Accommodation, Unexpected Holiday, Cheap Entertainment - Monday, 18 April

Well, I finally gave in.  I decided that it wasn’t worth wearing out my wobbly legs on the LONG trek from the arrival gate to the shuttle train, through passport control, and down to baggage claim, so I booked the wheelchair service.  (Besides, I didn’t want to run into the airport employee who upbraided me last fall - see this post: http://mariellen-musing.blogspot.com/2021/09/airport-taxi-real-estate-and-roof-guys.html ).  As my “driver” and I were zipping down the handicapped aisle next to the massive zig-zag line at passport control, I saw a sign that said “average wait: 45 minutes.”  Yikes.  People are traveling again.  And “accommodation” is my new byword!

The owner of the apartment I’m renting recommended a car service for transport into town.  I thought I’d give it a try it since it was about the same cost as a taxi service or Uber when buying the round trip version from them, and the driver would be at the terminal exit waiting for me.  Thanks to my speedy ride through passport control, I arrived in the reception hall before my driver did - no worries, though - I just gave the service a call.  There was a long walk to the car, much longer than to the taxi stand.  But the ride was nice and smooth!  Surprisingly, the traffic was the lightest I’ve seen - it turns out that today was a national holiday.  What???  They were celebrating the midnight ride of Paul Revere???  Nope.  Apparently, back in the Middle Ages the eight days following Easter were called the “Octave of Easter” and were celebrated in the Catholic Church with daily Masses and time off work to make pilgrimages.  Only Easter Monday remains from that tradition, with most small shops closed (but bars and cafés open, thankfully!), and hence much less traffic on the big highways. 

Paris treated me to a spectacular blue sky and about 60 degrees when I arrived.  The apartment manager showed me how to use all of the appliances and equipment and WiFi, and just before he left he said “of course you have everything on rue Montorgueil” (just 1/2 block away).  Yup!  It’s my favorite street in Paris - three blocks of bakery next to wine shop next to vegetable stand next to fish/seafood market next to butcher next to florist next to cheesemonger next to olive oil purveyor next to foie gras and preserved food vendor next to chocolatier next to café next to supermarket next to Italian deli next to tea merchant next to pharmacy – you get the picture! Pâtisserie Stohrer, a spectacular bakery established in 1730, is just a few steps from my front door.  E. Dehillerin, my favorite cookware shop, is just a few blocks away and A. Simon, a great porcelain shop, is even closer.  G.Detou is the place for chefs and bakers to go for flours, oils, chocolates, dried fruits, mustards, preserved fish and poultry, gelatins, candied flowers, vinegars, honeys, nuts, etc.  I recently read that Paris passed a "Local Urbanism Plan" law in 2006 to give zoning protection to historic streets like rue Montorgueil - ground-floor artisanal shops can be replaced only by other artisanal shops (so no Monoprix or McDonald's!), thank goodness!  Hopefully this will preserve the street's charm for many years to come.

BTW, this is the apartment I've rented for this trip:    https://www.vacationinparis.com/listing/79/vieux-paris-one-bedroom

The apartment manager warned me about pickpockets - apparently they’re more prevalent since Covid, as is crime in general due to anxiety and genuine hardship.  And I noticed much more graffiti than before, mostly in the second “ring” of arrondissements.  Sad. 

But today was a glorious day.  And you don’t have to go far for entertainment!  Since it’s a public holiday, everyone is out and about - just sit at a table on the terrace of a rue Montorgueil café and watch the world go by!  In my half-hour enjoying a Grimbergen I saw kids, parents, locals, tourists, bicycle food delivery guys, flâneurs, ice cream cone eaters, crêpe and galette eaters, every nationality and color of the rainbow, old folks with canes, apparent models (female and male), gaggles of teens, fancy athletic wear, casual wear, bare arms, sweats, scooters, plain & fancy scarves, backpacks, tiny purses, fanny packs, strollers, skateboarders, bikers, big dogs, tiny dogs, fat guys, muscle guys, phone-focused people, find-an-available-café-chair-focused people, queues for pastries, very few masks, long dresses, very short dresses, smokers, vaperers, blazers, waiters scanning their tables, dresses with boots and ankle socks, a couple taxis, dark clothing (black, blue, khaki), jeans, stretch pants, shorts and leggings, a family mom pushing the baby in a stroller and dad holding the toddler on his shoulders while pushing a child’s blue bike (unfortunately, I couldn’t grab my camera in time to catch the charming scene), a guy muttering to himself and looking vacant, Muslim head scarfs and dresses, pigeons, French sailor shirts, a guy on a hover wheel, rolling luggage, shopping roller bags, neon sneakers, people having phone conversations on wireless earbuds (it still surprises me to see someone talking to the air!).  See, you would fit right in!  The little kids in strollers and on shoulders and toddling along were especially curious about everything around them - I enjoyed making eye contact with several of them!  And I just sat there, watching the whole circus while trying to not bring down the average attractiveness of the participants!

And later, a little restorative before heading back to the apartment!