on the Champs Elysee

Sunday dawned dark and dreary.  It rained on and off in the morning and was very cold.  This apartment, in fact, is quite chilly.  There are heating elements in all rooms except the toilette:  hallway, both bedrooms, 3 in the living room, one in the bathroom, and one beside the little kitchen eating area.  But only two work; the one in the kitchen area and one in the cavernous living room.  So it's cold in here, which means we (I) live in a couple of sweaters and maybe even my down vest.  We puttered around, did some cleaning up, read the news on line ~ none of it very good ~ and waited for it to at least clear up a bit.

About 2'oclock I said, "Let's go out and walk over to the Champs."  The sky was getting a bit lighter so we bundled up and off we went.  The Champs is about a 15 minute walk from here, not a bad stroll on a crisp Fall day.  As usual in Paris when there is even a HINT of sun, everyone who could be out was.  Sunday sun on the Champs!

I do not remember the sidewalks having these cafes that take up the entire sidewalk but there they are and they were bustling.  There were literally thousands of people on this street, now line with almost exclusively American brand shops.  We made out way down  to the western end of the Champs to this venerable icon.

The first time I was here with daughters we went up to the top of l'Arc and discovered it was snowing up there!

We crossed the street and strolled back up, stopping for a chocolate chaud (our first during these cold days).   In one of the old passagesthat line the Champs I saw this beautiful floor.  Love the floors in this town.

And who wouldn't love to live in one of these exquisite apartment houses ~ except for the noise and mobs, of course?

 Both of us were a bit undone by the huge crowds just out for an afternoon's stroll!  Back toward our apartment where we beheld this amazing building!  No matter how often I come here there's always something to surprise around the corner, and this Chinese pagoda-like building was it for this trip.  It's such a stark contrast to all the buildings around it, with it's red color, exotic roof line and decorative facade.  The gate in front is capped with little wooden carved animals and, I hate to say it, it's looking overall quite sad and almost abandoned.  It was once a private home of the Choo family but is now used as an "event" hall.

Back home to our smart abode.  Here are the front doors.

They need a little touching up but I think they're quite elegant.  And on every landing in the apartment are four stained glass windows like these.

I would love to know the history of this house which features many elegant touches of old fashioned design.

Another quiet dinner made in our space-age kitchen.  Here's a look at what we saw out of our window very briefly last night.  About two minutes later it was all cloudy and stormy.

That's how it went on Sunday in Paris, France.  Not a bad day at all.

Saturday in Paris

It was another grey day with occasional showers but not terribly cold.  But the street market called so we suited up and took off to see what was there.  It's about a 15 minute walk up to Miromesnil and there it all was, spread out before us.  The market is about 5 blocks long with stalls in the street plus a whole line of food shops ~ very Right Bank-y.  The first thing I saw was this!

If I could have found a vase in this space-age apartment I would have bought an arm-load.  And right next door was a little cafe with these colorful tables and chairs out on the street.

Next eye-popping sight was as the patisserie across the street.

This is a little sampler of several of their delicious offerings, tiny bite-sized treats.  I passed, although I was sorely tempted.

We moved on to buy some prepared moussaka at a Greek deli, then some quiche for tomorrow brunch, some greens and fruit.  We passed by this delightful toy store brightly painted and full of beautiful things for children of all ages!  The dad in the photo was lifting up his daughter so she could peek in the window.

This is a typical corner stall for all your fruit needs, including a huge pile of grapes from Italy.

I saw this huge display of hydrangeas in another stall.  They are the strangest color; a sort of bloody rust shade, not the pinkish tone in the photo.  Very fall!

Just outside the market, on an  island in the midst of swirling traffic, sits this carousel.  My theory is that if the tots behave well while Maman or the au pair does the shopping, the reward is a spin in one of the space ships!

We went back laden with our purchases, had a quick lunch of soup and baguette, and headed off for Dehillerin's.  We walked through the Parc to the Monceau metro and finally ended up at the Tuilleries stop (our original destination, Louvre-Rivoli, was closed for repairs).  We walked up the rue Rivoli to rue de Louvre, made a left and walked up to rue Coquilleriers and, le voila!

It being a Saturday, it was mobbed with lookers and buyers in this most famous of Parisian cookware stores.  The store itself is very small and cramped with narrow aisles and shelves crammed with beautiful ~ and VERY expensive ~  wares.   But it is so much fun to inch along and look at the goods, including things I wouldn't have the vaguest idea what to do with once I got them home.  I counted 15 different sizes of ladles ~ FIFTEEN!  The very largest is probably to use with this soup-for-the-city pot (about 3 feet tall).

Both of us were looking for  something specific.  Alex wants one of the traditional French sugar bowls that held paper-wrapped sugar cubes; they're rarely seen in restaurants these days but I think you can still see them in zinc bars in tabacs.  I wanted one of the Dehillerin aprons; all out.  So we came away empty handed but glad we had made the pilgrimage.  Memo to self:  NEVER GO TO DEHILLERIN'S ON A SATURDAY.

It had begun to rain as we walked back to Rue Rivoli.  We took the Palais Royal metro back home, Line 1, direction La Défense to Charles DeGaulle Etoie and then Line 2 direction Nation to Monceau.

For €1.80 (Yikes!  I remember when it was 25 centimes!!) you can go anywhere in this city in relative comfort, except at rush hour when it's sardine time.  The new cars, without the tricky door handles, don't rock and roll along the tracks which always added to the thrill of the ride.  But what a wonderful system they have for moving thousands of people throughout a city with NO street-level  maneuvering necessary!  Imagine.  Oh yes, there's plenty of that with the cars and busses that clog up the city.

Back home through the park on the damp afternoon.  There were lots of families enjoying the cold autumn day, little children so bundled up they could barely walk.  We even saw the ponies plodding their way along the paths with thrilled tots and their terrified parents hovering beside them to avert any possible disaster.

Back home in the late afternoon after a good day of shopping and strolling and marveling over this most wonderful of cities.

The inside courtyard of our apartment has this handsome  building at the back.

On the upper edifice is a big bronze horse head which leads one to believe that at one time it was the stables and the "stable boys" lived upstairs.

So what is its current function?  It's where you put the garbage.  Lo!  How the mighty have fallen.

Paris when it drizzles

It did rain almost all day yesterday, not hard but enough to be a bit slippery out there, cobblestone sidewalks and all.  Nonetheless, we were out and about to get a few items and check them off the list.  The battery in my blood tester died so we had to find a place that sold that type and not too far away.  The fearless Alex stopped into a shop, asked for a pile of  the appropriate size and was referred to another shop some 3 or 4 blocks away.  She returned to the apartment with that information, along with two not-so-wonderful croissants (missing you, Carton's).  We found the shop, bought the batteries and all is running perfectly.  We passed a bakery with all these beautiful things in the window.  Wayne Thiebaud is alive and well and painting in Paris!

Thiebaud does Paris!

We decided the weather called for an out-to-lunch foray so went down the street to a spot recommended by past tenants of this apartment.  Le Valois is a hugely popular spot in this neighborhood and it was hopping.  We sat outside under those dreadful heat lamps but our lunch was wonderful.  I had a bowl of soupe a l'oignon, Alex had a fish soup.  So very delicious.

I know it looks like tomato soup but it wasn't.  It was rich and cheesy and onion-y.  Blame the photographer.

After lunch we walked across the street into the beautiful Parc Monceau for a lovely afternoon stroll, rain notwithstanding.   It is such a lovely park with well tended gardens, winding paths, lots of benches to sit and reflect, sculpture to enlighten and amuse, a delightful foliie, a carousel and, on weekends, pony rides for the littlest visitors.  On a Friday it was calm and quiet.

We wanted to catch a glimpse the Monceau metro stop which is right outside the park boundaries.  It's one of the last remaining original Art Deco signs and decorations.

We walked home in the light rain, down Avenue Malherbes to rue de Lisbonne and home.

We're up on the 6th floor, the very top with views of surrounding buildings; nothing very glamorous but lots of light.  A real aerie.

Plans for Saturday include trip to big street market up at Miromesnil and to Dehillerin's to look at what one MUST have in the kitchen.  Until then,bonne nuit mes amis

.

Paris redux

We are back in Paris after a really wonderful stay in Florence.  Despite the bad weather for the last couple of days there, we managed to get out and about and to see and be seen.  On Wednesday, our last day, it rained off and on but we headed out, umbrellas at the ready, on a final tour of this marvelous city.  First stop was Santa Croce, only two blocks from the apartment.  This is it's rather stark facade.

It's in the usual Florentine style of almost all of the big churches in the city.  Because of the rain the piazza wasn't too crowed and we could walk around to get a good view.

Next we walked over to the  Piazza della Signoria and the Uffizi for a last big bite of beauty.  It was absolutely mobbed.

We walked through the colonnaded street to the Arno River and down toward the Ponte Vecchio.

What were once apartments for the uber rich are now jewelry stores for the uber, uber rich.  We strolled (as best we could, given the press of tourists) over the bridge, lingering in front the stores with the most incredible displays of over-the-top baubles.

Half way across we stopped and saw the beautiful Ponte Santa Trinita.  This is the bridge Mr. C and I crossed on our daily trip into the center of the city.  We got to the other side of the river, the Olto Arno and both of us were completely overwhelmed by the huge crowds.  Alex clung to me and said "Let's go home!"

On our way back we passed this gelato emporium.  These look like little Mount Vesuvius-es but so, so delicious.  We didn't have one bite of gelato this entire trip.  Our loss, I know.

Back home to pack up, clean up the apartment and get ready to move on to more adventures in Paris. Thursday morning we got a cab and made it out to the airport in plenty of time for a 12:45 flight.  Here's your last chance to pick up some Tuscan goodies to take with you wherever you're going.

Then it was another short flight compliments of Air France.

Isn't that a civilized way to spend a couple of hours?

A fairly speedy trip from the airport to our new apartment (photos later) in the beautiful 8eme, close by the Parc Monceau and the Champs Elysee.  We got all settled, went out to find a market ~ successfully.  We made a simple dinner and so to bed early.  But from our 6th floor aerie, he's a view of our street at night.

So that's how it went on Wednesday and Thursday.  It's raining here today but we have a couple of errands to run and then will go out to lunch, most probably at the Cafe de la Poste, about two blocks from here.  I'm thing a big bowl of Soupe a l'Oignon Gratinée to ward off the chill.   I'll let you know what I choose, and where I choose it.

Meanwhile, bonne journée.

we did not go to Venice

I am so, so disappointed and so is Alex, but I was sick on Sunday night/Monday morning so I begged off.  We had already bought our tickets so we are out about €80 but I simply couldn't do it.  I ended up spending the day napping, dozing, sipping tea and generally recovering from a terrible night.  I did get one thing done; laundry.

Clean clothes!  What a treat.  Of course it was too chilly to dry outside so we moved this handy rack into the foyer and, by Jove, it was all dry this morning. 

I slept very well last night and  I am back on track. We didn't go to Venice today, either,  because it's raining everywhere and more was forecast for there than here.    We did the usual market runs to stock up on food and drink.  I did buy a whole porcini mushroom which I will cut in a zillion tiny pieces, saute and toss with some fresh pasta for our dinner, along with some ratatouille, a salad and any other tidbits I can find in the fridge and larder.  We only have another day to get it all cleared out.

We went on a lovely long walk through the drizzle early this afternoon heading for our luncheon date.   Only a few people riding in the rain.

Carousel in the Piazza Della Repubblica

 I am so grateful for all of Alex's help on this trip, mainly as my seeing-eye guide so I invited her to be my guest at La Spada, Mr. C's favorite Florentine spots.

It's very much a neighborhood spot; 99% of the diners were speaking Italian.  We both had veal and then Alex led me into temptation BIG time with an order of panna cotta with the most beautiful, silky chocolate sauce.

panna cotta with a couple of bites gone!

It was so delicious; smooth and creamy and not too sweet.  It was perfect!

Another leisurely stroll in the rain ~ a bit heavier by this time ~ through some beautiful areas of the Citiá Centrale, ogling the magnificent old buildings, the glitzy shops filled with outrageously expensive goods, and the more interesting tiny boutiques that crowd along narrow streets.   This is a rare quiet spot in this busy place.  (I actually took this on Sunday which makes it even more rare!)

Bad weather will keep one close to home so we haven't gotten down to the Ponte Vecchio or Ponte Santa Trinita but we're not  that far and it's our plan to walk down tomorrow.  Rain or not!  I really don't want either of us to get a cold; we still have Paris ahead, don't forget.

a beautiful Sunday in Florence

As we had hoped, the day dawned bright and clear, perfect weather for strolling and sight seeing.  Our ultimate destination was Santa Maria Novella train station to but tickets for our trip to Venice tomorrow.  But to get there we took several detours and side streets.  Even though it is Sunday and a busy tourist day, our neighborhood, off that track, was quiet and peaceful.  First we walked up to the Duoma to give it another good look.

Even though I've seen it several times it never fails to astonish.  It is so enormous and yet so delicate.  And Brunolleschi's dome is magical and mysterious every time.

Then it was over to the big indoor market (closed) but browsed all the stalls looking at scarves, leather good ~ belts, purses, wallets, jackets ~ and a variety of other goods.  Unknown to me in the past, the indoor market has a big restaurant upstairs and it was jammed with mid-day diners.  There is also a cooking school up there and we could look through big glass walls and watch them in their gourmet efforts.  Great looking cooking stations with bright chrome fixings and gorgeous pots and pans.

Next destination was the train station for our Venice tickets.

The closer we got the more recognizable was the neighborhood.  We completed our task and headed home.  We passed by the Santa Maria Novella cathedral, another beautiful edifice in a pretty piazza.

Then down the street with a quick stop in front of the Pensione Feretti, the place where Mr. C and I spent a few nights on our first trip to Italy.  It was recommended by my sand box pal, Marie.   A very good place to use as base camp for your stay in Florence.

We were timing ourselves from the train station to the house to figure out how early we might have to leave the house to get to the train station in time to catch a 9 o'clock departure.  Then we decided to heck with that, we'll take the bus so we slowed down, found a little trattoria and settled in for a nice late lunch.  Alex was hungry for something in porcini mushrooms and found the perfect dish.  I ordered mussels and was NOT disappointed by what came out of the kitchen.

These were so, so delicious in a fragrant citrus sauce.  They were plump and tender and very tasty.

This is what was left of our delicious lunch.  Clean plates all around.

We stopped at the super so I could get some batteries, then headed home.  On our way I saw this absolutely adorable little Fiat.  About the size of Dorothy but Italian, not German!

This is one of the old Fiat 500's that are more and more rare on the road.  I would LOVE to have one at home!  The laundry is done 2 hours later ~ and everything has NOT turned purple.  It's time to close up and sleep since we have to be up and out on the curb around 8 AM.  Venice tomorrow.  Stay tuned.