Weekend of November 8th/9th

Saturday Maxine and D. went to the Musee d’Orsay by way of the Tuileries Gardens and the courtyard at the Louvre.  They both loved the impressionist art at the museum as well as the building itself.  On the way back to the apartment they did some shopping on the winding streets of the Left Bank including the bizarre taxidermied animals at Deyrolle.  Where else can you see a real, stuffed zebra, rhino, antelope, leopard, etc.? 

I decided to go “in search of” craft beer.  Recall that several weeks ago Maxine and I had a light dinner at Le Trois 8.  Since I knew that today we were going to have a relatively light dinner, I thought I’d have a heavier, and beer oriented, lunch.  So, I headed toward what some of my reading said was the other good craft beer/food place, La Fine Mousse.  Turned out that it was quite close to Trois 8, same metro stop, just a walk in the opposite direction.  But…  It’s a good thing that when we arrived in Paris Maxine pushed for us to buy SIM chips for our phones with big data plans.  When I got to La Fine Mousse I discovered that it wasn’t open till 5pm.  The chairs were stacked on the tables, and it was entirely empty.  Did have an interesting beer list on the chalk board in the back…

So, using my unlimited data plan, I went in search of Plan B.  Ideally also a place with interesting beers.  But, also someplace Maxine was less likely to be interested in.  And, someplace relatively convenient to get to, given that I’d already spent 40 minutes to get here, to nothing.  Found it with Le Empress de Lyon.  Across the street from the Gare de Lyon, one of the monster sized regional train stations.  A straight shot on the metro from where I was, and a reasonable ride home.  Enjoyed the beer, but watched a single waiter serve 30+ customers their drinks and lunches.  Sort of frustrating that he forgot to put my order in and as a result it took nearly an hour until I had lunch at 2 pm.  But, it was a good Croque Monsieur.  Looked to be 2 types of cheese on it, a top layer that melted and browned, and a lower layer that oozed out.  I had small beers, “Antisocial”, and “Rotten Skull” were Imperial IPA’s, and “Gentlelady” was a tripple.  Given the quality of both the food and the beer, along with easy access, Maxine and I will make a return visit.

Decided to walk past the neighborhood we’d hoped to rent in 3 years ago (“Cassie screwed us”).  It’s much livelier than our current one.  And the annual Bastille Brocante (flea market) was going on across the street.  I guess I don’t really understand flea markets.  Random items.  Prices that don’t seem particularly a bargain.  Also don’t understand how the vendors can be making any money (no one seemed to be buying anything).  Bastille itself looked to be an interesting neighborhood and also someplace to visit again.

For dinner, Maxine and D. went food shopping on rue Poncelet, the open air food market street near our apartment, buying from the cheese shop, the wine store, the bakery, the fruit seller.  They filled our dining room table with four cheeses, sliced ham and a pate with Calvados, fresh figs, raspberries and grapes, 2 kinds of bread, Bordeaux wine, 3 different pastries for dessert.  It was fun to stay in and have a great evening with good friends.

Sunday Maxine and I went to a (I’m cringing as I type this) “50+ Expats Meet Up”.  I’m going to have to insist that you believe me on one thing, that we were the youngest people there.  It was, however, an interesting group to have lunch with -- a couple from New Mexico who own a small apartment here in Paris that they use 3-4 times/year, several French women, all of whom spoke great English.  It was interesting to talk about life in Paris, both the good and the bad.  They talked about how the European economy continues to suffer.  We’ve seen many, many beggars on the streets.  And the way they approach it tugs at your heart.  Imagine seeing someone kneeling abjectly on the street, hands outstretched.  Or kneeling and leaning forward so his head touches the ground, looking ashamed to look you in the eye.  Or someone, laying across a vent on the sidewalk to keep warm, with his dog tucked in against him.  The French President, Hollande, has a 14% approval rating, the lowest ever for the French head of state. 

It was also interesting to talk about what we were noticing regarding changes in the city versus our last visit 8 years ago.  For instance, runners.  Back then, none. Now, at least a handful every day.  When Adam Gopnik wrote his book 15 years ago, he said that the only people you saw jogging were Americans and French riot police!  Second, gyms.  Gopnik said it was nearly impossible to find one.  Now, not difficult at all.  Third, eating on the go.  Back then, not much.  Now we constantly see people eating sandwiches as they walk.  The city seems more rushed, and less “different” than our American sensibilities.

Of course there are 2 French stereotypes that still seem to be in force.  First, smoking!  Second, not showering.  The later isn’t something we’ve encountered that frequently, but it is quite distinct when we do.

Sunday night was our guests’ last in Paris.  As a capstone to their trip, they took us on the Bateaux-Mouches, which runs sightseeing boats up the Seine River.  It’s been nearly 30 years since the last time Maxine and I were on it, and then it was for a rainy afternoon cruise.  This time we had dinner and enjoyed fabulous weather.  We were served a 4 course meal with very good food and an incredible atmosphere.  The dinner started with champagne and warm gougeres (puff pastry with cheese).  Maxine’s note – the best gougeres I’ve ever had.  The key is to serve them warm.  As a starter, Tom once again had foie gras.  Remember, this is illegal in California, and, even before it was illegal, it was very expensive.  So he tries to enjoy it as much as he can here in France.  The others had starters of seafood in puff pastry or smoked salmon.  For dinner, 2 of us had guinea fowl stuffed with apples, one had a fish that the English menu called “pikeperch steak” and Maxine had duck in a pepper sauce which was a different flavor combination since duck is so often served with a fruit sauce.  We had a small but delicious cheese course and then dessert.  Maxine said her dessert was the best  – a combination of macaron biscuits, praline ice cream and whipped cream.  But the rest of us weren’t complaining about the tarte tatin or the chocolate ganache encased in a chocolate biscuit.  We shared 2 bottles of wine, all while the boat went up and down the river, spotlighting classic French buildings.  A fabulous way for our friends to end their week in Paris and a real treat for us.