Another family visit and jaunt to La Defense 5-30-15

We started out the day with a bit of preparation for the arrival of my brother, Terry, and his wife Gina.  They will be staying with us for several days before heading back to Denver, we have a small 2nd bedroom and now we will explore it's suitability for 2 people.  When we came over last October to inspect the apartment the then tenant had purchased a mattress for her daughter and was planning on getting rid of it.  Once we decided to rent the apartment we also purchased the mattress, so it's here for guests.  However it's a single mattress and for two people another bed is needed, that is being addressed by a sofa that is already in the room as well.  The sofa has two armrests that swing down to create another single bed but it will not fold down fully to lay flat across the width of the room, so in order to get both flat they must lay side by side and that literally fills the room.  So tight quarters for two people, but it will work.
Anyway Terry and Gina arrived by taxi and we got their baggage into the apartment and into the bedroom.   After which, we headed out to do some food shopping and to introduce them to our comestibles supply team: the butcher, the baker, the fromagerie maker, and of course our wine merchant.  We started with the wine merchant where our vendor, Christof , suggested several wines which we duly purchased.  Then it was down to La Ferme de Chloe, our cheese shop where a similar process took place, next to the fruit and vegetable vendor where we bought; pineapple, melons, bananas, and radishes;



then it was on to the butcher, where we purchased 1-1/2 roast chickens, 4 steaks, 4 sausages, celeri remoulade, and carrot rappee (shredded carrot in a light sauce).  We finished up with the baker, where it was 4 loaves of baguette traditional, the slightly thinner loaf with a crustier exterior.
When we got back to the apartment we had lunch, can you guess what we may have eaten?  Roast chicken, cheese, olives, radishes, celeri remoulade, and wine, sitting on the deck in the bright sunshine.  It seemed like a fair Paris version of what lunch should be like.  Leisurely with good conversation and some bantering about the last couple days along with some tentative planning for the next few.

So after lunch, we headed out to the tram line for a visually interesting trip around Paris to La Defense, the new, modern, commercial center complex of Paris.  Neither Terry nor Gina has ridden on the tram before so it provided many visual sights as we trundled around the perimeter to La Defense.  It lies on a direct line with the Champs Elysee and the Louvre about 3 miles further to the west of the Arc de Triumph.  It's most distinguishing feature is the "Grande Arch" a massively large arch clearly visible from many points throughout Paris and dominating the Western prospect.  The area is chocked full of large high-rise buildings with many interesting, and appealing, architectural designs.  Today it was full of people out enjoying the sunshine.

Due to time constraints and our later start we spent a short time before getting on the Metro for a run into Paris and back to home.  We rode the number 1 line down to Louvre-Rivoli where we exited and got on our normal bus, the 75, for a ride through the neighborhoods and along the Canal St. Martin. Traffic was very heavy for a Saturday and we ended up taking a diversion from the normal route to bypass some even worse traffic.  But we made it back to our apartment with half an hour before we were due at the restaurant, Art & Science Reuniss & our favorite little local establishment, for dinner. We had a delicious dinner of Duck Breast for Terry and Gina, and Black Pork for Deb and I with a nice wine from the South called Fitou.  Back to the apartment for a little nightcap and to bed, all in all an enjoyable day.

Last of visit for Jen and Scott 5-29-15

Today is the last day that Jen and Scott have in Paris before they return to Denver and real life.  It has been a pleasure to have them for a visit.  It is their first visit to Paris and so everything is new and interesting for them, which rubs off on us.  We enjoy hearing their impressions and it lets us see many familiar things with new eyes.
We split up by gender with the men making a visit to the Museum of Arts & Metiers, a historical science and technology musuem and the women off to the Grand Boulevards to make an assault on Printemps, and Galeries Lafayette.
The plan was to have the morning on those activities and then meet at the Museum Jacquemart Andre to have lunch in their cafe before seeing the museum.   Did I mention that the women were fashionably en retard for lunch?  Nevermind, we had a great little lunch and followed it up with a visit to the museum.   Edmund Andre and his wife Nellie Jacquemart were wealthy enough that their budget for art each year was actually larger than the Louvre's yearly budget.  But they were very gracious and worked with and donated to the Louvre many masterpieces that otherwise would have been exported from France.
After the museum we walked up to the Arc de Triumph for a view, then down the Champs Elysee by bus over to the Bouillon Racine for dinner reservations.






This is a traditional French restaurant and many levels simpler than Spring but exceedingly good in it's own right.  Decorated in period Art Nouveau style it is a much a feast for the eyes as for the stomach.
After dinner we loaded them into a cab back to the hotel, since Jen and Scott are leaving tomorrow, while we took the Metro back to the apartment.  An enjoyable visit for us and thanks to Scott and Jen for their patience and fortitude.  Tomorrow Terry and Gina come to visit for a few days.

First day of the Whirlwind tour of Paris 5-28-15

Today we made our way to the hotel to pick up the crew.  Todays agenda was a visit to a street market, picnic in Luxembourg Gardens, a BatoBus boat cruise of the Seine, a visit to the Tour Eiffel, and then dinner at Spring.  So just one street over from the hotel was a market to introduce everyone to Paris shopping.   While the women walked through market the men sought out and bought a cheap wine and some water after which we all jumped on a bus and went over to the Luxembourg Gardens.

We had a nice if somewhat breezy picnic then made our way down to the Seine to get tickets for the BatoBus which is a cruise of the Seine from the Jardin de Plantes on the East to the Eiffel Tower on the west with many stops where one can alight, see the local sights, then jump back on to the boat to another stop where one repeats the process.  We got on at the quai right across from Notre Dame, where we stopped earlier for people to take some photos.  Our circuit took us east to the last stop and then back again west over to the Eiffel Tower.   Interestingly, since the French Open is in progress there is a giant tennis ball with Roland Garros printed on it hanging from the second deck of the tower.


They also have a big screen set up and are covering the open live on the TV, so people were out with picnic lunches and lounging on the grass.  Very festive, with a kiosk where one could hit tennis balls into a net and have the speed of their serves recorded, and another venue where one could get on a platform and be raised above the treetops by a crane (a bit sketchy if you ask me).

After we got back on the boat we rode around another circuit and finally got off next to the Louvre. We were able to see the corner next to the Louvre where the Tour de France riders turn and go under the tunnel before heading to the west up to the Arc de Triumph for a total of 7 circuits.  It makes watching the tour so much more interesting to have been where they actually ride.  Then across the courtyards of the Louvre to a bistro where we rested up with an aperitif prior having a memorable dinner at Spring.  The owner is a U.S. citizen, Daniel Rose, who came over from Chicago many years ago and created this extremely popular restaurant.

New visitors 5-27-15

We spent the morning shopping for a dinner at the apartment with our new visitors.  Gina, Terry, Jennifer, and Scott arrive at 5:00 today from Rome.  Scott and Jen will be here for 2 days and Terry and Gina will be here for close to a week.  The first two days they will all stay at a hotel just next to the Place Bastille and we will tour from there.  Then when Scott and Jen leave for the U.S., Terry and Gina will move up to stay with us in the apartment for the balance of their visit.

We took hired van to the hotel and got them checked in and a little situated then we all jumped on the Metro to go to our apartment.   Terry and I got off one stop early to pick up some last minute items to have with dinner, while Deb, Gina, Jennifer and Scott continued on directly to the apartment.
Dinner consisted mostly of finger type foods that are available in France like: celeri remoulade, pork rillettes, Spanish & Greek olives, foie gras & chorizo from our butcher; Brie, Tomme de Savoie covered with dried wildflowers, chevre in two styles, & Sheep's milk cheese  from our cheese vendor; then of course a couple types of bread from our baker.   Several bottles of wine including champagne and then for those who wanted some we finished night with a little nightcap of Calvados, Vielle Prune, or Cognac for a digestif.  I forgot to take pics so you'll just have to use your imagination, sorry.

I walked them back to the Metro for the ride to the hotel around 10:30 and it was PACKED, wall to wall with people.  I speculate that perhaps a concert at the park must have let out and people were headed home before the metro closed.

Back to Paris and get ready for the next round 5-26-15

This morning we catch the train back to Paris, but since it's an 11:45 train we decide to go to the Museum of the Works of the Cathedral.  This little museum is dedicated to preserving both external works and furnishings related to the cathedral.  They removed original outdoor sculpture to preserve it and replaced it with new reproductions on the cathedral.  There were also a group of these busts that were spectacular to my eye.




There were also lead tablets with lists of members of the goldsmiths guild along with their makers marks and examples of their work.





We only had an hour but it was very interesting and well worth the effort.

We caught the train back to Paris and had a very enjoyable conversation with a couple who were coming into Paris for an AC/DC concert.  They were late 40's early 50's, he was a Farrier and she was a visiting nurse for the French health system.  They were extremely nice and we were able to use our feeble French and they reciprocated in their feeble English.   A fun end to an enjoyable trip.

Tomorrow my brother and sister-in-law, Terry and Gina, to arrive along with Scott and Jennifer Jefferson from Rome.   They just finished a cruise to see the Monaco formula one grand prix and have a few days to spend in Paris with us.

Last Day in Strasbourg 5-25-15

Today was a little more ambitious in that Elizabeth and I decided to climb the cathedral stairs up to the base platform for the spire,  66 metres and 330 steps.   When we got to the door that admits one to the stairs the door was closed and locked, with a sign that said "complete" which means that there are no vacancies.  The cathedral only admits 50 visitors to the platform at any one time so that there are not big traffic issues, as there are spiral stairs both ascending and descending which are really only one person wide.  We were second in line waiting and as the line behind us continued to build people would walk up to the door and look at us, then try the door to see if it was open and we were simpletons who couldn't be trusted to try the door. Then some would tap on the window to attract the attention of the person in side and point to their watch, as if to ask when would it open.   No response from attendant would result in an expulsion of breath in the classic Gallic manner and they would wander back to their place in line.  But finally the door opened and we commenced our adventure.  

There is old graffiti up on the bell tower and it's interesting and beautifully carved into the stones.  If it were done today the person would be fined thousands of dollars and publically castigated, just a sign of the times.   Of course the old girl looks a little like a tattooed lady at the side show.

I have to say that the view from
the top is gorgeous and that it was well worth the effort, as you can see the Vosges mountains on one side and the Marne river on the other which is the German border I think.




After we got back down, we went in to the cathedral to see the animated medieval clock which is and was a marvel of it's time.  Probably 30 feet tall it marks the hours and quarter hours with animated figures that move around tracks in front of either and animated Christ figure or a skeleton.  It also tracks the movements of the planets, each Saints day during the year, the rising and setting times of the Sun, probably others as well.  It also has an animated rooster that crows at various times.   Each day at 12;30 it goes through the whole process which goes on for over 5 minutes, beautiful and impressive.
After another really good lunch, we wandered over the the Museum of the Alsace, which houses a massive collection of all things Alsacian.  Housewares, clothing, furniture, tools, religious articles, and wine making equipment among others, set in rooms that were taken from earlier edifaces and reconstructed in the museum, definitely worth the time and effort to see.
We stopped at the corner of indecision again today for a little afternoon entertainment, but since the weekend was basically over it was peaceful with only a couple cars performing for us.  Back to the hotel and get ready to leave tomorrow morning.

Second day in Strasbourg 5-24-15

Today we layed out a plan to take the boat ride which travels the canals that encircle the medieval city center.  We got to the kiosk selling tickets about 30 minutes after they opened and were confronted with a prodigious line waiting to buy tickets, this was even more lengthy than the lines for the canal boats in Brugge, but since we already pre-paid we were determined to see it through.  So I got in line while Deb and Elizabeth took a little paseo around the area to look at shop windows.  Elizabeth returned to hold our place and I took off to look around.  While looking I noticed that there were two lines, and that the long line in which were currently standing was only for people that were buying tickets with a charge card, so I jumped into the significantly shorted second line and managed to get Elizabeths attention and have here join me in this line.  Shortly after one of the workers noticed the situation and got everybody with prepaid tickets into our line, the result was that we jumped queue by about 100 people and saved at least half and hour in line.  Difficult to take photos out of the covered boat so little photography,  but this is absolutely a trip worth taking.  They take you around the center but also up to the North to the area of the European Parliament which is all modern very clean architecture, very beautiful in its own right.

We had a late lunch of Flammekuche, which is a sort of Alsatian thin crust pizza-like dish.  It was late enough that it became lupper (i.e.lunch and supper)





We ended the day with a visit to the museum and art/decorative arts which had many beautiful rooms and artifacts related to the prince-bishops Rohan of Strasbourg.  Once again an example of why the French Revolution occurred.

Elizabeth and I stopped for a evening sip of beer for me and wine for her on the way back to the hotel.  It turned into a wonderful comedic experience for us as watched a street corner which we dubbed the corner of indecision.  A car would drive up to the corner, a T junction, and start to turn one direction then suddenly stop and ponder.  Then either continue on or back up and turn the other direction only to be seen a few minutes later returning and going in the direction they originally pointed to the first time.   Then maybe 5 minutes later we would see them again, and again.  One woman went through at least 6 times in the time we were there and she was by no means the only one making the circuit just the most persistent




.  Seems to be a bit of an issue with parking spaces in Strasbourg center.

Follow the Iron Road to Strasbourg 5-23-15

We definitely got an early start today as our train was leaving from Gare de l'Est at 07:25.  We jumped on the metro and made it to the station with plenty of time to spare, so we stopped and bought a little travel breakfast of croissants and hot drinks.  We got into the main station to look for our train and track number and as I was standing there I managed to flip my coffee out of my hands and on to the floor.  It landed directly on the top and the cover neatly separated from the cup and shot coffee all over a young couple standing a few feet away, a not so satisfying start to their and my day.  So I trotted back and bought another cup and finished it without issue.

It's about a 2.5 hour train trip on TGV and we were in Strasbourg by about 10:00 am, where we checked with our hotel and found that one room was ready and we could leave our bags.  The medieval part of Strasbourg is very small so a 15 minute stroll had us in the main square in front of the Cathedral, which as we later learned was the tallest building in the world from the 1647 to 1874 at 466 ft ( 142 meters) and is still the tallest structure built during the middle ages.

We bought city passes, which allowed us access to many of the touristic sites, museums, boat rides, bike rides, and walking tours either free or at reduced rates.  So our first venture out was the walking tour.   It had 26 stopping points where our electronic guides told us about that point and some of the history surrounding it.  We saw the wine cellars associated with the medieval hospital that was founded in Strasbourg, beautiful cellars and good (and expensive) wines to be taken out.  But being on foot we resisted.   We had lunch in a little out of the way boulanger which turned out to be very good, quiche Lorainne and green salad with a drink for around 10 euros each.  Next it was on to the canal which surrounds the medieval portion for a walk past the church where Dr. Albert Schweitzer was a pastor and organist, then the hotel where Jean-Jacques Rousseau lived in exile, the church with the tomb of Maurice de Saxe (an admirable soldier and grand-father of George Sand), and finally into an area called Petite France; where many of the tanning houses and water driven mills were located.  They divided the canal into 3 branches and ran mill races under each building to drive the required machinery.   All half-timbered buildings a quite picturesque.  

For dinner we stopped at a restaurant serving Alsatian specialties where it was choucroute and white asparagus for dinner, um um good but way too much to finish.

Elizabeth's Last day in Paris 5-22-15

Today is Elizabeth's last day in Paris because tomorrow we all take the train over to Strasbourg for a few days before she leaves for Germany to attend a wedding.  She had a list of things which she wanted to see in Paris before coming over and there were still several left to choose from, so we headed out before 10:00 and walked up to Butte Chamont which was on her list and turns out to be the one of the major parks in our arrondisement.  We had a very nice walk around the park amid several thundering herds of little kids who were taking part in some sort of field day in the park, they were running little obstacle courses and coursing around the lake.  There were enough of them that the regular runners had to alter their normal routes.   So cute and so energetic!

Next we jumped on the bus and headed over to Pere Lachaise cemetery for a little walking tour to see a few graves and lots of cemetery art.   I wanted to see where Camille Pissaro was buried, he was one of the earliest impressionists and I love his work.  We blundered across Heloise and Abelard, Theo. Gericault, Collette, and several memorials to the victims of Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen, Buchenwald, and other German concentration camps, which were very moving.  In addition we saw the wall against which so many of the Paris Communards were executed during the purge after the overthrow of the commune.  After our walk through the cemetery it was time for lunch.

We decided to eat in La Purgatoire, because we could have lunch in Purgatory and then dinner in Paris.  After that we headed downtown to see other things on the list.  Wending our way through the Palais Royale we started out with the Gallerie Vivienne, one of the earliest of the passages created in 1876 and still very classy with expensive shops and restaurants.  After leaving the passage we headed over to see the Paris Opera House, the over the top building created by Charles Garnier.  






At that point most of the day was gone so we headed back to the apartment but got off early and walked for about a mile along the Canal St. Martin and back to the apartment for dinner on the deck.  Early bedtime since we have to actually get to the train station for a 7:25am train which is usually when I'm starting to heat water for tea.

Likely there will be a hiatus of entries as we'll be in Strasbourg but we'll catch up when we return the 26th.

Another visit to Fontainebleau - Thursday, 5-21-15

***Got out at the crack of 10 and headed down to Fountainebleau, the chateau I have a crush on. Took a couple of hours from our apartment to reach the chateau using Metro and RER trains. We bought sandwiches, drinks and macaroons at a patisserie for a picnic on the grounds of the chateau. The macaroons were the first I've had on this trip and the first of Elizabeth and I think we were all surprised by how good they were. I'd had them before but found them too sweet, so I enjoyed a different experience this time around.

*** We wandered out to enjoy the view of the water features of the chateau grounds and to see if we could find our carriage guys. On the way, enjoyed watching the gardeners laying out the new bedding plants. So cool to see them using essentially the same types of tools the monks are shown using in various Books of Days from the medieval period. They were pleasant and patient and let me ask some dumb questions. They raise the bedding plants in the chateau's greenhouses and were training some young apprentices in the gardening arts.

***Spotted our carriage guy coming along one of the allee's. This was the gentleman we met at the Foire de Chantou and had met up with again on our last visit to Fontainebleau.  His glossy matched bays put on an impressive, booming trot as they started up the cobblestone incline to the chateau, much to the delight (and trepidation) of some visiting middle-schoolers, obviously big-city kids.The horses loftily ignored the squealing and scuttling students and wheeled clattering around to stand placidly to be included in dozens of selfies. Later, a group of Chinese tourists was equally impressed and just as nervous around the big, unfamiliar animals. And took even more selfies.

*** We decided to take a carriage ride around the grounds while the sky looked semi-clear. A blond-braided young woman was driving the horses, getting ready to share some of the busy season duties. "Our guy" commented that she needed to get used to the team and I commented that they needed to get used to her, as well. He laughed and said in an aside that they were being "naughty" and were trying to take advantage of her. He would speak reprovingly to one or the other of them and they would flick their ears in irritation and get back to what they were supposed to be doing.  As Elizabeth commented it was similar to the stories small kids tell babysitters all over the world ("But Mom always lets me stay up until midnight and eat all the cake I want...")

***The grounds, forest and fountains were green and lovely. Lots of wildflowers, and the clear spring water that feeds all the fountains and ponds for which the chateau is named and famed. Hundreds of acres of grounds and I can't remember how many tens of thousands of bedding plants I was told they put out each year.

*** As we chatted with the horse gentleman (he makes me speak French and him English so that we both practice) we  mentioned Elizabeth's upcoming Munich trip. He quietly phoned an old Munich friend to ask if he would show her around, then wrote down the guy's name and number for her to call if she wishes. Turns out our horse guy was a head waiter in a Michelin-starred restaurant in Munich (the first in Germany) in a past life, before he retired to play with horses at Fontainebleau.

***We've already blogged about the rooms in the chateau. It knocks me out every time I see it, and I keep seeing new things each time. Elizabeth commented that it's just totally overdone - way too much bling - and I can't agree more. Warren says it makes him understand the French Revolution. I agree with both but still love the place!

Deb comments: Elizabeth's visit 5-20-15

***Enjoying Elizabeth's visit. She's never really been interested in coming to Paris, so she has no serious expectations and it makes her an easy-going visitor. She had read a guidebook and picked out some places of interest, and we've been trying to hit most of them.

***Today, Wednesday the 20th, we started off with a trip to Notre Dame wherein Elizabeth took part in a somewhat lengthy introduction to the architecture and history of the cathedral.  Then we took off to spend some time at the big impressionist museum, Musee d'Orsay.






The museum was created out of a picturesque old railway station, the Gare d'Orsay, built for the World's Fair in Paris in 1900. It was designed to fit in with the architecture of its neighbors - the Louvre and the Academie Francaise, so it has lots of the creamy stone and neoclassic lines, accented with a bit of art nouveau ironwork and a couple of huge, graceful clocks. By the late 1930's its lines were too short for modern trains and it became outdated. It's a testament to the creativity and architectural sensitivity of Paris to have found such a practical and delightful new use for such a wonderful building.

***The three of us had a dandy time looking at some of the impressionist paintings - the place is much too big to see in a day - and playing the "Museum Game" (so, what would you take home in this room, this wing, this museum?) Elizabeth recorded her new collection on her cell and bought one of the museum store's nifty digital images.

*** After D'Orsay, we strolled over for our dinner reservation through the St. Germain neighborhood, one of my favorites. Stopped for a glass of wine and got fresh roasted peanuts as a bar snack. Rats! one of my all time favorites and I didn't want to eat them for fear of spoiling dinner...

*** Dinner as at Spring, a place we love. Elizabeth was her usual good-sport self, and soldiered on through the six light courses of Daniel Rose's "surprise menu." He never publishes a menu, but rather chooses what he thinks looks good in the market that day and will go together nicely.  Elizabeth added a significant number "first tries" to her list - mackerel, sweetbreads, French smoked eel, and an assortment of things whose names we probably didn't catch. She and Warren got the wines paired with each course and played a wine guessing round with the sommelier They lost, but Elizabeth came close.

*** Visiting with the sommelier, we mentioned our upcoming trip to Strasbourg. He volunteered that he had studied there, asked what we were interested in, suggested some places to visit and kindly wrote down three restaurant/winery recommendations for us in Strasbourg. Geez, if the French wait staff gets anymore stand-offish and rude, I don't know if we'll be able to deal with it...