First full day...here we go!

First full day…here we go!

After sleeping great (although I did wake up at 2:30am very very confused…my room was light but my phone said 2:30…was it the afternoon…did I sleep all day?!?)  I eventually realized that it was light because I had left the bathroom light on, and I went right back to sleep until 6am.

I headed down for breakfast in the basement breakfast room.  There was a great spread…fabulous baguettes, 2 types of great French butter, 6 kinds of jam, baskets full of croissants and Madelines, granola, sliced meats and cheeses, yogurt, hard boiled eggs, 25 different kinds of tea, a Nespresso machine…everything I needed…and more!  They even had a whole gluten free section with 3 kinds of GF bread and 4 kids of GF granola…it made me feel a little bit guilty that Gary wasn’t here to enjoy it with me.

As it was quite dark out still, I was in no hurry to head out, so I hung in my room a while and read, trying to decide what to do on my first day.  Eventually I headed out with NO plan…I thought I’d just wander toward the river with no real agenda.  The weather forecast said 54f, with NO rain and NO sunshine, so I left both my sunglasses and my umbrella in the room…this proved to be a mistake because it both rained and then glorious bright sun appeared and I was sweating in my new jacket!  I stumbled upon a glasses store that my friend Chickie mentioned to me called Lunettes Pour Tous.  They make the glasses on the spot for you in just 10 minutes…but progressives like I wear take a week and I won’t be here long enough to get them.  I found some frames I like and may go back and buy just the frames and have the lenses put in when I get home.  

Continuing toward the river I came to the big Westfield Forum mall at what used to be Les Halles.  When I came in 1964 Les Halles was the central wholesale meat and produce market, as well as a flower market and bird market.  By 1969, only the meat stalls remained and in 1979 even those closed.  The huge metro station Chatelet/Les Halles was built there, and a large modern mall on top.  This modernization was NOT popular with the locals;  once built, the views were: “one of the worst acts of urban vandalism of the century”, “a national embarrassment”, “the most violent act ever committed against the heritage of Paris”, and the replacement mall complex was “nearly universally reviled for its mean spirit”. (The French certainly can be dramatic!)  Ah, that’s progress I guess (I feel the same way when I think how they changed downtown Walnut Creek’s Broadway Plaza!).  In 1964 I did go to the bird market.  I guess a lot of Parisians had pet birds…they also sold turtles there! 

Me and a box of turtles in 1964 at the bird market that is now a Westfield mall!

I'm looking pretty grumpy here...not sure if it's the bad haircut my grandmother got for me cuz she was tired of dealing with my longer hair...or if I just didn't like the birds!

I did crack up when I saw a huge Krispy Kreme donut store there.  It reminded me of my college friend Pam who had a French boyfriend.  He was obsessed with American donuts which I thought was so weird…French pastries are so much better.  He was convinced that a donut store would be a hit in Paris and I thought he was crazy.  I guess he was right! 

 

But I’m not interested in mall shopping so I continued on my way.  My wandering led me straight to the Samaritane department store.  I love the beautiful art deco colorful enamel  work on the exterior and the fabulous wrought iron escalators/stairs inside, and the glass and iron roof.  The store had closed in 2005, but reopened in 2021with much fanfare after having been extensively renovated for 7 years.  It really is beautiful, and made me think of the department store in Edward Rutherfurd’s wonderful book, “Paris”.  French department stores totally intimidate me…I always find myself wandering in, because they are so beautiful,  but then I can’t wait to leave because they are so upscale!

I wandered across the Pont Neuf to the Place Dauphine. 

(Actually that is the Pont Neuf in the background...this photo was on my way back when I took another bridge)

 

Place Dauphine is one of my favorite spots in France.  I ate at La Rose de France with my grandparents in '64, had a fabulous lunch several years ago with my sisters in law and nieces here, and just last year had a fun photo shoot here…lots of happy memories for me in this little triangular oasis.  Today it was kind of quiet and grey there.  

(Having lunch at La Rose de France with my Oma and Opa in 1964)

Last year's photo shoot at Place Dauphine!

Same restaurant today, but it was too early for lunch when I passed by today!

The entrance to Place Dauphine is the little opening between these 2 buildings. You might walk right past it if you didn't know it was there. Did you watch The Marvelous Mrs. Mazel?  Her parents lived on Place Dauphine when they moved briefly to Paris.

I continued along to a great tea shop, La Marriage Freres, and stocked up on some yummy tea to take home.  I love their little hand tied muslin tea bags, and their tea blends are amazing!

 

this store smells SO good inside!!

 My feet were getting tired, and it was almost lunch so I moseyed over to Rue de Buci.  I wanted a jambon beurre sandwich - fresh baguette, French ham, and loads of butter!  I found a spin-off of Les Deux Magots that serves primarily Jambon Beurre sandwiches so sat outside, rested my feet and watched the world pass by.  I was thrilled when a French couple asked me directions in French on how to get to St Chapelle…I certainly don’t think I was giving off a Parisian vibe today, but I pointed in the general direction and told them they needed to cross the Pont Neuf and look near Place Dauphine.  I sure hope they had tickets because when my cab drove past it yesterday, the line to get in stretched almost 2 blocks!

As I was wandering back to my hotel my FitBit buzzed and told me I had hit 10,000 steps and it was exactly 1:30…Pretty impressive since I only set out at 10am!  I decided to head “home”, rest a bit, type this up, and formulate a real plan for tomorrow.  By the time I got back to my hotel I had hit 11,300 steps!  This kind of freaked me out...but I guess the cortisone shot in my knee is doing it's magic!  I was worried that I would overdo it on the first day and be pooped out for the rest of the trip so I put my feet up in my hotel  for a while, explored my immediate neighborhood, and rested a bit before heading out in the evening.  Just wandering until. I found a good spot seemed to work last night, so I adopted the same philosophy tonight...I wandered until I found a little crepe shop and settled down with my kindle and a glass of wine.  I lingered until it was dinner time and then enjoyed a simple galette (buckwheat crepe) filled with lots of goat cheese, fresh tomato sauce and some pesto...kind of the flavors of a Margharita pizza in a galette - it was truly delicious, simple flavors that worked so well together!

I wandered home and just about died when I realized that I had walked 16,804 steps (that's 7 miles!) today!  I hate walking at home...its SO different in Paris though...and I'm loving it!