Finding the Human Side of Tranquility

Finding the unexpected in this city is not difficult as it confronts you at every turn if you are only willing to look. The morning finds us crossing a cultural divide as we stretch our legs in the direction of Avenue L'Armee at the Porte Maillot stations. Expecting a quaint side of the city, we found the Porte MALL. Naturally challenged in a mall, we walked completely around it until we gave up trying to find anything interesting but modern Paris. The subway took us to a different world however.

Off the subway at Argentine, we did find the Avenue and quickly realized this was the centerpiece for any gear head. Not that I mind, but it just isn't my thing. The street is lined with car (voiture) dealerships, motorcycle shops and repairs, bicycle stores and all thing mechanic. It is a window shoppers paradise for all thing "motor". Upon reaching the walkway of the Arch de Triumph, we were able to walk the full length of the Champs Elysee with "Freeman in Paris" resounding in our minds.

Sidetracked from the main Boulevard, the Palais Royale, Petit Palace and the Alexander Bridge filled with gilded lampposts, takes us in a new direction. The dark rainclouds loom above but Simone Bolivar, Winston Churchill and Clemenceau statues stand as a testament to the honor paid for and assistance to humankind during times of crisis. Their firm and imposing presence cause one to pause and reflect on the world outside the city and the influences the global community has made. but beyond the political influences lie the ordinary man- the man who inhabits and lives, breathes and works here. They are in all shapes and sizes, but those most likely to attract my attention are the homeless, out of work or poverty stricken with their animals. They enhabit the sidewalks, doorways, corners, alleys and niches of the city. Seeing them with their animals brings out the best in me and I have to chip in and do my fair share. I must think it goes for the welfare of the animal and i merely cannot resist.

The 2 hefty dachshunds sitting upright in the bearded mans lap, the calico cat sitting atop the kitty carrier and the golden lab carrying a basket in his mouth for "contributions" and a lapping kiss. It doesn't seem unusually sad as they all look well cared for and fed, but I still have to give of myself to the animals and their owners of the world. I know I would want to be helped out if I needed it. Each time, 1-4e seems little to give when I and my animals (dog and 2 cats) are fine. A man with an organ grinder on the Grande Boulevard with his sleeping dog and cat under an umbrella come to mind. I have not seen them this trip and worry that the animals have passed...

This afternoon, i head to the 18th Arrondissment....

In Pictures Lie Memory

City Sights to Series

Although groggy and tired from the evening, it was up early and out the door to a cafe for a coffee (are you surprised?) croissant, butter, jam and orange juice before hitting the cobblestones for another day in the city. Refreshed and two cups later with people watching, the city begins to awake and show its colors to the world. a short subway ride to the Catacombs, the morning venue.

Waiting for the it to open, a leisurely stroll in the park, watching the boulee (bowling) teams prepare for the day and seeing the dogs and people begin their morning routines. As the musee opens, I was completely unaware of the darkness and dank environment I was about to enter.

After 380 steps down to the long, dark corridors marking the numbered graves of the 16-17 and 18th century victims, I was stunned. there graves were mere numbers and a "J" marked on the tombs were that of families, persons and populace of France- primarily of Paris proper.The catacombs web and spoke beneath the living city but still vie for their place within the historical construct of time. Bones and skulls are stacked from floor to ceiling revealing thousands upon thousands of remains forming a framework of a graveyard lost in the shadows below the streets and boulevards of Modern Paris.

The lights of this city have only dimmed for these souls lost, as the remains of 6 million rest here and call to each who pass through their resting place. The Catacombs extend for miles and the bones and skulls of the "innocents" removed from their above ground cemeteries find their place in the darkened home of this tomb. Hugo, Rousseau, Camus and others mark the "le Morte" of the deaths in simplistic memorials to generations of once thriving Medieval and Renaissance humankind. Skull and crossbones marking indicate your direction as you pass the neatly stacked rows of limbs, skill and torso bones. Nearing the end of the winding pathway, is the Arch opening to a slab centered within the room like an altar. It was, however, for a darker purpose- it was the place used for lethal injection and major surgeries underground. It is a frightening reminder of the primeval, primordial mankind preceding the now tourist venue.

I had forgotten the" what goes down must come up theory" thus, those 300 plus steps are a challenge. After many breathing stops, there lies a bench at the top to "catch your breath". Inhaling is NOT an option- it is an essential stop and wheeze stop before you are checked upon exiting. "Bones as souvenirs have been taken," explains the guard. Needless to say, i am shocked. Who? and WHY? cross my mind. Isn't it enough that the tomb conjures the most somber memorial, yet someone wishes to make parts of it s "souvenir"? Humans oftentimes confuse me in matters such as these.

Emerging into the light is blinding and takes a moment to comprehend before leaving this place of introspection. but, after coffee (smile) and a bit of a rest, the ile St. Louis beckons.

All of the islands are connected by an intricate maze of bridges and Ile St. Louis is no different. Upon crossing, immediately to the right is my favorite restaurant for lunch with the most flavorful and inexpensive soup l'onion gratinee and croque monsieur/madame- "La Chaumiere en L'ile. A crowd has gathered, so we stood watching as a man approached. " May I have a light?" was his query. I obliged and as he walked to the cafe, I realized that filming of some sort was taking place at our favorite cafe. We sat across the street after buying Berthillon ice cream (the best in France) and had a coffee (YES!) and merely watched the process of shooting. our waiter informed us that the series "Panama" was being filmed today and that we had become part of the background due to our placement at the corner table across the street. Supposedly it is a mystery/thriller/action series shot in Paris. I am a star!! Ok, Ok. I stumbled on it, was an unwitting extra, and have no clue as to what is happening in the scenes. But does it matter? I will be part of the fabric of evening french television viewing.

Abandon lunch for now and we will find something on the streets as we move. We walk from one end of the Ile to the other and find that the point in the middle of the Seine, near the Pont Neuf Bridge, is the western point of the ile. A beautiful park, statuary and walking path lends itself to lovers, picnickers and not often, tourists. It is the idyllic spot for a respite from the bustling city which surrounds you- all while standing in the middle of the Seine. A wonderful find!

The evening finds us tired yet unwilling to relent. We want to the smallest street in Pairs, the Quarat, then to il de la Cite across the bridge of lights. The Eiffel Tower looms in the distance as we slowly walk the bridge of the Seine at night with the wind gusting into your faes which invigorates us temporarily. The lightening behind Notre Dame is flashing as it stands at the end of the bridge in the distance. Notre Dame now looks as if it is dressed for the evening ball. The light has gone except for the floodlights, and it stands in this muted haze that shine from its base to the spires. Truly a magnificent sight as I head to the side entrance for a unique concert.

The Gregorian Chant echoes in the domes and the gothic space as if it is a lullaby of sound. The 10 men and 4 women in blue, form the tableau's of the hours of Christ's life. The reddening dome, the black cross, the white statue of Mary holding the child behind the altar, turn while and glistens across the cross of gold above. A contrast to the stained glass and upper balcony arched columns to the top of the church. Truly a lighting marvel. Although tired, I was inspired to know more- see more- experience more. The lull of the sounds and the cold interiors of the cathedral take one back to thoughts of "What was it really like?" I can only speculate and take my mind to that place...

A Parisienne at Home

Recipes to remember and try when you return home... Each will bring back the savory goodness of your trip and conjure memories of the places you ate, relaxed, enjoyed and revelled in being a Parisienne- if only for a moment.

Soup L'Onion
Prep time / Cooking time

20 mins / 1 hour
Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs onions thinly sliced2 oz butter10 oz (2 cans) beef stock1 tb Cognac or Brandy 2 tbs flour1/2 tsp. saltFrench bread or hard toast1 cup of grated swiss or gruyère cheese

Step 1: Slice onions thin
Step 2: Melt butter in a pan and cook onions until lightly browned over medium heat for 15 minutes
Step 3: Stir the flour and gently blend it with the onions
Step 4: Add beef stock and Cognac. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes
Step 5: Toast the bread at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 10 minutes
Serving: Pour soup into bowls, float bread and add cheese. If the bowls are ovenproof bowls, you can place the filled bowls under the broiler to brown the cheese.

Wine suggestion: Beaujolais, Riesling

Quiche Lorraine
Prep time / Cooking time

20 minutes / 30 minutes
Ingredients
Pie pastry 6-8 slices of bacon, diced3 eggs 1 1/2 cup of whipping heavy cream1 or 2 tsp of butter, 1/2 tsp of salt 1/4 tsp of pepper1 pinch of grated nutmeg

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400° F (200° C)
Step 2: Put bacon dices in boiling water for 1 or 2 minutes. Drain. Put in a pan and heat till brown. Drain again.
Step 3: Rool out pastry in a pie pan. Pastry should come about 1" up the sides.
Step 4: Beat eggs, cream and seasoning. Add bacon.
Step 5: Pour mixture on the pastry, no more than 3/4 of the pie pan. Step 6: Reduce heat to 300° F (150°C). Bake for 30 minutes or until pie is cooked. Put a knife in the midle, if it comes clean the quiche is ready.
Step 7: Let the quiche cool. Do not remove it from the pan. Goes well with a salad.
Suggestion:Although traditional recipe does not include it, you can add swiss cheese such as Gruyère (in step 4). 1 cup or 4 ounces.

Wine suggestion: White wine from Burgundy, Tokay d'Alsace


Chocolate Moussse

Prep time / Cooking time

20 min / none

Ingredients
4 egg yolks3/4 cup sugar6 oz dark chocolate, semi sweet or bitter sweet4 tb coffee6 oz butter, unsalted4 egg whites

Step 1: Beat the egg yolks and sugar until it turns into a a thick yellow mixture.
Step 2: Melt chocolate and coffee in a mixing bowl. Put the mixing bowl over hot water so that mixing is easier. Add butter gradually and beat until cream is smooth.
Step 3: Beat the chocolate with the egg yolks and sugar mixture.
Step 4: Beat the egg whites and a pinch of salt until stiff. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar above and beat again for a couple of minutes.
Step 5: Stir about one third of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Stir well, then add the remaining whites.
Serving: Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Can be served with whipped cream or custard sauce.

Wine suggestion: Champagne, Sauternes, Muscat, sweet white wine

Into the Fray

After a well deserved and restful slumber ( I was out like a light) the morning brought coffee, creme, croissants, jam, orange juice, hard breads and and in-room satisfaction before the day begins. The subway (Metro or Metropolitain) is literally 30 steps from the hotel entrance and I am off on another adventure for the day. In past trips the Carte l'orange or Navigo metro pass has been used, but this time I try to Paris Visite pass. subway access can also be gained by carnets used individually but is more costly. Contact the french railway for cost and prices of all passes- they do have something for everyone and every time schedule.

The subway winds its way to Metro St. Paul where a 12 piece impromptu orchestra uses the acoustics of the rounded subway ceilings to make wonderful echoes of their music. We mounted the stairs to look from above when they played classic Vivaldi, "Spring" and the sights and sounds add to the morning adventure. Truly a sight in the bustling movement of the subway, some stopping for a moment, other listening for a bit and others sitting on the sides of the long alleyway underground, to hear the clarity of sound. Truly an bombardment of the senses. an older woman ( I should talk), quietly leaned against the wall below, staring towards the orchestra. She became lost in time yet keeping the beat with her once nimble hands. Precisely hitting each chord and conducting the movement with her arms signalling each sound. She was a passerby, merely caught in a moment of sound in which she chose to participate.

Ascending to the street and the fresh, clear air of morning, we shop the area one small boutique after another for some incredible finds in material, chocolate, candies for the relatives at home. Taking a piece of Paris home is not a difficult task with the multitudes to choose from, but shoose wisely. Small and manageable items of chocolate, scarves, watches, shoes and clothing are the best for friends and relatives. You will have the memories and pictures ( take many) to remember your trip.

After meandering the shops and lanes and several passageways (covered marketing areas with shops), we find our journey in a place we have looked for in the past, but have always been delayed or distracted, thus never finding. rue de Rosiers is a small seemingly lost street that takes you back in time. It is old, narrow, dusted with the webs of the past both literally and figuratively. Rosiers is the Jewish section of the city still boasting a thriving community with the spirit and honor of the past trying desperately to fit with the contemporary world. This was one of the many deportation areas throughout the city and a reminder that in revealing itself to the tourist, is a passageway into the history of a dark European era.

The ecole (school) is marked by the plaque of deportation of children, Jewish men huddled in black with squared hats beards and side ringlets, vigorously express their conversation in hushed tones but animation, the synagogue looms to the sky behind stark walls and the narrow alleyways of the area are reminiscent of the dark stone walls of confinement. As i stand reading the deportation plaque, a police siren wails in the distance- that two toned ring signalling the impending danger. No one on the street seems particularly interested, but to me, it startles me and brings me to the WWII era. the same sounds echoing through the street when menacing occupation troops came to "resettle" this area. It was an eerie reminder and haunts me each time I hear the sirens.

The area ends as inauspiciously as it began. The path to Place Vosges past the Holocaust museum ( i have already seen this venue), is now a means to lunch in the rain. Sitting in Place Vosges under the canopied arches looming above next to a heater, coffee is needed and time to pull the scarf out. Drenched, yet smiling we lunch next to the art galleries of the Vosges and revel in the places we have already found on a somewhat dreary day. But we head out refreshed and ready to find new parts of the city we haven't seen in times past.

this afternoon we are entering the musee du Jacquemart, a mansion tucked in the city which is overlooked if you are not actively seeking it. It is a marvel wonder with landscaped gardens, fountains and flowers which extend inside to the conservatory and the split staircase to the second floor. a beautifully decorated home with art, sculpture, furniture and windows of the period. Lunch, coffee or tea can be taken in the small and cozy restaurant area near the bookstore. It is as if the mansion and small piece of architectural wonder has been placed not to be found by the tourist, but for those who persevere, upon finding this gems, it will be one of the many memories of what Paris was like and possibly still is. One simply must look beyond the glossy brochures and hit the streets.

The rain has forced us to sit under the canopies of the outdoor cafes for coffee. Now, I don't ever have to be forced to rest and have french coffee. It truly is a way to energize the mind and heart before moving to another perspective of life in the city. Heading back to the hotel to refresh before the evening, we are huddled and laughing under our umbrella (parapluie) as we a bumped, jostled and hip checked by others who cant remember the size or positions of their umbrellas. Nothing intentional, merely a matter of survival in the rain and the natural flow of walking the byways and sidewalks of the city.

That evening, we attend the Cathdral concert at 8pm. the Paris Orchestra and Opera is filling the Cathedral with "Elias" and seating is open. arrive early for concerts and mingle with those in line and you will learn more about the city than from any book, blog or critic. We met a couple who had come from the United States, loved it, and sold their home. They moved to an apartment in Paris. They now live in the Marais section of the city and love the opportunities the location provides. It did cost however- 3,000e a month, but his tone was uplifting as he told us, "It has a lift!" The perspective shifts as I come to realize that, yet again, the simple parts of life are the positive.

The concert ended at 11pm and although tired from the daily drek, we know that our room awaits and there is another day tomorrow. Oh, to sell my house and become a resident of this city- A delightful and PERFECT thought....

Lets talk FOOD- (the Cost anyway)

Having a moment to record prices keeps costs in perspective. I am a coffee drinker (I call it plasma for my soul) so, I must account for it. Make no mistake, some parts of France and Europe are expensive even with the exchange rates. Plan for what you ENJOY and don't think about it. Let it happen and you will find it so much more pleasurable as you "rent" a table for as long as you choose to sit there- all for the price of a meal or an appetizer or simply a cup of coffee.

• cafe noir- (black coffee)- 2.40- 4.00 e
• cafe creme or cafe chocolate chaud- with milk 4.50 e
• Gratinee L'Onion- (Onion soup)- 8.00-9.50e
• Quiche Lorraine- 8.00-100e
• Saucisses and Frites (Sausages and Fries)- 10.00-12.00e
• Salade and Frites- 10.00e

le Marche Franprix ( grocery store rather like a 7-11)

• fruit- .65e each
• 4 Jambon (slices of Ham)- 2.75e
• Mayo tube- .75e
• Volvic Bottled Water- .63e
• Bread- 14 slices- 1.99e
• Milk- 1.25e
• Chocolate bar or candies- ANY price suits me...

The Notre dame plaza and the cathedral, flanked by the Seine is a stop for all visitors- even those of us who return yearly. The overlooked center point of France embedded in the plaza, is a golden starred point giving the center directions of measurement troughout France. It was, then, a long walk to Haussmann and time to find a "le Marche Franprix" for a Sunday evening meal outside. Ham, guyere, milk, SALT (i collect from each country), L'Ancienne crisps are the order of an easy but late supper near the Boulevards of Paris.

I drifted on the lawn and thoughts of increased police presence, the smells of Paris, the New tower finally stripped of its green mesh encasement for the earlier restoration, the homeless sleeping on the subway grates, masses of people with an increase of the crass and noisy Italians, and the aroma of fresh French coffee. Place du Chatelet came alive and i suddenly awoke to the sound of the brass band playing their one of many concerts at the foot of the monument. It is as if music is the beat of the city which gives breath to emotion. both connect and stir a passion for the "place", not merely the "sights".

Lured by my drifting, i knew that grande caffe noir was essential. It was "Le Notre Dame Cafe" next to the Seine which gave me the impetus to sit outside even though it was windy and cooler than normal. dusk was about, lights were coming on and the city was alive with adventurers and strolling musicians and lovers of all sorts. Sitting, watching the evening wrap itself around the city, is a delight and having the steaming coffee to keep you warm, gives you an insight to the people and their passions. It is about taking your time. Not worrying about the past or the future, but living for the moment, thi spresent and this day. Noise shifts to the music of the city as it darkens and people still mill and toss their inhibitions to the sounds. Definitely a people watch and enjoy type of place on the corner of the Seine looking at the now lit cathedral. Such an impasse between old and new- much like the chasm between young and old. But here- it doesn't matter. they blend together and become the steam rising from the Levassa coffee cup...rising into the nights stillness of a new place. Simple yet complicated this city which lay before me in all its colored sound and impeccable fashion.