Only a Few Months Old, but Rock Solid - Granite! - Thursday, 21 April

30-year-old Chef Tom Meyer opened his first Paris resto, Granite, late last year.  It is getting rave reviews, and it just received its first Michelin star in record time!  It’s in the 1st arrondissement, in the former Spring Restaurant space on rue Bailleul.  Chef Meyer previously worked as sous-chef to Anne-Sophie Pic (whose food I ate yesterday!) at her Michelin three-star restaurant in Valence, and was the runner-up finalist in the Bocuse d’Or cooking competition in Lyon in 2019.  I add my voice to the praise chorus after today’s lunch at Granite!

The open 4-sided kitchen looks pretty much the same as Daniel Rose brilliantly designed it for Spring - work stations in the center and on three sides, with a couple of stools and the reservation/host desk on the fourth side.  (I had a wonderful time chatting with Chef Daniel Rose, a Chicago native, about Al Franken when I sat on one of those stools during my first visit to Spring in 2010!  Deets of that meal here:  https://mariellen-musing.blogspot.com/2010/11/spring-in-fall-wednesday-3-november.html ).  At times, six cooks were working in the kitchen simultaneously - a delightful circus to watch!  Granite’s furniture, décor and tableware are new, but the exciting vibe remains.

They offer a 3-course lunch menu, but you can also order the evening 5-course or 7-course menu.  I went for the lunch menu this time around. 

For today’s aperitif, a Rosé Champagne by Elise Dechannes that was 100% Pinot Noir - dry, with the essence of strawberry, cherry and tarragon expressed with tiny bubbles.

Three amuse bouche:

White bean purée with smoked clams, served in a clam shell, covered with seawater foam - salty, earthy, smoky, what more could you ask for?!?

A crispy (just-shy-of-burnt) fluted pastry cup with smoked mackerel purée, diced dried yellow pepper, herbs, and ginger 

Absolutely pure, delicious, finely diced beef tartar topped with slightly sharp teriyaki gelée (clever!) and toasted sesame - wow!

Their spectacular bread basket!  And the bread ain't bad, either.

For my first course, a cube of brioche French toast set in a just-under-room-temperature orange and carrot juice sauce, with marigold oil and sea urchin.  Sweet, comforting, vegetal, fruity, herbal, with a hint of the sea.  My goodness.  The cleverness and refinement blew me away.

With the first course, a 2020 Cab Franc Domaine des Closiers Saumur-Champigny from the Loire region - floral and black fruit on the nose, and a bit more peppery and flinty on the palate.  Something you might normally pair with meat, but it really worked here!  

Next, suckling lamb that tasted like the herbs and grasses in which it frolicked in its short life!  There really wasn’t much of a crust on it, yet the surface was perfectly salty. Next to it, a chickpea puree with strawberries, fingerling potatoes and pickled onions.  Surrounding it, a very light herby lamb stock.  

On a second plate, confit lamb shoulder with black olive and garlic broth.  

And on a third plate, deeply caramelized Jerusalem artichokes with slices of braised but slightly crunchy parsnip and coffee & malted barley sabayon. 

With these courses they served two wines - a 2020 Beaujolais Gamay from Domaine Grégoire Hoppenot to accompany the lamb and a 2020 Loire Pinot Noir from Domaine Denizot to accompany the vegetables.  They were right, of course!  I tried switching back and forth, but the partnerships they recommended balanced things out perfectly.

In addition to the three courses, they offered an optional cheese course.  When have I ever turned down a cheese course?  (OK, maybe once or twice, but rarely!)  This one was very interesting - crumbles of a bleu from the Pyrenees over a disc of iced (almost frozen) goat cheese in a pool of rhubarb jus with watery julienne of celery and a disc of mellow and sweet jelée (I can’t remember if they said what it was made from).  This was very refreshing!

With the cheese, a 2017 Pino Gris from the Valentin Zusslin Estate in Alsace.  The wine was terrific, but it seemed like it hit all the same notes as the cheese.

My pre-dessert was a quenelle of vanilla ice cream on chocolate crumbles with nuts and a squiggle of beer jelly caramel.  Yup, that’s what they called it (unless of course my auditory capacities were failing me at that point!).  I have no idea how you would make beer jelly caramel. 

For dessert, a shell of crispy sweet rice paper ribbons encasing French kiwi, yellow Chartreuse gel, crème fraiche and sable cookie crumbles.  I asked my server about the rice paper since I have never tasted a sweet version like this - she told me that rice was cooked down until it was very mushy, then honey was added, then it was spread out almost microscopically thin, then dried - genius!

With dessert, a sparkling pear cider from Eric Bordelet - very refined and refreshing, it cut through the cream and beautifully emphasized the kiwi.

For your espresso you could select from a couple styles/sources of beans.  I went with one from Peru that had been aged in wooden casks - it was complex and smooth, and maybe it was my imagination, but I could taste the wood as well.  Two mignardise with the coffee - a chilled white chocolate shell containing lime gel, and a chocolate truffle with hazelnut crème.

Brilliant food and drink, a comfortable and beautiful setting, gracious service, an entertaining kitchen circus to watch, an opportunity to experience the work of a rising superstar - what more could a girl ask for?!?  You can bet I’ll be back!  I get to have three favorite restos, right?

Granite - 6, rue Bailleul, https://granite.paris/

I've Gone Medieval! - Wednesday, 20 April

Many of you know that I’ve dreamt of having an apartment in Paris for decades and that I bought a “fractional ownership” share of an apartment last summer - an arrangement in which I owned 1/13 of the apartment, which allowed me to use it for two 2-week blocks a year.  But I was too optimistic about my ability to handle the stairs in the no-elevator building, so I sold my share last fall.  (For more info, see this blog post:   https://mariellen-musing.blogspot.com/2021/09/locked-in-staircase-eek-tuesday-21.html )

Well, as it happens, this February, the owners of one share of a different apartment decided to sell their share so that they could buy a share in a larger apartment.  The one they were selling is a studio in a 14th century building with an elevator.  Yup, you guessed it - I jumped at the chance to buy it.  You can read about the apartment and see photos here:   https://adrianleeds.com/explore-properties-for-sale/fractional-ownership/shared-property/ma-maison-miron/  

I also found an article about the building in a little book I picked up this trip, Paris - a Short History of Architecture.  It says, "In 1967, a meticulous restoration campaign restored [the building] to [its] original appearance.  The picturesque décor of the houses is reasonably representative of medieval civil architecture."  "After the great fire of London in 1666, the construction of half-timber houses was forbidden to prevent a similar disaster, while existing timber-framed houses were covered with plaster and lime."

My first usage period begins at the end of September this year, but I decided to contact the share owners who are occupying the apartment this week to see if they might be willing to let me in and show me around.  They most graciously agreed to meet up!  So I spent a couple of delightful hours hanging out with Kevin and Todd in the apartment this afternoon, talking about the property, the neighborhood, spending time in France, careers & interests, etc.  They live in Atlanta and are both IT guys and, of course, are big Paris fans.  They just acquired a property in Nice and are heading down there this Saturday.  They offered to let me use the Paris apartment next week since they won’t be here, but I’ll be back in Minneapolis by then.  What a beautiful gesture, though!

(Here I am, "fake cooking" in the kitchen - I just couldn't pass up the photo opp!  But I do plan to actually hit the markets and cook there in just a few months!)

The 13 owners of Ma Maison Miron have a private Facebook page where they share info, questions, offers, etc., and they also meet yearly via Zoom as an owners’ association.  From what I’ve seen so far, they’re a lively and interesting group.  Even if we’ve all gone medieval!  

The Glories of Gastronomy! - Wednesday, 20 April

Anne-Sophie Pic, the chef/owner of La Dame de Pic, is one of only four female chefs in the world to have obtained three Michelin stars (for her resto Maison Pic in Valence in southeast France), and she has a total of 8 Michelin stars (adding up the stars for all of her restos), which is the most of any woman chef, and she was named the "World's Best Female Chef" in 2011.  This was my second visit to La Dame de Pic at 20, rue du Louvre, and it was as glorious as my first visit!  

I ordered a glass of her house champagne for my apéritif.  There’s nothing like watching the bubbles rise to get you in the mood for a fantastic meal (as if I needed help getting in the mood!).  Tiny bubbles, beautiful fruit, only slightly dry, aaahhhhh…

Two amuse buche:  On the left a leaf-shaped fried “cracker” that had a texture like krumkake but was savory and seeded, with dabs of an herbal purée that tasted sort of like yellow Chartreuse (my waiter had a very soft voice and I couldn’t quite catch what he said!), a pea purée, and some baby watercress leaves.  On the right, a pastry cup with lime curd (underneath), eggwhite foam, and a shower of micro-chopped chives.  (The rice is just there to keep things standing upright!)

Then a hemisphere of herb pesto covered with with crème fraîche foam and topped with a disk of vegetable stock gel and some tiny petals.  (Sorry that you can’t see the layers in this photo.)

Don’t pass up her crunchy sourdough with the knob of a-a-a-mazing Madagascar pepper butter that they place on the container’s lid (the perfume of the freshly ground peppercorns combined with the glorious fat of the first-class butter is an experience you won’t forget).   And do not forget to use the bread to soak up all the juices left on your plate in each course!

Madame Pic offers 4- 5- and 7-course options at lunchtime.  I exercised restraint this time and went with the 4-course option with the beverage pairing!

First up, a giant grilled asparagus spear with some raw ribbons and braised slices - tender, sweet, not at all astringent - with some sharp lemon pulp/zest purée and a scoop of ice cream perfumed with verbena and green cardamom - refreshing, earthy, balanced, perfect.   

The asparagus was served with Weingut Knoll Ried Schütt Loibner Grüner Veltliner Smaragd 2018 - a beautiful, viscous, slightly sweet Riesling with hints of apricot, pear and, honey.   Outta sight!

Next, tiny tiny carrots that, I swear, tasted like candy - I have never experienced such sweet ones before.  They were grilled with lard on the plancha until they just charred in places.  Then the sabayon with saffron and Amaretto pushed it right over the top!  With this, a slightly warm green tea that tasted honey-sweetened, almost yammy - sweet on its own, but with those carrots it provided the refreshing element!!!

Then the most spectacular baby lamb that I have ever had, prepared medium-rare - so tender it had almost no texture and it just melted in your mouth - one rib and two slices, each prepared appropriately for the muscle and given enough char to deepen the flavor.  With it, a little pastry cup containing roasted leg meat, just-cooked wild garlic tops and little crunchy beads of some starch (or maybe pastry - not sure!).  

With the lamb, a powerful 100% Syrah from the south of France near Languedoc: Camp Del Mas Gravis Rouge, slightly sweet and tasting of dark fruits.  It was amazing how the delicate and powerful flavors in this course and in the pairing managed to complement each other.  

(BTW, my previous winner for best baby lamb was 20 years ago at La Belle Vie in Stillwater - memorable to this day - but Madame Pic eclipsed it!)

For the pre-dessert, a scoop of herb sorbet covered with a thick layer of whipped goat cheese “ice cream,” then showered with very finely grated sweet coconut, then scattered with some fresh herbs and petals.  It was amazingly (and gently) palate-cleansing and delicious!

Then for dessert, chocolate wafers topped with chocolate mousse, and then with scoops of coconut sorbet, and then with semisweet chocolate rings, and served with slightly sweetened passionfruit sauce and ribbons of fresh coconut and very finely grated toasted coconut.  Hooo boy!

It was served with a wonderful not-too-sweet white 10-year Andresen Port from Vila Nova da Gaia, Portugal.  Again, a beautiful pairing that made the dessert course sing!  If someone had joined me for this lunch we could have sung harmony!

And finally, great coffee with a couple of fruit gels and chocolate disks!

I view these “fancy” lunches as aesthetic experiences providing many moments of wonder at the seemingly inexhaustible variety of aromas, flavors and textures in earth’s edibles, of the genius artistry, creativity and understanding of chefs, of stellar technique of cooks, and of the earthy understanding and hard work of farmers and winemakers.  Not to mention that these experiences feed your body as well as your soul!  This was a 2.5 hour event in a gorgeous space.  Many people pay way more than this to attend a football game.  I go for gastronomy!  

https://anne-sophie-pic.com/paris/?lang=en

Now all I have to do is decide whether Accents Table Bourse or La Dame de Pic is my favorite!  Or maybe I can allow myself two favorites.....

Jetlag Won :-( - Tuesday, 19 April

Gotta start adding one more day of jetlag recovery to the front of my trips.  Tonight I had a ticket for an 8:30 recital by the legendary Russian/Austrian pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja, playing works by Schubert at the Philharmonie de Paris.  It’s a long haul to the Philharmonie (of course I’d take a taxi, but it is handily accessible by the métro as well), but it’s still a bit of a walk from the taxi drop-off/pick-up location into the hall, and my legs were just too swollen and weak for it to be prudent, so I blew it off.  If you’re interested, you can see her recital program here:   https://philharmoniedeparis.fr/en/activity/recital-piano/22910-elisabeth-leonskaja  She seems to be a regular featured artist, so maybe next time!

The Philharmonie does have a livestreaming app, but they don’t post all of their concerts there (hey, they do have to fill the hall to make money!), and they did not post this recital.  Bummer!  The livestreams have excellent production values, and you get to see the inside and outside of this amazing hall, so check it out!  And for you real orchestra geeks out there, take a look at the (free) stream of the Orchestre de Paris’ March 23 concert featuring their amazing new conductor, the 26-year-old Finn, Klaus Mäkelä!  He is most pleasant to watch indeed!  You can also find it in the web here:  https://philharmoniedeparis.fr/en/live/1138171-orchestre-de-paris-klaus-makela-khatia-buniatishvili-tchaikovski-debussy-ravel-falla

If you want to know more about the hall, just search for “Philharmonie” on this blog - I've written about it several times.  And/or read my first post about it here:  https://mariellen-musing.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-new-philharmonie-de-paris-imagined.html   

Anyhoo, lesson learned.  This is a short trip and I just tried to cram in too many things!  Next time, I’ll give myself a couple days to recover before venturing to the outer ring arrondissements!

They Just Can't Keep Me Away from "Accents" - Tuesday, 19 April

Yup, it’s still my favorite.  Accents Table Bourse, that is.  Five years ago I had my first meal here, and I’ve come back every trip because it is so warm and welcoming and unpretentious.  And the food is spectacular.  And the sommelier/host Étienne Billard is brilliant.  They have one Michelin star, but deserve more!  

Étienne poured me a glass of a lovely organic Parés Baltà Cava (a Spanish sparkling wine made near Barcelona) the moment I sat down.  It was creamy, fruity (pear, white peach), fresh, well-rounded with a touch of honey in the texture and color.  Terrific! 

They serve a 4-course prix fixe at lunchtime (5 courses with cheese - oui, merci!) and announce each course as it comes rather than handing you a menu.  Also available, wine pairings selected by Étienne which you must not miss - he is so brilliant at this!  Of course, that’s a lot of wine for lunchtime, but hey, you’re on vacation!

To kick things off, four amuse bouche:

A hemisphere crispy meringue shell filled with smooooth anchovy paste - sweet, salty, crispy, soft - they must have filled the shell just seconds before serving - wow!

A homemade striped rice cracker (I believe the black stripes were colored with squid ink) draped over lime gel.

A dab of spicy-condiment-on-a-spoon that tasted like fresh tomato puree, Espelette pepper, and a touch of vinegar.

A trompe l’oeil - it looked like a chocolate bar, but had a dusty white chocolate exterior and was filled with a mild fish mousse.  Very amusing indeed for my bouche!

Then the first course: samphire foam over a warm tapioca “risotto” containing peanuts, walnuts, Granny Smith apple, shallots, and herbs.  To polish it off, a small glass of slightly warm unstrained pear juice with a splash of whiskey.  

With the first course, a Mâcon Solutré-Pouilly Chardonnay from Burgundy.  It was white-fruity (apple), dry, some flint, energetic.  It really emphasized the herbal character of the dish.  I had some of my “welcome” Cava left in the glass, and tried it with the pear juice - it just exploded those flavors!

Then the fish course.  I thought Etienne said it was raie (a type of skate fish) but its texture was more like a tender swordfish.  In any case, it was draped with a leaf of braised red cabbage (its slight bitterness contrasted beautifully with the sweet fish), purées of carrot and squash (you had to dig under the carrot to find the squash) topped with a cumin shortbread, and “Japanese fries” (chopped monkfish liver molded into the shape of a fish, battered, and fried).  

With this, a gorgeous California rosé by Francis Ford Coppola, “Sophia.”  It was very pleasant, elegant and well balanced, dry but fruity.  It was an especially beautiful marriage with the carrot & squash purées! 

For the poultry course, a perfectly pink pigeon breast with a vegetable I couldn’t identify but similar to samphire, slightly astringent & grassy, topped with a thin slice of salty cured dried ham (similar to Prosciutto) and surrounded with a deeply intense dark poultry stock.   Also a fried pigeon heart (very sweet and tender and pure) topped with some mayo and a tomato paste accented with a bit of harissa.  I believe that the big leafy herb was Chinese Kale - it tasted a bit like watercress and was draped over a dab of dilled crème fraiche.

With the pigeon, an unusual intense, dry, tannic, organic, 100% Syrah Châteauneuf-du-Pape from Côtes du Rhône Sud.  It really emphasized the earthiness of the pigeon.

I would go to Accents Table Bourse just for the bread and butter!  They now make the slightly sour boule in-house, and crunching of its shatteringly crisp crust can be heard across the room.  And it’s still served with their amazing cherry-wood-smoked butter, this time molded into the shape of a cute teddy bear! 

My cheese course was a warmed Brie with ephemeral toasted brioche, apple compote, and honey. You might think all that sweetness doesn’t work, but it does!!!  

With the cheese, a 1985 Mas Amiel fortified wine similar to Port but not as heavy, and lower in alcohol.  The adjective “ebullient” came to mind, not what you normally think of in a Port!  Flavors of fig, walnut, caramel, rose, and chocolate.  Very suave!

Before dessert, a glass of slightly warm carrot-thyme-lemon-ginger tea - a perfect palate cleanser!  

Then this amazing sugarwork balloon filled with a sweet foam (not sure what it was), hazelnuts, pineapple, and a white chocolate tube filled with caramel mousse.  (The cracked-open version is in the second photo.)  Somehow, I don’t think I’m going to try to make this at home - ya, ya, I’m a wimp!

And with the dessert a little glass of the Hungarian late-harvest sweet wine Tokaj by Samuel Tinon, made from the Hárslevelű white grape - flavors of dried fruits (apricot, figs, etc.), brown sugar, hazelnuts, etc.  Absolutely delightful! 

Finally, a slice of lighter-than-air pistachio chiffon cake with rhubarb compote.  And a few more drops of that brilliant ’85 Mas Amiel!  And their fantastic espresso.

Accents Table Bourse, 24 rue Feydeau in the 2nd.  Tell them Mariellen from Minnesota sent you!  https://accents-restaurant.com/

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!

Smooth Sailing, Burger, Beer, and Restless Leg Syndrome - Sunday, 17 April

I got a very nice Uber driver for my trip to the airport.  It was good that I booked my ride in advance because doing so allows the driver to wait a few extra minutes before giving up on you & leaving & charging you for the no-show, and I had a hecuva time getting my suitcase locked!  Um, I suppose that I could have closed it earlier, but what’s the fun in that?!?  Anyhoo, it turns out that the driver also has a small firm of four cars/drivers that provides transportation almost exclusively to the airport, and I can book in advance by phone or text to get a good deal.  Gotta give it a try for my return home - they will monitor my flight status, add in some time for going through customs, and be outside waiting for me.  

I do love TSA Pre-Check!  The airport was busier than I expected, so the easier process and shorter line were most welcome.

For my traditional LBBP (last burger before Paris) I changed my routine a bit, eating at Stone Arch just outside Concourse G.  Good decision!  Tasty beef, hand-formed patty, correctly cooked to pink, just enough fries, terrific pickles.  And since I didn’t get my Easter ham this year, I went for the "bacon & blue" version. And a Lift Bridge Fireside Flannel Brown Ale. Yum yum. 

The rain hadn’t started yet when I arrived at the airport, but the clouds looked snow-dark. By the time we left the gate it was snowing a bit and we had to be de-iced.  Chilly temps and every type of precipitation are in the forecast for this week.  What an excellent time to head out of Dodge!  It should be in the high 60s - low 70s in Paris, and about that when I return home!  We’ll see.

There were more little children on this direct flight to Paris than I remember seeing before.  I mean, not those groups of high school kids on a school trip or anything.  Nope, lots of elementary-school-age kids with their parents, and several infants.  What’s up?  Does Disneyland Paris have a deal or something?!?  Sharing my row were a mom holding a baby boy (about 6 months old) and her daughter, a bit over 2 years old.  They were mostly well behaved, but oh my goodness, the mom had her hands full.  And the little girl seemed to have “restless leg syndrome” - she would lay down across two seats to take a nap (although I don’t think she ever slept) and would kick me occasionally!  Not hard, of course, but y’know, it was a little jolting!  The funny part is that she finally fell asleep about 5 minutes before we landed.  The mom just rolled her eyes and sighed and said "wouldn't you know."  They had a five-hour layover in Paris before continuing on to Lebanon.  Bon voyage to them!