July 30
As planned, we got away by 0900, landing at Chatelet metro station and proceeding to the westerly tip behind Notre-Dame Cathedral. There was a fabulous little shop, named Emeralda, on rue du Cloître Notre-Dame, at the rear and along the right side bank side of Notre-Dame. Compared to the prices for prints we encountered at Montmartre, this was the place to make the purchase. I can’t recall precisely, but I think the differences from Montmartre comparables of Paris scenes were 3.33 € vs 1.80 € for large prints and 1 € vs 0.50 € for small prints. There were also colourful and reasonably priced scarves and table clothes, running at +/- 3-5 €. The ladies had a run of the place for a ½ hour or so, to the point that I had to ask the attendant if she and I were going to have to be married.
From there, we headed east across Pont St-Louis to Île St-Louis, along Rue St-Louis-en- Île, which effectively halves the island, running from tip to tip. We hadn’t intended to repeat the route that Lynda and I had taken the other day, but it was a known quantity and so attractive that we thought it a useful introduction. We walked down to its mid-point, which is where the famous ice cream retailer, Berthillon Glacier is located (31, rue St Louis en l' Île, 75004 Paris http://www.berthillon.fr/), but taking its annual summer closing, which runs from about 1 week before we arrived until Sep 3. For those interested, during its absence, Berthillon is available from other retailers who carry its glace. We haven’t had any, but Maria served some fabulous sorbet when she and Bob hosted us July 27 that she had purchased from Paris retailer, Picard Surgeles (http://www.answers.com/topic/picard-surgeles; http://www.allbusiness.com/wholesale-trade/merchant-wholesalers-nondurable/621115-1.html).
While walking down the street, I noticed what is apparently 1 of 2 fromageries on Île St-Louis, Fromagerie Bernard Lefranc (38, rue St-Louis-en-l' Île), the other further down and closed for its summer hiatus. From responses to questions made of others, I’d concluded that their view was that cheese should be purchased in smaller shops, with none near us. Fauchon occupies 2 streets bordering the top right of de la Madeleine, but its prices are huge.
I stopped in to ask about Lefranc from Nicolas, owner of wine retailer, Depot Nicolas, 38, rue St-Louis-en-l' Île. He recommended both fromageries, and said to tell Lefranc that he’d sent me. The previous day in Montmartre, one of our waiter’s colleagues suggested a cheese shop near Deux Magots, when I told him we planned on being near it today, he recommended Le Mabillon. While Nicolas hadn’t heard of it, he highly recommended the merchants in St-Germain-des-Pres on Rue de Buci, which is precisely near where we ended having lunch. I see other web references for cheese shops to Traiteurs on rue de Buci. Recommendations that I’ve had from others are a fromagerie on rue de Levis in the 17th, Galleries Lafayette Gourmet, Fauchon and a shop on the back west side of de la Madeleine.
That bit of intelligence digested, we retraced our steps to the point we’d originally planned, that being to return to the easterly tip of Île de la Cité, behind Notre-Dame, and take le pont de l’archeveche and proceed west along the Quai de Montebello. By this time, it was 1100 or so. As it turns out, with the exceptions of 2 of Paris’ oldest churches which were on our planned route, the rest, which was supposed to have a number of interesting clothing shops, was a bust. Now that may well have been because, whereas we then planned to detour a block south down rue de Bievre (on which President Mitterand reportedly once lived) and back up rue Maitre-Albert, we returned on a different street, but I doubt it. Fortuitously for Kim, this route revealed a retailer of needlepoint patterns, where Kim discovered a pattern she’d given up ever finding. The retailer made a call and closed down her shop to pick it up and have it available by 1400.
We resumed our walk along Quai de Montebello before slanting SW on rue St-Julien, where we found our first fascinating church, St-Julien. Built between 1170 and 1240 on the ruins ok the 6th century church of St. Julien, it is sited at the intersection of ancient Roman roads. Continuing along St-Julien, we joined St-Severin, where our second church is located. It has the oldest bell in Paris (1412), and is built on top of Meroginvian (Francs) remains (Charlemagne’s line). Spectacular stained glass windows date from the 14th and 15th centuries.
We then made our way up to rue de la Huchete, connecting up with Boulevard St-Michel, descending it and turning west along Boulevard Saint-Germain to the left bank’s legendary eateries, Café des Deux Magots, Café de Flore and Brasserie Lipp at noon. Earlier in the day, it had been made quite clear that, like Montmartre, these places have earned reputations for being pricey and taking advantage of their history. Since Gerald and Kim had been opining along the way about seeking out baguette sandwiches along the way, Gerald was assigned the task of checking each to recommend which to select. Neither he nor Kim were willing to favour any, citing a 9 € price for onion soup as an unacceptable standard (when, however, they had promoted 7.50 € in Montmartre the day earlier as a value price for selecting supper there to benefit from the atmosphere). In disarray, we then shlepped our way back to Le Fromagerie 31, which I’d previously identified as a value place, relying upon several links, including http://latte.blogs.com/welcome/2005/06/exceptional_thi_1.html:
La Fromagerie 31 is famous, in Paris’s sixth arrondissement, for its camembert. Unpasteurized, the cheese is creamy and intense without being sharp. It is perfectly delicious.
Alongside standard fare, the shop sells a range of the stinkiest cheeses. These include the Normand au Calvados, the Munster au Cumin, and the Trou du Cru (whose name is a vulgar pun). If you are looking for something less likely to be ambulatory, the knowledgeable staff can help you choose according to your taste. They may ask you when you plan to eat, in order to select a wedge or wheel at the ideal temperature.
If you have more time, have a cheese-tasting lunch on the outdoor terrace. The meal includes salad, bread, and a selection of five, seven, or nine cheeses, served in order of increasing pungency. At such a tasting I discovered the Selles sur Cher, an excellent mild goat cheese.
La Fromagerie 31 is located in Paris’s Saint Germain de Prés quarter (Metro Mabillon), known for its phenomenal shopping. The shop is closed Sunday afternoons and Mondays, and daily from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The staff speaks English.
The discussion then degenerated into whether its menu could offer any tasty and healthy alternatives for a cholesterol limiting regime (turns out yes) and whether the price point was acceptable - 15 €, tax and service gratutuity included, for a plate of 5 good portions of fabulous cheese and baguette bread, plus expresso. Nonetheless, Gerald chose an adjacent restaurant, where he enjoyed a club sandwich and French fries. Moral of the story: conflict reigns when values can’t be reconciled - enough said.
Kim and Gerald were then given the option of proceeding to view nearby Luxembourg Gardens, and elected to go to Les Invalides and l’ Opéra Garnier with Mom, agreeing to rejoin at the apartment at 1700 to go to the Louvre before a late supper, this being the sole late opening during our stay to avail the time and beat the crowds.
We had found Luxembourg Gardens to be a spectacular scene, located immediately beside and around France’s Parliament. It was a very warm and sunny day, and people were taking advantage of each, while young children and parents operated their remote controlled boats in its large fountain. The flower beds and palm trees were very pleasing to the eye, and it lived up to its reports that a visit is warranted.
We then proceeded to Galleries Lafayette (a very beautiful building and impressively merchandised), where Lynda was Master of her dominion. She cut like a scythe through the goods offered, emerging with a purse and top, enough to qualify for the tax recovery (ouch!). Coming and going, we photographed l’ Opéra, as Lafayette is immediately above and to its right. It is the largest department store in Paris, but its rival, Au Printemps, is older.
On the way back to apartment, we stopped into a nearby wine shop to the east of the Madeleine, maybe 150 yards down on the south side of the Boulevard de la Madeleine. It’s a very pleasing and modern layout on at least 3 large floors, including a card-driven wine tasting centre. We did our duty and returned with a couple of wines.
They were delighted with their choice - especially the beauty of the Opéra interior - and returned to tell us at 1800 that they had decided not to go to the Louvre.
What to say about the Louvre other than, like New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, absolutely overwhelming. No preparation can ease the inability to process all that is available. We spent a couple of hours, seeking out the featured works and others that we recognized or appeared to be of interest; however, the feeling was more like that of being on a safari, in search of specific animals without really having context. All of the considerable work in identifying what other “authorities” recommended went down the drain as soon as their location became daunting. Initially, we were wondering what the courtyards and buildings were outside the wings of exhibits we were viewing, only to discover we were looking at the Louvre! From a practical perspective, I suspect one needs to identify the location of specific works or departments to view, as well as having a considerable amount of time to give this incredible collection justice.
By this time, it was maybe 2030. We went to Ladurée on the Seine side of les Champs-Élysées (75, Avenue Champs-Élysées, exit FDR #1 Metro, http://www.laduree.fr/index_en.htm). We had missed it 2330 closing when with the others the previous evening. Initially, we intended to only have its touted hot chocolate and its double decker macaron. Instead we opted for supper, a prix fixe meal of grilled cod with wonderful sauce and fruit and cilantro salsa and salad, plus dessert - at 34 € each, not cheap, that’s for sure. We each agreed that the cod was absolutely spectacular - flavourful, moist and cooked to perfection). Lynda absolutely loathes fish, so that’s high praise. I don’t think we will now about macarons (almond past cookie with filling - think of a high class Oreo) as the French do, but the chocolate definitely is deserving of its reputation (and I’m sure, taste differences aside, the macarons too).
Our last action was to dispense the high honour of a Canadian flag pin to FNAC’s Serge, and our waiter up the street at Les Trois Quartiers, where we’ve now sat out on 3 occasions.
Versailles tomorrow morning, the battle line drawn to get everyone on the road by the appointed 0800.
