3/31 c dinner

 Our last night in Paris.  The hotel made taxi reservations for tomorrow morning and then suggested le Florimond for dinner and made a reservation for us.  It was a two minute walk and there was a tour group there when we arrived.  They were noisy, but on dessert so didn’t stay long.  After they left it filled with quieter groups.  Everyone was very charming and the two young men helpers were quite taken with B.  One of them even winked at her to acknowledge her request for more water. 

She started with a savory crepe filled with black pudding (the main waiter was VERY impressed with her adventuresome palate) and then had duck confit.  The orange blob is BBQ sauce.  I had white asparagus with burrata and dandelion greens, and then stuffed cabbage from grandmas recipe.  Chocolate cake for dessert.

3/31 b Notre-Dame

 After lunch we walked around Notre-Dame so here are some pictures from all sides. There is a bleacher set up in the front so people can watch what is going on.  The front with all the statues is the cleanest I have ever seen it.  It looks like they built temporary housing in the garden in the back for the workers. I think every mountain climber in France has a job, because the need people who can work while on ropes and not afraid of heights. Then we had coupes at Bertillion.  I had pear and chocolate sorbet.  B had vanilla and chocolate (boring).

3/31 scenes from Paris

 Today is our last day in Paris.  We took the metro to isle St. Louis for lunch, Notre-Dame and Bertillion ice cream.  The sweetest interaction in the subway.  The little girl in the stroller was really grooving to the music, so the man squatted and played just for her.  The ladder going up the building is how furniture is moved into upper story apartments here.  Lunch at Brassiere isle St. Louis.  B (not autocorrect Brandenburg) had ham and cheese omelette with frites and I had my two most favorite things here: onion tart and frisée salad with bacon.  B loved the tart and helped me eat it.  Said she would have ordered it if she had been able to pre-taste.

3/30 c dinner

 Pasco is just down the street and looked nice but low key.  I was still stuffed from lunch.  Branwen had baby duck and I had cauliflower soup with a herring foam and salad.  B had lava cake with ice cream for dessert.

3/30 b

 We explored the fancy jewelry stores, saw the construction project that is the Opera and went to Galeries Lafayette for the view and the lovely dome.  They have redone the bathroom.  Then we went back to our hotel and went to the local laundromat for a more mundane adventure.  

3/30 Angelina for lunch

 Angelina (famous for hot chocolate) was our plan for brunch. We had a late start so ended up with a late lunch.  I had croque monsieur and hot chocolate and Brandenburg had the full brunch which had little pastries, eggs Benedict on avocado, crepe and hot chocolate.

3/29 dinner

 Our dinner and The Invalide after dinner:

3/29 Versailles

 A lot of good things converged.  A sunny day.  Versailles was open. (Yesterday it was closed because of the strike.). The metro was running 2 out of 3 trains.  The French are getting much nicer.  The man at the metro was fantastically agreeable when I was buying the tickets, the waiters have all been super. The woman at the chocolate shop offered tastes of flavors of ice cream.  It is almost a little disconcerting.

So, we got to Versailles early because we couldn’t be sure that things were ok.  We walked into the garden and found a refreshment stand to have a little lunch.  We shared a classic ham and cheese on baguette and a crepe.  Chatted with some boys on a high school tour from Oregon. (I think they were interested in B. She was so happy she wasn’t on a school trip). When we got in line we met college students.  Boy from UCLA, 2 girls from SLO and 1 from Arizona.  I have never been to Versailles when the courtyard wasn’t teaming with people. Today was fabulous.  Not crowed at all. We weren’t in a scrum where you couldn’t move.  Lovely.

Back in Paris we walked across Pont L'Alma to see the Princess Di memorial, then up Avenue Montaigne to peruse the fancy shops.  Wandered around in Dior and Prada.  Then walked back to our hotel and stopped for ice cream on the way.

We had dinner at d'Chez Eux which specializes in classic France.  We shared Frogs’ legs, then B had lamb chops and I had fois gras.  We shared chocolate mousse for dessert.  This is the latest we have been out and are really tired so planning a later start tomorrow.

3/28 more pics

 

3/28 Chunnel to Paris

 We were up early so that we could have a “full English breakfast “ before heading out to the train station for Paris.  Uber driver was early and we were early (I can hear everyone who knows me saying DUH!) and The whole experience was really easy.  I slept while we were in the tunnel so can’t tell you how it was.

Paris is on strike which includes no garage pick up.  Hotel Muguet is lovely and since we have a garden room, very quiet. Sergio at the desk is very friendly and helpful.

We are both really tired, so took a walk to see Marie's apartment and then stopped at La Terrase brassiere for an early dinner.  We shared escargots and the B had duck and I had steak-frites.  We had house made chocolate cake in a puddle of Creme Anglaise for dessert.  Stopped to buy water on our way back.

Here are the pictures in whatever random order they come up. Perhaps when I get home, I will edit this.

3/27 Camden Town Market

 A beautiful sunny day.  Ella picked us up and we took an “overland” train to this market area.  I the 1800’s this was a very busy commercial area because of a canal.  There were places to store goods and stable up to 800 horses.  So there is a lot of room for tiny shops and food stalls.  Once we got there, we separated so the girls could look at what interested them. My plan was to look around and then walk back to the hotel.  (Took a selfie with the lock.  They yarn bomb here too.)

Found a nice loo and met a lovely couple from Brisbane, Australia.  We got to chatting and ended up sitting and having a coffee.  The girls were finished and heading back to Ella's by the time I started walking.  We were keeping in touch by texting.  B and arrived at almost the same time.

Ella went to class and we rested until dinner.  We found a really nice Indian place a 10 minute walk away. (See pics of girls and food.)  Ella took leftovers home.  

We walked Ella back to the metro, gave back the Oyster cards and wished her a fond farewell.  (B was taken with Mews and the cherry blossoms in the park on the way.

Now we are packing ready to move on through the Chunnel to Paris.