can i buy prednisone online in uk Paris France

buy isotretinoin online india December 27, 2007
as documented by Patricia Daniels

Run complete photo sideshow

After a short visit and playtime with Drexil, Bruce Nolte drove up in his pickup truck and loaded up suitcases in the back.  It was a beautiful day and we hated to leave the quiet of the Fan – but Paris beckons!

We drove up I-95 to route 17 to catch route 28 to Dulles.  Along the way, after driving on a road on which Bruce had never driven, we stopped at Five Guys for greasy burgers.  Then on the way to Dulles.  The guys dropped us off and let us stand guard over the bags while they found a place to park the truck.

We had hoped the flight would be only partially booked – but we were packed with little room to move.  Dinner was uneventful and shortly fell to sleep.  Sleep was fitful at best and — someday — someday I will be in business class.

We arrived early, but the logistics of deplaning and walking the miles to the baggage section and waiting for our bags, cost us over an hour.  As we emerged from the baggage area, we were greeted by Victor’s guy, who loaded us in his van for transport to our apartments.

Our apartments are identical and just as we expected.  A nice-sized dining room, living room, and kitchen, with two bedrooms and bathroom.  Once we unpacked, we went off to the markets!  Directly across the street, we have a poissonerie and fruits and vegetables.  As you would expect the location was selected because Nicholas, Paris’s leading wine store was two doors away, oh yeah we also had a butcher around the corner! Half a block away we have 2 boulangeries.  In reality we never needed a coat to go shopping, we did not even need to put on shoes. 2 blocks away is the Grand Epicurean next to Bon Marche.

Since we arrived on Friday, we strolled the street market at Boulevard Raspail on the way to the MonoPrix.  The guys found a wine store (Nicholas) to lay in supplies for our first evening meal in Paris.

We made arrangements to meet Paul and Elaine at Deux Magots – but it was impossible to seat 9 folks.  We searched around and finally found Chai de Buci, very hospitable and glad to have us.  We each ordered what we wanted, I had Salade Jardiniere, and of course a fine red wine.  Our waiter was fun, it was not super smoky, and we had a great time.

We asked Paul and Elaine to join us for dinner at seven back at the apartment. Then off we went to search for fish as a main course.  We found scallops, complete with roe.  Then back to the apartment for the remainder of the afternoon – of course strolling by all the shops!

 

 

For dinner Mike made a salad with mixed greens, cheese, and fois gras and a vinaigrette dressing,  Second course included scallops sautéed in olive oil after a dusting in corn flour, Brussels sprouts sautéed with shallots in olive oil and butter, and, of course, bread from the bakery.  Dessert was a citron tart and an apple caramel tart.  All of our food was consumed with several bottles of wine.

Our first day ended early and we finally went to bed after making arrangements to meet and head out to Marché aux puces.

 

 

Saturday, December 29, 2007

We all overslept!  Don’s banging on the door at 9:30 AM and we are all sound asleep!  Frantic action in the morning to scramble everything together and get ready.  First a morning stops at Le Nemrod for café crème.  Then on to La Perle to get Paul and Elaine and start our metro trek from Saint-Sulpice to Porte Clingancourt and, ultimately Marché aux puces.  Mike obtained a carnet of billets from the ATM-like machine.  When Don tried to use his credit card, the machine wanted only coins, so we went to the cashier.  After waiting in line, Don gave the young woman a twenty euro bill, a one euro coin and a 10-cent piece.  She gave him the tickets, but no change.  It took me a while, but my pigeon French finally convinced her she owed him ten Euros.  Then we all took off through the broken turnstile – yes, we all received a free ride.

 

Once out of the metro station at Clingoncourt, everyone else was sure we were in the wrong place.  The whirl of activity and the overall heightened sense of too many people in too little space made everyone hold their purses a little closer.  After crossing under the peripherique, and along the block, we entered the oldest part of the Marché aux puces.  We walked a few allees, looking at all the treasures, and then continued on to a newer enclosed market.  Many of the chandeliers were decked out with colored crystals, lots of exquisite clocks, a highly ornate red screen, lots of mid-century articles and many fanteuils and settees – all at prices beyond my means.

 

 

Don and Marcie left us for their pre-arranged tour of the wine museum and we sought a place for lunch.  We split up into two groups: Bruce, Jo, Paul and Elaine in one and Mike, Pat and Christina in another.  After lunch at Le Biron, we took photos with Santa at the entrance to one of the markets.  We split up again, Bruce, Jo, Paul and Elaine to return home; while Mike, Pat and Christina went on to Montmartre and Sacre Coeur.

 

Once off the metro, we hiked all the steps up to the art nouveau station and took Chris’s photo.  We hiked up to the funicular.  Chris tried out one of the public restrooms that cycle through disinfection between each user. After the ride to the top, Chris took photos of the city and we went up to Sacre Coeur.  They had the nativity set up for the holidays and the place was so packed with people!

We scooted out, went around the corner to the artist’s square.  On our way, we passed a mime.  Chris took photos and then gave the mime a euro.  She was startled to see him bow!  The square was packed with artists, but because of the hour and the cold, many were breaking down for the evening.

 

 

We headed home to catch up with the others and make plans for dinner.  We truly enjoyed our afternoon with Christina.

For dinner, we walked to Paul & Elaine’s hotel, La Perle near Saint-Sulpice.  Then we walked around the corner to Bistrot de la Grille Saint Germain.  Naturally, we had to split into two tables.  Food was good, conversation even better.  After a leisurely dinner, we walked back to the apartment.  On the way back, Jo and team danced and sang “Dancing in the Rain” much to the delight of many passers-by.  And, finally our group figured out that we should not cross the street against the red pedestrian.

 

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Don, Marcie and Christina headed off to Versailles, while Bruce, Jo, and Pat took a walking tour of Passy and Auteuil.  We started the day with homemade coffee and croissants from our neighborhood boulangerie. We bought more Metro tickets and headed off to the Passy to begin our tour.  Passy/Auteuil is in the 16^th and is the last village neighborhood in Paris. We left the Passy metro station and walked down to the river.  There were few people out and about early in the day, but as the day progressed we had more and more of a crowd.  Just before the river, we passed no 1 rue de l’Alboni, where Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider were filmed in their steamy scenes from the Last Tango in Paris.  According to the guide book, a dentist had his plaque on the outside; in one scene it was barely discernable.  He sued the film-makers over what he regarded as adverse publicity.  At the Seine we accessed the Bir-Hakeim Bridge, Paris’ only bridge that accommodates pedestrians, automobiles and the metro – an engineering marvel.  The bridge was named after a battle where the Free French opposed Rommel’s troops in the Libyan Desert in 1942.  The supporting structure has bas reliefs depicting the Seine, labor, electricity and commerce.  We had a great view of the Eiffel Tower with a beautiful blue sky.  In the distance we could see the outline of Sacre Coeur.  At the center of the bridge we turned onto the Allee des Cygnes.  This artificial island bordered on both sides by trees was created in 1825 to shelter Grenelle’s industrial harbor.  At its end, we found the model of the statue of Liberty given to the US.  We left the island, crossing over Pont de Grenelle.  Ahead was the round contemporary Maison de France Radio.  The building is undergoing renovation from 2006 to 2013.  The temperature inside is derived from a warm spring 81 degrees F coming up from a depth of 1800 feet.  We crossed over to Rue Gros into a very residential area.  We walked through a charming park (dogs prohibited) with highly maintained planting beds.  The benches were surrounded by a hedge to keep people out of the flower beds.  The sidewalk extended under the benches for ease of maintenance.  We turned onto Rue la Fontaine and spent time admiring Hector Guimard’s finest building at no 14. Truly Spectacular! A brick building decked out in wonderful ironwork in art nouveau style. “Castel Beranger is a poem. Here are passion, ingenuity, and brilliance – yet this is after all only a block of flats. It is the details that does it.”  The also have a beautiful courtyard.  We peeked in through the front door to gaze at the intricate ceiling, wall and floor.  We continued up Rue la Fonatine to a corner bistro, where we sat outside under the heaters and enjoyed café au lait and glasses of water.  Waiter was cute with a Wyatt Earp moustache and a bandaged finger and very accommodating.  We tried out the unisex bathroom.  After our break, we trudged up the steep hill to find the steps to the narrow, cobblestone rue Berton.  Our perfect view of the Eiffel Tower perfectly framed by two buildings was partially blocked by trees. However, the little alleyway/rue was very closed in by stone walls and hasn’t changed much since the 18^th century.  We passed the stone showing the division between Auteuil and Passy placed in 1731 and continued on to check out Hotel de Lamballes, currently the Turkish Embassy, previously a mental institution (1800’s), home of Princesse de Lamballe (confidante of Marie Antoinette who lost her head along with her queen) – it actually dates back to the 1400’s.

 

 

We went up the 100 steps to Avenue du Parc-de-Passy.  Looking back to the river we saw four huge apartment houses flanking a green quadrant with a gazebo.  What a view!

We walked up Rue de l’Annonciation to Place de Passy, a pedestrian district with shops, restaurants, cafes, etc.  We continued on Rue de Passy and found a covered market, getting ready to close.  We strolled down Chausee de la Muette, passed no 20 where Chateau de la Muette used to stand.  Charles IX had a hunting lodge there from which he hunted deer in the Bois de Boulogne.  The grounds were enormous and the site in 1783 of t launch of the Montgolfiere, a hot air balloon made with wallpaper as an envelope and straw as fuel.  After the revolution, the estate was divided up into lots to be developed.

The remains of the park are the park Ranelagh.  We crossed the park and crossed into Rue Louis-Boilly.  We entered the Musee Marmottan, to view its collection of Impressionist art including works by Claude Monet, Berthe Morissot, Auguste Renoir and assorted other artists.  Perhaps the best aspect of the museum could be the fine architectural details, decorative trim, doors, French doors/windows, parquet floors, paneled rooms, and fabulous chandeliers and wonderful Empire furniture.

Outside the museum, we headed back to La Muette and stopped for soup and wine at La Rotonde.  We decided to end our walk from the guidebook as the day was waning and we needed to get to the grocery store.

We got on the RER – going the wrong way – hopped off and went back.  Bruce and Jo had never been on the RER – Paris’ long distance commuter train.  We changed to the metro at St-Michel.  Bruce went on to St-Placide to get wine and we stopped at St-Sulpice to shop at the MonoPrix.  After frantic shopping, we purchased two chickens to bake, salad fixin’s, cauliflower, bread, ice cream for dessert, ingredients for soup, necessaries like tissues, tp, paper towels, etc.

Mike prepared a wonderful roasted chicken dinner with cauliflower!

Monday, New Year’s Eve

After croissants and coffee, we headed out for a walk to BHV to search for chandelier parts.  Marcie, Don and Christina came along and we dropped them off at Notre Dame.  Jo and Bruce headed off to Bonaparte’s tomb.

BHV has reorganized their sous-sol and added to their inventory.  We found leather hides, we found more laser levels than in both Lowe’s and Home Depot combined, fabulous faucets and plumbing fixtures, heated towel bars (including one over a glass/vitrine heater), iron fireplace covers, two aisles of door answering units – many with video cameras, fabulous shower heads, many assorted furniture glides including the jack to lift heavy pieces, fabulous hardware for windows and French Doors, fireplaces (gas and electric), and so on.  We went up to the RDC to check out the holiday decorations 0 now al on sale.  The surprising thing was all the black decorations combined with silver.  Naturally, we scooted up to the 3^rd floor to check out the house wares. We found many kinds of oilcloth by the yard for tablecloths.  Of course, there were great sheets and linens, bath accessories, dishes and fine china – all kinds of wonderful stuff.

Across from BHV we found a party shop, filled with folks buying wigs, masks, party hats, etc for the evening.  They even had a basket of goodies that included party favors, hats, crowns, confetti, etc.

As we passed the garden at hotel de ville, we saw that they had installed two skating rinks (one had just been groomed by the Zamboni) – one for little children, one for everyone.  The one for little children even had little PVC pipe rigs to allow little ones to skate without falling down.  They also had little push sleighs for little ones that mama would push around the ice. Adjacent to the rinks they had built a little hill with a slight slope covered in ice.  Each “lane” on the hill was separated from the other by a PVC divider.  Children rented small plastic sleds, went to the top of the hill, sat on the sled and zipped down the incline, coming to rest on a carpeted area.  Naturally, it was packed!

 

 

 

We crossed over the river and went back into the Latin Quarter.  We decided to eat a late lunch at La Dolce Vita – pizza and red wine.  The Latin Quarter like many of the other sections of the city was all decked out for the holidays.

Heading back we stopped in at MonoPRIX to see if they had any bowls. The place was packed – 17 or more people at each cashier.  On the way back to the apartment, we received a panic call from Don who said that the wine shop was closed!  Now, yesterday, when Bruce found the store closed, he ran up to the Grand Epicurean and hauled wine home.  When we passed the wine shop, it was open.  We went in and laid in a supply.  We arrived back at the apartment at the same time as Bruce and Jo.  Jo and I went to the Fruit and Vegetable shop for more clementines.  I asked him if he would be open tomorrow – he said no.  But, we have everything we need for soup and salad.  Since the wine store was going to be closed tomorrow, we decided to go back and get more wine.

Paul and Elaine stopped by for a glass of champagne at the apartment, then off on the metro to La Taverne for a great dinner!  We got off the metro at Opera and had a great view of the opera house all aglow.  We walked down Blvd des Italiens to the restaurant.  We were seated upstairs in a mezzanine level at a table for nine. We started out with a fois gras mousse with strawberries, then scallops in lemon juice, then mushrooms in puffed pastry, filet of beef, salad, and surprise dessert.  Along with Champagne, white wine, red wine, and more champagne.  We were surprised!  There was dancing, music, singing, a conga line (one with Marcie in the lead!).  The older gentleman at the next table presented his lovely partner with a little jewelry box at precisely midnight.  In it a ring!  The French couple with their daughter at the next table and all the folks on our mezzanine level clapped and yahooed when she opened it.  Once midnight was announced there were hugs and kisses all around – even with folks from the other tables.

 

At 1:30we started our trek home, walking down Avenue d’l’Opera through the Louvre, to the Seine, past St Germain de Pres to home.  Well-wishers all along the way wished us a Bonne Annee!  By this time, Christina had shed her high heeled shoes and was walking home in her bare feet.  Home and to bed after a great New Year’s Eve.

 

Tuesday, January 1, 2008 – New Years Day!

Naturally we slept late. Bruce and Don went to La Poilane to get their New Year’s Day special dark nut bread.  We walked out to Jardin de Luxembourg to clear the fog.  We planned dinner (soup and salad) for 4 PM.  Then a quick stroll over to Place Concorde and the Champs Elysees to check out the decorations.  At the river, we waited for the Eiffel Tower flashing light show on the hour.  All the trees lining the boulevard of the Champs Elysees were decked out in blue lights.  We walked all the way down to the Arc d’Triomphe and around it and then metro’d home.

 

	Champs Elysees and the Eiffel Tower flashing light show

 

 

Wednesday, 2 January 2008

After breakfast, we checked out the holiday decorations at Le Bon Marche (Paris very first department store!)  The store was decked out in pink, silver, and crystal.  We left Bon Marcheand metro’d over to Galleries Lafayette.  The exterior had been clad with scaffolding and eth scaffolding decorated with white lights and a framework resembling an ice palace.  Their windows were decorated Macy’s-sty6le complete with moving polar bears and the store was packed.  We checked out the home store to see if there were any great deals too good to pass up.  We checked out Bouchara to see the trendy new fabrics and passementerie.  There was a cute pop toile – chairs, candelabras, and frames on a bright blue background.  After Bouchara, we headed over to Les Gobelins to take advantage of our reserved tour at 2 PM.  We found a little bistro on the corner and had omlettes and red wine.  The tour was lengthy, over an hour and a half, and all in French. Poor Mike had no idea what was going on.  All of the tapestries being worked on were very contemporary and not to our style.  We left les Gobelins and headed home.

 

At home we had wine and hors d’oeuvres to wait for time to leave for our dinner reservation at Hugo’s.  Our reservation was for 8 PM, we metro’d to the right bank, greeted Hugo and had dinner in t kitchen.  As usual, the meal was superb!  One appetizer was a tomato mousse served with little shrimp.  The other appetizer was raviolis with a cream sauce.  Don and Marcie had veal – said it was the best they ever had.  Christina had beef, well-done and we asked Hugo to substitute fries.

After dinner, we walked back to place de Concorde.  Mike, Don and Chris rode the Ferris wheel.  Luckily, the Eiffel Tower started flashing while they were on the Ferris wheel.  The view from the top was fantastic.  Home to bed after a wonderful day.

3 January 2008

Our last Day in Paris.  We took the walking tour in our book of the area near the apartment, Faubourg St Germain. We ate salad at home at the apartment and headed out to the Passage Jouffroy to check out the doll house miniatures.  The selection and the various items are just beyond comprehension.

We headed back home to catch up with the others.  We ended up at a bistro for a pitchet of wine.  Bruce and Jo went to dine with Elaine and Paul; Don, Marcie, Chris, Mike, and I went to Victoria Station le Wagon for wood-fired pizza for dinner.

Mike verified our pick-up time with Victor and we crashed to get ready for our early morning departure.

Eiffel Tower in Action