Paris & wrap-up

***Note: if you want to read this vacation blog in the order that it was posted, you have to go to the next page and start from the end!***



I finally had the real TGV experience on Sunday night --- that's the high speed train. We went from Avignon to Paris non-stop in 2 1/2 hours. The train was really moving fast and steady, no hesitations or stops! It was cold waiting for a cab outside the Gare de Lyon in Paris, but what a relief! I was at the hotel in no time flat and slept extremely well with the window wide open for the first time in weeks. On Monday morning, I took the #67 bus from the Place d'Italie up to the Montmartre district and did the tourist bit with my old Michelin guide to Paris, but this time included the Cemetery of Montmartre which I'd been reading about...Emile Zola, for instance, is buried there. Paris in August....lots of small stores closed, very light traffic, Parisans gone on vacation, and loads of tourists right where you'd expect them! City looks real clean, there are rows of new city-bikes for the locals to use, the buses are modern and clean and there did seem to be more gardens and green space than before. I flew past the folks eating on the overcrowded, overpriced Place du Tertre at lunchtime, and followed my map to a restaurant recommended by my friend Regine, who is French and owns an apartment in the neighborhood. Lunch was at the Villa des Abesses, which looked just like any other bistro from the outside; in fact the sign was covered up by the awning. I chose from the daily specials and had caviar d'abergine for an appetizer (it's a mix of cubed sauteed eggplant with olive oil, lemon juice and other spices) which arrived with two crunchy toasts and a leaf of endive sticking out of the mound. It was sublime. Can I make this stuff?? I have since actually found two recipes for it. Next, I opted for the whole pan fried trout with green beans. The trout arrived, and it was whole! After I stared him down I chopped off his head and proceeded to dismantle him with this special big flat curvy knife they gave me. It was very good and I had two rounds of goat cheese on some greens for dessert. This was a very good meal and cost about $15 Euro. For dinner I went to the Asian district around Place d'Italie and had a bowl of good old Pho!



On Tuesday morning I went to an exhibition at the Foundation Cartier for Contemporary Art called Rock 'n' Roll 39-59. I'd read about it back home somewhere on some internet newspaper and I had brought the address with me....just in case. It turned out to be just the right thing...it made me laugh and dance and it was easy to get to and very comfortable to appreciate. An hour long, american-made film Rock 'n' Roll The Early Days (subtitled in French) was shown in a room where I watched, lying on a cushion on the floor. The film began with people picking cotton, as did the picture exhibit which continued in the next room! A high point for me was the 'Elvis at 21 Photos' by Alfred Wertheim which I had never seen...real sharp b&w...young Elvis in Penn Station, Elvis french-kisssing some girl....just gorgeous photos. There was a '56 Cadillac on hand, a jukebox to play with and guitars under glass belonging to Elvis, Buddy Holly and Carl Perkins. I do love to observe the French fascination with Americana.



I departed the museum at 11.30, bound for my last french lunch at Le Comptoir at the Place d'Odeon. I had really high hopes for this place, but got an uneasy feeling when I found myself out front at 12.00 in line with ten tourists. This meal was a flop, and it' s my own fault. I ordered the special which was steak. I should have ordered something more complicated like a terrine, and then a vegetarian dish for the main course. Well, I was a fool and a hungry one at that, so I had a tough piece of undercooked meat on my plate which I had to send back. They cooked it some more, it had a lovely sauce but sparse vegetables, and I just ate half of it and bailed out. I went next door and to the creperie run by the restaurant and got a giant hot buckwheat crepe dusted with sugar, folded in quarters, and ate it right on the sidewalk.



In Paris, as in Avignon and all the other cities I visited, I found young men & women in shops, post offices, restaurants, train information booths etc., all polite, and genuinely courteous & interested. Where are all those crones that used to insult us and our french language skills when I was a student?! In the Maison de Retraite, no doubt! Anyway, what a pleasure: not one person made a big deal about my being a non-native speaker of French. It was like they were just interested in my unusual accent. I was quite busy on this trip and I had not counted on the heat factor in Southern France in the summer. Actually I had thought about it, but decided to ignore it when I made my plans! The theater festival (I saw about 20 plays) and the course were wonderful, and that's why I went. I did manage to fit in some good bicycling (I did three long rides, about 140 miles) and tourism, ate local food which I prepared myself & had some fancy restaurant meals, but I think those things could be done more pleasurably in the Spring or Fall because of the heat. I'd love to go back and rent a house in Apt in the Spring and just cycle, eat, tour and cook with food from the markets. And I would avoid Charles de Gaulle/Roissy Airport.


Any takers for the next trip?


Thanks for all your e-mail and comments! --K