Paris 2006 -- Trip Log

Trip photos are here: http://djlphoto.com/paris/contents.htm

Flight information here: http://djlphoto.com/paris/log/parisflights.txt

Sunday 1 October 2006

We arrived at CDG at 2:40. The rental company sent Victor to drive us to our apartment at 14 rue de Bellechasse. We were located one block from the Seine and the Musee d'Orsay.

We walked down the Seine to Ile d'Cite and around Notre Dame Cathedral. We then wandered north a few blocks into a busy neighborhood. On the river quai, I was confronted by a used book salesman who saw me taking a photo which included his rather eccentric appearing personage.

We found a sports bar which was going to televise the Saints game. Since we thought it would be nice to eat in that neighborhood, we devised a plan to just go back to the apartment for jackets and then right back to find a restaurant and check on the Saints. Well, the hike back to the apartment was more than we had expected and we were exhausted. After almost deciding to call it an evening, we took the Metro to Boulevard Saint Michel, walked a few blocks in the Latin Quarter, and found a cafe, where we ate outside. I has Moules as an appetizer (called entre here) and baked chicken and rice for my plat. Denise got faux filet and frites. Pichet of vin rouge (Cotes du Rhone) and a bottle of mineral water sans gazuese.

Monday 2 October 2006

Our apartment was very nice but lacked some amenities Americans are used to. What seemed to be a quiet street turned noisy at about 5 am with garbage collection and beeping car horns. I had been up since 3 am anyway, and Denise can sleep through a major assault with small arms.

We went to the Gare Musee d'Orsay and took ugly 3 x 5 photos of ourselves to use in getting our Carte Orange metro passes. On the second try we successfully got the machine to drop two passport size photos into the little side slot. So for 16 euros each we bought our week-long, unlimited use Metro passes. Next we hopped a train to the Boul Mich stop, bought a Rough's French-English phrasebook to replace the one I left in New Orleans, and shared a petit dejeuner complet, consisting of buttered French bread and jam. It came with a cafe creme, so we only needed to order one extra coffee - 8.80 euros.

After breakfast we walked over to Ile d'Cite, to visit Sainte Chapelle. We had to wait in line about ten minutes and then go through metal detection at a security station near the entrance to the Palais d'Justice. When we were next in line a commotion erupted as a French woman and two males companions came to the front of the line and tried to enter. The efforts of two gendarmes were insufficient to dissuade the woman, who was eventually allowed to enter. It was a little disconcerting with all the incomprehensible shouting going on between a skinny lady and two strapping and armed young men.

Once through the security station, we bought four-day museum passes for 45 euros each, before entering the chapel. Sainte Chapelle was everything I remembered, and Denise was awestruck by the beauty of the stained glass in the upper chapel.

About 11:30 we took the metro to the Louvre. The impossibly large and sprawling museum was abuzz with people, most of them, like us, going to see the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo before anything else. We saw French paintings and Flemish/Dutch paintings including two works by Vemeeer. Many works by David and others were familiar from my previous visits and art history at Tulane. We also saw Egyptian cases for mummified humans as well as for their animals, especially cats, ibis, and even a mummified crocodile.

We then took the Metro to the Saint Paul station in Marais, and had a Pelforth Brune and a coffee in a cafe -- 11 euros. We decided to return to our apartment for a nap after first locating a neighborhood grocery where we bought water and beer. Denise got a ham sandwich at the cafe next door which we shared. I slept for three hours.

I finally got Denise up and we attempted to find a restaurant recommended by the leasing agents on rue de Lille. It was closed so we walked to the Seine and Quai Voltaire and found at its intersection with rue de Bac, La Fregate (1 rue du Bac). We both enjoyed a very rich onion soup with copious amounts of french bread and cheese. I had rumsteak (a lean filet mignon) and frites and Denise had pikeperch. Beauljulais Villages (can't remember which). Creme brulee. On the way back to the apartment we stopped into a cafe where I had a porto while Denise taught the locals how to make a stinger -- steeng air. Home by 11:45. I write this as D calls Freddie.

River Seine and Musée du Louvre

Tuesday 3 October 2006

I still haven't adjusted to the time and am sleeping erratic hours. I woke at about 4 am, still tired but unable to sleep again. It was very overcast and rainy, which made the late arriving sunrise seem even later. It seems only first-light about 7:30. At 9, I took a stroll across the Seine into the Jardin des Tuileries. It was somewhat different than I remembered. The yellow metal chairs I photographed thirty years ago have been replaced with larger, less interesting green chairs. Parisians were out jogging and exercising, while work crews erected large tented pavillions for Paris Fashion Week. I walked a couple of blocks along rue de Rivoli then back across the gardens to the apartment. Denise and I went straight to the Musee d'Orsay. The museum is a beautiful renovation of the old train station, which was completed in the late 80's. It was like revisiting old friends -- passing walls covered with Pisarro, Gaugin, Monet, Millet, van Gogh, Degas, Toulouse Latrec, Renoir, etc. Denise's dogs were killing her so we ate nearby at the Les Deux Musees -- I had salad Nicoise and Denise had melon and ham. Very tasty. We spent the rest of the afternoon trying to find comfortable shoes for Denise, first at Bon Marche, then at Samaritaine (which was closed), then at several stores in the shopping district near Hotel d'Ville. We stopped for a cafe creme and a beer, and I was nodding off. We returned to the apartment and crashed until about 9:30. After napping we went for a late dinner in the Latin Quarter, near Boulevard St. Michel, a place called Cafe Latin. I just had onion soup and Denise had a warm goat cheese salad -- Salade Chevre Chaud. We strolled through the busy area near Boul Mich and finally along the Seine back to the apartment. We ran into another American couple on Pont St. Michel. I took their photo with their camera and they did the same for us.

Wednesday 4 October 2006

At about 8:15 we started out crossing the Seine on the pedestrian Pont Solferino which brought us into Tuileries. We walked along the swept gravel paths past perfectly aligned rows of trees to the Place de la Concorde. We proceeded back across the Seine past the National Assembly. We ducked into a corner cafe for a cafe creme and buttered bread with plum preserves before heading the the Rodin Museum. From the street it's an unimpressive looking wall and a rather modern administrative building where tickets are sold and museum plans are available. From there, one steps into beautifully manicured gardens dotted with some of Rodin's most famous works, The Thinker, Gates of Hell, The Burghers of Callais, Balzac. The weather was as perfect as the setting. The gardens and sculpture surround the chateau where Rodin lived, now filled with his work and artifacts from his life there.

We walked from the Rodin to Les Invalides and Napoleon's tomb. We hadn't really planned on stopping to see the ostentatious resting place of Napoleon, some members of his family, and Marshall Foch, but it was on the way to our intended destination, the local shops along Rue Cler. There were bakeries, fruit vendors, fish markets, fromageries, and other gourmet establishments along with a number of smart looking cafes. We chose wisely in the Cafe du Marche. We found out later it is recommended by Rick Steves. It was a busy place filled with locals. I had veal over balsmati rice. Denise had sea bass and green beans. We bought a backpack and a purse.

Stopped near Ecole Militaire for a cafe creme and a beer, then took the metro home for a nap. About 6:30 took the metro to the Eiffel Tower and went to the top (third level, 11 euros each) to watch the sun set and the city lights come up. Stunning. Walked to the Trocadero for a view of the tower from ground level. Metro to Latin Quarter for a so-so meal of onion soup and salade chevre chaud. Stopped in Place St. Michel for a porto and cafe creme.

Musée d'Orsay

Thursday 5 October 2006

Up at 4 am again. Took a shower in time for the opening of "8 a huit" (eight to eight, nicer than our Seven Eleven) around the corner where I got half a loaf of french bread, Bon Marche 4 fruit preserves and a litre of milk for 3.65 euros. This has been our usual breakfast fare, for which we have paid about 9 euros in restaurants.

We walked through the Tuileries to l'Orangerie, which didn't open until 12:30, so we walked through Place de la Concorde to Rue Rivoli and took the metro to the Saint Paul station (named for the church) in Marais. We walked through the Jewish quarter to the Picasso museum which we discovered was temporarily closed because of a power outage. We walked through Marais to Place de la Bastille and to Place des Vosges. The former is a busy traffic circle and the latter is a spectacular park surrounded by 36 houses, nine on a side, which sit atop a colonnade housing art galleries and cafes. (Check the Pavillon de la Reine.) We ate at a wonderful cafe on the square, Cafe Hugo. I had the plat du jour: filet of two fishes, sea bass and salmon with mashed potatoes and a baked tomato. Tres bon. Denise had a salad with ham and goat cheese. We had a pichet of Sancerre. We returned to the Picasso museum. Denise bought a brown cashmere cardigan for herself and in the street running under the King's central house of Place du Vosges, Rue de Bearn, she bought a silver napkin ring for Adrienne. We bought some fantastic chocolate on Rue St. Antine -- I had Caramel and Denise Afriq. Home for a nap. About 8:45 we walked our neighborhood scouting bistrots and went to the little cafe on Rue de Bac where we had been after eating at La Fregate on Monday night. We had wine and a Citron frais crepe.

Friday 6 October 2006

We had loose plans to head to Versaille this morning, but "our" late start and overcast skies caused us to rethink. New idea: head to Saint-Germain-des-Pres and see what develops. First stop was the oldest church in Paris which gives this neighborhood its name. We then made our way toward the Luxemnourg Garden stopping to visit Saint Sulpice on the way.

Part of the Da Vinci Code takes place at St. Sulpice, and we gave a survey to a German student doing her dissertation on the effect of movies/books on public interest in historic sites. The church is famous for its 7,000 pipe organ which has been played by master oranists for more than 300 years. While we were there someone was playing classical music.

Next it was a stroll through Luxembourg Garden. We stopped at lunch a just below the Pantheon at Cafe Soufflot, which is on, you guessed it, rue Soufflot. One of the plat du jours was chosen by both of us: salmon with a butter sauce with really long grain rice. It was superb. Almost fully 25% of the rice was wild rice, very black, and the presentation of pink fish, pale yellow sauce below it, and the white and black rice was striking.

We peeked into the Pantheon and then went around back to visit Saint Etienne du Mont. Next we stopped for a glass of red wine on Place de Descartes. We walked to Ile de la Cite and took the Metro in a rather circuitous route up to Strasbourg St.-Denis and then around to Place de la Concorde and walked across the Tuileries to the Musee de l'Orangerie to take in Monet's Nympheas and a very nice exhibit of the collection of Guillaume which included Renoir, Roussaeu, Modigliani, Cezanne, Dedrain, Picasso, and Sisley. We walked back across the Seine at the Pont Solferino (pedestrian bridge) where I helped a mother carry her baby and stroller down to the quai and then back up again when she realized she wasn't at the Tuileries metro station.

At Mucha Cafe on Boulevard St. Germain we relaxed over a glass of Champagne and a couple of pressions. We were exhausted and ended our Friday night in Paris at about 8:00 pm, without dinner.

Bassin d'Apollon, Versailles

Saturday 7 October 2006

Went to Puces at Sain-Ouen, just outside Porte de Clignancourt. With everything from very high-end antiques to third-hand junk, it's a flea market that has been around since midieval times. We ate salads at L'Opus, a nice cafe. Denise bought her mother a very nice silver bracelet. After a cafe beer back in Paris, we changed clothes and walked up rue de Bellechasse, away from the river, looking for a couple of nice restaurants we had seen a few nights earlier. We couldn't find one and another was closed, so we went to a very nice place just down from our apartment, where I had veal, mushrooms and mashed potatoes and Denise had filet and frites. Drank a nice Bordeaux. Then we strolled down to the Terminus on rue de Bac, for a port and a stinger. Thoughts from the day: owners buffet for lunch, masses along Clignancourt, stores with stuffed animals, including complete lion, African art.

Sunday 8 October 2006

First time I really went out by myself with tripod to take photos. I got a few decent ones. I walked along the seine toward Ile de Cite, then over the river into Tuileries and the Louvre. I was run out of the courtyard of the Louvre for having a tripod. Continued down river until I reached Hotel de Ville and then took metro back to Tuileries. I was out almost two hours. Collected Denise and we went to Montmartre to rub elbows with the hordes of tourists. We took Rick Steves' Montemartre walk up to Sacre Couer, through Louis VI's and Adelaide's (Adelaide of Savoy or Adelaide of Maurienne was the second Queen consort of Louis VI) church and past her tombstone at St. Pierre de Montemartre. We then pressed our way into the square and main commercial street of Montmartre. Saw La Maison Rose and Au Lapin Agile. Down into Abbesses, where we found a wonderful cafe called Le Templier de Montmartre. We both ordered Assiette de Templier, which was onion quiche, julienne vegetables, salad and oven fried potatoes. Great. Shared a pichet of rouge, and then walked down to Pigalle for the metro to Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysees. Stopped at very fancy restaurant/cafe in the 8th, just off Champs Elysees, Le Berkeley, at 7 Avenue Matignon for a glass of champagne and a beer (17 euros). We continued on toward our apartment passing between Grand Palais and Petit Palais across Pont Alexandre III, then along the Seine to rue de Solferino to a cafe of the same name at Saint Germain, where we people watched and read Pariscope and USA today over a beer.

Monday 9 October 2006

It was only about 8:30 when we left the apartment headed for Chartres. We got the Metro at Solferino to Gare Montparnasse. Pleasant train ride to Chartres. At the cathedral we marveled at the stained glass (which was taken out of the windows by the townspeople during WW II to protect it). I climbed the bell tower, about 300 steps. Ate at Brasserie Bruneau. It was art deco with large lily glass columns bordering two mirrors with offset columns of frosted glass. Everything else mirrored that feature -- frames of two deer prints next to us as well as many art deco poster frames, even radiator cover, statuettes etc. Food was excellent -- cuissede canard avec tagliatelle and a carafe of Bordeaux, eau minerale. 38.60 euros.

Thoughts: walked the walk, Rive Eure, half-timber houses, riverside homes. Train home with young people fighting over cell phone and a woman who was interested in using her English with us, gave us a suggestion for food: The Oyster Bar in Montparnasse. Went to Mucha Cafe for beer and wine. Stopped at the pattisserie for a beugette traditional and a lemone tart. Umm, good.

Tuesday 10 October 2006

The weather was perfect.

We went to Versialle. Hordes of tourists were there. The gardens were immense, beyond description. Immediately behind the palace and to the left was a beautiful orangerie which overlooked a huge sculpted pond. At the other end were ant sized animals moving about I thought might be ducks, but they were people. There are 1700 fountains or other water features on the property. The palace was over-the-top.

We ate at La Petite Venise at the Palace. It was very good. I had bream in anise sauce topped with delicate chips of toasted garlic and risotto, and Denise had shrimp and risotto. We walked through the town on our way back to the train station and found a lovely little antique store where Denise bought two napkin rings. The owner spoke no English but was delightful. We went to Le Solferino, 262 boulevard Saint-Germain, for a drink when we got back into our neighborhood, then went to the local patisserie for a baguette, and to the 8 a huit for ham, beer, and matches.

Galerie Commercial Carrousel du Louvre

Wednesday 11 October 2006

I went out at 6 am to photograph P. de la Concorde and along the river toward Ile de la Cite.

Another pretty day. Mild temperatures and sunny with occasional clouds. It was off to the Musee Marmottan Monet, where we saw old hand-written manuscripts, chorals, and meticulously painted capital letters. The star attraction was about 100 paintings by Monet. There were paintings from early in his career right through to his last years after his cataract surgery in 1923. He died in 1926. There was a portrait of Michel Monet, Claude's son, who actually gifted almost all of the works to the museum. After the museum, we went to Marais for a wonderful lunch at l'Impasse, a R. Steves recommendation. It was delicious. I had a carrot and mushroom salad and veal liver with potatoes. Denise had warm goat cheese salad (chaud chevre) and then rack of lamb. We had a great bottle of wine -- a Roche Combes 2994 Chiroubles. For dessert we shared a floating island (ile flottante?) a huge ice berg of merengue floating in a sea of vanilla custard covered with orange preserves of sorts and almonds.

Took a nap and then went to photo at night.

Thursday 12 October 2006

Walked to Le Bistrot de Paris,33 rue de Lille, to book a table for dinner . Then down Quai Voltaire and down rue de Seine. On the quai Denise bought two paintings from Zamir Mati. Walked through Les Halles, Saint-Eustache Church, and the Opera. Went to dinner at Bistrot de Paris -- ravioles and canard with green beans. Denise had leeks she couldn't cut and pasta. She had a cake like dessert and I had creme brulee. We had a bottle of Medoc - Cardonne.

Friday 13 October 2006

Early afternoon flight to New Olreans.

Trip photos are here: http://djlphoto.com/paris/contents.htm

Opéra Garnier