We didn't do our usual thing, go to the Trocadero first thing. There was an illegal there Friday night so we went, 2birds/1stone. There's a basic photographic problem at these milongas, discovered last year. They start at 7pm, sunset is around 8:20pm. This milonga added the problem of being overcast. At 7pm there aren't very many dancers. They show up between 8 & 8:30. So, the better it gets, the darker it becomes.
With that in mind, here are some pics:
I took some pics of Susanne with the Tower. Immediately a man approached us & offered to take a shot of the two of us. The light is still decent, the Tower dark.
It's later, more people & darker (Tower lights on) but doesn't seem so cuz I cheated by lightening the image.
This couple danced by but I didn't have the heart to zap them with flash, so it's available light only. The tango folks here seem to like the fancy stuff. They're difficult to tango with on a crowded floor.
The outdoor surface was gritty so there was a constant crackling noise from below.
Here's a video. If you can't view it here, try THERE.
Old stairs, no longer in use.
Everything in Europe is compact, shipping carts included. The metal ones are smaller; I'm not a fan of the huge carts at Safeway. Here's a compact version at Carrefour. The red basket has a handle & can be carried or locked into the cart frame. There's a place on the bottom for a 2nd basket.
We are having dinner at a friend's apartment tonight and bringing the wine. We did not select from the French version of two buck Chuck. We bought a St. Emilion instead.
Place des Voges is the oldest square in Paris. A short walk from the apartment, it was built by good King Henry IV started in 1605 & took 7 years. Here are some shots.
This is the north side, the larger building is the Queen's Pavilion. The King's is way over on the opposite side. French kings preferred living apart from their queens. Hmmmm.
The center of the square has several fountains.
I tried to lighten the above shot to get more building detail but then I lost the cloud detail. So...clouds & silhouette.
While at Place des Voges, we came upon a group of crazy Frenchmen including the self named "Chico" (Chico Marx? How does he know about the Marx Brothers?). After joyous greetings & lining up for a photograph, he planted a lipstick laden smooch on Susanne while I was fumbling with the camera, but I got the one when she returned the favor.
Several hours later at Place de la Bastille as we were on our way to the apartment, we ran into them again (Oh, gawd!!) & it was old home week. The poor lady in the middle had nothing to do with this. She was just standing there making a phone call and good-naturedly got roped into the photo. The crazy French!!
Lute Man's kid brother on the Bastille column.
You know those circus clowns in long baggy pants and on stilts that seem to move effortlessly? Now you know their secret...the right equipment, lessons & practice.
Why we love the Bastille; you never know what you're going to stumble upon.
Today, Sunday we are going to Montparnasse to meet up for lunch with an old friend from the Navigator program at Sky Harbor Airport. She joined us for lunch with Father McCarthy last year. We have a tentative lunch with him next week, waiting for him to confirm. As vicar of the Madeleine church, he has to work weekends. Bummer.
I'm doing better with my French than I expected. This year I shoved embarrassment aside & just dove right in with promising results. I seem to know more French & the French know more English. I'm getting a better understanding of what it means to be fluent. Instead of constructing a sentence ahead of time, then speaking it, the words that are needed just come to me exactly when I want to speak them. That's happening to me with my limited vocabulary. I know more than I think I know & I'm approaching fluency with my limited words but I still lack verb power. To achieve true fluency, all I need is the will to expend the time to learn & practice. With my schedule that I have no desire to change, that's probably not going to happen.
We decided to give the Tibetan Restaurant a try.
Expanding onto the sidewalk is very common in Paris because the sidewalks are very wide. (In some places, cars can park.) The bars usually make it an outdoor space while the restos enclose it.
See! It really is Yakland.
Susanne just wanted a salad, I ordered a three course meal. Her salad on top, the nicer one with tomatoes. Instead of tomatoes, I got rice vermicelli.
The dressing was the standard French oil & vinegar with sprinkled sesame seeds. It was heavier on the vinegar, no other seasonings added. Bland, which turned out to be the theme of the meal.
All these dishes BTW have Tibetan names.
My main course was steamed beef-filled dumplings. My first thought was "only four?" until Susanne pointed out a second basket below with four more.
The tomato based sauce, served cold, with an ever-so-mild cumin background flavor. Again, kinda bland, as were the dumplings.
I would've liked maybe four dumplings plus a small serving of another Tibetan main dish.
Dessert was yoghurt with honey & sesame seeds, partager.
Excellent. Susanne loves the yoghurt here, sweet & smooth, not at all tart.
I don't always translate the French words I toss in.You can go to:
<http://translate.google.com/>
for a word or a phrase. But for a paragraph or more, the translation can be pretty grim. I joined a FB group here for the illegal milongas (the only way they're announced), all in French The time/place stuff is easy to decode. But translating the comments is pretty grim. Try this for size:
"Very
pleased to have relived a hardback milonga, after all these years.
Thanks all, I confess that it is my milongas favorite, perhaps because
they involve everyone, each responsible for the implementation of its
small piece of cardboard. And above all, a hardcover soil remains one of
the best soils that is: uneven, certainly, but slippery and soft as a
carpet. Thank you all! (Translated by Bing)"
I would say "Mis-translated by Bing". Again, I digress.
We were the first customers of the evening. A bit later a group of four arrived and that was it for our whole meal.
Contrast that with A La Biche au Bois, empty cuz we like to arrive early, but jammed by the time we leave.
A shrine against one wall.
As we were leaving & stepping onto the sidewalk, another tourist couple was strolling by restaurant shopping. They asked what we thought. We said it was good, but not worth coming back to. That's all they needed as they thanked us & moved on.
Moving along...
Our apartment has a new feature this year, an automatic trash can. Approach it with poubelle, the lid pops up, drop it in & the lid shuts. Why, in the land of sky high electricity costs the landlord would install a vampire appliance, well I guess his tenants come first.
A bonus...any time you are feeling low & need some respect, just walk by & it salutes you.
Today we took the bus to Gare St. Lazare to see the new shopping mall It turned out to be a bust because about half the shops were the same as the U.S. Here are some pics, no particular order or theme.
The big advantage of the bus is that a they throw in a street tour of Paris at no extra charge. It's hard to take photos because of the window reflections & things go by quickly.
Here is an obvious casualty of the Syrian uprising.
That's our bus reflected in the window.
Great photos are often the luck of the draw. Couples kiss alot in Paris. It's hard to take a photo unless the camera is out and ready cuz the kiss doesn't last that long. Here's a far less than great kiss photo because just as I was ready to snap the pic, the man on the left, black shirt/jeans passed in front of me & when the shot was clear, it was over, mostly.
On the way to the Gare, the bus passed in front of l'Opera Garnier as they call the old opera. Here is a shot hastily taken & thus poorly composed. The window smudges are included at no extra charge. Of the five composers grouped on the right, Beethoven is 2nd from left & Mozart is 3rd from left. Can't read the others.
We walked back to
our bus stop & passed the Opera House again. Couldn't get a decent
overall shot because it is under exterior renovation...sandblasting
& such. Here are some details.
Crowning the very top is a guy (obviously) holding up a lute. His younger brother is perched atop the Bastille column, similarly (un)dressed. The lady below must be the happy lookout judging from her tiny smile.
Susanne liked this big old bald eagle. An American symbol in Paris.
Here is part of one side with busts of some semi-famous composers. The famous ones (Bach, Mozart, Beethoven) are on the front. There's Lute Man on top.
We stopped for lunch at an ordinary restaurant frequented by those who work nearby. As far as I could tell, we were the only tourists...it was loud & busy. We wanted something light & cold, it was going to be 91 degrees today. We both ordered a cold chicken plate with a salad (aka crudites) & potatoes. We were amazed how that hit the spot...not at all fancy or gourmet, but one of the more appreciated meals we've had.
Getting an interior shot of the place was challenging because my point-and-shoot doesn't have much of a wide angle lens. Most Parisian bar/restos have tables for two that are separated (by only an inch or two) or shoved together for groups. This shot features the two guys very next to us. (We shared the water pitcher.) The fellow in black is being served by the only server there. And boy, did she hustle! Constantly in motion. The place was jammed when we arrived shortly after 1pm & cleared out promptly at 2pm.
I'm getting drawn to the Bastille column again. That means more (but hopefully not too many) pics. It's getting close to sunset, off to the left.
Past sunset but with the lights on.
Street art is becoming the thing. (Yes, that is her tongue.) But things aren't always as they seem. I had a mind photo of the artist with all the materials laid out painting this piece. Nope, it's done on vinyl somewhere else and applied here.
Reflect for a moment on this new burger joint. It's all in English. The French word for "frog" is very different so I don't think it's a play on words. The burgers are made from red meat, certainly not frogs. I know this because the grill is near the window. A somewhat pejorative name for the French is "frog". Is that what this is all about...burgers for frogs?
The RATP is responsible for all the Paris area public transport...Metro, bus, RER (rail). For years & years I've seen this logo appearing on every bus & Metro car. All I noticed was an upward looking face in a circle. By itself, it doesn't make much sense.
Then last week I was gazing at it on a Metro car across the tracks down in a Metro station & I finally got it. Boy, am I slow! The circle represents the Peripherique, the the belt line expressway (Hah! The Parisians would call it a circular parking lot) that defines the limits of Paris...inside = Paris, outside = the suburbs. And the squiggly line represents the Seine flowing thru Paris. No, that's not really the shape of the Seine thru Paris but they're in the people transport business.
Susanne had a yen for a crepe in a sitdown place. I checked the web, found a list of the 10 best creperies in Paris & chose one within walking distance. And here they are...hard to tell what's inside. Partially eaten salad, very good, on the left. Susanne's (top) had Camembert & walnuts, mine was cheese, onions, & bacon bits. The crepe itself was thin & crisp. We prefer the street crepes, thick & soft. LSS, these seemed greasy, we were underwhelmed.
Earlier I mentioned the dearth of Vietnamese places. Here's one across from the creperie. It was getting dark so the shutter speed was slow. This is the line waiting to get in...the entire time we had dinner there was always a line. Here's a business opportunity. Get a short term lease, 1-2 years max. Open up a Vietnamese place while the demand & prices are high, then get out when all the clones appear.
Paris has street demonstrations, we usually see one per visit. Place de la Bastille is the traditional spot for all the marches to end. This one came right past our apartment heading there. They are very noisy but usually peaceful. Note the guys in neon vests keeping order. As long as it's orderly, the authorities put up with the traffic disruption. The photos are from our living room window.
You can see by the flags that it's about Iraq & Egypt.
Here is a 42 second vid of the scene so you can get some sense of the sound of it all. If you have an email subscription, you won't be able to see it here. Go to the web version of the blog by clicking HERE.
I'd call this photo "Street Musicians and a Very Young Groupie". Just after I took the shot, the youngster toddled off to his parents off camera on the left.
Note the hat for the money. I dropped in a few copper coins.
I mentioned previously about Tony's Pizza & how it has been shut down for almost a year from the fire. It's near the creperie so we dropped by. Note that the door is open. We peered inside and there sat a very disconsolate Tony puffing away on a cigarette surrounded by a partially reconstructed pizza joint. He remembered us (or had the good sense to say he did) and explained the problem...the insurance company fought him every step of the way, refusing to pay. He thinks he can be open in 2 weeks but I think that's very optimistic. We wished him well then left.
Coffee & pastries at the apt.
Paris weather temp. forecast high/low: Wednesday, 87/60, Thursday 91/61. Friday cooler with rain.
Wow, getting rid of jet lag took alot longer this time. Today is really the first day both of us felt more up to par, staying up last nite til 10pm, sleeping thru the nite & waking up at a reasonable time, me 5am, Susanne 7am.
The Hotel de Ville, the main Paris city hall continues to be the most beautiful building in Paris, my opinion. It's difficult to photograph because from the front, it is very, very wide. To get it all in, most detail is lost. This year it is decked out in bunting and some very ugly trucks are installing a large flagpole in front of one side. Gives me the perfect opportunity to shoot only part of it.
All those statues still fascinate me. Never, ever again would such a building be built. It is a 19th century value, never to be repeated. It took 19 years to be completed...we don't to that these days.
Here is a closeup of just two of the 338. The upper tier has been sandblasted, the lower waits its turn.
Paris was occupied by the Germans in WW2. The history is interesting. When it became inevitable they were coming, work needed to be done. Art treasures to be removed & hidden. The citizens took down every street sign. Paris is hard enough to get around with the signs (anyone walking the back streets can testify) but all is fair in war.
After D-Day, the end of the occupation was also inevitable. As the Allies got closer, the resistance started an uprising. 1,500 French fighters died. There are monuments scattered all over Paris to those who died in the skirmishes.
OK, enough background. What I'm about to tell you is pure speculation on my part. You can judge for yourself. This statue is around the corner on the Rue de Rivoli side. Note the pock marks made some time ago. My guess is they are bullet holes from the battles inside Paris leading up to the liberation.
In Jerusalem you can see pock-marked buildings from the 1948 & 1967 wars. That's why this is familiar to me.
OK, major change of topic.
Would it be fair to say that the most succinct translation of the first menu item would be "horseburger with fries & a salad"?
Speaking of food, yesterday for lunch Susanne & I wanted something light, cold & crisp. So we stopped at one of those Asian takeaway/eat-in places & just bought (by the 100gm) from left, cabbage salad, shrimp salad with bean sprouts, & a fruit salad. Total cost with the drink: 8.18 euros, just under $11.00. Ditch the drink & opt for carafe d'eau (as a lady nearby did) & the cost drops to $8.20.
I have been craving pho but there is currently a dearth of Vietnamese places in Paris. Strange, given the history of Viet Nam. I mean, lots of Indonesian places in Amsterdam. I'd easily trade away some of the numerous Subway franchises for a phew pho joints.
For dinner, we headed to Madam Tan's Korean hibachi place. We were hungry, the food came in courses (always very good), LSS...no photos.
Housekeeping Note:
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Back to our regular programming.
We went to Place d'Aligre to find Susanne's friend Rachid. We saw him talking to a group of friend, didn't want to disturb him do we did some browsing in the flea market. By the time we looked back, he was gone. One of the men wearing a hat was still there so we approached him, knowing he wouldn't speak a word of English. We asked in French where is Rachid, he pointed vaguely in a direction while out came a torrent of French.
LSS, we found Rachid's brother...I forgot his name.
Brother is on the left. But we still couldn't quite get across what we wanted. The young man in the middle had the misfortune of strolling by so we corralled him into the conversation. His English was just enough to get by. It turns out Rachid is not working this week but returns next week. We asked brother to tell Rachid we'll be back next week.
We then remembered Rachid's son Salim works at a fruit/vegetable stand in the market building.
In we went & there he was. We caught up, his grandparents Zina & Ali are well, we understood. Behind Salim is the owner "le patron", also Salim. A very nice man, we chatted with him last year but he was busy today.
Very close to Marche d'Aligre is a wine bar, Le Baron Rouge (aka "Snoopy's Nemesis"). It has high ratings in all the food blogs.
The main features are small glasses of wine (10cl for 2 to 3 euros) and snack plates. It was lunch time so what the hell.
Here's a plate of sausages, pate, & cornichons...a nutritional travesty but we ARE in Paris. Only one glass of wine (a Muscadet) cuz Susanne said wine at lunch makes her sleepy. That is until she tasted it. LSS, we had a 2nd glass. The carafe d'eau was chilled, the patron drew it from a tap that was next to the beer taps.
The wine was fresh because a new bottle was opened.
Sitting at our table & gazing towards the bar this is what we see. The lady on the left is a customer. Talking to her is the bartender, very nice, very friendly of course. And two customers.
I have more but this is probably enough for one post.
The weather has been wonderful, a bit on the coolish side...very walkable. Saturday had a 60% chance of rain, we hit the 40%. Sunday was partly sunny, temps around 70...eat your heart out, AZ.
We had our moules et frites last night. I wasn't in the mood for taking photos; see last year's blog for pics. We just wanted to chill out. Because it was Saturday night, there was a line for tables but it's a big place & we were seated quickly.
We did the Arts et Metiers museum on free museum Sunday. I would characterize it as a museum of the history of scientific development. Anyone with a science background would enjoy it, I did. Trying to photograph the exhibits is a nightmare. Everything is in glass cases & with the lighting & windows, reflections obscure alot.
I would give you a link to their website but it is truly lousy, doesn't tell you anything. Click on the little British flag for the English version & maybe 5% converts to English.
Having lived them, I particularly enjoyed the innovations from the mid to the end of the 20th century. Perhaps a sign of one's advancing years is when things you enjoyed as a kid show up in museums.
Does anyone remember Polaroids? (See what I mean by reflections?)
OTOH, if you think digital readouts are new, here's an 18th century version.
Here is an early American farm tractor steam powered 1878, made by Taylor.
Those windows are reflections from behind me.
The Foucault (pronounced "foo' koh") Pendulum exhibit has changed. An entire room was devoted to the earlier pendulum display. The arc was 30 - 40 feet so it was easy to see the change in a short time. Now it's on a wimpy little table.
We went to the display the first thing, then again just before we left. But I forgot to take a "before" photo so I could take "after" from the same location. We could just barely see that the plane of the pendulum swing had rotated due to the earth's rotation.
For more on the how & why, click HERE for an overly complete explanation. The first few paragraphs will do.
Here's the display of the early PC's
In Bozeman, Montana there is a fabulous museum on the history of the PC. Why Bozeman? Cuz the PC hobbyist/collecter who created & runs it lives there.
There is a
miniature rendering of the Statue of Liberty outside the museum...it pops
up all over Paris. The French are very proud of their gift to us.
Afterwards, we
strolled over to Place de la Republic which is receiving a grand
makeover, progress since last year but still not finished. They did
sandblast the statue so the base is now a sparkling white.
Notice the similarity? Apparently the French prefer their really grand statues to be ladies in robes holding something high in their right hand. Susanne said the Republic lady seemed to be holding a marijuana plant.
I'm always restaurant shopping, checking out the menus. Just south of Republic is a cous cous place & a Tibetan restaurant, we'll have to try both. Susanne asked "What's Tibetan food?" Having never experienced it, all I could muster was that it is served extensively in Tibet.
We had a light lunch at Republic, then strolled back to the apartment. Walking from Arts et Metiers (also the name of the Metro stop) to Bastille seems way too far til you take the time to do it. Dinner was at a pizza joint nearby, not nearly as good as Tony's which BTW is still closed. There's a cheerful sign saying they're closed for renovations but after a year, they ain't coming back. I'll take a pic next time we're near there.
Before I close, another "kindness of the French" story. Sparing you the details, I need a one page Word file printed. For years & years, there were internet cafes sprinkled about, even last year. Now they seem to be scarce. In the olden days web/email access meant spending hundreds to thousands for a computer which many couldn't afford so they rented computer time at the cafes as did travelers. I would speculate that the low cost of laptops & the spread of smart phones provided this capability very cheaply. But I digress.
We stopped at our nearest pharmacy & purchased 10 euros of OTC items. As we left, Susanne suggested we ask them if they knew where a cafe was. This we did & the response from the owner was "I'll print it for you." He motioned for me to come behind the counter, insert my thumb drive & proceed. Except, that PC didn't have a word processor. Not to worry, he took me to another PC in the back room. It had everything, OpenOffice & a printer. The doc loaded but he/we couldn't get it to print. Meanwhile, he had to dash out to wait on customers. I was ready to let it go, I was too much of a bother, he had a business to run. He was determined...there was yet another PC upstairs. He took the thumb drive, disappeared for a few minutes, then returned.....voila! thumb drive & one printed sheet in hand! Many more 'merci beaucoups'.
