Afterword – 2015

Tags

Antoine, apartment, art, Chris, Elliot, flâneur, Gerry, Gordon, Lisa, Mariage Frères, Matt, meals, Montorgueil, Mustafa, Paris, rue Montorgueil, weather, Zhizhong

My sixth petit séjour in Paris was terrific in several respects, quite good overall, and  disappointing in just a few ways.

My apartment was simply wonderful. It lived up to the site’s description with only a few tiny glitches, and in several respects was even a bit better than I expected. Ironically, its only real deficiency was the fact that it was so comfortable that I sometimes stayed home — reading, blogging or resting — instead of going out into the world! It was wonderfully quiet for sleeping, yet steps from all the animation and food of rue Montorgueil.

I had realized when I reserved the apartment that it was located on a street of fabric shops, but there was one odd detail I hadn’t fully anticipated: during the day several porters waited across the street, ready to transport bolts of fabric. They weren’t unpleasant or threatening, but I couldn’t help being aware that every daytime departure or arrival from my apartment was closely observed by guys with little to do but watch and gossip within the tight-knit fabric community (pun intended). I long ago gave up most ideas of privacy, but I couldn’t help noticing that this particular location so thoroughly lacked the anonymity that is a general feature of urban life.

I had a tiny anxiety that I would end up taking the elevator too much, since this was the first apartment I have rented that had one. But in fact I used it only to transport my big suitcase on arrival and departure, and a couple of times for big loads of groceries, etc. The rest of the time I scampered up and down the three flights of stairs as I have in prior years — with the exception of my first year when I found the five flights of stairs in both apartments psychologically distancing.

When I first arrived in Paris I didn’t feel as energized as in prior years. This was a principal subject of my post on May 28. I’ve had slow times for a day or two on all my visits, but never before when I first arrived. I’m not sure about the reason, but a few hypotheses seem plausible:

• This year I had just spent ten days as a vigorous tourist in Rome and Venice. By the time I got to Paris I was tired! It was lovely and relaxing to just spend time in my new home-away-from-home. I puttered around setting up housekeeping, but didn’t feel as motivated as in prior years to hit the Parisian pavement.
• In contrast to Rome and Venice — which were both new to me — Paris seemed awfully familiar at first. Paris was charming as ever, but it no longer seemed to offer the same thrill of discovery that I had experienced every day in Italy, and my first few years in Paris. When I thought of going somewhere I had usually already been there, and the idea of going again seemed uninspiring.
• Zhizhong and Elliot were great but Lisa and Alexis were away and my other Paris friends were pretty much no-shows in May. As in prior years I worked the social networks looking for new friends, but (in part perhaps because I had been spoiled by a happy experience in Boston this winter) the last two weeks in May I never found anyone quite interesting enough to meet.

Visitors helped me recover from my lethargic mood. Brian and Sheila and their friends were lively companions on two days, and when Chris and Matt arrived the first week of June I was back in business. From then on a stream of visitors — and a few new French friends — kept me almost continuously engaged. Showing friends around lets you see a city through fresh eyes, and regain some of the delight of discovery.

Several of my visitors were especially talented flâneurs: Yunpeng and Matt and Chris come first to mind, though Brian and Sheila and their friends were also keen explorers.

I had several wonderful meals. My favorite was Frenchie with Matt and Chris, followed closely by Hélène Darroze with Taka and Nick.  Métropolitan with Gerry, Bofinger with Gordon and Musatafa and Tintilou with Elliot didn’t disappoint either. Mariage Frères was more of a mixed bag, though, because of the lamentable service.

I saw some excellent art, as usual mixed in with less inspiring stuff.

I went on several fine excursions outside Paris, with Zhizhong, Brian and Sheila, and Matt and Chris, as well as a visit to Senlis by myself.

Two street festivals were fabulous: La Fête de la Musique with Sawyer and Seth was absolutely wonderful, because of the opportunity to meet and hang out with them as well as the giddy atmosphere of music and celebration. Paris Pride with Zhizhong and Guillaume started slowly but ended up being quite festive and sociable.

The weather was ok in May, but on the chilly side. It was quite good in June. It never got really hot until the week after I left, when it hit 103 degrees at one point. The cross-ventilation in my apartment worked great, and was pleasant on several occasions. But it wasn’t really necessary this year during my stay.

Blogging was an important part of my experience, as in prior years. In the first few years I would blog in the evening after getting home, even if it meant staying up quite late. But this year I would more typically spend a morning organizing photos and writing several days’ posts. It felt as though this took more time away from exploration than in prior years. But I continue to enjoy the process, and the result. My life in Paris is examined far more intimately than my life in Boston.

Parisian friends have been a big part of prior trips. This year I enjoyed several memorable outings with Zhizhong, including a posh evening at the home of the American Ambassador followed by crashing an even posher private party. It was great to reconnect with Antoine this year, starting with a delightful dinner party catered by Matt and Chris. Others were away or elusive, however, and until the very end of the trip I didn’t meet anyone new. Fortunately, in the last week I caught up with Martin and met Guillaume, so I felt somewhat reconnected with the Paris social scene.

I walked a bit less than in prior years: an average of 6 miles a day instead of 7. That’s still twice what I do in Boston, but it’s odd. I swam just twice during the stay, and relied mostly on walking and stairs to keep fit. My weight stayed the same and I was at the same level on my elliptical trainer when I restarted regular workouts, so all seems good. I just flossed since I had abandoned my Paris Waterpik, and that seemed to work fine as well.

The dollar was so strong! This made euro prices much cheaper in dollar terms than in prior years. While on the one hand I had never let the cost cramp my style, on the other hand affordability warmed the cockles of my Yankee heart.

There was a lot to like in this year’s stay, but another year I may change the program a bit. I might pick another city instead of or in addition to Paris, such as Barcelona or a city elsewhere in France.  I might finally rent a villa in the Italian or French countryside for a couple of weeks, or even do a bike trip or charter a canal boat! Stay tuned…

Advertisements

Last Days in Paris — For My Friends

Tags

Antoine, apartment, Bateau Mouche, Chris, Cocktails, Experimental Cocktail Club, Gillian, La Faille, Matt, meals, Montorgueil, Old Cuban, Paris, Pont Alexandre III, rouget barbu, rue Montorgueil, Sacre Coeur, Seine

Monday was the last day in Paris for Matt and Chris. Our first plan was to get the view from the top of Sacré-Coeur, but Chris was feeling a bit under the weather so we switched to something that didn’t involve so much climbing: a boat trip on the Seine. It was 100% touristy but actually rather fun.

A selfie of me with the Eiffel Tower taken on a Bateau Mouche. Could anything be more touristy?

Detail of the most beautiful bridge in Paris, the Pont Alexandre III. You can’t get this view from shore.

Revisiting from the water side so many buildings we had seen from the land made this a rather good way to round out their visit. That evening Matt and Chris made their last home-cooked meal – with fresh pasta from a market on rue Montorgueil — and I headed out to meet  my nephew’s girlfriend Gillian, her mother and her brother Rob for dinner. Gillian had been traveling through Europe for weeks, and her mother and brother had joined her in Paris a few days before; this was also their last day here. We met at the Sentier métro station, then strolled down rue Montorgueil looking for a good place to have an apéro. We settled on a corner table at Blanco that was sunny but not smoky. We all had kirs, with different flavors of liqueur. Then we foraged for a meal. We settled on La Faille, a relatively new restaurant on rue Montmartre that I hadn’t previously tried. I was impressed with the decor and the very energetic service. I also liked the way the owner chased away a panhandler who started bothering us. The wine and food were both quite good, and the price seemed consistent with other good restaurants in Paris.

Gillian, with her mother and brother at La Faille on rue Montmartre.

My rouget barbu at La Faille on rue Montmartre.

After wishing them a good trip home to Chicago I headed back to my apartment around midnight. Normally I feel quite safe in the neighborhood, but this evening three young men were loitering around the door to my apartment.

Young men loitering about my apartment around midnight.

I was right to be concerned, since they dragged me away! … to the Experimental Cocktail Club for a couple rounds of creative drinks. (We particularly liked the Old Cuban, and an unusual little chicory-flavored drink that Matt got.)

In the morning Matt and Chris headed back to Boston, after a lovely visit. The apartment is quiet again! But not for long…

A Long Weekend

Tags

An Hour from Paris, Chris, Jamie, Jardin de Luxembourg, le Musée des Tramways à Vapeur et des chemins de fer Secondaires français, Little Italy, Marais, Matt, meals, Montorgueil, Morton, Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, Paris, Place des Vosges, poularde, Rosa Bonheur, rue Montorgueil, Seine, Steam Trains, Tramways

Chris and Matt have been great friends for many years with Jamie, an American who now lives and works in Denmark. Jamie and his Danish partner Morton arrived late Thursday night from Denmark. We all met up for breakfast on Friday, at a café on rue Montorgueil.

Morton, Jamie, Matt, Bob and Chris at breakfast on rue Montorgueil.

We then strolled down to the Seine and over into the Latin Quarter. As we arrived at the Jardin du Luxembourg Matt suggested a picnic. I ducked into a crisp-looking wine store and asked the friendly proprietor whether it is permitted to have a picnic with wine in the park. He said yes, then directed us to a nearby cheese store and boulangerie and suggested two refreshing rosés. When we asked for plastic cups he offered to loan us real wine glasses! Our compliments to the Cave du Senat.

The proprietor of the Cave du Senat.

Our picnic was lovely, although there was a glitch. We had invited Antoine to join us but just before he arrived he suffered a wardrobe malfunction and had to hightail it home, then off to his tutoring gig. As we finished exploring the park Antoine suggested that we meet him before dinner at Rosa Bonheur in le parc des Buttes-Chaumont. I had been planning to take Matt and Chris there on Sunday afternoon, which is the gayest time, but the weather seemed perfect so we set out by bus — despite my ignorance of the need to flag it down — and métro. We got there in time to see the last few sunbathers, and to get a photo in the late afternoon light.

Morton, Jamie, Chris and Matt at le parc des Buttes-Chaumont.

By the time we circled back to Rosa Bonheur the crowd was growing — perhaps 1/3 gay even on a Friday — and we arrived just as the crowd-control barriers went up. We bought our third bottle of rosé to toast the moment, then … umm … perhaps one or two more, while we waited for Antoine (who arrived a few minutes later) to get to the front of the very slow entrance line. We had saved a few glasses of wine to help him catch up, but just as he was finishing it started to rain, and everyone headed for the interior of the little guinguette.

Rosa Bonheur after everyone took refuge indoors from the rain.

While the rain was annoying I was glad that Matt and Chris got to see the indoor scene, which can be quite fun. Fortunately the rain stopped fairly quickly, and we were treated to a lovely sunset.

Sunset at le parc des Buttes-Chaumont.

Antoine had made reservations at Le Baratin, a restaurant in the 20ème that is frequented by the chefs of other top restaurants.

Morton, Jamie, Bob, Matt, Antoine and Chris at Le Baratin.

It’s quite an appealing place, but it caters more to French patrons than to tourists. Our experienced and persuasive waiter commented, for example, that I was “as bad as the Chinese” when I took a snapshot of my meal.

My tender poularde at Le Baratin. NOT to be called « poulet ».

As we left I noticed a mature woman having a smoke outside the front door. After she confirmed that she was the chef, she agreed to let me take her photo.

The chef outside Le Baratin.

On Saturday Matt, Chris, Jamie and Morton went off to Versailles, which I have visited several times. I did laundry, ironing, grocery shopping, and, just for you, gentle reader, wrote a week’s worth of blog posts.

Sunday morning we all caught up again for breakfast, in the Haut Marais, then wandered down to the Place des Vosges, and finally back to the 2ème, where Matt, Chris and I said our farewells to Jamie and Morton, then set off to le Musée des Tramways à Vapeur et des chemins de fer Secondaires français (the Museum of Steam Tramways and Secondary Railroads of France), about an hour from Paris by train. This proved to be a charming little museum, with the additional benefit — only two days a month — of a ride on a steam-powered secondary train!

We got to ride on this working steam tram from the turn of the last century.

Not only were there no other foreign tourists there, but the friendly volunteer staffers told us that they get almost no foreigners ever. I trust that our train-loving friends will fix this on their future visits to Paris!

Bob, Chris and Matt with Bob’s new French bff.

We had neglected to eat lunch, and nothing was open in the vicinity of the museum, so we were starving by the time we got home. A restaurant on rue Montorgueil that I have turned my nose up at many times because of its English name — Little Italy — satisfied our hunger rather well.

Travel Note: I realized half-way through the trip that I had made a 6 euro travel error. I had purchased one-way tickets to Valmondois for all of us, forgetting that my monthly Navigo pass includes the entire Ile-de-France system on weekends and holidays. We only bought two tickets back to Paris after I confirmed this with the clerk at the train station. The monthly Navigo pass for zones 1 and 2 now costs 70 euros. It’s fun to just slap your wallet on the métro gate like the cool kids but it doesn’t really save money unless you use the weekend deal a few times a month. Note also that the weekly Navigo does not include the Ile-de-France deal.

After several busy days we were happy to make it an early evening.

Mot du Jour: poularde. According to Antoine, a “young fat chicken.”

An Ethnic Evening

Tags

Château-Rouge, Chris, Experimental Cocktail Club, Matt, Mazurka, meals, Metro, Montorgueil, neighborhoods, Paris, Polish cuisine, Polish food, rue Maurice-Utrillo, rue Montorgueil, rue Paul-Albert, rue Saint-Sauveur, Sacre Coeur, stairs

Chris had made only one culinary request — aside from not taking him to any more restaurants where there’s nothing he can eat — which was to dine at a Polish restaurant, serving the kind of food his mother makes. Thursday was his night. Chris chose a place called Mazurka, and since it was nice out we set off for a half-hour walk rather than taking the métro. After the first ten minutes I was no longer familiar with the neighborhood, except that we were climbing so much that we had to be going up Montmartre.

The restaurant is in a somewhat run-down part of the 18ème, but it looks rather cute. Chris and Matt had a flashback to the empty restaurant we had fled on our first night but I reassured them that we were just on the early side, and that this place looked fine, as indeed it proved to be.

Matt, and Chris at Mazurka in the 18ème. (And note our playful waiter in the mirror on the right.)

Polish isn’t my favorite cuisine but I have to admit that this plate was pretty darn good.

We had been noticing tantalizing little views of Sacré-Coeur as we climbed up to the restaurant, and on the map it seemed to be quite close — just a few little streets away. So I suggested we stroll over, imagining that we were already more-or-less on top of the hill.

Chris and Matt on “rue Maurice-Utrillo,” which, like “rue Paul-Albert” is actually a steep flight of steps. Not the best plan right after a filling Polish dinner…

The church was lovely by night, however, as was the view from the plaza.

Sacré Coeur looking nice after dark.

Just as Matt and Chris were about ready to forgive me for taking them up all those steps I made an even more serious mistake. I let Google Maps navigate us back to métro Château-Rouge. After midnight. I knew better, but we were all tired and this was both the closest station and on a line that took us directly home. Almost everyone else on the platform was drunk and rowdy. We were also amost the only white people. One guy in particular staggered in my direction and seemed to be planning to accidentally-on-purpose fall on me, which would have been unpleasant at best, and would have cost me my wallet and/or cell phone at next best. Chris, though not tall, is trained to deal with aggression, and he was braced to act if the guy got much closer. For some reason — quite possibly Chris’s glare — the guy changed his mind and the train arrived and whisked us safely back to our cozy neighborhood. Note to self: avoid Château-Rouge after dark!

Our walk back home took us up rue Montorgueil past my former apartment on the corner of rue Saint-Sauveur. I suggested the possibility of rounding out the evening with a cocktail, and hearing no dissent guided us a few doors down to the Experimental Cocktail Club, the first of a current flowering of bobo cocktail establishments in Paris. It’s in a tiny speakeasy-like stone room. It was busy but not jammed and we only had to wait a few minutes for seats. The service and patrons were friendly and the cocktails washed away any anxieties that might have arisen at Château-Rouge.

A nightcap at the Experimental Cocktail Club on rue Saint-Sauveur in the 2éme.

Our refreshing drinks at the Experimental Cocktail Club.

As we were about to go Matt chided me for not eating the cherry in my drink, but warned me about the pit. His warning was unnecessary, however, since it was actually a radish.

Three Flâneurs

Tags

Belleville, Café Le Baron, cake decorations, Chris, cobblestone street, enormous whisk, flâneur, giant whisk, glasses, glassware, incinerated motor bikes, industrial cookware, King of Pop, Maille, Matt, Michael Jackson, model, mustard, Parc Monceau, Passage des Panoramas, photo shoot, pur, rue des Jeûneurs, tattoos, terrines, whisk

Matt and Chris are born flâneurs. Though this is their first time in Paris they feel absolutely no need to check off tourist sites. Instead they are atttracted by every little alley and stairway. “Where does that go?” They are insatiably curious! This, needless to say, suits me down to the ground. I enjoy nudging them towards interesting places, and pointing out features that they might have missed. But just as often they have suggested unfamiliar routes that have opened my eyes to something new. Walking with them has reawakened my love of Paris, which had dozed a bit this year before they arrived. This post is a collection of photos and stories from our first week of wandering together.

During my first two weeks I had always turned left on rue des Jeûneurs or gone straight ahead whenever I left my apartment door. Those directions lead to the Montorgueil shopping district and the Grands Boulevards, while the only thing I knew of in the other direction was a straight nightclub, Silencio. When Matt suggested that we turn right I realized that I had never been that way in daytime. We discovered three cute local lunch places, serving office workers and graduate-level students rather than the bobos of rue Montorgueil. We ate lunch in this place and I plan to try the other two after Matt and Chris go home.

Lunch hour rush at Pur, on rue des Jeûneurs.

Quirky cake decorations. I want to be invited to that party! Looks like I’d fit right in…

Cake decorations, we think.

This scene was in lower Belleville. It looked like something from a war zone. We couldn’t tell whether it was an accident or arson, but we found it astounding that there was no police tape or indeed any indication that anyone was even aware of what must have been quite a conflagration.

A bunch of incinerated motor bikes.

Passage des Panoramas.

Really remarkable terrines.

Glassware in Café Le Baron in the 9e.

Outside a tattoo shop.

Perfect if you’re into Michael Jackson memorabilia.

Chris with an enormous whisk in an industrial cookware shop on rue Montmartre.

Matt in mustard heaven, at the Maille shop at Place de la Madeleine.

The first time I’ve seen a cobblestone street being laid down, near Étoile. This replaces an earlier version that had been partly blacktopped.

We’ve encountered various model shoots and movie teams. This fellow gave us the best photo op.

A photo shoot in posh Parc Monceau.

A Fabulous Dinner Party

Tags

Antoine, Chris, dinner party, home-cooked meal, home-cooking, L'Espalier, lettuce, Matt, meals, Mimolette, Montorgueil, Palais de Fruit, Paris, rue des Jeûneurs, rue Montorgueil, vegetables

I was thrilled when Matt said that he and Chris mostly wanted to live like Parisians: shopping in the market and cooking at home. And indeed, our first dinner party was on Tuesday night. We went together to each of the relevant shops, then Matt cooked, Chris sous-chefed and I helped around the edges. Since it was Matt’s first time cooking in this kitchen he wanted us to invite just one extra guest. I immediately thought of my French friend Antoine. We had enjoyed several meals together during my first few years here, but our schedules hadn’t matched up during recent visits. I surmised that a tasty home-cooked meal — prepared by my delightful house guests — might tempt him to join us. And I was right!

Matt started us out with an exceptionally delicious aged goat cheese called Mimolette. I had enjoyed something very similar at L’Espalier in Boston but didn’t remember the name.

Mimolette aged goat cheese. Delish!

Chris and Matt preparing our first dinner party.

Extraordinary vegetables from the Palais de Fruit on rue Montorgueil.

Matt with the delicious chicken main course.

Antoine and Chris at our first home-cooked dinner.

In addition to the delicious dinner we drank a few bottles of wine, and I think it’s safe to say that a good time was had by all.

Machines and Music

Tags

Allen Hamrick, Église Saint-Sulpice, Café Cassette, Chris, Equinox, Juilliard, Le Duplex, Marais, Matt, meals, Metro, Musée des Arts et Métiers, rue des Rosiers, Saint Sulpice, Steampunk, Yale

Sunday was rainy so we considered indoor possibilities. Matt and Chris like machinery and devices so we walked over to one of my favorites, le Musée des arts et métiers. As expected, they loved it:

Matt and Chris at le Musée des arts et métiers.

And I always find things I haven’t previously noticed or appreciated:

Steampunk engine from Clément Ader’s “Avion 3”, 1894-97. (Spoiler alert: It never got off the ground.)

We were starving by the time we got to the chapel so we decided to defer close inspection of the vehicles until another visit. We took the métro over to Saint-Sulpice and had a good typical meal at a corner restaurant, Café Cassette. The waitress was initially rather brusque (though we noticed that she treated everyone else the same way). I bided my time, then at the proper moment said to Matt, in her hearing, « Elle n’est pas méchant ; elle est une caractère. » (“She isn’t mean, she’s a character,” in my fractured French.)  This pleased her, and we ended up not only each receiving a souvenir pen, but Chris getting to choose his color. I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat there again but the meal illustrates how you can get a solid reasonably-priced meal almost anywhere in Paris, outside of the main tourist areas.

We were there for a 4 pm concert in the beautiful Église Saint-Sulpice by a combined Yale chorus and Juilliard orchestra, with our friend Allen Hamrick on bassoon. The space was a bit boomy, but magnificent for sustained choral and organ notes.

Yale/Juilliard concert at Église Saint-Sulpice, with Allen Hamrick on bassoon.

There were several distractions, however, including a woman who fainted and had to be carried out on a stretcher by EMTs.

Among the distractions was a woman who fainted and was carried out by EMTs (partially blocked in this photo).

After the concert Allen took the orchestra bus to their hotel, near the Eiffel Tower. His phone didn’t work in Paris, however, so we couldn’t reach him to coordinate an evening plan. Eventually we took the métro to Charles Michels in the depths of the 15e. The desk at his hotel had no record of him checking in so we had a drink in the hotel bar and hoped for the best. Just as we were starting to despair he appeared, and the evening was launched! We headed over to the Marais and had a look around before getting caught in a downpour on the uber-touristy rue des Rosiers. We nixed falafal and in desperation took refuge in a traditional restaurant on the corner of rue Vieille du Temple, Equinox. It was moderately priced, reasonably good, and above all warm and dry!

Chris Miller, Allen Hamrick, Bob Mack and Matt Wagner at Equinox in the Marais.

We finished the evening at Le Duplex, where a 40-something expat from Boston made a heroic and just slightly annoying effort to chat up each of us in turn.

Friends and Food

Tags

art, Belleville, Belleville Open Studios, Belleville Portes Ouvertes, Bob Seeman, Catherine Arnaud, Chris, drag queens, Elliot, Garden of the Hôtel de Ville, Hôtel de Ville, Jardin du Hôtel de Ville, La Criée, Le Colimaçon, Marais, Matt, Matt and Chris, meals, Montorgueil, Paris, Robert Seeman, rue des Jeûneurs, Sculpture, street art, Tintilou

Friday lunch was with my Harvard friend Elliot Marks, at a wonderful little restaurant in his quartier, Tintilou. The meal was delicious and the service and ambiance were delightful. A new favorite!

Elliot Marks at Tintilou, with the utterly delectable appetizer.

My main course at Tintilou: St. Pierre, which Elliot explained is called “John Dory” in English.

After lunch I strolled over to take in some of the 100+ artist studios that were open during the annual Belleville Portes Ouvertes. I started at the headquarters (GALERIE DES AAB, 1 rue Picabia, 75020 Paris. M° Couronnes), which lets you peruse samples for each artist so you can decide which studios to visit. One of the samples pleased me so much that I bought it on the spot (as a gift for my Boston friend Bruce). I then set off. As usual most of the art left me unmoved, but also as usual I came across one artist I really loved:

Sculptures by Catherine Arnaud at Belleville Portes Ouvertes 2015. The piece in the upper left corner was her reaction to the Charlie Hebdo murders.

I also saw part of a very strange art show. The artist dripped and mixed water and ink on a glass plate, which projected on a big screen. It was unusual, but I had to stifle the question, is it art?

Art performance as part of Belleville Open Studios. By Stefano Giorgi?

For dinner I caught up with another Harvard friend, Bob Seeman. The plan was initially for a tête-à-tête but he called earlier in the day to ask whether several of his visiting friends could join us. Of course I said it was fine, and we had a very pleasant meal. It was my first time at Le Colimaçon, though I had tried unsuccessfully to get a table there with Brian and Sheila the previous week. We all enjoyed our meals and the service, by several petite young women, was sympa. It’s a small space, with an impressive spiral staircase up to the étage (which Bob explained is called a colimaçon). Overall I consider it quite a reasonable option, although not a must.

Matt had received an ominous call from American Airlines saying that their flight had been overbooked and asking whether they would they agree to be bumped to a different flight. It turned out, however, to be Christmas in May! The flight they had booked required a connection, and got them in very late on Saturday night, but the new flight was direct and got them here at a reasonable hour in the morning. Moreover they were offered a king’s ransom in cash to make the change! It was very much win-win (except for American) so they made the change and arrived early. I took them on a walk through my neighborhood and over to the Marais, then via Notre Dame to the Latin Quarter. It was their first time in Paris so everything was a thrill, and as usual it was my pleasure to see the city anew through their eyes.

Chris and Matt getting a warm Parisian welcome! (Fabu street art just outside my front door.)

Bob and his new bff, rue des Jeûneurs.

Matt getting an angle on roses in the newly-opened garden of the Hôtel de Ville.

Chris with Notre Dame peeking shyly through the trees.

We strolled around my neighborhood, then over to the 10e. The first restaurant we went into looked ok from the outside but was completely dead inside, and after we were seated we saw that the menus were tattered. We debated how to handle this and finally we just walked out and I explained to the proprietor that we wanted a more animated place. After a bit more persistence we ended up at a zippy and tasty fish restaurant, La Criée.

La Criée on Boulevard de Bonne Nouvelle.

Chris doesn’t like fish, so we confirmed before going in that they had a couple of beef dishes on the menu. Unfortunately, after Matt and I had exulted over the delightful seafood choices, and ordered, the waiter told us that there was no beef. (He wasn’t even apologetic; he said with a shrug (in French), “This is a seafood restaurant!”) Chris graciously ordered a cheese salad instead of a real main dish. It was a fine meal — for me and Matt — in a busy and bright space.