Paris 25-27 September

Sunday was another day in Paris, another day just to be here.

I went to Père-Lachaise in the morning and worked on my shot list. Later that afternoon we struck out for the Metro and the western side of the city. The plan was to pay a visit to Valerie and Hubert who live in the 15th arrondissement. Susie and Val had gone to Basic Pastry together at Le Cordon Bleu in 2006 and we've stayed in touch with her ever since. Susie even attended her wedding.

Anyway, the last time we saw Val and Hubert , some three years ago, their children were very small. Well, at ages 5 and 3 their daughter and son are, I have to say, among the cutest kids we've ever seen (it helps that their cuteness manifests itself in Frenc0 right up there with those adorable MacD kids.

On the way to their home we stopped at Claire Damon's pastry shop along boulevard Pasteur, to pick up a few things to take along for treats (see Susie's post).

We had a wonderful afternoon visiting and catching up on the latest family news.  But, for each hello there always follows the inevitable goodbye. And so it was here. We walked out into gorgeous sunshine, made our way to the Metro and home for the rest of the afternoon.

Monday and Tuesday were both workdays, in a manner of speaking. Susie went off to her first class at Lenôtre while I headed to Père-Lachaise (again) to meet up with Marie B. and the two of us spent serious time looking for some of the earliest burials in divisions 20-24

I had an extensive shot list and two of us spent the morning combing through several of the more challenging divisions. Marie was keen on locating the earliest burials in the cemetery, part of goal as well. My work on clarifying sculpture information would come a bit later. Anyway we eventually had to take a break and she kindly bought me lunch at a cafe near the cemetery. Marie recommended a cabbage dish, chou farci, basically a cabbage roll, that came with pureed potatoes and a small pitcher of tasty gravy. It was, in a word, delicious.

On Tuesday I spent the better part of the day back in Père-Lachaise while Susie was in class. Since I had finished just about everything I needed to do in PL I took the Metro in to meet Susie for lunch. The chef at Lenôtre had recommended the cafe at the Petit Palais just across the street from the school and so that's where we met. After lunch I returned home for a nap and Susie went back for her second class. A little after I 5pm I returned to the Metro (3-2-1) and met Susie just as she finished wrapping up class.

The two of us headed back home for the evening -- dinner a casa once again.

New Year's Day in Paris

A gray, overcast morning eased into a gray, overcast and chilly Saturday afternoon. This weather has become pretty much routine here by now. But it is winter and we are, if you recall, at a higher latitude than Boston, Massachusetts. (Paris is at 48 degrees, Boston at 42 and New York City at 40.)

Accentuated by being up so late last evening ringing in the New Year  our typically leisurely morning risked becoming a leisurely afternoon. But frankly that's just fine with us. Many places are closed today anyway, so our agenda was slim indeed.

Event though the weather promised some form of annoying precipitation,  Susie and I left the apartment about 2pm and headed over to rue Chemin Vert for a short 10-minute walk up to Pere Lachaise. We crossed Boulevard Menilmontant right at the Père-Lachaise Metro stop and entered through the small, but highly popular entrance nearby. (My favorite map vendor was still there, right outside the entrance. selling the what is still best map to the cemetery.)

Anyway, the place was packed; it was as if every tourist in Paris had decided simultaneously to visit one of the cool things to see in Paris that happened to be open. And we were no different, of course. So we wandered for a couple of hours, taking time to pay our respects to Chopin in division 11, and two of my personal favorites, Jane Avril in division 19 and Sophie Blanchard in division 13.

Leaving Père-Lachaise by the main entrance we walked down rue de la Roquette, heading in the direction of Place Leon Blum and Place Bastille. Two blocks from the cemetery we passed the pretty Square de la Roquette on the right. It's hard to imagine that on this very same spot of green space stood a women's prison, and that directly across the street was the city's prison used for those convicted to be deported to Devil's Island or to be executed. (One can still see the slots in the street that held the base for the guillotine, according to a nearby historical marker.)

Anyway, the plan as to head to rue du Perche in the 3rd arrondissement for a free piano concert at the Armenian Church (Ste. Croix), a venue we've been to several times before.  The church was a bit chilly inside but noticeably warmer than outside and we settled in for an hour or so of Mozart, Schumann (Robert) and a half dozen or so ragtime tunes a la Scott Joplin. Quite entertaining.

It was dark as we left the church and found ourselves standing in the chilly drizzle of a New Year in Paris. But a short walk up rue Charlot to Boulevard du Temple near the Place de la Republique and we soon found a bar where we stepped inside for warmth and stood at the bar sipping an aperitif -- Kir for Susie, Suze for me). After paying the check we walked outside into the rain and quickly found the nearest Metro entrance hopping on the no. 9 at Place de la Republique  to the Trocadero to catch the Eiffel's champagne lights twinkling on the hour.

Between dodging the hundreds of tourists who were dodging an equal number of men of color selling Eiffel kitsch in the pitch dark, and trying to keep the umbrella up and not stab someone in the back or eye, we managed to see the lights for about 10 seconds, at least giving us hope for a spectacular New Year.

Then it was back on the Metro, taking the 9 to the no. 7 and off at the Pyramides. A quick walk up rue Saint Anne looking for an available noodle bar or Japanese restaurant -- this was after all the Japanese section of the city. The good news was most were open, but we avoided the queues and settled in at the tiny Yamakawa where we feasted on yakitori and dumplings washed down with a half bottle of Tavel.

After dinner it was back on the no. 7 and off at Place d'Italie. We walked down Boulevard Auguste Blanqui to meet up with up with Matt & Susan, Sarra and Andrea and Barbara at their apartment. we all walked up to the Place and found a brasserie for a late night cafe and dessert. The food was mediocre and service slippery but the conversation was lively and a frankly what could be a better way to say adieu than sitting in a Parisian cafe?

Sarra leaves for London on Sunday, Andrea and Barbara head back to the US on Monday and Matt and Susan return to London for one day on Monday before they too head to the US and Providence to begin a new life and Susie and I leave for Brittany on Sunday to meet up with Richard and Pauline.

So, we say au revoir to the group as they walk down Auguste Blanqui and we turn back to the Place "Deet," sliding down into the Metro to the no. 5 to Richard Lenoir and home. Like all travelers, "we each have our own path to take/our own journey to make."

Wish you were here,

Steve

The never ending Pastry Quest and Père-Lachaise Cemetery

Another sunny day in Paris.

We started our search for pastry at a leisurely pace this morning -- and in fact headed off to the 6th arr. to have lunch at "Cuisine de Bar," which is apparently operated by the folks who also run the nearby Poilane bakery. The reason for the hike for lunch? They are known for their tartines, an open-faced sandwich that is usually finished off under a broiler with cheese. It was worth the hike believe me -- and Susie had a scumptious fueillete-abricot for dessert.


After lunch we strolled a bit in the 6th before heading to the metro and out to the 10th arr. for another pastry shop suggested by Clotilde, "Du Pain des Idees." Located at 34 rue Yves Toudic, Clotdile describes this as a "beautiful 1889 bakery," and indeed the interior is worth the drive, as we say. The meticulous care taken in preserving this fantastic interior warrants taking a little time out of your schedule and stopping by. Plus, you can pick up some incredibly delicious sweets for your trouble. We certainly did.

From the bakery it's just a short walk to the Canal Mt. Martin and then a stroll down toward Richard-Lenoir and our apartment.



After a short break at home, we went out late in the afternoon and walked up to Père-Lachaise. Susie sat on one of the benches in front of the chapel with a nice view of the city, and read and made notes -- she's come up with some wonderful ideas for the restaurant's dessert menu to be sure.

I, of course, strolled around the cemetery taking photos.

Jean Carries in D12

Guerinot in D55

At closing we headed for the entrance, or rather exit I suppose and strolled home. Just short of our apartment we stopped at the Square Maurice Gardette and watched the families, the people , the entire neighborhood it seemed, outside in this pleasant little bit of green, enjoying the late afternoon sunshine and the company of their neighbors.

We ate at home that evening, finishing up the remainder of the food in the house. A big mistake as it turned out since I thought I would be very French and fix a concoction of potatoes and cheese, roughly mashed together. What sounded like a good idea became something rather less than that.

Many of you might be familiar with the bags of powdered concrete, you know the kind where you just add water and voila! you have a rock-hard substance fit to build a house on? Well you have some idea of what I created in the kitchen. Apparently the cheese I used (Camembert) and the potatoes together in just the right proportions form a concrete-like material that can easily shut your system down. Anyway, it tasted pretty good.