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Our Springtime stroll through Paris
We have been driving around England for 2 weeks and this was the finale` with a seven night stopover in Paris. I am starting my trip report in Paris whilst the memories are still fresh as we have only been home a week.
England was brilliant but I'll have to post that at a later date. FIRST HOTEL: I was really looking forward to experiencing new pathways in Paris and re-tracing some old ones too. We stepped off Eurostar and were soon speeding across town to our first hotel. Did all my own bookings via the internet and landed a great deal at the Ibis Paris La Defense, 4 Blvd. de Neuilly, for 49 euros. (www.ibishotel.com). When we were dropped off I noticed at the entrance they were advertising the same rooms for 65 euros for the Fr,Sat & Sun nights. Normal rate about 129 during the week. We were put on the third floor overlooking the Seine - a nice tranquil outlook. Showered and refreshed we walked to the metro. It's out the door, 50 paces to the stairs or esculator(hidden somewhat to the side of the stairs) and onto a promenade. We walked onto the enormous open space which spans the metro lines beneath to discover a phenomenal view. In the distance the Arc de Triomphe rising against the skyline. To the right we could clearly see the Eiffel Tower. Behind & to the left and right skyscrapers silently loomed overhead. Then we made a most amazing discovery. Right in front of us was a vineyard! Strung in neat rows along dozens of wooden poles the vines curled around their supports. I looked down at the young vines, across the river Seine and out towards the Arc. So peaceful and quiet you could hear birds singing. In the soft evening sunlight all was well with Paris! DINNER ON A GLASS FLOOR: In no more than 10 minutes we were walking out of the metro at Charles de Gaulle Etoile and making our way down the Champs Elysees. Some love it, some hate it, but the General described it as the 'the most beautiful avenue in the world' but he never lived to see his aristocratic promenade lined with airline & insurance companies, cinemas and fast food. I too tend to disregard these scenes and take pleasure in some of the wonderful old buildings. Dinner tonight is in rue de Berri at Dragons Elysees. We adore Chinese food and I was dying to show my DH the stunning interior of this restaurant. We were ushered to a table near the door but I pointed to a table which I had sat at last time and they gladly let us sit there instead. The floor of the restaurant is made entirely of glass. Leisurely swimming underneath are hundreds of Koi - some quite enormous. The light shining on the fish and terrapins gives the place a surreal ambience. The menu is extensive but I went for the Crevettes Phenix en Beignets to start with Canard Laque and riz nature for my main course. DH loves soup so started with Soup aux Crevettes followed by Boeuf a` l'Imperial. My crevettes were just as gigantic and crisp as the last time. To accompany my dinner I ordered half bottle of Ruhlmann's Riesling Cuvee Jean-Charles 2007 from Alsace and DH had his fav Chinese Tsing Tao beer. The service is attentive and polite but I couldn't help noticing when I went to the Ladies Room that the tables at the back of the restaurant were filled with only Chinese folk all chatting and having fun. Our bill totted up to 85euros, which for us was pretty steep, but worth every penny. Out into the night air we slowly strolled back to the metro. If I hadn't started the day at 7am on the outskirts of Dover I would have liked to have stayed around longer but we were both tired so called it a night. That 49euro bed was heaven! Tomorrow we take a historical walk down the Champs and see it like never before. |
If you come back to La Défense in 2013, you will be able to admire the new 300 meter skyscraper by Jean Nouvel. It will be as tall as the Eiffel Tower.
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Hi Kerouac,
We saw one very large building under construction but that might be something else. I will be continuing my report as the week progresses and will tell you all about our stay at Hotel Torcy! |
The one under construction is something else. The one for 2013 hasn't broken ground yet -- the prject was just chosen last week.
Can't wait to hear about the Hôtel de Torcy, which still had that damned scaffolding on it the last time I looked. |
A WALK DOWN THE CHAMPS ELYSEES
Saturday 17th May: We woke to a splendidly sunny morning - thank goodness as I want to follow Thirza Vallois guided walk on the Champs Elysees. She starts at Place de la Concorde and ends at Arc de Triomphe but will do part of it in reverse. Skipping the 9euro breakfast we took the metro to Harles de Gaulle Etoile and go for pancakes & coffee at the MacD's for less than 3 euros each. I hear their rent has doubled in 5 years and there is talk of not renewing the lease. What - No Macs on the Champs! We wanted to get our French simcards so we could call home. I only know one large SFR shop on the Champs which does it in a few minutes. They will insist on ID and accepted our drivers licenses, but prefer Passports(we only carry copies and that was OK). We continue trolling down the lefthand side, but across the avenue on the corner of rue de Bassano, ( before Le Fouquets)is a stunning Art Nouveau style building complete with cherubs, pillars & garlands. This building was once the l'Elysees Palace, a luxury hotel of some 400 rooms and where the spy, Mata Hari, was arrested on 13th February 1917. On our way down, passing 92 rue de Berri on the corner, a beautiful 18th century mansion once stood and was once occupied by Thomas Jefferson (the US Ambassador to France) between 1785 -89. Rue de Berri itself already existed in the 17th century as a country lane. We come to the Rond-Pont-Des-Champs-Elysees and turn down Avenue Matignon, through the gardens onto avenue Gabriel where there is the customary open-air stamp market held Thursdays, Saturday & Sunday mornings. Leaving the stamp collectors doing huddled swopping & buying we stroll past Theatre Marigny and stop to admire the beautiful wrought-iron gates of the garden of Residence De La Rebuplique or Elysees Palace, in Avenue Gabriel. We refer to the 'Around & About Paris' guide and are told to notice that the gardens encroach on the gardens of the Champs-Elysees. The reason for this is because Madame de Pompadour, one time lady of the place, had priority over the public gardens that lay outside. She saw no harm in expanding her own territory at their expense and would have taken more had there not been a general outcry. She requested her brother, the Marquis de Marigny, who was in charge of the Champs-Elysees, to chop down the trees on the otherside of the avenue so as to clear the view from her palace to the Seine & Invalides. This did not enhance her popularity! In June 1796 at the inauguration of the statue of Louis XV amid a spectacular display of fireworks the public saw her for the last time. The following year she was dead. The laced L's for Louis have long gone and today we see a proud Republican cock crowning the regal gate. Back into the gardens to photogragh Hifforff's fountain of the Four Seasons. Four adorable chubby children representing Spring, holding a pair of turtle doves in her hands, Summer a sheaf of wheat and a sickle, Autumn holds a bunch of Grapes and Winter is covered by a blanket or shawl. The four children support the fountain basin which allows the water to gently trickle over the sides. CHALET DE NECESSITE`. We are back on the Champs amongst the trees and seek out the public toilets described by Proust who spent his playground days amongst the gardens of the mansions of Faubourg Saint-Honore` and those of the Champs-Elysees, strewn with flowers & elegant pavilions. He is honored with marked by a plaque, Allee` Marcel Proust, just before l'Espace Cardin. Proust reports that his grandmother once had a stroke in these public conveniences. When we got there they were closed for lunch and by the time the attendant re-opened them there was quite a queue forming! I went in to see the preserved mahogany cabin doors with their brass handles. I noticed a strange contraption affixed to the door hinge which looked to me like some kind of counting mechanism?! Much relieved we crossed over the avenue to the Petit & Grand Palais. Had it not been going on lunchtime we would have spent time at the exhibitions in the Petit Palais but instead headed down metro Clemenceau to our lunch at Leon de Bruxelles. There is a charmingly pompous pavillon surmounted by a conspicuous 'fin de siecle' dome and topped by an equally conspicuous Cupid shooting his arrow against the sky. It's an eclectic piece of architecture, a mish-mash of all possible 'neo' styles and built for the 1900 Exhibition. |
Apologies for the spelling errors but my computer flatly refused to go to "edit" function no matter what I tried - also the mention of the charming pavilion should have appeared before the mention of the 'Chalet de necessite`'.
I am now going to try and post some relevant photos. |
Looking forward to the photos!
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Before signing off from our first day and lovely walk down the Champs Elysees I would like to suggest this marvellous Paris guide 'Around and about Paris' to anyone wanting a really indepth account of places and people in days long goneby when taking a stroll through different areas in Paris -
The entire walk Thirza Vallois describes takes up 50 pages and needs a read up before setting off on foot. I highlighted the information regarding buildings etc., so on the walk I could glance at notes every once in a while. DO NUNS MAKE THIS A HABIT? I regret not mentioning at the start of our walk from MacDonald's we were accosted by the most charming little 'Nun' who begged my DH to hop on a bathroom scale for a fun competition that was going on. I'm sure this sort of spontaneous stuff goes on all the time and is great to take part in! When you get down ( or up) to Hittorff's fountain of the Four Seasons, remember he was also responsible for those amazing gold & green fountains on Place de la Concorde and remodelled the once unsafe area of the Champs, where rogues & ruffians once operated unhampered, into a respectable place after dark. Only Parisiens will know if today in 2008 it's still OK amongst the trees and shrubs after dark! PUNCH & JUDY Anyone who has young children or grandchildren travelling to Paris and is looking for things the kids can do apart from some fantastic playgrounds I came across, there is still a little Punch & Judy puppet theatre by Avenue Matignon. It's quite hidden in the shrubbery surrounding it but walk around until you see a gate with the sign overhead 'Vrai Guignolet'. Go into the little sandy amphitheatre and see the little green hut where the rudimentary traditions of Guignol have been preserved since 1818 - magical place filled with childrens laughter when in session. On Saturday midday when we were there it was all shut tight. |
Photos for my trip report so far:
Thanks to Cocofromdijon and the others who helped me! http://tinyurl.com/52b3xf |
Good reading Tod! I've bought the first Thirza book but am waiting for a trip to give it a try. Keep it coming.
Sad to say...your link did not work. |
Michel_Paris - Oh dear! I tried it and it sent up a 'pop-up blocker' but I dealt with that and then it was fine.
I'm open to other suggestions? |
OUR LAZY AFTERNOON
Continuing on after our morning stroll down the Champs Elysees, we took the metro to Vavin for our lunch at Leon de Bruxelles. Exiting the metro we stumbled on a Wallace fountain and immediately gave it a very close inspection to see if we could determine whether it was an old original or a copy made to replace so many of them that were melted down by the Nazis or stolen by various people. The only way to tell, according to Wikipedia, is the originals have 4 different ladies holding up the basin of the fountain. Different clothes, hair-styles & adornments and different feet positioning. Of course this takes a few minutes to check out and needs several circum-navigations of the fountain, so be aware curious on-lookers may start to think you are a modern-day witch walking around a newly found cauldron of sorts! This one if I remember correctly, had 2 gals the same & the other two the same, but I could be wrong. Sorting that - 'unclassified as an historical monument' out, we arrived at Leon's. This restaurant choice was purely down to the fact Kerouac mentioned in one of the posts that they do the best mussels. It's really busy but still a table or two available. I would have liked to sit at one vacant in the window so we would have a view of passersby but it was set for 3 people and the manageress wouldn't budge so we got a two further inside. Ah well, we felt better when 3 people did eventually occupy it! I went straight for the Moules a` la Creme @ 15.50 & DH ordered a platter of moules Meridionale @ 13.80. They came grilled in what seemed to a a tomatoes concasse with mozarella cheese on top. Bowls of chips arrive - and we went for the Belgian beer. The mussels were divine! Dipping our bread in the sauce we were soon stuffed but hey, what's this?! Another platter of Moules Meridionale gets put in front of DH plus two more bowls of frites!! Aparantly the waiter told DH this comes at only 1 euro! Boy were we crawling out of there an hour later. Total bill= 38.30euros. Well now it's walk-off-the-lunch time so we go across to a lovely looking church a little way down on the opposite side of the road. This turned out to be Notre-Dame des Champs. Cool and inviting we study the paintings. Besides the Chapel of the Virgin Mary, St.Joseph & Sacred Heart( paintings by Giacomotti and Lafon), all around the nave there are 22 panels depicting the life of The Virgin Mary painted by Aubert. The original church was named Notre-Dame des Vignes but after the vineyards were dug up and Benedictine Brothers re-named it. Stepping out into the lovely sunny afternoon once more we headed for Tour Montparnasse. It was a perfect day to see all of Paris below. The first time I went to the top I never ventured onto the roof but this time we decided to go on up. It was glorious! Lots of young ladies having fun with some of them dressed up in costume - being a Saturday, something to do with matrimony maybe?? It was getting on towards 5pm and we decided to go back to the hotel for a spruce-up. Tonight was our Fodeorites GTG! We arrived at L'Insulaire just on the stroke of 8.30pm and were greeted by the hostess. She seated us at a long table right in the window. We ordered cocktails as we waited for ggnga ( who kindly organised the booking) Thank you again G. Soon a young lady arrived and introduced herself by her real name but on Fodors she is Aye Quehago - she was from New York but taking French lessons in Paris for the moment. We started chatting right away and soon G arrived. Got slightly held up in traffic but we were having a lovely time watching streams of people scutinising the menu outside and others just passing by. We decided to order a nice bottle of red wine and waited a bit longer for other Fodorites who showed an interest in the GTG. Not wanting to hold up the other seating any longer we ordered our dinner. Goat's cheese souffle` salad for three of us and G had her favourites snails. Steaks all round for main course which did come rather underdone but with a cheery smile were soon cooked a little more. Aye told us she is an Electrical Engineer and also a Salsa dancer! G told her about a good Salsa club. Ggnga told us all about her life in Paris, her lovely little apartment and good friends. I had spotted a pretty little book at my local bookstore called "Quiet Corners of Paris" by Jean-Christophe Napias. I got G a copy as a token of our second meeting in Paris and I'm glad she likes it. Soon it's time to say our good-byes - a lovely evening had by us all. We walk to Chatelet with G who's living in the Bastille area - Ayes got to get right out to Anthony on the RER! And so our Paris night ends with DH & I strolling the wide promenade of our metro exit at La Defense and looking across to the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe glowing in the distance. My photos can be viewed: http://tinyurl.com/5jhtvv |
<b>Album not found</b>
<i>We're sorry, but the online album you're looking for is unavailable. The owner may have deleted the album after sharing it with you or the link you used may be incorrect.</i> <i>To view the album, please contact the person who originally shared the album with you and ask them to share it again.</i> Oh, you'll get it right sooner or lateer! :)) |
tod, I'm really enjoying your report and would love to see your pictures but the new link you provided just takes me to the Kodak sign-in page, not your actual album. I have no idea how you can fix this but I'm sure someone does.
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Oh woe is me! I am doing the Tinyurl thing and was able to access the first album but not the second.......what's a gal todo!
Keep trying I guess or phone the computer expert to do it for me!! |
In the meantime here is the full link - it may just work!
http://www.kodakgallery.co.uk/I.jsp?...0&y=26i6gw |
It gave me the same message - "Album not found' but when I clicked on 'share album' it came up!
Maybe only because its on MY computer?? |
tod, yes I think only you can access it because that link seems to be tied into your account. I couldn't even access my Kodak account from your link but had to go to the Kodak Gallery website and sign into my account there. I know there's a way to do this so you can share the album but I'm not sure how.
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I'm going to carry on with my report & take care of the photo's later - just bare with me folks!
SUNDAY IN PARIS It's not such a sunny morning but we set off undeterred by the weather in search of breakfast. As we have planned a walk along the Promenade Plantee, we exit the metro at Bastille and grab a coffee & croque Monsieur at Le Bastille, 8 Place de la Bastille. The croque was under toasted so cold inside, the coffee was all froth & when the bill came to 26.40 euros we realised a breakfast even at 9 euros each would have been far better! Oh well, live & learn. Now the rain was getting serious and we stood with others in a doorway to a pharmacy to escape the downpour even though we did each have an umbrella. I wanted to go and have a look at the very large antiques market G told me about the previous evening, being held at Bastille, but when tried to enter was asked for 8 euros each. We decided that it wasn't worth the very short time we would spend inside the enclure so continued down past l'Opera de Paris Bastille on rue de Lyon into Avenue Daumesnil. A little way down there is a flight of steps just as one gets to the Viaduc des Arts. This takes you to the start ( or end as the case may be) of the Promenade Plantee. The are dark green trellises entwined with roses are the first things you see upon getting onto the walkway. Lots are in bloom, other varieties almost ready in their little green sheaths. Still occasionally using our umbrellas to shield off the drizzle we continue on dodging enthusiatic joggers evey now & then. The plants are a treat but I am shocked by the needless graffitti on almost every bench, wall, small Wallace fountains, and more! It is much worse than my last visit and can't understand why the Mayor of that particular arrondissement doesn't do something about it. France is far more advanced than South Africa and yet we have products that make short work of graffitti and municipality's even paint over the ugly mess. Nearing the end at Jardin de Reuilly we walk past the old original railway station which is a national monument. To see the name over the station door & entrance one must walk around to the Daumesnil side. We stop to admire the lovely childrens playground before going on to Place Felix Eboue for a welcome sitdown & beer! More in awhile. |
tod, try this to share your pictures. Sign in to your kodakgallery account and then click on "share photos" at the top. Select all of the albums you wish to share with your Fodors friends, and then send the "invitation" back to your own email address. When you receive the email, copy the link over to tiny url and post here. Good luck; I hope I didn't leave anything out.
Mark |
I have been following both the sagas in this thread ... trip report and pictures. The outcomes of both are eagerly awaited.
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That's exactly what I did Luv2cthings - not working, SO.....
On Monday 9 am Dr.ComputerExpert is calling at my home to spend some time teaching me the finer points of putting my album on 'visible mode'! I will go on with my little story in the meantime. Thanks for the kind words PaulR - I have lots more to tell. |
PLACE FELIX EBOUE
What a lovely setting with it's residential leafy round-about and Davioud's elegant Lion Fountain in the centre ( his most notable fountains being the very well known one at Place Saint-Michelle & the fountains of The Trocadero). We notice a long row of metal framework on the sidewalk, which I should imagine is to support an awning on market days. The Daumesnil metro stop is right outside several nice little cafe`s. We sat down at Cafe`Au Metro for a very welcome drink. Unfortunately the Lion Fountain is not working this time ( saw it in action 2 years ago) which was a pity. To me a fountain that is not spurting water looses a lot of it's appeal! The fountain was moved here from Place de la Republique in 1874. Nevertheless, we enjoy the tranquil country atmosphere before moving on down into the metro and our next Sunday venue. Our plan was to go the Salon de The` in the Mosquee` de Paris but the very attractive courtyard was packed with people and not a table in sight. I ventured inside to have a look. We could have sat there but the sun was out and we decided to look for something to eat in the Botanic Gardens. This in retrospect was a big mistake. A short way into the gardens we came across a crepe stand but all I wanted was to find a loo! We got directions to what I think is the one of 2 toilets in the gardens apart from the 'temporary' ones in a secluded courtyard off the Natural History Museum - the queue was at least 10 people deep waiting patiently. There is a little cafe nearby only serving sandwiches, cakes & crepes. We settled on the crepes - one with cheese, one with chicken. Dreadful. After walking around and finding the first Cedar of Lebanon to be planted in France (and originating from Kew Gardens!) we leave the by the same entrance and stop to admire the very last large 'wall model' Wallace Fountain left in Paris. On the opposite side of the street on the corner is a fabulous corner fountain - also no water flowing but I wish I knew more about it. The weather is not too bad so we make our way to Quai Saint-Bernard and down onto the banks of the Seine. I love wandering along here as there is so much to see. Families having a picnic, people with their dogs, musicians strumming guitars and I've even seen a large crowd dancing to loud music - but not this Sunday. We come up onto Quai de Montebello and stop to watch the antics of the rollerbladers. MSINFORMATION9 This is where I start walking backwards looking for that painting scene of Notre Dame! Sorry msinformation, I don't have any new ideas where the artist sat painting it and stick with my original guess of somewhere below Blvd Saint-Michelle. I show DH the narrowest street in Paris - rue du Chat qui Peche. I read somewhere it's not very much more than 1.2 metres wide. Going down this little lane we turn into busy rue de la Huchette and find ourselves in front of the lovely fountain on Place Saint-Michelle. MISSION ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE - SUNDAY NIGHT SUPPER. The dinner gong has sounded our tummies and we decide to head for a reccommendation from a fellow Fodorite on Rue de Rennes, namely Cafe du Metro, but alas, it was shut. Very weary and footsore we make for the next cafe we see which happens to be a very nice one - Cafe` Cassette, 73 Rue de Rennes. Not too busy so service is quick. We both order the same, grilled lamb chops @ 16.90, a Heineken & Rose` wine for me. Bill 47.80. Not a terrific dinner but juicy and tender lamb ( could have been a bit more of it) and just a nice way to round off the day. Back to La Defense to pack for our move to the 18e and a very different hotel. |
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Spelling correction - Saint-Michel, not Michelle!
I found information on the; CUVIER FOUNTAIN The very beautiful fountain on the corner of Rue Cuvier & Rue Linne`, opposite the entrance gate to the Jardin de Plantes, is a memorial to naturalist Georges Cuvier. The naked figure of a woman & a lion is the focal point. Erected in 1840 the carving was done by Jean-Jacques Feuchere. ON THE MOVE With the conclusion of the weekend rate we had enjoyed at the Ibis Hotel, it was time to move to a new arrondissement and The Hotel Torcy, 58 Rue Torcy, 75018. Phone:0146072729. Monday morning, it's dead quiet. We could have gone on sleeping for at least another hour had the chambermaid not made a noise outside in the corridor. I opened the curtains to check the weather - my word, what a different scene awaited! Thousands of people walking, riding bikes, scooters & cars were just crawling everywhere! The metro trains rolled in spilling out their contents and going back empty. You'd think with all that action out there we would have heard s o m e t h i n g?! What fantastic glazing on those Ibis Hotel windows. Decision time. Do we take a chance and drag our luggage through the metro or do we get a taxi. Metro won. The easy route to our metro with our cases was a breeze. The rest wasn't so easy but we took our time on the metro steps and soon exited at Marx Dormoy. Around the corner and we were there. The front of the hotel was entirely covered with scaffolding which Kerouac had mentioned some months ago when I first read the "Ethnic Walking Tour". Behind the front desk an elderly man was reading the paper and welcomed us. We said we had a reservation, but no record of it was found. Luckily a young woman in Eastern attire appeared and asked us if we wanted a room. "No, we have a room reserved etc, etc." "Come, come with me". She took us up the stairs to room 36 and showed us a large room with a double bed and a single bed. The bathroom was equally big and although not at all what I consider 'decorated' it looked clean and neat. We agreed to stay. Rate 52 euros a night. After unpacking we went downstairs to find a younger man at the reception desk. During the conversation of whether they had an all night porter or should we have a key the younger bloke tells us "You are in number 35" - reply, "No, we are in 36" "No, 35!" he keeps saying. "In 36 are the Russians! - 3 beds, 3 people!" I am worried now and tell him by a lot of head, arm and leg movement, that I have unpacked all our clothes into the cupboard space. "OK, OK," he says. While this was all being sorted out the old bloke was in the background sitting talking to another guy but every now & then would interject with "Dawn't warrrrry!" "You take your room, you take your room!" Then we were asked to pay. My DH presented every credit card know to man, but all the youngster repeated was "No good - only blue card!" So, we paid cash. On requesting a receipt another slight problem arose. No receipt book existed. So he scribbled all the relevant details on a blank slip of paper, signed it, and we were on our way to explore more of Paris. |
Yippee! Photos at last! :)
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More photos;
http://tinyurl.com/59spp8 |
That bas relief over the doorway is the biblical burning bush.
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Thank you so much. I love the detail in your report. The picturea are wonderful. It whets the appetite for another visit!
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I am already cringing in anticipation of the horrors of the Hôtel de Torcy, where I have never stayed since I live only a block away, but which I mentioned as a possible budget place to stay in a certain report of my neighborhood. And I am therefore probably guilty of enticing tod to stay there.
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Not at all! The experience was different to the norm but, I live in Africa and nothing phases me!!
It was ALL GOOD! |
Kerouac -
I must put your mind at rest about Hotel Torcy so will start the next bit of our day with the happy ending! On arriving back at the hotel we were greeted by another gentleman who handed us the key to room............................35! We started giggling in anticipation of what was to come. Well blow me down! We enter a lovely large room with a queen size bed. The walls have been wall-papered in a very soft green and the bathroom in really beautiful pink/beige tiles. We have two large windows in the bedroom looking onto the street and one large one in the bathroom. The curtains let the room down a bit being a bright blue but everything was cool and spotless. Where are our clothes? All neatly packed back in the shelves and hung up! Some may take affront to being shifted without being there, but - only in the very best hotels do you NOT unpack your own case! I was much happier with this gigantic room and from then onwards we referred to it as 'The American' room knowing this is more likely where they would be guests. We found out on our first night that the steel shutters and windows must be closed. We thought rue Torcy was a side street but soon found out it was very busy indeed. In the morning before we set off for the day we encountered the little lady who first showed us our room. I gave her the 'thumbs-up' and told her the room was lovely and that we were very happy. When we got in that evening we had double the amount of towels we started off with! I really loved the area. It was so convenient to a Monoprix, MacDonald's, where we ate breakfast everyday, and an open-air market. The best thing was having the metro stop so close and more inportant - so many Chinese restaurants to choose from! More later when I've sorted through some photographs. Robjame - thanks for the encouragement & kind words. |
EXPLORING CHINATOWN AND BEYOND
Monday 19th May. After checking in to Hotel Torcy we leave middle morning to start an exploration of the 18th. First we take a walk around the block to check out all the restaurants etc. What a wide choice right on our doorstep! Next we walk down rue de la Chapelle a little way to see the two churches side-by-side, Saint Denys de la Chapelle and Basilique Sainte Jeanne d'Arc, where she prayed before entering the city of Paris in 1429. A most gracious lady in the church vestry called the handyman/church cleaner over to translate as she spoke no English at all. He very kindly gathered up his broom & bucket & took us through the two churches - unlocked the door so we could photograph the statue of Jeanne d'Arc. His English was pretty good. We need to get our metro passes for the rest of the week and decide to go to Gare du Nord as I want to replace a very nice ladies purse/wallet I gor from a luggage dealer inside the station. I find a similar one and because we've had no breakfast decide on an early lunch at the very large Terminus Nord opposite. We are seated and go for the formula of the day. DH starts with Salade Magret followed by rumsteack (rump steak)and I go for the Tagliatelle Concomber which is dressed with a very nice prawn sauce, then grilled salmon for mains @ 24euros each. Wine by the glass 4,20 and Coke 4,50 finishing with an espressos 7,00euros. Total 63.70 which was a darn expensive lunch. I wanted to see an apartment in rue de Tolbiac where friends of ours had been staying, so we headed off to the left bank and Place D'Italie. From there we walked down Avenue de Choisy stopping at Parc de Choisy for a quick wander through. Around number 9 we spot another restaurant reccommendation from Kerouac, namely Tricotin. Unfortunately I didn't even get to go into the complex but that is a definite for next time! Getting to the corner of Blvd Massena we walked along until turning back up Avenue d'Ivry. This is the main Chinatown area and dubbed 'le Triangle Jaune'. We stopped in at Les Freres Tang the largest Asian supermarket - a jumble of products everywhere & packed with shoppers. We were delighted to see not only here but at other shops, my favourite mangsteens! Also displayed were durians ( smell can overpowering) & rhumbatans which I love - never tasted durian and was warned in Singapore not to eat it before getting on a plane as it can do strange things to your intestines! Most places were closed as if it were a Sunday back home. We are fascinated by the 'trams' ( I don't know if that's what they are called) In my youth we called them trolley buses. Modern in every respect but hooked up to powerlines overhead. The apartment was at number 15 Rue de Tolbiac. Modern building close to Metro Bibliotheque F.Mitterrand. We couldn't go inside but she has since reported it was very nice. We walk down to Pont de Tolbiac to get a different aspect of the Seine. What to do with the rest of the afternoon? Decide DH must see Sainte Chapelle and I want to go up and see the view from Kong but we lucked out both ways. Kong was closed for the evening clean-up - it is about 5.30pm so we go off to Ste.Chapelle where there is a concert starting at 7pm and no more people being admitted. We go down to Square Vert Galant to check on my willow tree instead. It's grown so big in two years and looking very healthy indeed. After an hour or so we are feeling tired so head home, but not before a stroll through Place Dauphine on our way to the metro at Cite`. It was around 8pm now so a quick look around the Chinese restaurants near the hotel but find La Locomotive closed ( looked shut maybe we were wrong) so went for Tin Tin. Seated in a corner in the window we had a lovely view of what was going on in the street. We order 2 menus @8.90 plus a Porc Laque @6.90( which I thought was Swett 'n Sour pork) but whatever this was it was delicious! A small bottle of Cote Du Rhone for me, Tsing Tsao beer for DH. Total Bill 40,80 euros. Now to see which room we will rest our weary heads Room 35 of course! Tomorrow we begin Kerouac's Ethnic Walking Tour in reverse. |
Photos;
http://tinyurl.com/69go8l |
tod - very interesting trip report. And I look forward to your England report eventually!
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You took a picture of my apartment, tod. It's the photo titled "Looking from MacDonald's down Rue Marx Dormoy" -- the two windows on the top floor are part of my apartment, as is the little window in the roof.
I'm glad you liked the neighborhood. I certainly like it. And I am very happy that you are able to inform people that good hotels rooms are available in Paris for 52€. Nobody ever wants to believe me. |
Sorry about the spelling errors - I did edit but it looks like that function is playing up.
Kerouac - Well, I did half suspect that one of those windows would be yours, so I'm glad I was right! Do you know how honoured we would be if you could make a GTG in the future?! I love the village feel to that area. When I look at my new Michelin 54 Paris Plan, I can see how the whole area is wedged into the space between the railway lines east and west and ending primarily at Rue Riquet. It's a very small little cluster of shops, hotels, restaurants, and businesses. yk - Thanks so much. My trip report on Britain is going to be awhile. We were there 2 weeks and travelled extensively in our motorhome. When I tell you we went right around the entire country - up oneside and down the other, we covered a lot of ground. I will get something together soon as I can. |
The Marx Dormoy area is often referred to as a "micro district" due to being wedged in by the train tracks. It is definitely one of the factors that creates cohesion among the many different ethnic residents. People who live "beyond the tracks" are just from another part of Paris and too bad for them!
However, there is a new gigantic development project currently underway that is going to be covering some of the train tracks from Gare de l'Est and restructuring some of the SNCF warehouses over there, and the neighborhood will definitely change to the new "bobo" mode for Paris. A new university campus is coming in and also a giant new youth hostel, since it will be on the same street of the headquarters of the world youth hostel association. One example of this is on rue Marx Dormoy where the little boutique devoted to making felt "piano hammers" recently closed to be replaced by an organic food shop. |
I read that the planned 'RER express' from CDG would arrive at Gare de l'Est, rather than Gare du Nord (2012).. do that might be a part of those structural changes, too.
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The CDG Express will indeed arrive at Gare de l'Est, which will have airline check-in counters (like in Hong Kong) and relieve you of your luggage immediately. Not before 2012, though.
2012 may not be the actual date, because the whole deal was geared for the 2012 Olympics, which, as everybody knows, Paris did not obtain. |
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