Sunday 2nd September Last day in Paris

I am doing this last day back home & bit hard to remember, I do remember trying a recommended bistro in the 13th for lunch Chez Gladines. The 13th sounds a long way out, but really just out of the 5th on the Left Bank. Anyway the place was packed, long shared tables and was recommended for Basque cuisine. I tried the cassoulet du maison, which is a meaty (duck leg, pork belly & sausage in my dish) beany flavoursome casserole with breadcrumbs & parsley on top, absolutely delicious, washed down with a half carafe of the house Cote du Rhone. The chap sitting opposite me on the table gave me a clap when I finished it!

Notre Dame, from yesterday

The "committment" locks, much thicker than last year

Gateway into the Louvre courtyard

Louvre courtyard with glass pyramid

Being the first Sunday of the month, Paris museums/ galleries are free, so took myself off after lunch for another go at the Louvre. I thought the crowds would be huge, but really no different to the previous visits......just horrendous covers it.  This time I did manage to get to some other areas, god that place is huge.  When I got sick of that, walked down Tuileries Garden - lots of Parisians & tourists out enjoying the day  - to L'Orangerie the home of Monet's waterlily series in 2 huge oval rooms, (just as wonderful as last time!) also many other impressionist and post-impressionist paintings, my favourites being Cézanne,  Matisse &  Modigliani.


All arted out & the afternoon gone, I crossed over to the Left Bank at Place de la Concorde & walked along the Seine to the Tour Eiffel, which is not quite as nice approached from that way due to hawkers & unsavoury looking characters hanging around. Best approach is up Champs de Mars from the other side.   Crossed the river again & dragged my sorry a. around Place du Trocadéro-et-du-11-Novembre, named after a victory over Spain at some stage (11th Nov I guess)   From there up hill all way to Arc de Triomphe & home........ I'm pretty sure I walked off my excesses at lunch!

Grand Palais & Pont Alexander from the Left Bank

Tour Eiffel

Arc de Triomphe

Toilet in b&b apartment, presume 1903 as that when built

B&B apartment block, was on 4th floor, lift this time though!

Sat with host C & her friend M for a quiet wine & cheese (me) they had the leftovers of a casserole C had made the first night I got there, chicken & peaches !!!!  strange combination. Both very nice women & both thinking of making major changes in their lives, eg M thinking of moving to Barcelona & C moving anywhere. Anyway it was a fruitful conversation as I found out about the Air France bus which goes from Avenue Carnot, 10 minutes walk,just 2 steps up from where I was going to the RER station, but whereas RER would have involved dragging 18 kilo case (plus carryon bag) down & up metro stairs & then same at Chatelet to change to RER B for CDG.......much easier.





That will have to be it for this trip, next 2 days were a blur of plane trips, with the layovers seeming longer that the flight times,  Paris to Helsinki, then 6 hour wait, Helsinki to Singapore, then 5 hours & then Singapore to Adelaide, phew.  Jet lag at home, very bad, but coming good now & best thing is I don't have to go back to work!

Saturday 1st September Paris

This is the stairwell of the apartment building, very gracious

I had been planning to go to a gallery in northern reaches of Paris but when I started checking it out, the trip required a couple of train changes so went off it.  I headed off to Montmartre & Sacre Couer, wandered around there for a bit, wasn't too crowded as still early.  I was trying to get the courage to have a portrait done in Place du Tertre, I did the rounds a few times & chose an artist, sat still for 30 minutes or so, passed over my 50 euro, not sure who I got a picture of however! She was probably a bit too kind to me!

Sacre Couer

Me having my portrait done

After this spent some time wandering around Montmartre, more than I have before, very atmospheric old area, checked some immobliers (real estate) windows, prices are really up there, 3 rooms 750,000 euros. Ended coming out at Moulin Rouge,  lots of tourists there taking photos of the red windmill....so I joined them.  Diverted to the old Montmartre cemetery,  Emile Zola & Degas (amongst others) are buried there. It is set low as Montmartre is hilly & there is now a road going over the top of it, so from both sides of the road you look down into the cemetery.

Walking around Montmartre

Only in Paris, the dog is tied up in the supermarket while the owner is shopping

Strolling through Montmartre Cemetery

The Moulin Rouge

By then it was lunchtime so revisited restaurant from last trip Chez Janou, had an excellent meal,  whole fish on bed of fennel, provencale flavours, very nice. A lovely little Paris bistro, lots of French conversations going on.

Chez Janou, typical Paris bistro

I have done it again, walked my feet off,  from Chez Janou, which is behind Place des Vosges, I then walked to Ille St Louis for the special berthillon ice cream for dessert, I had two flavours, cassis sorbet & bitter chocolate & can vouch for the excellence of both, in fact as I type this, just thinking, stuff it, I  may have to have another one tomorrow!...  Then revisited old haunts on the Left bank,  really I do love the atmosphere there.

Next on the agenda was Musee D'Orsay (again) & no regrets,  It is a beautiful gallery  & the impressionist (& post) collections  magical, I counted 14 Van Gogh, including starry night, not the name, but you know the one I mean, I saw that one in Canberra when the Musee D'Orsay collection travelled.......would have enjoyed more if I didn't have to keep sitting down to rest! 

Back home to the 17th, 10 minute walk from metro at Arc de Triomphe, Charles de Gaulle Etoile......at least it is 10 minutes  if you remember to come out of the right exit,  you could end up over the other side of arc de triomphe & have to walk all the way around as 12 roads come off the roundabout. Hard to believe that all that confusion on top & the same is replicated below with people scurrying through tunnels to ensure they come up at the right exit.