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Post by mez on May 25, 2011 17:01:29 GMT -5
That didn't look like Perrier with the macarons! ;D And Rafa had a tough match!!! It was tea. I didn't really want the tea but I wanted the cup because it had the Roland Garros logo on it. It's already in the post and headed home ... along with the coffee cups and beer cups. ;D Yes, Rafa did have a tough match. We were given updates during the breaks on the court I was on.
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Post by sistereurope on May 27, 2011 9:52:00 GMT -5
Great report Mez...I'm not into tennis either but from a cultural standpoint I enjoyed your pics!!
"Our" apartment was worth those steps though, n'est ce pas?! ;D
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Post by mez on Jul 21, 2011 6:56:53 GMT -5
Hello everyone! I realise I still haven't finished this report - time has flown. I am getting there, though. I thought I'd start with my photos. You can check them out here - tinyurl.com/424ugclHere's one to get you started... IMG_2768 by mez3000, on Flickr
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Post by Sandy M on Jul 21, 2011 11:51:35 GMT -5
Mez - your photos are amazing!!!! Thanks so much for posting! Looking forward to reading your report!
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Post by Shoesy on Jul 21, 2011 16:00:08 GMT -5
Mez - Thank you so much ......for giving me PPD. Seriously, your pics are a delight.
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Post by georgeleitch on Jul 21, 2011 17:24:09 GMT -5
Thank you Mez, the photos are wonderful.Especially the last one!
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Post by Jody on Jul 22, 2011 4:09:06 GMT -5
Have really enjoyed both the reporting and the pictures! Good show, Lady!
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Post by Belladonna on Jul 22, 2011 20:11:05 GMT -5
WOW - you take great photos Mez, really beautiful and and so creative. I enjoyed the advert for Australia and the picture of the roasting chickens ;D. Now the PPD is really bad, how will I survive not being able to be in Paris for another 2 years? ?
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Post by geordy on Jul 23, 2011 7:44:57 GMT -5
Yes...my favs are the food ones as well! ANd the cafe...a new Italien place on the corner across the street just got their permit for the outdoor terrace and had a;; their new lovely wicker cafe style chairs and tables set out yesterday///so d*&^ HOT I doubt anyone will be using them for awhile! I was thrilled to see the Madame Gris exhibition was being extended...but..not long enough for me ...only until Aug 24! Did see the Alexander McQueen at the Met last weekend...if I were not a member would not have..when we arrived the wait was estimated at 2 hours for non=members! I was not a huge fan either, nor am I in to sewing or how things are constructed..just how they look and fit!..but it is an excellently presented show...the backgrounds, music, designs, mannequins, the whole package!
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Post by Katharine on Aug 7, 2011 10:36:47 GMT -5
Mez - great pics! You obviously have a fantastic eye for light and angle. Thanks for sharing these!
KH
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Post by Darcy on Aug 7, 2011 10:48:05 GMT -5
Great photos, mez! So glad you saw the special exhibit at the Antoine Bourdelle Museum, it's right up there with the Nissin de Camondo Museum for me. They are my two favorite museums in Paris.
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Post by mez on Nov 26, 2011 7:31:55 GMT -5
I was cleaning up documents on my computer and came across my unfinished Paris trip report. How rude of me not to finish it!
It's the start of a lazy weekend for me so I decided to write it up...stay tuned.
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Post by mez on Nov 26, 2011 8:02:28 GMT -5
Friday May 20 The first event for today was the Paris Walk ‘Hemingway’s Paris’. I have never read a book of his and at this stage have no interest in doing so. Was I therefore setting myself up for a boring time? The answer is no. This was my first Paris Walk and I was not sure how well they are set up compared to their London cousins. It all worked well with the size of the group (I counted nearly 40) being my main concern. Our guide had a loud voice, so we could all hear him as he spoke. We walked around the neighbourhood, starting at Cardinal Lemoine metro , making our way to the Pantheon and down Rue Mouffetard where the tour ended. Like Rue Cler, this is another street that’s popular with tourists yet I had never been here before. Here are some photos from my day… One great thing about this walk is that it took us past a restaurant that I had noted down from a previous blog entry I had... The place was busy but a table was found for me. I ate the lunch special which was sea bass in a butter and red pepper sauce. It was very good. Dessert was lovely but I have no idea what it as called. When the waiter asked if I would like dessert, I just asked him for whatever the woman sitting at a nearby table was having – lol. A picture tells a thousand words – even if it’s only half a dessert. I only remembered to take the photo after eating some. The restaurant is lovely, sitting on a rise in the road. It’s a pity the view is not more inspiring. Once lunch was done I made my way to the Luxembourg gardens where I went for a stroll before going to see the Cranach exhibition at the Musée du Luxembourg. I enjoyed the exhibition and when I was done, went back into the gardens for another walk. During my last trip, there was a massive sculpture of a golden head. It’s no longer there, which surprised me. I did not think it was a temporary installation. Exiting the gardens, I walked throughout the 6th arr. for some time. I ended up in front of City-Pharma and went inside. This store seems crazier and busier each time. I know some of you here go shopping there and my question is how do you know what to buy? Do you use the same products or do you just try something new? There is so much to choose from that I would not have the fainted idea where to start let alone fill a shopping basket. Well, I did tell somewhat of a porky-pie in the previous pargraph. While I did not manage to fill a basket, I got a third of one full. My feet really suffer when I travel, what with the constant pounding of pavements. I stocked up loads of band-aids, plasters, gel filled padding and anything else I can find. After my shopping exhibition, I took a stroll to St Sulpice church. The interior is lovely and it’s quite large. The pulpit is incredibly ornate and in my opinion somewhat ostentatious. Paris provides me with a challenge when it comes to evening entertainment. I love going to the theatre when in London and here language does provide a barrier to that. Some months earlier, I discovered there were several theatre shows being performed in English during my stay. So I got myself ready to see another venue I’d not been in before – the Châtelet theatre where I was seeing a production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Stret. Now I don’t ordinarily choose to see shows about serial murderers but, hey, it was in English, so at least I would understand what they were saying. It was interesting and I enjoyed my evening. And that’s another day over.
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Post by Jody on Nov 26, 2011 8:19:55 GMT -5
More fn readig your thn writing mine! Sounds like you hadbusy days. I am a Cite Pharmacie regular. We made a special trip for me o stock up. I buy ROC enydrial hand cream ( 6 tubes) it is the BEST! also boght some voltaren emulgel for aches and pains. Wish I'd seen gel inserts I could have used those. They also have great prices on perfumes and colognes. I didn't have much room this time .
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Post by mez on Nov 26, 2011 8:20:49 GMT -5
Before I start, this entry contains 2 videos. I've provided links because I don't know how to embed them so you only need to click once. Saturday May 21 Today I was camera free. I brought my DSLR camera on this trip instead of a small compact one. I appreciate the additional features but sometimes I don’t want to “lug” it around. So off I skipped to the first event without it. Today we start with the Bastille Artists market. The market’s got a lot of variety but I must have left my shopping mojo back at the apartment because I was not tempted to buy anything. Truth be told, there did not seem to be many unique items and anything unique was not to my taste. I will need to make a return trip to the food market on another trip, I think. Still, the weather was nice so I strolled around. The next stop was musée Cognacq-Jay. It’s a small, intimate museum with a lovely decorative arts collection. Museum security seemed to outnumber visitors, which is a shame. After the museum I strolled the streets and found my way to the Gerard Mulot pastry shop. I had earlier taken note that people recommended the salted caramel macarons here but when I arrived at the store I had forgotten this fact and went for some strawberry filled delight. Unfortunately, it looked much nicer than it tasted and I disappointed to announce that this is the first time a purchase from a patisserie is note even deserving of a mediocre rating. From the pastry shop I made my way to Place des Vosges where I had to fight the weekend crowds looking for a spot on a bench to sit on. The weather was gorgeous and it was a prime people-watching opportunity. Families, couples and groups of friends had staked out places on the ground and they were all enjoying their time together. The next part of the day took me on a walk until I made my way to the lovely St Catherine’s Square in the Marais. With the number of restaurants around here, my tummy decided I should stop to eat. The hardest part was finding a table to sit at. Remember – sunny day? Weekend? Everyone was out and about. I ended up getting a great table at a restaurant called Le Terrace. It’s here that I finally took the opportunity to eat steak tartare. I really enjoyed it and was kicking myself I had not gone out of my way to try it earlier. Soon after I sat down a few musicians entered the square and began playing for our entertainment and their financial benefit. I swear, the only thing left was a person to walk past me wearing a beret and striped shirt while clutching a baguette and I would have been thinking I’ve been transported to the ultimate clichéd experience. I was caught up in the moment that it did not occur to me to take photos until they were nearing the end. Once it did my brain functioned further and remembered that mobile phones can also record these days, so here for your listening pleasure is a snippet of my day. It’s a pretty poor recording but it’s better than a picture. … and off topic, I think mobile phones should no longer be called as such. They do so many other things these days and making phone calls is one of the lesser reasons I use my iPhone. flic.kr/p/aKSkWFForgive me while I take a few minutes to relive the memories… Right. Back to it. After lunch, I kept walking for a while before heading back to the apartment to freshen up before the next adventure – I was meeting Janetnj! Trying to find someone you’ve never seen a picture of can be quite the task especially when you are surrounded by loads of people loitering and enjoying the day. With the help of our phones we found each other and made our way to the local café for a drink. We caught up on our travels to date and enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine while basking in the strong sunshine. Thanks, Janet, for sharing your time in Paris with me. I loved this trip as I got to meet so many OPFers for the first time. ;D After parting ways I was off to my next event – an evening concert at St Chapelle. This has been on my to do list for several years but I’ve never had the opportunity before as I rarely travel during spring/summer when the concerts are on. The events are very well organised and even though the queue of people lining up before me had me worried, they woman organising the line assured me there were plenty of tickets to be bought inside. I am so glad I went. The experience definitely lived up to my expectations. With my lunctime musical interlude in the back of my mind I had to foresight to do some recording. And now for your viewing pleasure… flic.kr/p/aKSfZRI went to the early concert, which finished before 9pm. Afterwards I decided to wander a while since it was till light outside and with no other real plans, decided to find a place to eat dinner. I was in Place Dauphine at the time. There were a few boisterous groups in the square drinking and playing boules and the restaurants looked full. I found one with a few free tables and went to ask if I could dine …and here it comes … Madame looks me up and down and refuses my request. They have no space, she informs me. I was disappointed but imagine my dismay when a couple arrives and in perfect English ask for a table – also not having a reservation – and they are smiled at and promptly lead to a table. Ouch! I must say it did leave a bitter taste in my mouth and my appetite disappeared. I really did not want my day to end on such a note so I picked myself up started thinking what I could do instead. The tourist boats at Pont Neuf were not far away so I chose to buy a ticket and go on a cruise. The cruise was a nice way to end the night. There were loads of people on the boat, so it’s not a great choice if you want a romantic experience. It was an interesting trip in that I got to see the massive crowds that line the Seine each Saturday night while they hang out. It’s absolutely crazy how many people there are. After the cruise I slowly strolled for a while before heading to a metro station and making my way home for the night.
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Post by jo on Nov 26, 2011 8:45:16 GMT -5
Oh Mez, what a treat to wake up this morning and find 2 more reports from you to savour and enjoy! Between you and Denise, I now have a raging case of PPD. Those videos certainly didn't help, lol. I've always wondered about a concert in Ste Chapelle, it looks like a divine experience, so thanks for sharing.
Your steak tartare looks delicious, as do those nice, plump fries. I also loved the pictures in the previous post. Ah Paris, I miss you so much........
Can't wait to read more!
Jo
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Post by mez on Nov 26, 2011 9:50:07 GMT -5
Sunday May 22 Another jam packed day! After today, I only have one full day left – I am not counting my tennis days – and there are so many things I’ve had to take off the list. Mind you, I was already planning the next trip. By the end of today, I will have been berated by a museum security guard and also caused a major faux-pas in a shop. Who said Sundays were quiet?? So let’s get started! As I was walking down the steps from the apartment, I had a moment of panic as I was already addicted to my morning croissant that I’ve been eating on the way to the metro each day– what if the boulangeries were closed?? Luckily, one was open, so my panic was momentary and I went happily on my way with my croissant. The first stop today was the Bourdelle Museum where the Mde. Gres fashion exhibition is on. This museum was on my list already – I think it was Denise that posted photos from her visit? – so having the additional exhibition was a bonus. The sculptures in this museum are fantastic. Some of them are HUGE. I still can’t fathom how an artist can work on something so large. Dotted throughout the rooms were fashion items which definitely benefit from being displayed in unique surrounds. After the museum, I made my way to the Tour Montparnasse and headed to the top for some lofty views. The day was grey and windy at times but not unpleasant. After making my way down, I walked over to the Edgar Quinet metro where there is a Sunday art market. There are some interesting pieces for sale but I found nothing that tempted me enough to want to consider how to get it home. The next place on my list was the Decorative Arts Museum. It’s taken me a few visits before I finally got here. Before making my way up the Rue de Rivioli, I had to push my way through all the petition holders crowding the exit. It was insane at the number of the. There must have been at least 20. The museum had a special automobile exhibition which required additional payment, cars really aren’t my thing so I chose to buy an ordinary ticket. I did see the entry for the car exhibit and thought the shiny car would make a great photo. As I raised walked around and raised my camera ready for a photo I heard a loud shout coming from a man. Imagine my fear when this man comes barrelling towards me yelling at the top of his lungs. Apparently photos are not allowed. Apparently security guards justify their positions by feeling the need to shout. A quiet word is not the done thing. It’s a car for pity’s sake and it’s not like they can stop people taking the odd photos… With my camera firmly packed away for the time being, I head to one of the entrances and make my way up each floor to view the treasures. While London’s V&A is the pinnacle of decorative arts, I did like this place. I am on the hunt for a new dining suite for my place and I have developed a keen interest in chairs this year... While not a dining chair, I like the look of this one. The museum also offers lovely views of other sights. After the museum. I made my way to the Arc de Triomphe so I could walk down the Champs-Élysées. My first stop was the Louis Vuitton. After waiting for a sales assistant who took 15 minutes to complete a purchase for a tie – one tie – it was finally my turn. Unfortunately the item I wanted was not in stock – not in Paris, not anywhere in France – so I left empty handed. I made my way down the road and eventually entered the Guerlain store. It is here that I shocked the sales assistant so much that he probably went home and took a sedative that night. It all started so innocently. I went upstairs, smelled the perfumes, admired the setting and played with some make-up before a sale assistant was free. He spoke little English, I offered even less French. Still, I was able to make known what I was after. After congratulating me on the perfume I had chosen – Mitsouko - I was asked did I want the parfum or eau de parfum. My brain was saying eau de parfum but the words that came out of my mouth were eau de toilette. I have not used an EDT for nearly 30 years. I do not know what devil inside me forced those words out, but there they were. Well, the poor man was horrified. I kid you not. He literally took both his hands, slapped his cheeks and in a horrified voice exclaimed “Madam! No, no, no, no, NO!’ ‘ Mistsouko. She is charmant, elegant. She is not zee toilet vater’ – the words toilet water were spat out of his mouth. My initial reaction was to correct my mistake. By the end of his tirade, I was howling with laughter at his reaction. He was hilarious. After his shock subsided, we ended up on a more even keel. I felt so sorry for him I tasked him to help me pick a red lipstick, which he did. And every time I put it on, I think of him and smile. I waited while he packed my purchases and he either felt sorry for me or decided to educate me because he packed the bag full of samples plus an additional shopping bag that I can use another time. I walked out of the store with my beribboned bag - another reason why I love shopping in Paris – and continue chuckling as I walk along. I am sure there is now a photo of me in the store asking employees to be aware. ;D At this time I am hungry and in need of a bathroom. I end up doing the touristy thing and head into McDonalds. There. It’s out. I’ve confessed. Actually, it’s not too bad occasionally. As I was eating I saw for the first time the self-ordering stations. They are touch screens which you use to order – and pay, I assume – without having to wait in line. You only need to go up to the counter when your number is called. I saw this same service a couple of days later at the French Open tennis when I went. I spent what was left of the daylight hours strolling along and eventually made my way to the Seine where I stayed for a while to see the views while the sun set and the Eiffel Tower started twinkling.
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Post by Jody on Nov 26, 2011 10:18:22 GMT -5
Glad you found a nce place to eat in Sq St Catherine. It is right arond the corner from our apt. We were going to eat there one evening but it was full of motorcycels and running screaming kids . Ate there last rip at Soprano , give it a miss..
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Post by mez on Nov 26, 2011 10:28:59 GMT -5
May 25 My last day in Paris. They always come around so soon. I had no real plans today apart from some shopping, so decided to take it easy. First stop was the BHV department store where I must have spent a good 90 mins just trawling through their kitchenware section. In the end, I settled for something light enough to pack – linen napkins and some beautiful napkin rings. I decided to have an early lunch and headed to the restaurant. Why has no one mentioned this place before? Ok. Maybe you have and I wasn’t listening. ☺ The food is reasonably priced and incredibly fresh. Just check out the variety of salads on my plate. and look at this … I do so love those pitchers of wine. So French. Eventually I made my way to Printemps and Galeries Lafayette. It was a hot day and it was a welcome day to stop, have a drink and just take in the views – magnificent! And that’s about it. A bit more of a wander around the streets found me come upon a movie being filmed just off Place Vendome... ...and then it was time for the final metro ride to the apartment to start the chore of packing up. A morning flight had me making an early start to CDG. A final glimpse of Paris as the RER sped away and that was it for another visit. I will end this portion of my report with a photo taken outside my apartment during this trip. ** We are not quite at the end. I do have my day trip to Strasbourg to write about. Hopefully, the wait won’t be as long.
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Post by afds on Nov 26, 2011 10:35:19 GMT -5
Nice to find some more instalments of your TR. Re Mulot, "disappointed to announce that this is the first time a purchase from a patisserie is note even deserving of a mediocre rating." I totally agree. We tried macarons and some pastries and were very disappointed. Maybe our expectations were too high. Love the encounter with the Guerlain sales assistant
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