Encore Paris - 2018

At the end of these trips we've often done a "Lessons Learned" entry to help remind ourselves of what we've done well or want to do differently next time we travel (long enough to bother with a blog). Tom's List: 1. Always get the SIM chip with data plan.  With Google Maps, a paper map of the city is an anachronism. 2. Get the unlimited use mass transit pass.  And, if possible, take the bus. 3. Next time, use MAPSTR for general sightseeing.  This trip almost all of my entries were specialty food (sweets) or beer/cocktails.  I only went to a few of them. 4. The negatives in the apartment review are pretty much true.  Eg.  This apartment had the noisiest floors I've ever experienced. 5. Work a bit more on learning French.  They've become extremely adaptable to English but still... 6. Pack a little less stuff.  If only for the transport mobility. 7. Assume you can buy clothes and most other necessities if necessary. 8. This was a more interesting (

In a previous post, I told you about our lunch at Septime and our excitement over getting a dinner reservation later in our trip.  We scheduled this dinner as our last big Paris celebration since it was about 36 hours before our flight back to the U.S.  It was a great time with delicious food and fantastic wine pairings.  We were also pleased that the staff members who served us previously remembered us. The meal started with melted gouda cheese with homemade breadsticks, the only dish that was a repeat from our lunch. Add Scallops with celery leaf oil and lemon paired with sake (Maxine) Roasted leeks instead of scallops paired with Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley (Tom) Cauliflower mousseline with saffron creme topped with caviar and walnuts.   Tom's dish was topped with fermented pear instead of caviar.  These were paired with an interesting, very acidic wine from the Jura region of France. Roasted beets with smoked duck breast, ferm

Yesterday was the 4th week of demonstrations throughout France by the Gilets Jaunes.  First, a little bit of background and then I'll tell you about our experiences.  Gilet Jaune means yellow vest and refers to the bright yellow safety vests that drivers must carry in their cars.  These have become the symbol of the protests because the near term cause of the protests was the increase in the gas tax. The gas tax increase is an attempt by Macron to push drivers to use more climate friendly forms of transportation such as public transportation or hybrid vehicles.  The gas tax increase combined with higher world oil prices to dramatically increase the cost of transportation, especially for those who live outside the major cities and are forced to drive. The public perception is that Macron is president for the rich since the changes are only helping the wealthy.  The general population of working and middle class is suffering and having an increasingly difficult time making ends m

I've been keeping a running log of things I notice when I'm out.  No pictures, but here are some thoughts and observations from this trip: 1. STOP signs on roads say "stop" rather than "arret". Apparently it's an international agreement. 2. There's a lingerie store named "Pain de Sucre".  The pain of sugar??? 3. When I was in 6th grade we had French language classes.  My parents came home from "Parent's Night" and reported that there'd been an uproar. Someone asked the teacher if we'd learn enough French during the year to be dropped down in Paris and find our way -- they were told no.  Happy to report that is no longer the case for me! 4. I still love seeing the musicians at the various metro stops! 5. I did (finally) see someone being given a hard time for not speaking French.  Not sure what provoked it, but I was in a grocery store and heard an older French man criticizing an Italian woman. She did not acc

We're continuing to wind down our stay here in Paris. Weather has taken a colder turn but it's not nearly as cold as we expected. There's been some rain and everywhere the grass is muddy.  So, with that combination, Emmy hasn't been back to the Louvre to play with the other dogs.  And, with more rain predicted, she probably won't have a chance. Maxine's been recovering from a pretty serious cold and that's really cut into her energy level and ability to get out. She's done some things, but has spent a lot of time resting in the apartment.  The good news is that there is good cough medicine available at French pharmacies. I've been doing a lot of walking (for me anyway) with my phone reporting daily totals of 5-7 miles.  Friday I headed north.  Long walk towards Galeries Lafayette so I could see their Christmas tree and go up on their rooftop deck one more time (nostalgia).  I tried to check out the hot chocolate at Maison du Choc

The second half of our Thanksgiving roadtrip brought us to Bill's house.  He was my college roommate and has lived here for over 20 years.  I'm godfather to his elder daughter (they both came up to Paris to visit us earlier in this trip) We've stayed with him a bunch of times.  And we were at his wedding, here in France, more than a decade ago.  So, his friends know us to some degree.  I'm sure we're some kind of mystery to them.  Americans that come to France on these extended trips.  Don't actually seem to speak French all that well (us, not them). Etc. Yet, the friends are always welcoming.  Maxine and I have both known Bill longer than they have.  And we appreciate that we are included in things. Some photos from a French Thanksgiving weekend:

Maxine does the morning walk with Emmy and 3-4 times/week they stop at Thierry Marx's bakery for bread and (sometimes) croissants.  Emmy knows the way. We've been here a long time. Thierry Marx is in a new urban "foodie" area called Beau Passage 10 minutes from our apartment.  Maxine initially started going there because they were consistenly open on weekends but has become a fan because their baguettes are so good.  They know her there... And to some extent we're getting ready to come home.  Weather.com's 15 day forecast is no longer relevant.  We're leaving Paris in under 13 days.  And it's starting to feel sad because after being here this long, once again, Paris has started to feel like home.  We can remember mornings in August, at home in Portland, when it finally became useful for us to check Paris weather.  And we were relieved to learn that it wouldn't be raining on the September day we arrived.  Now we've come full circle. Yester

It's a long drive south, nearly 7 hours, to go to spend Thanksgiving with Bill's family so we've tried to incorporate side trips into it.  Four years ago Burgundy.  This year Lyon. We've long been curious about Lyon because even the French say it's the best food city in the country. And it was.  From a randomly picked bistrot on a snowy arrival night onwards we were impressed with the food.  Just one caveat -- be sure you know what part of the animal you're ordering, especially in the traditional bouchons/restaurants since organ meat and other innards are very popular here! It was also a really nice city with a picturesque old town and some interesting sites.  Some pictures: