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I guess I must be the Third Musketeer! The March Fodor trip
I guess I must be the third Musketeer! I am the third Fodorite mentioned on Paris trip reports posted lately. As you will soon notice my focus is very different from the others.
My good buddies, gomiki and cigalechanta, were going to Paris and we weren’t!!! I tried hard to be upbeat and positive about their plans. I was giving my opinions when asked but jealous that we weren’t going. March is usually our time for travel since Tomas, my DH, works in a private school with the last two week in March as their spring break. This year we thought that I would have a work conference so Tomas scheduled a major computer upgrade for the second week of his vacation. After listening to me trying not to whine about not going, Tomas said ‘Let me see if I can move the upgrade to the first week of vacation’ and the rest is history. |
Transportation:
I was able to book a seat on the same Air France sale that gomiki found that started this whole trip. Tomas decided that this wasn’t the time to ask for an additional day off and had to be home Monday Mar 30th. The difference between flying on Sunday vs. Saturday was $250 so he returned on Saturday. We hate Air France’s 747 since it seems so crowded. I swear they retro fitted them to fit in more seats! On the flight over we were lucky that one seat on the inside foursome was empty. Meals were eh. The funny part was the young woman who sat in the other seat asked for red wine and then proceeded to drink out of the bottle. I am sure she will go far in France-NOT! The flight landed in Paris at some ungodly hour like 6AM along with 3 or 4 other 747s. It took so long to get through passport control that our luggage was already laying on the floor around the carousels. After a prior trip I have learned to keep enough Euros to get Tomas a café au lait when we land which we did. We then got some more Euros and tickets on the Air France bus to Montparnasse. We find that this is an easy inexpensive way to get into Paris especially since we usually arrive on Sunday mornings. We get a cab when we get off the bus and voila we are at the hotel in minutes. Hotel: Since our three friends had just booked their apartment when we decided to go I spent days trying to find an apartment nearby. After many spreadsheets (hey, I am an accountant-spreadsheets are my life!) and emails we decided that we would rather stay at our favorite hotel, Relais St Germain, which happened to be half a block from their apartment. So we booked our room, #20 at the hotel (used to be called Chateaubriand but they changed the name to a person’s and I can’t remember Albert’s last name) which is a deluxe room and it is wildly expensive. Tomas is an insomniac and is usually up for a couple of hours at night. The room has a sitting area in which there is a couch set behind the bed so that his reading doesn’t disturb me. Nice guy! The room includes a great breakfast, availability for dinner reservations at Le Comptoir (weeknights), special consideration for tables at the restaurant other times (they will hold a table in their no reservation dining room) as well as being very convenient to everything in Paris. |
What we did:
Sites- Rue Mouffetard (5th Arr.) – I wanted to see this street since Fodor’s mistakenly credited me with a statement about it in the Paris guidebooks. We went on Monday so probably missed what the fuss was about Jardin du Plantes (Metro – Gare du Austerlitz) – Tomas, cigalechanta and I wandered through this garden on a sunny day and wished we were there later in the spring. It must be gorgeous then though there were spots that were harbingers of spring. Also we will return when they finish their work on some pretty amazing looking greenhouses. At the end of the Jardin is the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle which went on our list for the next visit to Paris. After we finished wandering through the Jardin we went around the corner and found a sidewalk café and spent an hour or so drinking wine and Pastis. Le Cimetières du Montparnasse (Metro- Edgar Quinet) We were across the street for the street market and decided to wander through the cemetery. The interesting thing was the first tomb by the entrance was the Famille Menard which is our surname. We tried to find all the famous names that were listed by the entrance but weren’t very successful. But it was a sunny day and flowers were blooming so no problem. |
What we did (con't)
Museums- We are museum people and find there is never enough time to do any museum we visit properly. I have noted where we used the two day museum pass we bought. The problem with the pass in my mind is that you are trying to make it cost effective and see many museums. Musée Carnavalet (Metro – St Paul) This is a free museum detailing the history of Paris. We loved the models of Paris at a particular time in history. Musée de l’Ordre de la Liberation (Metro – Latour Maubourg) This museum is part of the Invalides complex and is devoted to the wartime exploits of the Free French. The second floor has an exhibit on the Deportation and some graphic photos of concentration camps. Museum Pass Dome Church – Also in the Invalides complex this church houses the remains of Napoleon Bonaparte and other war heroes. Museum Pass Musée des Arts et Métiers (Metro - Arts et Métiers) This museum was on our list from our last trip to Paris where we had dined nearby and used the Arts et Métiers metro stop. If you haven’t seen that stop definitely go since it is sheeted in copper and looks like the inside of a submarine. There are portholes which look into little exhibits from the museum. The premise of this museum is the development of technology so each exhibit hall starts at the beginning of whatever the topic is so for example communication starts with the first printing presses and goes through the internet. We spent 3 hours here and barely scratched the surface. We will go back many times I am sure. Museum Pass Musée du Louvre (Metro Louvre though we took the bus) As anyone who has been to the Louvre knows you can spend years here and not see everything. My first trip to Paris had been when I was 18 with my family. I remember seeing La Gioconda (Mona Lisa) in a small dark room and wanted to see it again. So we tried to get there as early as possible and rushed up to see her before the crowds gathered. Ok, we did that. Then we retraced our steps, checked our coats and got the audio tour for the European paintings. I hope that someday all the art in the Louvre will be available for the kind of discussions the audio tour has. I feel bad walking past all the other painting and not knowing about them. Wouldn’t it be grand to be able to learn about any painting that strikes your fancy? We spend over 3 hours here and didn’t finish the audio tour. Well I guess we will have to return. Museum Pass Musée d’Orsay (Metro – Solferino) This is one of our favorite museum in the world. We took a quick jaunt through to see some old favorites in the Impressionist rooms and were rewarded by a special exhibit of some donated works on the first floor. Nice to be able to donate some Monet’s to the museum. Museum Pass |
Ive been waiting for this!! Like the title.
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It's fun to read about the same trip from different people! Enjoying this very much. Have you been to Jacquemart-Andre (spelling?)-wonderful art in beautiful home.
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AGM, you have convinced me that a museum pass is the way to go even if used for a couple of hours at each place of interest. We just don't have the time we should take at each museum but need a sneak preview so that we know what to come back to in the future. I have done Louvre & d'Orsay, Invalides, Rodin, Ste-Chapelle and Carnavalet but my husband has not done them all so I'm thinking the museam pass may be the answer.
Enjoying your trip report and looking forward to more! |
TDudette- Yes, we went to the Jacquemart-André on one of our last trips to Paris. We were amazed at the salon rooms where the walls dropped into the floor for nights they were entertaining. Nice place to live.
tod- The museum pass is the way to go especially at places like the Orsay and Louvre where it gets you out of long lines. I am not sure if it still works to avoid the lines at Ste-Chapelle but that is worth all the time you stand in line IMHO. |
What we did (con't)
Markets- One of our favorite things to do in Paris is go to the markets! Here is where we went this year. Marché Biologique Raspail (Metro - Sevres-Babylone) Our traditional Sunday morning outing in Paris is to this market on Sunday mornings. We love the market but really we go for the galettes. At the end of the market near the Lutecia Hotel there is a vendor who has a griddle and makes the most amazing cheese, onion and potato galettes for 2.3€. We each get one and then walk the market looking for anything interesting. I always buy flowers for the room and this year I bought daffodils from the woman at the end of the market. After we are done with the market we each get another galette and head back to the hotel. Marché Président Wilson (Metro - Alma-Marceau) This market was recommended to us by JulieVikmanis and her husband, Val. It was Wednesday morning and we loved it. It has a very different feel than the one on Blvd Raspail on Sunday. Since we were cooking at gomiki, D & cigalechanta’s apartment that night I was free to actually shop at the market. As with most markets we wander the length and then return for places we saw the best produce at the most reasonable price. I loved the stand with a variety of fresh mushrooms and potatoes. Tomas bought himself a chapeau to keep the rain off. Marché St Germain (Metro – Mabillon) This is a covered market close to the hotel. We use it for supplies while we are in Paris. This year it got more business than usual from us since we had access to a kitchen. D got his oysters here and got some real deals (when he was paying attention!). Marché Richard-Lenoir (now apparently known as Marché Bastille) (Metro – Bastille) We went to this market on our final Sunday in Paris. Tomas had already left and he would have loved the energy of this market. While gomiki and cigalechanta were more interested in funky jewelry I was looking for a saucisson sec for my nephew. Gomiki and I also bought tins of foie gras which caused a little problem coming through customs. Marché aux Puces de St-Ouen (Metro - Porte de Clignancourt) This was our Saturday excursion. It is definitely not my cup of tea. The hordes of vendors selling knock offs are annoying and I am just not into old stuff like that. All the great deals made in places like that predate my visit by decades I think. I went and never have to go again. Marché parisien de la creation (Metro- Edgar Quinet) The Sunday we arrived we traveled to this arts and crafts market I had hoped to find some water colors similar to what we had gotten in Provence but no luck. There was an assortment of paintings, pottery ( I wouldn’t let Tomas even look at the prices of some spectacular Raiku pieces since I couldn’t conceive of how we would get them home in one piece) and other interesting pieces. It was nice for a jet lagged afternoon. If I am not going to a food market, then this is more my style then old clothes and stuff. Though that was what was interesting about traveling with other people. Seeing what their interests were and having them expand your own. |
What we ate & where
I am a former chef trained by a French woman. Tomas and I met while working in a restaurant in Cambridge, MA. Food and wines are abiding passions of ours. Trips to Paris create a frenzy of research to find the best new places to go in a limited amount of time. Also we plan one full meal a day. Breakfast is at the hotel and it is a full spread (with a full provenance as well) so we just have either lunch or dinner out. Sometimes we will have a snack of ice cream or pastry during the day. Le Petit Pontoise – (Metro - Maubert Mutualité) Finding restaurants in Paris on Sunday evening is often difficult. I had tried to get into Le Petit Pontoise on a prior trip but was turned away. Seeing the tiny dining room I was not surprised. While we were debating the menu and what was on it the couple next to us leaned over and confided that we could get English menus. I told them that we were fine with the French menus. After all how will we learn otherwise? When asked if I speak French I always say I speak menu. We decided on the tatin d’artichaut and risotto aux morilles to start. The tatin d’artichaut was a tart of artichoke hearts, eggplant and tomatoes that had been prepared like a tarte tatin, the famous French upside down apple tart. It was fabulous and I am going to try to make it at home. Followed by magret de canard with a sauce de miel et cidre and noix st Jacques provençal. Tomas was in heaven with fruits Armagnac for dessert. They took a large preserving jar off the side board and served him from that. I had ananas rôti which was caramelized roasted pineapple. Dinner without wine or drinks was 95€ and well worth it. |
What we ate and where (con't)
Le Régalade (Metro - Alesia) The interesting thing about this trip is where we shared meals with our friends my memory of who ate what was clouded by the convivial nature of group dining. So my memory of this meal is sparse. I picked this restaurant because I had heard great things about it. It was the restaurant that Yves Camdeborde sold before he bought the Relais St Germain and created Le Comptoir. We went on Monday evening after the GTG at the Lutecia so we did not order aperitifs which Tomas says created the problem. The problem was that we could not get service. We were seated, they asked if we wanted apéritifs which we refused. We ordered a bottle of wine and a carafe of water. Neither appeared. They took the order for the meal and we asked again for water. The terrine that the restaurant is famous for was set on the table. No bread or plates to put it on. I am not sure if that is the normal course of events but eating terrine out of your hands is not what I consider appropriate. When they brought the entrees Tomas asked about the wine. It appears that the bottle we ordered was out of stock. He ordered a different white and also a red. The white appeared but never the red wine. We ate our meal and debated about getting digestifs but decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. Tomas made his feelings known to the staff when he went to pay. They did not feel that he had grounds but the hostess was sufficiently annoyed to have problems with all our credit cards. None of Tomas’ would work and finally she got my reserve debit card to go through which meant that I paid a premium for bad service. Ah well at least the food was good: Entrees – AGM –asparagus special Tomas – shellfish soup Cigalechanta – brandade de morue stuffed into a tomato Gomiki - pate D – I just don’t remember Plats - AGM – pork belly (an experiment that I am not sure I will try again) Tomas, cigalechanta, D – I think all got the dorade which is a white fish Gomiki- a breast of chicken stuffed with foie gras Desserts The only dessert I remember is Tomas’ pineapple gazpacho which was fabulous. The pre fixe menu was either 32 or 36€ per person with a 6€ supplement for my asparagus. |
Hi Abby, wonderful, keep going!
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Abby, you could never be "the third" anyone/anything! Your perspective on this trip is just as important as the other two, and furnish a much more complete picture of the adventure of 3 Fodorites (and companions). I've enjoyed reading about this and your frank account of what you did and didn't enjoy about this trip. A shame to read that Le Régalade sounds like a bit of a rip-off. I can even put up with mediocre food if the service is good, but this experience was really quite inexcusable. Please tell us more; what meal(s) did you cook in the apartment of the other three?
BC |
And it rained on us on the way back from the restaurant!!
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"I speak menu."
Love that! ;^) This is a great report. I love going to markets, so thank you for your list with descriptions. Johanna |
Now you see why I left the food to her :)
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Hi Abby,
I, too, had the Tatin d'artichaut at Pontoise and thought it one of my favorite foods in Paris...I'm still dreaming about it. Enjoying your report... |
bookchick, never meant to imply I was less since the Musketeer motto is "all for one and one for all!"
Traviata- I will let you know if I figure out a recipe. Johanna- aren't the markets amazing? Tomas and I once saw a market where bing cherries were pyramided like the oranges are here. That takes time and dedication. |
Last time in Paris, I stayed just down the street and around the corner from the Edgar Quinet metro stop. I loved that area. I caught the tail end of the crafts market. There were some lovely things there but it was ready to close. I left the following Sunday but my friend stayed to meet up with her sewing group so she got to that market as I was flying over the Atlantic on my way home...sniff, sniff. She got me a framed metro ticket from a dealer at that market. I really love it, it's very cute and fun.
You guys had such a great time and I'm loving your reports. |
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