Paris – Week Three – Nov. 11-18, 2012

More pictures here!

Since our guests have begun to arrive and that will mean even less time for posting I thought I would focus this post on what might be useful information if you happen to come to this area of Paris.

First of all, the apartment at 74 Rue de Rennes is perfectly situated:  Two bus lines stop just outside the door; the 95 takes you to the Louvre and ultimately up to Montmartre and the 96 heads over to the Ile de la Cite, Notre Dame, and points further north-east.  Of course, they both link up to multiple lines which will take you anywhere.  (The bus system in Paris is wonderfully easy to navigate.)  Also just outside the door is the St. Sulpice Metro Station if you are more inclined to get somewhere quickly but in a much less scenic manner.

I prefer to walk most places and this area of St. Sulpice remains my favorite.  Having experienced walking through the Latin Quarter, over to the Ile de la Cite, to the Louvre and Tuileries among other hot spots, I can say walking along the more quiet streets of St. Sulpice, particularly on the way to Luxembourg Garden, is my choice for just enjoying the streets of Paris.  With the occasional small cafe, unique shops and fewer fast-paced Parisians it is a stroller’s paradise.

Of note, you can also walk to tennis at the Luxembourg Gardens from this location.  There is an office near the courts where you put in your name to get a court (usually no wait, but plan on arriving near the top of the hour); €8 per hour.  When it is busy they limit you to half an hour but this has only happened to us once (remember, we are here in November.)

Fashion and shopping is, of course, everywhere with many stores repeating their presence often and in close proximity (Zadig, Kenzo, Princess Tam Tam, Aubade) but if you need a belt, be sure and stop in at Losco.  They have belts of every size, shape, color and skin; first you pick your belt and then you chose from hundreds of buckles, from the simple to the grandiose, and the lovely lady puts it all together while you wait.  With a Parisian’s eye for fashion, her assistance is most helpful.

Another great discovery was the open market at the intersection of Boulevard Raspail and Rue de Rennes (200 meters from the flat); Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings with Sunday being the “Bio” day (organic produce.)

Finally, we attended a Chopin concert at Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre, the oldest church in Paris.  A small venue, it was delightful to be so close to the pianist and to hear the music flowing around the pillars and saturating the stone walls of the church.  Although I learned of the concert via a flyer outside of Notre Dame, tickets and more information can be found on the Concert in Paris website. 

-K

PS:  If you find yourself needing a great lunch spot while visiting Notre Dame, walk over to the Ile St. Louis and dine at the very French and very enjoyable Café St. Regis.

PPS:  If you are wondering about Rosco's photo above, I took it because he is constantly called TinTin, particularly by the Asian tourists who clamor to have their picture taken with him (much to River's chagrin.)

Paris – Week II – Nov. 5-11, 2012

A few more pictures here!

During Week II we made it a point to get out and about more and we discovered, of course, fine art, great food, busy tourist-weary Parisians and, happily, that there are a lot of Americans in Paris. 

What?  Kit and Alan are happy to see Americans abroad?  That is impossible! 

It is official, we have become Those People.  It used to be that when we traveled abroad we hated being seated next to other Americans; after all, we didn’t travel so far to overhear the same conversations, in the same accents, that we could while sitting at home.  But after nine months in Europe (and over a year with just each other to talk to) we are happy to hear an American voice.  And so we have become Those People:  The ones who sit beside you and engage you in conversation.  The ones we would have avoided like the plague if we were here on a short vacation.  Mon dieu.

As for the tourist-weary Parisians?  They can be a bit rude as evidenced by the day we were window shopping along the Boulevard St. Germain when a lady, and I use that term generously, and I nearly collided.  I looked up (and up and up—she was well over six feet tall) finally finding her face into which my, “Excusez moi” froze onto a field of ice.  It was like looking into the eyes of a cobra.  A cobra with a long, long nose.  She did not smile, she did not move, she only sent a penetrating chill down my spine.

But this has not been our experience of French people in general.  Americans typically think of the French as rude and vice versa; however, many Americans experience the French in Paris and Paris alone.  That is like experiencing Americans in Manhattan.  Most of our time outside of Paris the French people were welcoming, helpful, and interested in making our experience of their country extraordinary; much like you might find in Texas or California.  But Parisians?  Mais non.  To Parisians, like Manhattan-ites, tourists are nothing more than speed bumps; dark grey lumps designed to slow your progress. 

And so typically we don’t get the cheery, “Bonjour!” to which we had become accustomed in the small towns; although when I am out on the early morning constitutional with The Noses we often get mistaken for locals (who else would have two terriers in Paris?) and garner more welcoming nods and even a few, “Bon matin”s—but not until they are finished with their effusive greeting of The Noses.

Taking the advice of a friend of SP’s (P1), we ventured out to dinner at Le Relais de l’Entrecote and what an experience that was!  Insider information was again very helpful:  Armed with knowledge that there is always a line at the door (opens at 7, no reservations) we arrived at 6:45 and joined the queque.  P1 also prepared us for the only three questions we were to be asked that evening:  How do you like your meat cooked?  What do you want to drink?  And, What would you like for dessert?

You sit where they indicate, answer the three questions (the house red wine is quite good and a bargain at €17/bottle) and wait for the food to arrive.  First up is a fresh, simple green salad with a fantastic dressing.  Then the steak arrives, sliced and served from a large platter, followed quickly by a delicious light cream sauce on top of which the pommes frites float invitingly.  They keep an eye on you and as soon as the first helping is done they are at your side with more steak and frites.  Both are so delicious it is difficult to stop.  P1 recommended the profiteroles for dessert, but I opted for the crème brulee (I am afraid they used the torch, a staple in US restaurants which I had hoped was banned in France) and SP had the peach melba.  Next time we will follow P1’s suggestions all the way through.  Oh yes, there will be a next time.

Alas, there is more to Paris than shopping and food and one day we even managed to get to the Louvre.  Thankfully the lines are gone and we were able to walk directly to the ticket counter (opting for the machines) and then into the museum.  It was still plenty crowded particularly around the popular ladies (Ms. Lisa, Ms. Milo.)  I don’t profess to be an art expert but I know what I like and I was completely uninspired by both ladies.  However, the plasticity (and yes, I have been waiting since my Humanities 101 class in college to use that delicious word in context and so will do so again) the plasticity found on many other sculptures was simply incredible:  The drape of the robes looked so soft and realistic I thought it entirely possible to just reach out and make a slight wardrobe adjustment.  My favorite area of the Louvre, so far, was the seemingly outdoor sculpture garden; although I am reserving judgment until my next visit during which I will find my way to Napoleon’s Apartments.

As for The Noses?  I can’t say Paris is their favorite spot:  They spend an awful lot of time indoors or on leash weaving through crowds of people while trying not to get their eyes gouged out by the corners of expensive shopping bags.  Our morning walks are a highlight for all three of us as they get some off-leash time in the Palace Gardens during which Rosco digs for moles in the shrubbery and River simply runs as fast as she can in any direction, often complete circles.  We follow that up with a short off-leash walk along the Seine before leashing up and walking through the crowded shopping streets back to the flat.  

Paris, in general, is welcoming to The Noses although they were disallowed from the public bus for being too large.  (With the crowds that are often crammed onto the busses, I don’t blame them for not wanting dogs that cannot be held on a lap.)  We have seen larger dogs on the Metro but I can’t get enthused about navigating a turn-style with a terrier.  We have had no trouble bringing them into restaurants but the tables are so small and close together that even sticking them underneath doesn’t really work.  So we opt to give them their exercise, leave them sleeping in the flat, and then go out and enjoy some human time. 

Coming next week:  Kit finishes updating her wardrobe and a visit to the Musee D’Orsay and then . . .  Guests!

-K

Musings – On Shipping S&P and The Noses Home

If I have blogged this once, I have blogged it a million times:  Experiences get so much easier the second time around.   Below is a table of decision points and or actions we had to take in order to transport Salt & Pepper and The Noses to Europe and back:  (For more details on the US to UK portion, please see the US2UK label in the "Postings by Labels" section of the blog.)

Issue	To Europe Decision	From Europe Decision
With whom do we ship Salt & Pepper?	SP spent weeks corresponding with multiple shipping agents and analyzing their answers to 10 standard questions before deciding on Hill Shipping from the UK.	One email to Hill Shipping asking for our European port options.
What can travel inside Salt & Pepper?	This was one of SP’s 10 standard questions and the answers were all over the map from “what would normally be in a camper” to “nothing that isn’t screwed in.”  We left nothing in either vehicle; spending over a thousand dollars on extra baggage charges (ten large, check bags) and storage upon our arrival in London Heathrow.	Everything remained inside except for clothes and toiletries.
Dropping Salt & Pepper at the docks for shipment.	We arrived at the appointed time in Galveston, Texas and were escorted to the parking spot.  We spent about 30 minutes with S&P taking our last looks before the agent drove us, and our aching hearts, off the dock.	We arrived, unannounced, a day ahead of (our own) schedule in Zeebrugge, Belgium.  The clerk at the desk allowed us to drive onto the dock and leave S&P despite not having all the required paperwork with us (it was still pending from Hill Shipping.)  We walked off the dock about five minutes later.  Only looking back once.
The Noses	My posting for exporting The Noses from the US can be found here.  A quick refresher:  Four visits to two different vets, one visit to the APHIS office in Austin, Texas = many, many days, and lots and lots of money spent on the endeavor.  Top it off with a bill for over $1,700 PER NOSE to fly them on British Airways.	One visit to a vet located two blocks from the Paris flat.  $150 per Nose to fly them on our Air France flight home.

It seems everything is easier:  Part of it is just doing business in Europe where there is not such a strict set of rules governing everything (or people just feel more free to work around them to serve a higher purpose); prior experience, as mentioned above, helps in every situation; and, I am hoping, a new attitude on our part has taken hold.  Life is too short to sweat the small stuff—or even the big stuff over which you have no control.

-K

Paris - The First Week - Oct. 28-Nov 4, 2012

More Pictures Here!

Having dropped Salt & Pepper off a the docks in Zeebrugge, Belgium, we had nothing left to do but to settle contentedly into our Paris flat.  Much larger than anticipated, it is a joy to be able to walk through multiple rooms without touching anything (or anyone or any dog.)

The flat is situated on the Rue de Rennes, two blocks from the St. Sulpice Lions (and of course the church, but I much prefer the Lions) which we visit at least twice a day as it is the first available dirt for The Noses' constitutional runs.  People in Paris barely notice when your dog does his business on the sidewalk (as long as you have a bag) but we still make them walk the walk to the dirt.  Incidentally, the sidewalks remain quite clean due to the rain and the street cleaning machines; the machines have an expandable hose which is carried along the sidewalk, washing down the stones and sending the water to the gutter and the awaiting machine. Very nice.

We spent our time during the first week walking The Noses around the Seine, Tuilleries, Luxembourg Gardens, renting bikes to visit the Eiffel Tower and two important stores about 5 KM away:  Decathalon (yoga mats) and Animalis (dog crates and beds.)

For some reason (and I am afraid to ask why lest it ends) SP has taken on the cooking duties which leaves me plenty of time for more shopping and Nose walking.  The Noses aren't thrilled with Paris; being on-leash or locked in the bedroom while we are out alone, but at least they can roam freely through the flat when we are all lazing around.  And what a luxury that is:  To read a book on a sofa in a Paris flat!  A sofa!  Paris!

Can't promise that my next posting will be any more interesting . . . we have a bit of routine down and it is heavy on the exercise (tennis in Luxembourg Gardens, P90X, walking, biking) to combat the Pain aux Raisins and just enjoying the fact that we can move through a city at our leisure and without a vehicle.  And take hot showers.

-K