Raining in Paris - Day 22

Song - Wish You Were Here by David Gilmour


This post is taken from my French travel journal and my trip through Southern France in April 2018.  For some reason my iPad and Blog were not communicating at the time so I was unable to write any posts. At home I am able to blog "post" travel! Thanks for joining me on the journey!

It was threatening to rain today so I figured that it would be a great day to spend indoors at the Musee d'Orsay but so did a thousand other people.......and this was the "no wait" line for those who already had a museum pass!

But once inside I was rewarded with beautiful art to warm my soul and stimulate my creative juices.....this is a detail from Le Pont d'Argenteuil by Monet.

Mary Cassatt's "Jeune femme cousant dans un jardin"....sigh....

And detail from Monet's "En norvegienne, dit aussi La Barque a Giverney".....enjoying the yummy colors in the sunshine!

Renoir's painting of "Jeune femme a la voilette".....just look at the softness of the veil covering her face.....

Close detail from Vincent Van Gogh's painting "Mademoiselle Gachet dans son jardin a Auvers-sur-Oise"

There is nothing like seeing the real deal - the colors and the brush strokes - there is energy here!

 "Les Roulettes, campement de bohemiens aux environs d 'Arles" also by Van Gogh

And beautiful detail from Edouard Vuillard's  "Le dejeuner en famille"

Garish and amazing quick gesture drawing by Toulouse-Lautrec painted on pieced canvases - once again you can just feel the energy radiating off the canvas.

And I will leave you with a sweet intimate moment in a detail from "Le bal de l'Opera" by Henri Gervex.

In the evening we dined at Le Recamier and enjoyed the best of souffles as well as fun waiters! Mr. B's first time there.....can you tell that he loved it?

"Art enables us to find ourselves 

and lose ourselves at the same time."  

--Thomas Merton

PS - My apologies for misquoting John Lennon on yesterdays quote: 
It should of read "Yeah we all shine on, like the moon, and the stars and the sun."
Corrected by my brilliant and sweet husband Mr. B!

Returning to France Day 6

Song - "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" by Nina Simone

Beautiful day today so we headed to the Luxembourg Gardens which is only a few blocks from our hotel.

The tulips were in full bloom.

Sydney and I were trying so hard to get photos of the pollarded apple trees.

Finally one of the gardeners spotted us and let us inside!!!

Naturalized narcissus with dappled light

After about a thousand photos, we walked over to Les Deux Magot for lunch and so I could take some waiter photos. Sydney and Jackie decided to go shopping and I headed over to Saint-Sulpice.

 This Roman Catholic church was used in the film "The Da Vinci Code" with Tom Hanks.

 The building was founded in 1646 and in 1727 a gnomon was added.

A meridian line of brass was inlaid across the floor and ascending a white marble obelisk.
In the south transept window a small opening with a lens was set up, so that a ray of sunlight shines onto the brass line. At noon on the winter solstice (21 December), the ray of light touches the brass line on the obelisk. At noon on the equinoxes (21 March and 21 September), the ray touches an oval plate of copper in the floor near the altar.

The great organ from 1862. 

I returned to our hotel to rest my tired feet.  Words of advice - Never travel with new shoes. Always bring comfortable shoes at the risk of not being stylish.  

Mr. B had to ship my shoes to me.  Lesson learned!

That night for dinner we went to one of our favorite spots....Le Recamier.  

It has the best souffle's in Paris - both savory and sweet.

   For my dessert I had the Grand Marnier souffle.  Tres Bon!

You probably noticed that it comes with a full bottle of Grand Marnier for you to pour over the top of your souffle according to your taste.  Well.....since the last time we dined here, they have put a teeny-tiny spout on top so it just drizzles out ever so slowly.  I guess someone (insert wink here) may have taken advantage of that lovely bottle!

"The only thing that will make a souffle fall

 is if it knows you are afraid of it."  

--James Beard

Learning to Fly - Part deux

Song - Leaving on a Jet Plane by John Denver

Since some friends and I will be heading to Paris in a few weeks, I have been getting my Paris binder organized.  In it are places to shop, parks & museums to see, places to eat, etc.  May I take you to some of my favorite dining places in Paris?  Most are casual as Mr. B and I have done the expensive stuffy ones and we prefer a more relaxed atmosphere.  Some of these restaurants were recommended by a friends daughter who lived in Paris for several years while attending cooking school at Le Cordon Bleu.  Many are bistro's that my girlfriends and I just happened upon or discovered by word of mouth.

NIBBLES

**Usually the hotel desk will make reservations for you

L’Epigramme –6th ARR. a small family run restaurant, very small, very good.

9 Rue de l'Éperon

 

Poilane – buy bread, a bread knife and then have lunch next door with open sandwiches at Cusine de Bar - 8 Rue Cherche Midi 75006 Paris, France

Cuisine de Bar – Comptoir Poilane – serves tartains (small open face sandwiches)

8 rue du Cherche Midi

Cinq-Mars – near the Musee d’Orsay – great for lunch & near Musee d’Orsay

cinq-mars-restaurant.com   

51 Rue de Verneuil

+33 1 45 44 69 13

Restaurant Joséphine Chez Dumonet - 6th ARR. - (David Lebovitz recommended)

117 Rue du Cherche-Midi, 75006 Paris, France

+33 1 45 48 52 40

  

Les avant-comptoirs  - 6th ARR. - Two restaurants next to each other. -  Every day from 12 pm to 23 pm

3 carrefour de l'Odéon - 75006 Paris.  Reservationless

  

Pierre Herme – 6th ARR. - one word…
Croissant (Kwa-san)….yum. !!  Go early because they sell out soon.  It is near Saint-Sulpice

72 Rue Bonaparte

Le Récamier – 7th ARR. - Souffles for every course and other French food – Presidents and famous people eat here. Cosy, casual & late night dining. Watch the waiter to see where the wine cellar is located! And if you order the Grand Marnier Souffle for dessert they leave the whole bottle on your table to pour til you heart is content.....

4 Rue Récamier, 75007 Paris, France

Hours: Closes: 11PM ⋅ Opens 12PM Mon          

Phone: +33 1 45 48 86 58

They must hire small waiters to fit into that wine cellar!

Pizza Chic – 6th ARR. -  if you want a break from French food, this is the place to enjoy a delicious authentic pizza. Reservations needed. Right next door to Hotel de l’Abbaye. But keep your eyes on your husband!!!

13 Rue de Mézières

Café de la Paix – 9th ARR. The Cafe de la Paix is located just across from the Opera Garnier in a very impressive old building which is beautifully decorated in the classic French style. Fun to sit outside & order a more casual meal like French Onion soup.  5 Place de l'Opera, 75009

Fauchon – 8th ARR. -  High end food shop near the Madeline – Just to wander around and observe…..maybe buy an Elephant Ear cookie

Les Papilles - 5th ARR.

30 rue Gay Lussac, 75005
Hours: Closed Sunday & Monday; Open Tuesday-Saturday 9.30am-midnight
Reservations: Book a week or two in advance
Telephone: 01 43 25 20 79
Average price for lunch: 20-39€
Average price for dinner: 20–39€
Style of cuisine: Classic French

Café Varenne - 7th ARR

36, rue de Varenne, 75007 Paris, France

Reservations: +33 1 45 48 62 72

At the heart of the 7th Cafe Varenne, lively and very cozy brasserie offers traditional cuisine prepared with taste and refinement.(Ina Garten loves their country omelette)

Le Bistrot de Paris - 6th ARR.- along the Seine - Traditional. Great veal chops.(Also recommended by Ina Garten)  33 rue de Lille, 75007

Boulangerie OdÉon - Eric Kayser - 6th ARR.

10 rue de l'ancienne comédie
Paris, 75006    Tél 01 43 25 71 60

Ouvert de 7h à 20h, fermé le dimanche

Le Procope –  6th ARR. - Old World French Restaurant - This is the place that Napoleon left his hat as security while he went out in search of money to pay his bill. It’s a legendary restaurant in the 6th ARR. of Paris since 1686. Procope offers traditional cuisine through different specialties such as Coq au vin and the calf's head. 13 Rue de l'Ancienne Comédie, 75006 Paris, France

procope.com  +33 1 40 46 79 00

The next two are great bistro's to relax and people watch -

Café de Flore - 6th ARR.

172 Boulevard Saint-Germain, 75006 Paris, France

cafedeflore.fr

+33 1 45 48 55 26

Les deux Magot - 6th ARR.

6 Place Saint-Germain des Prés, 75006 Paris, France

lesdeuxmagots.fr

+33 1 45 48 55 25

Best sandwich I have ever eaten....looks kinda plain huh?  Well the butter comes from Normandy, the jambon (ham) comes from Italy and the bread is from around the corner - Poilane! Not plain at all. Yummmm....

And sometimes it's very nice to have a simple picnic in the park.....

"The only time to eat diet food 

is while you're waiting for the steak to cook."

 - Julia Child