Funny Stuff

Today started off with a trip to the post, where it was another fiasco.  I got there & a different lady said “why do you have this box?”

 I said “it is not the box that I wanted however it is the one that your colleague wanted me to buy.”

“Oh no, no, no, that is not the box you need”,  so in the middle of the post office I had the pleasure of unpacking my box and repacking it. I had spent three euros on that lovely box. But at last I got it re-packaged all the paperwork done and sent. It only took about an hour and a half. From there I went back to pick up my notes from cooking school because I had left them there and I really wanted them. And from there I went to the first andriossment looking for a store called Ultra Mode.

It is a hat shop on one side of the street, and a sewing store on the other.  I was looking for silk ribbon. Apparently people don’t use silk ribbon on hats because they had none. It was time for lunch so I stopped and had the special of the day at a little restaurant (I don’t remember the name of it)

The closest thing can come to is maybe a sirloin and fries with a Roquefort sauce it was delicious.  As I proceeded to find a store that allegedly had stamping stuff that store was called Carre d Encre I ran into the Opera, which someone paid BIG money to have an advirtsment. 

The store was a paper whores dream!

However they really had very little to do with rubber stamping. They didn’t have any silk ribbon either.  I stopped for coffee at Illy after declining doughnuts in Paris at this cute little shop.

I did stumble on a perfume museum, which was fun and I succumbed to a bottle. 

A travel set from the 1800s, called necessarie.

A performers organ, funny, I thought it was their nose!  

Pretemps has some serious neon flowers, I bet they are cool lit up at night!

I took the Metro to the Tuileries,

(These kids were all over and gave me flashbacks to the drawing workshop I did in March)

and walked across  to the Seine and across the Seine to the Senellier store!  It was heavenly just to be amongst all that art stuff!  It is really odd though, I brought all my art stuff and have not picked up my brush once.  I am not sure if it is all the running with Sheryl or what.  Maybe when I get home!

I have to say the mayor has really encouraged bicycles here and they are s pedestrians nightmare,  the little bastards just creep up on you silently.  I have about gotten plowed several times.  

I crossed back to the right bank and walked through the entrance area to the Louvre, everyone was taking pics, using perspective.

Dinner was at L’’Ange 20 again, and it did not disappoint! Peach Kir tonight, (isn’t that AKA Bellini?)  Fois Gras and Toast with onion compote, Veal in a mushroom sauce, potatoes and green beans.  

We Did Eat Brioche

There is conjecture that Marie Antoinette probably never said the “Let them eat cake” thing as she’s had a heart for the impoverished. Of as much as any royal of her time could understand not being privileged.  If she did it was probably more along the lines of “Let them eat Brioche” and let me tell you , it sure is harder to make.  Regardless today is the Bread Class!

Breakfast was some left over baguette,  but there is a reason the French get a new one every day, it was tough! I am not sure I will ever abandon Krogers ( If they continue to carry them, but my relationship troubles with Kroger are a whole blog post of it’’s own!) Take and Bake Baguettes.  Also I have to say as lovely and satisfying as they are, they are not a real baguette.  I shall NEVER forget the sensations of that baguette on the way to Sheryls!  

I need a Box as I got vanilla and Chocolate Batons from G Detou and need to get them home.  So a marched to Le Poste, to get one.  One can ship 7 kg for about  68 Euro ( it used to be 60 euro!)  I am not sure why but everything here has to be a production.  I get there, see the box I want, request it and she tells me that is not what I want, I said yes, it is, and she said no.  I ended up with something different, cheaper, and  only 5 kg, I keep reminding myself that 5 is in about 10 lbs, I use looked it up it is technically 11 lbs!)  And I am not happy.  In Addition they no longer have paper forms and I have to do something on the computer and I am figuring that will be a French version of a goat rodeo. 

As I write I am sitting here eating my fig and raspberry Babka ( made with Brioche dough in our class)  with my coffee, it is divine.  I like the fig part better, I am not a seed fan.  

I wanted to look for some old cancelled postage stamps for card making, so headed to the Passage du Panoramas, a lovely covered  walkway.  

BUT I was there at lunchtime, and It was packed, I got to thinking COVID and got my stamps and got out.  SO advice:  don’t go over lunch (or probably dinner) unless you want to eat.  I did get my stamps and have a lovely conversation with the stamp guy  about. What I wanted with them and the cards I make.  After  all the cards I have made I did not have a photo of one of my own to show him.  

I had a crepe also known as a galette when they are savory rather than sweep.  It was ham, emmental (Swiss), Carmalized onion and mushroom with an egg on top.  It was very good, but too big, I ate till I was done!.  I have to laugh as it always upsets the waiters when I do that.  

I also found a small rolling bag to use for the trip home.  I have traveled with my lovely Black and While Toile suitcase set with the “carry” carry on bag, and the dammed thing is heavy.  Every time I sad, I am not going to do that again, and every time I do.  Because it matches.  I am giving it up! I am rolling in the airport on the way back!  the funny thing is I knew I would find something at this very store, I have purchased a back pack there before and though I have been looking all over (I have my places!), I just knew. 

Off to class,  the bread they taught us is a 3 day process, making the leavening, kneading (with a handy dandy kitchen aid - my best friend!) and finally shaping and baking. 

 This class teaches it in all 3 parts with each step ready.  We kinds of did it backwards, to get everything baked, but I have taught a couple of folks to make croissants and that 3 step process really is the only way, though I did not do it backwards!

  I talked with Sara about ways to make my croissants bigger, but after big ones here day after day for breakfast, I have started buying the “minis” and that is really enough for me.  So maybe my small croissants are not such a bad thing!  As usual Cookin With class does it right and not only did we have a lovely class but we also had a small feast at the end, Sara had wine and cheese to go with our baguette, and we tasted and talked and ooohed and aaahed. 

Home to rest a bit, the old girl is not so much for 4 hour stretches at a time of standing.  I could not work as a check out person at this time of my life for sure!  But the apartment is comfortable and  it is nice to have a place to come to to unwind.  

Sheryl and I waked

to a place she had been told way good, Au Petit Panisse.  

I was not all that hungry after the  “bread tasting” and we opted for appetizers, neither of which really hit either of our hot buttons.  But the walk did us both good and I was pooped after a restless night the night before.  

This morning is nice, eating that Babka!

Fontaine(bleau)yellow

The temptation every morning

Sheryl and I had discussed going to Fountainbleau and discussed if we wanted to do a paid to or try to do it on our own. We decided it would be more adventuresome to do it on our own. It certainly was.  Figuring out how to buy the tickets or how to get there was quite a challenge. The way is to buy your ticket in the metro and go on the RER however that was not clear in the instructions that I had found. You must go  (or is you arrive on the metro you are there, find a ticket seller) basement where the metro station is and tell the agent that you want to purchase a ticket to Fontainebleau.   Honestly I think our Navigo passes would have worked however in hindsight I don’t know that for sure.  We then had to go to the train platform, find “M” and put our ticket through.  Pretty easy has we had good information to begin with.  It was a pleasant 30-45 min ride.  Regardless we got there found the bus from the train station to the  Castle. Katherine got sidetracked by a market, Sheryl bought a couple pair of shoes, one of them I almost subscribed to my mother‘s philosophy of shop off of the the person (She once said at the airport, back in the day when flying was a big deal and people dressed up, I would like to take that green suit right off of that lady), and wear them myself they are so beautiful! We then walked a bit,  had some lunch (Japanese food). I tried eel for the first time ,  NOT my cup of tea, I wonder if I would have liked it better I hadn’t known it was eel.   Regardless, I didn’t enjoy it at all and it was kind of hard to swallow.

But the rest of the rest of my meal was OK and off we went walking to the castle we had been informed that the castle itself was not open but the grounds were so we decided to still wander and see what we could see. The grounds were interesting first of all this statue/fountain has some interesting action going on with the dogs,  wonder who decided that one.

There were big gardens to the north, I think,  of the building that were lovely the flowers were beautiful

and there was of course a grand Canal which was kind of fun to see. We had a coffee and then we wandered around a little bit more and actually ended up then in these entrance of the castle which was also quite beautiful it would make a nice Cinderella story obviously.

A bad selfie, I just cant get the hang of it!

 We then took the train back and Catherine suggested cooking because she wanted veggies and while I wasn’t all excited about having another vegetarian type meal.  I did  want to spend some more time with Katherine and Sheryl so I came back Martine had left a bottle of Cremant,  Burgundies version of champagne.  So I got that,  some of the Brie, ham and salami , and I grabbed that a baguette ( I can not tell you the sensation of holding that soft, warm, fragrant baguette, it was……..) from the local patisserie and take it back up so I don’t have to be totally vegetarian and we had a lovely meal together the food was good the company was good and the apartment is just a cute little place.

She is very close to me about two blocks away and I felt safe walking home from there.

Wandering in Delight

I got up, had breakfast, Sheryl was busy so I decided to go over to the fifth and wonder around hopefully end up at Senellier at the end of the day. But then I remembered that I had not yet been to the Centre Pompidou so I headed that way.

 

I learned a valuable lesson there and that is,  dear fellow artists,  each and everyone of our artwork is worthy of being hung in that museum.

So we need to take pride in what we do and know that we are just as amazing as those artists. To be honest some , o.k. Most, of our work is even better!

That said I got bored when I hit the 60s and left. I’d did have the most amazing vistas of Paris!  I went over towards Notre Dame wandered around sorrowfully. I ended up at a restaurant

where I had Italian/American food but it was delicious I had a salad

spaghetti Bolognese

and a tart tatain

in which  the apples were caramelized perfectly it was an amazing pie but I didn’t have room to eat it all. Then I wandered towards the fifth and  found that one of my favorite l little hotels seems to be closed.

Sherrill was wanting to have, or at least talk, supper by now it was time to start considering dinner, So I made a reservation for us at the Machon Du Henri, just around the corner form Bistrot Su Henri,  a brother restaurant to the bistro do Henri and I just kept wandering.

It was so nice. We eventually met up outside the church of St Germaine where I had gone in to sit down and have a moment.

I did have this one insane moment I had wanted to paint and there was nowhere to sit,  thinking I might paint the church. But Sheryl decided to meet me for a drink so that caboshed that.  Deux Magot is right there so I had a glass of Sancerre and she had a glass of Perrier.  Her Perrier  was almost as expensive as my wine.

They brought a cute little dish of olives and munchies along with it. Then we met up with Katherine went to the restaurant. It was not the best experience I’ve had in one of Henry’s joints.   

We shared Fois Gras, and it was good (How can you mess up Fois Gras??) but it was served with ground pepper and I like that little bit of goodies on the side.  I had  duck but they brought it cooked almost done so that’s sort of messed up the whole thing as they were eating and I was waiting, then I was eating they were waiting.  No dessert, well then wandered towards Pont Neuf where we had the pleasure of enjoying the night air, each other’s company, and eventually the twinkling of the Eiffel tower.

This morning I got up after a pleasant nights rest and went to the bakery where I got a mini pain au chocolate and mini croissant which quite frankly are probably the right size

  for me the whole time I’ve been here!

HEre is the view form my bed

Senellier must be left for another day.