On the Trail, the PilgrimsTrail that is 9-30-15

One of our goals for this visit was to see the Romanesque church at Conques.  It was one of the major stops on the pilgrims trail from Paris down to Santiago de Compostela during the middle ages and it is still in a remarkable state of preservation.  Furthermore it is still functioning as a major stop in France for pilgrims of today.  So we jumped in the car that Mel and Mar had rented and we drove over to Conques to visit.  The town is situated several hundred feet above a valley floor and the church was built on a site that was excavated by hand out of the mountainside.  The whole town is medieval in character and everywhere one looks there are beautiful buildings to be seen.
On the way over we stopped and bought sandwiches and water for a picnic, so when we got to the plaza in front of the church we sat down on the benches in front to eat lunch.  Sitting in the sun was so peaceful and it was interesting to see a stream of walkers crossing the plaza either going into or leaving the church.   One group of about 20 suddenly broke into happy chatter upon seeing a person who no doubt was a companion at some point earlier in the journey.
Another very enjoyable moment was to hear this same group singing some sort of pilgrims song standing next to the chapel of St. Jacques (Santiago) the patron saint of the pilgrims trail.  They each had their scallop shell and some were washing the shell in the holy water of the church.

After wandering around in the church we went into the treasury of the church to see the reliquary of St. Foy who is the patron saint of the church.  It was discovered in the 1860's nestled in a niche within a wall that had been blocked in 1546 when the church was under siege from the protestants.  It is
considered one of the world's treasures for religious works from the early middle ages.
After our visit we drove along many small non-main roads back to our house for dinner, consisting of many delicious items we purchased from a traiteur in Figeac on our way back.   Accompanied by wines of the region of course.

WooHoo, We're on Vacation Now 9-29-15

Today we started our official vacation for September, not to be confused with our official vacation for October although it will bleed over.  Our train for Issepts left Gare d'Austerlitz at 7:44 so we left the apartment at 6:45 just to give us time for any delays.  But everything worked like a charm and we were down to the station in excellent time.   We packed a breakfast/brunch of boiled eggs, sausage, cheese and croissants but we stopped for a bit of coffee and tea before boarding the train.   We left the station right on time and were on our way.
Our route took us through Chateauroux and Limoges finishing the first leg at Brive la Gaillarde, it arrived 15 minutes late due to track repairs but since we had an hour between trains it caused no heartburn.  The next train was nothing more than a single car and it took us through several little train stops before depositing us at Assiers, where we were met by Mel and Marlyne Preusser.  We had dinner with them several nights back when they were in Paris before they left for Issepts.  Anyway they met us at the station and we then decided to do a little local sightseeing before going back to the house they have rented, and will be our resting place for the next few days as well.
Our first stop, after the obligatory antiques shop, was the sight of a memorial to the French resistance

fighters from WWII who were massacred at a farmhouse while they were planning to disrupt German soldiers rushing up to reinforce the troops opposing the D-Day invasion on June 6th.  More than 40 people were killed and the farm and little town were burnt to the ground.

 Now all that's left is a memorial at the crossroads, a plaque attesting to what took place, and a ruined house that was left partially standing. The entire area covered in heavy undergrowth and  mounds of plowed up earth being taken over by nature, a stirring place to remember that Americans and Brits (of the empire) were not the only people losing their lives at that particular juncture.
Following this visit we took several back roads back to Assier where Deb and Mar did some last minute shopping before we came back to the house.

What a house it is, completely remodeled and up to date, in an old stone barn.  Beautiful in every way and completely quiet at night.  We had a scrumptious dinner of confit of duck legs with carrots and potatoes, followed by a decadent dessert called a Jesuite (sp?) basically a puff pastry filled with almond paste.  We also had a local bubbly fermented in an ancient one fermentation process which was delightful with an orangey citrus finish, delicious.
  Mel and I walked down the hill through the village near sunset and stopped to look at the old Romanesque  Church.  Tomorrow we terrorize the country side.

A visit to Butte aux Cailles 9-28-15

Many years ago Deb and I became infatuated with Butte aux Cailles in the 13th arr. so today we decided to have a walk in the neighborhood again.  It was very easy to get to because it's just a short walk from the terminus of our Metro line #7 at Place d'Italie.

The interesting thing about Paris is that there is so much change while at the same time you can go to the same place a few years later and nothing seems to be the same.  For example, we have been eating at Chartier since 1977 and it's still going strong and thriving, while there was a restaurant in Butte aux Cailles, Chez Paul, that we went to for several years in the 90's that's no longer there, which is a shame because it was really a good restaurant.  However the Hotel St. Charles and the specialist honey vendor are still going strong as are a couple dive bar brasseries, so it's still a fun area to visit.
Additionally we came across a boulangerie that was awarded second place in the top baguette in Paris competition for this year.  So we got sandwiches and cookies and went to eat them in a small park just down the street,   They were good but not earth shaking, I guess we're just spoiled by our boulangeries in our arrondissement now.
Tomorrow we leave for our visit to the Lot and Marseille for approximately a week.  I will attempt to keep the blog going as much as possible perhaps not every day but periodically.

Down Day 9-27-15

Today was a down day as we took inventory and packed for our impending trip to the Sunny South. We also had to make sure that we had tickets, hotels, and itinerary in order.  A quiet lunch on the terrace in the sun.

Completely Frivolous Saturday 9-26-15

Today we were completely frivolous mainly because we didn't have anyone that we were on schedule to meet.  We leave for the South in 3 days so we're determined to waste a little time, it's our holiday.

We got a leisurely start and caught the Metro down to Opera and transferred over to the RER for the ride out to Rueil-Malmaison.  At Rueil we got off and walked over to the autumn fair at the Faire de Chatou,  you may remember that back in March we went to the spring fair which was our first trip out of Paris to the suburbs.  It is biggest brocante fair in France and started in medieval times as a ham fair in front of Notre Dame, then moved out to Chatou sometime later and picked up the brocantes as part of the fair along the way.  What is great about this brocante is that the offerings range in price from the very cheap to the very expensive, it has a vetting process so that the things being bought are guaranteed as authentic.  The other fun thing of the fair is that there is an entire aisle dedicated to the cuisine of many of the regions of France, and lots of ham/pork.
We looked at several booths first and then made our way to the food, we stopped at the one offering 'cochon de lait' (sucklng pig).  I have to say that it was the best suckling pig I've ever eaten, including in Spain where there are restaurants that specialize in it.
After lunch we picked up the thread and visited almost every one of the purported 700 vendors and had an interesting conversation with a couple that were offering tribal textiles from around the world, Indonesia, Burma, Ecuador, among others.
Deb is searching for some little items but today was not the day evidently because we didn't manage to kick up anything.   I did manage to find another medal to add to my growing collection, very reasonably priced.

As the sun was moving towards evening we made our way back home and made it to the apartment just in time to see Wales defeat England in Rugby World Cup.   An exciting match the whole way with England pretty much in control until the last 5 minutes.  Then in the last 2 minutes they made the decision to forego a penalty kick and opt for a lineout at the Wales 4 meter line.  They won the lineout but got forced into touch, then Wales got the lineout, won that and kicked into touch for the victory.  Very intense.

A Friday for Churches 9-25-15

We had arranged for a visit to Notre Dame with Mel to see the cathedral and to talk about the architecture and oddities we've learned since we've been taking our visitors there all summer.  He wanted to attend an early mass so we arranged to meet after the conclusion of mass at 9:30.  So we took the subway with about 45 minutes to get there thinking that it would give us a good cushion of time.  We didn't account for technical issues on a couple lines that caused backups throughout the entire network, so with stops at several stations that ran to about 5 minutes apiece we ended up about 15 minutes later than expected.   Mel was standing at the back of the nave and enjoying the view when we finally arrived.  
We spent the next couple hours just working our way through the cathedral and talking about all the tidbits that both we and Mel know about the building and admiring what a really beautiful building it is.  It is fun to be able to identify at least 3 of the architectural changes that took place over the 300 years of major construction.  It's also impressive to note that once they got enough of the building completed to consecrate it there were services being conducted continuously throughout the construction phase.
After our trip through the interior we then walked around the exterior and pointed out interesting bits out there as well, like the one still existing original flying buttress.  It's still stable after more than 900 years and quite beautiful.   We finished our visit and then Mel went back to collect Marlyne for lunch while we headed over to our favorite Italian restaurant  L'Osteria del Passepartout.
After lunch we walked through the latin quarter and stopped at another two old churches, St. Severin and St. Julien-le-Pauvre.  

St. Severin has a notable column in the ambulatory at the back of the church that has a twisted fluting from the base up to the capitals that then melds into the vaulting quite beautifully.
St Julian-le-Pauvre is along with St. Germaine des Pres one of the oldest churches still extant in Paris dating back to around 500.  The parish is now an eastern orthodox sect and has a quite lovely iconostasis separating the nave from the altar.  Very interesting a combination of Romanesque along with some gothic arches towards the back of the church.

A Pre-visit Visit 9-24-15

This evening our friends Mel and Marlyne Preusser came over for dinner and we had a convivial visit over many small plates of Paris offerings and a bit of wine, actually a fair amount of wine if the truth be known.
So today Deb was in cleaning mode as she hadn't been able to do too much during the visit of our nephew and niece so I was banished to street urchin mode.  But before that I performed a bit of maintenance in the way of a haircut and a bit of last minute shopping.
When I got back Deb was in full assault mode and the apartment was in a topsy turvy condition so I got out quickly.  Making my way down to Gare Montparnasse I found a brocante market and spent a couple hours looking at all the offerings, no treasures but still a pleasant way to pass a couple hours.
I caught a bus back and then did the last minute chore of sweeping, my official duty, before heading over to the Metro to meet Mel and Mar as the got off.
Tomorrow we meet them for a little touring and lunch.  In four days we go down to the Lot to share a house with them for a few days.

Adjuge! Druout Premier 9-23-15

Today since we're not on a schedule we decided to take care of some unfinished business and to get Deb and introduction to a new bit of business.
As I've mentioned a couple times lately we're planning to head to the Lot (river) region to spend time with our friends Mel and Mar in a house they've rented.  But we're also visiting friends with whom we've exchanged houses and who also rented their apartment to us for our stay in Madrid, Julia and Jose.  Previously we purchased tickets down to the village but no further, so today we purchased the remaining tickets to finish out the trip.  We will be going to Arles to visit Julia and Jose for one night and then go down to Marseille where we will research the town where John Thompson (painter) stayed when he was studying art as a young man.  So that part is out of the way.
After getting our tickets we found a new bus line to take us over to the Druout auction house.  Deb has been burning with envy ever since I came back from my first visit with a small print, so she really wanted to go and today we did.
She was like a kid at the circus.  These auctions are like a shark tank with people charging to the front of the room where the items are being offered and grabbing them to inspect them before they are sold.  But the items move through so quickly that if you snooze you lose, so bidding can get quite animated at times.  Chairs are like gold and you have to keep a weather eye on them and grab a seat as soon as anyone gets up otherwise your jostling around at the back with all the people rushing forward for a look-see, it's a regular mosh pit.
I did manage to nab a little something that no one else wanted to bid on and I think it turned out well. So I think it will be a regular destination throughout the remainder of our time here.  Afterwards we went across the street and got a drink to ramp down before the ride home.  The men's toilet was a Turkish toilet, I haven't seen one in France in many years but here it is.

A Departure and an Arrival 9-22-15

Well our visit with Pat and Barb ended today and we took them to the airport.  It was a first visit to Europe for each of them and we hope that it whetted their appetite for more visits in the future.  We took them to the airport around 7:30 this morning and got them safely to their gate.
We then headed back to the apartment and took a little breakfast before going to do our marketing for the next few days.  It was rainy off and on all day but not cold so that was pleasant.  We just caught up on things around the apartment and getting ready for our pending trips.
In the evening we got an email letting us know that our friends Mel and Marlyne Preusser had arrived in Paris and were at their hotel.  We will be hosting them Thursday night for a light dinner and then meeting them Friday to spend part of the day touring.  Next week we will go down to a small hamlet called Issept to stay with them for a few days before continuing down to visit our friends Julia and Jose in Arles for a short visit.  We also want to go to Martigues, which is near Marseille, as it was a town that John Thompson visited when he was studying art in France during the first decade of the 20th century.
So we have an action packed next couple of weeks on the calendar.

Up on the Mountain 9-21-15

Today for Pat and Barb's last full day in Paris they requested that we go up on the mountain, Montmartre.  So we headed out in the sunshine to the bus that would take us there, I worked out a plan that would almost assure us of getting a seat on the bus that follows that line, we take the first bus out to an earlier stop on the second line where fewer people have gotten on.  
It worked a treat and we got four seats together for our trip over to the base of Montmartre.  When we got there, for whatever reason the bus driver didn't stop at our stop and we had to get off at the next one, irritating but not a big problem, however there was a blind gentleman who also wanted to get off at the first stop and was now out of his comfort zone.   I helped him get to the sidewalk and got him headed in the proper direction for the previous stop.   As we walked back towards where we would have gotten off Deb and Barb stopped at each souvenir shop to look at trinkets and I watched as the man made his way back successfully.   Finally we got to the street where we turned to go up to Sacre Coeur and somehow Pat and I lost contact with Deb and Barb so we went to the top of the street and waited until they surfaced out of one of the shops.  
They wanted to do a bit more shopping so Pat and I went up on the cable car to the church to wait up on top.  As we waited I saw a street performer that is now tops of anything I've seen so far.  He was obviously an accomplished soccer player but he was also a gymnast.   We watched him control a soccer ball with his feet, head, back, knees, elbows, etc. while doing various gymnastic exercises. But he did them on a fence, and while suspended from a light pole, phenomenal!!  I was so impressed I had to give him 5 euros after he finished, and so did about 30 other people.

Once we got together with Deb and Barb again we wandered up to Place du Tertre, where artists are displaying their work while others specialize in quick portraiture and caricatures.  Still very many tourists and quite busy.  We walked down to where our favorite lunch restaurant is located only to find that they are undergoing a full renovation and was therefore closed.  So a quick plan B was instituted and we caught a couple buses down to another favorite place, Chartier for a late lunch.
We had a very good lunch after which we took yet a fourth bus over to the Roman arena and the botanical gardens, before heading home on the Metro.

Three-quarters around 9-20-15

Saturday was a quiet day, we all went to a brocante market and then parted ways.  Pat and Barb were able to take a quiet walk along the canal and see the neighborhood without a constantly running commentary of mine or Deb's.   Deb and I went back to the apartment and vegged out for a few hours before we all went to dinner at the great fish restaurant near us.
Today we wanted Pat and Barb to see the other side of Paris, that being the modern business oriented area called La Defense.  In order to get there we took the long way
around and used the trams to ride around the city.  From our apartment it takes us approximately three-quarters of the way around Paris.
It was finally a sunny day with little chance of rain so we jettisoned umbrellas and rain coats, which was a pleasant change.  They said that they enjoyed seeing all the different neighborhoods and building styles as we progressed around.  We arrived at La Defense and had a bit of a walkaround, up to the plaza that lies in the shadow of the Grand Arche where we could really see a great view of Paris and of the suburbs to the west.   Then back on the metro to the stop near the Louis Vuitton Foundation where we had lunch in a local restaurant.   We were able to watch the second half of the Rugby World Cup game between the U.S. and Samoa,  unfortunately the Samoans won.  It's interesting to see one of our possessions (with .5% of our population) beat us at a game where we should really excel.  Oh well, spoken by an ex-player.
Following lunch we went to the Gehry building housing the Louis Vuitton Foundation, we had planned to go in but the line was far and away the longest we've seen since we started coming out here.  It snaked back and forth over a several hundred foot pavement at the side of the building, so we opted out on a trip inside.   Instead we jumped on the shuttle that runs from the Arc de Triumph over to the foundation, and spent a quiet hour or so at the Arch.   Lots of traffic and we were aghast seeing several groups of people shun the underpass over and try to hoof across on the street level.  No accidents but LOTS of horns and brakes!
We caught a bus that took us along the Champs Elysee and directly to the stop adjacent to our bus stop to the apartment.