The last time I saw Paris . . .

was at 10:30 AM this morning. We managed to get a seat on the outbound, another seat on the MSP to SMF.  We're home.  Exhausted, of course.  It's now 6 AM tomorrow in Paris and we've been up since 4 AM today, or something like that.

I'm having some soup then to bed.  But no fresh croissants whenever I manage to wake up.  Bummer.

DATELINE: Paris (10)

It pains me to say it but our revels now are ended.  Tomorrow morning we leave this most magical of all cities and head back home.  We are on the stand-by list for a 10:30 AM flight and although I could stay another month, I guess it's time to go home.

But today I had a fine time out and about with a little bit of sun, a little bit of really icy wind over by the river (the Seine, that is) and some light rain.  I was not deterred in my search and enjoyment, however.

I headed down rue des Rosiers toward the Village St. Paul.  I passed by the old site of Goldenberg's, now an upscale outerwear shop. 

This was probably the most famous Jewish deli and restaurant in Paris until it was attacked and shot up in 1982.  A sad loss.

On to the Village St. Paul, only about 3 blocks away, across the rue Rivoli toward the river.  This beautiful church, St. Paul and St. Louis, is just about at the junction of rue Rivoli and rue San Antoine.

The red doors of the Church of St. Paul and St. Louis

Down the block I found this sign.

 The area has changed greatly, however.  At one time this was THE center of antique stores and of workshops where one could order handmade furniture, fabrics, find a designer to advise you on redoing your hôtel particulier or buy beautiful objects, both local and imported, to help decorate that grand manse.  But they are mostly gone new.  Gone are all the workshops  in the various courtyards at the St. Paul addresses.  I went in to many of them but the ateliers are shuttered and vacant.  There were just a few antique shops still operating but the real workshops are gone.  A sad note to progress.

I walked down St. Paul to the river, across the Pont Marie  bridge and into the 4eme arrondissement to have a look around.  This area is tucked into the southern corner of the Right Bank  and includes the beautiful Ile St. Louis.  Now that's a place I would like to stay.

I still hadn't found what I was looking for but it was starting to rain so I headed back.  But lo and behold!  I looked in the window of this little ~ and I do mean LITTLE ~ shop and found just what I had been seeking  In fact. I found several but didn't have enough euros for more than one.  (I would show you what I bought but the recipient reads this blog and I don't want to give it away!)  As an aside, it's very easy to run out of euros in this city.  Everything takes a lot of them and what I'm using for exchange ain't worth squat!  In fact, the cost of the euro has gone as high as $1.40 and only as low as $1.32.  I have no idea what's propping up the euro; every country using it is going broke.

Passed a gorgeous bakery on the way home selling these tasty treats.

All yours for 24 euros

Raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries

This little flower shop caught my eye.  So trim and modest and beautiful, tucked away on a tiny street.

This doorway is just down the street from the flower shop.

There is a wonderful bicycle service in Paris called Vélib'.  You can rent a bike at one of many stations  of them throughout the city.  You'll pay €1,70 for a day ticket or €8 for a seven-day ticket, which lets you take an unlimited number of 30-minute journeys. Trips longer than 30 minutes incur small additional "usage charges."  You pay by time instead of distance.  You  pick up a bike and cycle off to do your errands, drop it at a station in the area where you'll be, then pick up another one at some other spot and cycle on to your next chore.  The bikes are sturdy and have baskets to hold your packages. This is the "station" around the corner from us.

On a bit further are these splendid doors.  I have no idea what's behind them but I think they're a great addition to the street scene.

 

We went out to dinner this evening to bid our farewells to this marvelous place.  We found a lovely place called Tresor tucked back in a little walkway called rue Tresor.  I had a piece of grilled sea bass worthy of a rave review; Mr. C opted for a hamburger with a poached egg.  The fries were fantastic.  A good "last meal."

And now, folks, that about wraps it up for Paris this year.  It's time to go to bed for a few hours; the alarm is set for 4:30 AM and it's almost 9:30 PM now.  I will have a few more things to say about this trip later on but right now all I can say is I don't want it to be over but it is.

DATELINE: Paris (9)

It was a cold (43º) and rainy day in Paris today so no go to anywhere.  I did get a couple of things accomplished, however.  First, I finished this astonishing book.

 

If it isn't on your list or already on your bedside reading table, add it.  A read for our time.

Second, I got repacked.  I hated to do it but it's time.  It seems I have less than when I left home.  More room, somehow.  But that can't be true because, if anything, I've added to the load.  But everything fits into the 2 bags with even a bit of room left over.  I managed to pack just about right; there is only one thing I brought that I didn't wear (a dress) and most everything I have worn so often that I'm sick of it.  This reminds me of my time in boarding school when we, as a group, pledged that we would burn our uniforms in a great beach bonfire after we graduated.  And we did so on Coronado beach during our graduation party at the grand old Hotel del Coronado!  I never want to see any (or most) of these clothes again!  Actually, after five months in Mexico in shorts and T-shirts I won't remember any of these winter duds and will be amazed to see them again.

Tomorrow's forecast is for partly sun/partly clouds.  I am hoping to take a last gasp walk over to Village St. Paul and then that will be it for this trip.  The van picks us up at 7:30 on Thursday morning for a trip out to Charles deGaulle for a 10:30 flight home.  I'm keeping a bit of room in my suitcase for any treasures I might find.

DATELINE: Paris (8)

This is a no-photo day since I didn't take my camera with me when I set out this morning.  Mr. C was feeling mighty poorly so he stayed home while I ventured forth to see what I could see.  I have been searching for a requested item to bring home and, so far, have not been able to find it.  But I went off this morning with high hopes that I would come across it in my wanderings.  (I did not.) 

My first stop was at a newish store here in the Marais called Merci.  It's a mix of the old Design Research with a bit of IKEA and some Conrans thrown in.  It's got the flair of DR and its price tags with the stripped-down designs of both IKEA and Contrans.  But it did not have what I am looking for.  Some great stuff nonetheless.  For the next couple of hours I strolled through the neighborhoods of the 3rd and 4th, noticing the changes in these arrondissements.  There are so many up-scale stores ~ mainly women's clothing.  This area has gotten very jumped up in the last few years.

Back home for a quick lunch and then back out for the great hunt.  This time I headed down rue de Rivoli toward the new Bastille opera house to see what I could find.  Still no luck but I did come across a great place to buy scented soaps of every size, shape, color and couldn't come away empty handed.  Also found a good-looking fist restaurant that I may choose for lunch tomorrow.  I revisited the Place des Voges to see if we had somehow overlooked Le Muoe du Pape but, alas, it is truly gone.

In desperation I sent an email to our apartment's owner asking for advice on finding what I'm seeking.  He gave me some great hints (two of which I had already tried) including an area very close by called Le Village St. Paul that is mostly antique and antique-type stores.  Even if I don't find what I'm looking for it will be fun (for me!) to poke around and see what's there.  So, rain or shine, that's on my agenda for tomorrow.  Depending on how he's feeling, Mr. C may join me.

DATELINE: Paris (7)

The sun came out and so did we.  Off we went to Parc Monceau and the Nissim museum, and I am so glad we did.  The owner of our apartment has been pushing us to visit this temple to 18th Century decorative arts so today was the day.  What a beautiful home ~ une hôtel particulier (mansion) ~ it is.  I've already mentioned how much Mr. C likes the Jacquemart-André; he wants to off-load that place and buy this one instead.

There are three floors of beautifully furnish and preserved rooms open to the public.  Since Sunday is the traditional day for entrée libre to French museums we thought the place would be packed.  Mais non!  First, this museum does not offer such a thing and second, who comes here anyway?  There were very few visitors and thus we could roam around  freely and take our timel

The family of wealthy Jewish bankers lived in this beautiful mansion, filling it with exquisite 18th dentury furniture, art, silver, china and tapestries.  When the patriarch died in 1935 he gave the home and its contents to Les Arts Decoratifs in memory of his son, Nissim, killed in WWI.  His daughter Irene, her husband and two children were deported from Paris in 1944 and perished at Auschwitz.  The Camondo family died out.

Le salon bleu

Part of M. Comodo's "office"

Main dining room

Library

Library

The kitchen.  Through the open door in the rear right is the scullery.

Kitchen; the cook top and oven in the foreground; a roasting oven in the right rear

This is the "call box" on the wall of the kitchen.  Someone in a drawing room or salon pushed a button to summon a servant; this box showed who rang.

A display of the family's Sèvres china.  There are probably 300 pieces for every conceivably use.  Each piece has a different bird.

 Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (7 September 1707 – 16 April 1788) was a French naturalist and is considered the "inventor" of the idea of "species."  He made hundreds of drawings of birds and they were used to decorate this delicate porcelain china.

The "modern" bathroom.  Through the doorin the corner is la toilette.  Note two bidets; I think one is for feet!

A beautiful apartment building with a 5th floor garden.

The wide walkway through the Parc Monceau

Lots of children playing in the park, hoards of runners/joggers/walkers.  You can see that the Plane trees are starting to turn and the leaves to fall and cover the ground.  A beautiful autumn day here in Paris.

All told, about 300 stairs, counting the museum.  But it all seemed very easy today.  Tomorrow's outings are iffy as it's supposed to rain most of the day.  We'll do something but I'm not sure just what.
  Only three days left . . .

DATELINE: Paris (6)

It's quiet in the Marais on Saturday as it is a traditionally Jewish section of the city.  Everything shuts down at sunset on Friday, now about 6 o'clock.  Almost nothing is open for business until late in the afternoon today, if at all.  The Synagog next door held services, then a meal, then afternoon study so all was peaceful.  We went over to the old nabe because there is a wonderful butcher who sells cooked meat and, besides, Saturday is the big street market day at Maubert.  So instead of doing some research over here to find what we want we got on the Metro and went over there.  Remember what I said about the StairMaster?  It is 206 stairs ONE WAY between the St. Paul and Maubert Metro stations.  That includes both up and down!   There are escalators in two of the stations but we can never find them!  After all of that it's 25 stairs up to the apartment from the ground floor. I just call it good exercise and forget it.

We did find what we were looking for ~ a hunk of roast pork ~ and bought some veggies and some other treats and came home.  This afternoon I did the last load of laundry for this trip while Mr. C went on the "liquid" run at the local market.  We're set for the next couple of days.  We haven't gone to any restaurants since we've been back because of his cold and cough.  But perhaps before we leave on Thursday we'll get in one smart dining experience.

It was raining off and on today but tomorrow should have some sun.  If so it will be a visit to the Musée Nissim  over in the 8eme alongside the beautiful Parc Monceau.  Only one Metro stop; maybe 35 stairs?

DATELINE: Paris (5)

rue des Rosiers in the morning light

I have absolutely nothing to report for today.  I did not leave the confines of the apartment; I stayed in bed, read and dozed and coughed.  Mr. C went out foraging for something to eat and drink but otherwise he, too, sneezed and coughed.  Oh, did I mention that it was raining and 47º?  That had something to do with our burrowing in for the day.  Tomorrow, however, the sun is supposed to come out for part of the day and so we will be out and about.  We only have five days left and I don't want to convalesce any longer than necessary.