Ah, Paris...

Monday, February 11, 2008

Allo, Allo!

Rather than number the days (because they will go MUCH too fast!) I thought I would use the date – what a concept! And BOY, can I tell you how I feel about cooking on an ELECTRIC STOVE? (NOT Graciela’s fault, I’d like to point out – the entire building is “gas-less”. Her own stove is, indeed, gas.)

So…what did we do today?? We started the day around 7 a.m. – still REALLY dark, but our little boulangerie downstairs was open. R went for croissants, which we very much enjoyed with our raspberry jam and bottles of O.J. The Louvre opens at 9, and we wanted to be there on the dot – best way to have the place to yourselves! So, caught the 21 bus in front of the apartment, and got off at Rivoli-Louvre, just a few steps from the Passage Richelieu. We were a few minutes early, but better early than late, that’s our motto! Got in instantly, checked my coat (much too heavy to drag around) and we headed for the first of our favorite collections, Mesopotamia. Had a good look around, then drifted into the Egyptian collection, and R’s knife…as many of you know, R has fallen in love with a 5-6,000 year old knife (3600 BC); carved ivory handle; and a flint blade. Each and every time we go to the Louvre, we have to go look at “his” knife on the off-chance that someone may have left the case open, and it will be ours! Sadly, the case was locked up, but we enjoyed saying hello to it yet again. (R trying to convince it, it will like living in Tucson…) From there we decided to hit the “Big 3” – La Joconde (Mona Lisa); Winged Victory and Venus de Milo. And boy, were they crowded!

Now, I’d like to say something about Paris in late Winter…it’s GREAT! (Although coming from us, we’d say any time in Paris is wonderful.) But we were trying to beat 1) the heat; (no problem there!) and 2) the tourists; ditto! A few, like us, but there were more school kids looking at art work (and Japanese & Chinese tourists) than anybody else! And, while schlepping jackets, scarves and gloves is a pain, it certainly beats trying to find cool places in the heat of the summer, any day! In fact, some places in the Louvre were WAY too warm for us!

We took a short break after the Big 3, and, in our never-ending spirit of adventure, decided to head to the Richelieu wing and Napoleon III’s state apartments. Well…they were really something; would LOVE to entertain there, for sure! Lots of gilt and red plush; crystal chandeliers galore; R wondering how they managed NOT to burn the Louvre down, all those candles they must have been burning! Definitely a treat for us, and highly recommended viewing for all!

From there we decided that we’d had enough culture for one day (certainly don’t want to overdo!) so we headed out via the Carousel du Louvre – and they’re renovating my favorite shop, Resonances! Supposed to be open on the 14^th, so will have to stop back and see what’s up! Out the door, and a walk up Avenue de l’Opera to Monoprix, a medium-priced department store which has a very good grocery store attached (many markets and grocery stores being closed on Monday). Bought some good looking beef and pork chops, but they had no dried mustard, so will have to go out again.

Bused back to the flat to drop things off, and had tomato salad for lunch – sliced fresh tomatoes with parmesan cheese and balsamic vinegar. Tomatoes from the market on Saturday were still a bit firm, but great taste. Rested a bit before heading out again…

This time, we decided to take the book that our landlady Graciela’s husband, Alain, had given us last year – Paris Vu du Bus – or, Views from Parisien Buses – and follow one of the routes. Chose the 84, as it leaves from right in front of the Pantheon. Followed it around past the Luxembourg and Musee d’Orsay across the Seine, past Place de la Concord, once around the Madelaine, and over to St. Augustin near St. Lazare train station. Got off there and toured St. Augustin, which we’ve long wanted to do. Actually, very disappointing – looks lovely from outside, and has a beautiful rose window, but obviously needs a good clean-up and the huge dome is in need of repair. Oh well! Back to the bus, which we followed to the end; Porte Champerret. Lovely ride, and we didn’t even have to get off the bus, as it makes a big circular turn and starts heading back to the Pantheon.

(Note on glasses: R tried the tracking number, as they have not shown up yet – only to find “incorrect address” on the Fedex site! We called them, and turns out they have the RIGHT address, but didn’t have the access code to the building!! Duh! So tell me – how did they manage to deliver to us the past two years without the access code?? We gave them the access code, and hopefully they will show up tomorrow – but we may also head over to the main Fedex office, as they’re great folks there and I’m sure can find the package for us!!)

This time we got off at Sevres-Babylon, which is the closest stop to Bon Marche department store. Really a beautiful place, which also has a good grocery store. Found our dried mustard (in the British foods section) and R had some beef ground (very original!) because he wants to make spaghetti sauce. With our hands full, we then headed back to the flat … a very full day for we old-sters, and I needed to get started making – Ta! Da! Bob and Kate – BTOR – more commonly known as Beef Tips Over Rice (and yes, you too will be the recipient of the same when you visit Tucson next month!)

So, as I was saying about electric stoves … and there is still no broth, so making do with bouillon cubes…(think they may actually be left over from two years ago May when we were here for the French Open!)…getting a bit smarter, though – heated the cubes in water, which helped break them down – and starting extra burners on low so that once something comes to a boil, the pot can be moved without worrying about over-cooking…

And with that, this day is rapidly (it’s after 7 p.m.) coming to a close! Although we may go out for a bus ride tonight … stay tuned!!

Much love!

m

photos for this blog:

1) Me on a Paris bus!
2) Armed Forces building near St. Augustin;
3) Another street corner with Les Deux Magot café;
4) View from our balcony;
5) Looking down from our balcony on “our” bakery; also nice little restaurant for lunch next door.