Paris When it Rains

Pages from Jan's Travel Journal: May 1, 2015

A light drizzle was falling when I awoke.  As I gazed out onto the square, the dreary greyness seemed to reflect my emotions. I was sad to be leaving Orléans once again. I shook the feeling off with a reminder that I had just experienced a fantastic vacation in Europe with some of my favorite people. Each day had been filled with smiles, laughter, and adventure. Even the smallest things had given me pleasure, happiness, and memories to last a lifetime. I stuffed a few remaining items into my suitcase and then joined Desmond and Craig for coffee. 

May 1 is labor day in France, which meant that many businesses and services were closed, including the tram. We had ordered a taxi to take us across town to the train station. Des was going to accompany us to Paris so that we could all enjoy one more day together. As we prepared to leave, I paused to give Azur a treat. I shook the bag of cat goodies and he ran up to me. As I watched him devour the treat, I heard meowing and chuckled while saying, "You really love those things don't you? I will bring you some more next time.". I then realized that the meowing was not coming from Azur, but from a cat on the other side of the heavy wooden door! We opened the door to discover her on the landing. The little stub-tailed feline was loudly demanding a share of Azur's tasty "foreign" food. We could not resist. After all, she had come all the way up the stairs. How she had heard the sound of those treats shaking inside the bag, I will never know. 

The friendly neighborhood kitty.

Before long, the taxi arrived. As we rolled through the streets of Orléans, I savored every glimpse of the old avenues and beautiful stone buildings. At the station, we bought more coffee and a few pastries to eat while waiting for the train. I reached into my bag for my camera, wanting to take a picture of Des as he huddled on the stone bench near the platform. It wasn't there. I searched every pocket of my purse but was unable to find my camera. OR MY PHONE!! I suddenly recalled that I had left those items on chargers back at the house. Desmond offered to run home for them, or to rent a bike to zip across Orléans. He was certain he could make it there and back before our train was due. But no, I was too afraid that he might slip on wet cobblestones. I would just have to live without them for a while until they could be shipped back to America. 

After an uneventful train ride, we were greeted in Paris by light rain and a chill breeze. We checked into the hotel and relaxed for a while in our rooms before going out for lunch. We had all agreed that pizza sounded good, but were soon dismayed to learn that many of the restaurants were closed on this national holiday. After sloshing up and down the streets surrounding our hotel, we came almost full circle to a warm, inviting brasserie just steps from the hotel. No pizza was served there, but by then we had ceased to care. 

I wish I could remember the name of the restaurant so that I could share it. It was a nice place, with attractive decor and attentive, polite, wait staff. (And one of the cleanest bathrooms I had ever seen in France!) The food was plentiful and tasty. The bread was some of the most delicious any of us had ever eaten. Our waiter refilled the bread basket several times, as we just couldn't seem to get enough! I enjoyed my shepherd's pie. It was the perfect comfort food on this cold, rainy day. 

The view from our hotel room in Paris.
We were at the Ibis Tour Eiffel Cambronne.

And then - what to do on a rainy day in Paris when museums and shops are closed? The three of us gathered in our hotel room and began scrolling through our ipads and phones in search of an indoor activity. At last, one of us found that the museum of chocolate was indeed open! It took some effort to get there - twelve stops on the Metro, a transfer, and another five stops - but it was worth it. The Musée Gourmand du Chocolat is a little gem. We learned many fascinating facts about the discovery and uses of chocolate over the centuries. There were wonderful displays of ancient artifacts for making chocolate, and delicate china cups from which royalty sipped their frothy cocoa.  And at the very end, we watched a presentation which demonstrated how chocolate is tempered, molded, etc. As we filed out toward their unique gift shop, we were invited to help ourselves to samples of several different candies, including a rare and exquisite chocolate that had an earthy, delicious flavor. The museum is worth a visit for adults and children, if you can tear yourselves away from the more well-known sights of Paris.

The Paris Metro.

Lots of stairs at the Metro stop.

On our previous trips to France, we had always ended our vacation with a visit to the Eiffel Tower. It's our way of bidding adieu to France, to our son, and to all the people and places that have made our time there so very pleasant and memorable. That night was an exception. The weather had become even more damp and blustery until the idea of a trek in the cold and wet was just too much, even for a last view of the Iron Lady. Instead, the three of us found ourselves in a cozy Italian restaurant where we had a delightful meal. That was followed by a lively game of Scattergories in the warmth and comfort of the hotel. It was a perfectly wonderful way to end the evening.

Desmond enjoyed veal picatta on our last night in Paris.

Ah, we finally found some pizza!

TRAVEL TIP: It is a good idea to make yourself aware of any holidays which occur in the country you are planning to visit. You can then make your plans based upon the availability of public transportation, services, restaurants, museums, and other attractions. Bon voyage!
  

Like A Bike

Pages from Jan's Travel Journal: Monday, July 20, 2009

Our day began around 8 AM when Megan and I walked over to Paul for pastries. Desmond and his friend, Matt arrived at 10:00, worn out from hauling their luggage down four flights of stairs, onto the tram, and up to our hotel room. We checked out of the hotel, but left all of our luggage in the storeroom at the front desk. The four of us took the tram back across town, where we enjoyed an early lunch at the Grec Gourmand. On the way back to the Ibis, we returned to the train station to purchase our tickets, forgetting about the student discount that would have saved the young people some money.  Matt had a few days off work and had decided to join us for our last couple of days in Paris. We retrieved our luggage from the hotel and set off on the 1:20 train. 

We felt pretty smug that we had managed to find a near-empty compartment, until the train stopped a few minutes later at Les Aubrais and we discovered that we needed to switch to another train immediately! We struggled with our bags down a long flight of stairs and up another. If the conductor had not come back to lend a hand, we would have missed the train for sure! The doors closed and we departed the moment I stepped inside. Finding four seats together proved to be impossible, as we towed our bags down the entire length of the train, and finally found an empty compartment. And I mean EMPTY. There were no seats or luggage racks because we had stumbled into the bicycle compartment! We shoved our bags inside, and stood there laughing, relieved that we were at least all together. About ten minutes later, our train made an unscheduled stop. There was an announcement that this was for our security. By then we had all slid down to sit on the rather dirty floor, and we waited. And waited. And wished that we had a game to play. Desmond and I, at the exact same moment, burst into the same song, "Kum Ba Yah". Megan and Mathieu laughingly joined in. When the train began to move again, we were told that the delay had been due to "projectiles" being shot or thrown at the train ahead of us. We were just glad that we were not on a schedule, with no planes or other trains to catch.

Megan took it all in stride.

Upon arrival in Paris, we grabbed a taxi and made our way across the city to the Ibis Eiffel Cambronne. I had looked at the hotel on Google street view, and recognized it as soon as we turned the corner onto Rue Cambronne. I had chosen this hotel because of its proximity to the Eiffel Tower and because it was advertised as having air conditioning. We checked in, dropped our luggage in our rooms, and set out to find a cold drink. The cute little cafe we chose served us four soft drinks at a price of 18 euros. Paris is SO expensive. I later learned that drinks are cheaper if you sit at the bar, but we probably wouldn't have done that anyway. On the way back to the hotel, we passed a boulangerie and could not resist buying a snack. On the corner near the hotel was a small convenience store where we purchased cans of Coke for 1.25 and bottled water for just .80. I picked out several fresh, juicy plums, which turned out to be the tastiest plums I had ever eaten!

The view from our hotel window in Paris.

We ate an early dinner at McDonald's. Yes, McDonald's.  Or, MacDo, as the French would say. It was something we just had to experience. It was housed in a beautiful old building and occupied two levels. In France, you can buy beer with your meal. Hello, "happy" meal! And they have real desserts, such as little citron cakes and chocolate souffle. 

There was a Metro stop conveniently close to the hotel, where we boarded in the direction of Montmartre. Mathieu was looking forward to seeing the sights. Though he was born in Paris, his family had moved to another part of the country when he was small. He had been to Paris on many occasions, but only to conduct business or meet someone at the airport. He was enjoying being a tourist. The Metro makes me a bit uncomfortable, as I am claustrophobic. It was worse on this day because of the heat. I tried to focus on just breathing. Soon, we were arriving in Montmartre. 

Sightseeing in Montmartre

Au Revoir, Orléans

Pages from Jan's Travel Journal: Saturday, February  28, 2009

Whew! We made it to Paris! We settled into the Hotel  Prima Lepic in Montmartre. We arrived by train before noon and took a taxi to the hotel. It was a perfect, warm, sunny day and the streets were packed with pedestrians. I couldn't imagine having to drive anywhere!

I need to back-track just a bit. The night before, we had dinner at Volpone in Orleans, which was Desmond's favorite place to go for pizza. It was very crowded, with it being a Friday night. We squeezed into our places at a small table in the noisy room and ordered our pizza. French pizza was unlike any I had ever tasted. It was fantastic! My selection was a combination of mushrooms, onion, cheese, and lardons (that tasty smoky, stuff that is like a cross between ham and bacon. It is more flavorful and tender than Canadian bacon) atop a base of creme fraiche. Craig and Des both ordered pizza with a red sauce, lardons, and two or three different kinds of cheese, plus the unusual addition of an egg, sunny-side-up atop the pizza! Desmond urged us to try it, and it was really quite good. There was a bottle of pepper-infused olive oil on each table, and we drizzled it onto our pizza for a surprisingly good punch of flavor on an already delicious pizza. Each pizza was plate-sized and was more than adequate. In fact, Desmond and I could not quite finish ours. 

It was late when the three of us returned to the Ibis. We had chosen to walk off some of our meal, and the 20 minute stroll in the cool night air was refreshing. We packed most of our things, setting aside what we would need for the morning. Craig and I awoke before Des, so we walked over to Paul to pick up some breakfast pastries. Craig chose a couple of his favorite fruit-filled pastries, while I picked out a chocolate-filled beignet. We ordered pain au chocolat for our son, but apparently our French got a bit muddled along the way, because we ended up with a couple of pastries that were studded with raisins. Des was surprised when we walked in with breakfast treats, as he had thought we had only gone out for coffee. 

Our train ride to Paris was pleasant, with the sun shining in a clear blue sky. On the outskirts of Paris, we passed an area of high-rise apartment buildings in a slightly rundown neighborhood. I saw the usual towels and rugs draped over balcony railings, but had to smile when I saw a bicycle hanging from one of the rails! 

Gare d'Austerlitz in Paris

Upon arriving at Gare d'Austerlitz, we had no trouble procuring a taxi to the hotel. It was early, so it wasn't surprising to find that our room was not yet ready. We stowed our luggage in a large closet behind the front desk, and set off to find some lunch. A short distance down the street, we ordered sandwiches from a small stand on a corner near the hotel;  panini for Craig and I, and a sausage and cheese crepe for Desmond. As I stepped back to snap a photo, I noticed that we were right next to the Moulin Rouge! We found a bench in the median on the Boulevard de Clichy, and and enjoyed our sandwiches, tossing a bit of crust now and then to the one pigeon, which in no time became 20 pigeons. A cheeky sparrow flitted down into the mob of bigger birds to grab a crumb or two.

After lunch, we wandered around, checking out the sights and avoiding the many sex shops in the district. We shopped for a few souvenirs (NOT in the sex shops, thank you very much!) and then walked several more blocks to the very old Montmartre Cemetery. It was actually quite interesting to see the many old gravestones and the numerous ornate crypts. Some of them resembled small chapels! We saw a beautifully marked tabby cat curled in the sun atop one of the headstones. 

This Parisian kitty has found a peaceful, sunny spot for a nap.

 

La Tour Eiffel

Pages from Jan's Travel Journal: Saturday, February 21, 2009.  

It was chilly and a bit grey as I left the hotel with Craig and Desmond, in search of the Eiffel Tower. We knew it was just a few blocks away, but were uncertain as to which direction. We simply began walking, hoping to spot the top of the tower, which would give us our bearings. By the time we had reached Les Invalides, we knew we had taken the wrong route. As we turned back, we could just see the top of the tower above a nearby Haussmann-style apartment building. It wasn't long before the famous monument came into full view. As we approached the Eiffel Tower, we were ourselves approached by some of the many beggars and con artists which frequent the area. We lingered in the area long enough to snap some photos and gawk at our surroundings, before turning toward the nearest Metro stop. We would return to the Eiffel Tower later. 

My first ride on a subway. 
Hey, I'm from Kansas! Don't judge.

We chose to leave the Metro at Montmartre, and were pleasantly surprised at the bustle of activity at the Place du Tertre, where there are still many artists striving to make a living. The square was alive with painters, mimes, and other artisans. 

Artists and tourists at the Place de la Tertre, Montmartre.

We continued our stroll, and soon found that we were hungry. We halted at a streetside deli, where we purchased sandwiches. Soon, we were outside again, gaping at the beautiful Parisian scenery in true tourist style. I still felt as if I were walking around in a daze. At one point, we went into a little cafe for coffee and hot chocolate. As we headed back toward Rue Cler, we came upon a flea market taking place along the sidewalk. It was fun to browse, but quite soon we were ready for a return to the hotel where we enjoyed a refreshing nap. 

It was a bit early for dinner, unless you're still on Central Standard Time, but we chose a charming brasserie on Rue Cler where we all ordered steak, which was served with a Bearnaise sauce, fried potatoes, a light salad, and a fresh baguette. We also enjoyed a carafe of the house wine. We declined dessert, which isn't easy when you're in France and there is undoubtedly a crème brûlée lurking just around the corner. After leaving the restaurant, we headed back over to the Eiffel Tower, where we were treated to a breathtaking view as the sky darkened and the lights on the tower began to glow. It was truly magical! Everything still had a dream-like quality. I'm not sure if it was the jet-lag or the knowledge that hey, here we are! We are in PARIS! 

Craig and Desmond, approaching
 the Eiffel Tower on a grey, February day.

Recipe: Dijon Mustard Pork Chops. This simple recipe is one of the first I tried. I love recipes using mustard because of the way it mellows during cooking. The sauce in this dish is wonderful over potatoes, pasta, or rice. Bon appétit!