Putting Kerouac's Neck on the Block
Mar 10th, 2012, 01:23 PM
#41
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Herself and I are really rive gauche people. Our preferred Paris locations are near the rue Mouffetard. But this time we have chosen to break new ground, and are staying out in the 19th. It's further away from tourist Paris, but one can get - or believe that one gets - more of a feel for la vraie Paris, the city that true Parisians know.
This morning we happened on a market in the 19th, on rue de Flandre. Much of the stuff on sale was brocante, and there was no scarcity of cheap new stuff. If one had the time and expertise, I am sure that there were bargains to be had, especially for those who like art deco, and who don't mind doing a bit of restoration work. We spent some time there, but no money.
Then some more standard tourism: a ramble around the Place de Vosges and the Marais, a visit to Musée Carnavallet, a look at the Louvre and a stroll through the Tuileries, things like that. We obviously don't look like tourists, even in tourist places: everybody we encountered addressed us in French, and we used our okay-but-by-no-means-fluent French in response, they did not try to switch to English. And we were offered no gold rings.
I had been getting worried about FMT: we tried Chatelet-Les Halles again, and found no trace of him. There was an empty sleeping bag on the northbound platform for line 7, and we left the sandwich and the toilet paper there, hoping that it wa FMT's temporary abode. And then we learn pouf! he's gone!
Saw a guy wearing tennis shorts on the rue de Rivoli. He looked as if he felt cool, and I didn't have the heart to tell him that the look just wasn't right: no fanny pack.
This morning we happened on a market in the 19th, on rue de Flandre. Much of the stuff on sale was brocante, and there was no scarcity of cheap new stuff. If one had the time and expertise, I am sure that there were bargains to be had, especially for those who like art deco, and who don't mind doing a bit of restoration work. We spent some time there, but no money.
Then some more standard tourism: a ramble around the Place de Vosges and the Marais, a visit to Musée Carnavallet, a look at the Louvre and a stroll through the Tuileries, things like that. We obviously don't look like tourists, even in tourist places: everybody we encountered addressed us in French, and we used our okay-but-by-no-means-fluent French in response, they did not try to switch to English. And we were offered no gold rings.
I had been getting worried about FMT: we tried Chatelet-Les Halles again, and found no trace of him. There was an empty sleeping bag on the northbound platform for line 7, and we left the sandwich and the toilet paper there, hoping that it wa FMT's temporary abode. And then we learn pouf! he's gone!
Saw a guy wearing tennis shorts on the rue de Rivoli. He looked as if he felt cool, and I didn't have the heart to tell him that the look just wasn't right: no fanny pack.
Mar 10th, 2012, 05:06 PM
#44
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"..By the way my wife would like to find some new ones. She says that old ones lose their bounce and aren't much fun to play with."
Cold, that's probably because the fur has worn off their surface and they're now bald balls. That usually happens with excessive play from singles, doubles or against a wall. However as long as they are still firm under your Mrs' squeeze, you should still be good for a couple more serves.
Padraig, very much enjoying your Parisienne discoveries.
When I was there last October, I also detoured away from the touristy spots and thereby explored the 15th and the 18th. The African street market in the 18th was an interesting experience and I visited it twice.
I too recall the chaos at Chatelet-Les-Halles. Should you return to give FMT one more try, I think you should should pull on a pair of white Laver shorts OVER your jeans and strap on a 'grape' coloured fanny pack. Then further accessorize with a neon lime green backpack and you won't have to look for FMT anymore; he will find you like you were a homing beacon.
Cold, that's probably because the fur has worn off their surface and they're now bald balls. That usually happens with excessive play from singles, doubles or against a wall. However as long as they are still firm under your Mrs' squeeze, you should still be good for a couple more serves.
Padraig, very much enjoying your Parisienne discoveries.
When I was there last October, I also detoured away from the touristy spots and thereby explored the 15th and the 18th. The African street market in the 18th was an interesting experience and I visited it twice.
I too recall the chaos at Chatelet-Les-Halles. Should you return to give FMT one more try, I think you should should pull on a pair of white Laver shorts OVER your jeans and strap on a 'grape' coloured fanny pack. Then further accessorize with a neon lime green backpack and you won't have to look for FMT anymore; he will find you like you were a homing beacon.
Mar 11th, 2012, 02:13 PM
#46
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Today we visited familiar ground. First to la Mouf' for Sunday morning jazz and dancing in the street. And even on a Sunday the food smells on rue Mouffetard are glorious.
Then a ramble around some of our favourite left bank locations, and lunch. As a general rule, we would avoid the sort of place that has a person outside trying to draw in the punters. But we make a particular exception for La Petite Hostellerie on rue de la Harpe. We first found it years ago, before we became as sophisticated as now we are, and it is an element of our particular Paris. And while the food is not memorably good, neither is it bad, and it's certainly not bad value for the prices they charge.
St. Severin's was also part of our Paris. It used to be a peaceful haven in a crowded area of a touristed city. No longer.
I should mention exercise. Everywhere we go, especially in the parks, we find people exercising. The main thing is jogging, but there are also people going through various types of exercise activity, many of which do not need much space, and could probably be managed at home. There seems to be a desire to exercise in public places, and be seen by as many people as possible.
Then a ramble around some of our favourite left bank locations, and lunch. As a general rule, we would avoid the sort of place that has a person outside trying to draw in the punters. But we make a particular exception for La Petite Hostellerie on rue de la Harpe. We first found it years ago, before we became as sophisticated as now we are, and it is an element of our particular Paris. And while the food is not memorably good, neither is it bad, and it's certainly not bad value for the prices they charge.
St. Severin's was also part of our Paris. It used to be a peaceful haven in a crowded area of a touristed city. No longer.
I should mention exercise. Everywhere we go, especially in the parks, we find people exercising. The main thing is jogging, but there are also people going through various types of exercise activity, many of which do not need much space, and could probably be managed at home. There seems to be a desire to exercise in public places, and be seen by as many people as possible.
Mar 11th, 2012, 02:55 PM
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>First to la Mouf' for Sunday morning jazz and dancing in the street.
Tell me more about this please. It sounds wonderful.
Also, following in the steps of Kerouac, have you considered an excursion to the Mouzaïa neighborhood? Didn't see people exercising there, but it's a charming neighborhood.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...la-mouzaia.cfm
Tell me more about this please. It sounds wonderful.
Also, following in the steps of Kerouac, have you considered an excursion to the Mouzaïa neighborhood? Didn't see people exercising there, but it's a charming neighborhood.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...la-mouzaia.cfm
Mar 12th, 2012, 01:26 PM
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FMT: there's an awful lot of body-hugging lycra - and in most cases, awful lot is the right expression. There are a few eye-pleasing distractions, however.
MaineGG: thre is a jazz band that busks on rue Mouffetard on Sunday mornings; very trad, they make for easy listening; they get people's feet going and there is little traffic on Sunday, so there is usually a bit of dancing.
MaineGG: thre is a jazz band that busks on rue Mouffetard on Sunday mornings; very trad, they make for easy listening; they get people's feet going and there is little traffic on Sunday, so there is usually a bit of dancing.
Mar 12th, 2012, 01:29 PM
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So we walked the Promenade Plantée. Or perhaps I should say Promenade Pla..., because my mental notes were insufficient, and when we reached the barrier with the spiral staircase, I could not figure where the continuation was: you could say we lost the sentier. So next we walked the ...alP edanemorP, thinking that they do parks well in Paris. Had I been so minded, I could have kept you posted live, because there is free Wifi along the way.
The Gare de Lyon is not far from the Viaduc des Arts, the start and finish of our walk. What the hell, we thought, let's give the Train Bleu an opportunity to feed us lunch. So we turned up at the busy dining room and requested a table for two. A quick appraisal, and we were deemed acceptable (the €10 jeans passed muster; they are in a different league entirely from $10 jeans). The menu which we took included wine, a half-bottle each. Our normal lunchtime limit is one glass, but when I suggested to Herself that we were not required to finish the wine she said, and I agreed, that is hard to leave it to be thrown out.
It seemed a good idea, after such a lunch, to live the tourist experience. So we betook ourselves to Montmartre, had a little ramble (it's a good place to explore) and then settled into a bar on Place du Tertre to observe the special experience of life that passes for normal there. And it was there, for the first time in our visit, that anybody responded to our French with English. Perhaps a sign that our time here is drawing to a close.
The Gare de Lyon is not far from the Viaduc des Arts, the start and finish of our walk. What the hell, we thought, let's give the Train Bleu an opportunity to feed us lunch. So we turned up at the busy dining room and requested a table for two. A quick appraisal, and we were deemed acceptable (the €10 jeans passed muster; they are in a different league entirely from $10 jeans). The menu which we took included wine, a half-bottle each. Our normal lunchtime limit is one glass, but when I suggested to Herself that we were not required to finish the wine she said, and I agreed, that is hard to leave it to be thrown out.
It seemed a good idea, after such a lunch, to live the tourist experience. So we betook ourselves to Montmartre, had a little ramble (it's a good place to explore) and then settled into a bar on Place du Tertre to observe the special experience of life that passes for normal there. And it was there, for the first time in our visit, that anybody responded to our French with English. Perhaps a sign that our time here is drawing to a close.
Mar 13th, 2012, 02:42 PM
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We have cut and run, and are back at home. Lots of little things on which to dwell.
The circular pond in the Luxembourg Gardens had been drained, I presume for cleaning. A small boy who had brought his boat along was not to be deterred: he climbed in and placed his boat on the dry bed, and adjusted the sails so as to catch whatever little wind was blowing.
We spent 10-15 minutes watching pigeons. They had found a packet of chocolate chip cookies, and their efforts to extract the biscuits from the cellophane sleeve was a marvel of forced co-operation and intense competition.
Another business name pun (on rue Mouffetard, and possibly seen by others of this august forum): Obj'ai trouvé.
More bird-watching: 2 mallard drakes; 1 duck. Big battle - mallards are amazingly aggressive birds. I sided with the drake who seemed to be the partner of the duck against the one I took to be the interloper. Ten seconds in, I couldn't tell one from the other.
Does every American teenage girl get to visit Place du Tertre?
What's so great about falafels?
Cheapest tea-for-her and coffee-for-me: at a bar in Reuilly, €2.40. We paid about twice that in most places.
The circular pond in the Luxembourg Gardens had been drained, I presume for cleaning. A small boy who had brought his boat along was not to be deterred: he climbed in and placed his boat on the dry bed, and adjusted the sails so as to catch whatever little wind was blowing.
We spent 10-15 minutes watching pigeons. They had found a packet of chocolate chip cookies, and their efforts to extract the biscuits from the cellophane sleeve was a marvel of forced co-operation and intense competition.
Another business name pun (on rue Mouffetard, and possibly seen by others of this august forum): Obj'ai trouvé.
More bird-watching: 2 mallard drakes; 1 duck. Big battle - mallards are amazingly aggressive birds. I sided with the drake who seemed to be the partner of the duck against the one I took to be the interloper. Ten seconds in, I couldn't tell one from the other.
Does every American teenage girl get to visit Place du Tertre?
What's so great about falafels?
Cheapest tea-for-her and coffee-for-me: at a bar in Reuilly, €2.40. We paid about twice that in most places.
Mar 14th, 2012, 02:36 AM
#57
Cheapest tea-for-her and coffee-for-me: at a bar in Reuilly, €2.40. We paid about twice that in most places.>>
indeed. at the cafe in Versailles - €2.50 for a cup of not very hot water and a tea-bag, and €5 each for cafe au lait on the boulevard st. germain. [we should have known better - and did, the next time].
MY lesson from this trip - for those who still think that it's a good idea to spend 2 days in one place before moving to the next - you'd better have deep pockets. it's only after a few days in a place, even one that you've been to a number of times before, that you get to know where the best and cheapest drinks, tea, coffee, etc. are. if you only stay a short time, you never learn that, and your trip will be that much more expensive. [doesn't apply yo you, Padraig!]
indeed. at the cafe in Versailles - €2.50 for a cup of not very hot water and a tea-bag, and €5 each for cafe au lait on the boulevard st. germain. [we should have known better - and did, the next time].
MY lesson from this trip - for those who still think that it's a good idea to spend 2 days in one place before moving to the next - you'd better have deep pockets. it's only after a few days in a place, even one that you've been to a number of times before, that you get to know where the best and cheapest drinks, tea, coffee, etc. are. if you only stay a short time, you never learn that, and your trip will be that much more expensive. [doesn't apply yo you, Padraig!]
Mar 14th, 2012, 04:23 AM
#58
The great thing about falafels is that in countries where meals are basically humous, odd looking chicken or Kibba (I still don't know what this is but might be a ball of liver and pulses) then deep fat fried falafels will not have you calling for god down the big white telephone.
Not then a logical meal in Paris
Not then a logical meal in Paris
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