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Toujours Paris: Marcy's springtime trip report part 2.

Toujours Paris: Marcy's springtime trip report part 2.

Old Jun 12th, 2005, 12:50 PM
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Toujours Paris: Marcy's springtime trip report part 2.

I’ve been meaning to sit down and write a brief report of the Paris portion of our most recent trip to France, but procrastination is a terrible thing!

Well, today is rainy and gloomy, so my gardening plans have been thwarted, and I can’t procrastinate any longer.

We were in Paris the first week of May, after a week in Normandy.
(See my trip report part 1:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...2&tid=34619605)

We’ve spent quite a bit of time in Paris, so didn’t do very many of the first-trip “must sees”, but here are some of the highlights and discoveries of our trip:

First of all, we were arriving into Paris by car, and I had arranged to return our rental car at the Gare du Nord, which wasn’t the greatest choice. We arrived on Saturday afternoon of the May 1 holiday weekend, so traffic was probably crazier than usual.

The simplest course that I, as the navigator, could plot out involved coming into the city from the west, down Avenue Foch to the Charles de Gaulle Etoile and driving (gulp!) around the Arc de Triomphe before proceeding to the Gare du Nord.

Well, I can report that we braved the insane, zig-zagging traffic around the Arc de Triomphe and lived to tell the tale, but I wouldn’t recommend it for the faint-of heart.

There is no doubt that it is simpler to return a rental car at the airport and take a train or taxi into town.

We stayed at the Bonaparte (thanks again to Ira!), and had a small but adequate room with a charming marble fireplace, pretty ceiling moldings, and a good-sized modern bathroom.

This was my third stay at the Bonaparte, and I do think that it’s one of the best bargains around, and the staff there is very friendly and helpful, and the location can’t be beat, but I wish they would just put in some slightly more attractive bedspreads and draperies-- the decor in the rooms is non-existent.

Hotel Bonaparte
61 rue Bonaparte (in the 6th. Arr.)
Tel 33 (0)1 43 26 97 37
FAX 33 (0)1 46 33 57 67


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Sunday, May 1st was the Labor Day holiday, so a lot of things were closed, but it was a beautiful warm spring day, so we had a great time just walking all over the city.

We discovered the rue Montorgueil market street, and loved it! It was packed and bustling with people. You can get any sort of food there- there are cheese shops, wine shops, bakeries, and patisseries.

We bought the makings for a fabulous picnic: curried chicken sandwich on a baguette, onion quiche, fresh fruit, a lemon tart, and a mille feuille. Add a nice bottle of wine and some sparkling water, and we were set to go! (the wine shop opened and recorked the wine for us since we didn’t have a corkscrew, and gave us some plastic cups.)

Off we went to the Parc des Buttes Chaumont for our picnic. Wow! what a great park! There are grottoes, waterfalls, a pond, a marionette theater for the kids, and hills with great views of the city,

Best of all, it’s one of the few parks where it’s OK to just spread out a blanket on the grass and have a picnic. It was a glorious day, and it seemed that all the Parisians were doing just that- it made for a very festive and enjoyable atmosphere at the park.

We saw picnic spreads that made our little meal look very meager- whole families arrived with baskets laden with casseroles, roast chickens, large salads, baguettes, wine glasses and china. The kids were playing soccer and stripping down to their underwear to wade in the stream. What a delight! It was so much fun to be a part of it.

----------------------------------------------------------
Some restaurants that we enjoyed:
Old favorites:
Fish - 69, Rue du Seine, in the 6th Arr.
This is one of our favorites: casual atmosphere, good wine selection, and excellent food. The 3 course menu is a bargain at 32.50€.

Bistro Mazarin -42 rue Mazarine, in the 6th (01.43.29.99.01)
Nice neighborhood restaurant- lots of local regulars. Well-prepared bistro food. DH was brave and ordered the Andouillette sausage, which he enjoyed, in spite of all the negative press it receives on this board! The Soupe de Fruits Rouges for dessert was to die for!

Au Petit Marguery- 9 bd. du Port-royal, in the 13th, Tel: 01-43-31-58-59 metro- Gobelins.
I love this place! The atmosphere is traditional without being stuffy, and the waiters are charming and superbly professional. and, oh! the best scallops in the world! And a Grand Marnier soufflé that’s unbelievable.

A new favorite:
El Mauresque- 3, Rue Cadet in the 9th. Tel : 01 48 24 42 99
This was a wonderfully atmospheric Moroccan restaurant that we stumbled across and had a delicious lunch. I’d love to go back there for dinner. Great couscous with vegetables, brochettes of lamb or merguez sausage, assorted pastries and sorbet for dessert, and Moroccan tea. Lunch menu is only12€ including wine!

Aux Charpentiers- 10 rue Mabillon-
We sat at a table outside on the sidewalk- the inside was stiflingly hot. Good traditional food: Eggplant caviar appetizer, Main course: duck with olives (the older Parisian man sitting next to me told me he’s been ordering that dish here for 50 years!). Glace Colonel for dessert: lemon sorbet with vodka- yum!


L’Espadon Bleu- 25, rue des Grands-Augustins 75006. Tel : 01 46 33 00 85.
One of Jacques Cagna’s restaurants- excellent food, beautifully presented. Expensive, but quite a bit less than his restaurant across the street.

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Old Jun 12th, 2005, 02:36 PM
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Thanks marcy, happy to hear petite marguery is still good. I was there years ago when it first opened.
Restaurants in Paris are like new ice cream flavors . We need to recommend what has stood the passing of time.
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Old Jun 12th, 2005, 03:27 PM
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oh, I don't know, I love the reliable flavors as much as the next person, but once in a while I like to try a new taste sensation.
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Old Jun 12th, 2005, 03:46 PM
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true elaine, but like ?Il Postino, a metaphor
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Old Jun 12th, 2005, 03:53 PM
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reread my post. I'm not saying to always go back yet why not if it's where you always have a great time. Every one's trip is their own original one and I won't say go there or here because I learned long ago what I like and what you like are not the same(you=impersonal_
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Old Jun 12th, 2005, 04:19 PM
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back to









now back to Marcy's report.






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Old Jun 12th, 2005, 04:20 PM
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Oh Marcy, thank you !
I am glad that the Bonaparte was still good, that you had such good weather and that you had such good food!!
I remember loving Au Petit Marguery, we ate there on our 2nd trip to Paris- years ago.
The picnic sounds great
Every time I think I need to try Italy, someone writes a Paris trip report and makes me want to hurry back LOL
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Old Jun 12th, 2005, 06:14 PM
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Some nice places to stop and have a drink:

(I’m afraid this is going to sound like all we did was eat and drink- well, there’s some truth to that! )

Henri IV wine bar- at the very western end of the Ile de la Cité, right by the Pont Neuf- This is a delightful little wine bar, that was recommended here on this board. The proprietor is very helpful and will recommend wines to try, and tell you what order to try them. We got a small cheese plate to go with our wine, and spent a very relaxing time there one afternoon.

Le Train Bleu- at the Gare de Lyon- Wow! This is just the most decadent place to have a drink! Ornate frescoed ceilings, huge chandeliers, and comfy leather sofas where you can sit looking out across the dining room. It would be a beautiful place to have dinner, but we enjoyed the decor just as much sitting and sipping our kir royals.

Le Pub St.Germain- on rue de l’Ancienne Comedie just north of Blvd. St. Germain- this is a huge place, but the rooms have a very cozy, but “hip & cool” atmosphere: incense, candles on the stairs, interesting design light fixtures, and techno-music. A good place to go if you’re craving cocktails like mojitos or capirinhas.

Museums: (See! We didn’t just eat & drink!)
Musée Marmottan-Monet - This is a must-see if you like Monet! There was also a temporary exhibit upstairs of the work of Paul Guigou, a painter I’d never heard of, but who painted mostly in Provence. I enjoyed seeing his work, as well.

Musée Jacquemart André- We thought this place was very worthwhile: a fantastic art collection housed in an old mansion.The collection of Italian (especially Venetian) art is just amazing.
We had a very nice lunch of quiches and salads on the terrace there. The restaurant fills up very quickly, so I’d recommend arriving at the museum in the morning and stopping to make a reservation for lunch when you first get there, so that you’ll have a spot at lunchtime.

Musée de l’Armée- This was a good place for a rainy day- everything from interesting old armor from the middle ages to old uniforms from Napoleon’s army. There’s a section devoted to World War II, which we didn’t allow nearly enough time for.

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Old Jun 13th, 2005, 08:43 AM
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I did so badly want to go to Le Train Bleu, but it didn't fit in. Maybe next time. There will be a next time, won't there?
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Old Jun 13th, 2005, 09:12 AM
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I'm glad you got to one of my all-time favorite Parisian parks, Buttes-Chaumont! And I agree that Le Train Bleu is a remarkable place for a drink.
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Old Jun 13th, 2005, 09:21 AM
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Thanks Marcy!

You've made me move Buttes-Chaumont up on my "to do" list a couple of notches.

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Old Jun 13th, 2005, 10:22 AM
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train bleu is one of the mostbeatiful restaurants in the world. Years ago reading one of my favorite writers, MFK Fisher, she talked of going there alone, So I did and keep returning. If you've seen this restaurant in "La Femme Nikita, you will see where I once sat. Where Nikita kills the Chineese Man.
I hear Buttes-Chaumont is the perfect place for a picnic. True?
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