Day 37 - Quintessential Paris: Markets, Cafes, & Riverwalks

It was a beautiful Sunday in Paris, which means open-air markets, cafes, parks and hanging by the Seine River…a great final day!  In my seven days in Paris I haven't once been to a street market yet, so that was my first order of business.  Fortunately, one of the city's best food and gift markets takes place on Sunday mornings, the Marche Richard Lenoir in the Bastille area. 

The brisk fall weather in Paris is beginning to cause the leaves to turn.

Not a cloud in the sky. Lots of locals and visitors were out and about in the parks and walking around the various gardens.

Marche Richard Lenoir in the Bastille part of Paris is considered to be one of the city's better, more diverse markets because you can find just about anything. It has a wide variety of produce, meat, fish, cheese, and specialty cuisine along with gifts, clothes and other knickknacks.

Chowing on some salami.

The meat stalls were packed because people were buying their choice cut of meat for the big Sunday family meals.

Some stalls had pre-made food that you could eat right away, such as this place, which had the largest vat of paella I've ever seen.

I went with the lamb kabab.

 

After the market we walked around the popular area of Marias in the east part of Paris. It's known for its hip cafes, restaurants, shops and galleries.

  One of the galleries had a multi-colored series of this fat samurai cat statue that I really liked.

Quintessential open-air Paris cafe on a Sunday. Sunshining and not an empty seat.

Sunshine on a lazy Sunday really brings out the crowds. We were able to find so many fun little side streets in the Marias part of town, each with packed cafes and shops. 

We finally made it to our lunch destination, L'as Du Fallafel (The Ace of Falafel), one of Paris' most coveted food items and it had the line to prove it.

The line to get a falafel to-go was down the street, fortunately the guys at the counter work quickly so it only took about 15 minutes. 

Worth it! I went with the meat pita...apparently I had a meat craving - first salami, then a kabab and now a lamb pita.

This guy was staring down my meat pita...get your own!

 

We took the short walk down to the Seine River and enjoyed our divine falafels riverside, just as the Parisians do.

After I finished stuffing my belly, it was time to sitback and relax and enjoy the calmness of the river.

 

We weren't the only ones enjoying the river side on this sunny Sunday.

On our walk back to the metro we came across a Bastille celebration which included about a dozen trucks with bands on them. It was basically a musical parade. 

 

After an afternoon nap it was time to get ready and head out for my last night in Paris...and in Europe.  I did a bit of research and found Les Ombres, a higher end spot located on the top of the Musee du  Quai Branly and overlooking the Eiffel Tower. 

A bit of vino in the hotel room to start off the final night in Paris.

 

It was a cold night so I had to suit up in a full jacket and scarf. Fortunately, the restaurant was a short walk from the hotel.

 

The view of the Eiffel Tower from inside the restaurant.

 

If you went out onto the balcony you had a perfect unobstructed view of Paris' most iconic site...a great way to end the trip.

 

I started with crystal blue prawns on a delicious avocado paste (it was more like guacamole than a paste...either way, it was good).

My main course was the red snapper cooked in a banana leaf.

It was topped with a baked coconut, shrimp, breadcrumb layer. The tender white fish with the breaded layer was fantastic.

Veggies - sauteed peas, green beans, and string beans.

Dessert of course! Raspberries on top of chocolate mouse and fudge. Ahhh, YES!

After dinner I made my way over to Lizard Lounge for some live tunes in an underground cave. The lively crowd, entertaining music, and good drinks made it a nice way to close out the trip.

 

Speaking of good drinks, after 37 days in Europe I was finally able to find a place that served a vodka with olive juice, aka a dirty martini. It sounds so simple, but the idea of putting olive juice in a drink is completely foreign to most places in Europe.

 

 

 

It was a great final day in Paris and a fitting food-filled end to this legendary European adventure.   On Monday afternoon I pack up and head home to LA.  I'll tie a nice bow on this trip with a few final posts such as fun photos and some final thoughts once I get back State-side. 

Day 36 - Game Day in Paris: PSG v. Sochaux

Since this is technically a soccer excursion and I've extended my stay, I figured it’d be appropriate to attend another soccer match.  Fortunately the schedule was in my favor and Paris-Saint Germain (PSG) was playing at home on Saturday night in a Ligue 1 match against Sochaux.  I was able to call on Yann, PSG's press officer who didn't come through for the Bastia match, but he had no problem with tickets for this home showdown. 

It's no secret the French are passionate people.  Passionate about their food, culture, and love, but when it comes to sports it just seems like their passion comes off as rowdy and disgruntled.  Nothing in particular happened at the game, but I noticed it in Bastia with fans throwing things at players while they were taking corner kicks and then again in Paris with fans yelling, whistling and hollering when opposing players get injured or substitute out.  I guess this makes them no different than New York or Philadelphia fans.

My breakfast consisted of some fruit from a local vendor and a coffee...keeping it healthy for a change.

Kickoff was at 5:30 so I headed to the stadium around 4:30. I wouldn't of had a problem scalping a ticket to this match. The sketchy ticket scalper guys I was looking for in Bastia were apparently all here in Paris. I felt like I was at the Coliseum...home sweet home.

 

PSG flags were put on everyone's seats.

 

By kickoff it was a packed house. Sochaux isn't a big rival or even a historically strong team, but PSG, with its new players, is a hot ticket in town. 

PSG is second in the league and Sochaux is 17th (out of 20).

 

 

It didn't take long for PSG to score...at 10 minutes they went up 1-0 and the flags were waiving.

PSG's park, Parc des Princes holds about 48k.

 

Only in France would they serve a hot dog in a baguette.

Goal #2 also came in the first half in the 35th minute...PSG 2, Sochaux 0 at halftime.

 

Final score PSG 2, Sochaux 0. PSG's next league match is against huge rival and first place team Marseille. The fans were already yelling and screaming profanities about Marseille so that should be a rowdy match.

 

 

Another fun European soccer experience, 6 for 6!

 

 

The game ended around 8pm, perfect time for dinner.  There's a place across from my hotel called the Le Petit Tour (The Small Tower) that has been recommended by several people so that's where I headed.  Trip Advisor, which is where I get a lot of recommendations, has it as #215 out of 8,000+ restaurants in Paris.  It a very old restaurant  dating back to before WWII.  The waitress said that during the war when the Germans occupied Paris they would come into this restaurant and sit exactly where I was sitting to get drinks.

Bartop for one please! This was a very familiar scene throughout the trip.

 

Raviloi in a cream sauce and topped with prosciutto. This was my appetizer, but I could have thrown back a whole bowl of this. It was amazing; creamy, but not too heavy. The salty proscuitto with the cream sauce...incroyable.

Scallops. For some reason I've been craving scallops for a week now, but have had trouble finding them. When the waitress was translating the menu for me and mentioned scallops my eyes lit up. They were covered in a light oil and basil sauce and in the middle was a red marinara-type sauce that was delicious. My craving was very much satisfied.

Side of green beaans...again, trying to keep it healthy.

 

It was a full moon in Paris.

Looking up and seeing the Eiffel Tower is still not getting old.

Another fun day in Paris and a successful soccer endeavor as well.   Sunday is my last full day (I leave Monday afternoon) and I don't have much planned.  I'll probably take advantage of the sunshine and do as the Parisians do and enjoy another open air cafe. 

Day 35 - Musee d'Orsay & Some Amazing Ice Cream

Bristish philosopher Betrand Russell once said, "The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."  That pretty much sums up my Friday in Paris.  I woke up late, lounged around, grabbed a coffee and a croissant and relaxed.  Eventually the guilt set in and I forced myself to get out to check out a few more fun sites. 

 

As you’re aware, the French have lost a lot of wars over the years yet somehow managed to end up with most of the world’s great artwork.  Many of which are housed at the recently refurbished Musee d'Orsay.  The Seine-side museum is best known for its extensive collection of impressionist and post-impressionist masteripieces (the largest in the world) by such painters as Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cezanne, Seurat, Gauguin, and Van Gogh.

 

Visiting the d’Orsay was like stepping into the pages of an Art History book.  Whether it was Monet’s Haystack or Renoir’s The Ball at the Moulin de la Galette or Van Gogh’s Self-portrait, everywhere you looked was a familiar piece of art work that you’ve read about and heard of since you were a kid.  On numerous occasions I said out loud, "Oh, I know that one."  Perhaps the greatest piece of art work is the d’Orsay building itself.  It is housed in an impressive Beaux-Arts classical style railway station built between 1898 and 1900.  The entire museum received major renovations in recent years and is now the best museum in Paris in my opinion. 

 

The Musee d'Orsay sits right on the Seine River in the heart of Paris.

 

The Musee d'Orsay building is just as much of an attraction as the numerous paintings inside its walls.

The arched roof gives a good sense of how the building was once a train station in the early 20th Century. It resembles several of the train stations that I've already visited in Europe such as in Glasgow and Milan.

 

It's like an all-star roster of artists.

 

Van Gogh's Haystack were on show...

...as was Renoir's The Ball at the Moulin de la Galette.

 

 The Musee d'Orsay has dozens of Van Gogh's masterpieces including his Self-Portrait.

 

A view across the Seine River through the d'Orsay's clock tower.

Inside on the west wall still hangs the original clock from when the building was a train station at the end of the 1800s.

 

 

After Musee d’Orsay I wandered over to the backside of the Notre Dame Cathedral to Ile Saint-Louis, the second island.  Just over a small bridge is the elegant old street, Rue St.-Louis-en-l'ile, as narrow as your living room.  This is the Paris you've always imagined -- quaint restaurants, pastry shops and perhaps the best ice cream ever, at the famed Berthillon (pronounced bear-tee-yone).  Thanks to DA for the recommendation. 

 

Berthillon street-side cafe. It has a full menu, but it's most famous for its homemade ice cream. It also doesn't hurt that it overlooks the Seine River and the Notre Dame Cathedral.

There were about a dozen flavor choices.

 

I went with three scoops - coffee, honey nougat, and hazelnut. Coffee was by far my favorite. I think it's so good because every bite packs a punch of flavor. Your taste buds light up with coffee or honey flavors or whatever it is.

Rue St-Louis-en-l'ile at sunset

 

The night was mellow.  I met up with a new friend of mine named Beatriz for some wine at a local street-side cafe and enjoyed a relaxed night in Paris.  It seems impossible to exaggerate the importance of the little sidewalk cafe to Paris.  They are to this French city what beaches are to L.A.  Every block has an open-air cafe, chairs facing the street and every day and night guests fill the chairs to watch the passerbys like it's a parade.  The cafes are like the parade stand.   You just grab a table, order some beer or wine and swallow it all up to your heart's content. 

It was close to a full moon on Friday night.

Beatriz and I grabbed a table at one of the many nearby cafes, ordered some wine and enjoyed the evening.

A poor attempt at getting a shot in front of the Eiffel Tower at night.

 

Saturday is game day in Paris.  I figured if I'm going to stay I need to keep the soccer theme going, so I got a couple tickets to the Paris-Saint Germain match vs. Sochaux.