Just living here!

I am sort of hanging near the apartment today,  I got up at much more reasonable time, and went to the Patisserie, which was open!  Yummy Croissant time again.  This is my view from the sofa in the living room.

Nothing special,  but somehow the folks walking by speaking French,  the sounds of the city and the different rooftops make me happy.  After getting ready, I went to MonoPrix and shop/looked. I bought some vanilla seeds, and eyed the vanilla beans. I have been interested in bar shampoos, as a way to decrease landfills.  I have not really seen anything interesting in the states, but found a peach flavored soap/shampoo here that I will try tonight.  They also sell body wash refills in   Bio-degradable bags so you can refill your container. AND…. it is a dollar more to buy the container.  I have said for a while if I was younger I would figure out a way to sell bulk.  When I think of just the Laundry Detergent containers I alone have used in my life I shudder.  Anyway “one foot in front of the other”.  I also got the old lady some decaffeinated pods for the coffee pot (she wrote in the same paragraph decrying waste), some more milk and water, as well as a few other goodies, on my list to bring home.   

On the way I stopped and gazed at this path  that on Thursday will be a bustling market.  On the way back I walked down a street I had not really been down  use see what there is to see, there is a Printemps very near, which is a  “Grands Magazine “  (Big department store), but not a favorite of mine.  Nothing life shattering, a Thai restaurant, a pharmacies, and other businesses.

So, back to the patisserie where I purchased a Quiche Lorraine, and a goodie for later.

I mustered the energy (have put in almost twice the steps / day since my arrival, No wonder my dogs are barking!) to go to the Carnavalet museum.  Old Louis the 14th hangs out in the courtyard, but looks nothing like the dude on Versailles! 

It is the museum of the city of Paris, and has been recently redone.  I liked it better before.  It probably made sense to someone, but it is rather a rabbit warren with no real direction.  Regardless, it is worth the price of a look (it’s free) and if you can follow it through time at all, interesting.  Maybe that is the problem, I do have a relative idea of this history of Paris so I found it frustrating to be in the wrong century from time to time. 

I did thing of the girls, when I saw this petite dog hours, I think theirs is much better.  

Look at this size of this chair! 

 Big bottons then too, but maybe from dresses?

I dont remember all this Art Nouveau stuff before, it was lovely.

Any idea who this lady is?

 I am still seeing storefronts covered in flowers.  

After I was starving and Sheryl and I met up on Rue Des Rosiers, for a snack to me and lunch for her.  

It  was odd to have a nice Lemon tart with meringue on it!  It was so mice to meet her and get to know another person here.  She in going to go with me tomorrow on my Paris Greeters walk, that should be fun.

We came back to Nation, she is staying near a here too! Life is full of coincidences! And went our separate ways.  It looked cloudy, My tootsies were not happy and I was thinking Capones, a pizzeria  on the corner sounded pretty good, so I toddled up there ( a block or so away) and had part of a pizza and a glass of Chinon Wine, nothing heavy! I was right it was delish!

Not a Servan Virgin any more

I woke up this morning at 10:00, very late for me, but I had trouble falling asleep last night and read until about 1:30 AM, so explainable, that and Jet lag ( its not really lag and I went ahead but anyway…).  Jodi asked me if I had not done my usual routine of getting up earlier and earlier, I fear I did not and am paying the price. Regardless, it is a luxury to not feel frantic to do and see the things I want, I have TIME!  Breakfast was a Fig bar from the plane and a fabulous  cup of coffee!  Off to the Art store today as it is supposed to storm (I think the storms from the states are headed this way)  and I may feel the need to dine  at  home tonight. 

Well the weatherman lied, but we will get to that!   I headed off towards the art store, but lunch first.  As I headed to lunch I saw this pancake sign for a store that sells only frozen food, Picard.  

It is the second time I have seen Pancakes here now,  The other was a restaurant by the Eiffel Tower where people were lined up 15 deep to dine on pancakes. 

I am not sure where I found this little gem, but I had an amazing lunch.  I want to go back for a repeat, but maybe not, so as not to break up my little love affair with it, just in case it does not live up to my first time.

Regardless the place is called Le Servan and it was relatively near Le Grant Des Beaux Arts, I  got a table outside and was in a great place to people watch.  I ordered the Ravioli and it was amazing, a but 4-5 inch spinach ravioli with a  small egg in the center, swimming in an amazing sauce with 2 fried sage leaves.  I have a penchant for fried sage leaves, I am just saying….. 

I ordered a fig and honey tart with Crème Fran’s ice cream, and waited, and waited, and waited. Finally I buckled into my Americanness and asked, she had forgotten…. It was good too, imaging sour cream ice cream, whch may sound like Mr Yuck, But worked really well with the sweetness of the tart. 

Then I wandered towards one of my ideas of heaven.

I drooled and looked, and drooled some more,  but stuck with some paper, Neutral Tint paint, somme watercolor crayons I have been eying (cheaper here in Paris to begin with AND on sale!) and a kneaded eraser in a case.  I have learned a lesson about those erasers and it is the case that keeps them supple!  Oh, the damage I could do with a couple of grand in there.  I moseyed back as it was supposed to rain and storm today, but by the time I got back, Weather.com said it was not going to rain.  This is my house: ( At least for 2 weeks!)

 So off I went to Le Flore en l’Ile.. There was  a lovely park, more flowers, and more fake flowers.

One can see Norte Dame, barely through all the scaffolding.

 It was a lovely evening, I ordered Tartare de Boeuf, FRENCH fries, and a glass of wine.

  It was delish, though  the fries were not what they were lat time.  Am I making this up in my head?  And see why I don’t want to go back to Le Servan, what if its not as good?  Decisions, Decisions!  As I was dining on my yummy Tartare, it started to sprinkle, then harder so the waiter moved me under the awning, and then it opened up. 

 I was sitting by a lovely couple from Orlando and we chatted a bit.  So I stayed for desert, 

 Pear and Raspberry Sorbet, an awesome mix if I must say so myself!  Finally it let up and  I made my way home.  Not without more flowers though!

SOME things never change!

On my way to dinner last night I noticed a few changes, Some Grafitti at the crapped up metro station here my place, 

 Flowers all over a bistro, 

And interesting Perfume. 

Dinner last evening was at an old favorite, ,L’Ange 20  near Place Du Voges..  I stopped in a little before 7 and they were open and had a place for me.  I started with a Kir, 

and Fois Gras with an onion chutney and toast.  

It was followed by duck breast and potatoes and a little salad with a nice Bordeaux.  

It was as good as I remembered.  Too full for dessert I went to the Bastille to have a scoop from Amorino, but they were not there,  however there was another Glacé joint in its place, called  (drum roll) the “Glacé Room”. I had a scoop of salted caramel and it filled my desire for an after dinner sweet.

This morning I got up and my patisserie was not open! So I wandered around the corner looking for the first thing that popped up and honestly it was not great, but it did the trick along with my imported banana and some coffee.. 

You can see my kitchen in the back of this Photo, it truly is the beginning of the current Tiny House trend.

 Off to church, arrogance is never my friend ad I did not take a map and finding the American church was a bit of a trial. I got there late, just in time to hear about the last half of the sermon, communion and pray.   Never again can I cop an attitude at a late arrival during service, who knows why they are late?

After I did catch a glimpse of my girlfriend and she is still LOVELY!  

I had read about people putting flowers on restaurants and I am running into them right and left. 

 They are kind of fun, but I wonder how they will look in a year or 2?  I wandered toward my Girlfriend and dined for old times sake at a bistro that Teri and I dined at out very first trip here.

I had a croque monsieur, salad and orangina.  So I moseyed over to the Champs du Mars, where it is all crapped up getting ready for the Olympics. These French! 

 I found a perch in the shade and knitted and read a while. 

 Finally I moseyed to the other side of the park towards the metro and a Monoprix, I wanted ( and found) another plug for my technology.  Foot sore I returned to the house and rested, Martine left me somme wine so I had a few pretzels ( also imported - there were dire warnings about not getting fed on the plane) and  a glass of wine and rested my poor feet.   

The metro is a spaghetti bowl of lines that run from one end to the other, back and forth.  They are numbered and you know which way to go as the terminus at both ends are listed, For example last time I was here the terminus for line 4 towards the area of town I wanted to go was Porte De Orleans, well not any more.

They have apparently updated safety measures too as I see a lot of barriers not that have nothing to do with Covid!

Dinner tonight was at Bistrot du Heni, and he too had a place for me.  I am being a bit of a stink, I know, not getting reservations.  I also arrogantly asked for the French menu.  It is written daily on a black board.  The problem is that  I could nor read the writing, not the French, the writing!  I had to laugh when the guy next to me asked for the English menu and even the writing was different! Regardless I had a fabulous salad, the melon was literally to die for. How can simple cantaloupe be so darned good here, and so  hard and tasteless at home?

I also had Duck Breast in a honey sauce that with augratin Potatoes.  My duck was a mean old man, I tell you, as it was so fully gristle I didn’t finish it, but the potatoes were heavenly ( I don’’t’ even really like potatoes all that much).  Maybe I should take a potatoe class here!  It was dark by the time I left and I took the metro home.  Dessert was a glass of water and some M&Ms also bootlegged!

It is nicely cool with the windows open as I write. 

Caught Unaware

Paris, I am finally BACK!  Getting to the airport. Three hours ahead of time allows one more than plenty of time to dine on expensive bad food.  I opted or pulled pork accompanied by seasoned fries.  The menu left out the description of the serving of oven grease that was to accompany it!  I finally understood why they are called French Fries, the French simply do them better! 

 The pulled pork was nothing to write home about, but nothing to grumble about either, it served its purpose,  filling and killing time.  

At O’Hare they called me to the desk and my heart started thrumming, I was hoping, Hoping, HOPING, and they moved me from a middle seat to an aisle seat. Oh well,it was a step, however small, in the right direction….   Dinner, oh, they had plenty of wine, that is all I can say for that.  I felt like I didn’t sleep well, but I must have because it was over quickly.  I got too watch a the Downton Abby movie, this, over Eiffels Tower as I didn’t have the right distance with my readers to  check my French with the subtitles.  Maybe on the way back.  

Regardless, immigration was a breeze and I got to the house an hour early and surprised Martine a bit..  She was not dressed quite yet.  Nothing like greeting a new person in your undies!  But hey, I am. Nurse we roll.   So, I dropped my bags and went to the bank, and to the restaurant on the corner and got coffee and a croissant.  

IT WAS HEAVENLY.  We have a new “French” bakery at home, and it is good, but not this kind of good…. It is just because I am in Paris and not in Greenwood Indiana?  Qui Sais (Who Knows-see even that sounds better)?

After we got things worked out, primarily she gave me a refresher on the coffee maker, and we chatted a bit, Martine went her way and I went to the market, and eventually to MonoPrix for a treat for lunch and supplies for tomorrow.  The market fills your senses, even with a mask on.

We have totally ruined French Culture, first it was MC Donalds, and now it is Chicken Tenders!

Mono Prix, well I felt like a kid in a candy shop, but I was good!  :)  Back at the ranch, oops, Masion,  I am unpacked, and making this my home for 2 weeks.