Bonjour Friends and Family!
Since we liked the Boulanger-Patissiere called Salon de The, we went back there again this morning to think about the day ahead. While thinking, we ordered our favourite things - Chausson aux pommes (flakey apple pastries and cafe au lait). The beauty about having been to Paris on a few occasions, is that you can see different things each time, or maybe return to places that you never did get enough of the first time.
We took our time and sat observing Parisian morning life in this busy area of the city. We saw a father emerge from a door in an apartment, with a child and off they went. A business man in a nice black suit drove by on a bicycle. Delivery trucks rushed by with their orders. Mothers walked by pushing strollers. Life really is the same everywhere when you think about it.
When we left the cafe, we walked over to Eglise Saint Severin which is situated on a street in the Latin Quarter called Rue Saint Severin, just a stones throw from us. At the entrance to the cathedral, there was a large gypsy woman sitting on the ground, who banged her plastic cup several times as we came up the steps to the door. Because this church was so close to us, and being one of the oldest churches in Paris of classic gothic architecture, we decided we didn't want to miss it. Inside the church is an interesting pillar in the shape of a palm tree. Apparently Saint Severin was a hermit who died in 555 and the church was built on top of his grave. I'm not sure what good works Saint Severin actually did, being a hermit and everything.
We left Saint Severin, and could hear the beautiful majestic bells of Notre Dame cathedral ringing as we walked over the Pont Neuf (bridge) down Rue De Louvre in the direction of the famed E. Dehillerin on the corner of Rue du Jour and 18-20 rue Coquilliere. E. Dehillerin is a cookware shop which has been selling cookware for professional and home chefs since 1820. It is very cluttered, crowded, and full of copper pots, knives of all kinds, etc. When you walk in, you get the feeling things have not changed much here since the store first opened at this location in 1880. There are a couple of pictures of Julia Child nailed onto a beam behind the cash register, but you'd miss them if you were not aware that she did lots of shopping here even up to her death in 2004. It was a fun and exciting to come to this store and squeeze past other people while trying to look at the selection of knives, and other interesting tools, all designed to make one's life easier in the kitchen. I found this a refreshing experience, as I will be back at Crate & Barrel soon enough at home.
When we left the cooking store, we saw another incredible, gothic looking cathedral called Eglise Saint Eustache, and decided to go have a look. This one was built around 1532. We discovered some amazing history here. Louis XIV received communion here as a young child, and apparently Mozart chose this cathedral as the place for the funeral of his mother. As well, we saw paintings by Ruebens on the walls.
When we left the church, we saw that we were right around the corner from Rue Montorgueil, which I had heard we shouldn't miss, especially at Christmas (when we won't be here). It was a street bustling with activity and there were lots of shops and small cafes. We noticed there seemed to be a lot of Italian cuisine around. We were enticed into Caldo-Freddo at 34 Rue Montorgueil because a girl was standing out on the street handing out samples to people passing by. While we enjoyed our Basica-margherita-mozzarella pizza, a girl sat next to us smoking. I asked her about the strawberry odor from the smoke. She explained that the odor was coming from a device (which looked like a Bic pen) called a a "clopinette" which is an electronic cigarette. She said that some people called them "e-cigarettes," and that a clopinette is like a personal vaporizer which is an electronic inhaler that vaporises a liquid solution into an aerosol mist. "It makes you feel like you are smoking tobacco". She said she enjoyed it, and was not trying to quit smoking. I smiled and wished to myself she would lose her "clopinette" somewhere.
When we left Caldo-Freddo, Ron informed me that he wanted to see Le Palais Garnier, or Opera Garnier at 8 Rue Scribe. I was a bit surprised by this, but agreed to go. It is a theatre which houses the Paris Opera, and is one of the most famous opera houses in the world. It was the setting for the "Phantom of the Opera". We were able to tour this opera house which was founded in 1669. It was a breathtaking structure, full of the most elegant, sculptures and paintings. You could see the stage where the operas took place. The opera house is now used primarily for the Paris Opera Ballet.
After this, we walked over to the Ritz hotel, where the whole front entrance is under construction. I saw a Christian Dior store across Place Vendome, and went to see if one of my favourite perfumes might be there. There were two men dressed in black suits who stood at the entrance of this exquisite store. They opened the door for me, even though I would have rather opened it myself, and said, " Bonjour Madame", in a very respectful manner, even though they could see I looked like a wreck, and that my hair was all messed up from the wind. I inquired if they sold perfume, because all I could see was sparkling watches and jewellery behind glass counters, and rich looking ladies sitting around. "No perfume here", I was told. I left, having to walk bravely past those men in black suits again. So, Ron and I walked past Chanel, but I didn't go in to the store this time, as I had seen the exquisite staircase on 31 Rue Cambon once before. Besides, I didn't want to walk past any more nice looking men in black suits.
I am happy to report that I did find another Christian Dior store just a little ways down the block, and was able to get my perfume.
We started on our way back, but stopped first at a non-descriptive Cafe on Rue De Saussaies. We sat for a glass of rose and to give our aching feet a break. Right next to us, was a large man smoking a cigar the size of a cucumber. He puffed away, while I coughed and choked right beside him.
On our way to the Metro station near the Champs Élysées we got caught in a torrential downpour. There was wind and heavy rain. People were screaming and running for shelter. The Hop-on-Hop-off tour bus drove by. People on the upper level were not enjoying themselves. Sharing one umbrella, we ran to the Metro and it was crowded with people inside waiting out the rain.
Finally we limped wearily to our building and climbed the four flights of stairs to our apartment, and Ron made a nice salad for us, and it was accompanied by a crusty baguette. We sat quietly at our table with the big windows opened in front of us and looked out just across the way to the beautiful apartment with the ornate wrought iron surrounding the balconies.
After a proper rest, we went for an evening stroll down Rue de la Huchette, St. Germain. We came across a supplier of the famed Bertillon glacé and sorbets on Rue Buci. I tried the chocolate noir with a raspberry scoop added, Ron had his favourite pistachio. We started back and it was sprinkling when we cut through Cour Du Commerce Saint-Andre where the cobblestone is very worn and where the elegant Le Cafe Procope founded in 1686 is still serving its cuisine with old Parisian charm. If the walls in this cafe could tell you stories, it would say that people like Benjamin Franklin, Voltaire, Thomas Jefferson and Napoleon Bonaparte were here...
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