Paris as seen from the air

Here's a view of the Paris that I love. Be sure and turn on the sound!


Paris vu du Ciel de Yann Arthus-Bertrand
envoyé par mairiedeparis. - L'info internationale vidéo.

Reopening

"La Rentrée" (the return) is in full swing in Paris. People are finally coming back from vacations, parents are shopping for school supplies, and shops are coming back to life.

Yesterday was reopening day for the Cabane à Huîtres. I went there for lunch and took along printed copies of the photos and blog posts from my trip to Arcachon for Francis who doesn't have a computer. As I was slurping up my oysters I struck up a conversation with a couple sitting nearby. Parisians here for the first time, they were oohing and aahhing over the freshness of the oysters. Wow, what a find, they exclaimed, you rarely find this kind of ambiance in a Parisian restaurant. We continued to chat through the remainder of the meal and during dessert they mentioned another tiny bistro that has a similar family atmosphere. My ears perked up. I love to find small, out of the way places recommended by locals. I made sure to note the name and adress before leaving.

Today's errands took me to the north side of town and I decided to stop into the Clos Bourguignon mentioned the day before. On a small side street without much traffic, the place was packed! People were spilling out onto the sidewalk, waiting patiently to squeeze inside. I waited at least 20 minutes just for a seat at the bar. There are some advantages to flying solo. Who knows how long I might have waited for a table?

I immediately ordered the house specialty - Hachis Parmentier(following the advice from yesterday's conversation). This is NOT haute cuisine. Hachis parmentier is translated as "shepherd's pie". What's that? Essentially a casserole of ground beef with mashed potatoes and some melted cheese on top. But that description cannot possibly capture the flavor of this dish. It was family style, stick-to-the-ribs, and absolutely delicious. It was also a very large helping - as I'd also been warned.

As I sat enjoying my lunch - along with a chilled glass of Brouilly (red wine). I started noticing the interaction between the crowd and Mr. Louis the owner. I'd say fully half of the diners were greeted by name, and with handshakes or hugs. I couldn't help chatting with a couple of the regulars who were standing at the end of the bar waiting for their own tables. Mr. Louis had jokes or friendly snide remarks for most.

I couldn't finish my portion, and sure enough, Mr. Louis noticed. Whose plate is that? he glared. I did my best, I whimpered, it was delicious but I just couldn't finish it all. Well, if you did your best . . He let me off the hook. And then shared the secret behind the flavor. We start with beef that's been cooked in a pot au feu. Aha, that would explain the flavor. I imagined beef simmered for hours with onions, carrots, and savory spices until it's falling apart. No wonder the flavor was so intense. I'll be back. And next time I'll save room for cheese.

I didn't get too many photos - the place was 100% French and I didn't want to break the spell and look like a tourist by bringing out my camera and taking pictures of my food. Here's a shot of the exterior. You can see how crowded the place still was when I left after 2 PM.

Apartment hunting

I've visited several apartments in the last few days. I've been scouring the ads on Craigslist and have even placed an ad of my own. Trolling through this process is sort of like kissing frogs in order to find the prince - you have to check out several and there aren't that many princes out there. The apartments are either too expensive or too dark, too noisy, too small, too far away from the center, etc. However, I'm not discouraged and expect to find a place that is just right before the first of October.

Speaking of kissing frogs (groan) I have recently signed up for the French equivalent of eHarmony - purely as a social anthropology research project of course . . ;-)

Stay tuned as I analyze the similarities and differences between U.S. and French approaches to the topic . . .

Blue stuff

As the months go by I've started running out of the supplies I brought with me such as toothpaste and shampoo. I can't find my favorite toothpaste, so while examining the myriad options I thought I'd try the one that advertised "teeth instantly whiter from the 1st brushing - clinically proven". After all, age, strong coffee and red wine do take their toll on the color of teeth. It seemed to work OK and I didn't think any more about it.


Later, I succombed to the sales pitch of Steeve the hairdresser who proposed a shampoo specifically designed for gray/silver hair. Why not? Especially since it was less expensive than the last "professional" shampoo that the salon recommended. Again, I didn't think too much about it until one day I noticed blue spots on the shower curtain. Huh? I did notice that the shampoo seemed awfully BLUE, almost purple. I started reading the fine print. Will my hair turn blue? Remember the blue-haired old ladies? Will I become one?


I read and translated the fine print on the bottle: "Effects are optical only. Do not use every day." That made me wonder about the toothpaste too. Sure enough - the fine print also says something about optical effects. . .

Eeeuw. Do they sell stuff like this in the U.S. too?

Looking for a new apartment

I have to move out on Aug 31st and searching for a new apartment is a time-consuming, gut-wrenching process. It will be hard for me to find something that I like as much as the place that I'm in now. It is large, well equipped, sunny, quiet, near markets and three bus lines. It's a place where I can invite friends for dinner. I have a desk to work at, good internet connection, a TV, a separate bedroom, an elevator, a place to put my bike. And it's affordable.

I just gave up an option on another place - that's the gut wrenching part. It was in a fabulous neighborhood, with markets and four bakeries within a half a block. Two parks nearby too. Sunny, not too noisy, but smaller and more expensive than the place I'm in now. No desk, no table for eating and working.

It's the second guessing that is bad. What if I let that one go and I don't find another as good?

But maybe I'll find something even better? I have another lead - a larger place in a good neighborhood, great view, quiet, but more expensive, no elevator, the nearest bakery at least a block away. It's got better transport connections, but there's something about it - maybe the pictures on the wall? - that make it seem "old".

Wish me luck as I try to find another place to live that I can afford and that fulfills most of the items on my wish list.

Marché Castagnary

I got my hair cut on Thursday and chatted with Steeve, exchanging oyster stories. Of course I told him about the Cabane a Huitres and my recent visit to Arcachon, and he told me about the famous Castagnary fish market. I've never heard of this market so I set out to find it.

You can't miss it, he said, just look for the lighthouse. And sure enough:


I got there about 11:30 on a Friday morning and found the three employees sitting bored in the vast hall without a single customer. We struck up a conversation and I heard how the place is usually mobbed with dozens of vendors and hundreds of customers - especially on Sunday mornings in the winter. But Paris in August is dead. I'll have to come back later in the year to see some action.



After chatting for a while and taking a few pictures, I figured I should probably buy something, so I asked the poissonnier (fish guy) for a recommendation. He instantly recommended the bar (sea bass) and I took one home to eat for lunch.


Simply pan fried and served with purple heirloom tomatoes. Yumm. BTW, fish is always sold with the head on, but I cut it off to fit in my frying pan.

Moving day in Paris

The places I've stayed in Paris have had either narrow winding staircases


or miniscule elevators


I always wondered what people did if and when they moved. Here is the answer. Suddenly the summer months have sprouted contraptions like these for moving household goods out through the windows.




The apartment where I am currently staying has no access to the street. Now I understand why most of the furniture is IKEA-style, requiring assembly. Fortunately, all I have to move is one carry-on suitcase carrying my clothes, a small back pack with my computer, and a sack full of books. I can be packed and out of here in less than an hour. No window lift required.