Musing About Recent Trip to France

Maybe they're hoping to run into George Clooney -- he's the one who does the commercials shown in France.

Kerouac, can these capsules be bought only in these stores? That might explain why our landlord in Riquewihr offered the option of buying them from him when we rented the house.

Grandmere, your trip sounds lovely.

Re the Espresso machines, we have the George Clooney ads here in Sydney and here too, there are queues out the street at the Nespresso shop.

Hi Sue I'm very happy you enjoyed your stay in France. Le Colombier looks perfect. As for Nespresso there are only a few shops which sell the capsules. http://www1.nespresso.com/precom/contact/all_boutique_fr_fr.html (The shops in Dijon only sell the machines so I have to order them on the internet)
<our landlord in Riquewihr offered the option of buying them from him when we rented the house> Do you mean you had the machine at your disposal but had to buy the capsules?

Sue,

I'm so glad that you enjoyed Jean-Paul and Martines place in Riquewhir. They are such nice friends and do things so nicely.

Re Nespresso: I stay in the www.parisperfect.com apartments in Paris and they have the Nespresso machines. They provide a basket with many capsules in the various colors. They also list 4 Nespresso boutiques in Paris where you are able to
purchase additonal capsules. I imagine that Sue's apt. came with some capsules and then you would need to purcahse additional ones. I imagine Jean-Paul had a supply from which you could purchase?

Joan

Hi GM,

>And speaking of Nespresso machines, what’s with their stores in Paris .....<

I went into one a month or so ago. It was a huge, 2 story building very much like a melange of a museum, an antique art gallery and Louis Vuitton.

People spoke in hushed tones as sales staff offered tiny cups of what must have been the nectar of the gods to some. (Tasted like coffee to me.)

Prices were outrageous.

grandmere,
I love your reports and they've been so helpful to me as I plan for the week I'll be in Paris with my 9 y.o. daughter in December including the apartment we're staying in and helpful hints on shopping!. In your report from your April trip you mention visiting a restaurant, Le Train Bleu. I am wanting one "sparkly, dress-up, make her feel special" night for us - would you recommend this? Thank you.

Thanks for your non-report! I remember reading Philippe Labro's book about his college experience (L'etudiant etranger) years ago. Always interesting to see what we look like to others. I would have enjoyed seeing him in person.

Thanks for the tip about the American Library of Paris. My daughter and I will be spending a month in Paris this summer and we are compiling a varied list of potential activities. Though we are hoping to become immersed in the culture, an evening such as you described might be enjoyable as well.

So this Nespresso thing is really a phenomenon! Where do we buy the coffee here in US? I've never paid any attention to it but have seen the machines, etc., at Williams-Sonoma. I think our landlord provided some capsules and we bought the rest from his supply. And, Coco, nobody stocks the apartments as you do; your style is exceptional!

Travelingmom3, what a great trip that will be for you and your daughter; you must be getting so excited as time draws near. Yes, I think Le Train Bleu is just the place for what you want. The staff acted as though it was a special night for us, and my granddaughter loved it. I will be eager to hear all about your trip when you return. And you mentioned an apartment--did you mean that you're staying in vrbo 58971 as we did?

Thank you grandmere - I am now excited about one more thing! We are staying in VBRO 103254, the garden apartment in the 11th that I think you stayed in?

Actually, as I just looked back over some postings it was ParisJo who recommended this apartment. Sorry.

You gite looks lovely grandmere!

Nespresso capsules are really expensive here in the Netherlands (€0.35 - €0.40 per capsule), so I would be pleasantly surprised to find some provided at a house I rented, but not disappointed to find I had to buy my own.
I use a proper espresso machine and a grinder and buy my beans from a local coffee roaster, which works out at less than €0.02 per cup even for their more expensive coffees.

Is is time to mention the fact that the Nespresso system has been branded an ecological disaster?

Barbara, it was very interesting seeing him and hearing what he had to say. His talk was entitled "My Love Affair with America", and he used the different stages of a love affair as an analogy. It looks as though L'Etudiant Etranger is the only book of his that has been translated into Eng., acc. to Amazon. I think I will get it; would like to say I will try the French version but I will probably take the easy way.

Flounder, I justified going to an "American library" by the fact that the speaker was French If you're in Paris for a month, I imagine you'll find something interesting to attend there; as I mentioned I was lukewarm on the idea but pleasantly surprised.

website is www.americanlibraryiniparis.org

This whole Nespresso thing is amazing, and I can see what you mean about the ecological disaster, Kerouac.

The gite really was very comfortable as well as being nicely appointed in an authentic Alsatian way, and JoanGrace was the one who recommended it.

Travelingmom3, your apartment looks lovely; what a great place for you and your daughter. I'm not real familiar with that part of Paris but would like to get to know it better.
You may have a chuckle over this: my granddaughter loved her pain au chocolat every morning in Paris, and that was something she wanted me to bring back from this trip. So there i was at Paul's at CDG early in the morning of our return, buying 2 pains au chocolat to go, stuffing them in my husband's carry on, and Chloe and her brother enjoyed them hours later just as though they weren't a bit crushed and soggy.

This is turning into a report after all; just can't keep quiet when it comes to talking about France! Anyway, some of you may remember the big debate a few month ago about macarons in France. Well, I was one who insisted that French macarons are all like Laduree's, but no--in Alsace they are like our macaroons, made from coconut and very different from the ones in Paris.

If you take a GPS to France and it asks what address you want in a village, just put in Avenue de General de Gaulle, and you can't go wrong.

Thanks to everyone for all your kind comments.

Thank you Sue, as ususal an interesting and welcoming information.

For my last trip to Paris I thought ahead and packed a small plastic container in my suitcase. On my last morning I visited my favorite bakery http://www.poilane.fr/ one last time and loaded up on pain au chocolat so jetlag would be less painful once I arrived home.

We get Polaines bread here in Boston at a few shops.

grandmere----did you ever get to "Mini Junior" the childrens shop on Montparnasse & Raspail?

cigalechanta----how lucky you are to get Polaines in Boston. They've tried to do some authentic bread and pastry in our area but it's never measured up.

TPAYT, no, I did not get to "Mini Junior" but I did happen upon C de C; (rue de Bac?) isn't that the one you mentioned, also? Beautiful little outfits there.

Amwosu, what a good idea to take a container along. Next time.

Yes, in the east of France "macarons" refers to coconut macaroons. Coconut macaroons are called "congolais" in Paris.

Thanks Grandmere. Fun mini-report. Great info on the places in Riqwhir. They look terrific. Love Alsace. Also love my Nespresso machine and the whole Nespresso thing. They haven't caught on so much in the US yet, but they are all over in hotels in Europe. Remember when you were a young girl scout and had to make decorations for the town Christmas tree out of chicken pot pie tins. Think of making strings of faux Christmas tree lights out of those little leftover Nespresso capsules in all their wonderful colors. I'm betting they're recyclable. Though I must admit that I hadn't thought about the ecological aspect of the whole phenomena. Whatever, this company knows their business. Last night I had a call from the Nespresso people conducting a customer survey. I'm guessing that because I haven't mail ordered any capsules lately they were worried about losing me as a customer. They probably have mail order customers on some kind of data base to determine approx. when you should be reordering. Actually we've been on the road so much that I just haven't used up my last supply as quickly as I normally would. This whole thing is kind of like Tivo. Those of us who are hooked are true zealots. It certainly beats that awful Nescafe stuff that Europeans seem to hang onto.

JulieV, interesting thought about recycling the Nespresso capsules for Christmas decorations; maybe Martha will come up with an idea

How are your plans for the Alps coming along?

Hi Sue. So glad I caught your post. I was wondering just yesterday if you had written anything.
My brother has two of those machines in New York and he is on a mail order rotation which sends him various combinations of flavors so often. He always takes them out of the boxes they are packed in and I never remember which are the decaf! I do not know where the order is shipped from. We don't recycle them I don't think and it seems a shame. All of those little colored metal capsules.
Even in Lisbon I came upon a store.

Great musings! I"ve had that apartment earmarked for a while, hoping to get back to Alsace one day. I'm glad that you enjoyed it, it certainly looks lovely .

We rented an apartment in the south of France this summer and it had the Nespresso machine, enough of capsules for a few days, we could buy a box of 10 capsules from the landlord for 5E, she had a huge selection.

I have drank good french pressed coffee for more than 50 years, have never found anything I like better than a extremely hot cup of my french press, and I drink a lot of morning coffee and have since I was about 4years old...yeah I know, bad mother, but we're Italian and back then it must have just been easier to give me a little cup of coffee with a lot of milk than argue every morning.

When we returned, our morning coffee just didn't taste good anymore. We had to order a Nespresso machine, we absolutely love the coffee. We order it online, if I order today it is on my front porch tomorrow. Yes, it is expensive, about $.50 a capsule/cup, and I think $6.95 shipping no matter how much I order. They do have a Nespresso Bar at the Bloomingdales in downtown SF,but we can't buy the capsules there, although that might have changed now, it is just so easy to order on line.

It is a delicious cup of joe!

Well the new commercial has both George Clooney and John Malkovich.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODB9xXLZ2oE

I can see that I shoulda gone into a Nespresso boutique.

And maybe I need a machine!

Grandmere, put a Nespresso on your Christmas list. You won't regret it.

I'm not doing well on my Alps planning. We have the flights of course and the hotels, but I'm arguing with DH about renting a car or not. I say yes. He says no. Of course, he's the one who drives and if it's snowy, icy, etc. I can hardly blame him for not wanting to drive. OTOH we can certainly see more if we have our own wheels. Thanks. Your question may be just the impetus I need to get going on this.

Thank you so much for your musings. Makes me want to go to France all over again. So much France, so little time......

I could have been sighted today in Williams-Sonoma checking out Nespresso machines. The sales associate had nothing but good things to say about them .

And if you buy the machine plus the frother/foamer together in a "bundle", you save money.

grandmere,

I've made a note of your restaurant recommendation, Cafe de la Tourelle. Thanks. You mentioned that your hotel was about a two minute walk away. Is this a place you would also recommend? If so, what's the name and price range? I've apparently missed out on a few posts so was wondering what the shop C de C offered. Children's clothing? Is it pricey? Most likely. I appreciate your musings.

Historytraveler, the hotel is Hotel du Lys www.hoteldulys.com

I (and others to whom I've recommended it) have stayed there several times. It is 120 euro for a double, and I have always thought it was a great little hotel for the money. On Trip Advisor you will read reviews all over the place. This time, however, our carpet really needed a shampooing, and that's the first time I would have said this. We were on the first floor (French), and our friends stayed up another level, and their room was much nicer.

On the plus side, it is in a super location (two minutes walk from both Odeon and St. Michel metro stations) and it is housed in a building that dates from the 17th century, with original exposed beams, etc. No elevator. Breakfast ( beverage, oj, fresh, crispy croissant, baguette, jam, etc.) is included in the price. It has been run by the same family for a couple of generations. The woman (second generation owner) whom I've always dealt with before was cordial but not especially friendly; her son seems to mostly run it now, and he was very helpful. In fact, it was he who said that his grandfather was the original owner of the hotel.
I know the word "charming" is overused, but it certainly does have a certain charm about it; check it out on website. I would still recommend the hotel as long as someone is not looking for upscale. I will probably stay there again.

I don't know where I read about Cordelia de Castellane's children's store; I thought it was on TPAYT's post of a couple of months ago but just looked, and it's not there. It was a bit expensive but not as high priced as BonPoint, Tartine et Chocolat, etc. As I mentioned on an earlier thread, now that I have 3 grandchildren, I have taken to looking for less expensive places to buy their outfits from Paris. I now shop at Du Pareil Au Meme and find outfits that my grandchildren (and their mothers!) like. They have cute, trendy styles that are reasonably priced, and they have shops all over Paris. Granddaughter #! had the advantage of a grand-mere who was eager to buy fetching outfits with less regard for the price tag, and of course, 7 years ago the dollar was stronger, too!

Thank you for all the information. I'll certainly check out the hotel and the restaurant is already on my list.

I'll have a look at CdC, BonPoint and Du Pareil Meme. I love shopping for the grandkids,especially my lovely Natalie. However her mother seems to find absolutely adorable outfits at Costco etc. at unbelievable prices, so Granna feels a bit silly spending more.

i agree; it's lots of fun to shop for grandkiddies. Everything always looks wonderful on them, n'est-ce pas?

Jacadi, Catamini, and the dept. stores are other great places to find beautiful children's clothing. And TPAYT mentioned a place on Blvd. Montparnasse and Raspail called Mini Junior; I've never been there.

When are you going?

We'll be in Paris this coming September. I've been to Paris a number of times, but not recently, so looking forward to the trip. Of course now it is going to be much more fun shopping for the grandkiddies than it is shopping for myself. How did that happen?

historytraveler----Mini Junior on Montparnasse & Raspail is my favorite childrens shop (for granddaughters 4 yrs and 8 yrs.) Rue Vavin from Motparnasse to Luxemborg Gardens (about a 3 block stretch) has many childrens shops to choose from.

I agree that I enjoy shopping for them more than myself and I also don't know how that happened except that they are SO CUTE.

Anybody who has just one shot at children's clothing stores (and who likes shopping malls for the convenience) might consider taking the RER A out to Val d'Europe, which has an entire large corridor devoted exclusively to all of the main children's brands. And since they are right next to the Auchan hypermarket, prices are competitive with that place rather than with each other.

kerouac, what a tip! Thanks. My daughter will be forever indebted and her children will be well clothed as a result.

kerouac, which direction on the RER A is Val d'Europe? Is that an actual RER stop? Thanks.

Julie:
http://www.ratp.info/orienter/f_plan.php?fm=gif&loc=reseaux&nompdf=rer_a&lang=

It's the next-to-last stop before Disney, east of Paris, on the A4 line.

Addendum: we're enjoying our Nespresso Citiz that was a Christmas gift to ourselves. I'm amazed at how quickly they send the capsules after you order them. I bought the machine at Sur la Table around noon, came home, and ordered online, regular delivery. Next afternoon my stash was waiting on my doorstep.

Certainly not the least expensive way to have a cup of coffee but fun!

Grandmere - your musings have led to a lot of great information! Can't wait for the full trip report. I went to the American Library in Paris website and was really interested to see their list of upcoming events -- including Leslie Caron on January 6. Wish I would be in Paris then -- I've always liked her and she has an autobiography out now, so it would be really interesting to hear her speak.

Cafe de la Tourelle sounds great -- will try it when we're there this fall.

Thanks.

Wow-I am so pleased to see all of the great tips on childrens stores. I have a feeling that my 2 year old grandaughter will fare quite well on my Paris trip next month. WHoopee--three weeks to go!

Aimeep, I agree; it would be great to hear Leslie Caron. They have some very interesting speakers, and I would return when in Paris. No plans at the moment for us but always one on the back burner of my brain! Have fun in the fall; hope to hear more about it as time draws nearer.
Re Cafe de la Tourelle: be aware that this is not one of those places where you will be tempted to take pictures of the beautiful presentation; it is just good, old-fashioned French comfort food at reasonable prices.

Poconolady, wow, not long before your trip--how fun! There will be no end to the temptations to buy for your granddaughter. And at 2, you can still dress her in very "sweet" French outfits; my 7 yr old granddaughter is edging beyond that. But I have an almost 2 year old and a 10 day old one, also! And a 3 yr old grandson, but somehow the boys' clothing does not call out to one the way the girls' outfits do.
Happy shopping; make sure to let us know what you find!

Thanks for the musings, grandmere.

We can second everything you said re: the Cafe de la Tourelle. We were there a couple of weeks ago and I can't say enough about the good-natured service and tasty cuisine. It's more like a neighborhood eatery and quite unexpected given the area (one block off at Place St. Andre des Arts its was a mad house full of tourists while rue Hautefeuille was nearly empty) A lot of the locals ordered the steak special with choice of sauce; my husband approved of it as well, while I had the porc with prunes. House wine (red) was also very decent.

Glad you liked la Tourelle, too, Klondike. I've stayed around the corner at Hotel du Lys several times and just this past visit discovered this cozy neighborhood restaurant.

Well.............you all sold me on that Nespresso machine! Got one of those "bundles" at Williams Sonoma...a Christmas gift to ourselves!!! We love it - and all those cute little colorful pods! Thanks to everyone who recommended it so enthusiastically! It really does make excellent coffee. Much better than Starbucks!