Really enjoying your report. I have been inside your apartment! My brother stayed there when we were in Paris this October. We also rented one from VIP. Number 197. It was a little bigger than the one you rented and we enjoyed it very much except for the 6 floors we had to walk up. That meant the more pastries we could eat from the Patisserie des Reves down the street.

Looking forward to more of your report.

Thanks for liking my photos. Usually the only person that wants to see them is my other sister who is an armchair traveler. Before I leave on a trip she always saids to me, your eyes are my eyes, I see what you see. I can count on her to want to see my photos so for someone else to want to see them is pretty cool.

9th Arrondissement and the Grands Magasins

We hop on our metro, line 8, as it is a direct to the 9th arrondissement. We get off at the Grand Boulevards stop and it is raining. We quickly duck into the Passage Jouffroy. The passages are a perfect place to be in the rain-you can wander without getting wet as the passages have glass ceilings.
The entrance sign to the passage is very classic looking with the individual boutique signs adding to the allure of the passages.
At the beginning there is a bookstore, Librairie du Passage, with tables of books lining the passage, mainly art books. They must be out of print books or very good condition used books as I bought a nice coffee table size book on Claude Monet for only 10E. I hesitated buying because it doesn’t quite fit-ok does not fit at all- my small souvenir criteria, but I decide to get it as it will lie flat at the bottom of my roller suitcase, and it was only 10 euro and I have a weakness for books.

Next we wander into the next passage-Passage des Panoramas and it is like stepping into another world- an interesting and peculiar world.
Stamp collector shops, post card collector shops, miniatures and quirky stuff shops- like a shop with old various doll parts- mixed in with cafes and bars filled with well dressed workers from I imagine the nearby financial district.
The quirky with the serious.

These two passages have mostly collectable boutiques but we did manage to find and buy from probably the only clothing boutique-Sybella-18 Passage des Panoramas- I bought a scarf and my sister bought a coat for her daughter’s 30th birthday present. Yes, I said a coat-definitely does not pass the small souvenirs criteria- but that is my criteria not hers. It is a very sleek, chic Parisian coat and her daughter will wear it well among all the big puffy coats in Portland, Oregon.

We leave the passages and head into the 9th arrondissement with Les Cakes de Bertrand as our destination (7 rue Bourdaloue- near Notre Dame de Loretta). I found this boutique on a previous trip and it is one of my favorites. They have a collection of bags, purses, perfumes, costume jewelry and papeterie in cool, retro designs with a little Parisian bling added. The shopkeeper was playing Christmas Jazz music from the 50s and 60s with Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole thrown in, which adds nicely to the whole experience.

After spending some time at Les Cakes de Bertrand we wander back towards the Grand Department stores to see the lights. It had stopped raining when we left the passages and this was a pleasant walk in a neighborhood that I do not know that well.

We stop at A La Mere de Famille at 35 rue du Faubourg Montmarte. This place is great! We step into a narrow wooden framed doorway and enter the shop which is jammed pack with candies of all kinds; the floor has a down-slope to it which brings you to a glass counter where all the specialty candies are. After you make your choices, you pay the cashier who sits in a little wooden box.
From their card they were founded in 1761 and have 9 locations in Paris. I have been to the one on Rue Cler, but there is something about this particular shop that makes the candy taste that much sweeter.

We reach the grands magasins, Printemps and Galeries Lafayette.

If the Bon Marche was a whisper, then the grands magasins are an in your face shout…It Is Christmas-lights, camera, action.

The energy from the rush of people is crazy and exciting.

We go inside and check out the huge Christmas tree in one of the stores-I think it was the Galeries Lafayette-it has a rock and mode theme-(huh?-not so Christmassy)-but I like the dome-it has stars hanging from it.

It gets a bit hot and overwhelming with people so we step back outside get some hot chestnuts and check out the windows, which is a continuation of the rock and mode theme.

The Galeries Lafayette outside lights are brilliant-very beautiful and the Printemps building outlined in red lights is stunning-especially when viewed from across the street.

We realize we are pretty hungry. We go upstairs in one of the stores-I think it was Printemps- to check out the cafes. We end up eating at a very quite sushi bar.
Calm in the eye of the storm.

FF - you are whetting my appetite for a part of Paris that i barely know.

definitely thinking about trying to persuade DH that he'd like to go next Christmas.

Takes me back to our Christmas trip a few years back. Really sounds great.

Another day, another big adventure. Today is the first Friday of the month which means that the Crown of Thorns ceremony is at 3pm at Notre Dame. This is our plan for today.

We leave the apt around 11 and head to the Tuileries Gardens. The day is gorgeous. The sky and clouds are incroyable. We walk thru the gardens all bundled up enjoying the gardens and the day.

On our way to the Louvre to use les toilettes we pass the neighborhood dog park. Now I know that Paris dogs are everywhere, on sidewalks, in cafes but I guess I never thought about where Paris dogs play.
Turns out they play at the gardens of the Louvre.
I have a good time watching these dogs and their humans.
The dogs are all sizes and shapes. And in true Paris form they are chic. Not a mutt among them, very fancy dogs.
We are amused by the littlest one-he always gets the ball and the big dogs haven’t a clue how to get it from him.

We pass under the pyramid just because it is cool and use the bathrooms. This trip we do not go inside the Louvre but just use their bathrooms.

We walk along the Seine checking out the bouquinistes along the way to Notre Dame.

We have some time before the Crown of Thorns ceremony and the day is cold so we think French onion soup.
We head to Aux Tours Notre Dame. I know it’s a tourist spot, and certainly there are better places for French onion soup, but this location is convenient-and because of the high turnover of tourist you can get in and out pretty quick.
One of these times I will try Au Pied de Cochon as I have read the French Onion Soup is really good there-but since I don’t have anything to compare to, I think the soup here is just fine.

That is the thing with Paris- there is so much to see and do that you need to go back again and again to search out the discoveries on the ever growing list.

We make our way across the street to Notre Dame to a new discovery.

I hesitate to write about this because I just don’t think I can convey the experience in words.
I was not expecting to be so moved.
I really don’t know what I was expecting.
It seemed like a unique experience and since one other time I was in Paris on the first Friday of the month and had passed it up it made the list this time.

We got there about 2:30 and people were already seated. We choose seats to the side near the inner aisle.
The procession starts and comes down the side aisle, then back up the center aisle, ending at the middle alter, where the ceremony is held- in French of course.

The cast of characters is magnificent. There were priest in white robes with red, orthodox priest- very Hasidic looking with tall black hats, nuns in black with lace veils, nuns in black without the lace veil, nuns in white, one younger women in a blue suit-who turned out to be the solo vocalist-and the crown (really only a piece of the crown) encased in a plastic wreath and carried on a red pillow. I am sure that there is significance to all the different color robes and hats but I don’t know it.

As the ceremony is taking place, some late comers join us and stand in the side aisle-way blocking the view of the alter from those of us that got there early and are seated. The looks and the loud whispering pull my focus from the dignified ceremony, which of course I cannot understand anyway. But the body language of the- I got here early and your pissing me off by blocking my view- crowd is fully understandable. The late comers look back as to say, yeah what are ya gonna do about it! Someone from the seated crowd actually gets up to go find someone to do something about it-and brings them back-but he doesn’t have much luck with this crowd. They just kinda shift a little but don’t leave. More staring and looks get thrown back and forth.
I find it interesting that we are in one of the most magnificent cathedrals on this earth, with men and women who have devoted their lives to a higher calling, with a piece of sacred religious artifact and people are acting like they are at a concert trying to get a better look at the pop star without regard to anyone else or even what they are there for.

What does that say for us as a human race I still wonder?

What happens next takes me out of body.

By the crowd’s movements I understand that you can actually form a procession, much like receiving communion and get up next to the wreath and even touch it if you want. (So all that earlier stuff did not have to happen if people just had respect for others and waited their turn?)

As I am moving up the center aisle it is awe-inspiring, the surroundings are so majestic. The sound of the solo vocalist, the gathering of the priest and nuns at the altar, the afternoon light pouring thru the stained glass makes the experience so, I can’t quite find the words-so I will use awe-inspiring again.

The woman in front of me is holding a baby girl about a year old and as she gets to the first priest the baby reaches out for him and he takes her in his arms. The look on that baby’s face as she was taking the priest in was one of pure wonderment.

I am up next, I give the sign of the cross-my automatic Catholic reaction-and try and take it in-this is where I leave my body as I can’t quite remember exactly what it looked like.

I step aside to wait for my sister who is behind me. The sun streaming thru illuminating the rose window is an image I hope I will never forget.

Back at home I learn more on the fascinating history of the Crown of Thorns from the Notre Dame website-
www.notredamedeparis.fr

In keeping with our can my soul get any fuller-feeling we cross the bridge to Isle St Louis and sit outside at Le Flore en Lile Café and listen to a violin player‘s beautiful music while someone else is blowing big bubbles which float over the Seine in the cloud filled sky.
We order chocolat chaud which they bring to us
a l’ancienne and we perform tabletop alchemy with the pitcher of warm milk, a smaller pitcher of dark, rich chocolat, pouring the two together creating just the right mixture of wonderful.

We take the bus back to the 7th to meet up with Cynthia Morris, who is the author of the newly released novel, Chasing Sylvia Beach-a magical read which transports you back to 1930s Paris (since she self published it may not be at your local bookstore or library but is available on Amazon).

Cynthia, like a lot of us, loves Paris and has figured out a way to spend a lot of time here; this time she is house-sitting for a few months. We meet at the Le Sancerre Wine Bar on Ave Rapp and after a few hours of lively conversation while she is sketching the items on our table, we part ways, she rides off in the Paris night on a velo, and we walk to our apt where are beds are waiting for us after a very long, but wonderful day.

What a wonderful day -- thanks for sharing it.

This is wonderful. I did not know about the Crown of Thorns ceremony. The last few times we were in Paris we had a few too many unpleasant experiences with pickpockets and thought we were through. Your post makes me want to go right back.

I'm thoroughly enjoying your trip report. Just lovely.

I agree, lovely.

Thanks, love re-traveling thru trip reports. Merry Christmas

We have been to the Crown of Thorns Ceremony twice during Lent. The first time when we went up and got to kiss it, it was surreal. One of our best experiences traveling. There were some older gentlemen who were in the procession that came in with the priests that kept everyone in order and did not let people stand in the way, nor culd anyone cut in line. They were wonderful. My husband compared them to Knights of Columbus at home.

Joyeux Noel,
Hope is was a merry one for you...

I added some pictures

http://www.flickr.com//photos/28199474@N04/show/

More adventures to follow

Continuing....
Started the day grocery shopping on rue Cler. I know that a lot of people don’t really care for rue Cler and say it is too touristy, but come on, it is a street in Paris with beautiful food-a patisserie, a boulangerie, a chocolaterie, a charcuterie, and a wine shop - all right around the corner from our apartment. Really-c’est pas mal.

After unloading the groceries and lunch, once again in our apartment, we head to Musee Marmottan.

Located in the 16th arrondissement, we take the RER line C there then walked the rest of the way in a slight drizzle thru first a few streets of shops and then a park to the museum.

I have wanted to go to this museum for a long time but because it is a little out of the Paris center a visit was bypassed for something else nearer.

But no more. I will visit this museum every time I am in Paris-it was that great.

The museum owns more than 300 works of impressionist art including the largest collection of Monet paintings. All the big well know impressionist and post impressionist artist are represented here. Monet, of course, and Manet, Degas, Pissaro, Renoir and Sisley.

Claude Monet has been a favorite of mine for a long time and here were a lot of Monet’s that were new to me, including a few big canvases of his weeping willows that were stunning.

During our visit there was a special exhibition of paintings by Henri-Edmund Cross,a new discovery for me and my new favorite artist. He painted such dreamy visuals using pointillism with a resulting look of mosaics.

The museum is named for M. Marmottan, a Frenchman who made his money from the coal mines of Northern France, or at least that is what we were told by a security guard.

Below is the history of the museum from Wikipedia:

Originally a hunting lodge for the Duke of Valmy, the house at the edge of the Bois de Boulogne was purchased by Jules Marmottan in 1882 who later left it to his son Paul Marmottan. Marmottan moved into the lodge and, with an interest in the Napoleonic era, he expanded his father's collection of paintings, furniture and bronzes. Marmottan bequeathed his home and collection to the Académie des Beaux-Arts. The Académie opened up the house and collection as the Museum Marmottan in 1934.

Though originally a showcase for pieces from the First Empire, the nature of the museum's collection began to change with two major donations. In 1957, Victorine Donop de Monchy gave the museum an important collection of Impressionist works that had belonged to her father, Doctor Georges de Bellio, physician to Manet, Monet, Pissaro, Sisley and Renoir, and an early supporter of the Impressionist movement. In 1966, Claude Monet's second son, Michel Monet, left the museum his own collection of his father's work, thus creating the world's largest collection of Monet paintings.

And then this interesting bit of made for the movies history:

1985 theft:

On 28 October 1985, during daylight hours, five masked gunmen with pistols at the security and visitors entered the museum and stole nine paintings from the collection. Among them were Impression, Sunrise (Impression, Soleil Levant) by Claude Monet, the painting from which the Impressionism movement took its name. Aside from that also stolen were Camille Monet and Cousin on the Beach at Trouville, Portrait of Jean Monet, Portrait of Poly, Fisherman of Belle-Isle and Field of Tulips in Holland also by Monet, Bather Sitting on a Rock and Portrait of Monet by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Young Woman at the Ball by Berthe Morisot, and Portrait of Monet by Sei-ichi Naruse and were valued at $12 million.

A tip-off led to the arrest in Japan of a Yakuza gangster named Shuinichi Fujikuma who spent time in French prison for trafficking heroin and was sentenced for five years. There he met, Philippe Jamin and Youssef Khimoun who were part of an art syndicate. Fujikuma, Jamin and Khimoun were the people who planned the Marmottan heist. In his house, police found a catalog with all the stolen paintings from museum encircled. Also found were two paintings by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot stolen in 1984 from a local museum in France. This led to the recovery of the stolen paintings in a small villa in Corsica in December 1990.

And also this regarding Monet’s paintings of his weeping willows:

During World War I, in which his younger son Michel served and his friend and admirer Clemenceau led the French nation, Monet painted a series of weeping willow trees as homage to the French fallen soldiers. In 1923, he underwent two operations to remove his cataracts: the paintings done while the cataracts affected his vision have a general reddish tone, which is characteristic of the vision of cataract victims. It may also be that after surgery he was able to see certain ultraviolet wavelengths of light that are normally excluded by the lens of the eye; this may have had an effect on the colors he perceived. After his operations he even repainted some of these paintings, with bluer water lilies than before.

What is also nice about this museum , at least when I was there, it does not draw the huge crowds which makes viewing the artwork so much more enjoyable.

When we left the museum the rain had stopped and being a Saturday afternoon the streets were busy with locals shopping-so we joined them and eventually made a stop at a very popular, by way of its waiting crowd, patisserie for a pain au chocolat.

Back on the RER direct to St Michel. Coming to street level it was now dark and the place was in full swing-controlled chaos in all directions.
We crossed over to Notre Dame where there was some kind of a telethon going on in the square with a huge crowd.

Wandered into Notre Dame, where a mass had just started, and lit a candle in honor of my Dad on his 94th birthday. The beauty of this cathedral restores me-for some reason when I am here I can block out the crowd around me and focus on the splendor of the sights and sounds.

The night was so gorgeous we decided to cross over the bridge to Ile Saint-Louis.
The isle was charming. Lit up with Christmas lights and window decorations that were pure eye candy. We refrained from a Berthillon ice cream as we had just indulged in the pain du chocolat, but in hindsight really should have had a scoop or two!

Next headed to Rue de Rivoli and the BHV department store. Being a Saturday night in December the store was packed with shoppers and very hot. Checked out the basement with all the hard to resist hardware type housewares then upstairs to the fine housewares with more really good stuff. Almost bought a set of desert plates with Paris pastries on them, but somehow was able to resist.

Continued down Rue de Rivoli until our feet had enough, then caught bus 69 home.

Dinner tonight was from our morning rue Cler visit-roast chicken, pomme puree, salad, fromage and baguette with creamy butter. So good.

One of the pleasures with staying in an apartment is you feel at home-there is enough space to spread out and just chill-and that is what we did for a good part of today.

Today is the first Sunday in the month so free museum day at a lot of the bigger museums.

We walk to the Musée d’Orsay taking streets we have never been on but no new discoveries to tell about, just nice quiet streets on a nice Sunday afternoon stroll.

By the time we get to the d’Orsay the line is very long, which means that inside will be very crowded. I was once in Paris the last week of October and it was the perfect museum time. At the Louvre in the Mona Lisa gallery there were only 5 people, and 2 of them were my sister and me. At the d’Orsay we had whole rooms to ourselves. Late October is a great time in Paris as the crowds are small. Just make sure you dress for it as it can be very cold. That trip I had to buy boots, a sweater, more tights and heaver coat then what I had brought (not that that is a bad thing- clothes and shoe shopping in Paris-if you know what I mean!).

I have also been to both of those museums in the middle of summer when you are behind 3 people trying to catch a glimpse of the painting over heads.

I prefer no crowds for my museum visits and because I know we will return to Paris we decide to go across to the Tuileries Gardens and see what the line is like at the Musée de l’Orangerie.

Not too bad, very short, so we get in line and it starts to drizzle, but no worries we have our umbrellas and we are soon in the museum.
We head straight to the big draw here, the Nympheas, Monet’s water lilies, just lovely. I will be going to Monet’s home and gardens at Giverny this summer for the first time, if anyone has any secrets, please tell.

We sit and gaze for a while then move on thru the museum.

I love museums and have a dream of spending a year in Paris as it would take at least that long to visit them all properly-but I do get glassy eyed after a couple hours. It’s best for me to take my museum culture in small doses. So after a short while we leave and once again find ourselves just walking.

We head to Rue de Rivoli as it is still drizzling and most of this street is covered. We lick windows (leche vitrine) all the way to Musée des Arts Decoratifs-one of my favorite museums. They always have interesting exhibits plus a permanent collection of art nouveau furniture and a lot of Rene Lalique designs. The line is fairly long and it is almost closing time-so we pass for another day.

Back on Rue de Rivoli licking more windows but not anything really good-but if you need that Paris ashtray or le chat apron, here is the place to buy it.

We’re not sure what to do next the rain has stopped so should we continue on to the Marais or to St Germain?

We decide St Germain and on the way there we stop at Habitat on Pt Neuf-the Paris version of Pottery Barn. Lots of nice home décor but we leave without any bags.

We cross over the Seine on Pont Neuf and stumbled on Place Dauphine. Beautiful!
OMG, it was so picturesque- our perfect luck to find it right then. There was no one on the square (really a triangle). It was glistening from the rain and the lights of the ornate lampposts. The shinning cobblestone added to the magic of this little triangular island on the Seine. First time here and will come back again as a place of refuge from the hustle of Paris.

Continuing on we find another great card and gift shop. Really the best selection of cards- I will make this a “have to” every Paris trip. Moeti 30 rue Dauphine.

On this trip eating seems to have taken a back seat. We have made no restaurant reservations and eat mostly at home, which has been really great for the food budget. The occasional restaurant has been where we are when we decide we are hungry. This is one of those times. We stop at Creperie Saint Andre des Arts because it looks nice from the outside. Turns out to be a nice place-cozy with stone and timbered wood walls adding to the charm. Our server is a young college girl from the east coast of the US. I had a mushroom, tomato and onion crepe and of course a desert crepe both really good.

We decide to call it a night and hop on the metro home. Once we get into the 7th the crowd thins and the energy changes to a more subdue one.

As we are walking the sky opens up and the rain pours. We duck into separate doorways and start laughing charged with the energy of the rain. The downpour does not last long and we laugh all the way home.

French friend comes today.

I know her from Hawaii where I live,and she lives part of the year.
She is coming home for Christmas to her village where she grew up and her family still lives which is 3 hours by train from Paris near Nantes.
Her mom, MC, will come into Paris tomorrow to spend a couple days with us.

After French Friend gets settled we take take the
bus to St Germain and explore the area around Blvd St Germain, Blvd Raspail and rue du Rennes.
If you like shopping this is a great area, lots of shoes shops, and clothing stores with nice windows displays for leche vitrine.

First purchase is at Polaine Boulangerie-8 rue du Cherche Midi. This boulangerie is famous for their sourdough bread which they have been making since 1932.
It is baked in wood fired ovens below street level. The Boulangerie is very small and does not have a big selection but what they do have is really good-sourdough bread, tartes aux pommes (apple tartes), and punitions (butter cookies).
We buy some bread for dinner and tartes aux pommes, which we devour before we are down the street.

We make our way to the big Monoprix on rue due Rennes. This is a really good place to buy souvenirs like chocolate bars from Belgium.
I also pick up a water flavoring, Antesite, for my French language teacher-who said to me when describing what she would like me to bring her back from France- “it flavors the water and has no calories”-spoken like a true French women!

Across from Monoprix is a Zara’s, an affordable clothing store that has a few locations in Paris.

Further down on rue de Rennes is a nice house wares store, Culinarion at 99 rue de Rennes, where I find a set of desert plates with Paris pasties similar to the ones I saw at BHV and this time I don’t resist.

Also on rue de Rennes is a small store packed from floor to ceiling and spilling out onto the sidewalk with anything and everything a cook could want. French Friend tells me that there is nothing better than a french vegetable peeler, the blade rotates while you’re peeling and makes a clean slice on bumpy vegetables like carrots and potatoes.

We get to Jardin du Luxembourg just as they are closing the big gates. We stand around and check out some of the apts on the street with roof top terraces decked out for Christmas then we take the bus to our neighborhood and make dinner at home.

I like your travel style and your memory is superb. Nice photos and thanks for alleviating any trepidation that I had for visiting in November. You seem to see a lot of sites even though you have a relaxed(window licking)style of travel. Thankyou for posting your report and photos.

Loving this report. Reliving memories of past trips and taking notes for future ones. Thank you.

Thank you ziggypop and baladeuse. I am enjoying reliving my trip while writing this report.
And ziggypop (luv ur name)-not such a superb memory, but a journal that I write while on my trip.

After a nice relaxing night at the apt catching up with French Friend we start the day as usual with a Pain du Chocolat from our downstairs boulangerie.
I have to say this is a real benefit of staying in an apt and in particular this apt and that particular Boulangerie-Le Moulin de la Vierge.

We walk the easy distance to the Rodin Musee and Gardens.

I love this place-

Is it because every time I come to here I can’t help but think what it would have been like when Rodin and his talented roommates lived here, or is the gardens and the expansive lawn which ends at a tall arched wall of greenery, or is it the sculptures themselves?

The mansion had a number of owners starting with a wealthy fancier in 1727 who died before it was completed. His widow then sold the property and it eventually wound up in the hands of the Catholic Church and the order of the Society of the Sacred Heart. The nuns made several changes to the property to enhance their use, including constructing a chapel.

After the order was dissolved and the nuns were evicted, (which begs the question, who evicts nuns?) rooms could be rented while the mansion was up for sale.

It was now called the Hotel Biron (1905) and became home to several artist.
Among the renters at the Hotel Biron was the writer Jean Cocteau, the artist Henri Matisse, the American dancer Isadora Duncan- who broke with rigid ballet techniques to dance a more free flowing natural style and later dies in the south of France when her scarf gets caught in the spokes of a car she was riding in and breaks her neck-Rodin and the sculptress Clara Westfhoff.

What an amazing time that must have been.

Rodin first had 4 rooms for his studio and by 1911 he occupied the entire building and strikes a deal with the French government, who is now the owner, to leave all of his works and his collection of antiquities to France in exchange for living here for the remainder of his life.

Then there are the Rodin’s famous sculptures.

The Thinker, which if you stand in front of lines up with the tomb of Napoleon and the Eiffel tower for the perfect photo opp.

The Gates of Hell, a depiction of Dante’s The Inferno, which evokes such emotion from something that started out as a piece bronze.

The Kiss-the sweet embrace of two lovers that comes thru in marble.

I don’t know why I love this place. I only know I do and that they serve a mean chaud chocolat piled high with chantilly in the garden café.

And that is how we start this amazing day in Paris.

So loving reading your trip report. We love the Rodin Museum and land in Paris for another trip March 12. It is my sister in laws first time to Paris and I hope she loves it as much as we do.

Irock-thank you-have a great trip in March. I always want to go to Paris...even when I just get back.

After our visit to the Musee Rodin we part ways, French Friend goes to the train station to meet her mother, MC. We walk to St Germain to have lunch at Cuisine de Bar on Cherche Midi.

On the way there we find the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal at 40 rue du Bac. I had no knowledge of this Chapel or its story. From the brochure:

“On November 27, 1830, in the Chapel of rue du Bac, in Paris, MARY, appeared to Sister Catherine Laboure, Daughter of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul and requested of her:

Have a medal struck on the model, the persons who wear it with confidence will receive great graces”

We enter the chapel and stand in the back. It is a small narrow chapel with quite a few people praying on their knees. The chapel is very serene, and I can feel the faith of the believers. The chapel has an almost iridescent blue cast from the mosaics in the niches surrounding the apse which has a statue of Mary bathed in a soft blue light adorned with a halo of shinning stars.

This chapel was built on the spot where Mary appeared to Sister Catherine Laboure.

We leave the chapel and enter the gift shop to buy a metal for my arm chair traveler sister, who is a rosary praying kind of girl. I end up getting a few medals as I think it is always a good thing to receive great graces.

Upon exiting the shop a nun approaches me and takes my hands and blesses the metals and then blesses me.

This turned out to be a very serendipitous spiritual stop.

Feeling light footed we continue to rue Cherche Midi and pass Bon Marche’s Grand Epicerie-a grand grocery store. We just can’t pass by, we have to go in.

And here I find the winner of the best macarons in Paris- for me- on this trip- subject to change (bien sur).

This store is really a great grocery store, and this is coming from someone who detests grocery shopping at home. It is full of all kinds of fancy foods, packaged to take with you back home and take away counters of different foods to enjoy in Paris. Really fun to browse.

After a few more distractions we finally make it to our destination, Cuisine de Bar-8 rue Cherche Midi.

They serve open faced sandwiches- called tartines- on Poilane bread (the boulangerie next door). I get a chicken and capers with garlic mayonnaise tartine. It is really good.

The restaurant is a long space with the food prep on one wall and a row of tables on the opposite wall. We have to pull our table out so that I can slide in to sit on the back banquette. A little tight but its okay as long as you have good neighbors.

And we do-Mary Poppins is sitting next to us. She was alone, on a holiday from England, dressed very proper and most cheerful.

She leaves then a lassie from Ireland, once again alone, takes her place. She has an apartment in the 15th and this restaurant is one of her regular spots on her once a month trips. The servers and cooks greet her like the regular she is as she sits down. She immediately falls into conversation with us giving restaurant recommendations and places not to be missed. Once she finds out where we have just been she begins telling us the history of some of the lesser known churches and saints, all the while cracking up as if it is the funniest story she had ever heard-and she wasn’t even drinking-but we start.

We are sitting next to the window and see that is has started to rain and then hail. We have nowhere to be, so we order a drink and listen to her stories and watch the people passing by. Perfect way to spend the hours.

When we leave the restaurant it is now dark and we head to the rue de Buci and rue St-Andre des Arts area.

Two stops worth mentioning-

City Pharma on the corner of rue du Four & rue Bonaparte-a two story pharmacy that does not look like much from the outside, but inside has every lotion and potion a girl could want.

And Cour du Commerce St Anne-a charming cobblestone passage off rue St-Andre des Arts. Look for the tall wrought iron gates that lead to the centuries old street. Un Dimanche A’ Paris, a chocolate wonderland, is on the left. Le Procope- said to be the oldest restaurant in Paris and where that new stimulant from Turkey, coffee, was first served- is on the right.

Fueled by a gelato from Amorino we walk all the way to Shakespeare & Company-that funky bookstore in the 5th arrondissement across the Seine from Notre Dame-where I buy a book each trip just so I can get their cool stamp on the inside cover.

We head home via the metro. I love Paris public transportation it is so convenient. On this trip there was an accordion player serenading us to our stop.

French Friend and Mom-MC are already at home. We have a great conversation with MC and she tells us more about religious symbolism.

But I will save that for next time.

Sometimes my trips take on an unexpected theme. This trips’ theme has turned into one of religion, or should I say spiritualism.

It started with our private concert given by the woman’s choir of the Madeleine Church, followed certainly at the Thorn of Crowns ceremony, and again yesterday being serendipitously blessed at the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and the stories our Irish friend told us at Cuisine de Bar.

And now it continues with MC. Since the last time I saw MC, maybe 4 years ago, she has been studying and painting Icon art with a group from her village including taking trips to Russia to study the paintings. She is really into it and has brought a book of photos of the paintings that she has done.

With a nice bottle of wine and the chocolates she made for us- packaged in that French way of making a simple box a special gift- we go thru her book and she enlightens us on the art of Icon painting.

In a simple definition Icon painting is the painting of a holy being- Jesus, Mary, saints and angels-on a flat panel, usually wood. This style of painting originated in Eastern European Churches especially Catholic Churches.

The paintings are full of symbolism and the connection with the Catholic Church is fascinating.

We go thru her book and she explains the subject in the paintings. This night has turned into our own private art tour in the comfort of our pjs in our living room.

We show her the holy water plaque with the 3 sprigs of lily flower and 3 stars that my sister bought at the Vanves flea market. She tells us that the 3 lily flowers represents the 3 stars of Mary-one for love, amour-one for virgin, virgo, verge and the 3rd sprig- grace-Mother Mary full of grace.

Now that we know this we see it everywhere in Paris, on a building wall, the sign of store near Sacre Coeur, in churches- and of course the prayer that every Catholic knows, (practicing and the non- practicing alike) that begins with Hail Mary full of grace… takes on a whole new meaning for me.

One more thing she tells us is that most persons born in France celebrate two birthdays, their birth day and the day of the saint whose name they were given. Apparently there are 365 saint days celebrated in France and she pulls out her pocket calendar and there they were, all 365 days listed with their saint.

What a great ending to another wonderful day in Paris.

You are bringing back such good memories for me. You are visiting some of our favorite places. We have been to St. Catherine Laboure a few times. We brought back medals and I wear one. We also went down the passage where Le Procope is on our visit to Paris last Christmas. We went to Un Dimanche a Paris and loaded up on chocolate. They have some really great stuff there.

Your report continues to enchant me. A perfect read for our upcoming trip.

Love the trip report. But that apartment! I stayed in it last year with my daughter and would not return...did the tub fill with water during your showers as it did for ours? Regardless, the location is superb and after all, you are in Paris, so...all is well. I ãm enjoying the spirit of discovery that underlines your report and can't wait to read more.

Love that Cour du Commerce passage way but love Un Dimanche a Paris even more! If you didn't try the macarons, definitely go back someday. They are fab!

Always have wanted to get to Bar de Cuisine and it just hasn't happened...maybe next trip! City Pharma will also have to be included...heaven for me (they should add shoes and then it would be)!

Hub and I stayed on Rue de la Cherche Midi and loved that street. Enjoying this very much.

Enjoying traveling with you. We always think of Cherche Midi as "the shoe street"---even though I don't have the feet for all those beauties, there's no harm in looking.

denisea----planning already? I'm working on a March adventure right now, but will get to Paris planning closer to summer. Paris in Sept. seems to be our MO so maybe our paths will cross.

This continues to be a singularly rewarding trip report. You are revealing your lovely self and Paris all at the same time. It's really nice to know you, and thanks for the journey.

Wonderful trip report. I have taken so many notes of things to do this May while in Paris. Several years ago went to the two level drugstore with my daughter and her friend that lives in Paris. I was told what to buy for my skin problems and of course I had to buy several of each item. Walked out with a $700.00 bill. We still talk about that purchase. My daughter tells me I could easily spend $100 dollars in a 7-11.

TPAYT, I am! Hoping for Sept or Oct. so, maybe our paths will finally cross!

Loving your report as I prepare for my trip with my mom in May!

To all-thank you for still reading along and your comments.
Yes, rue Cherche midi for shoes-love shoes too-so I guess it would be alright to admit in this group that my first trip to France i bought 3 pairs-but I won't mention how many i had brought!

dlejhunt-no problem with the shower for us-that would have really bummed me out.

benitakaren-it would be very easy to spend $700 at Citi pharma with all their lotions and potions.

tacionictravler-what a nice thing to say -Thank you! and nice knowing you too.

continuing with this long trip report:

Today is Wednesday and we all have different plans for the morning.

My sister and I are going across the bridge, past the Princess Diana memorial, to the street market at President Wilson Ave. MC is meeting with a fellow painter to take in an exhibit of ICON paintings at the Louvre and French Friend is going along to make sure she makes the connection. We will all meet up later in Montmartre.

We have another great morning at the market getting our food for the next few days.

It is really a budget saver eating at home. We are spending about 2/3 less in our food budget and eating wonderful tasting food-(although being in Paris the savings does get spent just not on food). We did not plan this but being so close to this street market, rue Cler and the Carrefour grocery store we eat at home almost daily. I will now always take this into consideration when booking an apt…the proximity to food markets and grocery stores.

We decide to take the bus to Montmartre. It is a really good decision. I have taken a taxi there-first trip at night-and all the other times I have gone I have taken the metro. I love the metro, but not the metro to Sacre Coeur-it gets really crowded and I get…um…uncomfortable.

The bus was a great choice. We are not sure where to get off, and up ahead we see an inviting stretch of street that is tree lined with shops and lights strung across-we think that is heading too far away from Montmartre so get off the bus.
Next time I will need to go a little further and investigate this street. Does anyone know about this stretch? I think it might have been rue Caulaincourt?

We get off right near the cemetery (another thing to explore next time). We head down rue Lepic following the street and our instinct.

We get to Place Abbessess right as it starts to rain. We duck into St Jean Cathedral to wait out the rain. It is a small, beautiful church, with a lot of mosaics and art nouveau style stained glass.

Near the alter the crèche is set up. Baby Jesus is missing and we find out later that in France they do not put Baby Jesus in place until Christmas Eve. I think that is kinda perfect-the way it should be.

After the rain stops we head down to the bottom of Sacre Coeur near the carousel where we will be meeting French Friend.

I have my first encounter with the big green les toilettes- when a girls gotta go a girls gotta go-especially when she is really not a girl but une femme d’un certain age-all in all, not too bad. You just need to get in and out really fast…which is kinda hard to do when you are wearing so many clothes.
There is an process/art to taking off layers of clothes and therefore a time factor which has to be considered when going to les toilettes-first the gloves come off, then the purse, then the scarf, then the coat etc…whew…a lot for someone use to wearing just sundresses-then, where do you put all that stuff you just took off?

We have a little time before we are to meet French Friend and we are near a shop that I have been trying to go to for few trips.

It has funny hours of operation and I have never hit it right.

Today it is open and wow…what a beautiful shop.
Talk about eye candy.

Belle de Jour-www.belle-de-jour.fr-an expat from Ohio on the metro to Puce St Ouen told me about this shop and he said if you are looking for perfume bottles this is the place to go.

The perfume bottles are beautiful works of art from the early 1900s belle époque period and range from sets that sell for a lot of euros to reproductions that are not so much money.

They even have a few Avon girl perfume bottles from the 70s-remember those?

As we are looking at all the pretties French Friend walks by…and now we do a second take around the store.

I buy a reproduction red art nouveau style bottle-it comes with a little funnel and a post card of the store.

French Friend tells us that we are near a great fabric store.

At the foot of Sacre Coeur to the right of the stairs is Marche Saint-Pierre. This store is huge- 6 different levels- you spiral up wide wooden stairs to each floor which specializes in different fabrics for different purposes (for some it might be better to take the elevator up and spiral down).
On the floor with bath fabrics there are French washcloths. French Friend tells us they are the best and she always stocks up on them when she is in France-two pieces of terry cloth sown together to make a mitt in an array of colors. I buy a few for my husband because besides food I have a hard time finding something to bring home for him. He really liked them so now I too will always buy them when in France.

We make our way up to the church where we will meet MC and fellow painter.

It is freezing up here!

The coldest day of our trip so far.

We stand around waiting in front of the church but it is too cold so we have to move.

We check out the little park on the side of the church.

We take photos of each other at the famous photo op next to the church, each of us running up and down the stairs taking our turn trying to get the great shot like the one you see on postcards everywhere. You know the one looking down the stairs with the center rail and the beautiful ornate light post framed by trees on either side of the stairs. That shot is really hard to capture… the postcards get it best.

Finally MC and fellow painter arrive and we can go into the warmth of the church.

We stay in the church for quite a while. Shelter from the cold-plus MC and fellow painter are really into this church.

I notice things I had not noticed before.
Like the dome ceilings, which are beautifully painted with stars.

Fellow painter-who we find out is a former nun- tells us some of the back story about Sacre Coeur.

She told us that the church was built to not only honor those who died during the French revolution and the Franco-Prussian war but to inspire faith in the French people who were still struggling.

The construction of the church was completely paid for by private donations-as she put it-by the goodness of people.

The fundraising was mainly the efforts of two businessmen.

She also told us that the Blessed Sacrament has been on continuous display since 1885 in a monstrance (vessel) on the high alter.
Because of the continuous display people from all over the world make pilgrimages to pray here and that is why they “shush” you when you are in the church so as not to disturb those that are praying.

I have mixed feelings about Montmartre. Sometimes I really like it and sometimes not so much.

But here’s the thing I keep going back because the times I have really liked it- it was grand.

Like the Sunday afternoon I saw a group singing on the steps overlooking Paris. We sat there for hours being entertained-they were great, the crowd was great, the view of Paris spread out in front of us on that clear day was great. They had everyone singing along and would pull individuals out of the crowd to sing with them. A really good time had by all.

Or the time we stroll the back streets and find the village of Montmartre not the tourist catering Montmartre.

Today’s visit to Montmartre is pretty good.

There are no crowds of people- I mean almost no one in the Place Tertre.
I have never experienced that.

A few artist, a few people that’s it.

The square is lit by a full moon with blue lights strung across - it looks really charming.

But it is really cold and getting late, so we decide to head to dinner.

As I am hungry and cold I would have preferred to eat right now on the square, enjoying the un- crowded picturesque square, but everyone else wants to go back to the apt and refresh before dinner.

So this is what we do… we take that dreaded, crowded metro train back to the 7th.

This is the night we tried to get into Reed-the restaurant in the 7th that denisea and others recommend.
The menu looked really good, but it is full and by now it is really late and we are really hungry.

We end up on rue Cler at Café Marche. This is my first time eating here. French Friend and MC really liked it. They said it was like home cooking.

I liked the atmosphere and company way more than the food.

We ate outdoors in the screened in heated room with a view of the Christmas decorations strung across the street and the people passing by. Eating here this night was mostly locals and it was the happening spot on the block for sure.

We pass on desert, which as soon as we got home realized was a big mistake.
We still have some of MC’s homemade chocolats so we devour those then off to sleep.

She also told us that the Blessed Sacrament has been on continuous display since 1885 in a monstrance (vessel) on the high alter.
Because of the continuous display people from all over the world make pilgrimages to pray here and that is why they “shush” you when you are in the church so as not to disturb those that are praying.>>

on our last visit to Paris we happened to arrive at Sacre Coeur on a saturday morning when they were celebrating mass, which was just lovely. DH and i sat down to listen to the wonderful singing and we were very surprised at the numbers of people who just kept walking and talking throughout. i didn't hear any "shushing" sadly.

thanks for carrying on with your TR - I'm loving the detail!

Thanks annhig and anyone else continuing to read.

After a relaxing morning and rounds of hugs and kisses French Friend and MC leave to go home to their village.

We set off walking to Musée des Arts Decoratifs but it is so cold out we hop on the metro.
When we get there we find out today’s admission is free thanks to some sort of social protest. The permanent exhibits would not be open but the temporary exhibits are.

We head in…
I am not sure if I should try and explain what I saw, as it might be like trying to explain a dream you had to someone. The listener may not get it like I do- or get bored with me trying to explain it enough so that you do get it.

But it was so cool I will try – and I will get if you stop reading at any point cause you don’t get it.

We head to the grand staircase which is white stone and there is a huge mannequin dressed in a skin tight black T- shirt with a long black skirt that is draped over a large metal hoop that is partly exposed so that you see the motorized cart she is on. She is wearing a large black circular hat the covers her eyes, her face is the only skin you can see and it stands out being white with bright red lips.

That’s the first thing we see- and it is very striking.

Maybe I should post some pictures so you get it?

When we get to the top of the stars there is a real girl, dressed all in white. She is wearing a princess gown, her long blond hair is in a single braid down her back and her hands are in a white fur muff. She has on a tall tiara made of large white pearls that extends down to her neck and becomes a choker.

She looks like a Russian snow princess to me-or what I think one would look like if there was such a creature.

The cool thing about her is she is gliding-not walking.

What…I know, you just had to see it…she must have been on skates, but you could not see the wheels and the control was probably in the muff she was holding. She was very stoic with perfect posture and a still expression. She would stop and people would marvel at her, then she would glide off.

Not sure pictures would even help as this point, but I will keep describing…

The next room we go into is a square room with Grace Jones’ head sticking out of a pile of sand that is on a square platform (remember her-the actress, model, singer from the 70s). Her neck is very long and her face is very angular with her hair sticking straight up. As you watch the light in the room changes and becomes neon blue and her eyes white laser beams…very bizarre.

As you progress into the exhibits rooms there are more Grace Jones images-Grace wearing sunglasses, Grace heads in little niches, Grace with her whole body on paintings and photos.

This artist definitely had a thing for Grace.

In the next room there is a twin of the snow princess sitting very straight in a chair in front of a large mirror. She is speaking in a foreign language and at the end of her dialog the reflection in the mirror is a hologram of her with fire coming from her fingers and surrounding her.

In another room there are 4 or 5 smaller versions of the mannequin women all spinning around. The walls of this room is all mirrors so the spinning mannequins are all around you.

Along with all this bizarre eye candy there is an exhibit of Babar, the lovable elephant from the children’s books.

There is also a collection of shoes and haute couture made from colorful bird feathers.

Really fantastic day at the museum.

We leave and since we are in the area we decide to go to the Marais.

On the way there we stop at a great little patisserie-
Oh mon Cake-154 rue Saint-Honore.

The first floor is really small with a few small café tables, upstairs is a big lounge with sofas and magazines. Besides the good looking pastries they also serve breakfast and lunch.

We indulge in a chocolat chaud and a brownie. Yum!

A great place to chill after such a head rush at the museum.

We walk around the Marais and check out the two big white Christmas trees in front of the Hotel de Ville. There is a skating rink set up but it is not open. It is very festive around the square. Inside the Hotel de Ville there are more Christmas trees made out of green plastic soda bottles with red lights inside them.

We catch the bus back to the 6th with plans of eating dinner at my favorite bistro, Les Flores-but somehow we forget how to get off the bus.

By the time we figure it out we decide it is too far to walk back so we continue on to the 7th and rue Cler where we get roast chicken and the trimmings for a nice dinner at home.

well, i don't need any photos, FF. I can see that girl on skates in my mind's eye very well.

Never been to the Musée des Arts Decoratifs so it's gone on my list.

Sorry you couldn't get into Reed. It really is very good. I did not much care for Cafe du Marche on our 1st trip to Paris in 2006. We ate a few times at Tribeca also on Rue Cler during that trip and really enjoyed it. We went back for Christmas 2011 and ate at Tribeca on Christmas Eve and my husband got food poisoning. Never again.

annhig-thanks for reply, I was more than a little hesitant to go into detail about the exhibits ....haha

Irock5-i agree about Cafe du Marche-but so hungry I did manage to lick my plate clean!

I will wrap this TR up soon with the last days of the adventure.

A day at the market…

On Saturday we head to the big granddaddy of the Paris flea markets- Le Marche aux Puces Saint-Ouen.

I have been here a few times and have still not been to every market. It is a huge brocante (antique market) with different named markets dedicated to different things shooting off the main street.

Here is link to a website with information on the flea markets in Paris:
http://www.gisparis.com/paris_shopping/flea_market.htm

We took the metro there which is the best way to get there unless you splurge on a taxi.

We start at our neighborhood metro stop La Tour Murbourg. As we are waiting for the train to come I notice 3 young men waiting too. They are dressed nice and are clean cut. As the doors open and we start to get on one of them puts their hand in my sisters coat pocket. I instinctively reach and grab his wrist. Then they jump back off the train to wait for their next victim.

I was surprised by my reaction. No thinking involved I just acted. Lucky for us he did not get anything.
It happened so fast that no matter how much you read that you need to be aware of your surroundings I think it is really hard to be aware all the time especially when you are not expecting something bad to happen.

I have read all the tips about things to do to prevent being a victim of pickpockets with one of the tips not to stand by the train door. What we also found out is don’t sit anywhere near the doors either.

This train had a row of seats againinst the back wall and we took a seat in the middle equal distance away from either door. With each stop the train gets more and more crowded. What we didn’t anticipate was as the train started filling up people crowd into this space. Then a man and women start yelling at each other and the women starts pushing the man into us and once again instinctively I react by saying loudly to anyone who will listen-Monsieur, Madame s’il vous plait- as I am trying to get the wave of the crowd to not sit on my lap. Since no one is listening to me our next move is us literally standing on our seats to get above the crush of people.

After a few stops it starts to thin out and we can sit down in our seats and breathe. I don’t know if the yelling was a distraction tactic but I do know I did not like this metro ride.

It was bad-really bad.

But once again we are fortunate and still have all our valuables.

Here’s my take on the Puces Saint-Ouen -

I have been there 3 times now and have only bought one thing- a beautiful bejeweled vintage barrette from the 1930s.

There is a ton of cool stuff to see like-furniture, paintings, chandeliers, vintage jewelry and clothing-but not a lot of bargains or things you could bring home on a plane.

The metro ride is not a good one (for me), and then you get off the metro and to get to the cool stuff you have to walk thru a seedy area with men playing shell type betting games on the sidewalk.

Puces Saint-Ouen has over 2,000 vendors who are very established each having their permanent stalls. I think that there is no real bargaining going on with these professionals.

After this last experience unless I buy an apartment in Paris that I need to furnish- (which will probably not happen-but a girl can dream) or my travel partner really wants to go- for the above reasons I will go to the flea market at Vanves instead.

Vanves is not big.

Vanves has the feel of a traditional flea market- an atmosphere that you might just find a treasure within the makeshift vendor stands.

We leave Puces Saint-Ouen the way we came, on the metro with no additional bags.
We thought about taking the bus but it is standing room only so we take our chances on the metro and happily have no incidents.

We head to Isle Saint Louis, and the calm of watching the twilight sky from the luxury of a sidewalk café.

The night is really nice-not too cold-and it is very festive on the Isle so we do some shopping and this time we succeed in getting additional bags.

We never got to the antique markets. Glad you were unscathed on the metro. Really enjoying this!

How great to read your report and reminisce. We stayed in that apartment in December of 2009 and enjoyed it thoroughly. Yes, a little on the shabby side but but clean and fine for 2 people,
Always laugh when I think of the PePe room. Really enjoyed your report. We did get to two of Constant"s restaurants on S.D. and also ate at the restaurant across the street and to the left as you came out of the apt. which was a big, typical Parisian spot. Thanks!