The Further Adventures of Scarlett in Paris.....
 

The Further Adventures of Scarlett in Paris.....

Why go to Paris yet again???

I had hoped for a trip to Japan for a Christmas present, when we found that our son (the one living in Japan) was going to be in Paris in March before coming to visit us here at home.
So the trip became a trip to Paris.

Where to stay and how to make it new and different?

We were originally going to stay at our favorite hotel on the Left Bank, the D'Angleterre (especially since they have refurbished ) but then my son mentioned the hotel he was considering staying in over near the Marais, so we started researching apartment rentals.
In order not to leave anyone out- I will just thank Everyone who was so helpful and full of good humour and advice while I went through the apt hunt ..
We used ParisPerfect.com, we stayed in the apartment near rue Cler.
Actually, the apt is on the corner of rue Cler and rue de Grenelle.

Pros & Cons of staying in an apt vs hotel

OK, I will get this out of the way now- No Room Service!
No maid service. I had to do dishes!!
The apt was a one bedroom, maybe the same size as my living room. It actually really does look just the way it did on the site.. only smaller. But it was spic and span clean, double glazed windows, very quiet, never heard a neighbor or traffic sounds. The only thing that might have kept me awake at night was that pesky Tower, twinkling through the bedroom window! We could see it from the dining area also, it was quite a sight and made me late a few times for dinner because I was caught just standing there staring..
The building looks kind of shabby and smelled like cabbage but when you enter the apt, it is perfect. So I do recommend apt rentals..if you don't mind doing dishes and making beds.

The Neighborhood
rue Cler is a good area but we heard quite a bit of English being spoken, that might put some people off..I would have preferred to have been the only tourist there :)
We shopped for our groceries on the rue, the shop keepers are all very helpful, I used my fractured French and got along just fine.
We walked to the Eiffel Tower each evening after dinner, I never got tired of that sight.
We used the Metro to get everywhere, except for the day that they threw a Transit strike ( especially thoughtful since the Olympic Committee people were there, considering Paris for the 2012 games...I am sure they were very impressed)

Eating In.
A couple of nights we had dinner in the apt.
It was soooo cold and raw out, one day was sleeting. So we had an extravaganza of cheese, breads, soups and a rotisserie chicken with plenty of dark chocolate and apricot tarts with some very nice French Pinot Noir and Cotes du Rhone to wash it all down with.

My son arrived from India, jetlagged and tanned and carrying Leonard Cohen cds..that is what we listened to while we watch the Tower twinkling.

Eating Out.
We decided that while we were doing everything else for the First time, we would also eat only in places that were new to us, no going back to the old haunts.
We chose really well, none of these places was recommended to us, we just found them and we were very happy with our choices.

La Casa di Sergio ( goofy name but great little restaurant)
20 rue de l'Exposition - off rue St Dominique
(a couple of doors from the World Cafe Internet Cafe.)
The owner/bartender/waiter would burst into song along with his cds of opera, the food was excellent, we really enjoyed it and would go back again.

cafe de Felice
157 rue Grenelle
The Best Tagliatelle with Courgettes in cream sauce!!

L'Ami Jean
Staff was a wee bit snippy but the food was good and the crowd was cheerful, I recommend it but be prepared for a long list of questions when you book a reservation, name,address,phone number ( I don't remember if they asked for our passports :)

Courgettes in cream sauce! I hope you asked for the recipe!!!

Yay! Scarlett! It's great to hear from you. You are inspiring me for our June Paris trip...

Can't wait to hear about your shopping and other adventures...

Are you going to any museums or music venues?

Which hotel did your son end up picking?

Warm wishes from NYC,
Betty

I have the ingredients here already LOL

Thank you betty!
At the last minute,before we left, he went to the Hotel Tinquetonne (sp) and got a room there for 2 nights.
He said after the places he had slept in, in India, he would be fine there for 2 nights. He told me later on the phone that it was fine and the people there were very nice.
I believe a nice poster here stayed there not long ago and he also liked it..

Museums

We spent a day at the D'Orsay. I had to go with our son, I wanted to share his first time there. It was a hit :)
I got to take my time and went to the top of the museum and down, not missing a thing!
It was exhausting but so satisfying!

I really appreciate their coat check and the fact that they do not take tips for checking your belongings.
The cafe was perfect as always. There were classes of children, sitting on the floors, being lectured to by ladies from the museum, charming.

The Musee Marmottan
I love Monet. The Yankee knows that if we win the Lottery- I get a Monet!
We almost rented an apt in the 16th so it was fun to walk the area and see what we missed. It is lovely, I was happy about where we did rent but if I ever get to live in Paris- the 16th will be fine with me.
The Museum is lovely and I was happy to just sit on a bench and gaze at Msr Monets winter scenes and water lillies.
We also walked through quite a few galleries on rue de Bac and rue de Seine and rue Jacob. In their own ways, small museums.

Eating out:

Lunches -
Cafe at the D'Orsay, (OK, that was a repeat, but we had to show it to our son, he had to see that ceiling for himself!)
Brasserie du Trocadero
Cafe Rousillon, across the street from the apt..where we found ourselves most late afternoons, resting our feet, warming our toes and sipping my Kir.
Laduree on the Left Bank, Tea and chocolate, I am happy.
A great place on a corner in the Marais LOL It was sleeting and we just dashed inside, the food was great but I never caught the name. I had a salmon sandwich ( I like smoked salmon but this was amazing) Something I can make at home too!

Shopping
Yes, I shopped. I did not, however, go to the Galleries Lafayette or any department store. We walked all over the city. If I saw something in a window, I went in, otherwise, there was no agenda, no goal..
I did not look at shoes ( my feet were too tired to care)
But I did buy handbags. At one small boutique on our street, a pink polka dot tote for my daughter and a pale pink Longchamp bag for myself. We bought candle holders and antique paintings on wood in the Marais, at a place called De Bouche a Oreille Maison..I got soaps and bath goodies in a small shop near the apt..again, I don't remember the name but I am crazy for The Vert (Green Tea) soaps and they had it in a Bath Mousse. I also got some red toile for the house- a lapblanket.
It turned out to be not a big shopping trip, which I am sure made the Yankee happy, the Euro was quite depressing if one thought about it for long...being Scarlett though, I did not think about it for long.

The French and The Way the Look

Everyone wore black. I saw no color unless you count the little brown stripes on that mans shoes or a ladies purple scarf tucked into her black coat. Puffy coats are so IN. Long ones, short ones, they all looked very warm and comfy. I was happy and warm in my shearling, along with some other ladies who wore shearlings and furs.
Shoes- you see every kind..comfy shoes, boots, high heels, sneakers..in colors, black, white, bowling type shoes..
Scarves..my husband says the scarf is a cliche and the French need to get a new cliche. Even tiny babies had little tiny scarves wrapped just so around their little necks..I kept watching to see if anyone had one around their dogs neck, but the closest that I saw was the small dog with the red wool coat..(Burberry I think)

Dogs
I love French dogs. Not only do they understand French, but they do not need a leash. They run / walk along, minding their own business, staying out of the street, and their owner goes along on his way..but they never lose each other..I must talk to Pup and explain this to him..I will even let him wear a scarf!
French dogs are also happy because they can use the bathroom anywhere and rarely does anyone pick it up after them. I discovered that the area around the Eiffel Tower, where the most elegant and beautiful homes were, had the worst collections of dog droppings on the sidewalks..It became second nature to watch where we stepped at all times, I was sorry about this because I had expected it to be better by now.
I read that 650 French people are admitted to hospitals each year from stepping/slipping in dog do. You would think they would be annoyed by it by now.

The time flew by, we enjoyed every minute, every bite and every sight.
The flight to Paris was Continental, as comfortable as coach can be ( not very) but I somehow managed to sleep a bit! Could it have been the xanax?
The flight back was a shock, we were in the part of the cabin between coach and First, just 2 seats and we had our own bathroom..So I slept on that flight too.
Customs in France and the US were perfectly fine, fast and my luggage all came home with us, un-molested.

So glad to hear that all went well.
Welcome back


Was the weather cold all the time? Did you have the right clothes?

Did you buy any shoes? :)

Lest I forget, we did spend most of our last day in Paris, with the dead.
We were on the train first thing in the morning and arrived at Pere Lachaise Cemetary.
We got our map and started off, from the gates winding our way up and around.
We paid our respects to Chopin, Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf, Abelarde and Heloise, Modigliani, and so many others.
It was touching and interesting and at times amusing.
But the War Memorials made me weep. It is an amazing place and I highly recommend a visit.

sorry for the shoe question, I missed your earlier comment about your shopping

Hi elaine!
Yes, I had the right clothes ( all my black NYC outfits were perfect) and I took 4 pair of shoes/boots so they all got a turn.
Every day was in the 40s..one day we had sleet, the last day was warmer, maybe 45. I heard after we left, it got a bit warmer.

She's back,,, and shopping shoeless, bagless,(for herself) Amazing!!

Welcome back, Scarlett.
Glad everything went well, your son here, and pictures???

Love your report! Are you saying that your entire apartment was the size of your home living room? Pretty small, I guess, if it was the whole apartment that size.

What did you do about changing towels? I can use a towel certainly more than once, but a whole week?

And the recipe for the tagliatelle would be terrific, if you know how to make it!!

Welcome back to the USA.

Welcome home!

In your absence, we've been civil on the U.S. board, with not one squabble (of any note) about Portland hotels or restaurants.

And...there were no sightings of your "pen pals" who shall not be named.

I was sure you would want to have a report!!

Jim

Hi kopp, yes, the apt was tiny. The photo of the bedroom does not show you that the bed almost touches the walls.
I also happen to have a large living room, lol.
Towels, they stock a closet full of bath,hand towels and face cloths. We can have someone come in and do maid service for a small fee. The apt had a great Meihle washer/dryer and they provide laundry soap. I used it once..loved it. (loved it so much that I bought the laundry soap and brought it home- the scent will remind me of Paris)
Jim,
you are a true gentleman. I am happy to hear all was peaceful while I was away. Does this mean that now I am back, we have to get rowdy?
:D

Fur! I hadn't seen so much fur anywhere in years! Little old ladies in the most gorgeous long coats..probably left over from the 50's! And younger students with great jackets! Sorry, PETA!

We too were amused by the babies with scarves. And the little backpacks some of them had on! I loved a little fish pack we saw and wanted to ask where they had bought it but the hub said to cool it! And I probably wouldn't be able to understand where she told me!

Hi Scarlett! You had a little better weather than we did in February. Brrrr.

The Yankee may be on to something with the scarves. They wrap so tight around the ncek one worries about them.

Enjoyed your notes!

Everyone was wearing black? How boring and disappointing!

When I was in France in 1988, green plaid tennis sneakers were soooooo in! For men and women. People enjoyed color more then.

Why are people so CONFORMIST these days? Even in NYC...like one big funeral...black everywhere.

I should move to Tokyo. The young people seem to appreciate color there.

Thanks, Scarlet!

Pardon my ignorance, Jody, but are the French carrying their fish around in packs draped in animal fur? Just what is a fish pack?

Thanks for the great report. I made note of the restaurants and shops. Was surprised that you thought the apartment was small. Which one did you rent? Am now concerned that mine will be small too. But just to be in Paris will be wonderful.