Peripatetic in Paris - a Beatchick's Travels
Apr 7th, 2006, 07:11 AM
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Hi Mary - Just caught your last two days worth of photos. I never was interested in visiting cemeteries in Paris before but I love your photos at Le Pere Lachaise. I will have to get over there someday soon.
On my last trip I stayed at a hotel right behind the Tour Montparnasse on rue de l'Arrivee. It sure is a tall building and interesting to view Paris from.
Chloer
On my last trip I stayed at a hotel right behind the Tour Montparnasse on rue de l'Arrivee. It sure is a tall building and interesting to view Paris from.
Chloer
Apr 7th, 2006, 09:18 AM
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OK, I'm now rationing myself and only looked at Monday 13th pix and will save the next day until tomorrow so I can make it last. Seeing your shots are like a little mini-trip to the city. You seem to communicate alot of the atmosphere of the city along with the actual structures. BTW that day at Chartres was very gray and damp but it looks like you had actual rain in Paris.
Did you ever hand your camera off to get a pix of yourself anywhere along the way? My daughter and I got a couple of set-your-timer-and-smile pix in the apartment but only thought to have someone else do a shot on our last day. Maybe when you travel solo you don't feel the need? .....lynda
Did you ever hand your camera off to get a pix of yourself anywhere along the way? My daughter and I got a couple of set-your-timer-and-smile pix in the apartment but only thought to have someone else do a shot on our last day. Maybe when you travel solo you don't feel the need? .....lynda
Apr 8th, 2006, 09:46 PM
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Hi Beatchick, truly excellent photos as always. I really liked that shot you took in the laneway in Chartres with the street lamp in the centre (the first one).
It was also really interesting finally to see a room in Henry IV after all the mentions it has had. As you say, it is very basic but the terrace was great. I suspect that would be one of the better rooms? And yet it is so inexpensive if you just accept the inconvenience of a trip downstairs to the loo. I remember Pixfield once claimed that you needed an umbrella to to to the loo, ie that it was on a landing exposed to the elements. Is that true?
The view of Notre Dame from room 501 at Les Degres is only marginally better than room 47's but since they have bumped the price of 47 by 40% to 140 Euros a night, it is worth the extra 20 Euros and extra set of stairs to take 501. Was that a day bed under the window? I thought they had a sofa bed for two but it looks like a single.
Are you allowed to take photos in the Hemingway Bar at the Ritz? I had the sense that you were sneaking in shots from behind your table.
It was also really interesting finally to see a room in Henry IV after all the mentions it has had. As you say, it is very basic but the terrace was great. I suspect that would be one of the better rooms? And yet it is so inexpensive if you just accept the inconvenience of a trip downstairs to the loo. I remember Pixfield once claimed that you needed an umbrella to to to the loo, ie that it was on a landing exposed to the elements. Is that true?
The view of Notre Dame from room 501 at Les Degres is only marginally better than room 47's but since they have bumped the price of 47 by 40% to 140 Euros a night, it is worth the extra 20 Euros and extra set of stairs to take 501. Was that a day bed under the window? I thought they had a sofa bed for two but it looks like a single.
Are you allowed to take photos in the Hemingway Bar at the Ritz? I had the sense that you were sneaking in shots from behind your table.
Apr 11th, 2006, 03:16 AM
#204
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Hi folks - the photos are all done now if you'd like to view them. The main gallery is here:
http://www.pbase.com/beatchick
Incidentally, if you click on each photo you can see some commentary I've put on them (well, not all of them). You can then click next to see the whole gallery.
Chloer, I love Pere Lachaise - I hope when you get there that you'll love it, too. Oui, the Tour Montparnasse is huge. I'd much rather view the city from it then to see a view with it in it!
Hi lyndash, yes, it did rain while we were at Chartres but mostly sprinkles. I love the look of the wet cobblestones in the Place du Cygne! Nope, don't usually have pix of myself taken.
<i>I had the sense that you were sneaking in shots from behind your table.</i>
Yes, Faux, you're right! No photos allowed but I managed a few surreptitious shots; nothing to disturb the other patrons over.
<i>The view of Notre Dame from room 501 at Les Degres is only marginally better than room 47's </i>
True, but you can actually see the Seine from 501 which I don't recall seeing from room 47 so that made the view just a bit better. Plus, that attic floor room includes the space of the 2 rooms below it. I was trying to convey the amount of space but am not sure I accomplished that.
http://www.pbase.com/beatchick
Incidentally, if you click on each photo you can see some commentary I've put on them (well, not all of them). You can then click next to see the whole gallery.
Chloer, I love Pere Lachaise - I hope when you get there that you'll love it, too. Oui, the Tour Montparnasse is huge. I'd much rather view the city from it then to see a view with it in it!
Hi lyndash, yes, it did rain while we were at Chartres but mostly sprinkles. I love the look of the wet cobblestones in the Place du Cygne! Nope, don't usually have pix of myself taken.
<i>I had the sense that you were sneaking in shots from behind your table.</i>
Yes, Faux, you're right! No photos allowed but I managed a few surreptitious shots; nothing to disturb the other patrons over.
<i>The view of Notre Dame from room 501 at Les Degres is only marginally better than room 47's </i>
True, but you can actually see the Seine from 501 which I don't recall seeing from room 47 so that made the view just a bit better. Plus, that attic floor room includes the space of the 2 rooms below it. I was trying to convey the amount of space but am not sure I accomplished that.
Apr 11th, 2006, 03:21 AM
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Sunday's Pere Lachaise photos:
http://www.pbase.com/beatchick/sunday_february_12th
<u>Sunday – Feb 12</u>
After 8 nights of staying at the youth hostel in Montmartre I grew tired of dorm life. Le Village sits in a great location, has a friendly staff, provides a clean place to stay, and proffers a decent free breakfast. Because I am an experiential person & I like to try new things, I'd always wanted to stay in a youth hostel but at this juncture of my stay I needed space, peace & quiet plus the ability to get ready in my room without the fear of disturbing everyone else; a shower or bathtub of mine own wouldn’t hurt. I apologized to the staff as I’d requested 16 nights but even they understood stating that most people stay for only 3 nights at a stretch.
So I took a taxi from Le Village to stay at my new hotel, the Hôtel Chopin, located in the Passage Jouffroy. I've always wanted to stay here & I was thrilled that I procured a 4 night stay scoring a blue double room for the price of a single (66&euro
; anyone who knows me knows blue is my favorite color, so I was immensely charmed. The room looks over the center of the building, not at a courtyard but not exactly an airshaft; I'm sure this is why they granted me the reduced rate; nevertheless I was happy to have the space (and a BLUE ROOM) and my very own shower!
After dropping my bags off, I walked out into the Passage Jouffroy to wait for the infamous tour guide, Michael Osman. We’d been corresponding for months, left messages for each other (he’d even popped by my hotel to leave me a note) but this would be our first meeting. Presently, I saw a gentleman strolling down the passage dressed completely in black, wearing a rakish black hat with his long hair flowing behind. Upon meeting me he remarked he hoped his long hair didn’t scare me! Mais non, after all Mr. Connolly wears his hair long, too. It must be that artistic temperament!
Michael is every bit as nice & wonderful as you’ve read: charming, intelligent, erudite and witty. He’s extremely knowledgeable about art, and about the architecture & history of the city which really brings it alive more than any guidebook ever will. It’s no small wonder that he has a legion of fans and I count myself among them.
This day’s jaunt took us from the 2nd, through the 3rd, 11th & the 20th, while the day ended in the 14th at Jim Haynes’ place, which proves you really can cover a lot of ground in Paris in one day.
We began in the financial center, Place de la Bourse (rather like Wall Street in NYC), to pick up the Metro to the Arts et Metiers station whereupon we walked over to Carreau du Temple (located at rues Perree, de Picardie, Dupetit Thouars, Etienne Spuller) in the 3rd arrondissement. While we waited, we kept up a flowing conversation that included history of la Bourse, the district & he showed me the surrounding buildings where the major newspapers are run – after all, information & money go hand in hand. Carreau du Temple, our first stop, lies east of Rue du Temple near Square du Temple. We walked inside to find the marche of different vendors which included a lady selling fur coats which was surprising to find in:
a) the 3rd &
b) a marche!
Outside we found plaques commemorating “The Dead for France - Victims of the Barbarous Nazis”, the plaques paid for & put up by the members of the merchant syndicate, which made the homage even more poignant.
Afterwards, we walked over to the rue de Bretagne to see the nearby Marche des Enfants Rouge to look at the organic vegetables. Outside we passed a man selling socks on the street who claimed his socks were the best in all of Europe; strangely enough, I wasn’t tempted to buy but I did get a big laugh when he said my companion looked like Salvador Dali – so I took a photo of Michael to mark the occasion. We walked further down rue de Bretagne to admire the statue of the Turenne Enfant by Lucien-Benoit Hercule which is located in a small park at the crossroads of 2 rue Normandie, 41 rue Debelleyme, & 111 Rue de Turenne.
From the square of Les Enfant, we walked up rue des Filles du Calvaire, passing from the 3rd into the 11th arrondissement to the Place Pasdeloup where stands the famous Cirque d’Hiver Bouglione (Filles du Calvaire Metro station), Nikki’s circus. Just a bit of literary history for you: back in the ‘20s, Hemingway had a famous boxing match here using F. Scott Fitzgerald to time the match. Because Scott was engrossed in the match, supposedly he let it run a few minutes too long which caused Hem to lose (or so he says). Right next to the circus is a wonderful trompe l’oeil that mirrored the colors of the circus. Meanwhile, on the ground we found graffiti of Salvador Dali to prove the resemblance (perhaps) between him & Michael.
Next we passed through the square of the people, the Place de la Republique, on our way to the sprightly pink, green & yellow facades of the Antoine et Lili shops that sells kitschy clothing & household items (95 quai de Valmy). Here I browsed and picked up a pretty blue rose tea towel for just 4€.
http://www.altribu.com/
Nearby is the Canal St-Martin, where of course we had to partake of an <u>Amelie</u> moment as this is the spot where she skips stones. In case one’s desire to locate movie sites isn’t sated there’s also Hotel du Nord at 102 quai de Jemmapes, site of the 1938 Marcel Carne movie although the original hotel has been torn down (or so I’ve been told). But because my movie desires weren’t quite satisfied I was also enthralled when Michael pointed out the Palais des Glace! “Michael!” I exclaimed “this is one of the sites of <u>Gigi</u>”. Indeed, it is at 37 rue du Faubourg du Temple where Gigi points out to Gaston Lachailles that Liane d’Exelmans, who was partaking of an ice skating lesson with her “skating instructor”, is “both ordinary and common”.
http://www.palaisdesglaces.com/
We continued up through the rue du Faubourg du Temple, amid the Belleville Chinatown district. Along the way we passed the most beautifully painted blue façade of the Theatre du Tambour Royal at 94 rue du Faubourg du Temple.
http://tambour.royal.monsite.wanadoo.fr/
The conversation flowed with Michael pointing out interesting graffiti in the area and before I knew it we had walked up the hill to the Parc de Belleville where we captured a wonderful glimpse of la Tour Eiffel in the distance. Not too much info out there on Belleville/Ménilmontant but Michael brought it all alive for me. Viewing, too, Notre Dame & the Centre Pompidou from this perspective was incroyable! This is definitely a parc I’ll return to.
Next we were off to Père Lachaise. This trip I was suffering from a rare bout of iritis (inflammation of the iris, physical symptoms sort of a cross between having a migraine - light sensitivity, light flashes,pain - & glaucoma - internal eye pressure that can cause you to lose your vision) and I was on eye medication that caused my pupil to dilate & have weird vision and thus NO depth perception. Because of this, Michael graciously led me through the cool back alleyways in the cemetery to quickly travel from place to place; he held my hand in various treacherous spots & showed me where to watch my step. Literally, I was in good hands. Plus, I loved all the little shortcuts (hidden places) that we went through to get to various graves such as Chopin’s & Sarah Bernhardt’s. And we hit all my top spots that I wanted to see in the cemetery including the famous jazz violinist, Stephane Grappeli’s, repository! Michael is just amazing. From the photos you can see pretty much everywhere we hit. My only regret is that we didn’t have time to locate Richard Wright’s spot in the Columbarium (same place that Grappeli is) because we closed the place down. In fact, the little cars in the cemetery were driving through blowing their horns to let everyone know that it was closing. But we snuck around just in time to find Grappeli’s. When we reached the gate it was already locked but a guard soon came by to let us out.
I love Père Lachaise but it also freaks me out. My first trip here, I was in awe of the place, it’s statuary & mausoleums, but some of the broken glass & the half-opened crypt lids (you can’t see anything down there) I found to be creepy, but in a good way, like a great Halloween flick. However, the cemetery is rendered as a peaceful place when enjoying it with another person.
After enjoying un café at a nearby spot, Michael asked me if another couple, D&L, could join us (Scott was to meet us later) for the Jim Haynes dinner. I said, sure, the more the merrier. Michael had heard about it but had never shown up. He wanted to go but was leery how events might turn out, so I said if it got weird to give me a signal and we’d skedaddle. Fortunately, we had a great time! The food was great, the wine was flowing & so was the conversation. Dinner that night was chicken curry & lentils with a cucumber sauce, which I loved despite the fact that I don’t normally care for curry. Jim introduced everyone as they walked in and to the newcomer he’d tell everyone’s name; I don’t know how he did it but he must possess a fantastic memory. Then he’d enjoin everyone to mingle, “Michael, you’re not talking!” This was impossible as the place was packed with nearly every inch of floor space covered by people. We sat in a corner and held our conversation; D&L had been here another year in the summer. D explained that during the better months, Jim’s party spills outdoors, so there’s a better chance to socialize.
Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos of the Jim Haynes event as I was surrounded by excellent company. By the time I’d thought to pics we were already on our way home. Because we’d had such a great time together we all agreed to meet up the next night for dinner at Chartier.
http://www.restaurant-chartier.com
http://www.pbase.com/beatchick/sunday_february_12th
<u>Sunday – Feb 12</u>
After 8 nights of staying at the youth hostel in Montmartre I grew tired of dorm life. Le Village sits in a great location, has a friendly staff, provides a clean place to stay, and proffers a decent free breakfast. Because I am an experiential person & I like to try new things, I'd always wanted to stay in a youth hostel but at this juncture of my stay I needed space, peace & quiet plus the ability to get ready in my room without the fear of disturbing everyone else; a shower or bathtub of mine own wouldn’t hurt. I apologized to the staff as I’d requested 16 nights but even they understood stating that most people stay for only 3 nights at a stretch.
So I took a taxi from Le Village to stay at my new hotel, the Hôtel Chopin, located in the Passage Jouffroy. I've always wanted to stay here & I was thrilled that I procured a 4 night stay scoring a blue double room for the price of a single (66&euro
; anyone who knows me knows blue is my favorite color, so I was immensely charmed. The room looks over the center of the building, not at a courtyard but not exactly an airshaft; I'm sure this is why they granted me the reduced rate; nevertheless I was happy to have the space (and a BLUE ROOM) and my very own shower!After dropping my bags off, I walked out into the Passage Jouffroy to wait for the infamous tour guide, Michael Osman. We’d been corresponding for months, left messages for each other (he’d even popped by my hotel to leave me a note) but this would be our first meeting. Presently, I saw a gentleman strolling down the passage dressed completely in black, wearing a rakish black hat with his long hair flowing behind. Upon meeting me he remarked he hoped his long hair didn’t scare me! Mais non, after all Mr. Connolly wears his hair long, too. It must be that artistic temperament!
Michael is every bit as nice & wonderful as you’ve read: charming, intelligent, erudite and witty. He’s extremely knowledgeable about art, and about the architecture & history of the city which really brings it alive more than any guidebook ever will. It’s no small wonder that he has a legion of fans and I count myself among them.
This day’s jaunt took us from the 2nd, through the 3rd, 11th & the 20th, while the day ended in the 14th at Jim Haynes’ place, which proves you really can cover a lot of ground in Paris in one day.
We began in the financial center, Place de la Bourse (rather like Wall Street in NYC), to pick up the Metro to the Arts et Metiers station whereupon we walked over to Carreau du Temple (located at rues Perree, de Picardie, Dupetit Thouars, Etienne Spuller) in the 3rd arrondissement. While we waited, we kept up a flowing conversation that included history of la Bourse, the district & he showed me the surrounding buildings where the major newspapers are run – after all, information & money go hand in hand. Carreau du Temple, our first stop, lies east of Rue du Temple near Square du Temple. We walked inside to find the marche of different vendors which included a lady selling fur coats which was surprising to find in:
a) the 3rd &
b) a marche!
Outside we found plaques commemorating “The Dead for France - Victims of the Barbarous Nazis”, the plaques paid for & put up by the members of the merchant syndicate, which made the homage even more poignant.
Afterwards, we walked over to the rue de Bretagne to see the nearby Marche des Enfants Rouge to look at the organic vegetables. Outside we passed a man selling socks on the street who claimed his socks were the best in all of Europe; strangely enough, I wasn’t tempted to buy but I did get a big laugh when he said my companion looked like Salvador Dali – so I took a photo of Michael to mark the occasion. We walked further down rue de Bretagne to admire the statue of the Turenne Enfant by Lucien-Benoit Hercule which is located in a small park at the crossroads of 2 rue Normandie, 41 rue Debelleyme, & 111 Rue de Turenne.
From the square of Les Enfant, we walked up rue des Filles du Calvaire, passing from the 3rd into the 11th arrondissement to the Place Pasdeloup where stands the famous Cirque d’Hiver Bouglione (Filles du Calvaire Metro station), Nikki’s circus. Just a bit of literary history for you: back in the ‘20s, Hemingway had a famous boxing match here using F. Scott Fitzgerald to time the match. Because Scott was engrossed in the match, supposedly he let it run a few minutes too long which caused Hem to lose (or so he says). Right next to the circus is a wonderful trompe l’oeil that mirrored the colors of the circus. Meanwhile, on the ground we found graffiti of Salvador Dali to prove the resemblance (perhaps) between him & Michael.
Next we passed through the square of the people, the Place de la Republique, on our way to the sprightly pink, green & yellow facades of the Antoine et Lili shops that sells kitschy clothing & household items (95 quai de Valmy). Here I browsed and picked up a pretty blue rose tea towel for just 4€.
http://www.altribu.com/
Nearby is the Canal St-Martin, where of course we had to partake of an <u>Amelie</u> moment as this is the spot where she skips stones. In case one’s desire to locate movie sites isn’t sated there’s also Hotel du Nord at 102 quai de Jemmapes, site of the 1938 Marcel Carne movie although the original hotel has been torn down (or so I’ve been told). But because my movie desires weren’t quite satisfied I was also enthralled when Michael pointed out the Palais des Glace! “Michael!” I exclaimed “this is one of the sites of <u>Gigi</u>”. Indeed, it is at 37 rue du Faubourg du Temple where Gigi points out to Gaston Lachailles that Liane d’Exelmans, who was partaking of an ice skating lesson with her “skating instructor”, is “both ordinary and common”.
http://www.palaisdesglaces.com/
We continued up through the rue du Faubourg du Temple, amid the Belleville Chinatown district. Along the way we passed the most beautifully painted blue façade of the Theatre du Tambour Royal at 94 rue du Faubourg du Temple.
http://tambour.royal.monsite.wanadoo.fr/
The conversation flowed with Michael pointing out interesting graffiti in the area and before I knew it we had walked up the hill to the Parc de Belleville where we captured a wonderful glimpse of la Tour Eiffel in the distance. Not too much info out there on Belleville/Ménilmontant but Michael brought it all alive for me. Viewing, too, Notre Dame & the Centre Pompidou from this perspective was incroyable! This is definitely a parc I’ll return to.
Next we were off to Père Lachaise. This trip I was suffering from a rare bout of iritis (inflammation of the iris, physical symptoms sort of a cross between having a migraine - light sensitivity, light flashes,pain - & glaucoma - internal eye pressure that can cause you to lose your vision) and I was on eye medication that caused my pupil to dilate & have weird vision and thus NO depth perception. Because of this, Michael graciously led me through the cool back alleyways in the cemetery to quickly travel from place to place; he held my hand in various treacherous spots & showed me where to watch my step. Literally, I was in good hands. Plus, I loved all the little shortcuts (hidden places) that we went through to get to various graves such as Chopin’s & Sarah Bernhardt’s. And we hit all my top spots that I wanted to see in the cemetery including the famous jazz violinist, Stephane Grappeli’s, repository! Michael is just amazing. From the photos you can see pretty much everywhere we hit. My only regret is that we didn’t have time to locate Richard Wright’s spot in the Columbarium (same place that Grappeli is) because we closed the place down. In fact, the little cars in the cemetery were driving through blowing their horns to let everyone know that it was closing. But we snuck around just in time to find Grappeli’s. When we reached the gate it was already locked but a guard soon came by to let us out.
I love Père Lachaise but it also freaks me out. My first trip here, I was in awe of the place, it’s statuary & mausoleums, but some of the broken glass & the half-opened crypt lids (you can’t see anything down there) I found to be creepy, but in a good way, like a great Halloween flick. However, the cemetery is rendered as a peaceful place when enjoying it with another person.
After enjoying un café at a nearby spot, Michael asked me if another couple, D&L, could join us (Scott was to meet us later) for the Jim Haynes dinner. I said, sure, the more the merrier. Michael had heard about it but had never shown up. He wanted to go but was leery how events might turn out, so I said if it got weird to give me a signal and we’d skedaddle. Fortunately, we had a great time! The food was great, the wine was flowing & so was the conversation. Dinner that night was chicken curry & lentils with a cucumber sauce, which I loved despite the fact that I don’t normally care for curry. Jim introduced everyone as they walked in and to the newcomer he’d tell everyone’s name; I don’t know how he did it but he must possess a fantastic memory. Then he’d enjoin everyone to mingle, “Michael, you’re not talking!” This was impossible as the place was packed with nearly every inch of floor space covered by people. We sat in a corner and held our conversation; D&L had been here another year in the summer. D explained that during the better months, Jim’s party spills outdoors, so there’s a better chance to socialize.
Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos of the Jim Haynes event as I was surrounded by excellent company. By the time I’d thought to pics we were already on our way home. Because we’d had such a great time together we all agreed to meet up the next night for dinner at Chartier.
http://www.restaurant-chartier.com
Apr 11th, 2006, 03:47 AM
#206
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Beatchick,
How wonderful is it that in this case, "All good things must come to an end" doesn't apply??? I can, and will, look at your photos over and over!! You have a wonderful eye for the unusual, making the shots all the more special...when do you get to go back????
How wonderful is it that in this case, "All good things must come to an end" doesn't apply??? I can, and will, look at your photos over and over!! You have a wonderful eye for the unusual, making the shots all the more special...when do you get to go back????
It took me 3 years to get back this last time!! 
Apr 11th, 2006, 05:42 PM
#209
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Sigh ~ Paris in autumn. I so envy you, Traviata. Please bring back plenty of gorgeous photos!
Monday's photos:
http://www.pbase.com/beatchick/monday_february_13th
<u>Monday – Feb 13</u>
Monday I breakfasted at Le Pain Quotidien, well-known for its boules of café crème and for their croissants. I found it to be a great place with good service, good croissants, excellent café and a place where one doesn’t feel obliged to while away a long time unless one feels the desire to.
http://www.lepainquotidien.com/
This day I continued my passages walk through more passages (beautiful, stunning) and through the Palais Royale, then I took the Métro to the Arc de Triomphe. I’d never visited it up close before & had certainly never been to the top, so after seeking out the underground passage to the middle (it’s at the top of the Champs Elysees on the right-hand side), I climbed to the top, took photos of the view (rather dreary, I should’ve waited for a sunny day as I’d done with my Eiffel Tower climb) then walked down the Ave Friedland to the Musée Jacquemart-André. This place is so beautiful! I cannot believe they were described as "upper middle class". Their house looks more like royalty or nobility to me. Why, they even had whole Tiepolo ceilings from Venice installed in their home! I was mostly amazed by the carved stone archways which led from room to room. Amazing. I tried a light snack at the Café Jacquemart-Andre. How elegant to eat sorbet and sip tea and such a grand setting. I wanted to take a photo in the café but it is verboten so I stole a few while passing through the museum, hence the floor shots. Despite the inability to take non-flash photos in this museum, I’d have to say that the Jacquemart-Andre is a new addition to my Top 10.
http://www.musee-jacquemart-andre.co...ndre/index.htm
As Chartier was just around the corner from my hotel and because it is a favorite of Michael’s & Scott’s, the couple from NYC, M. & S. and I had dinner there. D&I, New Yorkers that they are, are foodies. D had recently won a trip report competition at SlowTrav which was well-noted for his fine descriptions of French food so I worried they would be underwhelmed by the humble bouillon offerings of Chartier. However, there was no need as they loved it as much as I did. The décor is classic while the food is classic French home food. While I thought my pork dish was okay (a little tough) I fell for the oeufs dur (like deviled eggs). From the photo, you can see that the presentation of the latter dish was rather phallic in nature, which I thought ironic considering the feminine nature of eggs. Also ironic was the fact that I found the service to be excellent as well, something I wasn’t expecting as I’d been told the waiters could be brusque and that theirs is one of the few restaurants in Paris that will rush you out the door! D&L are excellent conversationalists and can touch upon any topic with ease. And, of course, Michael & Scott are wonderful people - so funny & erudite. Great dinner companions all!
http://www.restaurant-chartier.com
After dinner we headed out to la Tour Montparnasse with the intent of having a glass of champagne at the top with the divine view of the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately, the bar was closed to us that night as someone had rented Ciel de Paris and had The Gypsy Kings playing! While we didn’t get to see them playing we did get to hear The Gypsy Kings live - amazing. And the views are stunning, too!
http://www.tourmontparnasse56.com/index.html
http://www.cieldeparis.com/
http://www.bestrestaurantsparis.com/...p?id_resto=257
Because I’m a long-time Oscar Wilde fan, I’d been dying to have a drink at L'Hôtel. It was on the itinerary the previous trip but that somehow fell by the wayside. Definitely come here for fantastic drinks & fantastic service. I visited here twice & found it to be tres sympa & cozy.
http://www.l-hotel.com/bar-e.php
Monday's photos:
http://www.pbase.com/beatchick/monday_february_13th
<u>Monday – Feb 13</u>
Monday I breakfasted at Le Pain Quotidien, well-known for its boules of café crème and for their croissants. I found it to be a great place with good service, good croissants, excellent café and a place where one doesn’t feel obliged to while away a long time unless one feels the desire to.
http://www.lepainquotidien.com/
This day I continued my passages walk through more passages (beautiful, stunning) and through the Palais Royale, then I took the Métro to the Arc de Triomphe. I’d never visited it up close before & had certainly never been to the top, so after seeking out the underground passage to the middle (it’s at the top of the Champs Elysees on the right-hand side), I climbed to the top, took photos of the view (rather dreary, I should’ve waited for a sunny day as I’d done with my Eiffel Tower climb) then walked down the Ave Friedland to the Musée Jacquemart-André. This place is so beautiful! I cannot believe they were described as "upper middle class". Their house looks more like royalty or nobility to me. Why, they even had whole Tiepolo ceilings from Venice installed in their home! I was mostly amazed by the carved stone archways which led from room to room. Amazing. I tried a light snack at the Café Jacquemart-Andre. How elegant to eat sorbet and sip tea and such a grand setting. I wanted to take a photo in the café but it is verboten so I stole a few while passing through the museum, hence the floor shots. Despite the inability to take non-flash photos in this museum, I’d have to say that the Jacquemart-Andre is a new addition to my Top 10.
http://www.musee-jacquemart-andre.co...ndre/index.htm
As Chartier was just around the corner from my hotel and because it is a favorite of Michael’s & Scott’s, the couple from NYC, M. & S. and I had dinner there. D&I, New Yorkers that they are, are foodies. D had recently won a trip report competition at SlowTrav which was well-noted for his fine descriptions of French food so I worried they would be underwhelmed by the humble bouillon offerings of Chartier. However, there was no need as they loved it as much as I did. The décor is classic while the food is classic French home food. While I thought my pork dish was okay (a little tough) I fell for the oeufs dur (like deviled eggs). From the photo, you can see that the presentation of the latter dish was rather phallic in nature, which I thought ironic considering the feminine nature of eggs. Also ironic was the fact that I found the service to be excellent as well, something I wasn’t expecting as I’d been told the waiters could be brusque and that theirs is one of the few restaurants in Paris that will rush you out the door! D&L are excellent conversationalists and can touch upon any topic with ease. And, of course, Michael & Scott are wonderful people - so funny & erudite. Great dinner companions all!
http://www.restaurant-chartier.com
After dinner we headed out to la Tour Montparnasse with the intent of having a glass of champagne at the top with the divine view of the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately, the bar was closed to us that night as someone had rented Ciel de Paris and had The Gypsy Kings playing! While we didn’t get to see them playing we did get to hear The Gypsy Kings live - amazing. And the views are stunning, too!
http://www.tourmontparnasse56.com/index.html
http://www.cieldeparis.com/
http://www.bestrestaurantsparis.com/...p?id_resto=257
Because I’m a long-time Oscar Wilde fan, I’d been dying to have a drink at L'Hôtel. It was on the itinerary the previous trip but that somehow fell by the wayside. Definitely come here for fantastic drinks & fantastic service. I visited here twice & found it to be tres sympa & cozy.
http://www.l-hotel.com/bar-e.php
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Hagan
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Apr 8th, 2007 03:02 AM
