Paris Rendezvous: Nikki's trip report

Old Apr 5th, 2008, 08:57 AM
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Thanks for all the additional comments; it really helps to know somebody is reading.

Kerouac, I was hoping you'd join us at our get-together, but I guess you prefer to remain a man of mystery.

D claude, I don't know from Dr. Phil. I was thinking Frasier. But I heard a couple of servers say this.
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Old Apr 5th, 2008, 08:58 AM
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When we leave the Musée de l’Orangerie, we walk through the Tuileries. Our goal is Angelina’s, where we hope to have a light meal before our concert. I have not been there before, but I am hoping for some of the famous hot chocolate. We are discouraged to see a long line outside the door. We do not have a lot of time to spare. We discuss our options, which include going to the area of the concert hall and eating in a café there, but after five minutes or so, the line starts moving quickly, and it appears that the restaurant has opened up a whole new section of seats.

We are seated and are given one menu for the two of us, then after a minute or two a waiter asks if we are ready to order. We are not; I haven’t seen the menu yet. The waiter disappears and it takes a long time to get him back again. We order omelets and hot chocolate for both of us. The waiter comes back with one hot chocolate and disappears again. We have to flag him down to get a second one. Then he comes with the omelets. The table is very small. The waiter puts down my plate in front of me, then he puts down Carol’s plate and walks away as the plate slides off the table and down toward Carol’s lap. She makes a pretty good catch; the omelet is in pieces, but most of it is still on the plate. As she catches it, the plate knocks over her cup of chocolate, which I catch after only a little of it has landed on my omelet. Oh well, it’s all going to the same place, as I used to tell my kids when they didn’t want their foods to touch each other on the plate.

We don’t have time to re-order, and the omelets are pretty good. And Carol doesn’t want her whole cup of chocolate anyway. So we finish up, laughing and figuring we’ll get a lot of mileage out of the story for years to come. We pay but have no problem deciding not to leave a tip. The chocolate, by the way, is wonderful.

We catch a bus to the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, where we have tickets for Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. I had bought the tickets on line at the theater’s web site: http://www.theatrechampselysees.fr/. An usher shows us to our seats and puts her hand out for a tip as we go diving in our purses to find coins. We have great seats in the first row of the Corbeille, the first ring, overlooking the stage in such a way that we can see the conductor’s face. The production is fascinating, using two symmetrical orchestras and choruses on either side of the stage. This is how Bach apparently wrote the work, which I would never have known just from listening to recordings. Carol is familiar with the alto arias, as she is a singer. We both enjoy the music greatly. There is a French translation projected over the stage. Takes me a minute to figure out who Pierre is. I get it now. The man singing the role of Jesus looks as if he has grown his hair for the part. By the end of the concert, we have all grown our hair a little bit, and three and a half hours after we entered the concert hall, we walk out into the damp Paris night, as the Tour Eiffel twinkles in front of us.
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Old Apr 5th, 2008, 09:20 AM
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Sorry, Nikki, I don't mean to snub you or anybody else here, or even to revel in the concept of being a 'man of mystery'. Get-together plans just become invisible to my eyes because I never expect to be available for such things and almost never am.

Life can be very complicated when taking care of somebody with Alzheimer's, as more than one person here can attest.
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Old Apr 5th, 2008, 09:39 AM
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Kerouac, I do understand, of course, I was just teasing. I considered touring your neighborhood, by the way, but ran out of time; I passed on my printout of your walk to Tedgale, though, and he did take it.
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Old Apr 5th, 2008, 11:14 AM
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Nikki.
So glad you have time to write.
I am really enjoying your report.
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Old Apr 5th, 2008, 11:23 AM
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Love the report, love the apartment! I'm glad complete disaster was averted at Angelina's.
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Old Apr 5th, 2008, 11:53 AM
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"...we walk out into the damp Paris night, as the Tour Eiffel twinkles in front of us ..."

Wonderful writing, Nikki. What a pleasure to read your report.

AA
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Old Apr 5th, 2008, 12:36 PM
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I am thoroughly enjoying your trip report. Lovely descriptive images of Paris.
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Old Apr 5th, 2008, 04:11 PM
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Saturday we get another late start. Carol goes off to explore Montmartre, and we plan to meet at the Musée National du Moyen Age, also known as the Cluny Museum. There is a concert by the early music ensemble Ultréia there at 4 PM, and I want to get there in time to pick up tickets in case they sell out. Under a fairly new experimental policy, admission to the Cluny Museum is free to everyone. Tickets to the concerts are available the day of the concert only at the museum and cost six euros apiece. The schedule is available at the museum’s website: http://www.musee-moyenage.fr/homes/h...20735_u1l2.htm. The event in question is l’Heure Musicale avec Ultréia, and it takes place on many Fridays at 12:30 and Saturdays at 4:00. I had stumbled onto one of these concerts in a state of jet lag several years ago when my hotel room wasn’t ready, and it turned out to be a highlight of my trip. I had been quite excited to see that there would be a concert while we were in Paris this time, and I want to be sure not to miss it.

When I arrive at the museum, there is no line. I go in and buy two tickets to the concert and am given two free entrance tickets for the museum. Then I leave in search of lunch. I end up at the Brasserie Balzar, just down the block from the museum. I had read about this restaurant in Adam Gopnik’s book “Paris to the Moon”. What I read had actually kept me away from the restaurant on previous visits. It is an old, traditional brasserie, beloved by the local academic types of the neighborhood, that had been purchased by a large chain of Parisian brasseries, and the fear was that it would lose its authenticity, if not its soul. The book describes a meeting at the restaurant in which the patrons were reassured by the new owners that all would remain the same, and that the restaurant would continue to serve the best roast chicken in the world. Since I am alone, and will not be responsible to anyone for selecting the place if it is mediocre, I go in to find out for myself. Lunch turns out to be fairly expensive; everything is a la carte, no lunch menu. I do try the roast chicken, though, and it is quite good.

After lunch I meander in and out of some bookstores, which are plentiful in this neighborhood. It is raining on and off. When it stops raining, I buy a drink from a street vendor and drink it sitting in the garden at the museum. Then I go inside. There is a line to enter now, but I hold up my ticket and walk past it while people glare at me. Since entrance is free, it seems counterintuitive that there is a line for tickets. I wonder whether they are issuing tickets as a way to keep count of the number of visitors during the experimental period of free admission. I also worry that Carol will be held up on line when she arrives, since we had agreed to meet inside the museum.

My first stop inside is the bookstore, where I am pleased to see that Ultréia has recorded a third CD. I already own the previous two. This is the only place I have been able to find them. After adding the new one to my collection, I make my way through the museum, pausing for a while to admire the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries. These are exhibited in a darkened circular space with benches for contemplation. When I reach the entrance to the room where the concert will be held, I speak to a museum employee who tells me that the doors are closed promptly at 4:00, after which nobody is allowed inside. I sit and wait for Carol, hoping she makes it in time.

And so she does. She tells me that there is still a long line, but while she was waiting, a museum employee came and took the people who wanted to come to the concert inside. Good. We go in and take our seats. The concert is delightful. Ultréia consists of two singers, a percussionist, and three string and wind instrumentalists. The instruments are fascinating. There is one long, black, curved instrument that resembles nothing so much as a garden hose, but it appears to be made of wood, and it sounds like a horn. There is a stringed instrument with a crank, which appears from the program to be called a vielle à roux. (Back at home, a book appears to identify it as a medieval hurdy gurdy.) There is one instrument that consists of a wide circular pan on which the percussionist swirls pebbles; the effect is similar to that of a rain stick.

The group performs the songs of medieval troubadours. The program points out that there are no documents recording what type of instrumental accompaniment would be found in the performance of these songs, and that the group has reconstituted the orchestration in order to enhance the emotions of the songs, with no pretension to authenticity. I think it is great stuff. It is quite cold, however, and I regret checking my coat. Carol points out that the concert took place in the frigidarium, part of the old Roman baths. So that would explain it.

After the concert, we leave the museum and go to a café at the Place de la Sorbonne. We sit and talk and drink hot tea to warm up until it is time to go to dinner.
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Old Apr 5th, 2008, 04:49 PM
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Gosh, Nikki, "great minds" and all that sort of thing. La Coupole and Balzar are both on my list as possible places for my upcoming trips to Paris--La Coupole for decor and the shellfish platter, and Balzar for its history, its mention in the Gopnik book, and because it serves breakfast and early dinner. In many trips to Paris, and even staying at Parc St. Severin practically in it's backyard, I've still never gone to the Cluny. Now you've given me another reason to try again. Thanks for a swell=--and inspiring report. So, will you be going on the Canal St. Martin? That's on my list too and I'd love a report.
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Old Apr 5th, 2008, 06:19 PM
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Julie, great minds indeed. I did go on the Canal St. Martin; it is described in the section of my report posted above on 04/04 at 7:34 AM. Enjoy your trip!
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Old Apr 6th, 2008, 12:01 AM
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Hi Nikki, thank for the link, I think you are right and there won't be anything suitable when we are in Paris. Never mind, I'm sure we will have no trouble filling in our days!! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it and we don't leave for another 43 sleeps Loving your report too!!
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Old Apr 6th, 2008, 03:11 AM
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This is Carol’s last night in Paris, and we have reservations at Au Petit Marguery, in the thirteenth arrondissement at 9 Boulevard du Port-Royal, telephone 01 43 31 58 59. http://petitmarguery.com/. We take the bus to Les Gobelins and go into a small grocery store and bakery for a few things for the apartment before heading into the restaurant. The next day is Easter Sunday, and I am not sure what will be open, so I buy bread and fruit and some smoked salmon and cheese. And oh yes, there is that chocolate pastry too.

I have been to this restaurant before and have looked forward to going back. There is a menu for 30 euros for two courses or 35 euros for three courses. I start with the foie gras maison and go on to have lamb shanks with potato puree and rosemary. Carol orders coq au vin, which is served in a manner I have not seen before: the chicken is removed from the bone, cut and formed into a sort of a cake, and served with tagliatelle. We both finish with a grand marnier soufflé, a house specialty. It is all very good. Then they bring out the cookies.

Sunday morning, Carol leaves for the airport at the crack of dawn. I am all alone in my Paris apartment, nobody to please but myself, basking in the luxury of choice. I realize it would be quite easy and enjoyable to just stay in the apartment, but I force myself to go out to the market at the Boulevard Richard Lenoir to see if it is open on this Easter Sunday morning. It is not only open but bustling. I end up buying far too many strawberries (thought I was buying one container at a good price but it turns out the price was for two) and quite a few avocados (the price was just so good for the whole basket…). By the time I get to the guy selling the gorgeous charcuterie, my bags are getting heavy. I settle for a slice of the pate du lapin and some jambon cru. And oh yes, half a rotisserie chicken and roasted potatoes. Now I’m carrying way too much stuff and I wish I had a wheeled cart that the locals all use for market day. These remind me of my youth in New York and because of that seem anachronistic, but everyone in Paris appears to have them.

Lunch is a feast in the apartment, and after lunch I get ready for my outing to the Comédie Française.
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Old Apr 6th, 2008, 08:35 AM
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Nikki, I'm embarrassed to say that I completely overlooked your explanation and website reference for the Canal St. Martin cruise. I saw the link and jumped to the conclusion you were taking a seine cruise and skipped over that part on my way to the La Coupole birthday. Thanks for the info. I'm definitely intent on finally doing that this time.
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Old Apr 6th, 2008, 08:41 AM
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Nikki, this is a wonderful report and I am enjoying it immensely!

I recently spent 2 weeks in Munich,Salzburg and Vienna and, while I had a very nice trip, there is nothing like Paris and I am absolutely in Paris withdrawal reading this.

Your photos are so good, you have a great eye.

lynda
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Old Apr 6th, 2008, 09:48 AM
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Nikki- this is delightful. Your photos capture Paris perfectly.

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Old Apr 6th, 2008, 03:39 PM
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Thanks for the continuing interest and nice comments. I'm hoping to get another bit done this evening.

Cathies, even though he can't go to the classes, your husband might enjoy the podcasts. If he is interested in literature, I can recommend the ones by Michael Edwards. So far I have listened to the course "Le bonheur d'etre ici" and the course "La poesie francaise et la recherche de l'etre" and they were both excellent. I am now working my way through Thomas Pavel's course called "Comment ecouter la litterature" and that is also very interesting.
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Old Apr 6th, 2008, 04:44 PM
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Really enjoying your report, and am jotting down the info relating to where you were staying. The bus nearby, which I assume is the 67, seems very convenient. Can you tell me roughly where all it goes? I don't know the buses so well, and I love to take them. Can you tranfer at major junctions? Also the lecture at the College sounds so intriguing. Never thouht one could do that. How generous the French are ikn sharing their culture. A comment about the Orangerie. We visited on our first trip in 1986, before the D'Orsay opened. It was the major venue for Impressionists then. Nestled in among the Renoirs, I remember a painting by Manet of the Pont Marie. I was so taken because as we were staying on St. Louis we always crossed that pont. I could not believe the timelessness of France, and my great luck to see such iconic paintings. On my upcoming 7th trip, I will marvel at the luck again to see Paris.
Can't wait for more of your report.
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Old Apr 6th, 2008, 05:05 PM
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I had purchased tickets for the Sunday afternoon performance of Le Misanthrope by Molière on line at the Comédie Française website: http://www.comedie-francaise.fr/dev/index.php. Then, thinking it would be good if I understood what I was hearing, I ordered a copy of the play in French. I sat down with a French-English dictionary and read through the play. This felt like cheating, since when I was taught French in high school we were not allowed to translate. If we looked anything up, it was in the Nouveau Petit Larousse which we all bought through the school. As I went along, however, I came to view it not so much cheating as gaining new perspectives on translation. Or so I told myself. After completing the play in this manner, I ordered a copy of the Richard Wilbur verse translation and read it in English. This really felt like cheating (but it really felt good!) Then I had a final reading with the French version, the English version and the dictionary all in front of me, thinking about how the language had been translated and how the American poet had chosen the words to match the meter of the verse.

By this time, I was getting a pretty good idea of how the play would be performed. As it turns out, I was completely wrong.

On Sunday afternoon I take the métro to the Comédie Française, which is part of the complex at the Palais Royal. As the usher shows me to my seat, I remember my experience at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, and I try to hand her a euro that I had gotten out to have ready when I checked my coat. She waves me off and says, “Non, Madame.” I’m not having much success at learning the rules. Nobody else seems to be making this particular faux pas.

The production is entirely different from my expectations. I was picturing fast-paced, sparkling dialogue. Instead, there are long pauses between speeches, and there is more melodrama than I had imagined in my three readings of the play. I’m wondering whether this is the way Molière is performed customarily or whether this is a departure from tradition. There is a lot of angst on stage. People are exploding with emotion, coming to blows even. Interesting. Despite this, I feel more prepared than I have been to see any play in recent memory, and I am glad for all my study.

The play goes on for three hours or so. I’m thinking that without all the pauses, it would have been two. When I leave the theater, I walk through the gardens of the Palais Royal, which are showing the colors of early spring. It is cold and damp, though, and I am glad to take the métro back to my apartment, where I enjoy a supper made from the provisions I picked up earlier, put my feet up, watch French television, find the radio stations I like, and have a relaxing evening at home.

Monday morning I am still in a pretty relaxed frame of mind. I know it will be a late night, so I am in no hurry to go anywhere. I go out for breakfast but find the nearby cafés are closed, so I go back for breakfast in the apartment. Later I decide to take a walk toward the Viaduc des Arts, an abandoned railroad viaduct that has been transformed into a series of shops selling crafts and home furnishings, topped by a landscaped path, the promenade plantée. Stores are almost all closed in this neighborhood on this Easter Monday. But one shopkeeper tells me that stores are all open in the Marais.

I take a bus to the Marais, where I visit a jewelry store that I liked on a previous visit, Metal Pointu’s. By now it is raining pretty steadily. I try to visit a couple of other stores I wanted to see in the Marais but find them closed, so I give up and take the bus back to the apartment. I have bought a couple pieces of jewelry and visited a new neighborhood, and now it is time to get ready for the get-together planned for this evening with people from the Fodor’s message board.
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Old Apr 6th, 2008, 05:17 PM
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Sue, the buses I used the most often were the 86 and 87, which were closest to the apartment and which go to the left bank. I did use the 67 bus one time. I spent lots of time studying the bus map. You can find the routes of all the buses at the RATP website, http://metro.ratp.fr/.

You can transfer between buses if you have a ticket that you bought anywhere but on the bus; for some reason, the tickets sold on the bus itself can not be used to transfer.
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