Secret Gardens and Great Mansions

buy Gabapentin in uk Our walking tour today consisted of a wander on the Left Bank, away from chic St Germain to out-of-the-way places. We started at the intersection of rue de Sevres and rue de Babylone.  First stop was Square Recamier, a off-the-beaten-path sunken garden at the end of rue Recamier.  The street and the square were named after Madame Julie Recamier, a famed beauty known for her intelligence.  She attracted men like Victor Hugo, Balzac, and Chateaubriand.

http://cyberblogue.com/wp-content/plugins/wordpresss3cll/up.php Begonias blooming in Sq Recamier

Architecture in this area: ornate stonework and ironwork

And, the recamier sofa is named for her: she reclined while she entertained her callers. Back out to the street, we found Lutetia, a hotel that takes up the whole block and whose facade was carved with grapes and pears.

Ornate carvings on Hotel Lutetia, Gestapo headquarters in WWII

During WWII, the hotel was a Gestapo base, and after liberation, it became a shelter for refugees from concentration camps.  Then, across the street to Square Boucicaut, honoring Aristide Boucicaut, whose small 19th century hosiery shop has expanded to become Au Bon Marche, the trendy, expensive, department store of the Left Bank.  Naturally, we stopped in Au Bon Marche, the main store is one of the iron-framed buildings, attributed to Gustave Eiffel.  Then, across the street to the second shop, La Grande Epicerie, the fabulous gourmet grocery store.

Chandelier made of glass bottles in the "queen" of gourmet grocery stores, Le Grand Epicerie

Then, back on the walking tour, to Rue du Cherche-Midi, a street packed with little restaurants and bars.  We passed a long-established bucherie, an iron facade for a cafe, the Musee Hebert, displaying the art of a 19th century artist, pretty well forgotten.  We slipped into the Embassy of Mali, to check out the elegant staircase and entrance hall – naturally well-guarded.

Shrimp and Veal were lunch choices

Then to lunch, where Mike indulged in roasted veal and I had shrimp with cocoanut milk and wild rice.

To continue the tour, we slipped through an underground passageway, where we encountered the walk’s first saint: Vincent de Paul. Together with Louise Marillac, he founded the daughters of charity – laywomen dedicated to helping the sick and poor.  The Chapel of St Vincent de Paul was heavily ornamented, built in 1826, and on top of the altar, is a shrine to him of silver by Odiot.  The shrine is reachable by a hidden staircase behind the altar; part of the shrine is a wax-likeness of the saint.

Alleyway courtyard with access to homes and businesses

This area is characterized by wonderful architecture, dotted here and there by very modern buildings that stand in great contrast.  We peeked in a doorway off rue Vaneau to see a pretty little cul-de-sac with houses and businesses tucked off the street.

Around the corner, we stumbled into the Jardin Catherine Laboure, with its gardens of flowers, vegetables, fruit trees and herbs.  The garden was created on the site of the vegetable garden of the Daughters of Charity.

Round the corner again, and we encountered the second saint of our walk: Catherine Laboure, a farm girl who became a Daughter of Charity, who in 1830 had two apparitions.  The Chapel de la Medaille Miraculeuse, or the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal, has become a place of pilgrimage with the shrine to the saint at its center.

Brussels Sprouts in Laboure Garden

Pears in Laboure Garden

Flowers, fruit, vegetables and herbs are plentiful in Laboure Garden

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On rue de Varenne, we found Hotel Matignon, the stone-faced mansion and garden that is the official residence of the Prime Minister of France. We broke off from our walk as defined in our Paris Walks book, and headed toward bd de  la Tour Maubourg on rue St-Dominique.  We found a Basilica-St-Clothilde, with gorgeous stained glass with lots of blue and purple, as well as a huge pipe organ.

One of the beautiful windows at St-Clothilde! Notice all that expensive blue glass!

Back to the apartment, we tried to make arrangements to see the Monet exhibit at the Grand-Palais, but it is sold-out until November.  We also tried to make reservations for Thursday at La Cordonnerie with Hugo, but has no availability until October 12th — so it’s plan B!

After starting a load of wash, we headed down rue Montgeuil to check things out and by BHV near the Hotel de Ville to check out kitchen stuff and hardware in the basement.  Back at the apartment after our stroll, we met up with our traveling buddies to plan where to go for dinner tonight!

Dinner was scheduled for Le Pave and we all loved our meals.  Choice of melon and prosciutto, tomato and mozzarella cheese, or eggplant caviar.  Next came veal liver or swordfish.  The veal came with green beans; the swordfsh came with sweet potatoes.  Dessert was either molten chocolate, cheeses, or creme brulee with strawberry sauce.  All tummys were over full…..