Our host, Jean-Philippe met us at the front gate. We had just pulled up in our taxi from the train station, and he walked over and introduced himself. A friendly fellow, he showed us pretty much everything we needed to know about the apartment: from getting into the front gate to how things worked once we were inside. Thorough and helpful, he provided a wealth of local information as well. (See the listing right here.)
front gate
courtyard (front gate in the back)
our front door
After our host said au revoir we left our bags unpacked and headed out, mainly in search of the nearest grocery store. Jean-Philippe had given us superb recommendations and directions toward that end -- but it was such a gorgeous day and we were so close to the river that we had to see it for ourselves.
Just a couple hundred feet from our apartment is the Loire with a street level overlook lined by a walking path. Looking down to the river it's easy to spy another path that follows alongside it.
looking upriver
and downriver
We then headed in the direction of the center of town, really just a short walk, and found ourselves faced with two fascinating memorials overlooking the river.
The first one was to Thomas Jefferson. Placed here in 2009 during the 220th anniversary of the French Revolution, it offers a brief biography of Jefferson's time as US ambassador to France but also describes his role in the founding of the America Republic. The plaque is marked un pont pour la Liberté.
The second, and certainly most stunning, was a memorial to the 640,00 members of the Allied Expeditionary Force's Supply of Service during the First World War. Erected and maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission, this lovely fountain is four figures representing the four divisions of the Supply of Service: Administration, Procurement, Construction, and Distribution. It is topped by the figure of a Native American releasing an eagle. Fascinating.
Turning away from the river we walked a couple of short blocks to rue Colbert and our grocery stop for the day. Since this is one of the oldest parts of the city we passed some striking architecture.
lovely small park
Carrefour grocery express
We picked up a few items to get us through the next day or two and, as we strolled down rue Colbert, passed quite a few restaurants and small shops just a few blocks from our apartment. Time for a short nap and then head out for dinner.
We got up when the alarm went off at 6:00 pm. After rousing ourselves we enjoyed a glass of Chinon before heading out to rue Colbert to choose an eatery.
We stopped at O Sidon and, after glancing at the posted menu of Lebanese dishes, we decided to give it a try. A lovely woman greeted us, and, although we didn't have reservations, she quickly and happily found a table for us. Tired and hungry (for GOOD food) we thoroughly enjoyed the evening. The Lebanese rosé wine was delicious and our grillades composed of brochettes of various meats accompanied by hummus, salad and rice, were très délicieux!
We finished the dinner off sharing two different digestifs, whose names unfortunately I forgot to get. Our server did mention that both of them are very popular in Lebanon. One was a sauterne-like wine but much darker in color while the other was anisette-based. Both lovely.
It was a very short walk back home and to bed, a place we had not occupied for what seemed like forever!
After coffee and breakfast we headed off for one of our favorite destinations, at least in this part of Paris, the rue Mouffetard. Known affectionately as simply "the Mouff," it is a long narrow street that winds down from Place Contrescarpe in the Latin Quarter and ends in a maze of streets next to SaintMedard church and becomes Av. des Gobelins leading up to Place d'Italie. Lots of funky shops and food venues, both sit down as well as street vendors. We've been coming here since 2006 and it never disappoints.
Even though today was the tail end of a five-day religious holiday here in Paris (Pentecost weekend), a number of places were open for business. Naturally the Franprix grocery was one of those and we popped in to pick up a few basic necessities for home.
Leaving the Mouff we headed back home. After stopping at a Nicolas for wines for the week we also picked up a baguette and Paris-Brest pastry at the boulangerie Maison Landemaine, both located at the junction of rue Monge, rue Mouffetard and rue du Fer da Moulin.
along our way home, the French have a way with the news
You will note the teddy bears -- this particular style of TB has found its way into many of the shops and businesses in Paris. In fact, we came across a man walking down a street near our apartment in the 13th holding one of these waving at everyone with one its paws. Naturally we waved back. I asked one restaurant worker why they had several seated at tables visible from the street and was told "to make people smile." Pretty good reason.
Once the groceries were put away it was time to head back out into the sunshine. Our main objective was to test out our newly charged Navigo public transport passes on our way to the Pont Neuf where we hoped to catch a river cruise. The passes are good for any public transport in zones 1-5.
(It should be noted that we still had our updated Navigo passes from four years ago that we were able to recharge this go around; our original versions were first used by us in 2006-07!)
So with our passes in hand we headed for the no. 7 line at Les Gobelins station. From there we rode the Metro to the Pont Neuf. Exiting up the stairs we found ourselves back in that magical maze of tourists pointing their phones in every direction trying to capture just that right moment of being in Paris.
Crossing the Pont Neuf, in fact the oldest bridge in Paris, we made our way to the Isle de la Cité and down to the Square du Vert Galant where we found our the ticket office for Vedettes du Pont Neuf.
At a little before 15:00 (3pm) we boarded the boat and joined in the fun game of scrambling for the seats. Truth be told we thought this boat's seating configuration to be strangely dumb. Clearly the business hoped to maximize profits while trading away any consideration for the comfort of the passengers.
Once packed in off we went for a short, sunny tour of Paris as seen from the water. . . So many people out enjoying being close to the river. In some ways human nature hasn't changed in millennia.
Square du Vert Galant, tip of the Isle de la Cité
on the Isle Saint-Louis, note the roof garden with trees
the tango class is still on the left bank after all these years
Note the dancers in the center of the frame right along the embankment . . . I first saw them dancing in this same place some years ago.
passing around the tip of the Isle Saint-Louis
the Conciergerie, where Marie Antoinette was held prisoner before her execution
lots of greenery on the boats along the quai
this is where our river adventure began
the Musée d'Orsay
we could actually see the people climbing the stairs
turning around
the Zouave, how the locals check the floodwaters of the Seine
more boat gardens
a very small part of the Louvre
looking at the newly refurbished Samaritaine
yes, there are still working barges on the river
If you haven't seen enough and would like a brief video tour of our 50-minute trip (in about 10 minutes) check out the video:
Once off the boat we peeked down the long green stretch of the Square du Vert Galant toward the tip of the Isle de la Cité before climbing the stairs back up to street level.
You'll note all the wooden boards affixed to the railings. Over the years Paris has struggled with tourists and locals alike placing their "locks of love" on nearby bridge railings as well as anyplace they could gain access. It was decided to place clear plastic windows inside the metal frames where necessary and in others, like this place, to use wooden boards. Not attractive but apparently effective.
looking over to the left bank and to Place Dauphine
statue dedicated to Henry IV, keeping an eye on the Isle de la Cité
We walked back to the right bank and headed for the newly remodeled Samaritaine where we planned to have an aperitif before heading home.
the Samaritaine far left
rue de la Monniae to the left and rue du Pont Neuf to the right
between the two streets
While the store is architecturally stunning and its painted murals and open atrium breathtaking, it is a space dedicated to obscene ostentation and conspicuous consumption. In fact, this building is but an indoor mall of overpriced and overrated designer brands (Prada, Gucci, etc.).
We did break down and stop at the cafe on the 5th floor to have a drink, a concoction of strawberry puree and champagne. It was very good.
Eventually it was time to leave and make our way back to metro and home for the evening.
