France~Paris, November, 1998

Sunday, November 8, 1998

It was a busy morning at the end of a seemingly endless summer. We still have people in the motel. So I got up early and took Jake to stay with Paige and his cousin Reina. He wasn't too happy. Then I cleaned one apartment at the MBC, had a light lunch and met Karen Aarons at 1:30 in Manahawkin. It took us almost two hours to reach Long Term Parking "G" in the far far reaches of Newark airport. Then we got a bus and checked in without incident. I tried taking 2 Melatonins after dinner and, lo and behold, I actually got some sleep on the plane.

Monday, November 9

Arrived at Charles de Gaulle about 6:15 am (six and one half-hours) and got on the Rossibus (45f) at 7:30. We had about an hour of terrifying dashes through traffic, finally alighting safely at l'Opera. It was raining lightly but the temperature was in the upper 50's, and we were quite comfortable. Fortunately, our room at the two-star Modial Hotel Europeen was ready for us, so we were able to settle in. It's very nice with new double paned windows which seem to keep out the noise from the square beneath the windows (we are on the third—really the fourth—floor).

We started on our tour of the Latin Quarter, acquiring five-day Metro passes, good for both the subway and busses. On our way, we passed a shop selling postcards by—guess whom—Fernando Botero. We started at St-Michel, replete with bookstores and sidewalk cafes, and lorded over by a fountain of St. Michel himself, slaying a dragon. We began walking the narrow, twisting cobbled streets lined with apartments from the long ago (mostly 17th and 18th centuries, but also including some that go back to Roman times). Many of the apartments had beautiful and eccentric porticos. The rue du Chat-qui-Peche is reputed to be the narrowest street in Paris. Along the way we came upon lots of tiny "vest pocket" parks just big enough for a few people to sit and think big thoughts.

Churches are everywhere and we visited a number of them: St.-Severin, in the "flamboyant Gothic" style, was begun in the early 13th century and not completed until well into the 16th. The gargoyle rainspouts were especially terrifying. The stained glass windows were wonderful. Along the sides were highly detailed traditional windows, and at the front are colorful, abstract ones designed by Jean Bazaine depicting the Seven Sacraments. The rose window is mostly hidden by the huge organ. In one of the small chapels was a wonderful crucifixion by G. Schneider, which reminded me of a Giacommetti. Also in this room were some etchings by Roualt. There was something going on in the chapel, so we couldn't look too clearly. St.Julien-le-Pauvre was smaller and less impressive, although it had an interesting carved wooden screen in the front, hung with icons similar to the ones we saw in Crete (In the 19th century, this church was given to the Greek Orthodox). It was originally a way station on the way to Compostella. And, it had a great view of Notre Dame. St. Etienne du Mont was a unique and thoroughly enchanting blend of late Gothic and Renaissance styles. It is dedicated to Ste-Genevieve, patron saint of Paris. It has a Gothic rose window, classical columns, and a 16th century belfry tower. Inside there is a beautiful, intricately carved "rood screen" with a double spiral staircase connected by the carving. The only museum we visited was a winner—Musee Nationale du Moyen Age (Musee Cluny). We had planned to buy a five-day museum pass, but the price had risen to 240F, nearly $50, so we passed and just paid the 30f entrance fee. It was built atop early Gallo-Roman baths from the 2nd or 3rd centuries. We enjoyed the restoration of the medieval building and the treasures unearthed during 200 years of excavation. There were lovely examples of stained glass and metal work; beautiful tapestries, including a series of five, based on the legend of the Lady and the Unicorn; and wonderful illuminated manuscripts of the Book of Days. Karen was very tired, but didn't mention it till we got outside in the sunlight.

We walked around the Courtyard of the Sorbonne and had lunch at a sidewalk café surrounded by students. We got to the Pantheon and decided we were too beat to go on, so we got the metro back about 3:30. We rested and then struck out for dinner. After checking out numerous places, we chose Au General Lafayette on the street of the same name not too far from our hotel. I had "Terrine de lapin" with hazelnuts and red sauerkraut and Karen had cheddar on brown bread with walnuts. Then we both chose lamb shish-kebabs—delicious—with couscous and a local Beaujolais, finished by a Macxquoise de chocolate Noir!! Then to bed. Karen thinks I have a very good sense of direction.

Tuesday, November 10

After retiring at 10, we both slept soundly till 8 am. It really is quiet. We couldn't make our hand-held shower work, so we took baths, then asked the manager to show us the secret. We enjoyed our breakfast of OJ, chocolate, croissants and pain with butter and jam, then set off for Montmartre, my number one destination. There were more tourists here than I expected, but they were mostly congregated in tours. We tried to get off the beaten track and follow Frommer's walk through meandering lanes of foliage and whitewashed houses in the former country village. Most building here has remained low, since the area is undermined with gypsum mines, which supplied plaster for all of Paris. This was the stomping ground of most of the Impressionists and you can see where they got their inspiration. We visited St.-Jean l'Evangeliste near Place des Abbesses. It was interesting with strange turquoise mosaics everywhere, but dark and dingy inside. We twisted and turned and tried to visualize the past as the guidebook identified studios and apartments of various artists. It was a bit difficult because so many of them are either abandoned or transformed with modern storefronts. We saw the 2 remaining windmills, Moulin de la Galette and Moulin Radet, the former closed and the latter a restaurant. At Cine 13, a tiny movie house, we saw a fenced private apartment complex---very private—so private, in fact, that the residents give themselves the names of famous artists. Must be very confusing for the mail carrier. Across the square we saw a sculpture of a man emerging from a wall. There is a legend that he had a talent for this, but was trapped one night while escaping from an assignation. The work was done by Jean Marais—oddly enough this morning's Le Figaro announced that this very famous actor had died yesterday. In addition to the artists' residences and studios, we saw some of their favorite watering holes such as La Maison Rose and Au Lapin Agile next to Les Vignes de Montmartre, one of 2 remaining vineyards in Paris.

La Place du Tertre is reported to be one of the most frequented tourist spots in the world. It was kind of a miniature Jackson Square, full of tourists and artists begging to paint them. There are 2 churches on the square: the unprepossessing St. Pierre-de-Montmartre, one of the oldest in Paris, and the monumental Sacre Coeur. This is the second highest point in Paris and FULL of tourists. It stays very white because it was built of stone chosen for its ability to secrete calcium. We wound through some more quaint streets until we found ourselves once more at Place Pigalle, "the most important sleeze center" of Paris. Blocks and blocks along the very busy Boulevard de Clichy with flashing neon signs offering live sex shows. The Moulin Rouge is still there, but the area's appeal is difficult to fathom. We got through that section and entered another world when we passed through the gates of the Cimitiere Montmartre. The leaves were falling from the chestnut trees (and so were the nuts) and chrysanthemums were everywhere. We tried to find famous graves and found lots of ordinary ones as well. We were getting hungry, so we stopped at a Brassiere for crepes. Refreshed, we walked down rue St. Petersburg (or rue Leningrad—take your pick) to the Pont de Europe in the heart of the quartier de l'Europe, where many famous Impressionists painted the newly created upper middle-class neighborhood. We walked over the Pont and compared it to the print by Caillebotte. The huge iron guides had been replaced in 1930, but it was easy to see where we were.

Down rue Madrid to see the 2nd Empire church of St. Augustine, interesting because of the intricate cast iron vaults designed by Baltard, architect of Les Halles market pavilions. The domed, neo-Renaissance stone exterior is merely a shell. We passed many of the 65 fountains given by the Englishman, George Wallace. Just east of the church is the massive Gare St-Lazare, depicted by Monet in a series of paintings. Close by is the imposing Eglise de la Trinite, the one we liked best so far. Dominated by the tiered-wedding cake belltower, the church was built in the 1860's by Theodore Ballu in a neo-Renaissaince style. This was the first where beggars approached us, but they didn't spoil it. I just have to learn to say, "Get a job" in French. We stopped at "our" church, Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, where Degas' parents were married. The church gave its name to street people, "les lorettes," who frequented this area. We got home about 4:30 and regrouped, then left to find "Chez Les Fondue" at 17 rue des Trois Freres, recommended by Karen's kids. We had a wonderful meal for 214 f—lots of good fondue, appetizers, meat (shared with our good friends who sat next to us) and wine served in baby bottles. The only hazard was that Karen had to climb over the table to be seated. We left soon after our companions suggested that we visit the Museum of Erotic Art (we had had a good conversation about politics, etc.). Karen had no trouble climbing out either.

Wednesday, November 11

Eightieth anniversary of Armistice Day—We slept until 8:30—oohlala—breakfasted and walked to Pigalle where we metroed to l'Etoile. The ceremony had begun, but we found good spots right on the Champs Elyssees. Several groups of soldiers on horseback rode up the street; then the Queen arrived, dressed purple from head to toe. She and the President walked around awhile and the band played God Save the Queen and the Marseillese. It was wonderful and the weather couldn't have been better. Then they all marched away again and we marched up to the Arch and down the CE to Place Clemenceaux where a grand statue honored the WWI Prime Minister. The avenue Winston Churchill led between the Grande and Petit Palaces. We climbed the steps of the latter and found a spot on the statue nearest the river.

We enjoyed the sunshine and the people for about half an hour until the Queen and the President arrived to unveil the statue of Churchill being dedicated today. They both spoke about the friendship between la France and la Grande Bretagna. It was very moving. We walked right up to the statue on the press platform and saw it up close. Then we walked along the Seine to Place de la Concorde and had a waffle before going up to the Orangerie. Some of the collection was on tour, but Monet's Waterlilies were all there, as magnificent as ever. Oddly enough, he gave them to France on 11/11/18; it was quite an anniversary. We window-shopped up to the Madelaine---rather dark and unusual. The dome had Jesus in the center, but around the bottom was a red-robed Napoleon, being "worshipped" by all the bishops and people.

We went to Place Vendome and the Ritz, but a gentleman gently told us "no gawking" so we moved on to the Opera, which was closed and then past the Galleries Lafayette on home. We freshened up then found a wonderful restaurant, Mollard, 115 rue Saint-Lazare, near the Gare of the same name specializing in Huitres (oysters)!!! I had a half dozen and Karen had onion soup. Then we both had grilled salmon and for desert she had a Napoleon (served with a knife) and I had 3 delicious sorbets—raspberry, black currant, and lemon.

Thursday, November 12

Woke up to a misty day and set off after breakfast for the fashion show at Printemps. Unfortunately, I had screwed up and the show had been on Tues. so we walked down to Amex and changed some money then on to Air France where they said they couldn't confirm our flight. We walked to the Louvre—still huge, but seemingly better organized than on my last visit. We started with 16th-19th century Italian sculpture, including Michelangelo's slaves, passed through pre-classical Greece to Venus de Milo, up the stairs to the Winged Victory. We didn't know what the Apollo Gallery was, but there was a line, so we went in. It was a reconstructed hall from Louis XIV with one neat case full of crown jewels. The gallery with English and Spanish painting was small, but the "Large Format" French galleries were great. A few Impressionists and on to the Dutch Hall which was closed.

We got the metro to St. Trinitie just in time for the organ, trumpet and soprano concert. It was very nice, but we both wished they had used the huge organ instead of the small one. We went into Sanmartaine Department Store #2, up to the 9th floor by elevator, then up two flights of stairs for the views—Magnificent! We stopped for a sandwich and planning session. When we had finished, the rain had stopped so we decided to do the Ile de la Cite without Notre Dame. The Pont Neuf is being cleaned and restored and looks great. We had a nice walk around the island, passing La Conciergerie, which was a notorious prison where thousands of the famous and others were tortured during the Revolution.

Then we found Saint Chappelle. Karen had been there before, but I had not. What a mind-bending place. It was built in the 13th century to house a piece of the cross as well as the Crown of Thorns. The lower chapel was for servants and the haute for the king. Fifteen stained glass windows cover 612 square meters with 1134 scenes tracing the Bible from Eden to the apocalypse. Unbelievable!! We tried to get into the Memorial des Martyrs Francaise de la Deportation de 1945 but arrived just in time to have the door slammed in our faces. It sounded very interesting with concrete, iron spikes and claustrophobic rooms designed to convey the sensation of imprisonment.

We passed Notre Dame, but are leaving our tour of it for later. We went down the street where the French version of Sweeny Todd was purported to have occurred, then got the metro home. We had been trying to go to Chez Jean, 8 rue Ste-Lazare, right around the corner from our hotel since Monday. It was closed then and it was closed yesterday for the holiday. Tonight it was open and what a meal we had! Absolutely beyond description. They brought us some pate to start and then I had huitres—the green ones this time and almost as good as Donegal, which is to say, superb. Very briny and very fresh. Karen had a leek tartine with petit langostines and watercress. Then she had roasted duck with honey glace and fruit purees and I had the most wonderful saddle of hare in a very flaky puff pastry with cheese sauce so light you could hardly keep it on the plate. The accompaniments were a spinach and wild mushroom puree and an eggplant puree. For dessert she had pineapple wrapped in puff pastry with mango puree over brittle. I had a wonderful grapefruit compote over sugary biscuit accompanied by whisky sorbet over brittle.

Friday, November 13

It's a sort of drizzly day and a bit chilly. We took the metro to Beaubourg and began our day at Tour St.-Jacques. We couldn't get into see the stained glass at St.-Merry so we walked through the pedestrianized streets to Les Halles. It was very congested and noisy. Centre Pompidou was closed—it looked very ugly—a huge billboard covered on whole side of the building and jackhammers were working everywhere. Les Halles underground was one huge modern mall. I was unimpressed, although the gardens at street level are probably lovely in the summer. We could see St.-Eustache from afar—it's very large. Outside (after I slipped and fell in some dog poop) is a large sculpture of a head and a hand cupped at the ear (Henry de Miller). It is a beautiful church with stained glass and elaborate Renaissance decorations. One of the chapels had a memorial to the workers of Les Halles. I wasn't sorry to leave the bustle and head for the quartier Marais, the heart of Paris's royal quarter with street after street of aristocratic houses, many of which are now used as libraries, archives, or cultural centers. We only saw the outsides of the buildings, but went in lots of elegant courtyards where 17th century aristocrats lived and entertained. The prettiest square was Place des Voges, "one of the all time great architectural ensembles." Thirty-six brick and stone pavilions rise from graceful arcades surrounding the central square. The ancient rue des Rosiers was and is the heart of the Jewish quarter and is filled with delis and restaurants sending out tempting smells. We ended up at the church of St. Paul and St. Louis with Delacroix's Christ in the Garden of Olives, which needs to be cleaned. We took rue Francois-Miron, the southern Marais' main commercial street down to St. Gervais/St. Protais church, a bright Gothic structure with pretty, colorful windows and stools instead of chairs.

Before going over the Pont Marie to the Ile St Louis, we stopped for a good lunch at its foot, at Café Louis-Phillipe. The restaurant was on the second floor with a lovely view. I had a mussel omelet and Karen had pumpkin soup. Then we crossed the bridge and the tip of the island and across another bridge back to Ile de la Cite. We went into Notre Dame, which was as interesting as always, but not as overwhelming as I remembered. We enjoyed the treasury, with all sorts of artifacts, manuscripts, and relics. Then we went back and walked around the smaller island and took the metro home. After a rest, we went to Rue Condocet, where we had not one, but 4 restaurants recommended. We picked La Place at #18 and had a great meal. The place was decorated as a street scene with buildings painted on the walls. The tablecloths were plaid and it was very pretty. The owner was American; her husband was the chef; and her best friend (sitting at the table behind us) was a writer for Family Circle. Her dog was named Herb. Karen had found the place in Le Figaro earlier in the week—it was the owner's first "press piece." After a bruscetta-like appetizer, we started with an apple, bacon and Roquefort appetizer. I had a beef entrée with the meat shaved very thin and placed on top of a pumpkin puree and the whole thing gratineed. Karen had lamb in light white sauce with pomme frites and an attractive zucchini hollowed out and stuffed with lupine beans. This was the first time we were both stuffed. The dessert we both picked was the glace. It was black currant sorbet and chocolate ice cream with pretzels and various sauces. The toppings were a bit rich for me, but Herb loved them. We stopped in Pigalle (my idea) on the way home to take a picture. I didn't snap the real story though, which was the ladies of the night sitting just inside the doors of all the clubs we passed. We are going to try d'Orsay tomorrow, although the friend from NY said that it's been on strike all week.

Saturday, November 14

The day began bright and sunny, chilly, but not cold. We walked to Amex to get some money, then down to Madeleine and rue Royal, where I stopped at Bernardaud and got the canapé plates I had seen earlier—one for me and one for Paige. Then across Concorde, which was really pretty in the sunshine and on to d'Orsay—unfortunately still en greve. We were disappointed, but, as Karen pointed out, it leaves something for our next visit. So we had lots of time to tour the Faubourg St.-Germain, with its 13th century hotels particuliers (mansions) one more splendid than the next. Most of them are now government buildings and embassies (all heavily guarded by police, some with machine guns). It was just beginning to sprinkle when we reached the Rodin museum, which was much more extensive than either of us realized and well worth the visit. The gardens are beautiful with The Thinker, Balzac, The Gates of Hell and the Burghers of Calais among other large and impressive sculptures. Inside, both floors were well laid out, in chronological order, with works by Rodin and his students, and some Impressionists, including Monet and Fritz Thalow, the Norwegian whose work I had admired in Philadelphia. It was raining hard when we left, so we stopped at the Café du Musee for soup and a sandwich. When we were finished, the sun was out again. We walked through Les Invalides, into the exclusive rue Cler market, stopped to see #29 avenue Rapp, an interesting Art Deco building, then up the Champ-des-Mars to the Eiffel Tower. It was very busy, but nothing like what it must be in the summer. We crossed the river to the Palais de Chaillot, then followed the river back to Concorde. At the Madeleine we stopped at the mustard place and Karen got 3 different varieties for Bill. We stopped at Amex to get more money then at Galleries Lafayette where it was Christmas madness time, especially on the 4th (toy) floor. We found the particular aftershave Karen had been looking for for her father in law and got a good buy. Then home. Another wonderful meal—just around the corner at Le Convivial, 47 rue Saint-Georges. A small appetizer then an absolutely superb artichoke dish with beautifully presented sections dressed with olives, parsley, and balsamic vinegar. We both had roast chicken and mashed potatoes, then Karen had crème brulee and I had cheese. Tomorrow is Sunday and most restaurants are closed.

Sunday, November 15

Went to 2 masses, at St. Germain-des-Pres and at St. Sulpice, then I felt sick and we came home, walking through the very pretty Luxembourg Gardens on the way, and I slept for 2 hours. Went back to Carrousel de Louvre (the mall under the museum) and shopped. There was quite an interesting photographic exhibition in the mall. The exhibit was of the 20th century wars which the French had been involved in and was organized by the chronology of conflict rather than time ie. preparing for war, shipping out, in the trenches, victory etc. We then walked down the Rue Rivoli (Les Antiquaires de Paris) and shopped, arriving at Notre Dame in time for the non-existent 6:30 concert. We walked all the way back to Concorde, Madeleine and up to Cappucines where we had a good dinner (and poor service) at the Tavern du Kronenbourgh. I had huitres, Karen had pate, and we both had truite.

Monday, November 16: The hotel got up early to give us breakfast and we got the Roissybus and were at the airport shortly after 8 for our 10:25 flight. Karen got us exit row seats. We shopped the tax-free stores and had an easy flight home. Arrived in Manahawkin at 3:50 and was at my 4 o'clock class right on time.