Month: October 2021

Yes, that’s what the lady told me, the result of an accidental bus mishap. I’m too embarassed to explain the details – and they’re not that interesting – but I was on avenue President Wilson, just not the one in Paris. I was in the suburb of Levallois. And it didn’t seem that far!

My plan to visit the Saturday market there wasn’t that difficult. After all, I’d been there before and taken some great photos. This time I opted for the bus over the metro. I know the metro but I’m not familiar with the bus system.

I decided to check out the village anyway, since I was there. Guess what! There was a market, just not the one with a view of the Eiffel Tower.

People laughed at me when I asked, and that’s when I was told the name of the village. My friends know that I make mistakes all the time, and even though I’ve been to Paris many times, it is very possible to lose one’s direction or go one street over where you should go. With age comes wisdom, but loss of memory kicks in too.

At least it wasn’t raining at the moment.

The village and the market were lovely and the people were very friendly. the window displays were charming and the produce was exquisitely displayed, as usual.

I asked directions for my return and got different answers so I decided to do the easiest: retrace my steps on the other side of the street and return, but where? I no longer felt the urge to go to the Trocadero. I got to a fairly large bus stop amd examined the options. I decided to go to the area near the Grand Palais and the Alexander III bridge. Touristy? Yes, but after all, I am a tourist. I was also curious about an exhibit at the Petit Palais across the street, but expected it to be crowded during the long weekend. With the changing skies, I hoped to get some unusual shots of iconic places and spaces. You can be the judge.

I sat on a bench for a bit, enjoying the interplay with young couples and school kids seeing this bridge for the first time, and getting some time to plan my next move.

it came to me in a flash: food.

I wasn’t that far from my home away from home, so I set off, going down the Champs-Elysees to the entrance to the Place to the Concorde, and turned left on rue Royale. I didn’t see any places that appealed to me until I saw the red glow of an awning with happy people eating. It was then that I realized that I was on the corner of my street.

The gourmand reared its ugly head once I plunked myself down and saw the menu. Escargots! Steak! French fries! Oh, yes. Remember, I’m on vacation.

This isn’t my normal eating; at home I eat lots of salads and salmon and chicken. On vacation I get nostalgic toward French comfort food and I crave traditional French fare such as French onion soup, mussels, and snails! Not for everyone, I know! I’ll also need to get some macarons while I’m here.

But not before I get my cappucino!

Dinner is over. Time to head back. However, there’s a bakery down the street…hmmm.

To be continued. Tomorrow is another day.

I’m sure most people know the song “I love Paris” and the singer is telling the listeners that he loves the city any time, even ”in the winter when it drizzles, in the summer when it sizzles..”. We’re now in the fall and it’s drizzling, and out and out raining for parts of the day.

But it’s okay. It’s still Paris and the changing light and clouds make for beautiful photography. I was ready for possibly inclement weather with newly waterproofed puffy coat , waterproof shoes and umbrella.

Friday was also the beginning of a three-day weekend and people are cramming into metro stations with carry on bags, ready to flee for a short holiday. There are lots of European travelers here. Monday November 1 is a national holiday and although some stores will open, many will be closed.

Armed with my brand new Navigo easy card, I hit the streets. Down to the metro!

I decided to go to Fondation Cartier to see fhe Damien Hirst exhibit.

This museum specializes in contemporary art. In its present incarnation, it was designed by French architect Jean Nouvel and completed in 1994, moving from the outskirts near Versailles. It is made of glass and has a garden, which brings the outside in. The building appears to be a work of art in and of itself. I’ve been there before. My friend Allan was a big fan of Jean Nouvel and we visited the structure on our last visit.

The original building was built in 1984 at the bequest of Alain Dominique Perrin, then president of the French jewelry and watch manufacturer Cartier international, to highlight established artists, encourage the young just starting out and raise public awareness about the importance and impact of modern art.

The Damien Hirst exhibit called The Cherry Blossoms is his first in France. The entire museum was taken over for his 26 giant sized paintings, which show the juxtaposition between the reality of nature with abstraction. At first glance I found these paintings unimpressive until I really started looking at the depth and detail. Then I was fascinated. I found impressionism, pointillism, humor and depth in each work.

After seeing both floors of paintings and checking out the well-stocked bookstore, I made my way to the wet garden. Fortunately it was not raining.

After having my fill of art, hunger took over and I scurried to find a local place in the neighborhood for a late lunch. I ended up at a cozy place on the boulevard Raspail, where I had a tasty lemon pasta with veggies and a glass of wine. I would have dessert halfway through my walk home.

It’s quite a long walk, but in theory, I figured I’d just walk up boulevard Raspail until it hits the Seine, or perhaps turn when I see a sign for the Orsay museum, walk through the Tuileries by the Louvre and head back via the Place de la Concorde. Easy.

And it was. However, the wind and rain also came. I survived. I also saw some cool stuff. Love the cafés and window decor.

As I was wandering through streets leading up to the Orsay and heading to the Tuileries, I saw more people. I was getting back into civilization!

I saw the rue de Rivoli. I saw cafés. I saw people. Time for a dessert and a rest!

Yes, coffee ice cream is my favorite, any time. This is called Café liégeois. I
also found some good people-watching. It was interesting that no one asked for my passe sanitaire in either restaurant but I did need it to get into the museum.

I was rested and ready to take the last trek, skirting the Place de la Concorde and heading up to the Madeleine.

Corporate sponsorship is helping to spruce up the city! Merci, Oréal!

Finally home. Time for rest and kitty care. I walked 13,179 steps!

The trip from San Francisco to Paris is over ten hours, and I’ve been told that it takes one day per hour change to get over jet lag. I’m at day four. Six to go.

GOOD NEWS: I slept six hours straight last night, from 4:00 am to almost 10:00 am. Of course that means that I was up for much of the night before the Sleep Fairy did her job.

Settling in means doing a little bit every day.

When I arrived on Wednesday, I got to my destination at about 1:00 pm. I literally ran into my hostess as she was coming back from the boulangerie and presented me with my first croissant as well as some wonderful bread and jam. It really hit the spot! You saw the photo in my last posting.

After putting some of my stuff away, my hostess and I did a short walk to run some errands in the neighborhood: go to Monoprix ( the French version of Target) and learn a bit about the options available for food and drink nearby. Later on in the day we stopped at a local café and enjoyed catching up with the past several years and doing some people watching.

We’re in the 8th arrondissement, or district, close to the Church of the Madeleine and walking distance to many highlights such as the Place de la Concorde , the Champs- Elysees, the Garnier Opera house and the big department stores. Metro and bus access is excellent for all of the city.

it was an early night. Sleep came for a few hours and then I was up for the rest of the night.

We went further afield day two, taking the local bus to see the new Samaritaine department store. I used to go there because of the beauty of the architecture, the reasonable costs of its retail offerings and the view from the right bank over the Seine from its cafeteria terrace. It closed in 2008 because the structure didn’t meet building codes and reopened again, but this time with a five store hotel attached to the property.

We began by taking the bus and zipped through the area near the Louvre; however, when the bus driver went to the Left Bank we knew there’d been a mistake. Passengers were confused. We got off as soon as we could and retraced our way back to the Seine and the Right Bank. We thought of it as an extra walking tour. When you get lemons, make lemonade and all that.

One of us was taken by the artist’s paintings of the river and took the occasion to pick up some art work. It was a glorious fall day and the light was exceptional.

Hunger overtook us so we stopped for a delicious lunch in the scenic Place Dauphine before heading on to the department store. It was a wise choice.

We examined menus around the square and picked a spot. The food was delicious but the wait was long, which was cutting into our sightseeing time.

Back on the road, it was just a short trek to the department store where many others were also checking out the grand opening. It’s European school vacation time so it’s busy in central Paris. The renovation of this former art nouveau/deco masterpiece is a sight to see!

We were limited on time, as my friend had a 4:00 appointment, so we taxied back. She went to her appointment and I wandered the neighborhood, stopping at the Madeleine church. The facade is being renovated but the lovely inside remains intact, with a slew of visitors.

Our lunch was huge so dinner was very light. We had to get ready for a new tomorrow. My friend left for the weekend; Diego and I will be waiting for her.

When I started my day, I knew I would have plenty of time to get to the airport. The airline asked the passengers to arrive four hours in advance, but that seemed excessive to me. I figured three would still be more than enough time. To get to the airport, I usually take a bus to the BART (local train) station and an hour later I arrive at the airport. Since I had a medium sized suitcase and a carry on, I decided to tske a taxi to the station..

The taxi arrived on time but as we were driving down the main street, I couldn’t remember whether or not I’d turned out a certain light, and I knew that the thought of that light burning would bother me, so the driver took me back, and I ran through the house. No lights on! Whew!

i was afraid that I wouldn’t make the train, but I did, with about five seconds to spare. The reluctant elevator from the concourse to the station didn’t take forever, and I was grateful. An hour later, I was at the airport

The international terminal was empty, or nearly so. It seemed very strange. No crowds of people waiting in lines. I marched up to the lonely customer servoce representative and got checked in. I’d already downloaded my bording pass but we decided that I woukd be more comfortable in a different seat, since the flight was not filled. He examined my vaccination card. I was all set.

I have TSA PreCheck so security hasn’t been much of a problem and with an empty airport, the whole procedure took about five minutes.

As I wandered around the terminal, I discovered that the only people I saw were coming from arriving planes.

I enjoyed checking out the local merchandise involving landmarks and sports teams and actually bought a better iPhone case to replace my flimsy one. Having a medicinal alcoholic beverage also is one of my pre-flight traditions.

It was boarding time. Normally it takes a while to board the plane, but by the time I made it from the bar to the gate, most of the people had already boarded. I got to my economy plus section, with seating for about forty. There were seven people. I decided to sit in the middle section, all by myself.

Service was wonderful. I read my book. I watched the onboard entertainment.
I checked to see when we would arrive. The flight was smooth. One thing I didn’t do: sleep. Jet lag will be a constant companion for several days. It happens on every trip.

We landed early. Passport control was a breeze. Got luggage in a half hour. The trip into town took longer than expected because of traffic. I took pictures in the taxi.

When we got to our destination, my friend had just arrived from the bakery so I could enjoy my first fresh croissant!

Welcome to Paris!