Street Scenes and Other Fun Stuff - C'est la Vie! - Wednesday, 2 November

It’s a wrap for this trip! Just a few more photos and brief explanations….

The sculpture “Écoute” (“Listen,” or as I like to call it, Big Giant Head) sits just outside Église Saint-Eustache a few blocks from the apartment, and it’s been a favorite of mine since my first solo trip to Paris in 1989 when I stayed in the cute little Hotel Tonic on rue du Roule. There are always little kids climbing all over it – into the hand, then up on the nose, then to the eyebrows, then to the top. No soft landings on nice grass if you tumble – the sculpture has always sat on stone pavement. I wonder how many arms have been broken there over the years!

Fashion!  I wish I had been quicker with my camera to get a better picture of this woman’s outfit – the skirt had pieces of fabric of various shapes and sizes sown onto a few petticoats.  And the fake fur shawl! And the hat!  And the boots! Loved it!

Checking out the architecture? Contemplating profound truths? Wondering how soon I’ll be in a café with a decent … um … water closet?

A little silverware sculpture for all of my bass player friends!

The late-night crowd on our street – it’s a lively part of town, and the partying often continues until about 2 am!

A new vehicle for the conveyance of packages – trucks get stuck in massive traffic jams, and this thing could slip between lanes. Have nerves of steel? You too might be able to get a job like this!

There are specialty shops for everything, including rodent traps. Here’s one that displays taxidermied rats caught at Les Halles in the 1920s in its window. Charming. But there’s no doubt what kind of store it is! (The building across the street is reflected in the top portion of this photo.)

How I spend half my day, it seems, at least when I’m not in a café watching the world go by! But since my legs can’t handle a lot of walking, and since technology allows me to work anywhere, I really don’t mind spending time in the apartment writing blog entries, reading emails & Facebook & news articles (given my hand-on-hip posture here, I’m probably reading an irritating article about a certain Presidential candidate!), doing work for various nonprofits I’m involved with, etc. And back in my pre-retirement years I was even known for participating in the occasional work conference call via Skype. Of course, my habits can be a bit irritating to my travel companions!

Driving through the northern part of Paris in an Uber one night, we saw lots of little tents and groups of people standing around. These were likely migrants who had shifted from Calais to Paris, according to this NY Times article (photo from the article). So sad:  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/04/world/europe/paris-migrants-refugees.html?emc=edit_th_20161104&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=25767547

The weather was great the whole 10 days – this might be a record – just short spurts of drizzle a couple days. I did carry an umbrella in my purse the whole time, so I’m sure that that’s what kept it sunny for everyone! It was in the 60s F. most days.  (P.S. the forecast for the week after we returned is highs in the 50s F. and rain most days!)

This was the scene walking home from Maison Eric Kayser with our morning baguette and croissants one day. C'est la vie!

Patronne de Paris and Some Other Patroness - Tuesday, 1 November

Sainte Geneviève is the Patron Saint of Paris (or, as it says on her statue, Patronne de Paris, 423-512). A peasant girl from Nanterre, she saved Paris from Attila the Hun. And she influenced subsequent marauders to show clemency. Impressive. She deserves a visit to her statues at Jardin du Luxembourg (at the top of the stairs on the east side of the big pond) and other locations (I just learned that there’s one on Pont de la Tournelle – next trip!).

the Patronne de Paris
and one of her big fans

Here’s her story (my summary from a Wikipedia article and other sources):

A peasant girl born in Nanterre, Geneviève became a nun at the age of 15 and moved to Paris to live with her godmother Lutetia upon the death of her parents. Later, the bishop of Paris appointed Geneviève to look after the welfare of the virgins dedicated to God, and by her instruction and example she led them to a high degree of sanctity. In 451 Attila and his Huns were sweeping over Gaul; and the inhabitants of Paris prepared to flee. Geneviève encouraged them to hope and trust in God; she urged them to do works of penance, and added that if they did so the town would be spared. Her exhortations prevailed; the citizens recovered their calm, and Attila's hordes miraculously turned off towards Orléans, leaving Paris untouched. When Childeric I besieged the city in 464 and conquered it, she acted as an intermediary between the city and its conqueror, collecting food and convincing Childeric to release his prisoners. Some years later Merowig (Mérovée) took Paris; during the siege Geneviève distinguished herself by her charity and self-sacrifice. Through her influence Merowig and his successors, Childeric and Clovis, displayed unwonted clemency towards the citizens. It was she, too, who first formed the plan of erecting a church in Paris in honour of Saints Peter and Paul. It was begun by Clovis at Mont-lès-Paris, shortly before his death in 511. Geneviève died the following year, and when the church was completed her body was interred within it.

Now, that's what I call a Patronne! Her feast day is January 3. She was a vegetarian and fasted all but a couple days a week, but let's not hold that against her, OK?

Here are some other photos I snapped at Jardin du Luxembourg today:

La fontaine Médicis

plantings at la fontaine Médicis

Le Palais du Luxembourg (le Sénat)

just two little boats on the big pond today

but plenty of waterbirds

The Gold Standard of Confit de Canard (but not of Waitering) @ Canard & Champagne - Tuesday, 1 November

Today is All Saints Day, so most businesses (and many shops) are closed, and traffic is almost as light as on Sundays. Some of the shops and restos I follow on Facebook posted “we’re open today!” messages to comfort their fans, and happily, Canard & Champagne was one of them!

I was 1/4 done with my
confit and fries by the time
my Champagne arrived,
but it was worth the wait!

Confit de canard is one of my very favorite things to eat in France. It is the cured, slow-roasted (in duck fat!) and aged leg & thigh of the special ducks bred for foie gras and magret de canard. I have eaten a lot of it over the years, all good and some great, and I got some tips in a class at Le Cordon Bleu several years ago, and I've been working on my own technique/recipe using Minnesota ducks from Au Bon Canard in Caledonia (it’s time to start a new batch!). And I gotta tell ya, Canard & Champagne in the Passage des Panoramas in the 2nd arrondissement serves the best I’ve ever had. It was succulent, deeply flavored, cured with just enough spice to intensify the flavor of the meat while still remaining very much in the background. Happily, I detected some elements that I can adjust in my own recipe, even though I can’t get the French ducks here. And such a deal at lunchtime! My confit de canard, fries, Champagne, and lemon dessert cost a mere 26.5€ (about $30).

the view of the Passage
from my table

Although they serve the gold standard of confit de canard, they did not win the award for the gold standard of waitering today! I sat on the “terrace” (tables in Passage itself, not inside the resto as I did my last visit: http://mariellen-musing.blogspot.com/2016/05/doing-few-things-brilliantly-canard.html ). I think I got a trainee waiter. He was young, seemed a little unsure, didn’t seem to be paying attention to the glances and subtle signals from the patrons, was slow in bringing food & silverware, etc. He never brought me a carafe of water, and although I reminded him twice that I had ordered a glass of Frerejean Frères Champagne, I didn’t get it until I flagged down a second, more experienced waiter. (It was worth it, though – this was a wonderful Champagne – elegant, fine small bubbles, delicious, with a bit of a stone fruit flavor.)

Then, when a French tour group came through the Passage and its leader stopped them in front of Canard & Champagne to give them some background on the Passage and even on this resto, young waiter came outside and told him that he couldn’t stop in front of the resto. What was he thinking??? This was the time he chose to pay attention to what was happening outside? The Passage itself is a public space, and besides I was motioning to my food and telling the tourists that it was “bon!”, so it was good for their business. Crazy.

A Brit and his French wife and two charming little children (ages about 6 and 3) were sitting next to me. They had been living in Toronto for several years, and had just recently moved to Paris. The kids were switching easily between English and French, and seemed comfortable chatting with me a little. So sweet!

A quote from Napoleon was on one of the pages of the menu: "Je ne peux vivre sans Champagne, en cas de victoire, je le merite; en cas de defaite, j'en ai besoin." -or- "I cannot live without champagne. In victory I deserve it, and in defeat I need it." Well said!

Check out Canard & Champagne on your next trip! I guarantee a deeelicious and entertaining experience. And maybe young waiter will have matured a bit by the time you get there! Here’s their website: http://frenchparadox.paris/fr/  57, Passage des Panoramas

the lunchtime menu

the Champagne menu!

the main entrance to the Passage des Panoramas is on Boulevard Montmarte

across the street is Passage Jouffroy, a lovely French café, and *horrors* a Hard Rock Cafe!

Brâncuși’s Sculptures and TOOLS! - Wow - Monday, 31 October

Who loves Constantin Brâncuși’s sculptures? Who doesn’t?!? Here’s a photo of his iconic polished bronze “The Newborn” at MOMA in New York.

Brâncuși moved from Romania to Paris in 1904, and he built and occupied a studio in the Montparnasse district from 1916 through his death in 1957. It contained his huge array of tools and also his unique grouping of his sculptures – the studio became his preferred place for the presentation and comprehension of his works. He felt that his works needed to be in a particular spatial relationship to each other. So when he sold, for instance, a marble sculpture, he replaced it with a plaster cast to preserve the integrity of the whole.

He bequeathed his studio and its contents (including works, sketches, furniture, tools, library, record collection, etc.) to the French State, and the Centre Georges Pompidou has just installed a reproduction of the studio on the north end of the big square outside its entrance. It’s free (no tickets required, so no standing in the long lines to get into the museum), and it’s fascinating! I took lots of photos through the windows that enclose the studio (you can click on any photo in this blog to see a larger version). Almost as amazing as the sculptures are the tools that he acquired, adapted, and/or built to accomplish his vision on both small-scale and enormous-scale pieces.

This exhibit runs through next March 6, so check it out if you happen to be in Paris in the next few months! Open every day except Tuesday.

Some GIANT saws and an amazing variety of other tools!

Never-Ending (Destruction and) Construction at Les Halles - Monday, 31 October

Les Halles prior to the 1970s

For quite a few years, I took photos of the massive reconstruction of the Les Halles area every trip. This is the former fabulous central food market of Paris in the 1st arrondissement that has quite a history of construction, destruction and re-construction! In 1135 King Louis le Gros commissioned the construction of a public market or Halle at a place known as Campelli (fields) then Les Champeaux. In the mid-19th century the architect Baltard designed massive iron and glass market stalls (here’s a historical photo), which were immortalized in Emile Zola’s novel The Belly of Paris. They were torn down in the early 1970’s, the wholesale food markets were sent to the suburb of Rungis, a rather nasty underground shopping mall was built (an immediately became a teen hangout and hub of petty crime), and a series of moderately successful plantings, paths and structures were installed on the ground level. About 10 years ago Paris held a competition for a new design for the area, the former amenities (except the shopping mall) were bulldozed, and it’s been under re-construction ever since. I swear, every trip they just keep changing the projected completion date of the project - it’s always about 2 years out!

promotional photo of  the canopée 

Anyhoo, one new structure, a massive undulating “canopée” has finally been installed above the shopping mall, opening at least part of it to sunlight and fresh air, and adding a new rather attractive visual element to the streetscape.

just outside brasserie
Champeaux

And superstar chef Alain Ducasse has just opened a modern brasserie called “Champeaux” on the ground level under the canopée. It’s getting good reviews, so we decided to check it out for lunch! Unfortunately, since I was dragging us around the neighborhood visiting cookware, baking and uniform shops (you should see my new chef’s jacket!), by the time we got there it was afternoon snack time and they were serving just a few sandwiches & salads & desserts, and not the individual soufflés for which they are becoming famous. Oh, well. Our sandwiches and desserts were very tasty!

I hope to remain healthy and mobile enough to eventually see the completion of Les Halles' re-construction. We'll see! I will definitely swing by "Champeaux" again for a meal or snack or soufflé!  http://www.alain-ducasse.com/en/restaurant/champeaux

I’m the Willing Slave of my Ever-Growing To-Do List - Sunday, 30 October

During every stay in Paris my to-do list grows. I mean, I do knock some things off my list, but always add more than I delete. Of course, this situation is exacerbated by the fact that my legs can handle only few things a day, but hey, I’ll use that excuse to keep coming back!

la Place de la Sorbonne

After church today I had lunch in a little café at la Place de la Sorbonne. It’s always a stunning location, but with today’s bright sunshine and topaz blue sky, well, just wow. I was planning to head over to the Jardin du Luxembourg after lunch (it’s just a few blocks away) to visit the statue of Sainte Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris, and to catch some rays, but I got to talking with a British couple sitting at the next table who told me that the “Sainte-Geneviève Church” next to the Panthéon was a must-see.

Saint-Etienne-du-Mont

So I walked over there. It was a worthwhile jaunt even though 1] it’s not really Sainte-Geneviève Church (it’s actually Saint-Etienne-du-Mont), and 2] at the time I got there mid-afternoon it wasn’t open.

What I've been able to piece together is that back in the 6th century, King Clovis built a church of Apostles Peter and Paul on this site. Saint Geneviève was in the habit of coming to pray, taking a route that is today rue de la Montagne-Sainte-Geneviève (I must tread those paving stones!). In time Clovis was buried here, as were his wife Clotilde and Sainte Genevieve. In the Middle Ages, this church was turned into a royal abbey. Various changes and additions were made to the abbey church over the centuries, but it was devastated during the French Revolution, and the relics of Sainte Geneviève were burnt.

All that remains of the abbey church is the bell tower, which is enclosed in the premises of the Henri-IV school just across the street from Saint-Etienne-du-Mont - you can see it in the middle of this photo, to the left of the Panthéon.

Saint-Etienne-du-Mont church did inherit the relics of and the devotion to Saint Geneviève. From what I've read about its interior and exterior, the church really does sound fantastic, so it’s going on my list for the next trip! And besides, it's been a religious site for 15 centuries, so it will be sure to do me some good!