Ahhh Paris again – the food, the wine, the cafes, the beautiful picnic spots, the architecture and the atmosphere. I would move here in an instant if there were no constraints on my life (like making a living and being able to afford a nice place to live).
We stayed at the lovely Westin hotel on the Rue de Rivoli which has a great central location and excellent views of the Louvre, the Tuilleries gardens and the Eiffel tower.
On Monday night we walked to the nearby Bar Absinthe for a nice outdoor meal on the square – I had a very tasty sea bass.
The next morning, after a multi-course breakfast buffet, it was off to Montmartre for one of our favorite meals. We almost worked off our breakfast climbing the never ending stairs from the Abesses metro station to Montmartre but weren’t quite ready for lunch. Stopped at a great open air cafe for a Bloody Mary and the crossword. Then on to Cafe Bruant for their amazing duck and foie gras salad and a huge pot of moules frites.
After lunch some exercise was definitely in order. We took the metro over to the Bastille area and searched for something called the Promenade Plante. We eventually tracked it down and it was worth the effort. Similar to the HiLine in New York this is an old elevated railway viaduct line that has been reclaimed as a green zone with walking path and an excellent variety of gardens and plants. The arches under the viaduct have been turned into artists studios. A great use of a disused railway.
And after all of that it was time for a refreshment. We walked to the relatively nearby (getting our exercise today for sure) Moonshiner speakeasy. It’s always great fun to walk through the pizzeria fridge back into a 1920s style speakeasy.
A late dinner at La Coupe D’Or (the corner bar to the apartment we stayed at for my 50th birthday) consisted of escargots (with no garlic or butter:)) and steak tartar. All served by the excellent Pasquale who’s been at this cafe for 3 years now.
Wednesday started with a quick visit to the local supermarket to pick up wine, pate, and a baguette – all for much less than they would cost in the U.S. From there we rode the bateaux bus (a taxi service on the Seine) up to the Eiffel tower and had a very relaxing picnic. Then we relaxed in the sun and read our books for a while. It was disappointing to see all the new security measures around the Eiffel tower but understandable given the recent news in Paris.
Dinner that night was at a new restaurant that we found online. “Pirouette” is located in the Les Halles area and we really enjoyed the young and vibrant atmosphere of the squares around the restaurant.
Thursday was much like Tuesday and Wednesday, which is a very good thing. We took the metro over to the St Germain neighborhood (one of our favorites). We had coffee at a cafe and gave our brains a modicum of exercise with the crossword. Then we found a local market with very helpful staff to select wine, pate and cheese for our next picnic. The location du jour was the Luxembourg gardens. More formal than our prior picnic spots but very picturesque with colorful flowers and the Versailles style gardens.
Our last (sniff, sniff) dinner in Paris was at another new restaurant called Juveniles. We were able to get some exercise walking there from the hotel for about 20 minutes. Juveniles is a very small family run place with a small menu focused on local, fresh produce. It’s also a local wine shop and had great wines at good prices. The foie gras (yes again – and not feeling even slightly guilty) appetizer was outstanding as were the entrees – Diana had tuna and I had guinea hen with the tastiest parsnips that I’ve had.
And another perfect stay in Paris comes to an end. Time to make plans to come back soon.