about one of the few remaining baskets being in that museum, as well as the British Museum (which we will visit in a couple weeks). So did I see it? I'm not sure! Read on...

We planned to set out early on our 2-bus adventure to La Tour Eiffel. Well, we woke up at 9, swearing it had to be only 7 a.m.  We sure sleep a lot here! Finally out the door at 10:30, we made our way to the first bus stop and the bus was there in a jiffy. We got off that bus at the wrong stop and had to ask for directions (this is where it would be helpful to speak more French than we do) to get back on route. Fortunately, there was a Parisian oasis on the way (a boulangerie).  Refreshed by croissants and a muffin, we boarded the 2nd bus. The rain started, but we carried on. A 30 min. walk in the rain from the bus stop got us to the museum café (by then it was 12:30), where we had a lovely lunch outside under a roof while it poured rain all around us. Again, all communication was en francais. We had a nice view of the Eiffel Tower from our table.  We didn't go up the tower as we've been there, done that, and it was raining. The sun came out for awhile while in the museum.  I'm not sure if I saw the baskets or not! I saw four and even asked if there were more (this involved several people and lots of broken French and English because I left my phrase book back at the apartment) and none was Ohlone, though one was Pomo--at least a CA tribe.

We then walked to the bus stop to ride the Line 69 bus which pretty much goes past every Paris landmark imaginable. We only rode it 1/2 way, to Notre Dame near where we found a bus back to our apartment. Time traveling: about 4 hrs and time sightseeing, about 2 hrs. Hmmmmm. We walked about 5 mi. today.  I must say, there are a lot of closed stores and restaurants due to the massive exit of the Parisians to points south during August, but there are plenty of places still open. It just means a bit more walking. And for some unknown reason, fewer shopkeepers and people at tourist spots speaking English. We're (read: I'm) getting more comfortable speaking very imperfect French.

It is so wonderful to have an apartment to come home to each day. It's nice and homey.

Cat sightings today: 2;  trip total 8

--Gail

Name that tower

Oh no.  He's everywhere.

Wouldn't you like to live on this street?

I can see Paris from here!

Photobombed again!

Ou est la femme?

One can never have too many pictures of La Tour Eiffel

Day 6 - Rainy Day Relaxation

Morning brought us a rainy day but, like a dedicated postman, it didn't dissuade us from making our appointed rounds in pursuit of croissants and coffee.  We had to extend our range a bit when we found out that our regular boulangerie was closed on Wednesdays.  Fueled by the cool wet weather and driven by morning hunger, we found a cafe on Tolbiac that fit the bill.  En francais we ordered the formulae which consisted of OJ, croissant and coffee/tea and in true Parisian style sat side by side at a small table facing the street.  After finishing our breakfast, I went to the bar to request the addition to settle up.  The madame recognized that we were not locals but was kind enough to compliment us on our French.  We felt proud and welcomed.

After breakfast we went to a great food store nearby that Gail discovered on the Internet; it's called Piccard and it only has frozen foods.  This may sound blasphemous to pursue frozen food en Paris but it'll come in handy when we don't want to dine out and don't have energy to cook.  Afterall, this is les vacances!

--John

In my defense, the frozen food at Picard is said to be very nutritious, and of excellent quality. Kind of a hyped up, 10 times the quality of, Lean Cuisine! The store is très intéressant, just a big white room room full of plain white freezer bins with everything from soup to nuts (really!). It was sort of futuristic-looking. They had lobster appetizers, fancy desserts, even containers of delicious French sauces. I can't remember where I read about it, but the article said even a few high-society French women secretly brag about having dinner parties using only food from Picard. I consider myself justified and vindicated!

--Gail

Day 5 and 4 miles of walking--Montmartre & Sacre Coeur

It was rather hot yesterday and perhaps not the best day to tackle Montmartre but we let our urge to go and a pretty day overwhelm our judgement and boarded the RER from Cité Universitaire about 2:30.  Unlike Caltrain and Muni, the RER and Metro are not air-conditioned so on a warm day, it's pretty toasty and humid in transit even with the open windows.  We disembarked at du Gare Nord and made our way through an underground mall which also serves as a passageway to a Metro transfer point.  The mall was a mass of humanity mixing shoppers with those in transit.  Ever alert for pickpockets, we focused on finding the Metro line 2 at La Chappelle,  Signage is good but it takes concentration to get the right set of stairs to ensure one is on the correct side of the correct platform.  We asked for assistance twice (Metro deux, s'il vous plaît?) and received a terse wave of the hand indicating the general direction. Two stops later we disembarked at Anvers, climbed the stairs and were greeted by the hot sun and the crush of a crowd that would make Pier 39 proud.  It quickly became apparent to us that pursuing the Rick Steve's 2 hour walk would not be enjoyable given the temperature and the crowd.  Instead we settled for a ride on the funicular and a walk through the church.

The small streets of Montmartre that lead to Sacre Coeur are lined with souvenir shops reminiscent of Fisherman's Wharf.  Clearly this would be fertile territory for Oliver Twist and his counterparts.  Though we escaped with our valuables intact, I did witness the local police interrogating and conducting a rather invasive body search on a teenage girl whom we suspect was being detained for wallet assault or shoplifting.  Her calm demeanor led me to believe she had been through this routine dozens of times and that she had already handed off the pilfered bounty. 

After a short ride on the funicular which spared us climbing some 200 steps, we climbed about 30 steps to reach the entrance to the church.  No pictures are permitted inside of the church out of respect for those there for worship rather than sightseeing.  Votives of many different sizes were available for 2 - 10 euro.  There were also vending machines that dispensed lucite medallions for those interested in a Sacre Coeur momento.

The church was quite beautiful inside and out and well worth the trip to Montmartre.
--John

P.S. Cat count: 1 calico; trip total: 6 (bonus points for calicos)

View from Sacre Coeur

Sacre Coeur 

Flat Stanley Strikes Again

Before Going Up the Steps

Funicular

Possible Postcard

Day 4 and 5 miles of walking

Slept in until 8 this morning after both of us lay awake from about 2-4 a.m. Getting over jet lag sooner than expected.  After a leisurely breakfast, we headed over to the Marais by bus and Metro.  I love the bus--it's much better for sightseeing. Just as Kat and I did 5 yrs ago, we walked circles all around the Centre Pompidou without finding it, OR the Stravinsky fountain we were looking for.  John even stopped in a police station to inquire as to the whereabouts of said fountain, but they said they had never heard of it! We had a map and followed signs to Centre Pompidou to no avail.  I swear someone keeps changing those signs.  (Kat, stop laughing!)  Finally, we stumbled upon the fountain after typing "big lips fountain Paris" in Google maps. Voila`!  We had lunch at Dame Tartine at

the edge of the fountain where Kat and I ate years ago.  Quite entertaining. Then I tried to find the apartment Kat and I stayed in, but couldn't. Things seem to have changed a lot in the Marais in 5 yrs.

We walked along a bridge over the Seine, watching sunbathers enjoy the Paris Plage (sand and palm trees and beach umbrellas are installed along the edge of the river). We peeked at the outside of Notre Dame (been there, done that before), where Flat Stanley posed for a picture. Qui est-ce que cette Flat Stanley, you ask?  Google it!  Next we hopped the RER to Les Jardins du Luxumbourg for a quick walk-through, thoroughly enjoying the sights.  We'll go back there for sure.  Then it was back to the apartment for dinner of still-warm baguette and pasta and parmesan as an appetizer and chocolate éclairs for the main dish.

There sure are a lot of people who speak French here! And very few (so far) who speak English, but we're muddling through with our very poor French and a lot of pointing. :)

Lovely weather today--mid-70s.

Cat sightings today: 1  Trip total: 4

-Gail

Fun Art at Stravinsky Fountain Adjacent to Pompidou

Lunch at Dame Tartine

Estate on Grounds of jardin Luxembourg

Siene Viewing on Pont Notre Dame

Imported sand, umbrellas and palm trees at Plages

Flat Stanley Visits Notre Dame (potential scene for Ghostbusters Paris remake)

Day 3 - Settling In

We took Kat's advice and took things at a Parisian Sunday pace today starting with fresh coffee brewed at "home" and a light breakfast. Afterwards we headed out the back way and up l'Amiral Mouchez in search of the Glaciére metro station to purchase our monthly Navigo pass that's good for unlimited bus, metro, fenicular and RER rides. That should enable us to get around quite freely and save wear and tear on the legs and feet. Completed our transaction with the assistance of two helpful female station agents -- they didn't speak English and we didn't speak French. Nevertheless, we managed to understand each other enough to get our passes issued. Had no problem with the new Chase chip and signature card which was a relief.

With shiny new Navigo passes in hand, we hopped on the Metro and headed to the Boulevard Auguste Blanqui street market one stop away. Let me see: that's 144 euro for a 45 second ride on the Metro. Of course that assumes we don't use the Navigo any more in the next 25 days.  Doubtful at best.

The market ran about 5-6 blocks along the boulevard and had dozens and dozens of vendor selling fresh seafood, meat, fruits, vegetables, olives, pasta, clothing, suitcases, mushrooms, poultry and breads.  It's hard to describe the sights, sounds, smells as we walked the length of the market and back.  As one might imagine, the market was jammed with local folks doing their marketing for the day:week;  vendors were often like barkers at the carnival trying to attract attention to their offerings and offering free samples of items such as fresh cut melon and offering it on the end of the sharp knife used to cut it.  We bought peaches (yum) and a bouquet of carrots -- a modest purchase but I know we'll be back since it is open Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

On the way back from the market, we explored some petit passages - small streets - with charming little gardens in front of houses that sit behind gated stone walls.  Very picturesque.  Also had our first cat encounter and so did Flat Stanley.

Made it back to our apartement mid-afternoon just in time for a late lunch and a short nap;  not feeling guilty about napping -- after all it's Sunday in Paris and we're no doubt suffering from jet lag.  I intend to use that rationalization liberally.

To top things off tonight, we had a nice downpour, one that California can only be envious of.

Enjoy the pics.

-- John

Cat count to today: 3 --2 tabbies and 1 calico.

-Gail

Looked as good as ours

Fresh Palmiers

Parisian clouds

Carrot bouquet

Olive banquet

Villa Daviel

Charming House

Secret Garden

Mom meets un chat

Le chat meets Flat Stanley

Le chat plays with Flat Stanley

Chez le chat

Paris charm

Day 2 - Addendum

Just wanted to add that my venture to Artisian du Pain was "tres facile" and I conducted my transaction "en francais." However, I have no idea what I paid for our croissants. How does one say " a fool and his money are soon parted" in French? John

Day 2: Off to a great start!

Arrived at the apartment about 7 pm Friday to a warm and balmy evening. The flights were on time, but sure wish we had the resources to fly other than economy. Every airline exec should be made to sit in an economy seat for 11 hrs with the seat in front of them at maximum recline. One must be a contortionist just to get in and out of the seat! I felt like a calf being raised in a confined pen waiting to become someone's sumptuous veal piccata! Enough complaining!

Our apartment here is delightful and comfortable. We wandered around the neighborhood a bit and found many wonderful places. Hope they're open today! Some are closed for Paris residents' mass departure for the month of August for vacation. More later when I'm more awake and alert.
-Gail

Noon Saturday: More awake, but hardly alert. It takes all I have to think in French! My old brain just isn't capable of what it used to be.  John, however, is wisely unconcerned with the language barrier and cheerfully and successfully hunted down our noontime meal of croissants au chocolates and croissants avec du raisins. Yum! That and tea and espresso have helped a lot! We slept about 12 hrs last night, which was most welcome. Today is going to be a quiet one with unpacking and a walkabout through the quartier. (No photos today--we look too exhausted!)
-Gail