Paris - Day 9

08-31: Today after some housekeeping at the apartment, we took our last stroll to Rue Cler we decided to have the hamburger at Roussillon. The one I had the other day was so good, we were not disappointed. Rue Cler is pretty quiet on Sunday and Monday but we still enjoyed it. We had a brief rain shower while eating lunch then we walked down to the famous historic candy and chocolate shop, Å la Mére de Famille, located at 35 rue Cler. Founded originally in 1761, it is known as the oldest sweet shop in Paris, bringing its traditional old-time charm and classic packaging to the Rue Cler neighborhood. It is a lovely shop! From there we walked, as planned, back to Café du Marche for dessert. We shared a Crème Brûlée and enjoyed a glass of Prosecco as a special treat on our last full day in Paris.

All of that was delightful but the reality of packing up and heading out tomorrow morning looms in our future! We played a few games of cards, packed, took a 30-minute nap, ate our leftovers for dinner and called it a night. 

Paris - Day 8

08-30: Today it was relaxing and working on photos for me. This evening is our Seine River Dinner Cruise. It was interesting that my FB post brought up the same exact cruise on the same exact day 4 years ago with June! Stuart planned to walk over to Rue Cler to get a gift for our hosts in Mombrier but he never got to it. We are looking forward to the month there. We will relax, visit wineries, put some plans in place for our Grand South America cruise, and I will hope to catch up on the album for this trip. We went to the dinner cruise early to see the Eiffel Tower area and walk around a little bit. We were shocked when we discovered it's all walled In now you have to go through security to even walk around or beneath it. Where there used to be grass, picnickers, and even lovers sharing a kiss it's now blacktop! It was sad for us to see. I guess they have to do that in our day of bomb threats, etc. It was so disappointing to see, some of the charm is certainly gone. I'm glad I saw it when it was grassy underneath and felt so much more welcoming and approachable. The dinner cruise was nice, but not like I remember it. Regardless, we enjoyed the food and sites. On the way back we already decided we wanted to take a pedicab back if possible. As we disembarked, we were quickly approached by all sorts of taxis and pedicab drivers. When it came to the pedicab the man offered a ride to “anywhere” for €5. We wondered why it was so cheap but said where we wanted to go and we would pay €10. He agreed and then we are in the pedicab starting and he says his supervisor needed to follow him. Another red flag, but we are already moving toward home. When we arrived, which was a 5-minute ride, the supervisor pulled up right beside him. It almost blocked my way off the vehicle but I did push my way through. Stuart said “go” and I headed to the door. They then told him they only take cards, and he had to hand over a card. NO. Stuart told them we agreed on €10 and here it is. He put down the €10 and walked away. We avoided that scam BUT we should have been wise enough not to consider such a cheap ride! Anyway, another lessoned learned. Both in London and here in Paris we have not seen pickpockets operating and we have felt safe at all times. Of course, we are not out on the streets late at night and extra watchful in more touristy areas.

I read later that in Paris pedicabs are regulated but that said, many also operate independently. I guess if you want to be certain of your ride you should contact a regulated company and set up a pick up place and time.

Paris - Day 7

08-29: Today we had the pleasure of meeting Don and Lisa for lunch at Café du Marche, located on Rue Cler. Their hotel is just steps from Rue Cler. We have a 10-minute walk, so not too bad! We had a lovely lunch. They fly home tomorrow after being in France for 2 weeks. From lunch we headed to some appointments we made yesterday. I got my nails done and Stuart had a Thai massage. We were going to walk back to Rue Cler to get our Mombrier friends some candy from a shop we saw, but we were tired and headed back to the apartment. We might do that tomorrow or Monday, if the store is open. We played cards, did laundry, and had our quiche for dinner.

Paris - Day 6

08-28: It is raining this morning, not as hard as it did last night waiting for the cabaret to open. We had tickets for two museums today; we only made it to one. I blame it on too much rich food and wine! Anyway, we thoroughly enjoyed the L’Orangerie Museum. The ground floor is dedicated to Monet’s Water Lily collection. These are the huge painting he did while in Giverny. These are always enjoyable to see and experience. Downstairs they have a collection of Master Painters: Works by prominent artists including Paul Cézanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Amedeo Modigliani, and André Derain. We were undecided about what to do so we went for our usual choice of Rue Cler. When we arrived in our Uber, it still wasn’t raining so we had a nice walk around the area. We stopped at Maison Julien to get a couple quiche for tomorrow. We love this bustling street in the 7th arrondissement. It was and still is one of the best foodie streets in Paris. Celebrated cook and author Julia Child was a regular! She would come here to pick up her ingredients – and flirt with her favorite butcher. “Every woman must kiss her butcher,” she quipped. Of course, much has changed since Julia’s post-war Paris, but rue Cler has maintained its gourmet credentials. It is highlighted in Rick Steves books, which is when we heard about it back in 2009. We walked on and decided to stop for a beverage at Le Roussillon restaurant. It claims to be a stone’s throw away from the Eiffel Tower. I have never seen anyone throw a stone that far. But it is close by, just a 15-minute walk. The food smelled so good we got hungry and ended up eating an early dinner there. It was delicious! Stuart had the French Onion Soup and I had the Cheese Burger. France is one of the few places you can get a medium-rare burger! Another lovely day in Paris! Eiffel Tower view from L’Orangerie Museum.

Paris - Day 5

08-27: It is cooler today, thankful for that. I don’t think coming to Paris in June or July, maybe even August should be a future plan. We came here the last week of August and it isn’t bad. People are still talking about the weather 2-3-4 weeks ago and how unbearable it was.  We relaxed this morning, not much pain free energy for me. For lunch we stayed in lunch as we have some groceries to eat.

We left in an Uber with plenty of time to get to the cabaret. It said come early to get the best seats. At the moment of our arrival, it started pouring down rain and I mean pouring. The Cabaret is not open yet and we are sort of standing in on the sidewalk getting drenched. We popped into a nearby bar to await opening. La Novelle Eve is the name of the Cabaret and it is in the 9th arrondissement. There are a lot of sex shops in this area. However, the advertisement for the Cabaret said it was suitable for children 8 and above. However, I don’t think so, but we are in France. Service was impeccable and the food was delicious. Stuart had an appetizer of shrimp and I had a Caprese sort of tomato salad. For our main we both chose the steak and it did not disappoint. The sides with the steak were mashed potatoes and zucchini, with the ever-present Bearnaise sauce. We each had the dessert, his was orange and mine was chocolate. We both liked his orange one the best. I forgot to mention upon arrival we were served a glass of champagne and there were 2 bottles of wine on our table as well. It is time for the show to start so no further photos can be taken. It was a loud and lively show and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Between the dancing there were a couple of other acts. Of the extras was a juggler, an aerialist, and a sort of mime. All were entertaining. We really enjoyed the evening though it is geared toward the men in the audience with the topless dancing, etc. All the men wore shirts and trousers – not a speedo to be found! An Uber back to our apartment, a game of cards, and we called it a night.

Paris - Day 4

08-26: Today we have a food walking tour called NO DIET food tour. We got a deal on this tour from Airbnb. For booking our stay, they gave us $50 off of a selection of tours, we chose this. We took an Uber to the starting point in the 4^th Arrondissement getting there a little early. Introduction were made and we headed out. Our first stop was at Chez Haana where they made special falafels for us but more like little meatball combination so freshly made just for us very tasty. Next stop a French cream puff, Dunes Blanches, followed by a cheese tasting, next was ice cream followed by a burger portion with fries. I’ve tasted better burgers but it was fine. We ate the burger in a little secret garden called Anne Frank’s Garden. There is a tree growing there that was sprouted from the one Anne looked at outside her window in Amsterdam. We headed out for two more stops, but I was beat. It is muggy at 86˚F and about 2 miles, I was done. We are thankful it isn't any hotter than it is. We left the tour at this point. It was fun and tasty. Our guide Celia was knowledgeable and entertaining. I learned about the some of the buildings and how they were built with the wealthiest people living on the lower floors (fewer steps). Some of these built in the 17-1800’s must be replastered every 25 years to be sure they are safe. Old plaster is removed, boards are checked, and new plaster reapplied. We are tired. I am exhausted but we had a good day. 

This photo is an old wall of the City of Paris maybe from the 14-1600's. The walls changed as the city expanded of course, until no more walls. 

Paris - Day 3

08-25: We slept in again. I am tired with some amount of back pain. Stuart made fancy scrambled eggs for us around 11:30a. We don’t want to eat too much because we are going to Le P’tit Troquet tonight at 8:30p. There is a story behind the visit there tonight. In 2000, when I came to Paris with my Mom, Deb, and my sister, we ate there! We did a little research on the place. It is in the same location but has changed. When we went it was a single dining area, very small, perhaps 6-8 tables. It changed hands in 2011, and has expanded to 2 dining areas, and a terrace out front with maybe 8 tables. They were busy and the place rarely had an empty table. I should say we did not see the second dining room in the back, but there was a steady stream of diners. One thing has not changed; it is still very quaint and “old Paris” décor in my opinion.

The food was fantastic. The menu is not as small and not written on a chalk board either. The menu is one page with starters, mains, and desserts. A few sides are offered as well. Stuart ordered the beef bourgionnone and I chose the Angus shoulder steak. Both were absolutely delicious. But I am getting ahead of myself! First, they took our wine order. Next, they returned with a small appetizer of smoked salmon and a bread basket, along with water. We each ordered a starter. Stuart had the Pork and shrimp meatball skewers, grilled on a Binchotan with papaya salad. There was also a nice portion of dill and parsley on the plate with an excellent dressing with just a little pop of spice. I ordered the Heirloom tomatoes, peach, Kalamata olives, anchovy, and basil pesto. This dish was also fresh, bright, and tasty. We shared each dish. The anchovies on my salad were the best I’ve ever had. I would order them every time if they tasted like that! Our mains arrived with tantalizing aromas and they were an epicurean’s delight. Stuart’s beef was as tender as butter, as was my steak. He had carrots and potatoes in his cast iron pot that stayed nice and hot. Neither of us could finish our main, but that did not keep us from having dessert! We did manage to finish the Fraisier cake, which is a French classic strawberry cream cake followed by a Grand Mariner digestive. While we ate, there was a brief rain storm. Between courses we chatted with a mother and daughter from South Carolina and charming table mates. Even though we walked to Le P’tit Troquet we opted for an Uber to take us back. What a wonderful evening.

France - Day 2

08-24: We slept in pretty late this morning and then got to work on the rest of the unpacking. We also have a washing machine so we took advantage of that and did some laundry. Stuart walked to the grocery store and got a few more things but I stayed here resting my back from our long day yesterday. A bagged salad and our leftover pizza were our main meal of the day. Later we had cheese fruit and crisps for a light evening snack. 

It was quite amazing today to be contacted by Don and Lisa ball. We met them on a recent cruise with friends Paul and Maureen. We had no idea they were even in France. They are in Lyon right now but they will head back to Paris shortly. We have arranged to meet them Saturday for lunch. Because of that we canceled our cooking class but that's okay we would rather meet with them and have lunch than go to the cooking class. We have plenty of things booked already! Of course, the day is not complete without a few hands of cards!

London to Paris on Eurostar

08-23: We were up and out of our not-so-great hotel by 9:00. We're told to arrive at the Eurostar station in St. Pancras no later than 10:15a, we were early. We had a wonderful ham and cheese, buttery, flaky, delicious croissant, and a latte since we arrived and plenty of time for the train. I don't really know what we expected on Eurostat, but it was just like riding on any old train with any old seat we didn't upgrade we just had regular coach seats so it was just a 3-hour train ride. No frills, we envisioned something special, though I am not sure what. At times we did see some interesting scenery that was mostly after we crossed the Channel and went into France. There are a lot of fields for farming. We did see corn but unsure of what everything else was. Most of the time in London we were in tunnels or walled areas so you couldn't see much. The actual Chunnel under the channel takes about 20 minutes, but it's just like going into any tunnel, which it is. We had a hard time getting an Uber on the way out of the train station but eventually we made it to meet Véronique at our Airbnb. We put a few things away after admiring our small kitchen, living area, which is clean and bright. We are feeling a little hungry now and we walked to the Rue Cler area. This was one of the main reasons we booked this location in the 7^th Arrondissement, easy walkability to Rue Cler, Eiffel Tower, and more.  It is pretty quiet there on Sunday and Monday, but we found a friendly restaurant, Tribeca, and shared a pizza and a salad. A walk back to the apartment, with a short stop at a small market for a few things. We played a few games of cards, and we are ready for bed.

London - Day 3

08-22: This morning we did a bit of housekeeping to prepare for our Eurostar trip to Paris tomorrow. Last night Stuart walked to a nearby store and got us each a pastry and a piece of fruit for this morning. We decided to just walk around the area today and see a bit of Westminster. We stopped for lunch in a “Proper Pub” but they are proper – they do not serve food, only drinks. The barkeep told us about the Good Warwick just around the corner, so we ate there. I had a salad with shrimp (really overcooked) and Stuart had the tiniest spring rolls we have ever seen, but they were good. We added a tiny lamb skewer to that and called it lunch. The lamb was tender and juicy with garlic dipping sauce. Everything is very small portions to what we are used to. On we walked heading back toward our hotel. This is a very populated area with apartments and small hotels, with a few larger hotels sprinkled in. We decided to stop at Marquist of Westminster for a drink. Stuart went back to the hotel and got our cards to play there. They welcome that and have several games to offer as well. We stayed a long time, as there is not an easy way to play cards in our room with no chairs or a table. We ended up ordering dinner. We split a chicken, leek, and mushroom pie with a side of mashed potatoes, broccolini, and peas. What a delicious and filling meal. We really enjoyed it. Back to our hotel and we did a bit of organizing to be on our way tomorrow morning. 

London - Day 2

08-21: I'd like to say we got up and out early but that was not the case we were shocked at how long we slept. I guess we are still adjusting to the time change. At least that is our excuse for now. We hopped up and got dressed and took an Uber to the London Eye area. We have timed entry tickets for 2p. We actually got in early. We had a hot dog before the ride that was breakfast! After the London Eye trip, we walked to Waterloo Station thinking we would find the Sherlock Holmes Pub, but it was no were to be found. We opted for Wetherspoon, which was good. One can order 3 small plates for around £14. Tasty and a lot of food! We took an Uber back to our hotel (such as it is). I am not up to further exploring today. We played a few games of 5 Crowns and then off to bed.  

London-Day 1

08-20: We went back for to the Pub we went to last night and had a bite to eat before heading out on the Big Bus. It poured down rain while we were having our lunch in that Pub it's sprinkled on the way there but in a little bit all the rain stopped. There were a few sprinkles later in the day but not much. It took a little time to find the route but we found it and rode the bus for some time. We got off the bus close to our beginning point and popped into a nice Wine Bar. It was called Vagabond and had small and large plates and it said 100 choices for a glass of wine so it was a good fit for us. We were hungrier than we thought and ordered a second tiny hanger steak plate. I asked for rare this time and it was really delicious. The first one was good but more medium to well done. We got an Uber back to the hotel and crashed as we were really tired.

Welcome to London

08-18 & 19: We had a flight out of Fresno, that left about an hour and a half late. It didn't matter too much because we had plenty of time in San Francisco. We went to the Polaris Club and had a nice breakfast and played a game of cards. While waiting for our departure time and boarding

The Polaris seats were just as wonderful as the last time. I would like to be spoiled like this all the time, but it just can't happen. The lay down seats were wonderful. We got served delicious food. I slept through the snacks and last meal, which was breakfast prior to landing. Thank you Stuart. 

We went to the small United Arrivals Lounge once we landed in Heathrow. It was only 9:30a, we cannot check into our hotel until 3p. We ate and played cards and ended up arriving at our hotel via Uber around 1:30p. No, our room is not ready. No, there isn't even a lobby! Everything is totally digital in the supposedly “Boutique” hotel. I will say, it doesn't look quite like the photographs! The flowers on the front step are dead. We cannot enter the door as it is locked. Stuart called them and they said we should have a received information about check in by email yesterday. Of course we did not. So, I sat on the steps and filled out all the paperwork they requested and emailed it to them. They replied that they would let us know as soon as our room was ready. The housekeeper came and went inside and let us in as well. We did get in our room about 2:30p. We are tired and it is challenging to stay awake. We unpacked a few things, but not much as there are only 3 mall drawers for items and no place to leave the suitcases open. We will make it work. It is more like a room in a hostel, but we do have our own bathroom, such as it is. It is clean, but old, not in a good way. This was booked via Capitol 1, and I am disappointed. It says 3* and frankly it is barely 2* in my opinion. Someone did come along about 4p to ask if we needed anything. He told us where a close pub was for dinner. We did go to the Marquis of Westminster Pub and had some tasty wings and a pint. Then off to bed. At least the bed is comfortable. 

Monday, Monday!

Tomorrow, we leave on our next adventure. It is a 90 journey with lots of activities. I hope I have the stamina to keep up! We will have a relaxing month in the middle of the journey. We will be in our Airbnb in Mombrier, France where we enjoyed the month of July 2024. We also have a Seine River cruise, and a Transatlantic from Barcelona, Spain to the state of Florida. I plan to blog almost everyday so watch for more!