Mmm, Paris! (March 2018) - Day 2: Parks, Trains and Food

[Gill H]

<<<Day 1

I wake at 7.30 and head straight for the bathroom – where a little surprise is waiting for me. A tiny silverfish is wriggling around in the bath. Er, that’s the insect, not an actual silver fish. Luckily it’s only one and I soon manage to wash it down the plughole, making a note to look up the French for ‘silverfish’ and let the owner know later. Once I’m done Peter is awake, and we watch some bizarre French music videos on TV over a coffee. I say ‘a coffee’ and I mean it. Not one each but one at a time, as there are two sachets of coffee but only one cup!

It’s not been the best of nights for me. The bed is firm, which would be fine for most people, but for me it hurts my hip when I lay on one particular side. Also, our next door neighbours seem to play the TV or radio constantly, day and night, which is more than a little annoying.

Once we’re ready we head downstairs, hand in our key and tell Rosy about the silverfish (which I gather is ‘poisson d’argent’ so exactly the same) and the noisy neighbours, and also ask for an extra cup for the room.

The hotel serves a buffet breakfast for 13 Euros, but we’ve decided we would rather try the nearby bakery – Maison Nicolas Rançon.

Sadly there is only one table inside with two chairs, and right now they are being used, but that’s OK, we can eat and walk. So we order a croissant au buerre for me and a pain au chocolat for Peter, and two coffees to go. The coffee is from a machine and is fine for the price – but oh my word, the pastries! They are amazing. So fresh, and just so good. If you are anywhere near this place, check it out – it’s wonderful. Sadly we didn’t get the chance to try out the cakes or the ‘tiger rolls’ but it all looked great.

As we walk to the station we are still debating what today’s M will be – Marais or Mickey? We had originally planned to explore the Marais area today, which we’ve been to before but not spent much time in. We’d also made plans to do the Luxembourg Gardens which are very close to our hotel. However, the thought of changing at Chatelet and jumping on an RER Line A to DLP is very tempting. Even right up until I’m in the queue for the ticket machine we are still vacillating. But in the end we decide to keep our resolution to give DLP a break for now. So instead of buying RER tickets to Marne-la-Vallee, we buy two Mobilis tickets, which give us a day’s travel anywhere in central Paris for €7.50 each. It’s worth noting that you can also buy a Paris Visite travelcard which gives you discounts at various tourist favourites. However, we worked out that a 3 day Paris Visite would be €26.65, while even if we got Mobilis tickets for 3 days it would only be €22.50 - and the discounts weren’t for things we were interested in doing, or were for things we’d already got discount on such as the Montparnasse Tower. As you can tell, we really pored over every aspect of the budget for this trip!

Anyway, the decision is now made. Mickey will have to wait until next year to see us again.

Meanwhile, we grab the train to Chatelet les Halles, where we change to the Metro line 1 to St Paul.

Despite taking a long time to change at Chatelet, it’s a quick journey and soon we are back above ground again, and finding our way to our first ‘must do’ spot of the day

[Gill H]

Now, I’m a passionate believer in ‘When in Rome (or indeed Paris)’. I like to learn a little of the language, eat what the locals do, go to places that aren’t just tourist traps, and generally try to get into the local culture at least a little.

And yet, after last night’s burgers, we are going even further ‘off message’ and heading for a US-style diner called ‘Breakfast in America’. Yes, really.

This is a place we discovered last time we explored the Marais, when, after several days of the classic croissant/coffee breakfast we found ourselves hankering for some bacon! It is a classic American diner, set up by an American expat, and this is the second of its two branches. The first opened in 2003 and this branch followed in 2006. This is where you’ll find pancake stacks, bacon and eggs, and all the classic American breakfast items including a ‘bottomless cup o’ joe’ (which is coffee, if you aren’t well versed in diner-speak). They are open all day and don’t just serve breakfast but also do burgers, sandwiches and so on.

However, it’s the breakfast we have come for, and we’re not disappointed. We’re given a friendly welcome, and order the 2x2x2 (Deuces Wild) which is 2 eggs any style, 2 bacon or sausage, and 2 pancakes. The pancakes come with ‘pancake syrup’ but you can pay €1.50 extra for ‘100% maple syrup’ which we do. Peter has sausage with fried eggs, while I have bacon and scrambled eggs.

Almost immediately we notice that pretty much everyone in here this morning is American apart from us, which is probably a good sign! We get chatting to a retired couple from LA at the table next to us, who are about to go to the UK, and give them some tips to make the most of their time. Before long our breakfast arrives, and my word, it’s good. The pancakes are probably the best I’ve had anywhere – deliciously light and fluffy, and seriously big. I’m glad we only ordered two, because there is absolutely no way I would have made it through three.

Eventually we say our goodbyes to the lovely staff, and set off for an exploratory walk around the fascinating streets of the Marais. We don’t really have a plan in mind, we’ll just wander and see what takes our fancy.

The Marais has long been known for its Jewish community, and features traditional Jewish bakeries, bookshops and cafes, as well as other quaint shops.

I’m guessing this sign is a reference to the dormouse from Alice in Wonderland.

There are also some upmarket food shops here – I’ve seen recommendations for a patisserie that specializes in eclairs, called ‘Éclair de Genie’. I know that ‘éclair’ means lightning, but didn’t realise until later that an ‘éclair de genie’ is French for ‘stroke of genius’.

Judging by the eclairs in this window, there is plenty of genius inside!

However, we are still full of pancakes right now, and besides, we hear they have a branch at the Gare du Nord which we might manage to pop into on our last day.

[Gill H]

(Marais photo overload alert!)

Some buildings show signs of their past, such as the hammam or bath-house, which includes a ‘piscine’ or swimming pool as well as a sauna.

I'm thinking this would have been something like a technical college?

Of course, there are reminders along the way of the horrific events of the Second World War. There are several memorial plaques, including a particularly poignant one on a school building in memory of the staff and pupils of the school, who were ‘deported and killed at Auschwitz because they were born Jewish’.

The list of names and ages – some only two years old – is incredibly moving to read.

Nearby we chance upon a small walled garden which serves as a memorial and a place of peaceful reflection, as well as a habitat for wildlife.

It’s a little bare at this time of year, but would be a beautiful place to wander in the summer.

I love the wooden beams in the roof over the exit.

Art is everywhere here. As well as the beautifully decorated shop fronts, we pass a window displaying pictures of van Gogh done in the style of various other artists.

[Gill H]

Many of the shops have elaborately decorated walls, even if today they house fairly standard shops.

Then there are the aforementioned Jewish bakeries – if only I was hungry enough to try the cholla bread here.

I love the little figurines of the baker and the rabbi in the window. I guess if the rabbi shops here it must be good!

More beautiful buildings...

Another famous option for lunch is ‘L’As du Fallafel’ which translates as ‘Falafel Ace’ and apparently has huge queues here every lunchtime. Again, we won’t have room today! Must come back when we’re hungry.

I’m less sure about a shop called ‘Sweet Pants’ which proves to stock nothing but leggings and trousers. Maybe it’s a pun on sweat pants – those crazy French wordsmiths again.

[Gill H]

Sadly we still haven’t managed to buy anything from the famous ‘yellow shop’, Sacha Finkelsztajn’s bakery. The last time we came here years ago, it was a Saturday (rookie mistake) and so it was closed. However, these days it apparently opens on a Saturday, but closes Monday and Tuesday! Ah well, next time.

More fascinating buildings…

I love this cartoon, in which the Jewish contestant is winning a swimming race because Moses is parting the waters for him!

We decide to move on to our next destination, passing some impressive doors along the way.

In the course of our travels we happen on a Pandora shop, and Peter decides to treat me to a Paris charm for my bracelet! What a sweetie. I’m shown a small selection of Paris-related charms, and decide on a little suitcase with a Paris label on. We manage to conduct the entire transaction without using any English too, which is encouraging. Usually when we go to Paris and attempt to use our rusty 30-year old school French, the people we’re talking to go straight to English. But this trip, quite a few people have allowed us to use French, and a couple have even complimented us on not having an accent! OK, so we’re not attempting anything complicated, but it’s nice nonetheless.

[Gill H]

After a few minutes we arrive at the peaceful Place des Vosges, known as ‘the most beautiful square in Paris’. It was established by Henri IV in the 17th century, and is surrounded by imposing buildings, including royal apartments. Many famous people have lived in the square, including Victor Hugo.

Today it’s a lovely place to relax and people-watch. Despite the overcast skies, it’s not raining and is warm enough for us to just sit on a bench and enjoy the scenery.

After a while we decide to walk right round the square and have a look at the shops and galleries as we pass. More beautiful stonework!

I hope this doctor prescribes his namesake – for medicinal purposes only, of course.

At one corner of the square is an entrance into the gardens of the Hotel de Sully. No, this isn’t an example of Disneyland Paris extending its character-themed attractions! The ‘hotel particulier’ or private mansion, belonged to the Duke of Sully (who presumably was not a hairy blue monster) and the small formal garden is another nice place to wander.

The trees are full of little balls of bird food, which are being feasted on by some very happy sparrows.

[Gill H]

Then it’s back to the next side of the square. This art gallery’s highly decorated cats reminded me of the spirit animals in the film ‘Coco’ though with a very Parisian twist.

Of course, there had to be an Eiffel Tower somewhere.

Probably the most glamorous soft drink cans ever.

[APP]https://www.thedibb.co.uk/postImages/18798/a18be436822b2[
APP]

Victor Hugo’s house.

Add your own caption here…

Bendy crayons

I really like this tree scultured in wire, simple but effective

Another wire sculpture – great way to give the impression of speed.

The Queen’s apartment.

It took me a minute to realise this was a statue and not a real person. I don’t think I would successfully manage to meditate in a bikini…

And farewell to the Place des Vosges

[Gill H]

Having made it right round the square (if you can go round a square?) we have decided to look for another food-related destination. During my research for this trip, I read about Jacques Genin, a chocolatier who has a shop in the area, somewhere on the Rue du Turenne – and quite by chance, we spotted as we came into the square that the Rue du Turenne is right next to the Place des Vosges. So we start to stroll up the road, spotting some more fun shop fronts on the way. This shop is obviously run by a Cluedo fan!

Unfortunately, Jacques Genin’s shop seems to be right at the top of Rue du Turenne and we have quite a walk before we find it. Just as well, though, as we need to make room for some serious calories here. The inside of the shop is clean and modern, with the chocolates displayed in glass cases as if they were precious jewels – which at these prices they may as well be. Besides chocolate, the shop is also famous for their soft caramels, which come in several flavours, and also for their pates de fruit – the small, intensely flavoured fruit jellies which are so popular in France.

We head straight for the ‘salon du degustation’ or tasting room, which is basically a small café area. I’ve read that their pastries are good, particularly the millefeuille which they make freshly to order, but we are here for the confectionery today. We order ourselves one tasting plate of chocolates and another of pates de fruit, and a coffee each. The coffees come with one of the signature mango and passionfruit soft caramels each, which is a buttery, fruity delight.

We are then invited to come over to the display cases and choose 4 chocolates each and 4 pates de fruits each, which we will share. It’s hard to narrow down our choices as they all look so tempting, but we manage to make a selection, and a few minutes later two long plates are brought to our table, displaying the precious comestibles.

I haven’t made a note of all the flavours, but suffice it to say we carefully savour every one, and all of them are superb. In particular the flavours of the pates de fruit are amazing. It’s hard to convey the depth of flavour of these intense little packages of fruit. If you’re thinking ‘it’s just an expensive fruit pastille, how good can it be?’ – well, think of a fruit pastille as a supermarket carrier bag, and one of these little babies as a top of the range Dooney and Bourke handbag. They really are that good.

Once we’ve savoured our sweets and finished our coffee, we decide to buy a few caramels to take back to the hotel room for later. Having tried the signature mango and passionfruit flavour, we choose a few of the other kinds to try, ending up with a bag of eight. And the price for all this indulgence? Thirty Euros, folks. Luxury doesn’t come cheap. But it was worth it.

We head off to find the nearest metro station and decide what to do next. We soon find ourselves on yet another ‘grand boulevard’ near Filles de Calvaire Metro station. Catching sight of a sign across the road for a circus show, we wonder whether to go and ask how much the tickets are. However, as we get near we see that the show involves animals, so decide to give it a miss. Instead we discover that it’s only a short metro journey to St Michel station which is near Notre Dame Cathedral. So that’s where we head next.

The last time we came here was on a day trip to Paris, and the queues had been over an hour long, so we only saw the outside. We had managed to make it inside on a previous visit, but the throng of tourists had made it difficult to really take in anything, and we felt like we’d been shuffled through on a conveyor belt.

This time there are only a few people going in at the moment, so we head inside. Of course there are plenty of people inside, but this time we do actually manage to see things at our own pace without feeling rushed. Sadly the grey skies mean there are no patterns being cast by the beautiful rose window today. We stop to look at some of the little side chapels – it’s always fun playing ‘guess the Bible character’ with the windows and paintings, especially when you have to give up and then discover it’s actually a representation of some local dignitary you’ve never heard of!

As on our last visit, our favourite thing is a frieze of wall carvings showing the life of Jesus. It’s something no-one seems to make much fuss about, but it caught our eye last time and we appreciate the opportunity to have a closer look. Evidently the Disney animators noticed it too, because it does make a brief appearance in ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’. Having just checked YouTube, It’s in the last verse of ‘God Help the Outcasts’ just as Esmeralda sings ‘Please help my people…’ (and now I have to stop and dry my eyes, because that song gets me every time). Speaking of which, we also find the Madonna and Child statue shown in that song. The Disney animators really did make the most of their trip to Paris – there is so much beautiful detail they managed to capture.

Sadly, though, we leave the cathedral feeling as we did before – that although it is still very much a place of worship, the constant stream of tourists makes it difficult to feel any sense of awe and reverence. Odd, really, because we’ve visited other cathedrals which are just as busy – not least the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona – which still retained the atmosphere of being places of worship as well as historical buildings. But here it’s difficult to find the sense of peace beneath the tourist hubbub. Still an incredibly beautiful building, though.

By now it’s mid-afternoon, and there are two things on our mind. (Well, three actually, if you count the need for a bathroom break…) One is that we’ve done an awful lot of walking today and it would be nice to sit down for a while. And the other is that after our sweet treats, a little savoury snack would be much appreciated. Obviously we figure that if we go anywhere in the immediate vicinity of the Cathedral, we risk hitting a tourist trap charging crazy prices. But as luck would have it, we manage to find a little café bar, the Café Panis, that seems rather nice and not too expensive, and we settle in. I order an Orangina and Peter has a 1664 (only 50 cents more than a Coke, so why not?

This being France, the cheese plate is rather better than your standard British ‘three pieces of unidentifiable supermarket cheese with a stick of wilted celery’ offering. Instead I get this.

Don’t ask me to tell you the names of the cheeses now, but they were lovely. A shame France seems to be falling victim to the fashion for serving things on slates (is there a French version of the ‘We Want Plates’ campaign, I wonder?) Nevertheless, this is really good at a decent price.

Peter orders a croque monsieur, which comes with chips. This is pretty good too, and likewise not too expensive.

I think we’ve found a good place here.

[Gill H]

Suitably refreshed, we go back outside and down to the towpath for a walk by the Seine (all together now, “Ouuuuuut there, strolling by the Seine …”). We walk down as far as the Batobus ticket office, thinking we might get some tickets for a boat ride, but unfortunately the Batobuses don’t start running again until April. Of course there are private companies offering cruises, but in the end we decide we’ll head back towards Montparnasse and have a look at the Luxembourg Gardens for a while. Luckily we spot a sign for the RER line 2 nearby, which proves to be a street level entrance to a lift taking us down to the turnstiles. We take the short journey to Luxembourg station and find we’re practically at the park gates, so we go for a look around.

The park is a pleasant place to spend an hour or so, although I’m sure it would be much more beautiful in the summer when all the flowers are in bloom. Nevertheless, there are plenty of people sitting round the fountain enjoying a brief glimpse of sunshine. We stop to look at some of the statues, including this one which is titled ‘Greek actor’. It’s obvious to me that he’s taking a selfie.

The square-cut hedges are quite striking, though again they would be better in the summer.

Still, it’s a lovely place to spend a little time. The ornate Senate buildings look beautiful too.

We pass a group of men playing petanque (or boules – is there a difference?) This really does seem to be a locals' park.

Another nice statue.

Eventually we find our way to an exit, where we realise we have come out much further down than we intended, and in fact we are not far from the Montparnasse Tower. Still, it’s only another 10 minutes or so until we’re back in our hotel room, resting our aching legs for a while before dinner.

[Gill H]

We laze on the bed and channel hop for a while before finding the French version of ‘Don’t Forget The Lyrics’. This is easy to follow despite the fact that we don’t know any of the songs as they are all French pop songs!

After this we get showered and changed before walking down to the restaurant we’ve chosen for tonight’s dinner – La Criee. This is a French chain of seafood restaurants – the nearest equivalent in the UK would be something like Loch Fyne, but La Criee is not so expensive. We’ve eaten at the branch in Val D’Europe before and had a lovely meal there, so we have decided to try this branch tonight. It’s back down Boulevard Montparnasse, a little way past the tower, and only takes us about 15 minutes to find.

Inside La Criee, the décor is fun and casual and the welcome is warm. We don’t have a reservation, hoping that early evening on a weeknight will be a quiet time – and so it proves to be, as we get a table with no trouble. We’ve decided to go for the two course set menu for €22.99, and the usual soft drinks.

Peter has the ‘nems de crevettes’ to start. These prove to be croquettes with a sweet chilli dip, and very tasty.

As for me, there is no doubt in my mind what I’m going for. I’m after the fish soup – a rich and hearty bouillabaisse with the traditional accompaniments of bread, grated cheese and a delicious spread called ‘rouille’. Peter had this last time and I’ve fancied it ever since!

However, when it arrives I’m initially disappointed as it’s not hot. In fact it’s almost cold. I discreetly flag down a waitress, who apologises and promises to get me a fresh one. (Mini rant: why can nobody serve hot food in restaurants these days? Mutter mutter grumble grumble…)

Fortunately it’s worth the wait, as when it arrives my soup is hot – and absolutely delicious. It’s a substantial dish for a starter, so be warned if you eat here, choose a light main course.

Which is what we think we’ve done. We’ve chosen to pay the extra €2 supplement each, and ordered the plateau de fruits de mer, or seafood platter. We’re thinking that at this price, it will probably be mostly prawns, with maybe some crab and perhaps the odd oyster – we’re not really fans of oysters but figure one or two won’t hurt.

This has resulted in some advance preparations on the table. First the stand arrives, with a dish of mayonnaise (home-made, not out of a jar), a tangy red wine vinaigrette dressing, some prettily wrapped butter and some bread. All OK so far.

Then the platter arrives, and our eyes almost drop out of our heads. On an enormous mound of crushed ice sit the following: 6 oysters each; 6 whole prawns each; 2 scallops each; plus any number of whatever the others are (whelks? Winkles?) And all this just for us!

Well, we do our best. We manage to finish the prawns, the scallops and even most of the oysters (and both decide that oysters are still just an expensive mouthful of seawater as far as we’re concerned). The others completely defeat us. You know that bit in ‘The Lion King’ when Timon and Pumba are having a snail-eating contest? By the end, that’s pretty much how it feels.

We order a coffee to help us digest all this, and pay the bill – an absolute bargain for what we’ve had.

Slowly we stroll back to our hotel, where we ask for another cup for our room, as despite our request this morning there is still only one. This done, we head upstairs where we flop gratefully onto the bed and watch some TV to wind down. We chance on the French version of Bake-Off, here entitled “Le Meilleur Patissier” with exactly the same logo and set as the British version, and a judging panel consisting of a petite older lady who likes flowery jackets, and a bearded man. There is only one host in this version, though.

This proves to be the celebrity version, but seems to be a much more serious affair than the British one, and has eliminations in the same way as the amateur one does. Of course we don’t know who any of the celebs are. One of them is a young lady who is a ‘lifestyle blogeuse’ and goes by the wonderful name of Enjoy Phoenix. I guess her parents did!

The technical challenge is something called a ‘starlette cake’ which we assume they’ve made up for the show (but apparently not, as according to the internet it was created in 1985 for film stars watching their waistline). It involves meringues, raspberries and pineapple, and looks delicious.

For the showstopper round there’s a celebrity judge, a young chap called Etienne Leroy who apparently won World Champion Patissier last year. Annoyingly he looks about 10 years old, but the brief glimpses of some of his creations show why he’s so highly regarded – they look superb.

Oh, and by the way, apparently Enjoy Phoenix was the series winner eventually.

Once the programme has finished we head for bed. We’ve a big day tomorrow as it’s Peter’s birthday, and more food is involved. But one thing we’re agreed upon – we won’t be having any oysters!

Bonne nuit, mes amis, and don’t dream of seafood. Join us tomorrow for the yummiest M of all.

>>>Day 3

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