Day 7:
In the morning, D and T went for walk to see a series of passages between buildings in Lyon. I rested and then get ready to go. We took our luggage with us so we could have lunch before going to the train station. We ended up at Le Gailleton (5, place Gailleton), another Jean Paul Lacombe restaurant. I had a decent roast chicken and David had the same steak tartare the Tracy had at Le Comptoir des Marronniers. He liked it, but raw beef just doesn't appeal to me.

We caught the 1:30 train back to Paris, this time in 1st class. The seating in first was 1x2 instead of 2x2 and very comfortable. I was glad we bought our tickets in advance because the train was packed, and there were people looking for seats. A girl across from us got fined for not having a ticket, so I guess you can't just hop on the train and hope to buy one there.

Hold your little dogs in your arms...

Back in Paris, we went back to the apartment and had to resist the temptation to stay and relax. Instead, we took the metro to the Trocadero. At the Etoille metro stop, where we had to change trains, I heard an announcement come over the loudspeaker. I asked D what it said, concerned that our train wasn't running. He translated, saying the train was coming and that passengers should "Hold your little dogs in your arms. Merci!" For some reason this struck me as absurdly funny. Could you imagine that in a New York subway?

We arrived at the Trocadero just in time for sunset. It was one of those picture-postcard moments and the view was really stunning. We rarely take pictures of ourselves while on vacation, but in this case we couldn't resist and had our picture taken by some tourists from Columbia.

After admiring the view for a while, we walked across the bridge to walk under the tower. Just as we crossed the lights began to twinkle (it was 7 PM) and it really was a magical sight.

I'd read a number of favorable reviews of a restaurant called Au Bon Accueil which is right near the tower, so we thought we'd go over and check out the menu. It seemed fairly expensive for the choices, so we moved on and walked down the Seine for a bit. We crossed the river at the Louvre and took the metro to Chatelet where we proceeded to do our usual; walk in circles looking for a place to eat dinner. Somehow we ended up back on the rue Montorgueil, and after walking the entire street looking at every menu, we found Aux Tonneaux des Halles (28 rue Montorgueil) and settled in at an outside table. I had an extremely good entrecote served with a bordelaise sauce and a marrow filled bone. My steak also came with the best tasting, thick cut fries I have ever had. They must have been cooked in lard or duck fat, but I don't care, they were fantastic. David had rumsteak with haricot verte, and along with a beer and 25 cl of red wine the total was 47 euro.

Your report is fantastic. I loved the Bocuse stuff - what an amazing experience!

Also, glad you liked your Let's Paris apartment - it looks super cute and the Clichy area is really fun. The property manager, Lauren, manages our studio apartment, too! She's great!

ttt

Lutece-
Which apartment is yours? I loved working with Lauren, she was great! Unfortunately, our schedules didn't mesh, so we never got to meet face to face.

More to come, one last day in Paris...

Hey Kristina - Our apartment is the Douai studio. It's the budget option of the group. ;-) Some of the Let's Paris apartments look pretty darn fabulous! Maybe Lauren will let us take a peek at a few next trip (in May) if they're not booked!

Again, thanks for your trip report! I've made note of several restos that you mentioned in Paris because they're in our neighborhood! We're only just getting to know it, so we're always happy to explore and try someplace new.

Paris-Day 8:
This was out last full day in Paris and we wanted to make the most of it. There were still things we wanted to see and do before we left. First among them was a visit to the Georges Pompidou center (aka the Beaubourg museum) which is Paris' large modern art museum. Years back we had come here, late one evening about an hour before it closed, only to discover that was the last night it would be open for 3 years. Somehow, we had arrived right before a long planned renovation. We ran through the museum, vowing to return someday.

Today was the day. When we arrived, the line stretched about a block long into the plaza in front of the musuem. But that was just the line to go through security, and it moved fairly quickly as did the ticket purchase line. The actual museum galleries are located on the 4th,5th and 6th floors of the building , accessable by an exterior escalator encased in a giant plastic tube. The views from the top are fantastic and we stood up there for quite a few minutes. I really enjoyed the exhibits, especially much of the interesting sculptures and photography. We glanced at the rooftop restaurant, but the prices were very high, and I'd read negative reviews.

After a couple of hours in the museum, we left and walked across the plaza to get a bite to eat at one of the outdoor cafes across from the entrance. I had a mediocre omlette and D had knockwust which he said he enjoyed.

As we sat there, watching the rain clouds roll in, we looked at some paintings by a street artist stationed across the walkway from us. After our meal, D asked me if I liked any of them. I did, and so did he, but we each liked a different piece. While we've never purchased original artwork of any sort before, we decided to go talk to the artist and find out how much he wanted for the paintings.

It turns out he's Algerian, and spends most of the year living in Sevilla Spain where he only sells his art in galleries. For three months of the year, he comes to Paris to sell his work on the street. The paintings are mixed-medium; acrylic paint, tempura, pieces of newsprint, on heavy paper, not canvas. Some were impressions of nudes, and some fictional Paris street scenes.
We asked how much he wanted for the paintings, and he replied, "Not so much, they are very inexpensive. Forty Five euro each." We talked some more, debated the merits of each piece, and he offered to sell us two for 80 euro. Then he said, because the rain was coming, and he would have to stop selling for the day, he would give us two for 60, and after some hesitation, two for 50 euro was his final offer. As D and I were deciding on two very different paintings, a group of three other American tourists came up, and in about 3 minutes, bought two of his paintings for 80 euro, with no bargaining. After they left, he turned to D and said, in French, "so, two for sixty?" D replied, "no, you said 50 euro" and he smiled and agreed. So, we each got our favorite, and while they aren't exactly a "matching pair", we like them and will certainly enjoy them and the memory of the experience.

Since drops were indeed beginning to fall, we took the metro back to the apartment to drop off our new purchase.

After that, we walked back up to Montmartre in search of some inexpensive souvineers to bring back to coworkers. I swear, we must have looked in every souvineer shop, and finally settled on some cute tiny Eiffel tower keychains.
On the way back down the hill, we walked on the rue des Martyrs, where we stopped in little shop selling all sorts of Chinese imports, mostly clothing, and I bought some cute purses embellished with Chinese silk. We also went into a variety of markets and wine shops, looking at wine, but decided it wasn't worth the cost and hassle to bring any home.
Finally, I really wanted to buy some scarves to take home. We walked back over to Printemps, where out front there are street vendors selling a beautiful assortment of scarves (and ties for men) for 5 euro each. I bought 4 more scarves and D bought a few more silk ties.

Coming up, The Last Supper....
Dinner at Bofinger, the oldest brasserie in Paris....

For our last meal in Paris, we chose Bofinger (www.bofingerparis.com), supposedly the oldest brasserie in Paris, first opened in 1864. It's now owned by the Brasserie Flo group, the same company that owns Terminus Nord. While there are some similarities in the menus, Bofinger seems to have retained it's own individual charm. The restaurant is lovely, with stained glass, gilded mirrors, original murals, and leather banquettes.

The Bastille metro stop is quite large, and we exited in the rain, only to discover we had no clue as to which way to go. So, we wandered about a bit, getting wet, trying to find the street. Finally we found it (at 5-7 rue de Bastille, 75004), even though there was no sign.

We arrived without reservations and asked to be seated under the stained glass dome in the center of the restaurant (also the non-smoking section). It was a busy night, so we needed to wait a while at the bar. This time, David got his martini without having to instruct the bartender on how to make it. It was already on their drink list, and as it turns out, Luigi made a perfect dry martini. Instead of taking our name and adding it to a wait list, we were handed a little card with the name of a famous composer on it; we were Chopin. They just ran through the list, alphabetically calling the composers names on the cards. Once again, we noticed a couple of Parisians with their little dogs with them in the restaurant.

After about half an hour, we heard "Chopin!" and were sat under the stained glass cupola. I won't say it was all tourists, but there were quite a few different languages being spoken on all sides. My guess is that "non-smoking" and "tourist" can go hand in hand.

We both selected from the 33.50 euro menu, though they had a nice a la carte menu as well with tons of shellfish platters. Next time, I vow to order one of those mountains of seafood. Our wine was a 2003 Marquis des Tours Bordeaux. D's appetizer was foie gras (last night, last foie) and a glass of Gwerztiminer (7 euro supplement) and mine was bouillabaisse served with croutons and rouille. Both were very good. We both had a roasted duck breast for our main course which was excellent and came with a crispy skin, a demi glace sauce and tasty mashed potatoes with hazelnuts, garlic, and chanterelle mushrooms. My dessert was a wonderful chocolate cake with crème anglaise and D's was vanilla ice cream with a cassis coulis. In total the meal was 80 euro.

Hi Everyone!

Day 6 photos, including the dinner at Paul Bocuse, are now online at my website.
http://www.wired2theworld.com

Kristina, this is flat-out marvelous! It's definitely required reading for all Paris lovers.

I looked at your website and had to laugh at all the clothing spread out (photo 1) and then everything packed (photo 2). I took a very similar picture myself...at midnight, when I was tearing my hair out wondering if I'd ever get packed and out the door!

I see you visited the beautiful toilets at the Madeleine. When I went to Paris last September with my husband, we walked blocks and blocks out of our way to see this fabulous rest room because I'd read about them on Fodors (my husband dubbed our walk the 'toilet trek.':D) They were closed! Luckily, when Marcy and I went to Paris in January, they were open. I'm glad you took photos because we didn't.

Mermaid- Merci! Merci!
Yes, I loved the toilets at the Place de Madeline. Worth the trek. I love seeking out "unusual" things like that. :-)
As for the clothing photo, I did that because I wanted to show people that it is possible to travel light. There were even a couple of items I never wore (should have never brought scarves since I bought so many while there). And D survived just fine with his single pair of shoes!

Photos and my journals from Day 7 are now posted on my website.
http://www.wired2theworld.com
Just one day to go...

Kristina, thank you for the information you have provided. I am leaving tomorrow for 2 weeks in Lyon, and my friend will be far too busy to show us around and help us decide what to do. Much appreciated!

This is a wonderful trip report. I especially liked the description of your dinner at Bocuse--someday we'll get there. I always enjoy watching him on the Bocuse d'Or finals.

Since you're a chef and have been to Lyon, might I recommend a very good book by Katharine Hall Page? The protaganist is a caterer, and the book is set in Lyon. The title is "The Body in the Vestibule," and one of the best bits involves the traboules.

Dougferret-Have a great time in Lyon. With 2 weeks you sould be able to see a lot and still have time to relax. Make sure you check out the weekend farmer's market.

Underhill-Thanks! I'll look for that book!