La Vie en Rose

Paris, France
September 8-13

Guess what we did this week?

Sorry I've been away so long. Its incredible how the days just slip away when you are living your ordinary life in an extraordinary city. We just passed the one week mark in Paris, but it feels like we have been here longer because we have done so much. I had only been to Paris twice before this and Shaun had only been once, so there was a long list of things we wanted to do here. Luckily for us, we have lots of time so there is no hurry.

We would plan each day based on the weather, the day of the week and just our general mood. The day of the week is very important here when it comes to daily activities like grocery shopping. Each district (called an Arrondissement) has their own special open air market day and the markets are all very different. The one closest to us is called Maubert (it is at the Metro stop Maubert-Mutualite) and it is a nice little market. It runs on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 7AM to 2PM and there is a butcher, a fish monger, a cheese shop, a bakery and multiple fruit and vegetable stands. It works great for a quick run to pick something up for dinner.

My favorite so far though for the open air markets is Saxe-Breteuil over in the 7th Arrondissement. It is a huge market that stands in the Shadow of the Eiffel Tower. There are only two rows of stalls at Saxe-Breteuil, but they run on forever. You can get everything from food housewares to clothing at this market, but if you like Seafood, and shellfish in particular, this is your market. The shellfish vendors here are from Brittany on the northern coast of France and they bring their clams, lobsters and mussels fresh from the sea, still kicking on the beds of ice. Shaun and I had a fun time walking through the stalls but when it came time to actually buy something, I must admit I was a little nervous.

Saxe-Breteuil Market in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower

There is a lot of market etiquette that we didn't know. Luckily, all you have to do is watch other folks to figure it out. If a vegetable stand has green bags out, you can pick your own items out and just hand them to the cashier to be weighed and priced. If there are no bags, there is usually a little line instead. You get in the line and point out the items you want and the greengrocer will choose the best ones and bag them for you. The cheese, meat and fish mongers are pretty much like deli counters at home. My two biggest issues with shopping have been my lack of familiarity with metric weights and measures and the fact that certain food words are not in my repertoire...yet. Even with those limitations, we're both able to communicate what we want pretty well. And we're learning new words every day. I knew Lamb was Agneau for example, but now I know that Epaule d'Agneau is a Lamb Shoulder.

So at Saxe-Breteuil, we had loads of fun practicing. We bought olives and some mixed nuts from one vendor, duck legs from another. We got some vegetables at one of the pick-it-yourself stands and we got slices of ham from one of the charcuterie stands. We even picked up some flowers for the apartment. This market is only open on Thursday and Saturdays but it was well worth the trip. We'll be back there many times I'm sure.

It may seem like all we're doing is eating and food shopping, but once we had settled in at the apartment, we started exploring the city much more. One really fun night we went to a jazz club in an old dungeon. It was called Caveau des Oubliettes (Cave of the Forgotten) and it is quite close to our apartment. The music was great, but the atmosphere was what I really loved. While the three piece band played, musicians sat in the audience with their instruments, hoping for a chance to jump in.

Caveau des Oubliettes

We also spent a day in Montmartre, which is the old Artist's quarter of Paris and the home of the the famous Moulin Rouge nightclub. It is also the home of Sacre-Coeur, a beautiful church that sits atop the hill and offers an incredible view of Paris from it's steps. (Montmartre is actually just as widely knows as the home of the red light district, but we don't need to go there.) This is truly is one of those areas that has two distinct faces. If you just stick to the touristy sights, you will be subjected to a barrage of people trying to sell you something, from the young men trying to sell bracelets on the church steps, to the sketch artists trying to sketch your picture in the place du Tetre. However, if you just stroll down the back streets that wind around and down Montmartre, you will get a much quieter taste of Montmartre and maybe encounter a few surprises!

Why hello Mr Statue coming out of this wall on a random street!

Standing outside "The two windmills" which is the cafe in Montmartre where Amelie was filmed!

If you love art and literature, the Montmartre cemetery should also be on your list. It has so many famous people buried there that the cemetery has guides up within the alleyways, pointing out where you can see the graves of its "residents". My two favorites were the painter Degas (of the Famille de Gas as it says on the grave) and Alexandre Dumas, writer of such classics as the Three Musketeers and one of my favorite books, The Count of Monte Christo. Shaun found the whole thing a bit strange, but I thought it was quite cool. I really want to get to Pere Lachaise cemetery as well, where the local residents include Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde!

At the grave of Degas, the artist and sculptor. Shaun just thought it was funny that they wrote it as Famille de Gas, like it was a Family of Gas!

The fun didn't stop at cemeteries though. One beautiful morning we took the train way out to the western edge of Paris to the Bois de Boulogne, a huge public park. We rented bikes from a bike rental company on the edge of the park and rode off with no idea what to expect. It was a really fun day. The park has two small lakes and miles and miles of trails and roads. It was warm out so people were sunbathing along the lakes and in the fields. You could rent boats and take a little row along the lakes as well, but we decided to save that for another day. I love the fact that we still have plenty of "other days".

Biking in the Bois de Boulogne. This park is 2.5 times the size of Central Park in NY!!

Sunday September 11th was the day that my brother and brother in law arrived. Being here in Paris on that day was a little odd as you might expect. We were hosting John and Doug that night for dinner and the menu was pasta with a duck sauce, which is one of those recipes that takes a long time but it's mainly just bubbling away. So that day as I cooked I turned on the TV and put on the BBC and watched the 9/11 tributes all afternoon. It was quite moving and I was glad to have some way to stay connected to the events of that day. I must admit, I was a little nervous about the anniversary and could not have been happier that it passed without incident.

Dinner that night was lovely. We had a big salad and fresh crusty bread (of course)
with heaping bowls of pasta covered in the duck sauce. We finished it all off with a raspberry tart and a chocolate dessert that we all just shared. John and Doug were tired from their long travel day so we all retired early.

Monday was a bit of an odd day. Shaun and I walked out to the Marais to John and Doug's apartment and we all went out for breakfast. John and Doug had to meet Thierry, the guy who rented them the apartment at 11:30 so we decided to go to the Carnavalet museum to pass the time. No such luck. We forgot that on Monday's many museums are closed. We didn't know it at the time but that would be the theme of the day. With Carnavalet closed, we split up and did a little shopping. I got a cute scarf and a couple pairs of ballet flats to add some variety to my 3 week old outfits. I can't really purchase a lot unless I plan to ship it home since adding to my backpack is a non-starter. At least it keeps me on budget.

That afternoon we tried to go to the Eiffel Tower but the top was closed due to crowds. We walked down to the Rodin Museum (closed because it was Monday) and finally decided we may as well just get a glass of wine and a cheese plate at a bistro. Everyone was beat from all the walking and a little sleepy from the wine so we headed to our respective apartments for the afternoon. We all met back up again at our place for a pre-dinner snack and then ate dinner at a lovely bistro in the 6th called le Bastide d'Opio. I had been there years ago and enjoyed it just as much this time. Believe it or not, that was Shaun and my first dinner out in Paris!!

Our pre-dinner "snack" at the apartment

John and Shaun at dinner

The next day we all got up early and made it to the Eiffel Tower by 9:30AM. The line was very short and we were in the elevator to the second level in no time at all. I must say, I really did think I was going to make it to the top this time. But of course, that was when we were on the ground. By the time we got out at the second level, all sense of adventure was gone for me! Luckily, Doug felt the same way so I wasn't alone. He and I stayed on the second level while John and Shaun took the elevator up to the top. To give you some sense of how high you are, these pictures are from the second level, not the summit!

Seriouly, who needs to go higher than this!!

Shaun and I at the top. I am wishing they would hurry up and take the picture so I can get down from there!

John and Doug at the top. I think Doug feels the same as me!

That evening was another dinner at our apartment. Things started off badly when I couldn't figure out the oven. I thought we were in for a dinner disaster until I found an online version of the instructions in English. It's some sort of convection oven, so I'm glad I didn't just guess. With that figured out, it was time to start cooking. The previously mentioned Shoulder of Lamb was the main course. It's one of those "low and slow" meals that I love to cook. I just chopped up some fresh rosemary and garlic and rubbed that on the roast with some salt/pepper and olive oil. Then it went into the oven for about three and a half hours. While that cooked away, I uploaded photos for the blog post, set the table and made some side dishes. Shaun offered to help, but I was enjoying myself, so he went out for a long workout instead.

The dinner was lovely. Doug had picked up some homemade gorgonzola ravioli that day at a market, so we started with that in a brown butter sauce with walnuts. Then we relaxed for a while with our wine and an episode of Arrested Development. (Shaun and I had brought the DVDs thinking it might be fun to pop in sometimes). Finally, it was time for the lamb. The meat was tender and pulled away easily from the bone. We had it with sautéed zucchini and brussels sprouts with bacon and dijon mustard and of course, wine! It was such a fun night, just relaxing at home with the people I love. Good wine, good food, great company. Who needs more than that.

I wish I had taken a picture of the meal "before" but I actually think the "after" photo is pretty funny. We ate every scrap of meat on that bone!

When Edith Piaf wrote the song La Vie en Rose, she was trying to describe the feeling you get when you are in love. It literally translates to "Life in Pink" but is more like the idea of looking at the world through rose colored glasses. Everything is colored by your happiness and the world just seems softer and sweeter. That's how I feel about our extended stay in Paris. We are living La Vie en Rose!