Paris 2019 – Day 14

Posted on March 19, 2019 by admin

SHELLEY ARRIVES TODAY!

We were up at 0530, yes you read that correctly 0530.  We dressed and headed to the RER C at Boulevard Henri Martin, arrived at about  0550 but the train did not come until 0608 which put us a bit behind schedule especially based on the fact UALs site said the flight was to land 21 minutes early. Well; long story short we arrived Shelley was siting on a bench in the Aero Port Charles de Gaulle.  We collected Shelley and headed back to terminal 2 to get her a Navigo Découverte pass.  I had the forethought to bring along a photo for the pass.  We headed back to the apartment to get Shelley settled and for a breakfast of fresh fruit, croissant, croissant aux almond, and a apple puree in puff pastry.  In addition I purchased a loaf of Brioche for breakfast tomorrow.

Cafe Gambetta

We decided to make it an easy day for Shelley so we took the 63 bus over to Iéne and transfer to the 82 bus to the Eiffel Tower (Champ de Mar) and got on the 69 bus to Gambetta, we read about this in one of Rick Steve’s books years ago it is a cheap way to see a large section of Paris all the way to the 20th Arrondissement.  We got off the bus at the end and stopped at le Cafe Gambetta for a glass of wine.  Shelley created a new rule if we stop for wine she pays, so what’s not to like about that rule?  After wine we when in search for the 69 bus stop back to central Paris, due to construction is was moved with limited directions.  We found the stop and boarded the bus and were headed back when the bus stopped about 8 stops from the end due to, you guessed it another protest!  Not sure whether or not it was the Yellow Vests but in anywise off the bus!  We walked back to the River and got the 63 bus back to Passy.  One in the neighborhood we did our nightly shopping, vegetables from the fruit market, a traditional baguette from La Pompadour, fish from Amand Vanhomme, cheese from the Fromagerie on Rue de la Pompe, a 30 month old Comté, some Reblochan and some Mobier** and then a quick stop at the Fran Prix for eggs.

Morbier is a semi-soft cows’ milk cheese of France named after the small village of Morbier in Franche-Comté. It is ivory colored, soft and slightly elastic, and is immediately recognizable by the distinctive thin black layer separating it horizontally in the middle. It has a rind that is yellowish, moist, and leathery.Traditionally, the cheese consists of a layer of morning milk and a layer of evening milk. When making Comté, cheesemakers would end the day with leftover curd that was not enough for an entire cheese. Thus, they would press the remaining evening curd into a mold, and spread ash over it to protect it overnight. The following morning, the cheese would be topped up with morning milk. Nowadays, the cheese is usually made from a single milking with the traditional ash line replaced by vegetable dye.
So look for true ask line.

Now back at the apparat I put out the cheese, opened a bottle of Cote du Rhône and sliced some of yesterdays bread.  Shelley when to take bath while I made dinner of fish, green peas and garlic smashed potatoes.

Tomorrow the water goes off at 0900 until 12 so we prepared for coffee, etc.

We are all going to bed early due to the early morning and Shelley has been up for 24 hours plus.  She is a trouper!

Tomorrow President Wilson Marché

Steps = 8,629 or 3.9 miles (-419 calories)

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Paris 2019 – Day 13

Posted on March 18, 2019 by admin

We decided to take a walk around Passy to do a little window shopping.  We walk down Rue de la Pompe and wandered around, not many shop are open on Monday but only the food purveyor close up their windows so there is always plenty to see.  Pat’s looking for a new French purse or what ever it’s called these days but alas the hunt continues.

Paris’ 16th arrondissement has to be one of the most overlooked areas in the city – partly because it is tucked away in the west corner of town, and partly because it has a reputation for snobbery. It’s true that its inhabitants are moneyed: You just have to look at the posh cars, chic art-nouveau apartment blocks and designer-suited locals carrying luxury shopping bags to understand that. But this is also one the city’s most authentic areas – especially around Passy where, off the beaten tourist track, you’ll find luscious eateries, cools cafés, and atmospheric old village lanes.

Start on rue de l’Annonciation, a cute and cobbled pedestrian street – home to Aux Merveilleux de Fred. If you’re into meringue, this patissier might just be your idea of heaven: Merveilleux are gigantic meringues layered with cream and chocolate, rolled in white and dark chocolate flakes. Next head to the corner of rue Bois le Vent, where Passy’s colourful covered market (Tue-Sun) is perfect for filling up a picnic basket. If you fancy a spot of shopping, head along rue de Passy to Franck & Fils, a rather exclusive department store (80 rue de Passy; www.francketfils.fr). Or get cultural at the bottom of Passy’s hillside at the Musée du Vin, where you can go wine-tasting after your visit. The museum is also a reminder that for centuries, Passy was (like Montmartre and Belleville) a wine-growing area. Louis XIII even used to stop off for a drink here on his way home from hunting in the Bois de Boulogne.
If you’re into literature, head back up the hill to visit the Maison de Balzac, the house where Honoré de Balzac wrote his enlightened Comedie Humaine (1840-1847), while dodging tax collectors. Then end your tour by paying tribute to three of history’s most famous composers – Claude Debussy, Gabriel Fauré and George Mandel – who are buried in the charming Cimétière de Passy (Place du Trocadéro) – a peaceful place to stroll after a busy day.

After our walk we were back at the apartment to add water to the Tulips and a quick WC break, then on the bus and across the river to the Eiffel Tower and then a couple of bus rides to see if we can find alternate routes that are convenient for out Friday night dinner engagements at La Cordonnerie.

Some Fruit, wine and cheese shopping and a baguette and back to the apartment for wine and dinner prep.

Step to day = 9,490 or 4.3 miles (-461 calories)

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Paris 2019 – Day 12(Sunday)

Posted on March 17, 2019 by admin

Cleaning day, hard to believe we have been here almost 2 weeks so we arranged for the mid-stay cleaning before Shelley arrives on Tuesday.  We had our coffee and croissants and were out the door by 9:30.  Our plan for the day was to visit two or three markets. Sunday markets are usually small so we set our expectation accordingly.

There was a bit of confusion during the planning phase, it seemed when I made the list I mixed up some Saturday and Sunday market but were were able to make the adjustment as needed so our first market was Marché Alibert at  Rue Alibert, in front of Hôpital St-Louis, metro stop Goncourt in the 10th arrondissement.  The market was small only about 15 stalls but still had multiple vendors for fruits and vegetables and cheese.  The schuss vendor who also attends the President Wilson Market has a smaller stall.

 

The next market was out in the 12th the Marché BercyMarché Bercy at Place Lachambaudie, Metro: Cour St-Emilion on line 14 which is actually the newest metro line opened in 1998 and is a deep line with escalators and an elevator at each stop, we honestly can not recall being on the 14 so this may be another first..  After exiting the metro we saw a sign above brick arches, Bercy Village,  and we decided to investigate. We found a paved courtyard bordered with white stone storehouses and terraces.

Bercy-Village-Cour-Saint-Emilion-1-|-©-OTCP-Daniel-Thierry-|-188-33.jpg

Bercy Village established 2002

An architecture that combines stone with steel, wood and glass.
The Cour Saint-Emilion and its 42 storehouses, which are registered on the French supplementary Historic Monuments list, are all that remain of the Bercy storage areas where, for over a century, the largest wine market in the world was held.
Bercy is also a diverse area with shops, restaurants, leisure activities and entertainment spread over 26,000 square meters including Five Guys, Fnac, Va Piano, Sephora, Fragonard, Nature & Découvertes, Maje, Sandro and the UGC Ciné Cité cinema multiplex.
Open every day from 11am to 9pm (restaurants close at 2am)

The market was the amulets of all only about 7 stalls however all of the more important thing were covered meat, fish, vegetables and event Chinese takeout for those who tire of the classing roast chicken Sunday dinner.

We headed to the 3rd arrondissement to the Marché Enfants Rouges, 39 rue de Bretagne metro stop Filles du Calvaire on line 8.  After leaving the station and we walked down to rue de Bretagne and discovered many Italian markets, some thing we have not cone across before, however for some reason we were unable to locate the market which is indoors, we think we walked past the entrance and just kept walking.  By the time we realized our error we decided to bag the market for the day.

The plate actually come with 10 I had eaten some before a took the photo, sorry!

Interior of a falafel for those who have not had them

Sunday line rain or shine

A bit after 12 we made the decision to walk over the the Marais for lunch at l’as du Fallafel. We arrived and like many Sundays the line were long, so we checked in the the number taker and got our number.  We were in line about 5 minutes when one of the runners asked us if we would like to eat in the annex, of course we said yes have been in the restaurant multiple time it was not about Facebook or Instagram posting but eating their great falafels. So off we when and order the special platter and a lemonade.  As always the lunch was excellent, falafels with red cabbage, white cabbage, cucumber and tomato salad, hummus and sweet red pepper relish, with pita bread.

Time to head back to the apartment for a bit of rest.

Porc leg with sauerkraut

Dinner tonight was very simple leg of of Porc with chou croute and bread and wine.

Steps 14,222 or 6.4 miles (-691 calories)

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Paris 2019 – Day 11

Posted on March 16, 2019 by admin

Off to the Marché President Wilson this morning.  President Wilson Marché is amoung the largest in Paris.  The market stretches from the metro stop Iéna to Alma Marceau on line 9.  The market has over 70 stalls, some of which stand 50-60 feet in length and the stalls include seafood, meat, cheese, vegetables, nut, spices ,olives, pastries, bread, and prepared items of all imagination.  We purchased a leg of Porc and Sauerkraut (Chou croute) for tomorrows dinner, we also selected a piece of Tarte Tropézienne, not nearly as good as we

Tarte Tropézienne

have had previously so the search will continue.

Tarte tropézienne, also known as “La Tarte de Saint-Tropez“, is a dessert pastry consisting of a filled brioche.[1] It was created in 1955 by Alexandre Micka,[2] a pâtisserie owner in Saint-Tropez. The pastry was named by actress Brigitte Bardot while she was there filming And God Created Woman.[3]

Micka’s pâtisserie “La Tarte Tropézienne”

Micka’s original pâtisserie still exists and is named “La Tarte Tropézienne”.

We took our bounty back to the apartment and then headed over to the Opera area in the 9th arrondissement to find the on Rue de Martyre.  We took the bus in that direction by alas it’s Saturday and the Yellow Vest protested were on the move so the bus ended at Place Victor Hugo and we got on the metro and completed our journey to Notre-Dame de-Lorette and the market.  The market which is in the 9th arrondissement is in a up and coming area, actually I would say that was true a few years ago and now it is pretty posh.  we walked the market and enjoyed looking at the treasure a few years ago would have been going home in our suit case but after our move and down size there is no room at the inn, but its always nice to appreciate interesting items.  Following the market we made our way back to Opera and the protest, this time in the form of a “Rave for the Climate”.  In addition e were amazed to find the Apple store boarded up as thought there was a hurricane coming, even the flag was wrapped up and the Apple Logo covered. After leaving

Boarded up Apple Store

the Opera area we made our way over the the Hotel De Ville metro stop to visit the BHV department store.  Wow has this store up graded and up scaled and is now up there with some of the more chi-chi stores in Paris, but the prices were still pretty good.

Popoline – New exciting cream puffs

While on our visit to the Brocante market I noticed a pastry shop called Popoline.  Popoline make cream puffs and they appertains to be the new part in Paris.  This is the second of third store I have seen specializing in creampuffs.

Glass of Rosé at Bianco Italian

After shopping we headed over to the 1st arrondissement to get a glass of wine and an early dinner.  We chose to stop for wine at one of our favorite watering hole the has a happy hour of 2 for one named Bianco Italian.  After drinks the hour was perfect for a burger at Cafe du Centre.  Both of these were located on the Rue Montorgueil in the 2nd arrondissement, several years ago we stayed on Rue Tiquetonne just off Rue Montorqueil so were very familiar with the area, it has become much more of a tourist area but the burgers at Centre are still excellent.

After dinner we mapped a route home around the many metro stops still closed as a result of the yellow vest protests.

Steps = 19,309 or 8.7 miles and (-938 calories) add 16 flights of stairs!

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Paris 2019 – Day 10

Posted on March 15, 2019 by admin

Fresh Cod Fisk fillet

Sauted and steamed cod with mashed potatoes and haricot vests with garlic.

The first thing you may notice there was no day 9, well there was a day 9, however it rained on and off most of the day so we limited our activities to research and local shopping to re-stock the larder.  We shopped for fish and fruit and of course bread. We purchased fish Cabillaud (cod) from Maison Vanhamme which is on Rue de la Tour and Monsieur Amand Vanhamme has very nice fish at a reasonable price. I coupled the Cabilluad with  potatoes from the market and some haricot vests from a few days ago.We were off  today to continue our market visits. We visited the Marché Gros-La-Fontaine and the Marché Porte Molitor.

We’er back in the apartment taking a break, I got my wires crossed this morning so we went a bit out of the way to get to the second market a simple spelling error took us on a wild goose chase but this is why unlimited metro and bus travel is fantastic it bulky cost time and you get to see and have adventures.  Plus it adds to our healthy exercise.

Butternut squash soup

Sautéed trumpet mushrooms

Steak frites, ribeye of Aubrac beef

Slices of duck breast with pieces of Foie Gras and an outstanding sauce!

We have dinner reservation tonight at La Cordonnerie at 8PM so we will update after dinner. Another fabulous dinner by Hugo, it seem that every time we go it just keeps getting better.  His sauces are just toto die for. tonight Pat stayed true to her plan to have steak frites (ribeye of Aubrac beef), while it is always my plan I can never pass up his special plats.  Tonight Pat had a Velouté of écraser butternut, made from a squash grown in a friend garden at 800 feet and then steamed and mixed with a bit of cream and sugar.  The soup was OUTSTANDING! I started with the salted trumpet mushroom sautéed with butter, white wine and a bit of cumin, followed by the Margret of canard with slices of Foie Gras in a sauce that was incredible, along with scallop potatoes, braised turnips and red beans cooked with a piece of smoked meat that could satisfy the most discerning  southerner.

Hugo cutting Pat steak.

 

Steps = 14,881 or 6.8 miles (-733 calories)

 

 

 

 

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Paris 2019 – Day 9

Posted on March 14, 2019 by admin

Rain, Rain go away!

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Paris 2019 – Day 8

Posted on March 13, 2019 by admin

Late start this morning do to the rain.  We decided to visit all of the street Food Markets in Paris (Mike & Pat’s Food Market Adventures), not all in one day and maybe not all on this trip but that is our next goal and everyone needs goals.  There are actually 78 of them and we may have already visited maybe up to â…“ of them but we will have to go through the list and see.

Marché Auteuil
Place Jean Lorrain 16th arrondissement

Today we headed to the Marché Auteuil,  at Place Jean Lorrain .  This street market is on a triangle at an intersection and is actually organized in three separate row of stalls with tight aisles which work well in the morning rain.

Marché Auteuil
Place Jean Lorrain 16th arrondissement

Mike outside the Apple store.

Following the market we jumped on the 52 bus to Opera for our traditional visit to the Paris Apple store.  We always check in and I wanted to show Pat the difference between the new iPad and the smaller iPad Pro because it time for an upgrade and she wants one smaller than her iPad Pro so we compared the iPad Pro 10.5″ and the

Pat by the door of the Apple store in Paris

iPad 9.5″.  Of course we will wait until we get home to make the purchase but I believe she wants the 9.5″.

Pat was impressed by all of the [leated shirts coming back.

While we were in the area Pat wanted to go over to Galleries Lafayette so Pat could check out the latest fashions and some home furnishings. When we were done with our window shopping we crossed the street to the Galleries Market and Home Store so Pat could browse the china, etc.  While there we decided to get some fresh pasta, sauce and parmesan cheese to make for tonights dinner.  There is a pasta place by the apartment but the selections of ravioli were inviting.

Steps = 8,769 or 4 miles (-444 calories)

 

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Paris 2019 – Day 7

Posted on March 12, 2019 by admin

Place Octave Chanute (19th)

As promised, we’re off to visit the remaining 2 streets of the 5 secret streets of Paris La Campagne Paris (Place Octave Chanute) and La Mouza a (Rue de Mouza. We began our voyage on the metro and finished a pied to Place Octave Chanute in the 19th arrondissement. The group of streets known as la campagne   Paris is a block  of buildings located on a hill to the east of Paris. The roads are lined with small red brick houses with rose bushes on the fasades. Unfortunately, no roses blooming this time of year. They originally were intended as low-income housing given that they were built on the land of an old quarry. Took the staircase to rue Irene Blanc and explore this idyllic pastoral neighbourhood.

We left this beautiful neighborhood of winding streets and headed for Rue de Mouza¯a.  This was a bit tricker because unlike the others we did not have a particular street to which to navigate.  We opted to take the Tram which is similar to a metro except it runs above ground more like an old fashion trolly car.  We departed the tram and with a little help from the internet we found information about Rue de Mouza “Walk in mouzaia. We eventually found a starting point and strolled up Rue de Mouzaia looking up the side streets enjoying the quiet of the area. This green enclave near Parc des Buttes Chaumont is like a little island with its tiny houses, flower gardens and steep cobbled streets where it’s fun to get lost. Originally this was cheap housing, for working-class people, but nowadays more affluent Parisians live here, in this tiny village in the centre of Paris.

Mike Croque Monsieur with frites

Pat’s salad of the season with roasted pears, Jambon, and warm goat cheese

On our way back to the apartment we stopped for a late lunch in the 1st at one of our favorite cafes by the church L’Aglise Saint-Eustache, La Pointe Saint-Eustache at 1 rue Montorgueil.

Here in an interesting bit of trivia, while writing this post I noticed that the 19th arrondissement was the only one we had not spent any time in. This now means that we have explored or pursued an adventure in all 20 of Paris’s arrondissements.  This is not to say we have run out of things to do and see because there are plenty more but I think this is a big achievement.

Steps today = 15,544 or 7.1 miles (-788 calories)

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Paris 2019 – Day 6

Posted on March 11, 2019 by admin

Grapefruit, Oranges and Strawberries

Croissant

Bagette and croissants from La Pompadour

Le Beurre Bordier

Off today after a breakfast of coffee, fruit, croissants and baguette.  Only about 500 feet from the apartment it started to hail, about the size of pepper corns, this was a first for un in Paris. We walked down to Passy

to cash a check but found Credit Agricole bank was closed as are most banks on Monday. We popped into the La Grand Epicerie because I wanted to try some Le Beurre Bordier from Bordier. Add another experience to my list: self-checkout at La Grand Epicerie, a bit different than in the US but  I managed to complete the transaction with a bit of assistance from the clerk, the scanner was wall mounted; who knew? Pat was looking at a book in the apartment titled The 500 Secrets of Paris and noticed that there was a listing of the 5 most secret streets in Paris so, because we had already visited Rue Cremieux, we decided to go visit the other 4 streets.  We found two today and will find the other two tomorrow or another day. Today we visited Square de Montsouris and Rue des Thermopyles. We chose these two because they were fairly close together and the other two are further a field east of Paris.

Onion soup at Au bouquet d’alesia

Coquilles Saint Jacques (Scallops)

Chou de Bruxelles  (Brussel sprouts) and Courgette Blanche (white zucchini squash)

After finishing our visit to the Square de Montsouris we stopped for a light lunch at a cafe Au bouquet d’alesia for a bowl of onion soup and a glass of cote du Rhone wine.

On our way home we stopped at the poissonnerie and purchased some Coquilles Saint Jacques (Scallops) and then at the Les Primeurs for Chou de Bruxelles  (Brussel sprouts) and Courgette Blanche (white zucchini squash).

Steps = 16,103 or 7.4 miles (-816 calories)

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Paris 2019 – Day 5

Posted on March 10, 2019 by admin

Sunday morning. Off to the boulangerie for bread for breakfast. La Pompadour is closed on Sunday and I used to have to walk to Maison Kuntz on Sunday; however now the Paul has opened up across the street I get to save a few steps. They all close at 1:00 pm so don’t delay. As we travel around, we found that there are many small markets open and even a Fran Prix around the corner.

We took the 52 bus in the direction of the Pte. St Cloud to a brocante/vide grenier market we had seen advertised on the street on Wednesday.  After touring the market we headed hope and stopped by the G20 Supermarket to buy some laundry detergent because a week goes quickly and we need to be prepared.

It’s a bit overcast today mild temperature of 50-degrees but the wind is blowing at 25 MPH out of the west making it feel a bit colder than 50.  We decided to go back to the apartment and hang out, work on the blog and other trivial stuff.

Pat snapped some phots along the street and at the market.

Pat snapped a photo of Occupy Wall Street Paris Style.

Occupy Wall Street French Style

Dinner tonight will be wine, cheese and bread and other snacks.  We have a lot to eat last night and Pat determined not to gain weight and our step count is down for the day.

Steps = 4,545 or 2.1 miles (-230 calories)

 

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