Roger referred to this as Paris' hanging garden. It is actually a wall of hollow bricks which are offset from one another, then filled with soil and planted to create a lovely green wall. This is in Jardin de Reuilly, where the promenade drops down from the viaduct and enters a sunken corridor for a mile or so. The garden is named for an ancient castle which used to be nearby, which was the residence of some French kings.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
30-8-2010
A view down the Promenade Plantée - this is one of the empty basins. Imagine how utterly gorgeous this would be with water in the basins.
Promenade Plantée
Monday, August 30, 2010 Day 61
Today we took the metro over the Gare de Lyon, which is the station from which we will leave in two days. We wanted to scope out the lay of the land before arriving there Wednesday laden with our eight pieces of luggage. We learned that there are almost no escalators to the platform level, and only one elevator, which is on the far side of the station from where the taxi will drop us (another example of the inaccessibility of much of Paris to those with limited mobility or lots of luggage).
After familiarizing ourselves with the station, we left and walked to the Promenade Plantée, which was until recently the only elevated park in the world. It is a linear park built on an abandoned rail line which, for almost three miles is almost 10 meters high, and is planted with trees and shrubs (but not many flowers). It is only 15-20 feet wide – just wide enough for two rail lines and some shoulder. There is a pair of basins at one end designed for flowing water, but which are silent now. It is also known as the Coulée verte, or Green Corridor. After 2.8 miles, the viaduct slopes down to ground level at a lovely park, then continues below street level for another mile or so, where it ends in a narrow spiral staircase up to the street. The whole area, both aboveground and below, provides sanctuary from the city which is only a few steps away at any given spot in the park – truly another of Paris’ delightful parks.
Today we took the metro over the Gare de Lyon, which is the station from which we will leave in two days. We wanted to scope out the lay of the land before arriving there Wednesday laden with our eight pieces of luggage. We learned that there are almost no escalators to the platform level, and only one elevator, which is on the far side of the station from where the taxi will drop us (another example of the inaccessibility of much of Paris to those with limited mobility or lots of luggage).
After familiarizing ourselves with the station, we left and walked to the Promenade Plantée, which was until recently the only elevated park in the world. It is a linear park built on an abandoned rail line which, for almost three miles is almost 10 meters high, and is planted with trees and shrubs (but not many flowers). It is only 15-20 feet wide – just wide enough for two rail lines and some shoulder. There is a pair of basins at one end designed for flowing water, but which are silent now. It is also known as the Coulée verte, or Green Corridor. After 2.8 miles, the viaduct slopes down to ground level at a lovely park, then continues below street level for another mile or so, where it ends in a narrow spiral staircase up to the street. The whole area, both aboveground and below, provides sanctuary from the city which is only a few steps away at any given spot in the park – truly another of Paris’ delightful parks.
28-8-2010
Can you guess which of these doors is the main entry to the courtyard beyond? (The other one is fixed) I love how the brass stays yellow where it is touched on a regular basis.
Wrapping up Paris
Sunday, August 29, 2010 Day 60
Ah, Sunday morning breakfast of fresh chocolate croissants, English breakfast tea, apricots and caramels! Does it get any better than this?
Our time in Paris is rapidly drawing to a close. Yesterday we completed the final item on our list of things to do before we leave the city. The refrigerator is almost empty. We bought our last carnet of metro/bus tickets. We have our tickets for the train ride to Montpellier. There is so much left undone, but that’s the way Paris is. There will always be more waiting for us to do when we return.
It was 63 degrees when we set out for the market this morning! Bought some Napoleon cheese at the market. The vendor threw in a tiny jar of black cherry jam and said to eat it with the cheese. We did. It is a strong cheese, but good. It is quite nice with the jam. We also bought a half a chicken for dinner this evening. We don’t want to cook much of anything between now and Wednesday morning, so we are buying ready-cooked foods. We bought sausage as well, and tomorrow we will cook our last meal in order to use up the remainder of the potatoes, onions, and capers. Tuesday night we will eat out and Wednesday morning we will board the train for Montpellier.
It rained much of today, and with the cool, we didn’t want to get out and do much, so we stayed indoors after the market and spent most of the day on our computers.
Ah, Sunday morning breakfast of fresh chocolate croissants, English breakfast tea, apricots and caramels! Does it get any better than this?
Our time in Paris is rapidly drawing to a close. Yesterday we completed the final item on our list of things to do before we leave the city. The refrigerator is almost empty. We bought our last carnet of metro/bus tickets. We have our tickets for the train ride to Montpellier. There is so much left undone, but that’s the way Paris is. There will always be more waiting for us to do when we return.
It was 63 degrees when we set out for the market this morning! Bought some Napoleon cheese at the market. The vendor threw in a tiny jar of black cherry jam and said to eat it with the cheese. We did. It is a strong cheese, but good. It is quite nice with the jam. We also bought a half a chicken for dinner this evening. We don’t want to cook much of anything between now and Wednesday morning, so we are buying ready-cooked foods. We bought sausage as well, and tomorrow we will cook our last meal in order to use up the remainder of the potatoes, onions, and capers. Tuesday night we will eat out and Wednesday morning we will board the train for Montpellier.
It rained much of today, and with the cool, we didn’t want to get out and do much, so we stayed indoors after the market and spent most of the day on our computers.
Monday, August 30, 2010
28-8-2010
The woman in the aqua-colored dress appears to be the other bridal attendant. It would seem that weddings in Paris are not necessarily the orchestrated matching extravaganza that they are in the U.S. Don't you just love the shoes on the other woman? And note that she is wearing black to a wedding - perhaps not as declasse as it used to be.
28-8-2010
The bride and Dad preparing to enter the church, with the maid of honor in the salmon-colored dress.
28-8-2010
Here comes the bride! I don't think automobiles are usually permitted to drive through this area - I guess they make exceptions for wedding parties.
28-8-2010
Roger and me enjoying our time at Roger La Grenouille. This one is for Patty, who wanted us to have our picture taken at posh restaurants in Paris. This is about as posh as we get!!
Moulin Rouge, Igor Stravinsky Fountain, waffles
Saturday, August 28, 2010 Day 59
After laundry and lazing around this morning, we struck out for Roger La Grenouille (Roger the Frog) restaurant. Roger has always been my Frog Prince, even from our dating days, and we felt it would be an appropriate end to our stay in Paris. Naturally, we ate frog legs, which were delicious. Mine were in a garlic and butter sauce, and I sopped up the sauce with my bread for a truly delicious taste! Roger ordered frog legs in a cream sauce. These frog legs were very different from those I have had in the states – much smaller. Our servings probably contained 15 legs each, although we didn’t count them. The frog legs I have had in Louisiana and Texas have had only about three or maybe four legs for a serving. We shared a molten-center chocolate cake for dessert.
When we left, we took the metro up to the Moulin Rouge on a mission to buy some special caramels. It was sprinkling as we exited the metro, so we stood under the Moulin Rouge overhang for 20 minutes or so. When the rain reduced to a sprinkle, we decided to risk it and head for the caramel shop. After we bought caramels and some caramel sauce in a jar, we walked down to Les Halles and Eglise Saint-Eustache area again. We were fortunate – the rain stopped completely by the time we exited the shop, so we had a dry afternoon. We had read that the organ in Eglise Saint-Eustache has over 8,000 pipes, so we had planned to drop in a take a gander. However, upon our arrival at the entrance to the church, we spotted a man in tux and boutonnière and a priest on the steps, looking streetward. As we watched, several nicely dressed people entered the church, so we parked ourselves alongside the steps to watch. Two women carrying flowers arrived, apparently bridal attendants, and more wedding guests as well. A short while later, a car honked pedestrians out of the way (unusual behavior in Paris) and pulled up in front of the steps. The bride and her father got out. They were met by the best man, and after a bit of fluffing up on the part of the bride and her bridesmaids, the party entered the church. We elected to forego the view of the organ out of respect for the wedding ceremony, although I am sure that there were plenty of other tourists who entered during the ceremony, unaware that it was going on.
We continued our stroll to Les Halles, which was formerly a huge market known as the “belly of Paris” because it fed most of the city. It dates back at least as early as the 12th century. In 1971, it was demolished and the market relocated to a Paris suburb. It is now a huge modern shopping mall. It was incredibly busy today. Apparently the combination of a beautiful Paris afternoon, the end of the vacation season and preparation for the onset of school brought throngs of shoppers to the area. We tried to look at FNAC for a case for our phone, but it was clear we were going to have to have help from the staff, and it was equally clear that such help would be a long time coming so we abandoned the idea. Someday we will get a case. Or not.
From Les Halles, we walked along a pedestrian mall. It was crowded with shoppers, many of whom were taking a leisurely break to be entertained by street performers. We went on to the Georges Pompidou Center, not for the museum itself, but for the Igor Stravinsky fountain located just outside it. It is a shallow rectangular basin of water which features sixteen whimsical moving and water-spraying sculptures which represent themes and works by composer Igor Stravinsky. We sat on the edge of the fountain and a few minutes later a little girl and her mom sat down. The little girl was eating a Belgian waffle with powdered sugar on it. We lusted after it, and asked the woman where she got it – clearly it had just been purchased. She pointed around the corner and said she bought it from a stand there, so we checked it out and sure enough, there they were. We ordered one and considered our choices for a moment before settling on powdered sugar topping. (We could have had Nutella, a couple of different fruits, whipped cream or several other options.) It was disappointing – these are never as good as they look, at least not when you are an adult. I’m not sure they are even as a child.
After laundry and lazing around this morning, we struck out for Roger La Grenouille (Roger the Frog) restaurant. Roger has always been my Frog Prince, even from our dating days, and we felt it would be an appropriate end to our stay in Paris. Naturally, we ate frog legs, which were delicious. Mine were in a garlic and butter sauce, and I sopped up the sauce with my bread for a truly delicious taste! Roger ordered frog legs in a cream sauce. These frog legs were very different from those I have had in the states – much smaller. Our servings probably contained 15 legs each, although we didn’t count them. The frog legs I have had in Louisiana and Texas have had only about three or maybe four legs for a serving. We shared a molten-center chocolate cake for dessert.
When we left, we took the metro up to the Moulin Rouge on a mission to buy some special caramels. It was sprinkling as we exited the metro, so we stood under the Moulin Rouge overhang for 20 minutes or so. When the rain reduced to a sprinkle, we decided to risk it and head for the caramel shop. After we bought caramels and some caramel sauce in a jar, we walked down to Les Halles and Eglise Saint-Eustache area again. We were fortunate – the rain stopped completely by the time we exited the shop, so we had a dry afternoon. We had read that the organ in Eglise Saint-Eustache has over 8,000 pipes, so we had planned to drop in a take a gander. However, upon our arrival at the entrance to the church, we spotted a man in tux and boutonnière and a priest on the steps, looking streetward. As we watched, several nicely dressed people entered the church, so we parked ourselves alongside the steps to watch. Two women carrying flowers arrived, apparently bridal attendants, and more wedding guests as well. A short while later, a car honked pedestrians out of the way (unusual behavior in Paris) and pulled up in front of the steps. The bride and her father got out. They were met by the best man, and after a bit of fluffing up on the part of the bride and her bridesmaids, the party entered the church. We elected to forego the view of the organ out of respect for the wedding ceremony, although I am sure that there were plenty of other tourists who entered during the ceremony, unaware that it was going on.
We continued our stroll to Les Halles, which was formerly a huge market known as the “belly of Paris” because it fed most of the city. It dates back at least as early as the 12th century. In 1971, it was demolished and the market relocated to a Paris suburb. It is now a huge modern shopping mall. It was incredibly busy today. Apparently the combination of a beautiful Paris afternoon, the end of the vacation season and preparation for the onset of school brought throngs of shoppers to the area. We tried to look at FNAC for a case for our phone, but it was clear we were going to have to have help from the staff, and it was equally clear that such help would be a long time coming so we abandoned the idea. Someday we will get a case. Or not.
From Les Halles, we walked along a pedestrian mall. It was crowded with shoppers, many of whom were taking a leisurely break to be entertained by street performers. We went on to the Georges Pompidou Center, not for the museum itself, but for the Igor Stravinsky fountain located just outside it. It is a shallow rectangular basin of water which features sixteen whimsical moving and water-spraying sculptures which represent themes and works by composer Igor Stravinsky. We sat on the edge of the fountain and a few minutes later a little girl and her mom sat down. The little girl was eating a Belgian waffle with powdered sugar on it. We lusted after it, and asked the woman where she got it – clearly it had just been purchased. She pointed around the corner and said she bought it from a stand there, so we checked it out and sure enough, there they were. We ordered one and considered our choices for a moment before settling on powdered sugar topping. (We could have had Nutella, a couple of different fruits, whipped cream or several other options.) It was disappointing – these are never as good as they look, at least not when you are an adult. I’m not sure they are even as a child.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
29-8-2010
When your name is Roger Patrick and you are standing in front of the Patrick Roger chocolate shop in Paris, you MUST buy chocolates - so he did.
25-8-2010
I forgot to post this with Thursday's blog. Here is Roger in front of "his" chocolate shop on Boulevard Saint-Germain in Paris.
Some thoughts on Paris
Friday, August 27, 2010 Day 58
Today was another recovery day, both from our trip to Reims and from our colds. Roger’s is much better, mine is getting better. Mostly we have forged ahead with our plans despite the colds, but it was quite nice just to take the day off.
Since we did nothing blogworthy today, I thought I would share a bit of a retrospective about our stay in Paris. We will leave Wednesday morning for 10 months in Montpellier, and it is unlikely that we will return to Paris for anything more than catching a plane.
The weather has been delightful – mostly in the 70s during the day, with only a handful of really hot days. If Paris sizzles in the summer, we seem to have missed most of that. We will be grateful not to be in Paris in the winter when it drizzles.
The people have been universally courteous, patient and helpful. They have given us directions, helped us find things in the shops, answered our questions to the best of their ability and our understanding, they have tolerated our very bad French and returned better English. Shopkeepers and vendors greet every customer who walks in the door with “Bonjour, monsieur-dame” or “Bonjour, monsieur et madame,” and they expect to be greeted in return. In the street, on the other hand, no one says “bonjour” or any sort of greeting. Indeed, most Parisians do not meet other people’s eyes, or if they do, they immediately avert them.
We have made mistakes, most of which cost us footsteps more than anything else. As we got better with the maps and the metro, we made fewer and fewer of these errors.
Our charming little apartment has served us well. It has two rooms: a bed-sitting room with a surprisingly comfortable futon which, when opened up to a queen-sized bed, fills almost all of the available space in the room; and a kitchen/dining room, which is about the same size as the other room and which, by European standards, is fairly large. The refrigerator is a bit taller than I am – also large by European standards. There are also a water closet and a salle de bain, which contains the sink, washing machine, the shower and a storage cabinet – all adequate, if smaller than that to which we are accustomed. The apartment is large enough that Roger and I have not run into each other every time we have turned around. We figured out the vagaries of the water heater and had as much hot water as we needed. The same with the cooktop and oven. I have fallen in love with our windows – the are tall, starting about two feet from the floor (just above the radiators) and extending all the way to the top of our 9-foot ceilings. They have marvelous metal shutters of a simple but very utilitarian design which Roger says has been around since the 17th century. The windows have no screens, but none are needed as there are few insects around to enter the rooms.
Paris driving: I have not been behind the wheel of a car since the end of June, so I can only write from the perspective of the pedestrian. Unlike in the U.S., there seems to be little impatience from French drivers. They are courteous and very willing to cede the right-of-way to other cars and pedestrians. The whole mentality here is that of laissez-faire – there is no road rage, seldom do cars honk, and drivers are not flipping the bird and rushing to cut off other drivers. Motorists in the U.S. could learn a few things from the French.
Today was another recovery day, both from our trip to Reims and from our colds. Roger’s is much better, mine is getting better. Mostly we have forged ahead with our plans despite the colds, but it was quite nice just to take the day off.
Since we did nothing blogworthy today, I thought I would share a bit of a retrospective about our stay in Paris. We will leave Wednesday morning for 10 months in Montpellier, and it is unlikely that we will return to Paris for anything more than catching a plane.
The weather has been delightful – mostly in the 70s during the day, with only a handful of really hot days. If Paris sizzles in the summer, we seem to have missed most of that. We will be grateful not to be in Paris in the winter when it drizzles.
The people have been universally courteous, patient and helpful. They have given us directions, helped us find things in the shops, answered our questions to the best of their ability and our understanding, they have tolerated our very bad French and returned better English. Shopkeepers and vendors greet every customer who walks in the door with “Bonjour, monsieur-dame” or “Bonjour, monsieur et madame,” and they expect to be greeted in return. In the street, on the other hand, no one says “bonjour” or any sort of greeting. Indeed, most Parisians do not meet other people’s eyes, or if they do, they immediately avert them.
We have made mistakes, most of which cost us footsteps more than anything else. As we got better with the maps and the metro, we made fewer and fewer of these errors.
Our charming little apartment has served us well. It has two rooms: a bed-sitting room with a surprisingly comfortable futon which, when opened up to a queen-sized bed, fills almost all of the available space in the room; and a kitchen/dining room, which is about the same size as the other room and which, by European standards, is fairly large. The refrigerator is a bit taller than I am – also large by European standards. There are also a water closet and a salle de bain, which contains the sink, washing machine, the shower and a storage cabinet – all adequate, if smaller than that to which we are accustomed. The apartment is large enough that Roger and I have not run into each other every time we have turned around. We figured out the vagaries of the water heater and had as much hot water as we needed. The same with the cooktop and oven. I have fallen in love with our windows – the are tall, starting about two feet from the floor (just above the radiators) and extending all the way to the top of our 9-foot ceilings. They have marvelous metal shutters of a simple but very utilitarian design which Roger says has been around since the 17th century. The windows have no screens, but none are needed as there are few insects around to enter the rooms.
Paris driving: I have not been behind the wheel of a car since the end of June, so I can only write from the perspective of the pedestrian. Unlike in the U.S., there seems to be little impatience from French drivers. They are courteous and very willing to cede the right-of-way to other cars and pedestrians. The whole mentality here is that of laissez-faire – there is no road rage, seldom do cars honk, and drivers are not flipping the bird and rushing to cut off other drivers. Motorists in the U.S. could learn a few things from the French.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
26-8-2010
I loved this robot outside a clothing store on the pedestrian mall in Reims. Note his green glass belly!
26-8-2010
Our beautiful, charming and very knowledgeable hostess for the Mumm tour. This is the Big Book of Mumm.
26-8-2010
Note the size of this baguette. I guess it should be a bague. I tried to get a picture of it before it was cut, but the worker got in the way. It was first cut in half lengthwise, so that the entire bague was twice as long as what you see there. It was then sliced horizontally and the bread for our bread basket and those of other diners' was sliced from that single loaf.
Unconditional Surrender
Thursday, August 26, 2010 Day 57
We took an early train out of Paris this morning and headed for Reims in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France. For part of the trip, we had an entire train compartment to ourselves. I was suffering a bit from my cold so I put my head down in Roger’s lap, stretched my legs across the other two seats and sacked out. Not the best nap I have had, but not the worst either.
My first impression of Reims was that it is a city undergoing construction. The main tourist area is rather torn up while tram lines are being repaired, upgraded and extended, and there are barricades everywhere, along with large sections of missing sidewalk and street.
Reims attained international fame when, at 2:41 on the morning of 7 May 1945, General Eisenhower and the Allies received the unconditional surrender of the German Wehrmacht, effectively ending World War II in Europe. Our first stop in Reims was a visit to the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force where we viewed the war room in which the surrender was executed.
It was nearing noon by the time we left the war museum, so we headed toward the tourist area for lunch at a place Roger read about online. It was shortly before noon when we arrived, and when we entered, we were met with “avez-vous un reservation?” – have you a reservation? When we said no, the waiter said he couldn’t seat us unless, well, he had a table in the kitchen which he would show us and we could consider whether to eat there or not. He took us through and showed us a wooden table situated in a corner of the kitchen and ask us if we would be willing to sit there. We wondered between the two of us if we were so badly dressed, or looked so much like tourists that we were only fit for the kitchen! But we agreed to the table, and he told us we would have to come back in 15 minutes, as the restaurant doesn’t open until noon. We put our name down and left to explore a bit of the city. When we returned, we were shown to our table, which already had another couple seated at it. Our spot in the kitchen was actually in a workroom where the cold preparation took place. Two staff members worked industriously preparing salads and desserts in full view of us. We ate a delicious meal – Roger had osso buco with pasta, and I had large tube-shaped macaroni with pate de fois gras which was silky and quite delicious. We each had a glass of wine and dessert as well – Roger’s was strawberry artisanal ice cream on a meringue, and mine was a chocolate confection. Tasty!
After lunch, we strolled out to the champagne cellars of G.H. Mumm and took a tour. The champagne ages in the many caves and tunnels under Reims, which form a sort of maze below the city. Carved from chalk, some of these passages date back to Roman times. Mumm has 16 miles of tunnels and the cellars house 25 million bottles of champagne. Of course, the tour ended with a glass of champagne for each of us. I don’t have a nose for champagne, but this was pretty good nevertheless.
We returned to the main part of the city and walked to the cathedral. It was established in about CE 400 and was the victim of several fires (this seems to afflict a number of cathedrals) in the intervening centuries. It is famous as the Roman Catholic cathedral of Reims, where the kings of France were once crowned. It replaces an older church, destroyed by a fire in 1211, which was built on the site of the basilica where Clovis was baptized by the bishop of Reims, in CE 496.
The cathedral was badly damaged during World War I by German shellfire. Scaffolding around the north tower caught fire, spreading the blaze to all parts of the carpentry superstructure. The lead of the roofs melted and poured through the stone gargoyles, destroying the bishop's palace next door as well. Restoration work began in 1919 and continues to date. We entered the cathedral and viewed the trio of windows created by Marc Chagal as part of the restoration work.
We walked around the city a bit more, dropping into a confectionary shop for some more of that good artisanal ice cream – mango again for me, dark chocolate for Roger. Yum! Then it was time to head for the train station for our return to Paris. I managed to stay awake and enjoy the scenery for the journey back. We arrived back at Gare de l’Est on time and took the metro home. We must have looked tired, although I can’t say that I felt particularly exhausted, but a woman who looked about my age nudged her son and the two of them got up and offered us their seats! I started to decline, but she indicated that they were getting off at the next stop anyway, so we accepted. Sigh! We look old!!!!
We took an early train out of Paris this morning and headed for Reims in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France. For part of the trip, we had an entire train compartment to ourselves. I was suffering a bit from my cold so I put my head down in Roger’s lap, stretched my legs across the other two seats and sacked out. Not the best nap I have had, but not the worst either.
My first impression of Reims was that it is a city undergoing construction. The main tourist area is rather torn up while tram lines are being repaired, upgraded and extended, and there are barricades everywhere, along with large sections of missing sidewalk and street.
Reims attained international fame when, at 2:41 on the morning of 7 May 1945, General Eisenhower and the Allies received the unconditional surrender of the German Wehrmacht, effectively ending World War II in Europe. Our first stop in Reims was a visit to the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force where we viewed the war room in which the surrender was executed.
It was nearing noon by the time we left the war museum, so we headed toward the tourist area for lunch at a place Roger read about online. It was shortly before noon when we arrived, and when we entered, we were met with “avez-vous un reservation?” – have you a reservation? When we said no, the waiter said he couldn’t seat us unless, well, he had a table in the kitchen which he would show us and we could consider whether to eat there or not. He took us through and showed us a wooden table situated in a corner of the kitchen and ask us if we would be willing to sit there. We wondered between the two of us if we were so badly dressed, or looked so much like tourists that we were only fit for the kitchen! But we agreed to the table, and he told us we would have to come back in 15 minutes, as the restaurant doesn’t open until noon. We put our name down and left to explore a bit of the city. When we returned, we were shown to our table, which already had another couple seated at it. Our spot in the kitchen was actually in a workroom where the cold preparation took place. Two staff members worked industriously preparing salads and desserts in full view of us. We ate a delicious meal – Roger had osso buco with pasta, and I had large tube-shaped macaroni with pate de fois gras which was silky and quite delicious. We each had a glass of wine and dessert as well – Roger’s was strawberry artisanal ice cream on a meringue, and mine was a chocolate confection. Tasty!
After lunch, we strolled out to the champagne cellars of G.H. Mumm and took a tour. The champagne ages in the many caves and tunnels under Reims, which form a sort of maze below the city. Carved from chalk, some of these passages date back to Roman times. Mumm has 16 miles of tunnels and the cellars house 25 million bottles of champagne. Of course, the tour ended with a glass of champagne for each of us. I don’t have a nose for champagne, but this was pretty good nevertheless.
We returned to the main part of the city and walked to the cathedral. It was established in about CE 400 and was the victim of several fires (this seems to afflict a number of cathedrals) in the intervening centuries. It is famous as the Roman Catholic cathedral of Reims, where the kings of France were once crowned. It replaces an older church, destroyed by a fire in 1211, which was built on the site of the basilica where Clovis was baptized by the bishop of Reims, in CE 496.
The cathedral was badly damaged during World War I by German shellfire. Scaffolding around the north tower caught fire, spreading the blaze to all parts of the carpentry superstructure. The lead of the roofs melted and poured through the stone gargoyles, destroying the bishop's palace next door as well. Restoration work began in 1919 and continues to date. We entered the cathedral and viewed the trio of windows created by Marc Chagal as part of the restoration work.
We walked around the city a bit more, dropping into a confectionary shop for some more of that good artisanal ice cream – mango again for me, dark chocolate for Roger. Yum! Then it was time to head for the train station for our return to Paris. I managed to stay awake and enjoy the scenery for the journey back. We arrived back at Gare de l’Est on time and took the metro home. We must have looked tired, although I can’t say that I felt particularly exhausted, but a woman who looked about my age nudged her son and the two of them got up and offered us their seats! I started to decline, but she indicated that they were getting off at the next stop anyway, so we accepted. Sigh! We look old!!!!
25-8-2010
Our five pistachio and pine nut confections, made with phyllo dough, rich nut bases, and fragrant floral essences from MasMoudi, a Tunisian bakery. Rich, rich, rich!! Note that these are only the size of a quarter or so - not very big at all. We cut them in half and had a small taste of each.
25-8-2010
The Ispahan, made up of fresh raspberries, macarons and litchi cream, a signature pastry of Pierre Hermé. Has a macaron base and sugary sweet top. That is a rose petal at the top.
Picnic
Wednesday, August 25, 2010 Day 56
We were going to try to leave at 10:30 this morning for a picnic, but we had issues with our phone and spent more than half an hour struggling with it before we finally got everything straightened out. We needed it taken care of because we installed our picnic-buying itinerary on the phone and had to ensure that we could access it. We finally set out for the subway about 11:15. Fortunately, the first stop on the spending spree entailed buying a baguette, and we managed to score one hot out of the oven. Delicious! The second stop involved ice cream cones which, of course, had to be eaten immediately, so our stomachs were good to go for another hour of shopping before finally settling down to eat. Next we located a very special chocolate shop called Patrick Roger Chocolates. Of course we had to go there and buy some chocolates. We bought mostly caramels, but some other chocolates as well. From there we went to a Tunisian pastry shop, which, when we first entered it, looked more like a fancy jeweler in an intensely blue room with wares under glass globes, but instead the shop sold gemlike Middle Eastern sweets. We bough some meticulous quarter-size pistachio and pine nut confections, made with phyllo dough, rich nut bases, fragrant floral essences and beautifully arranged as if they were flower buds. Our purchase of five tiny sweets were packaged in a beautiful blue box. Next we dropped in on Pierre Hermé for some more wonderful sweets. We bought a pink hamburger-shaped pastry called an Ispahan, which is his signature pastry, made up of fresh raspberries, macarons and litchi cream. We also picked up a croissant and a couple of canneles, which are small caramel-coated bread and which, if warm, would taste divine, but we had to settle for outstanding. We dropped into yet another patisserie for some macarons, then moved on to a boulangerie, or bread bakery, for some miche bread, which is made in loaves the size of a football helmet, but which they are happy to sell in quarters or halves as well as the whole enchilada. The gentleman who established this particular boulangerie had a reputation as the most famous bread baker in the world, and he lived the celebrity lifestyle to prove it. He had a private island, his own helicopter, mailed Robert De Niro daily loaves and made art with Salvador Dalí, including a famous bread birdcage from which the bird ate its way to freedom.
Since we had dessert upon dessert, and some bread, we needed a little more substance, so we went to Le Grande Epicerie de Paris. I thought I was dreaming. Whatever upscale grocery stores you have ever shopped in, this one puts all the rest to shame. It was fantastic, and I could have spent the afternoon there. But we were getting hungry by this time, so we settled on some Italian ham because they were out of the recommended Spanish ham. We were supposed to buy our cheese at the next stop, then go to a park for our picnic, but the phone, where we put the buying itinerary, ran out of battery power about the time we entered the Grand Epicerie, so we picked up some cheese there, just taking a stab at something because the cheese counters are so overwhelming. We settled on some flaked parmesan cheese, which turned out to be a good choice. We bought some juice drinks to go with our meal and walked to a nearby park to eat, as it was pushing 2:00 by this time and the baguette and ice cream had pretty much worn off. The bread, cheese and ham were quite delicious. We had no knife, so we just pulled the bread off and ate it along with fingerfulls of cheese and the ultra-thin slices of ham. Most of the desserts we brought back to the apartment to eat as we were too full and too tired to eat them on our picnic. Very enjoyable day. I owe thanks to Francis Lam at Salon for the recommendations, and to Ariela (I think) who posted the link on Facebook. Oops! Sorry - I mis-attributed this. Cindy is the one who posted it on Facebook. Thanks, Cindy. It was superb!
We were going to try to leave at 10:30 this morning for a picnic, but we had issues with our phone and spent more than half an hour struggling with it before we finally got everything straightened out. We needed it taken care of because we installed our picnic-buying itinerary on the phone and had to ensure that we could access it. We finally set out for the subway about 11:15. Fortunately, the first stop on the spending spree entailed buying a baguette, and we managed to score one hot out of the oven. Delicious! The second stop involved ice cream cones which, of course, had to be eaten immediately, so our stomachs were good to go for another hour of shopping before finally settling down to eat. Next we located a very special chocolate shop called Patrick Roger Chocolates. Of course we had to go there and buy some chocolates. We bought mostly caramels, but some other chocolates as well. From there we went to a Tunisian pastry shop, which, when we first entered it, looked more like a fancy jeweler in an intensely blue room with wares under glass globes, but instead the shop sold gemlike Middle Eastern sweets. We bough some meticulous quarter-size pistachio and pine nut confections, made with phyllo dough, rich nut bases, fragrant floral essences and beautifully arranged as if they were flower buds. Our purchase of five tiny sweets were packaged in a beautiful blue box. Next we dropped in on Pierre Hermé for some more wonderful sweets. We bought a pink hamburger-shaped pastry called an Ispahan, which is his signature pastry, made up of fresh raspberries, macarons and litchi cream. We also picked up a croissant and a couple of canneles, which are small caramel-coated bread and which, if warm, would taste divine, but we had to settle for outstanding. We dropped into yet another patisserie for some macarons, then moved on to a boulangerie, or bread bakery, for some miche bread, which is made in loaves the size of a football helmet, but which they are happy to sell in quarters or halves as well as the whole enchilada. The gentleman who established this particular boulangerie had a reputation as the most famous bread baker in the world, and he lived the celebrity lifestyle to prove it. He had a private island, his own helicopter, mailed Robert De Niro daily loaves and made art with Salvador Dalí, including a famous bread birdcage from which the bird ate its way to freedom.
Since we had dessert upon dessert, and some bread, we needed a little more substance, so we went to Le Grande Epicerie de Paris. I thought I was dreaming. Whatever upscale grocery stores you have ever shopped in, this one puts all the rest to shame. It was fantastic, and I could have spent the afternoon there. But we were getting hungry by this time, so we settled on some Italian ham because they were out of the recommended Spanish ham. We were supposed to buy our cheese at the next stop, then go to a park for our picnic, but the phone, where we put the buying itinerary, ran out of battery power about the time we entered the Grand Epicerie, so we picked up some cheese there, just taking a stab at something because the cheese counters are so overwhelming. We settled on some flaked parmesan cheese, which turned out to be a good choice. We bought some juice drinks to go with our meal and walked to a nearby park to eat, as it was pushing 2:00 by this time and the baguette and ice cream had pretty much worn off. The bread, cheese and ham were quite delicious. We had no knife, so we just pulled the bread off and ate it along with fingerfulls of cheese and the ultra-thin slices of ham. Most of the desserts we brought back to the apartment to eat as we were too full and too tired to eat them on our picnic. Very enjoyable day. I owe thanks to Francis Lam at Salon for the recommendations, and to Ariela (I think) who posted the link on Facebook. Oops! Sorry - I mis-attributed this. Cindy is the one who posted it on Facebook. Thanks, Cindy. It was superb!
Friday, August 27, 2010
24-8-2010
A whimsical sculpture with the Arc de Triomphe in the background. A similar set of designs stands on the opposite side of the Grande Arche, sans water.
24-8-2010
The Men of the City - Placed at the entrance to a subway, the work refers to the anonymity of people who pass and, indeed, do not throw a glance at the statues.
24-8-2010
Another sculpture - this one entitled "BC 1." Bowl Championship 1? BC's unicycle helmet (from the comic strip? Who knows?
24-8-2010
View from the Grande Arche down the pedestrian mall of La Défense - note the Arc de Triomphe in the center of the picture in the far distance.
La Défense
Tuesday, August 24, 2010 Day 55
Having discovered the fish market yesterday, we went there and bought some flounder for dinner this evening. I have enjoyed cooking here, even though our apartment is small and lacks some of the basics such as measuring spoons and cups.
This afternoon we took a tram (a couple of trams, actually) out to La Défense. La Défense a major business district of Paris, and is named after the iconic statue La Défense de Paris, which was erected in 1883 to commemorate the soldiers who had defended Paris during the Franco-Prussian War. The area is full of skyscrapers and is Europe’s largest purpose-built business district.
One of the things distinguishing Paris is its skyline. Except for the Eiffel Tower and one 59-story office building (Tour Montparnasse, which many Parisians still consider an eyesore), there are few buildings taller than 12 stories. In the 1950s, when the pressure for skyscrapers began to grow, the city determined to commit an area outside the boundaries of Paris in which to allow construction of modern skyscrapers; hence, La Défense. It hosts some 72 skyscrapers and a huge square arch called the Grande Arche, which lies perfectly in line with the Louvre, the Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe. Many of the buildings lie on either side of a huge pedestrian mall which contains some 60 modern art sculptures and numerous fountains. What fun! We spent the afternoon exploring the area and taking photos. As a result, today’s post has more photos than verbiage.
Having discovered the fish market yesterday, we went there and bought some flounder for dinner this evening. I have enjoyed cooking here, even though our apartment is small and lacks some of the basics such as measuring spoons and cups.
This afternoon we took a tram (a couple of trams, actually) out to La Défense. La Défense a major business district of Paris, and is named after the iconic statue La Défense de Paris, which was erected in 1883 to commemorate the soldiers who had defended Paris during the Franco-Prussian War. The area is full of skyscrapers and is Europe’s largest purpose-built business district.
One of the things distinguishing Paris is its skyline. Except for the Eiffel Tower and one 59-story office building (Tour Montparnasse, which many Parisians still consider an eyesore), there are few buildings taller than 12 stories. In the 1950s, when the pressure for skyscrapers began to grow, the city determined to commit an area outside the boundaries of Paris in which to allow construction of modern skyscrapers; hence, La Défense. It hosts some 72 skyscrapers and a huge square arch called the Grande Arche, which lies perfectly in line with the Louvre, the Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe. Many of the buildings lie on either side of a huge pedestrian mall which contains some 60 modern art sculptures and numerous fountains. What fun! We spent the afternoon exploring the area and taking photos. As a result, today’s post has more photos than verbiage.
23-8-2010
Paris burning (sorry about the traffic sign, but it is right up next to the mural. The grafitti is a bummer as well!
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