Continuing to Wind Down, Nov 30 - Dec 5
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 Chocolat but the nearby location only sold solid chocolate. I did find out about the upcoming protests -- there was a sign on their door about the exceptional fermiture (closing) tomorrow. Past Place Vendome so I could peer in the window at Charvet (never done this before) where they make custom shirts. The off-the-rack ones in the window cost an enormous amount of money, so I can only just imagine the cost of the custom shirts. Walked past the hotel Maxine and I had stayed in when we were here in 1994, and then walked through the Louvre Christmas Market.
Friday night, we went to a "Cheesegiving Dinner". It was hosted by a couple of people trying to build a cheese tasting business. In this case, they combined Thanksgiving food themes with cheese in a tapas format. The food was interesting-- stuffing and goat cheese on a sweet potato chip, brussels sprouts slider with Maroilles cheese, bacon and raspberry, duck (instead of turkey) with mashed potatoes and raspberry sauce (instead of cranberries), mac and cheese with Comte and Appenzeller cheese, camembert with apples and pecans.
Saturday it was raining and there was rioting going on -- the Gilets Jaunes. So, we stayed home and watched the events on television. We were completely safe here, but the apartment from our last visit was in the thick of things. We'd have smelled tear gas from there. We did go out for dinner at one of the local cafes. Not cheap at all (this neighborhood!) but a good meal.
Sunday we went back to Frenchie's Wine Bar. It's been our favorite restaurant on this trip and we wanted one more meal there.
Earlier in the day Maxine went to a book signing by David Leibovitz, a favorite blogger about Paris and food.
I did more of my nostalgia loop of Paris, which, if nothing else, amounts to a good hike. I started at Notre Dame, crossed the Seine and walked past the Hotel de Ville (a beautiful building, but this year they haven't set up a winter ice skating rink). Despite the cold and misty day, I stopped for ice cream in the Marais (3rd time) at a place with great flavors like Smoked Chocolate or Tanzanian Chocolate or Pear with Anise! Then over to St Sulpice, which is around the corner from where we stayed in 2006 with Cassie, That was more nostalgia since every day we walked past this church with her on her 3x/day walks. The church also plays a role in the book DaVinci Code.
Monday I continued to stubbornly go the nostalgia route. But, it was raining quite a bit, so the only place I made it to was the Pantheon. That was purely nostalgia -- it's across the street from the hotel where we stayed on our first trip to Paris, a very very long time ago! Maxine went to the Delacroix Museum very close to our apartment so the rain wasn't an issue for her. Dinner was at the Academie de la Biere. Belgian food and beers. Hadn't been there since 2006 either. I was disappointed (with myself) to discover that it is extremely easy to get to from our apartment -- I should have been making trips there for the past several months!
Tuesday was about shopping. We ended the day at the La Defense Christmas Market (nostalgia -- we also went there in 2014). Shopped for Christmas stuff and had dinner at a Cuban pop up restaurant.
Wednesday I finally did some (mostly) new stuff. I took the trek out to the Musee Marmottan which has the largest Monet collection. I'd never been before and it was worth it. This is the picture that gave Impressionism it's name:
Then I stopped by the Monnaie, where the French government prints its money. Maxine went to see the decorations at Galeries Lafayette and then to the Pompidou Centre which was the last must-see exhibit (Cubisme) and museum on her list.
Maxine had dinner at Ellsworth -- she said the fried chicken was great. My dinner was at home before heading out to one last Cafe Philo. Truly, things are winding down...
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 Chocolat but the nearby location only sold solid chocolate. I did find out about the upcoming protests -- there was a sign on their door about the exceptional fermiture (closing) tomorrow. Past Place Vendome so I could peer in the window at Charvet (never done this before) where they make custom shirts. The off-the-rack ones in the window cost an enormous amount of money, so I can only just imagine the cost of the custom shirts. Walked past the hotel Maxine and I had stayed in when we were here in 1994, and then walked through the Louvre Christmas Market.
Friday night, we went to a "Cheesegiving Dinner". It was hosted by a couple of people trying to build a cheese tasting business. In this case, they combined Thanksgiving food themes with cheese in a tapas format. The food was interesting-- stuffing and goat cheese on a sweet potato chip, brussels sprouts slider with Maroilles cheese, bacon and raspberry, duck (instead of turkey) with mashed potatoes and raspberry sauce (instead of cranberries), mac and cheese with Comte and Appenzeller cheese, camembert with apples and pecans.
Saturday it was raining and there was rioting going on -- the Gilets Jaunes. So, we stayed home and watched the events on television. We were completely safe here, but the apartment from our last visit was in the thick of things. We'd have smelled tear gas from there. We did go out for dinner at one of the local cafes. Not cheap at all (this neighborhood!) but a good meal.
Sunday we went back to Frenchie's Wine Bar. It's been our favorite restaurant on this trip and we wanted one more meal there.
Earlier in the day Maxine went to a book signing by David Leibovitz, a favorite blogger about Paris and food.
I did more of my nostalgia loop of Paris, which, if nothing else, amounts to a good hike. I started at Notre Dame, crossed the Seine and walked past the Hotel de Ville (a beautiful building, but this year they haven't set up a winter ice skating rink). Despite the cold and misty day, I stopped for ice cream in the Marais (3rd time) at a place with great flavors like Smoked Chocolate or Tanzanian Chocolate or Pear with Anise! Then over to St Sulpice, which is around the corner from where we stayed in 2006 with Cassie, That was more nostalgia since every day we walked past this church with her on her 3x/day walks. The church also plays a role in the book DaVinci Code.
Monday I continued to stubbornly go the nostalgia route. But, it was raining quite a bit, so the only place I made it to was the Pantheon. That was purely nostalgia -- it's across the street from the hotel where we stayed on our first trip to Paris, a very very long time ago! Maxine went to the Delacroix Museum very close to our apartment so the rain wasn't an issue for her. Dinner was at the Academie de la Biere. Belgian food and beers. Hadn't been there since 2006 either. I was disappointed (with myself) to discover that it is extremely easy to get to from our apartment -- I should have been making trips there for the past several months!
Tuesday was about shopping. We ended the day at the La Defense Christmas Market (nostalgia -- we also went there in 2014). Shopped for Christmas stuff and had dinner at a Cuban pop up restaurant.
Wednesday I finally did some (mostly) new stuff. I took the trek out to the Musee Marmottan which has the largest Monet collection. I'd never been before and it was worth it. This is the picture that gave Impressionism it's name:
Then I stopped by the Monnaie, where the French government prints its money. Maxine went to see the decorations at Galeries Lafayette and then to the Pompidou Centre which was the last must-see exhibit (Cubisme) and museum on her list.
Maxine had dinner at Ellsworth -- she said the fried chicken was great. My dinner was at home before heading out to one last Cafe Philo. Truly, things are winding down...
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